[vdr] [RFC] Shutdown rewrite for 1.5.x

[Patrick Mackin]

>> I wouldn't be so sure about the majority of VDRs using FF cards.  I
>> haven't seen any ad for an FF card, but I have seen many ads for cheap
>> USB DVB-T tuners.  The trend is likely to change, given that decoding
>> MPEG-2 is no challenge to current PC hardware.
>
> Also generic video cards are increasingly coming with video decoding
> features, and HDTVs can be connected straight to a PC without the need
> for a horrible scaler or special screen mode. Although not all the
> decoding features are available to Linux, dedicated decoder/TV-out cards
> are looking quite obsolete, and DVB card manufacturers are bound to
> respond to that.
>
Not to get too off-topic, but I disagree. In north america, from surveying 
posts on several bulletin boards, vdr usage seems to be 90%+ with FF cards 
(typically the Nexus-S).  There's actually the perception with many in NA 
that vdr doesn't work with budget cards!  And while more PCs are adding the 
built-in functions a FF card provides (Digital audio out, Coax or S-video 
out, adequate processing power for decoding) everything seems to be moving 
to mpeg-4.  I know from working regularly with Xvid / mpeg4 files that they 
require a lot more processing power, and many pcs are older machines 
dedicated to running vdr, not top of the line full fledged 4 ghz systems. 
I've never regretted owning my FF card, and would look for a FF mpeg4 card 
if I was in the market.  Plus, they always seem the simplest to configure 
and use with most software, not to mention not requiring a computer monitor 
to run vdr on FF :)