Mailing List Archive

I believe there are plans to support the hardware decoding of the
PVR-350 when the driver matures enough. So, who needs VIA. ;)

Vince

On Thursday, April 24, 2003, at 11:56 AM, Dan Fleming wrote:

> Recently I began working on setting up a 2 PC Myth system using a
> Athlon XP-1700 for the backend and an EPIA-M900 for the front end and
> I was having good success with it. However after reading about the
> progress for support of the PVR-250 I went out and bought one.
>
> For fun I decided to install the PVR-250 into the EPIA-M system and
> install Windows 2000. The results made me want to pull my hair out!
> The PVR-250 with its hardware MPEG2 encoder and the EPIA-M with its
> hardware decoder worked beautifly together. With DVD quality encoding
> I was able to record, watch, and pause live TV flawlessly; it was
> truely impressive.
>
> Anyone know how to give Via a kick in the rear to get us support for
> their decoder under Linux?
>
> ---Dan
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users@snowman.net
> http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>

> Recently I began working on setting up a 2 PC Myth system using a Athlon
> XP-1700 for the backend and an EPIA-M900 for the front end and I was
> having good success with it.

I'm doing something very similar - email me privately if you want to
compare notes.

> However after reading about the progress
> for support of the PVR-250 I went out and bought one.

I also just ordered a 350 (from shopperwiz) to play around with.

> Anyone know how to give Via a kick in the rear to get us support for
> their decoder under Linux?

If you read this thread:
http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.cfm?catid=28&threadid=36238

you'll see some discussion about this. Specifically, there is a comment
in the referenced bugzilla entry that mentions some kernel work may be
required to support the decoder, but it is being looked at.

Larry

>
> ---Dan
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users@snowman.net
> http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

Thursday, April 24, 2003, 6:56:27 PM, Dan wrote:

> Recently I began working on setting up a 2 PC Myth system using a Athlon XP-1700 for the backend and an EPIA-M900 for the front end and I was having good success with it. However after reading
> about the progress for support of the PVR-250 I went out and bought one.

> For fun I decided to install the PVR-250 into the EPIA-M system and install Windows 2000. The results made me want to pull my hair out! The PVR-250 with its hardware MPEG2 encoder and the EPIA-M
> with its hardware decoder worked beautifly together. With DVD quality encoding I was able to record, watch, and pause live TV flawlessly; it was truely impressive.

> Anyone know how to give Via a kick in the rear to get us support for their decoder under Linux?

Got this combo for months now and believe me I and others bugged
VIA numerous times to get the mpeg2 H/W accel going. After much discussion
in the VIAARENA forums VIA handed over the documentation and sources
to Alan Cox. (NDA?) But since Alan has released the sources into the
open and expressing himself as vaguely involved i am not sure what to
expect next.

http://bugs.xfree86.org/cgi-bin/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=154

Fiona Gatt (VIA) states here that the xine project is involved to get
the accel going.

http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.cfm?catid=28&threadid=35890

And Alan Cox is still hopeful.....

http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-video&m=105103598027180&w=2

So not sure who needs to be kicked in the rear. VIA, Alan, Xine ?

/Robert

On Thu, Apr 24, 2003 at 09:56:27AM -0700, Dan Fleming wrote:
> Anyone know how to give Via a kick in the rear to get us support for
> their decoder under Linux?

I wish I did. I am interested in organizing a collected effort.
Mainly because as you say that platform is about the sweet spot for a
mythtv box. But only if the mpeg2 decoder is supported.

The current issues with the EPIA M platform and Linux:
- ALSA driver is substandard (although it is actively being worked)
- USB 2.0 not fully supported
- Consumer IR hardware not supported
- MPEG2 decoder not supported (as already mentioned)
- X accellerated driver immature and currently only in X cvs

To watch people complain about EPIA M and linux daily, check out the VIA
Arena linux forum:
http://forums.viaarena.com/categories.cfm?catid=28

E

--
Erik Hovland
mail: erik@hovland.org
web: http://hovland.org/
PGP/GPG public key available on request

That's right, I am replying to my own post. ;)

On Thu, Apr 24, 2003 at 12:33:54PM -0700, Erik Hovland wrote:
> - Consumer IR hardware not supported

Through further research, it seems the CIR 'hardware' is nothing
but an internal jumper to the ps/2 connector.

One could wire an IR receiver to it and get a remote sending to it. If
anyone has any info regarding how to do this specifically, please let me
know.

The links that lead me to change my opinion of the CIR port:
http://www.blackfiveservices.co.uk/EPIACIR.shtml
http://www.blackfiveservices.co.uk/EPIAWireless.shtml

E

--
Erik Hovland
mail: erik@hovland.org
web: http://hovland.org/
PGP/GPG public key available on request

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EH> - MPEG2 decoder not supported (as already mentioned)

How is this MPEG2 decoder any different from a Hollywood Plus card? Isn't it as
"useless" as the H+ would be?

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