[linux-dvb] Re: FF cards alter PTS'?

[Klaus Schmidinger <Klaus.Schmidinger@cadsoft.de>]

Holger Waechtler wrote:
> 
> ...
> > ? Hm, I think you got me wrong.
> > If I may choose between two comparable cards,
> > - one card with a closed-source firmware and
> > - another card with a complete open-source driver
> > I would definitely select the second one, even if it is more expensive.
> > Furthermore, I will prefer a vendor who provides us with card specs.
> 
> Well, the Technotrend cards are the one you woould never ever buy, is
> this correct?
> *g*
> 
> Btw: understand firmware as part of the hardware, you don't have the
> sources of the BIOS of your mainboard and graphics card, you don't even
> know which other hardware components need some codelets from their
> drivers or from onboard EEPROMs to operate. A firmware is just something
> required for the hardware to operate, if it's done well you don't even
> want to know that it's there.

Which is not a problem as long as the firmware actually *works*!

> >>>There is no advantage except that these cards are really cheap.
> >>
> >>?!? sorry, I don't understand you. They do their job and are cheap,
> >>isn't this advantage enough?
> >
> >
> > I was targeting at budget cards with closed-source firmware.
> > From what I have read so far, they are not working very reliable (yet).
> > There are no specs, and I2C communication has to be sniffed.
> > It's not easy to implement features like error recovery correctly,
> > if the firmware is a black box...
> 
> Well, as far I know the TDA10045 based DVB-T cards are working just
> fine, the Avermedia cards have problems at weak receiption conditions or
> with many reflections. But since the Windows driver is appearently doing
> fine with the same firmware it's a driver issue that can and will get fixed.
> 
> > The situation with full-featured cards is completely different:
> > o Basically there is only one card design available.
> 
> guess why.
> 
> > o While the firmware is closed-source, there are some trustworthy guys
> >   who maintain the source code and do a great job. ;-)
> 
> none of them likes this job, scroll back in the mailing list archive.
> These are the guys trying to convince Klaus and the other VDR freaks to
> implement a software decoder. guess why.

I hate to repeat myself, but here goes: Why should *I* implement a software
decoder? I for myself am quite happy with the full featured DVB cards, and
since I write VDR mainly for my personal needs, I don't need a software
decoder!

VDR has the ability to implement alternative devices, so if somebody
feels the need to implement a software decoder plugin, just go ahead!
Maybe, if it works fine, people will adopt it joyfully and sooner or later
abandon the FF cards. But you won't be able to defeat the use of FF cards
by just declaring them "outdated" or "dinosaurs". You have to provide
a better alternative, then evolution will do the rest.

So, instead of theoreticising and calling people liars, why don't you
just go ahead and write a device plugin for VDR that implements a software
decoder and OSD?

> end of thread.

Fine with me.

Klaus


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