[linuxtv-softmpeg] Re: AW: VDR / softmpeg requirements

[Nicolas Huillard <nhuillard@ghs.fr>]

Habenicht Joerg (CM-DI/ESU5) wrote:
> > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> > Von: linuxtv-softmpeg-bounce@linuxtv.org
> > [mailto:linuxtv-softmpeg-bounce@linuxtv.org]Im Auftrag von Nicolas
> > Huillard
> > Gesendet: Mittwoch, 9. Juni 2004 19:29
> > An: linuxtv-softmpeg@linuxtv.org
> > Betreff: [linuxtv-softmpeg] VDR / softmpeg requirements
> >
> >
> > Hi,
>
> Hi Nicolas,
First of all, thank you very much for your reply.
I had a first success yesterday night, using the softdevice plugin 
(after a slight mod in the code). But the DirectFB code in there is not 
quite clean and... finished (no pause, no fast-forward + rewind, etc.)
What I did :
    in void cDFBVideoOut::SetParams(int newXres, int newYres)
    change the value of dlc.options =
    from (DFBDisplayLayerOptions)( DLOP_ALPHACHANNEL )
    to (DFBDisplayLayerOptions)( DLOP_NONE )
Seems that my kernel frame-buffer is not that featurefull.
Since softmpeg had quite the same behaviour, I suspect I do not have the 
right viafb.

> > I am trying to have a working VDR since many weeks now (I'm 
> > slow), on my
> > EPIA M10000 with CLE266.
> > I wish to use DirectFB, so I tried both the softdevice VDR plugin and
> > libsoftmpeg with the softmpeg VDR plugin... At this time, 
> > none of them work.
> >
> > I would like to have clear requirements for the system to work :
> >
> > * I have kernel 2.6.6 in a Debian testing install, I can recompile and
> > tweak ther kernel as I wish...
> > * I patched the kernel with the -epia patch from
> > http://www.epiawiki.org/wiki/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=6
> fine
>
> > * what version of the viafb must I use ? (the -epia kernel patch doc
> > says the viafb come from directfb.org, but I'm not sure)
> The module from the patched kernel should do very well.
> (Ain't it the same like the CVS version?)
The epiawiki.org site says so, but I can't verify it, since I use kernel 
2.6 and the CSV viafb from DirectFB reports to work with kernel 2.4 : 
the diff is huge, maybe simply because of that kernel internal change.
I'll retry to check the diff.

> > * can I / must I compile viafb as a module, or in-kernel
> Do it as a module, so you can "insmod" the module with the appropriate parameters before starting VDR.
If I compile it as a module, I won't have a frame-buffer console, isn't 
it ? No graphical splash screen at boot time (not so problematic, though).
When I modprobe (no insmod in 2.6) viafb, the console screen switch to 
graphic mode and the console is unreadable/unusable (even before I start 
VDR from SSH). Maybe I must also turn off frame-buffer console support 
in the kernel ? What parameters must I check / uncheck (all .config 
samples I have read activate frame-buffer consol, mode selection at 
boot, etc.)

> > * what version of DirectFB should I use ? (I tried 0.9.20 from Debian
> > testing, and a self compiled 0.9.21-cvs, checked out last sunday)
> I'm using last month's CVS version, which does well.
> I added a patch from Colin (search for Colin), which imports a faster copy function
I read the whole linuxtv-softmpeg@linuxtv.org archive with great 
interest before posting, but Colin's patches are not available anymore 
(404).
I would be glad if someone can post them.
It also seems that Colin didn't post since a long time : does it mean 
that everything works flawlessly for everybody ?

> Additionaly I used Colin's test version of the CLE266 hardware decoder.
> You may not need it because your CPU seems strong enough to do software decoding of the MPEG stream.
I would also like to use it, since I think the CLE266 hardware will 
produce less heat than the CPU for the same job (I would like the VDR 
box to be as silent as possible, in spite of the 8cm adjustable low 
speed fan).
Can someone also post this patch.

> > * what screen resolution works best with VDR/softmpeg, and how can I
> > check working screen resolutions (when I have vga=ask in 
> > lilo.conf, and
> > viafb compiled-in, a scan of available modes freezes the kernel).
> I think, the TV resolution (TV=1 option) works best.
> This way, the picture doesn't have to be transformed.
> Select whether to use PAL or NTSC (TVtype=  option).
This mean 720x576 at 50Hz interlaced (PAL), isn't it ? Or is it simply 
"modprobe viafb TVon=1 TVtype=1" that will select the appropriate 
resolution ?
I can't manage to get this frequency : fbset -i always report 75Hz (or a 
little less). I didn't connect the TV on the S-Video connector, though : 
does the chip recongnize there is no TV connected, and stay with the CRT 
refresh rate ?

> hth,
You did ;-)
I'll report my findings...

--
NH