[vdr] OST+Allwell.tv (was: Re: Set Tob Box)

[sp.amix@gmx.net]

Hi,

I checked their website at http://www.allwell.tv

They target a very special, yet unpopular, market and work with companies
I never heard of.

They are working on VideoOverIP and VideoOnDemand, HomeNetwork and similar
stuff.

However, each of their box is Linux compatible. They have tow or three basic
units which they modified into 4 to 5 reference designs.

They sell each box at the prices the original post showed. Pretty cheap,
if you ask me.

Now the installed software is not really interesting for us, since we
use our own software. It requires the same soft on server and clients.
Though, pretty sophisticated as it seems...

For example, the Tivella Middleware runs on a proprietary WM on a customized
Linux kernel and X.
It offers PIP, OSD/alpha shading and more. The API is being controlled by
pure Javascript calls, making it possible to layer HTML over the video
and use the browser (its based on Mozilla) to navigate.

On the other hand, there is http://www.ost-dev.net, an effort sponsored
mainly by MOKIA in order to bring cool content onto Linux based STB.
They also use Mozilla & Co. Since the DVB driver already makes use of
the OST API, this is what I believe, since there is an ost/ path within
the source tree and it creates /dev/ost it might be interesting to
check out what OST can do more for us.

Also I have seen (but not followed) this link at allwell.tv:

TVIA CyperPro IGS5005 Driver (Linux) 
http://www.allwell.tv/Download/CyberPro_50xx.zip

This is their video chip, they embedd on all their systems.
They also offer links to the Audio drivers (Linux) to all their
three base systems at http://www.allwell.tv/Download/download.html

No sign of a SigmaDesigns MPEG decoder driver, though, only an SDK
for CE3.0, but software and HOWTOS for:

DIY- Linux test program for digital video overlay on STB6086N2-MPEG2
w/ Sigma EM8400 MPEG2 decoder and TVIA CyberPro 5005  (w/ source code)

AUX-IN audio programming on STBVOD3036N 
 
Network booting a Linux STB w/ PXE protocol
 
Upgrade BIOS to PXE protocol (for booting a diskless Linux STB) 
 
DIY-Router reference design (with source code)
 
Using DOC w/ Kernel 2.4 
 
and more.

I find this all pretty exiting !

Personally I would like to see VDR just as another service of a multimedia
box and not as the only program for a dedicated box.

All could be neatly integrated within a whole Multimedia-LAN suite.
:-)

The Allwell systems are cabable of both server and client work. They
all can be extended to upto 2 PCI, meaning, that with LAN onboard (some
have dual) and Audio onboard 2 DVB cards could fit in, making a complete
server which still can have a DVD drive or (and?) a HDD inside.
Though I'd prefer to keep the HDD outside and have a DOM or such, since
it might be more clever to keept any recordings on an external file-server,
which has more room.

So, in theory:

One 6086 box, acting as router (has dual LAN) and media server. It might
have 2 DVB cards on the riser and a DVD drive in the bay, boot either from
own disk or a fileserver. It would run VDR and VideoLAN. And since on the
riser
there is an MPEG4 decoder (I think) it would also fit perfectly under the
TV.

As clients there would be only a need for the lower specced boxes,
the 3036 with the MPEG2 or MPEG4 decoder.

Only the driver for the MPEG4 decoder seesm to be a problem as of yet.

-- 
Bye, Andreas

GMX - Die Kommunikationsplattform im Internet.
http://www.gmx.net