[vdr] Allwell Linux STB -here's more information

[Andreas Mixich <sp.amix@gmx.net>]

Hi,

I just received a reply from GCT-Allwell (http://www.allwell.tv) to an
email of mine which contained some more specific questions.

In the assumption, that some of you evaluate a purchase of such a box
(I do, since they are pretty valuable and good priced) here is a bit 
of info.

I have asked if the boxes support DVB in any form. The answer is 'No' but
there
is no problem adding DVB card(s) on the PCI slots of these systems, which
are
available via riser card. Since the riser card has two such slots, if memory
serves
me correctly, a dual card-setup would be possible. However, this is just
your very own
user installation, as is now with your PC.

Here is the quote:

>You can use any of your DVB-S card and insert it into the PCI slot.
Currently, some
>of our customers in Europe are inserting a DVB-S card in our Metallic6086
model


Then I aksed if the MPEG4 decoder is part of the riser card, as I understood
on
their web-page. It currently is not ! They still come on a seperate PCI
card, thus
rendering one of the two (?) slots unusable. However, they are working on it
(to solder the MPEG4 decoder onto the riser card itself, which is the more
elgeant
solution, since it saves a PCI slot)

The TV tuner is on a PC104 slot on the 3036 model and on the board on the
6286 model.
However, the 6286 model is not available yet ! Both tuners are NTSC only !!!

Another question was, if the used SigmaDesigns MPEG4 decoder decodes also
DivX5.
Note, that the X-Card, manufactured by SigmaDesigns supports, with some
exception,
DivX5. There are 4 or 5 MPEG4 chips, I am not sure if they use the same one
as in
the Allwell decoder (but I guess not, since the Allwelll chip comes out
quite thin in
functionality graph on the chips sepcification page at sigmadesigns.com

Allwell's answer was:


>We are using Sigma Design EM8471(847x series)  which should have the
capability.

I also asked for the MPEG4 driver....

>> > f) Can you offer the Sigma Designs MPEG4 decoder LiuxSDK/driver ?
>> >    Is it open source ?
>We have the driver from Sigma. I don't think it is open source.


and the TVIA videochip:


>> > g) Is the SDK to the Video chips you employ fully open ?
>We also have the driver from TVIA and it is not open source as well. The
SDK that
>you can purchase from TVIA directly (around US $20K+). However, you can use
our
>agreement with TVIA to get a support agreement which might be cheaper and
get the
>SDK as well. This agreement is only for certain project related support and
it cost
>far less than $20K, it is about $5K instead.


Oh my....

But, as for the MPEG2 (!) decoder and the TVIA Video chip there is some
stuff on their
website:

-  DIY- Linux test program for digital video overlay on STB6086N2-MPEG2
   w/ Sigma EM8400 MPEG2 decoder and TVIA CyberPro 5005  (w/ source code)
http://www.allwell.tv/Download/MPEG/mpeg.html

and Linux driver (binary) for the TVIA chip.
http://www.allwell.tv/Download/CyberPro_50xx.zip
and
http://www.allwell.tv/Download/IGS2K_Linux.zip

as well as audio drivers, which are part either ALSA anyway or from VIA.
Depending on the box...

Anyway, even without open source specs it should be possible to use them
as both CDR/VideoLAN-Server or VidelOAN-Clients. Correct me if I forgot
something,
that makes this impossible without access to SDK/driver source...


-- 
Bye, Andreas


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