John Dalgliesh wrote:
Linux handles this similiar as well as all other Unices, even Windows has a kind-of-read-write-ioctl based lowlevel driver abstraction layer with a device instanciation/registration API.On Wed, 27 Aug 2003, Lauri Pesonen wrote:Hi,
just a general call for comments about using DVB HW with Macs.
I'm moving soon to another country and leaving all my PC stuff behind. I'm planning on getting one of those cool looking iMacs once I get settled in at the new place. I've never had a Mac before, so I think it's time to get one :)
I'm gonna miss my VDR a lot, so I was wondering has anyone used DVB hardware with iMacs?
No, not an iMac, but yes for PowerMacs.Can you connect a USB DVB device to an iMac?Yes.Can you compile the linuxdvb driver on OS X?
Unlikely. The Mac OS X driver model is quite different to the Linux one.
For example, if you are driving a PCI card, then you write a class that
derives from IOService and connects to a provider nub of class
IOPCIDevice. When a matching PCI card is found an instance of your driver
class is automatically instantiated to drive that card. Also the task
scheduling mechanism and the stuff that happens at primary interrupt time
is different too (not that I really know that much about how Linux does
it).
Drivers for USB devices are similar, except that they usually execute in userspace, not in the kernel (because access to a USB bus does not compromise the system, unlike access to a PCI bus)I suppose you can implement both, as well as under Linux, BSD and Windows (the libusb provides the userspace API, unfortunally isochronous transfers were not yet implemented when I last looked on the source).
When I wanted to get my PCI DVB-T card working in my Mac, I didn't really
consider directly compiling the linux-dvb source. Although if I'd known
what I know now then I might have tried it. I didn't even know what source
files were relevant so I spent a fair bit of time flailing around in the
dark, trying various things. Anyway, I ended up writing my own, gleaning
the technical details from the linux drivers (thanks guys!)
I am currently in the process of rewriting the Mac driver for the
TehcnoTrend DVB-T PCI cards, after my first attempt which was a bit of a
dog's breakfast. It is taking me a lot longer than I expected, partially
because I want to make it good, and partially because now that I have
something working I spend a lot more time watching TV :). The revised
version should also make it easier to convert linux-dvb drivers to work on the Mac. Maybe even with source compatibility ... but that's a long way
off :)
sounds good! :) Holger -- Info: To unsubscribe send a mail to ecartis@linuxtv.org with "unsubscribe linux-dvb" as subject.