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HDTV Reception Now Available on Linux

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the build-your-own-pvr dept.

-tji writes "A new company, www.pchdtv.com, has just released the first digital TV receiver card for Linux. Along with the Linux drivers, they have also modified xine to support HD playback and add XvMC support for MPEG2 hardware acceleration with some video cards. This has great potential for integration into PVR apps, like freevo and mythtv. There is also another project to reverse engineer drivers for the Teralogic TL880 based DTV cards. The one active developer has done a great job, but could use some help."

8 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. kill -9 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    There's no greater pleasure in life than being able to

    kill -9 JerrySpringer

    when those irritating twats show up every morning.

  2. Re:Are the drivers "O.S.S." or not? by Elm+Tree · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to their website they distribute with the card the sources for the V4L driver and the modified version of xine they talk about. Although they do talk about optionaly using NVidia cards to accelerate things, so they may encourage the use of NVidia's binary drivers. But either way, those are optional optimizations so...

    Looks like a very nice card... If I had HDTV service I'd definately think about buying one.

  3. Well, not quite the first.... by edwardd · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is the first card specifically for HDTV, but:

    For a while now, DVB cards have been available with software for Linux that have been able to recieve and process HDTV satalite signals. The 'other' PVR app that doesn't seem to catch on in the US is VDR, located at http://www.cadsoft.de/vdr This is a full featured, open source PVR application that does work with DVB cards to show HDTV.

  4. 90 day warranty? by Torp · · Score: 5, Interesting

    http://www.pchdtv.com/faq.php#faq0000007

    Isn't that a bit low for the average piece of hardware in a PC? I bought an ancient (used) ISA sound card for an even more ancient PC and I still got 180 days of warranty for it...

    --
    I apologize for the lack of a signature.
  5. Reasons to make offical Linux drivers by Felinoid · · Score: 5, Informative

    1. Users will continually update drivers and eventually absorb them into vareous Linux projects taking support off your hands permenently.
    2. Free advertsing on Freshmeat as your drivers are announced then again as projects absorb your drivers.
    3. Free adveritsing on Slashdot.
    4. Slimmer marketshare means greater sales amoung Linux users.

    Reasons to NOT provide offical Linux drivers
    1. If your suffering on the Windows side a quick throw in to support Linux will not save you.

    2. It'll piss off Microsoft.

    3. Your website will be slashdotted.

    4. There is a lose lose factor on your drivers. If your drivers are too good users may not improve them if they suck to much users won't buy your product.

    Your best bet is to always supply unoffical drivers directly into open source projects so that users will always look to the open source projects for support and not you while at the same time the open source projects give you free advertsing and they get slashdotted not you.

    --
    I don't actually exist.
  6. Maybe they can provide us (developers) some HW? by k-s · · Score: 5, Informative
    Hello,

    I'm a core Freevo developer and I have something to say:

    Hardware makers: PLEASE SEND YOUR PRODUCTS TO PROJECTS DEVELOPERS! We don't have money/machine to buy every HW on the earth, so if you want to be supported, please provide at least one board to the project!

    Recently we won an Epia and Hauppage PVR-250 and they will be better supported than others, just because we can test it.

    If you like the idea and want to be supported, contact us via developers list (freevo: freevo-devel@lists.sourceforge.net)

    Thanks, Gustavo
  7. Digital Cable Card by TornSheetMetal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Do any cards exist that can decode digital cable tv without having to go through the digital cable tv box? I'm not looking to get channels I'm not paying for. I just want a PVR that can act like my VCR did when I had analog cable. I used to be able to easily record shows on different channels. Tivo solves the problem by changing the channel on the Digital Cable TV box which isn't the optimal solution and prevents me from watching one show and recording another.

  8. My review of the card by pyite69 · · Score: 5, Informative


    I have one of these and it is basically as
    advertised. I use it to capture streams on Linux,
    though I still play them back on my Windows-based
    card which has component video support.

    However, the xine patches work OK.

    It is still a hacker's delight, though, and will
    continue to be until all of the modifications
    make it into the xine and v4l trees; and into at
    least the Debian Unstable package system. The
    software works, but takes some effort to get
    installed and running.

    I am quite satisfied with my purchase!!! Everyone
    who supports Linux should buy one, if only to
    support the business model.

    Mark