[mythtv-users] Current wisdom on PVR-150/250/350/500

[Jeff Simpson]

On 4/17/06, Jeff Simpson <jeffsimpson at alum.wpi.edu> wrote:
> On 4/17/06, Jerry Rubinow <jerrymr at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On 4/16/06, Jeff Simpson <jeffsimpson at alum.wpi.edu> wrote:
> > > > When Nvidia's hardware is supported by free software, I'll buy this
> > > myself.
> > >
> > > Nvidia IS supported by free software. There is an open-source driver that
> > > works.
> > >
> > > HOWEVER nvidia ALSO releases their own binary driver, out of the
> > > goodness of their hearts. And it works great and supports ALL the
> > > features of the card.
> > >
> > > I don't see Hauppauge jumping up to release ANY drivers for their
> > > hardware. They are all about saying "Works in Linux / MythTV", but
> > > they won't even release register maps for their hardware to
> > > developers, we've had to reverse engineer. The ivtv driver was written
> > > by somebody from what I assume was reverse engineering the windows
> > > driver and reading the specs for the various chips on the card.
> > >
> > > Remember that company that had open-source linux drivers, Matrox?
> > > Neither do I. They just couldn't keep up with the competition.
> >
> > I'm not sure what your point is here.  Matrox still very much exists,
> > and they provide binary drivers in what looks like a similar manner as
> > Nvidia.  Not sure if they have a full source driver of some sort, but
> > I didn't look that hard.
> >
> > http://www.matrox.com/mga/support/drivers/latest/home.cfm
>

For example:

http://www.matrox.com/mga/support/drivers/files/lnx_43.cfm

This card (G400-TV) was one I was looking at. They have a full-source
driver availablem but it "does not enable video features". Their
support was open because they didn't want to actually finish or
support their drivers, they just put enough work in to make them
function and left them to rot. No work was put in to increase
performance, support of features, etc.

So the question for all the closed-source haters out there: would you
rather have an open source driver that barely works or a closed source
one that works great right out of the proverbial box?

Sure you *CAN* hack an open source driver to support the things it
doesn't already, but look at that matrox card. It's been years, has it
happend?