[mythtv-users] Firewire, framegrabbers, and Nvidia (was Re: Current wisdom on PVR-150/250/350/500

Brian Wood beww at beww.org
Tue Apr 18 14:41:03 UTC 2006


On Apr 18, 2006, at 8:33 AM, Scott Doty wrote:

> On Mon, Apr 17, 2006 at 11:46:39PM -0400, Jeff Simpson wrote:
>> I'd like to see it, too. I love the idea of open source, I just don't
>> think that closed-source should be as negative. They are making
>> drivers, the drivers are working. If the drivers sucked, I can see  
>> why
>> people would want to have open-source, but the drivers work great.
>
> Heh...which brings us back to the concept of framegrabbers...
>
> Specifically, I've got an Nvidia EVGA 7800GTX that apparently has  
> the hardware
> for composite video capture, which is exactly what I need.  Alas,  
> the Nvidia
> binary blob doesn't support that part of the hardware -- and  
> indeed, they
> have the temerity and chutzpah to ask in their forum if Linux users  
> want
> a driver for this part of the hardware?
>
> And for anyone who thinks they can get by without the "binary blobs",
> consider Dell's new 30" monitor.  Getting a video card with the  
> prerequisite
> DVI-D connector that _works_ with this thing is tough in the  
> Windoze world,
> much more so with Linux...
>
> It does require some Linux fu to be confident about the Nvidia  
> drivers, and
> even so, to get them working with FC5 x86_64 required a trip to the  
> Nvidia forum
> for the proper recipe -- but again, I still can't use the capture  
> hardware.
>
> So the question becomes:  What's a good choice for a composite  
> framegrabber
> with good quality?  I have a Hauppauge WinTV in my old workstation,  
> but it's
> 5V, and the 5V PCI slot on this new motherboard is covered by the
> (double-sized) Nvidia card... so I'm running mythbackend on my old
> workstation, and viewing on this new workstation.

If this machine is only running Myth then a 7800 video card is *WAY*  
overkill. Unless you can get the capture working and want to use that  
I'd go with a more conservative video card which will uncover your 5V  
PVI slot.

If you need the video horsepower for something else (and only gaming  
really requires that, as pro CAD systems usually go with a quadro or  
similar card), the HD-3000 will function as a framegrabber, though I  
don't know what sort of PCI slot it desires.

>
> I also have Comcast, and a Motorola DCT-6208 which _used_ to work  
> with that
> old Linux ddr project -- but 5C encryption in the firmware killed that
> functionality.  Does the 6200 support in MythTV work with SF Bay Area
> Comcast?
>
> And if not, is there a DVB card that can receive the digital cable  
> (QAM?)
> signal?
>

Several cards can receive *unencrypted* QAM, though getting it set up  
in not trivial. See the MythTV WiKi for more info. Most likely all  
you will get will be the local off-airs, which you can get via analog  
on most systems.


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list