[mythtv-users] Hauppauge HD-PVR will not initially support Linux

[Scott D. Davilla]

>On Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 10:17 AM, Mark Hutchinson <mark at onnow.net> wrote:
>>   >>  Whether or not the IVTV guys get much help
>>   >>  from Hauppauge, I don't know.
>>   >
>>   > Hans Verkuil would know exactly the level because he is the main
>>   > developer of the ivtv drivers. However I do remember him mentioning
>>   > that they provide him some support along with diagrams.
>>
>>   Interesting.  Curious, has anyone talked to him to see if any
>>   hardware/diagrams have been already supplied?
>>   I am just curious what level of support will be anticipated when the
>>   device is  released.
>
>While Hans is an excellent resource, and may be involved with a driver
>for the HD-PVR, most people seem to be missing that ivtv is mainly
>focused on the Conexent-based devices.  The HD-PVR is based on a
>brand-new chip - and just as importantly, a chip from a company with
>no history (that I can find) in the Linux world.  New
>reverse-engineering may need to be done.  Not trying to sound grim or
>discouraging - just laying out the possibilities.
>
>In a super high-level sense, the driver for the HD-PVR is going to be
>slightly more similar to pvrusb2 driver (now maintained by Mike Isely
>at http://www.isely.net/pvrusb2/pvrusb2.html) than the ivtv driver,
>but even that is a stretch.  It is going to be a new driver.
>

It does not matter what they are using internally, it's USB on the 
outside and USB can be snooped under windows and the protocol 
discovered. It's fairly trivial to do but I don't think this will be 
required as it seems Hauppauge might disclose it. But even if they 
don't, it's not a show stopper.

The USB "driver" can be a user space driver in the same manner as the 
HDHomeRun. It's a similar driver too, some setup, go and catch the 
encoded output. Simple.