[mythtv-users] Trying to compile MythTV from source (and VDPAU support in particular)

[R. G. Newbury]

On 03/14/2012 06:25 AM, Andrey Zhunev wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I am using MythTV + Fedora for several years now. It's the best
> HTPC solution I saw so far and I really appreciate the work of
> developers and community to make it even better.
>
> Recently I decided to try CentOS 6 as a new OS for my home server
> (which is at the same time a mythbackend and a mythfrontend in one
> of the 2 rooms). I set up a test machine for that, so I'm free to test
> the "bleeding edge" of MythTV development. Therefore, I want to try
> compiling MythTV myself. It's my first try and I'm not very
> experienced in Linux, so I have more questions than answers. I read
> some online guides, but most of them are outdated (written for older
> versions of MythTV).
>
> At this step I'm mostly missing the "proper" configure parameters that
> I need to put in order to get MythTV that is close to what I'm used to
> (from Fedora's RPMFusion repositories). I read the 'configure
> --help', but it's still not obvious what I need, exactly.
>
> So I would appreciate if you could point me to an up to date guide to
> compile MythTV from source.
>
>
> One particular question, though. I tried to add VDPAU support, but it
> seems I can't. Despite '--enable-vdpau' parameter, the 'configure' returns:
>
> "VDPAU support: no"
>
> I have NVidia drivers (from atrpms) installed. I don't have
> VDPAU-capable video adapter installed at the moment (using built-in
> Intel video), may this be a problem?


The scripts at the bottom of this page:

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Installing_MythTV_SVN_on_Fedora

are still a good reference for the entire process on a RedHat based 
distro. The build script is basically still good.

The configure switches have changed, but are listed by a 'configure 
--help', so the config files will necessarily change. Myththemes has 
disappeared from .25 so that portion of the build script can be 
scrapped. Some of the package names have also changed...which can be 
annoying. You may have to search the configure script for the exact names.

Remember that you will need the -devel packages for everything, too. If 
you know how to do it, you can probably extract an actual list of the 
required dependencies from a mythtv-suite rpm spec file from rpmfusion 
or atrpms. (Haven't done that myself but it should work). You'd need the 
rpmdev tools.

Otherwise the page here:
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Fedora_12_-_Package_Dependencies

has some pointers to the required files, and lists are on the Fedora 10 
page. Again, names have changed and the actual requirements have changed.

I'd post my dependencies script but I no longer know what is a necessity 
for myth and what I have added for convenience or just as a memorandum 
of something I need for other purposes.

As to using nvidia: DON'T INSTALL THE NVIDIA BINARY UNLESS YOU HAVE AN 
NVIDIA CHIPSET.

The Nvidia binary blob install replaces a number of native GL files with 
nvidia specific versions, *which do not work with Intel chipsets*. Or at 
least didn't do so. I ended up having to do a complete re-install when I 
tried to do what you seem to be proposing. That was back when vdpau was 
new. I have no idea if the rpmfusion or atrpms packages do the same 
replacements, but I would strongly suspect so. That makes the files 
incompatible with the Intel chipsets.

If you have taken that fatal step, you should obtain the binary 
nvidia....bin file from nvidia, run it with -x, to extract the contents 
(without installing) and examine the folders and install scripts for the 
names of the replaced files. Then install them directly.
Which may or may not work...I was in a hurry to be able to record again, 
so I just nuked it all and reinstalled the OS, then copied back the myth 
BE/FR binaries and libraries.
Not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of the fact that I can do a 
complete nuke and re-install in about 15 minutes (plus however long the 
actual installation takes, while I do something else.) Well-practiced...

Geoff













-- 
              R. Geoffrey Newbury			
            Barrister and Solicitor
       Suite 106, 150 Lakeshore Road West
          Mississauga, Ontario, L5H 3R2

         o905-271-9600 f905-271-1638
           newbury at mandamus.org