[mythtv-users] Myth on WD HDTV Media Player for $99

Nick Rout nick.rout at gmail.com
Sun Oct 11 22:55:23 UTC 2009


On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 11:40 AM, Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 11:27 AM, Tortise <tortise at paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>
>> What I don't understand is why did NVIDIA make VDPAU Open source, while they keep their drivers proprietary?
>>
>> What advantage does it give NVIDIA opening up VDPAU while keeping their drivers closed?
>>
>
> So that people can find a use for vdpau. vdpau is not much use if no
> one can interface mplayer|xine|xbmc|mythtv|vlc to it.
>

So to summarise the thread:

VDPAU does a good job of decoding BUT in the nVidia implementation it
requires a proprietary binary blob AND a x86/amd64 machine, which
brings some power/size/cost penalties.

SIGMA does very good decoding and is in a lot of set top boxes, but is
proprietary and the manufacturers show no signs of making drivers
available except to set top box makers, who presumably either sign an
NDA or have to work around a (confidential) api/binary blob
arrangement.

BROADCOM CrystalHD do a good job of decoding and are low power, and
the makers are working with developers on a completely open source
driver/api, but there is still a proprietary firmware. RMS would
object, but as Scott Davilla says, its pretty good and probably the
best we will see.

Other comments on matters that have been raised in the thread:

There was once a distro which claimed it had a license to play CSS
encoded DVD's, can't remember what it was, something in the Xandros
line I think.

There was an effort to port mvpmc to the sigma based boxes
(popcornhour) but I haven't seen much by way of results.


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