[mythtv-users] Hauppauge HD-PVR trials and tribulations.

[Gary Buhrmaster]

On Sun, Dec 21, 2014 at 7:34 AM, georgia_tech_swagger
<georgia.tech.swagger at gmail.com> wrote:
> ...  I can't believe pcHDTV or somebody else hasn't
> bothered to create a GOOD fully open source component and/or HDMI capture
> card for PVR purposes yet.

To paraphrase James Carville, it is the drivers,
stupid.

You are acknowledging that sometimes the
HD-PVR (and the driver) is really the victim of
the USB-bug-of-the-release issue.  You really can
not blame the device or driver for USB flakiness
in the kernel.

Regardless, until/unless Hauppauge steps up and
not only funds, but provides the various errata, the
drivers are always going to be playing catch-up.
That they work reasonable well much of the time
is a testament to a few driver devs willingness to
invest their own time.  But that is really not a
sustainable approach for longer term support.
And Hauppauge's HD-PVR2 and HD-PVR Rocket
could also be supported if Hauppauge funded
drivers for them, and that too would only require
them to pay for the drivers, not even design an
entirely new device.

I think the conclusion I reach from that is that
Hauppauge does not believe that there is a
sufficient demand for the hardware from the
Linux community that even just paying for a
Linux driver is cost justified.  It seems likely
that a completely new device, as you would
like, would have the same lack of projected ROI.
So I am not at all surprised that pcHDTV (nor
anyone else) is not jumping in to the market.

I should also mention that if money is no
object, there are (or at least were, I do not
follow the market that closely at this point)
some bigger ticket alternatives used in the
video production space.  Most were Windows
or Mac targeted, but I think Linux drivers were
available for a few at one point, but they were
all proprietary licensed drivers (and I have no
idea if they were V4L/DVB compliant).

Gary