[mythtv-users] HD-PVR2 support (please vote)

Mike Perkins mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk
Mon Aug 10 22:07:03 UTC 2015


On 10/08/15 18:37, Steven Adeff wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 10, 2015 at 12:12 PM, Greg Woods <greg at gregandeva.net> wrote:
>> OK, I will go on record as saying I would be willing to pay for an HDPVR-2
>> driver for MythTV, although it might be a while before I would actually be
>> ready to use it. I have 3 HD-PVR1's of which 2 are in use, so I plan to go
>> on using these until they die, but that day is coming eventually and when it
>> does, it will likely be difficult or impossible to replace them, so I would
>> pay to ensure there is a replacement option when I need it.
>>
>> My biggest concern with this is that the content providers will eventually
>> talk the FCC into closing the "analog hole", which would render all of the
>> HDPVR devices useless for my purposes.
>>
>> --Greg
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Aug 9, 2015 at 2:45 PM, John P Poet <jppoet at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> I have sent Hauppauge several emails over the last several months asking
>>> for development information for the HD-PVR2.  I explain that I am a MythTV
>>> developer and would like to add support for it.  In each case their response
>>> has been just a terse "It is still in beta".  They don't seem to have any
>>> interest in a MythTV developer adding support for the device.
>>>
>>> Devin Heitmueller and I ended up talking about the HD-PVR2 recently, and
>>> he mentioned that Kernel Labs has had working Linux support for the HD-PVR2
>>> for a couple of years now.  Kernel Labs writes drivers and supports video
>>> capture devices for the Broadcast/Audio/Video industries:
>>>
>>> http://www.kernellabs.com/blog/?page_id=2
>>>
>>> They support all the different flavors of the HD-PVR2 (I was not
>>> previously aware that there was more than one), and their driver supports
>>> all of its various options and controls.  Devin says that their HD-PVR2
>>> driver is very robust, and it would have to be to keep their clients happy.
>>> He says that the HD-PVR2 is a significant improvement over the HD-PVR
>>> including much better audio/video sync.
>>>
>>> Long story short, Kernel Labs is willing to consider making their HD-PVR2
>>> driver available for MythTV users.  It would not be free, but the price
>>> would be a fraction of what they normally charge.  Devin would even be
>>> willing to write the MythTV code to make it all work.
>>>
>>> As a bonus, Devin says that he would do a complete code-audit of MythTV's
>>> V4L2 'recorder', optimizing it and removing the cruft that has built up over
>>> the years.  This should result in improved support for everything from the
>>> old PVR-150 to the HVR-2250, as well as the HD-PVR.  It might even result in
>>> faster channel changing with the HD-PVR.
>>>
>>> For Devin to commit to this work, he would need to see enough interest to
>>> make it worth while.  How many of you would like to see robust support for
>>> the HD-PVR2 and improved support for other V4L2 devices?
>
>
> These are my concerns too at this point. My parents have Time Warner,
> so they use two HDPVR's as well as a HDHomeRun with an antenna for
> OTA. Their HDPVR's are around 98% stable with a driver reload script I
> implemented as well as a roughly weekly power cycle. So to replace
> them, at a newegg price of $160 a pop, plus who knows how long until
> the analog loophole gets closed, just doesn't seem like it would be
> worth the investment.
>
> That said, the improved V4L2 support aspect sounds great.
>
"Driver reload script" "weekly power cycle"

I don't think I would use any system where I had to go to those lengths to get a 
satisfactory result (and keep it).

Devin is a respected name in the community of driver writers and I believe that 
anything he produces would be solid enough not to require the kind of 
work-arounds mentioned above.

One question I would like to ask the readership is, is this product likely to be 
only of use in North America or is there a possible wider demand for it? If so, 
then the support for the code could be very much greater. Use in other parts of 
the world may make this "driver" of more practical use to a larger audience and 
thus provide more support for writing it.

-- 

Mike Perkins



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