[mythtv-users] mpeg2 hardware decoder

[Torsten Schenkel]

On Tue, 2003-10-28 at 20:27, Joel Anderson wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>  
> New to myth, just reading docs and mailing-list in preparation to
> build my first box.  From what I've read so far, It seems that for the
> front-end there are only 2 hardware MPEG2 solutions supported at this
> time; the PVR-350, and the integrated decoder on the Via EPIA-M
> boards.  Is my understanding of this correct, and that the MPEG2
> hardware in the GF4 cards is currently NOT supported in
> Linux/Myth?  Are there any other options?  I already have a PVR-250,
> but would like to use MPEG2 hardware at both ends with an older
> mbd/cpu.
>  
> Great project BTW, very exciting!  TIA for any input,

The CLE266 on the VIA Epia is one, the pvr350 the other possibility I
tried.

I got the Epia ME6000 for it's h/w decoding capabilities, but have to
say the via driver is binary and crap. I got a pvr350 and while this is
work in progress the quality is lots better than cle266. CPU load is 1/3
compared to cle with h/w decoding (seems to me that the scaling is still
done on cpu with the cle) and picture on the tv-out is better than my
tv's direct feed.

I don't think the cle decoder is bad, if there will be an open source
driver I guess it will be usable and it is usable actually until you try
something else :-)

Torsten