[mythtv-users] Advantages of 2.6 kernel

[Preston Crow]

On Wed, 2004-06-09 at 14:28, Mitko Haralanov wrote:
> 	Now with FC2 out I am wondering whether I should upgrade and switch to
> 2.6 kernel. However, before I can make an educated decision I would like
> to know as much as possible since changing would mean starting from
> scratch.
> 	First, I would like to find out that are the advantages of running a
> 2.6 kernel in MythTV specifically(since the box runs only that)? If I
> decide to upgrade, what problems would I be likely to hit (I am using
> GeForce4 MX, 3 PVR-250s, CMedia sound chip)?

The drivers are the issue.

For the GeForce4, supposedly nVidia will be releasing new drivers real
soon now that solve the overscan problem and work with 2.6.  You can run
a patched 4363 driver if you compile the kernel with 8k stacks (not the
FC2 default if I heard correctly).

For the PVR-250s, you'll need either patched 0.1.9 drivers or
0.1.10-pre2 with patches (the -pre3 should be out in the next few
weeks).  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get video with the latest
versions of the driver, but that may be something I'm doing wrong.

I'm not sure about the CMedia sound.  In most cases sound works fine
with 2.6, but I'm not familiar with that chip.

You may also have Lirc issues.  I haven't tackled that problem yet for
myself, but my plan is to use the IR receiver with my PVR-250.


So in summary, if your system is all working now, you might want to wait
a month for new driver releases before switching.

--PC