Hardware Compatibility

UserPreferences

1. DVD Playback
1. Software Decoding
1. Minimum Requirements
2. Processor
3. Video
4. Performance
2. Hardware Decoding
1. XVideo
2. 3dfx Voodoo3 3000

DVD Playback

Software Decoding

Minimum Requirements

There are no minimum requirements! We do not have the appropriate code to have good support on any hardware right now. Once we get OmsSync code working then we can collect useful statistics on what hardware drops the least frames (or whatever).

Nevertheless... here is some info on what hardware is known to work to some extent.

Processor

Manufacturer	CPU(s)	Clock (MHz)	Software Decode	Hardware Decode
AMD	Thunderbird	750	22-24fps
AMD	Athlon	700	24-26fps
Intel	Dual Celeron	500
Intel	PII Klamath	300	18fps
Intel	PII	400	24-28fps
Intel	PIII	700	18-20fps

Video

Manufacturer	Card	Accelerated (XVideo)	Accelerated (custom)
Matrox	G200
Matrox	G400
Matrox	G450
Voodoo3	3000AGP	(with tdfx patch)
ATI	Rage128		?
ATI	Rage3DProAGP (8MB)	(with ati.2 from gatos)	?

Performance

See PerformanceResults.

Hardware Decoding

See RelatedProjects for help on Dxr2, Dxr3.

See GatosProject for help with ATI video cards?

Rage128 iDCT and Motion Compensation support is supposedly being worked on by the smpeg group-- they do have some example interface code, but it requires a nda'd library. See http://www.lokigames.com/development/smpeg.php3

JeremyErwin <jerwin@osf1.gmu.edu>

Luxsensor? There is code in CVS (driver/luxdvd) looking for a maintainer.

Others?

(add notes on OpenMediaSystem support for these)

See RelatedProjects.

XVideo

XVideo support dramatically improves rendering of YUV images (ie, DVD output). Check http://www.xfree86.org/ for supported cards.

Voodoo 3

The 3dfx tdfx driver in X4.0.2 doesn't support the XVideo extension properly. The code will apparently be in cvs really soon, but until then replace tdfx_drv.so in X's plugins with this one, http://www.nott.ac.uk/~psystrj/tdfx

Toby Jaffey <toby@earth.li>

nVIDIA TNT2

In X4.0.2, Xv does not work with the 'nv' driver that comes with Xfree86. A binary-only accelerated driver is available from nVIDIA here, http://www.nvidia.com/Products/Drivers.nsf/Linux.html In some cases it's necessary to modify os-registry.c in NVIDIA_kernel. (see TNT_USERS_README in NVIDIA_GLX for details). Then the 'nv' driver in XF86Config-4 is replaced by 'nvidia'. The card tested was a Diamond Viper 770.

Ben Noji <bnoji@penguinpowered.com>

Low memory video cards

You may not be able to get Xv working if your video card has only 4 MB or less display memory. The reason is that in addition to the displayed screen, the Xv plugin needs space to store two frames, for example 2*720*576*4 = 3,317,760 Bytes for a PAL DVD at 32 bits per pixel. The solution is to reduce the color depth and/or the screen resolution, but I'm not sure if it is possible to get Xv-enabled DVD Playback with only 2MB.

Arnd Bergmann <arnd@itreff.de>

3dfx Voodoo3 3000

The 3dfx Voodoo3 3000 has an S-Video output on the video card, which can be connected via the S-Video->RCA video cable that comes with the card to your television or VCR. This isn't enabled by default, however. To use, install lm-sensors, load the modules i2c-voodoo3 and bt869, and then look at the documentation for doc/chips/bt869.

You will need to configure XFree86 to use different video modes in order to have output go to the S-Video port, and restart X, but that all is explained in the documentation for the bt869 driver (see above). Also, not explained in the documentation, you will have to change some files in the directory /proc/sys/dev/sensors/bt869* (the part after the star will vary depending on your hardware):

• To use the 640x480 mode lines: echo "640 480" > res
• To use the 800x600 mode lines: echo "800 600" > res
• If your television is NTSC (US Model): echo 1 > ntsc
• If your television is PAL (UK/Europe Model): echo 0 > ntsc

The current i2c-voodoo3 module does some essential syncing of the TV output (without which can cause vertical/horizontal displacements and/or a black and white picture). Always switch to the resolution in X first, then load the i2c-voodoo3 module. Unfortunately i2c-voodoo3 also resets the resolution to "640 480" If you want "800 600" you may have to unload and load the i2c-voodoo3 module a few times, then echo "800 600" to res. Maybe some changes will be made to the i2c drivers soon.

MoinMoin 1.108, Copyright © 2000-2001 by Jürgen Hermann

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