[Openchrome-users] New to the list

[Xavier Bachelot]

Derek Adams wrote:
> Coleman Kane wrote:
>> On Wed, 2008-06-04 at 08:14 -0700, Derek Adams wrote:
>>   
>>> Hello, I'm new to this list and I'm interested in development of the 
>>> CX700M2 xvmc support.
>>> I was wondering if people could clue me in with a little more detail 
>>> than the site contains.
>>>
>>> 1. Is anyone working on CX700M2 xvmc support?
>>> 2. Is anything preventing that development beyond a lack of workforce?
>>>
Lack of documentation.

>>> I'd like to contribute to the effort of implementing xvmc on this chipset.
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> -Derek
>>>     
>> I am attempting to do the same. I've been talking to the rep that runs
>> http://linux.via.com, however the news looks grim. It seems that VIA
>> won't release the XvMC docs for the newer hardware because they are
>> worried about getting sued by the MPEG LA cartel. I've not been able to
>> get much traction on convincing them to release it myself. VIA did admit
>> that Intel seems to be violating this "agreement" by releasing the same
>> information for their IGP chipsets.
>>
>> If anyone knows has any ideas on pushing this, I'd like to hear. It
>> would be really valuable for me to just get the docs, then we could
>> write this part ourselves.
>>
>>   
> 
> Has anyone made any attempt at reverse engineering the hardware?

The current XvMC code was done thru RE.

> Perhaps some of the registers are similar to previous chipsets that we 
> have existing xvmc code for?

Perhaps. The current hardware decoder engine is known as Unified Video 
Decoder and has a lot of added capacities than the original engine found 
on the Unichrome and Unichrome Pro.

> Does VIA release source of their Linux driver?

Only some part of the sources and the hardware decoder is just a binary 
blob.

> Do they have a driver that support xvmc on the CX700M2?
> 
Yes, they do. They also have some patches to xine and mplayer to allow 
them to take advantage of their binary blob.

> Sorry for so many questions!
> 
No worries. Feel free to ask if you have more.

Regards,
Xavier