Author Topic: Avermedia M150  (Read 18653 times)

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Avermedia M150
« on: March 23, 2005, 04:35:14 pm »
Well this is certainly an interesting site. I've been following the video4linux and cx88 drivers for a while now to see if the M150 will finally be supported. From what I've read they are getting very close and someone has already gotten video using MythTV. But the problem still remains with this card and thats the sound. Since this card is based on the "Blackbird" design are you saying that your drivers will let me use the M150 in MythTV?

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Avermedia M150
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2005, 07:29:05 pm »
I'm not the cx88 guy here.  But from what I've been told, the official cx88 from Gerd Knor had support for the video overlay (ie video input) from the cx88 chip.  But didn't support the mpeg encoding.  The blackbird add-ons by Jelle added some support for the cx88 encoding, but no api that could talk to myth (ie no ivtv emulation).

What we did (to my knowledge) is write an ivtv emulation layer, and make some other changes to blackbird/cx88 to get them working with Myth.  So, yes, now it works.

To set it up with Pluto you would just use the installation wizard, and whatever media director has your blackbird card, check off the 'cx88 blackbird' box.  That will install the drivers.  Then, in Myth tv setup, when you're choosing your input cards, say that it's a pvr 250 350 (since that's what we're emulating) on video1 (instead of video0).

I've done this as a user, and I've seen that it works.  However, this version doesn't yet support the built-in tv tuner--you have to use the svideo and audio inputs with an external tuner.  If you want to control your external tuner, you can just add an infrared emiter (like the gc100), and Pluto will control it coordinated with Myth.

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Avermedia M150
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2005, 07:48:48 pm »
Quote
To set it up with Pluto you would just use the installation wizard, and whatever media director has your blackbird card, check off the 'cx88 blackbird' box. That will install the drivers. Then, in Myth tv setup, when you're choosing your input cards, say that it's a pvr 250 350 (since that's what we're emulating) on video1 (instead of video0).

I've gone through your setup wizard and chose the blackbird drivers. Now I think I read where I have to go to an icon to actually setup MythTV. Wierd that I have to choose video1 instead of video0(guess this is the emulation huh?). And I'm using a STB from Comcast via S-Video.

I'm a moderator at a Myth and VDR site so I'm very familiar with MythTV. How did you guys come up with the emulation? Are you working with the guys that designed these drivers or did you do this yourself? Whatever the answer, if you say that this card works with MythTV like you say it does, I'm going to be very impressed. If there is any testing to be done, maybe I could help. Thanks for your time aaron.b

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« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2005, 07:54:43 pm »
That was me by the way on that last post. Guess I wasn't logged in, sorry.

I forgot to ask. Is Pluto able to use Lirc or is there only gc100 or Girder?

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« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2005, 09:40:36 pm »
After the installation completes with the kick-start cd, you will have an on-screen menu.  This is our "Orbiter" software, which is the remote control for Pluto.  The same software runs on the media director (what you see when the installation finishes), as well as on webpads, pda's, and mobile phones.  They're all the same, and show the same menu.  The only difference is, of course, that if on the on-screen Orbiter you choose to watch a movie, for example, the movie occupies the full-screen, and you have to click on the screen to popup a little nav bar.  If you hit the same 'play movie' button on, say a web pad you're using as the remote, then you'll have a full-screen remote control with lots of buttons on the webpad, while the movie plays on the Orbiter.  This way it's really simple--all your devices work the same.

The first time the on-screen orbiter comes up you will have a special 'welcome' screen, which includes a setup mythtv button.  After the first reboot you won't see the welcome screen anymore--you'll have the normal main menu.  From the main menu you can still get to that same setup button by clicking the 'pluto' logo in the lower left corner.

When you run MythTV setup, we will have already filled in a lot of the options for you.  But you still need to choose your capture cards and data sources.

*Note* after you have setup myth, you will want to do a full reboot of the whole system.  If you have core's and diskless m/d's, that means rebooting the core too (which is the myth master backend).  We've found Myth sometimes crashes when you try to unload and restart it, so we recommend a full reboot.

You'll see on the orbiter that there are some common media scenarios created for you already, like TV, music, movies, etc.  Music, movies, etc., shows you a file browser of the /home/public/data/music, movies, etc., directories.  TV starts Myth.  From here on, it looks and feels exactly like Myth--our Orbiter goes to the background and Myth is in front.  If you click on the screen, our orbiter pops up on the bottom a quick nav bar.  Hit 'stop' (power off) to kill Myth and go back.  Or, optionally exit Myth the normal way, such as with escape, and the orbiter will automatically come back to the foreground.

We have an LIRC module, but it's not fully functional yet.  It should be going in a few days and make it in the .14 release.  So, for now you can control the system with the mouse/keyboard, a bluetooth mobile phone, or a webpad/pda.  When the LIRC module is going, the infrared remote will control Orbiter as well as Myth.

The gc100 is actually for infrared transmission--not reception.  It's available with an i/r receiver, but that's only for learning codes--not for using it as a remote control.  In the Pluto admin web site you can add the devices for your stereo, your tv, your cable/sat box, etc., and specify how they're connected.  Then Pluto will control them for you automatically, using the gc100.  So, for example, when you hit the 'tv' button on your remote, it will turn on the tv and receiver, set them both to the correct inputs, and tune your cable/sat box for you.  This much we've done already and it works quite well.