[vdr] Re: STB VDR

[Marc Haisenko <marc.haisenko@software-for-people.com>]

On Friday 19 April 2002 06:46, you wrote:
> We should use english language or use personal mail.
>
> On Thu, 18 Apr 2002 17:50:46 +0200, Marc Haisenko
>
> <marc.haisenko@software-for-people.com> wrote:
> > 	das waeren 299,- Euro
>
> Is this including VAT (MwSt)?

Yes, it's the final price, everything included.

>
> > , das muesste die STBII5112S sein.
> > Im Preis ist schon shipping und Zoll mit dabei. Die Box kommt mit
> > IR-Tastatur, IR-Fernbedienung und 64MB RAM.
>
> IR is specified as optional in the data sheet. Is the IR-Interface
> included?

Don't think IrDA or something here. It seems to be a proprietary IR standard 
for their keyboards and remotes. These signals are converted to normal PS/2 
keyboard signals by an extra chip, so the mainboard thinks it's a normal PS/2 
keyboard. Of course you can't use this interface to catch any other IR 
signals. At least that's what I know.

> > Es handelt sich um die von mir beschriebene
> > Ausfuehrung, ohne irgendwelche Extras (also so, wie unter
> > http://www.allwell.com.tw/stb-5012.htm beschrieben ohne die Teile, die
> > als "optional" gekennzeichnet sind, aber mit zwei SCART Anschluessen),
> > also auch ohne Festplatte.
>
> What power supply is contained? 45W or 65W
> Is the 65W version also without fan?

I don't know which version this is, I looked on the circuit board but there 
are no informations about the rating. It is without fan though, and has 
enough rating to power a 2,5" HDD ;-) You need a special 3,5" IDE -> 2,5" IDE 
cable though, but you should be able to get it easily in computer stores.

> The S-video port seems to be only optional.

The version I'm talking about has one. And a SPDIF port.

> What a base system is running on the box?
> Is a boot monitor available with which software can be loaded into the
> box through the serial port?
> Can flash memory programmed through the serial port?
> What size is the flash memory in the box?
> Can it boot from a connected CD-ROM drive?

Software is avaible on www.linux4.tv, and you have two options:
- You either have to connect a CD-ROM drive to the box (note that it needs 
external power, the box has no 3,5" IDE power connectors) to boot a Linux off 
CD and then install it on the HDD (the box has two IDE ports). From this 
generic Linux installation on you're able to install the software/kernel from 
www.linux4.tv (this is how we did it, because we need one partition with a 
full featured development environment and one with stripped-down Linux which 
will resemble the system that will go in production).
- Or you connect the HDD to your PC and install the software on the HDD and 
then place the HDD back in the box.

If you have the box and have any in-depth questions about 
installation/software/kernel/problems/etc. just mail me directly, I have some 
experience with these boxes now ;-)

Regarding flash: I don't know about it, never used it.

> Is there a detailed development specification available?
> There are a lot more questions which would easily be answered by such a
> document.

Look at www.linux4.tv, hopefully all questions get answered there. Please not 
that the docs and Linux "distribution" is not in the quality one might 
expect, I sometime was very disappointed. For example, to make use of the 
GeodeFB and thus hardware MPEG2 playback and stuff, you have to use their 
patched kernel 2.4.0 (!!!), which has severe problems with multicasting in 
the network driver.

I spoke to the people from NSC at the CeBIT and they said they will release a 
new reference plattform for the Geode soon and will release new software with 
it. We hope this really will be soon (they said sometime in May), and that 
they have a newer kernel included... 2.4.0 is a pain sometimes, you can feel 
the experimental spirit ;-)

> It seems to be a nice box for VDR, maybe still a bit expensive in this
> stripped down version. Actually for a pure VDR system most of the video
> features are pretty useless. Barebone systems like the MSI-6215 are
> probably a better match for VDR software, except for the noise and
> appearance.
>
> If it would have a VGA support for XGA it would be probably nice to
> drive a projector, but with 800x600 it isn't possible to display full
> PAL resolution.

Maximum PAL is 768x576, that's lower than XGA :-)

> May be a combination with a Nova card together with the onboard MPEG2
> decoder would be fine.

What's a Nova card ?

> And the question is how easily can linux be ported to it and can it
> handle the power requirement of a DVB-S card.
>
> Emil

Linux is the preferred plattform, AFAIK there are some drivers that are only 
avaible to Linux :-) At least my CTO said we are not able to run any Windows 
version on the final version of our STB because of driver issues, which I 
find very amusing and a good news: the first plattform I heard of that has 
better Linux support than Windows support ;-)

And with the power requirements: I don't know, it has no problems with a PCI 
networking card but these don't use much power ;-) I have to buy a 2,5" today 
and then I'm able to test my box with an old Bt878 Hauppauge PCI TV card. I 
think they are also using a good amount of power which should give you a 
rough indication whether DVB-S cards might run or not.

C'ya,
	Marc

-- 
Marc Haisenko
Development
Software for People AG
Münchner Str. 45
Germany - 82131 Gauting
mailto: marc.haisenko@software-for-people.com
mailto: axl@cu-muc.de