AMD's UVD2 & XvMC For Linux?

[phoronix]

Phoronix: AMD's UVD2 & XvMC For Linux?

Last month the Catalyst 8.8 Linux driver was released with CrossFire For Linux (including support for the Radeon HD 4870 X2) and OverDrive-based overclocking. In that article we also shared two new interesting libraries appeared within the driver package: libAMDXvBA.so.1.o and libXvBAW.so.1.o. The AMDXvBA and XvBAW libraries aren't yet used by the driver, but their names are rather interesting containing Xv. Xv, or X-Video, has been supported by the proprietary Catalyst package for some time on Linux and Textured Video is even supported by the open-source xf86-video-ati driver for most of the card generations...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=NjcwMA

[cruiseoveride]

With that information out there, now we're willing to talk a bit more about these two new libraries.

What does that mean?

[Cuppa-Chino]

Obviously this will be a major draw for the tech savy and it is necessary to combat intel in one market that they are developing good cards in ---> media pc's.

Anyhow I have been frowing, umming and ahhing for a long long time about an HTPC, if someone now brings out amicro-atx 790g board with optical spdif out and if the 22w x2 is available, then i am totally happy:



greedy i know

[Michael]

What does that mean?

I can't comment.

[DocentDAMP]

This is great news!
Will my X1250 with Avivo but no UVD, also benefit from this?

[RoboJ1M]

Obviously this will be a major draw for the tech savy and it is necessary to combat intel in one market that they are developing good cards in ---> media pc's.

Anyhow I have been frowing, umming and ahhing for a long long time about an HTPC, if someone now brings out amicro-atx 790g board with optical spdif out and if the 22w x2 is available, then i am totally happy:



greedy i know

What's wrong with an mATX 780g board with optical SPDIF out?
They've been out for ages.

J1M.

[tmpdir]

What's wrong with an mATX 780g board with optical SPDIF out?
They've been out for ages.

J1M.

Nothing wrong there... but newer is nice to. and now amd's support on linux is good enough to buy new introduced hardware... after doing some checking of course

The new lowbudget amd chipset are great for mythbuntu (mythtv) based mediacenters. Works like a charm and drivers get better everyday.

[legume]

This is great news!
Will my X1250 with Avivo but no UVD, also benefit from this?

Sure is good news.

I don't know what X1250 will get, I also don't know what my HD3850 will get, it's UVD but the article says UVD2...

[Cuppa-Chino]

Nothing wrong there... but newer is nice to. and now amd's support on linux is good enough to buy new introduced hardware... after doing some checking of course

The new lowbudget amd chipset are great for mythbuntu (mythtv) based mediacenters. Works like a charm and drivers get better everyday.

principally nothing wrong with 780g, and expect it could end that way, its just that the 790gx is even lower energy consumption . . .

and in a system that should come in around 45w (?) total at full load, the difference between the 780g and 790gx would be visible..

anyway as said its just pure greed on my part, I do hope that the 22w part will not only be OEM

[cruiseoveride]

I can't comment.

Ok I will then.

With that information out there, now we're willing to talk a bit more about these two new libraries

So lets break this sentence down and see what we can find.

"With the information...", this is referring to the previous statement:

Word though has leaked onto the Internet by some Windows web-sites that AMD intends to provide high-definition video acceleration on some select Linux-based computers using ATI graphics.

"..out there", obviously referring to the public domain/internet.

", now we're willing to talk a bit more" hmm

This is strange, because if: phoronix/Michael was under an NDA over ATI UVD/Linux/Whatever, he would not be able to "talk" about it, until the embargo was lifted. But since he says "now we're willing" it gets tricky, why "now", did you have to wait for someone else to report so-called classified information, before you could? but how can you in the first place if you were under an NDA, already exposed information or not?

I am really beginning to doubt the credibility and sincerity of phoronix articles. There is way too much hush hush, I like open source and the sharing of information. I think trustworthy journalism, is an oxymoron, in this day and age.

And all this hype about ATi and open source drivers. Maybe ATi is just fueling journalists with this hypabole to reduce tension, so each month we get 2 lines of code every time the tension increases?

So by the time your ATi product is completely obsolete (some 10yrs later), there will be enough doc to write a full driver.

Closed source, open source, whatever, I want something that works, today, for current products, with current applications.

Sadly Nvidia is the only company that can boast Linux support.

ATi should:

1. Give out a copy of Windows, when you buy an ATi product.
2. Give a discount to Linux/Unix users, because they do not benefit from customer support.

I don't mind paying $100 for a HD4870, knowing I can only use it in 4 years.