[Gllug] Hardware v. Software CODECS?

[Chris Bell]

On Wed 17 Mar, Rev Simon Rumble wrote:
> 
> This one time, at band camp, Chris Bell wrote:
> 
> > for audio and video, so are the hardware CODECS generally specific to
> > individual formats, or semi-programmable to enable them to work with a range
> > of formats? Would it be better to spend money on a more expensive video
> > output card rather than a hardware decoder to use with an existing card?
> 
> Sigma Designs has a newish card (x-card?), the successor to the dxr3,
> which is programmable.  But they've been very crap about releasing
> specs so people can actually programme the thing, so there's bugger
> all for it and nothing under Linux.
> 
> If you're mostly watching the output of the DVB card, you could do
> well to get a dxr3 card.  They're a hardware MPEG decoder and have
> fabulous TV-out quality.  mplayer and xine can both cross-encode for
> them.

   The DXR3 appears to be a PCI card with a small round VGA input, standard
15 pin VGA output, audio line out, plus TV out. The current box output is a
4MB AGP card plus PCI sound. Should I use the DXR3 output to drive a
separate monitor or loop the AGP output through the DXR3? I suspect that
either might suit the intended user.

> 
> Alternatively, you shouldn't have any real problems playing any modern
> codec with your hardware decoding in software.
> 

   Good to know, although I have heard good things said about the DXR3.
Could the DXR3 replace the sound card? Otherwise I would need to replace the
PCI sound card with an ISA or remove a firewire card. Perhaps an ISA sound
card would be preferred, if it would allow a sound mixer facility.

-- 
Chris Bell

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