[Gllug] Hardware v. Software CODECS?

[Rev Simon Rumble]

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.

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

-- 
Rev Simon Rumble <simon at rumble.net>
www.rumble.net

"Which is more musical, a truck passing by a factory
 or a truck passing by a music school?"
- John Cage
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