[Scottish] DAB & Linux

[Aidan Karley]

In article <F0848E7CED64D611AFC600508BBB052F0FC0F8@deopt>, IT, CIR, SE 
Dunbartonshire Ian Drake wrote:
> Has anyone used Modular Techs DAB PCI card under linux?
>
       No, but DAB has been tempting me for a while. I just checked and it 
seems that transmission has been turned on in the Aberdeen area since I last 
looked, which is good.
       
       Their website http://www.modulartech.com/support/DABradiosupp.htm tells 
the usual story of "we're not in the game of doing Linux support ourselves, but 
here's a little information that might be useful", such as the chipset used as a 
PCI interface (TI PCI2040 PCI http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/psheets/man_dsp.htm ) and a few 
hundred kB of API guide that might give 
some hints. Ah, this gets interesting. Quoting from their API documentation:
> INTRODUCTION 
> The goal of the Versatile Information Architecture for DAB (ViaDAB) project is 
> to provide a standard set of middleware definitions and reference 
> implementations that enable you to write software to decode Digital Audio 
> Broadcast (DAB) services. For example, the DRE200 and Psion WaveFinder 
> receivers both support the ViaDAB 2 API and so you can run the same user 
> interface software with both of them. 
> The ViaDAB project has been undertaken in conjunction with the BBC and is 
> supported by the United Kingdom’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). It 
> is hoped that, by developing the ViaDAB standard, an open market for DAB will 
> result. This will be of benefit to both ViaDAB receiver manufacturers and > 
broadcasters—commercial and public service—in addition to the consumer who will 
> receive competitively priced technology of the highest standard. 
       The Beeb have made a number of significant contributions to Linux over 
the years, and since some of this work is being funded by the taxpayer I think 
that there's good grounds for optimism about getting some sort of co-operation 
for this sort of task.
       Damn - that cards specs and features look really tempting as it stands. 
I can feel the magnetic drag of Maplins (who were part of the marketing programme
for it) from here. Living 5 minutes walk from a Maplins is bad for the wallet!

       I could really do with a collection of "News Quiz" MP3s. Or "Old Harry's Game" - I 
was out of the country for too many of them.
       
-- 
 Aidan Karley,
 Aberdeen,  Scotland
 Written at Wed, 08 Jan 2003 13:23 GMT, but posted much later.
 Present location: 57º10'11"N, 02º08'43"W (sub-tropical Aberdeen)