Messages

Says here dispmanx is being deprecated in favour of OpenWF.
http://elinux.org/RPi_VideoCore_APIs

Marten
Does your MMB-322 support 1080i and 576i output (essential for watching interlaced source video)?
I see at least one Android set-top-box supports only progressive output:
http://androidforums.com/google-tv/419483-g-box-rockchip-2918-gingerbread-really-plays-outputs-fullhd.html#post3255228
That would make it impossible to watch 1080i or 576i video without interlacing artifacts.

Stu-e

There are few Android set-top-boxes out there to choose from, at least for now.

Sounds like the Flexiview FV-1 is one to avoid:
http://androidforums.com/3111461-post310.html

Exciting stuff.
Any idea yet on how portable this is to other Android set-top-box hardware?

All I can suggest is try uncommenting the "IP =" line in the vomp-<client>.conf file and set it to an IP address inside your 192.168.1.x subnet, but well outside of any address region that your DHCP server is using. For example if it is allocating addresses 192.168.1.100 and upwards, try 192.168.1.20 for example.

Also double  check nothing else on your network is using this address (disconnect power from the MediaMVP and ping your chosen address).
Make sure there is no other DHCP server operating on your network. Silly I know but I have fallen foul of that!

Stu-e

I too often have trouble booting my MVP client. I do manage to 'fix' but I really don't understand how it works.

You will need to post more information here for others to help. Please may I ask:
How are your network IP addresses are configured?
Are they fixed or dynamic?
Do you use a DHCP server?
If you use DHCP what is the range of IP addresses it will allocate?
What are your vomp.conf and vomp-<MVPclientmacaddress>.conf files?

Stu-e

Oh I agree a ready built device with good access to a stable API is the preferred option. It's unfortunate that such an option has not existed since the MediaMVP to accommodate HD video.

Interesting you mention GStreamer. There appears to be support for hardware decoding in GStreamer through VAAPI:
http://www.splitted-desktop.com/~gbeauchesne/gstreamer-vaapi/
Another possible VompHD solution could be to use a VAAPI supported motherboard as the thin client e.g. AMD 785G or nVidia ION and an inexpensive low power processor.

One would need to write a GStreamer element to weave video fields at field rate in order to support interlaced output without concern for field synchronisation. This is in theory an easy thing to do and negates the need for power hungry pulldown detection and deinterlacing.

One would also need some means of changing video resolution on demand depending on the video stream using XRandR.

I am not familiar with the Vomp client source code so I cannot guess how big the challenge would be to port it to the GStreamer API.

Stu-e

Would this be an example of the sort of hardware you are referring to?
http://armdevices.net/2011/06/08/honeywld-marvell-armada-1000-88de3010-berlin-based-android-set-top-box/

Stu-e

My experiment with the latest drivers for nVidia VDPAU and a GT220 did not go as I had hoped.
Watching some progressive video encoded to 1080i (2:2 pulldown), inverse telecine was not working. Where as on older drivers you could see deinterlace turn on and off erratically, now deinterlacing just stays on all of the time. This means inverse telecine is now even more broken for 2:2 pulldown.

FYI this means when watching TV or TV recordings, you can either turn off deinterlacing (interlaced source video has combing artifacts but progressive video looks great) or you can turn on deinterlacing (interlaced source video looks great but progressive video delivered over 1080i has line twitter, jaggies and general loss of detail).

Alternatively you could perform human based 2:2 pulldown detection and turn deinterlacing on and off as required using the remote control 

Stu-e

Ok Thanks for checking that out.

Apologies for being slightly off topic, due to nVidia driver updates I'm going to have another go with XBMC+VDPAU+GT220 and see if 2:2 pulldown detection has been fixed.
I'll be testing Openelec-pvr this weekend.

Stu-e

My experience with nvidia VDPAU has taught me to be cautious.
The ION platforms cannot perform advanced deinterlace of 1080i. Even a GT220 which can perform advanced deinterlace of 1080i, will not perform 2:2 pulldown detection at the same time, meaning it will try to deinterlace progressive material delivered as interlaced video, causing twittering and general loss of resolution. You have to use at minimum a GT240.
If only XBMC output native interlaced video it would avoid all of these problems and use less electrical power.

Stu-e

[Edit] The situation with the GT220 (and the GT430) might have changed due to nVidia driver improvements. The review here says these cards will now do 2:2 pulldown detection:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-6450-caicos-blu-ray-3d,review-32162-10.html

Can you say if the device outputs interlaced video correctly?
This is the most important feature missing from XBMC.

Stu-e

Can anyone post directions on how to convert unencrypted VOB files to a format that can be viewed using VOMP?
I would prefer to view them as regular VDR recordings, but failing that using the VOMP Mediaplayer would be ok.

Thanks
Stu-e

Thanks for the patch
My Vomp setup has been suffering with this problem, intermittently for a very long time.
I applied the patch to the server and the problem has not occurred for a couple of weeks now.
I am confident the problem has been fixed for me.

Stu-e