[MPlayer-users] Radeon frambuffer use if Radeon is not primary display? (all in one)

[Nick Kurshev]

Hello, Brian!

On Fri, 14 Dec 2001 14:29:35 -0500 you wrote:

> [Automatic answer: RTFM (read DOCS, FAQ), also read DOCS/bugreports.html]
> On Fri, Dec 14, 2001 at 09:21:08PM +0300, Nick Kurshev wrote:
> > 
> > Hello, Brian!
> 
> Hi again Nick.
> 
> > I'm not sure - but in Russian shops you may buy such card
> > (PCI versiona are available for us ;)
> 
> Cool.  Hopefully I can find one here.
> 
Sorry! I was wrong - only ATI All in Wonder Pro (3D Rage based):
http://www.nix.ru/price/NIX021.shtml
But month or two ago such chips were in shops.
> > He was wrong ;)
> > radeon_vid IS NOT framebuffer driver. Framebuffer driver IS radeonfb ONLY !!!
> 
> I am sorry.  I was using radeon_vid to mean everything in the
> mplayer/drivers/radeon directory.
> 
> > A'rpi is excellent programmer but he still misunderstand some HW questions.
> 
> So you are saying that the framebuffer and overlay (radeon_vid right?)
> will work with PCI Radeon cards?
> 
piece of code from radeonfb:

	/* enable device */
	{
		int err;

		if ((err = pci_enable_device(pdev))) {
			printk("radeonfb: cannot enable device\n");
			kfree (rinfo);
			return -ENODEV;
		}
	}

So it depends on Linux because driver uses only PCI related function from Linux kernel

> But won't work with TV-Out on Radeon cards.
> 
> There is some very confusing sections in video.html.  First:
> 
>   2.3.1.A.2. ATI cards
>   
>   A few word about ATI's TV-out:
>   Currently ATI doesn't want to support any of its TV-out chips under
>   Linux. Below is official answer from ATI Inc.:
> 
[snip]
> Which makes me believe that TV-Out does work on Radeons using VESA.
NO WARRANTIES!!! ;)
> So which is it?  Does TV-Out work on Radeons or not?  In which modes
> does it work?  XFree and/or Gatos, VESA, framebuffer, others?
> 
RTFM. It works for me and I don't know what will occur for you.
But I hope that it will work for you because ATI produces good BIOSes.

> Is VESA with radeon_vid acceptable in performance?  Is it better or
> worse than XFree86 and/or Gatos?  Is it better or worse than
> framebuffer?
> 
Performance of framebuffer == performance of VESA == performance of DGA.
radeon_vid does outperform X11 and GATOS. For detail see: main/drivers/radeon/hacking

[snip]
> > Probably your MB was designed for socket-7 or slot-A
> > In this case it would be better to upgrade MB upto socket-370 or socket-A ;)
> 
> None of this is the point.  I don't have the money to buy a new
> processor, a new board and a new video card.  I need to work with what
> I have got right now.
> 
Then buy Hollywood magic card and be happy ;)

[snip]
> OK.  The role of radeon_vid is becoming clearer.
O'k

[snip]
> > Radeons have no such problems since there is only one overlay unit
> > which can output signal on CRTC, TV-out, DFP or on all heads simultaneously.
> 
> More confusing info.  I don't whether to believe that TV-Out works
> with Radeon or not.  In framebuffer mode or just X?
> 
In VESA mode ;)

[snip]
> > Not sure: on my Duron-700 + Radeon VE I'm losing only rare slices of frame
> > on very dynamic stories of DVD. (Slice it's 1/20 if frame). Approx: 1 slice
> > per 50-200 frames.
> 
> Well that sounds not bad.  And Radeons+VESA do give TV-Out right?
> 
VESA on radeon enables TV-Out.

[snip]
> If I resolve to use XFree86 as my display engine, what is my best
> choice for:
> 
> - PCI hardware
> - inexpensive
> - TV-Out
> - HW scaling
> 
See above
> b.
> 
> -- 
> Brian J. Murrell
> 
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> 


Best regards! Nick