d2plug's factory Ubuntu 10.04

[jk-menifee]

I just found out that although Ubuntu itself runs fine on my new d2plug, the repositories are not set up to receive armel versions of at least some packages. For instance, the MythTV packages don't run, and back-checking against packages.ubuntu.com, one finds that they are not even available compiled for armel. So I guess I have several choices and not sure how to pick between them:

• Install Debian (did this on my Sheevaplug and I'm very happy with it, but it takes a long time and I heard on here that Debian doesn't support armv7 yet, which is what the d2plug uses? And yes I have the jtag board to do this)
• Keep Ubuntu, but install Debian armel package for MythTV (same problem; not sure this platform is supported out of the box)
• IKeep Ubuntu but point at a Debian armel repository (never tried this)
• Compile MythTV from source (I've done this too, but it also takes a long time)
• Use something other than MythTV to conveniently watch downloaded videos

Any advice?

John

[bwooster0]

But is the d2plug actually capable of playing back your recorded video files?

I am curious to know if the d2plugs graphics hardware can playback hd ATSC files. For $90 you can buy a dual core amd e-350 motherboard that has onboard AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics which can do perfect blu-ray playback....now this will use more power than the d2plug but I think it will have more cu / gpu muscle.

Can you please copy an hd file onto a usb stick and report back if the d2plug can play it back without problems? Thanks

[cbxbiker61]

But is the d2plug actually capable of playing back your recorded video files?

I am curious to know if the d2plugs graphics hardware can playback hd ATSC files. For $90 you can buy a dual core amd e-350 motherboard that has onboard AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics which can do perfect blu-ray playback....now this will use more power than the d2plug but I think it will have more cu / gpu muscle.

Can you please copy an hd file onto a usb stick and report back if the d2plug can play it back without problems? Thanks

Actually,  An e-350 under Linux (fglrx) has trouble playing a 25 gig blu-ray rip (Avatar) without artifacting.  It works, but doesn't look great.  I put an Nvidia 430 in mine.  Now it works great.

You can transcode the 25 gig files down to about 3 gigs (I'm using presets for the Roku, still 1920x1080, but much more manageable bit-rate and you'd probably be able to play it on a stock e-350 with Linux without the Nvidia.

The Roku can't quite keep up with a 25Gig file, but plays the 3Gig files just great.  I haven't looked, but if the d2plug is using a chip similar to the Roku, you'd probably have similar results.  Roku uses Broadcom bcm2835, d2plug uses Marvell pxa510.

I'm waiting patiently to get my hands on a couple of Raspberry-Pi's.  They're pretty much using the same chip as the Roku.  I'm sure we'll be able to port Xbmc to the Raspberry.  That'll be an amazing little machine.

[bwooster0]

AFAIK the e-350 does fine with blu-ray playback under Windows 7. The linux driver might not be as good as the Win 7 driver.

[cbxbiker61]

AFAIK the e-350 does fine with blu-ray playback under Windows 7. The linux driver might not be as good as the Win 7 driver.

I don't doubt that it works fine under Windows.  It's important on this forum to know that it doesn't work well on Linux (without assistance from an Nvidia card).

[bwooster0]

I didn't think that blu-ray discs work under linux at all. Can you just stick a blu-ray disc into a linux distro and have the menus / content work without doing some ripping?

[jk-menifee]

Well, what do you know, a disappointment.

Standard-definition works just fine; my little boy enjoyed a ripped DVD movie last night. But this morning in response to the request above, I tried viewing a 720P H264 encoded file and it won't work. Not over the network, and not when copied to the D2.

Also, compiling MythTV from source didn't work either; still getting "illegal instruction." I'll have to go deeper--but no time right now.

[bwooster0]

I am sorry to hear that the d2plugs gpu does not seem to be hd playback capable. I have a pandaboard that I just haven't got around to testing but it has been reported to support hd playback. The form factor of the pandaboard is not as good as the d2plugs tho. Perhaps the d2plug might make a good mythtv backend - but again its too expensive compared to just repurposing old hardware like an old laptop or desktop that you might have lying around.

[cbxbiker61]

I didn't think that blu-ray discs work under linux at all. Can you just stick a blu-ray disc into a linux distro and have the menus / content work without doing some ripping?

You can playback blu-ray directly under linux (no menus though, it plays the first-biggest file)!  You need MakeMkv, Xbmc and the Xbmc makemkvbluray plugin.  I played one movie back with it.  It worked flawlessly.  I pretty much rip all of my blu-rays, so all I did was test it.