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<html>
<head>
<title>Linux DXR3 and Hollywood+ Driver</title>
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Linux DXR3 and Hollywood+ Driver Project FAQ
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<font size=+2>Table of Contents</font>
<ul>
<li><a href=#mixer>I'm unable to change the audio volume in my mixer, what gives?</a>
<li><a href=#unresolved>I get unresolved symbols when running "make install" or loading modules, what's wrong?</a>
<li><a href=#srclocation>My kernel source is not in /usr/src/linux, how can I get the darned thing to compile?</a>
<li><a href=#multicard>Microcode upload to /dev/em8300-1 failed. What does that mean?</a>
<li><a href=#database>Does this actually work for anyone? Where can I find their results?</a>
<li><a href=#nonmpeg12>Can I play stuff like DivX/RealVideo as well?</a>
<li><a href=#kernel>Will the driver ever become part of the official kernel?</a>
<li><a href=#em8300_mv>When I cat a .mpg file to /dev/em8300_mv-* a bunch of garbage appears on the screen. Whats wrong?</a>
<li><a href=#ucodefiles>Only two microcode files are extracted from my driver file. What gives?</a>
<li><a href=#msexpand>How can I uncompress rmquasar.vx_ or enc2dev.vx_?</a>
<li><a href=#forums>I left a message in the Sourceforge project site forums and nobody has answered!</a>
<li><a href=#green>The video is all green! How can I fix it?</a>
<li><a href=#scrambled>The tv output looks like a scrambled cable-channel, what's wrong?</a>
<li><a href=#halfscreen>The video is only on one half of my screen! What's wrong?</a>
<li><a href=#bitrate>I can only play low bit rate mpeg videos, higher bit rate streams lock up the card. What could be the problem?</a>
<li><a href=#noises>When I load the microcode, my monitor starts making funny noises!</a>
<li><a href=#blank>When I load the microcode, my monitor screen goes blank!</a>
<li><a href=#libdxr3>What is libdxr3?</a>
<li><a href=#help>Can I help with the project?</a>
</ul>
<hr width=90%>
<br>
<font size=+2>Answers</font>
<dl>
<dt><a name=mixer>Question:</a>
<dd>I'm unable to change the audio volume in my mixer, what gives?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>The em8300 does not contain an audio mixer, so this feature cannot be implemented. You could write a software mixer but we have decided that something like that does not belong in a kernel module.
<br><br>
Alternatively you can output your audio through a native OSS or Alsa
device, and then just use your regular mixer controls. Think of the
the em8300 audio out as what it really is, a line out. Which is perfect
for hooking up to stereo equipment.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=unresolved>Question:</a>
<dd>I get unresolved symbols when running "make install" or loading modules, what's wrong?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>
First thing's first. The kernel source you are compiling against must match
your running kernel. i.e. if you're running say RedHat-2.4.18-14 you
must point the Makefile for the kernel modules at the correct source tree
for your "running kernel". You can verify that your running kernel and
sources match by typing "uname -a" and looking at the Makefile in the
root directory of the kernel source.<p>
e.g. output from uname<br><br>
<code>
root@barney# uname -a<br>
Linux barney 2.4.18-14custom #1 Wed Sep 4 13:35:50 EDT 2002 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
</code>
<br><br>
Excerpt from Makefile in /usr/src/linux-2.4
<br><br>
<code>
VERSION = 2<br>
PATCHLEVEL = 4<br>
SUBLEVEL = 18<br>
EXTRAVERSION = -14custom<br>
</code>
<p>
See these match so it should be safe to compile kernel modules against
this tree. You really need to compile your own kernel tree, and boot it.
This establishes that a) the kernel source you have runs, b) creates
all the dependency files and links that em8300 uses to compile itself
correctly. Think of it as a pre-requisite to getting em8300 running.
<p>
Before compiling a "vendor" kernel it is recommended you type:
<code>make mrproper</code> this will clean up any lingering files
from previous compilations. If you have your own <code>.config</code> file you
will need to back it up before doing this otherwise it is gone
forever and you have to set it up again.
<p>
Vendor kernels are typically set up correctly for em8300, i.e. they
have <b>I2C, I2C-bit-banging and OSS Sound support enabled</b>. You can
usually short cut the whole process and get the default configuration by typing
<code>make oldconfig</code>. If you download a "Marcelo/Linus" kernel you will
need to configure both these options in using something like <code>make
menuconfig</code>
<p>
For more in-depth discussion on how to compile a linux kernel check
out the <a href="http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/howto/Kernel-HOWTO.html">
Kernel HOW-TO</a>.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=srclocation>Question:</a>
<dd>My kernel source is not in /usr/src/linux, how can I get the darned thing to compile?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>Edit the KERNEL_LOCATION line in the Makefile. This must be the source directory for the kernel
you are currently running, not the version that shipped with your distribution (which you should
keep in /usr/src/linux for other reasons). Also, you must have run make config and make dep in the
kernel tree before compiling the driver kernel modules.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=multicard>Question:</a>
<dd>Microcode upload to /dev/em8300-1 failed. What does that mean?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>This error message is normal. /dev/em8300-1, /dev/em8300-2, and /dev/em8300-3 are used for multi card support only. If you don't have more than one dxr3 don't worry about it.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=database>Question:</a>
<dd>Does this actually work for anyone? Where can I find their results?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>Yes. Unfortunately Patryk Laurent's <a href="http://digitalpipes.org/dxr3log/">dxr3 users database</a> domain appears to be down. We'll update this link if things change.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=nonmpeg12>Question:</a>
<dd>
Can I use my DXR3/H+ to watch movies other than DVDs or MPEG1/2? Is this accelerated?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>
Yes, you will be able to play DivX and other supported video formats on your card as well. Though
this has to happen through an MPEG1 filter which means it needs lots of CPU power, you should have
at least a 400MHz CPU or preferably faster.<br><br>
The em8300 cannot decode anything other than MPEG1/2 in hardware so this will never happen in an
accelerated form. If that is what you want, look for another card. What it can and will do is to
handle postprocessing for you, so the output will look alot nicer than it would do if you play it
on your monitor without any postprocessing enabled. And, this is a real cheap way of getting a
tv-out for watching movies.<br>
For further information regardning this please refer to the DXR3 <a href=howto.html#mplayer2>howto</a>
or MPlayer manual.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=kernel>Question:</a>
<dd>
Will the driver ever become part of the official Linux kernel or will
I have to download and compile this thing separately for the rest of
my life?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>
Development of a new driver in the official Linux kernel tree is
difficult because Linus doesn't like to apply lots of little patches;
he would rather apply fewer larger patches to revise an already working
driver. So, once we get this thing stable and working with the known
revisions of the cards, we may seek to include the kernel portion of
this driver in the official kernel source tree.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=em8300_mv>Question:</a>
<dd>When I cat a .mpg file to /dev/em8300_mv-* a bunch of garbage appears on the screen. Whats wrong?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>
Only mpeg video can be sent to /dev/em8300_mv-*. If an mpeg system file,
which is both mpeg video and audio, is sent to the device, garbage like
that will show up on the screen. First separate the mpeg system into
separate video and audio files, then send those to the appropriate device.
See the <a href=howto.html#playcat>Howto</a>.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=ucodefiles>Question:</a>
<dd>Only two microcode files are extracted from my driver file. What gives?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>
Some revisions of the driver (seems like those shipped with boards with
a bt865) only came with two microcode files. Just use one of these two
and the card should work correctly. You can also download the latest
version of the driver from either Creative Labs or Sigma Designs and
use the microcode shipped with those drivers instead.
<br><br>
<strong>Update:</strong> (12/06/2002) This question is somewhat obsolete
now as the latest driver, 0.13 at this time, comes with a microcode file.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=msexpand>Question:</a>
<dd>How can I uncompress rmquasar.vx_ or enc2dev.vx_?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>A utility written by Paul Laufer called msexpand.pl is included in the em8300/scripts directory
that will uncompress microsoft compressed files. Just run it without any arguments to get the usage
information. See the <a href=howto.html#ucext>Howto</a>.
<br><br>
<strong>Update:</strong> (12/06/2002) See the previous question as to why you don't need to do this anymore.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=forums>Question:</a>
<dd>I left a message in the Sourceforge project site forums and nobody has answered!
<dt>Answer:
<dd>In general, use the mailing list. Unfortunately, at this point the Sourceforge project forums
are not visited very often by developers. See the <a href=howto.html#help>Howto</a>
<p></p>
<dt><a name=green>Question:</a>
<dd>The video is all green! How can I fix it?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>Check to make sure you are passing the correct module options to the em8300.o and adv717x.o
kernel modules. See the <a href=howto.html#modparam>Howto</a> for further information about these options. In
the future detection of these settings should be automated.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=scrambled>Question:</a>
<dd>The tv output looks like a scrambled cable-channel, what's wrong?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>
There are a couple of possibilities. Firstly check that you've configured your Dxr3 for the correct TV standard. PAL in Europe and parts of South America, NTSC in the US and Japan and SECAM in France or Russia. SECAM is not supported.
<p>
Secondly, if you are using an SVHS/S-Video to Composite converter cable,
make sure the SVHS connector has 7 pins and not 4. Most video cards
are delivered with 4-pin SVHS->Composite converters because they use
only 2 outputs for video (Luminance and Chrominance). But the DXR3/H+
is a very high quality card that uses 3 outputs (Luminance, and 2
Chrominance outputs) which also requires that you use a converter cable
that recognizes this. If you can't find one, the solution is to buy an
SVHS cable and a scart contact which accepts an SVHS input.
<p>
If your TV has SVHS inputs you can also modify a regular SVHS cable by
removing the plastic leg on one end of the cable. Only do this if you
know what you are doing as it is not reversable and basically removes
the key allowing you to try plugging it in upside down. However it
works quite well and lets you use a high quality cable rather than the
cheap one the DXR3 comes with.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=halfscreen>Question:</a>
<dd>The video is only on one half of my screen! What's wrong?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>Check to make sure you are passing the correct module options to the em8300.o and adv717x.o
kernel modules. See the <a href=howto.html#modparam>Howto</a> for further information about these options.In
the future detection of these settings should be automated.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=bitrate>Question:</a>
<dd>I can only play low bit rate mpeg videos, higher bit rate streams lock up the card. What could
be the problem?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>
Try using microcode from a newer driver version or one of the
other microcode files that were extracted from your rmquasar.vxd or
enc2dev.vxd. Some microcode files seem only to work with some versions
of the card.<br><br>
<strong>Update:</strong> (12/05/2002) Try downloading the latest version
of the driver. It includes a universal microcode as part of the source.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=noises>Question:</a>
<dd>When I load the microcode, my monitor starts making funny noises!
<dt>Answer:
<dd>Remove the passthrough cable and connect your monitor to the video card directly. VGA overlay
and passthrough are not working on some revisions of the card. More reverse engineering is much
needed. If you own one of these cards you currently have to watch your DVDs using the TV out
connector.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=blank>Question:</a>
<dd>When I load the microcode, my monitor screen goes blank!
<dt>Answer:
<dd>Some cards disable the passthrough when the microcode is uploaded.
Use the 'activate_loopback' module parameter to fix this. However, you may
not be able to use the tv out connector with activate_loopback. If you want to
use tvout you'll need to disconnect the passthrough cable for now.
See the <a href=howto.html#modparam>Howto</a>.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=libdxr3>Question</a>
<dd>What is libdxr3?
<dt>Answer
<dd>libdxr3 was a library that served as an interface between client programs
like Xine and OMS and the kernel modules. The original idea was to provide a
reusable library and avoid code duplication in client programs, but the
library was never quite finished and its use never really took off, so it was
removed from the em8300 distribution as of version 0.15.1 after being
unmaintained and unused for a few years. In case someone's interested in
finishing and maintaining it, the code can still be resurrected from CVS.
<p></p>
<dt><a name=help>Question:</a>
<dd>Can I help with the project?
<dt>Answer:
<dd>Of course! We need people to help write better documentation, reverse engineer the windows
driver, implement new features in the Linux driver, and better integrate the driver into the DVD
player software.
<p></p>
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