From owner-freebsd-multimedia@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Apr 14 09:51:06 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 518A1106566B for ; Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:51:06 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tevans.uk@googlemail.com) Received: from mail-ew0-f171.google.com (mail-ew0-f171.google.com [209.85.219.171]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A7D678FC15 for ; Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:51:05 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tevans.uk@googlemail.com) Received: by ewy19 with SMTP id 19so2375620ewy.43 for ; Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:51:04 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=googlemail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:received:received:subject:from:to:cc :in-reply-to:references:content-type:date:message-id:mime-version :x-mailer:content-transfer-encoding; bh=Ka1mkbxyWNmKlOt+uEWcodZfrZs0aO+RKaR5UDlztLg=; b=IdYnzdZ5XpZRBF15l8C2Kgn3sQDblLwy5pVh5sMa4RkmMj33sJXRRjPnZPg0NLaFLg Tzp9QELNRrSMCjQTuy0PHPwMCBU36FNQTKT0Z0cjOvznATyp+4tWehYcOSpQKumj+tgI YMCH/b3CCzpGMGtU6OxbM1Vv+TkMF/MDbAUOo= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=googlemail.com; s=gamma; h=subject:from:to:cc:in-reply-to:references:content-type:date :message-id:mime-version:x-mailer:content-transfer-encoding; b=kB1IDy7PdcJEvhdnZFGJjLNCCDltrjtOxm9dJqpOpYFht8f1M1OZVemFrproCDFoPI Eompo13GM8zfHtQ88B5tJRnpk2tUrmG/0qpgGw1G7VYy0Rzz24U2RsMP2S6lNOh52VwY GopN03oNgw1HtfOT0GlK44YihQmATGVX5hbi0= Received: by 10.216.0.208 with SMTP id 58mr1714990web.216.1239700865960; Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:21:05 -0700 (PDT) Received: from ?127.0.0.1? (87-194-39-182.bethere.co.uk [87.194.39.182]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPS id t2sm15188188gve.2.2009.04.14.02.21.04 (version=SSLv3 cipher=RC4-MD5); Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:21:05 -0700 (PDT) From: Tom Evans To: grarpamp In-Reply-To: References: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:21:03 +0100 Message-Id: <1239700863.7491.150.camel@strangepork.mintel.co.uk> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.22.3.1 FreeBSD GNOME Team Port Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Cc: freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Help picking a video card and other related gear X-BeenThere: freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Multimedia discussions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:51:06 -0000 On Fri, 2009-04-10 at 01:29 -0400, grarpamp wrote: > I could use some primary help with video issues. > And secondary help on the motherboard. > I've got seriously old gear and it's upgrade time :) > > I'm currently running 1280x1024 on 21" and I need more desktop. > So I put together some minimum video things: > > Requirements... > 1) Freebsd, amd64 [for zfs and the future of things], xorg > 2) DVI-I or DVI-D dual-link card for those 30" 2560x1600 displays > 3) Well supported, _open_source_, in the tree, video card drivers: > o I don't want to rely on the card vendor to release binary blobs. > o I don't want to end up with a useless video card when > xorg9/freebsd10 come around. > o I don't care about the brand on the box as long as the right chips > are soldered in place. Cheap works if it gets the job done :) > 4) PCIe interface or integrated on motherboard. > > Wants... > 1) Analog RGB output up to 1080p for feeding old school projectors > and backup CRT monitors. I'm betting a single card could provide > it via DVI-I or D-SUB15 with maybe an xorg mode switch? VIVO? > 2) The ability to color calibrate one or both cards via the xorg > driver would be useful. I can spyder it from a windows box so > just having the xorg knobs would suffice. Does anyone do this > under xorg? > 3) A second connector off the same card for feeding a smaller > secondary monitor at the same time. > 4) Some sort of power save mode... LCD off, card idle, etc. > > I'm still shopping for motherboard and chipset. I don't think I'll > find 2560x1600 dvi dual link on an integrated chipset? Thinking > maybe AMD 790GX and AMD SB750 if FreeBSD likes it. > > I might as well go HTPC and stick an HDTV OTA ATSC / QAM tuner in > there. And I'll eventually need to capture NTSC audio/video from > dying analog sources somehow. VOIP/webcam, mplayer, dvd upscaling, > etc. That's all 2D and largely CPU based afaik. > > CPU will likely be... > amd: phenom x3 8450e, athlon x2 5050e or 5600+ > intel: core2 duo e4300, e4400, e4500 > > All the integrated gig network, SATA, and USB must be in the tree > and working well. Boot from USB needs to work. Same with sound. > > Though I'd like to play 3d games on freebsd, that interest does NOT > override the above fulltime workstation requirements. I can always > boot or build a windows toybox for that. So 3d support is only a > bonus. I don't think it even exists open source in tree anyways? > > Just looking for hardware ideas... Thanks. I think what you want is what everyone wants - and I don't think it exists properly yet. I spent the weekend playing around with some very cheap nvidia graphics cards, playing with VDPAU. If you were wanting something very cheap to decode and deinterlace HD MPEG4/AVC/H264, VC-1 or MPEG2, then this is where it is at. With a £30 Geforce 8400 GS, I could decode/deinterlace a 1080i 22 MBps MPEG4 AVC stream, using 3-5% CPU (without acceleration, 70-90% CPU usage and occasionally dropped frames). Playing back 1080p x264 content used 3-5% CPU (without accel, 100% CPU usage, 3-4 dropped frames a second). This was with a 2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo, 7-STABLE and the nvidia 180.44 driver. Obviously, being a nvidia binary blob, there are certain major downsides (no amd64, no source code, no guarentee of support), but to get similar performance from a software decoder would be impossible. Cheers Tom