Broadcom's PCI-e x1 HD video accelerator add-in board

[korben_dallas]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&#post10750451

Purely internal, just a specialized accelerator board, in keeping with our latest strategy of promoting PCIe as a co-processing path. In several form factors for desktop, notebook, and consumer electronics.

Photo here.

The top card is an HDMI ADD2 card, the one below is the Broadcom accel board.

Here's an article from Computex on the Broadcom specific solution.

$40 bulk means this thing would easily be under $100 retail. If SageTV can access it's hardware acceleration, then integrated motherboard graphics would work fine for HTPC playback of HD content.

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by korben_dallas

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&#post10750451

$40 bulk means this thing would easily be under $100 retail. If SageTV can access it's hardware acceleration, then integrated motherboard graphics would work fine for HTPC playback of HD content.

I think that if the video decoders can use it then SageTV could as well....

[bcjenkins]

If it has it's own directshow filter, then I think it should be no problem.

B

[stanger89]

If I'm going to give up the flexibility of software decoders, I'd rather have an extender.

[GbrNole]

Originally Posted by stanger89

If I'm going to give up the flexibility of software decoders, I'd rather have an extender.

agreed and as such i'd give my left arm for the PS3 to work with sage.

[MattHelm]

Originally Posted by GbrNole

agreed and as such i'd give my left arm for the PS3 to work with sage.

Doesn't the PS3 have Java? And isn't most of Placeshifter Java???

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by MattHelm

Doesn't the PS3 have Java? And isn't most of Placeshifter Java???

It is not just java. Take a look at the linux place shifter for software components. Some pieces will have source available from SageTV, but some will not. Also, it has to be recompiled for the ppc proc as well.

B

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by MattHelm

Doesn't the PS3 have Java? And isn't most of Placeshifter Java???

If I had to guestimate, I'd say most of the UI is done using java, but most of the core is done in a more "native" language.

I'd guess there would be a lot of coding needing to be done to get playback to work on the PS3, or any non-X86 platform.

[GbrNole]

wouldn't that fairly well describe what had to be done to get the MVP working?

sage being accesible as a PS3 crossbar component would be awesome, one heck of a complete media machine save the lack of games

[Mahoney]

If Sony exposed the necessary APIs I would hope it wouldn't be too painful. But that's a huge "if"! They've shown no tendency to allow the crossbar to be altered or to allow access to the video APIs in this way up to now.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by GbrNole

wouldn't that fairly well describe what had to be done to get the MVP working?

Probably kind of the opposite actually I'd guess. The MVP was setup for streaming media from the get go, Sage had to devise a way to get the UI on there. I'd guess it would be "easy" to get the UI to run on the PS3, but media would probably be a much bigger deal.

sage being accesible as a PS3 crossbar component would be awesome, one heck of a complete media machine save the lack of games

$600 for an extender seems excessive to me.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Mahoney

If Sony exposed the necessary APIs I would hope it wouldn't be too painful. But that's a huge "if"! They've shown no tendency to allow the crossbar to be altered or to allow access to the video APIs in this way up to now.

Sage would be better off figuring out away to get it working on an XBOX 360 in order to get more crossover from Windows MCE/Vista Home Premium users. Of course we all know that isn't happening. Ho hum.

[Mahoney]

The MVP was setup for streaming media from the get go

The PS3 is, too - it already streams video and audio from an external server.

[MattHelm]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I'd guess there would be a lot of coding needing to be done to get playback to work on the PS3, or any non-X86 platform.

The placeshifter for the Mac runs on the PowerPC, and isn't the main core of the Cell chip a PowerPC?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by MattHelm

The placeshifter for the Mac runs on the PowerPC,

Does it, or is it the X86 Macs?

and isn't the main core of the Cell chip a PowerPC?

Sorta.

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Does it, or is it the X86 Macs?



Sorta.

The Mac PS client runs on both platforms. However, I can tell you I have a hard time getting it to run well on my older G4 equipment.