Bt848/Bt849/Bt878/Bt879 Open Source Driver Support (1 Viewer)

[Paul S]

MediaPortal Version: 0.2.2.0
MediaPortal Skin: Blue Two
Windows Version: WinXP Pro
CPU Type: AMD 1.0
HDD: many
Memory: 512
Motherboard: Compaq Presario
Motherboard Chipset:
Motherboard Bios:
Video Card:
Video Card Driver:
Sound Card:
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: STB (bt848 chip)
1. TV Card Type: NTSC
1. TV Card Driver: Bt848
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec: Elecard
MPEG2 Audio Codec: Elecard
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote:
TV:
TV - HTPC Connection:

I have come into an old capture card from a Gateway 2000. I installed it in a Compaq Presario 5000 that has WinXP Pro installed. I found a wonderful Open Source driver that has been written for these old cards, and it works great with the "native" player:
http://btwincap.sourceforge.net/

It does not produce a graph when playing in the native player, but I have been able to make a graph and play it. My problem is, that I am not sure how to correctly enter all of the filter data so that MP can create a graph.

There is one entry for the Conexant BtPCI Capture filter, so I used that to start with. I tried tweaking it, but MP won't make a graph for it. This is what I started with:

  <capturecard commercialname="Bt848/Bt849/Bt878/Bt879" capturename="Conexant's BtPCI Capture" devid="ven_109e&amp;dev_0350&amp;subsys_00000000&amp;rev_12">
    <capabilities tv="true" radio="true" mpeg2="true" mce="false" sw="false" bda="false"/>
    <tv>
      <interface cat="mux" video="" audio="" mpeg2="0"/>
      <filters>
        <filter cat="tvtuner"		  name="Conexant's BtPCI Tv Tuner"   checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="tvaudio"		  name="Conexant's BtPCI Tv Audio"   checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="crossbar"		name="Conexant's BtPCI Crossbar"  checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="capture"     name="Conexant's BtPCI Capture"   checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="audcapture"	name="SoundMAX Digital Audio"        checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="videncoder"	name="Elecard Mpeg Video Encoder (Elecard Ltd. http://www.elecard.com)"     checkdevice="false"/>
        <filter cat="audencoder"	name="Elecard Layer ll Audio Encoder"     checkdevice="false"/>
        <filter cat="mux"			    name="Elecard Multiplexer (Elecard Ltd. http://www.elecard.com)"          checkdevice="false"/>
      </filters>
      <connections>
        <connection sourcefilter="tvtuner"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="crossbar"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="tvtuner"		sourcepin="1" sinkfilter="tvaudio"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="tvaudio"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="crossbar"		sinkpin="3"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="crossbar"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="capture"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="crossbar"		sourcepin="1" sinkfilter="audcapture"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="capture"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="videncoder"	sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="audcapture"	sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="audencoder"	sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="videncoder"	sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="mux"			  sinkpin="1"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="audencoder"	sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="mux"			  sinkpin="0"/>
      </connections>
    </tv>
  </capturecard>

I changed the generic names to the actual filter names in an effort to get it to work. The problem is that MP won't connect any pins at all. Any help on creating a proper CCD entry will truely be appreciated.

Here's the working graph:

 

[Paul S]

I set up a graph containing the filters that I think MP needs, and was able to connect all of the pins. I am not able to play this graph, maybe because of the extra encoders. I also made a CaptureCardDefinitions entry to correspond to the graph:

<capturecards>
  <capturecard commercialname="Bt848/Bt849/Bt878/Bt879" capturename="Conexant's BtPCI Capture" devid="ven_109e&amp;dev_0350&amp;subsys_00000000&amp;rev_12">
    <capabilities tv="true" radio="true" mpeg2="true" mce="false" sw="false" bda="false"/>
    <tv>
      <interface cat="mux" video="" audio="" mpeg2="0"/>
      <filters>
        <filter cat="tvtuner"		  name="Conexant's BtPCI Tv Tuner"   checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="tvaudio"		  name="Conexant's BtPCI Tv Audio"   checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="crossbar"		name="Conexant's BtPCI Crossbar"  checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="capture"     	name="Conexant's BtPCI Capture"   checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="audcapture"	name="%soundcard%"        checkdevice="true"/>
        <filter cat="videncoder"	name="%videoencoder%"     checkdevice="false"/>
        <filter cat="audencoder"	name="%audioencoder%"     checkdevice="false"/>
        <filter cat="mux"			    name="%mpegmux%"          checkdevice="false"/>
      </filters>
      <connections>
        <connection sourcefilter="tvtuner"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="crossbar"		sinkpin="%tvtuner%"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="tvtuner"		sourcepin="1" sinkfilter="tvaudio"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="tvaudio"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="crossbar"		sinkpin="%audiotuner%"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="crossbar"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="capture"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="crossbar"		sourcepin="1" sinkfilter="audcapture"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="capture"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="videncoder"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="audcapture"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="audencoder"		sinkpin="0"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="videncoder"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="mux"			sinkpin="1"/>
        <connection sourcefilter="audencoder"		sourcepin="0" sinkfilter="mux"			sinkpin="0"/>
      </connections>
    </tv>
  </capturecard>

With this entry, MP loads the four BtPCI filters and the %soundcard% filter. But none of the pins are connected.

Here's the good graph:

 

[Paul S]

I think that I have made some "progress". I uninstalled the Elecard encoder and installed the Intervideo encoders. MP still complains that it cannot make a graph. But, if I open GraphEdit while it is complaining, I see three remote graphs that I can connect to. Two have incomplete pin connections, but one looks like a working graph. I still can't tune any channels, though.

Here's the graph MP creates, it's using the last config file I posted:
EDIT: I switched the pin assignments for the mpegmux so that now every pin is connected. Still no MP graph.