On Sun, 29 Dec 2002 16:28:30 -0500 (EST) Alan Cox <alan@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > Instead, go find a Matrox G400 or G400-MAX dual head card, and build the > > tv-out > > cable for the 2nd head. This setup is as good as it ever got, and it looks > > pretty good on my 36" tv. I'm using an 800x600 framebuffer, the Maven chip > > on the G400-DH is scaling it down to a TV signal, and does a damn fine job. > > I'm not saying you'll be able to read 8 point type, i'm saying Freevo works > > very well and looks very good. > > I've also found SiS card TV out mostly works, but the SiS cards suck for > other reasons. Some S3 work, also the cyberblade on the EPIA (but not yet > the Castle Rock in the VIA EPIA-M). The Matrox G400 is desirable for other reasons, such as current software support for the back-end scaler and palette dac. Significantly decreases the cpu overhead. This is, of course, specific to using mplayer with the mga-vid driver and fbcon, or mplayer with directfb. mplayer used to have a driver for SiS cards with some similar features, it became unmaintained and isn't in current snapshots. Someone could still unearth it and bring it up to date, but with G400-DH cards going for $20 on ebay there's hardly a reason. Maybe if you really needed a PCI card instead of an AGP card. There is also support for 3dfx cards and some Radeon cards from ATi, but i don't know what to say about them, as I haven't used one. The most popular card among the mplayer and freevo developers seems to be the g400, so it's a pretty safe bet. Don't ask me about X. Don't know, don't care. X on a television would be nigh onto worthless anyway. - Eric
