On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 10:16 PM, Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > After years of discussions, several patch series and two different proposed > approaches, LinuxTV developers finally decided that S2API is the better > technical proposal and should be accepted as the way to allow supporting newer > DTV standards, starting with DVB-S2. > > As previously announced at http://linuxtv.org/news.php?entry=2008-09-19.mchehab, > a representative group of active developers at LinuxTV community attended the > first V4L/DVB Summit, that started with the V4L/DVB miniconf at Linux > Plumbers/2008. Several other additional formal (BOF's) and informal meetings > happened there, in the benefit of the improvement of the development of > multimedia drivers and core. > > During the miniconf, both Multiproto API (proposed by Manu) and S2API (proposed > by Steven), were presented. A technical discussion was made during the DVB BOF > session in order to compare the two proposals and check for the > need/convenience of other core internal changes to draw an evolution timeline > for DVB. > > The DVB BOF had the presence of the following LinuxTV members: > > Douglas Schilling Landgraf > Hans Verkuil > Mauro Carvalho Chehab > Michael Krufky > Patrick Boettcher > Steven Toth > Thierry Merle > Manjunath Hadlii > > We had also a presence of an end-user listening to the BOF (Brandon Fouts). > > During the BOF, the LinuxTV members carefully analyzed the pros and cons for > both proposals. At the end, all people present there agreed that S2API is > technically more reliable in time than Multiproto proposal. So it was decided > that S2API will be merged upstream. > > The main arguments in favor of S2API over Multiproto are: > > - Future proof – the proposal for S2API is more flexible, easily > allowing the addition of newer features and new standard support; > > - Simplicity – S2API patches are very simple, while Multiproto > presented a very complex series of changes. Simpler approaches > reduces the time for maintaining the source code; > > - Capability of allowing improvements even on the existing standards, > like allowing diversity control that starts to appear on newer DVB > devices. > > Some improvements were proposed by the LinuxTV developers, in order to improve > the S2API, including: > > - Adding an API command for querying DVB version, to allow an easier > detection by userspace applications; > > - Name the DVB API with S2API as DVB version 5; > > - Update DVB API documentation to reflect the API changes; > > - Remove from DVB API the unused API ioctls, to match the API with the > existing implementations. > > The author of S2API got the task of adding those suggestions at the proposed > standard and send a pull request to the subsystem maintainer, together with > patches for his drivers that use the newer API. > > It was also discussed that some of the internal Multiproto API changes may be > needed in other to support some of the other existing DVB-S2 drivers that were > developed considering Multiproto API. Internal changes can be added at any time > without producing problems in the user API. > > The group aims to have a unified in-kernel DVB-S2 HVR4000 / TT-3200 tree (that > also supports all of the derivative CX24116 / STB0899 known products) within 4 > weeks from the announcement, hopefully in time for kernel 2.6.28. For that, we > would like to ask Manu to port his drivers to the new API. > > The end goal is to add proper support for all devices that would have been > supported by multiproto and S2API alike available. > > There are already volunteers working or that have offered to work on Kaffeine > and MythTV S2API support. > > We still need volunteers to work on dvb-apps support. If you feel that you like > contribute, please be our guest! > > We would like to thank you all that contributed for those discussions and > improvements to happen, > > Mauro Carvalho Chehab > V4L/DVB Maintainer > Mauro, Thank you so much for the email.I am happy that finally a decision was made and everyone can now move forward with an API. I have had an uncommitted patch for DVB-S2 support in GStreamer for a long time now (using multiproto). I am happy that now I can just get DVB-S2 support in and not have to worry about a patch bitrotting. This list has been very painful to read over the last couple of weeks with all the personal attacks and accusations. Please let us all co-operate and look forward to a bright future of DVB in Linux rather than continue negatively with the flamewar on the mailing list. Zaheer _______________________________________________ linux-dvb mailing list linux-dvb@xxxxxxxxxxx http://www.linuxtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linux-dvb
