So i just stumbled across news today about the CrystalHD and IMMEDIATELY ordered two. I do have a few questions which I'm SURE a lot of other newbies are probably wondering (or maybe it's just me).
I'm planning to install the cards in Mac Minis (non Nvidia based). I also plan on using Boxee, Plex and XMBC (each has things I like). So my questions are,
I understand that XBMC uses ffmpeg media playback, in order to take advantage of this hardware will the ffmpeg devs have to update ffmpeg? Or is this something that the XBMC devs will do?
Assuming its the XMBC devs that will do the integration, will this then filter into the other media centres like Boxee and Plex?
Next, as of right now, when i install the card into my Mac Mini, is there any way to actually make full use of it using XBMC or any other media centre to playback 1080p content?
Lastly, If i understand correctly this hardware will allow me to smoothly playback FULL Blu Ray Rips (not encodes) and all other really high bit rate 1080p content?
Thanks in advance
Thx
jag0 Wrote:So i just stumbled across news today about the CrystalHD and IMMEDIATELY ordered two. I do have a few questions which I'm SURE a lot of other newbies are probably wondering (or maybe it's just me).
I'm planning to install the cards in Mac Minis (non Nvidia based). I also plan on using Boxee, Plex and XBMC (each has things I like). So my questions are,
I understand that XBMC uses ffmpeg media playback, in order to take advantage of this hardware will the ffmpeg devs have to update ffmpeg? Or is this something that the XBMC devs will do?
Assuming its the XBMC devs that will do the integration, will this then filter into the other media centres like Boxee and Plex?
Next, as of right now, when i install the card into my Mac Mini, is there any way to actually make full use of it using XBMC or any other media centre to playback 1080p content?
Lastly, If i understand correctly this hardware will allow me to smoothly playback FULL Blu Ray Rips (not encodes) and all other really high bit rate 1080p content?
Thanks in advance
Thx
CrystalHD decoding does not use ffmpeg for decode, the Broadcom hardware does that. CrystalHD support is already in svn trunk for all three (osx/linux/windows) platforms so there's no integration requried, it's already present.
Support for Crystal HD under other media app will depends on the devs that support those apps. They are certainly welcome to see and use the source code in svn trunk provided they honor the GPL requirements.
Crystal HD will easily handle decrypted bluray rips.
Davilla, Zeus has NOTHING on you!
So if i understand correctly, as a not so bleeding edge user, all i have to do now is wait for the cards to arrive, install them, and wait on the updated offical release of XBMC (and subsequently other media centre apps).
THIS is the perfect start to 2010
jag0 Wrote:Davilla, Zeus has NOTHING on you!
So if i understand correctly, as a not so bleeding edge user, all i have to do now is wait for the cards to arrive, install them, and wait on the updated offical release of XBMC (and subsequently other media centre apps).
THIS is the perfect start to 2010
Davilla should get into the hardware business, he's responsible for a few hundred cards sold so far, I'm sure
WeakATV Wrote:Davilla should get into the hardware business, he's responsible for a few hundred cards sold so far, I'm sure
HAHA, I am but in a totally unrelated field, x-ray microanalysis using electron microscopes,
http://www.4pi.com to see what I do for a living.
My wife used to be an electron microscopist for Kodak.
Will the Crystal card give a helping hand to BBC iPlayer streams through xbmc? As I believe they are h264?
Playing back from the BBCHD iPlayer stream and the normal iPlayer streams, the Crystal HD decoder is being used by XBMC:
I tried exactly that file in BBC HD as you reported after connecting my ATV via Ethernet as you do. After an initial buffering it plays fine. Ido have the CrystalHD installed though however yesterday I was playing BBC HD south pacific and except some moments I didn't have any audio sync issues and I did not have the card installed
At this time I am running the Camelot version of XBMC on an AppleTV.
If I install the card now, does Camelot currently have the drivers to support it?
If Camelot does not have the drivers needed, and I install the card, will I still be able to use XBMC as I do now, without the drivers?
Will this card also help with non-HD files (help to prevent stuttering)?
i will reply from what i know so:
1) no, currently camelot does not have the drivers in it (but you can install them using this
tutorial)
2) yes, w/o drivers you can use the camelot
3) i guess yes, because when you install drivers for crystal hd module and it is present in your appletv slot, you should change the rendering method to Crystal HD and all the rendering is processed by it. at lease, it would be logic.
grey Wrote:i will reply from what i know so:
1) no, currently camelot does not have the drivers in it (but you can install them using this tutorial)
2) yes, w/o drivers you can use the camelot
3) i guess yes, because when you install drivers for crystal hd module and it is present in your appletv slot, you should change the rendering method to Crystal HD and all the rendering is processed by it. at lease, it would be logic.
You need an svn release with crystalhd enabled, camelot wont work.
jayhawk785 Wrote:You need an svn release with crystalhd enabled, camelot wont work.
The question is:
If I install the Crystal HD card in my ATV, and I don't have the newest SVN with the drivers, can I still run Camelot using that ATV?
(and once the drivers/SVN are installed, take advantage of the Crystal HD card)......
Or, will installing the Crystal HD card without the drivers, render the ATV useless until the drivers are installed?
JDizzy Wrote:The question is:
If I install the Crystal HD card in my ATV, and I don't have the newest SVN with the drivers, can I still run Camelot using that ATV?
(and once the drivers/SVN are installed, take advantage of the Crystal HD card)......
Or, will installing the Crystal HD card without the drivers, render the ATV useless until the drivers are installed?
If it can't find the card, you don't get "crystal hd" as a renderer setting and then it works just like before.
If you don't have the drivers installed, your ATV will simply ignore the card as will XBMC, so you can leave the card installed until an auto-installer version of the crystalhd branch is available without having any problems while you're waiting :-)
randy.