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Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - Printable Version

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RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - Tann San - 2012-07-18

Got this just now, well it arrived about 2 1/2 hours ago but I only just checked my mail again:
Quote:Thanks for your feedback below. Again we will review your requirements closely and respond asap.

BTW, could you ask Gimli to send me a email and I would like to discuss more about A10 XBMC project. Thanks.

Best regards,
Eva

Edit: The email address is the same one from before: [email protected]


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - Djape - 2012-07-18

Way to go Wink

Good luck!


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - j1nx - 2012-07-18

(2012-07-18, 18:33)Tann San Wrote: Got this just now, well it arrived about 2 1/2 hours ago but I only just checked my mail again:
Quote:Thanks for your feedback below. Again we will review your requirements closely and respond asap.

BTW, could you ask Gimli to send me a email and I would like to discuss more about A10 XBMC project. Thanks.

Best regards,
Eva

Edit: The email address is the same one from before: [email protected]

Gimli has send an email just ahead of this community action. They should have everything they need.



RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - rflores2323 - 2012-07-18

this look good that they are wanting to discuss with Gimli. Hope it comes out positive.

Gimli can you let us know where your conversation went with allwinner?


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - Buggies - 2012-07-18

Questionnaire Completed in support. I do not complete Questionnaires normally but this is one I gladly took time on and got done!


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - Boon_nz - 2012-07-18

(2012-07-18, 22:51)Buggies Wrote: Questionnaire Completed in support. I do not complete Questionnaires normally but this is one I gladly took time on and got done!

Ditto.


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - oliv3r - 2012-07-19

(2012-07-18, 14:18)geggog Wrote: Yep, I've responded to the questionnaire highlighting how much more interested I'd be in their devices should XBMC be a success.
Interesting point, right now, there's no set-top box that runs XBMC natively. I know china often doesn't care and realize the impact of Software, they make hardware after all, but if you only look at the software on those mediaboxes from realtek for example, which leaves very much to desire.

(2012-07-18, 14:29)Djape Wrote: Same here. Sent back, told them they don't know what they are missing.
If they don't do it, someone else will, luckily Big Grin
As said above, indeed, they could be the first, or the one of many. Being first is important but whats even more important ... Having close ties to the community and supporting OpenSource could very well give you a huge advantage. Think about it. Properly working player, well supported by the community, because many will have one, as it simply works! ™.


edit: Having thought and said all that, I know rhombus-tech.net is working hard on developing a board based on the A10. Has anybody gotten in touch with them, pointed them at this thread? They are actively working on getting a GPL supported device out into the market.
Quote:Maybe this has not been here yet and I know it is not A10, but Mali400....

For Telechips TCC892x (used in CX-01 mini PC, Zero Devices Z900, ValuePlus TizzBird N1, Diyomate A6 Network Media Player, etc...) linux kernel source code and android ICS open source code (webkit + OpenMAX source code) are available.

Unfortunately these devices haven't lots of output ports, but could be used to run XBMC... and CX01 is around 50$...

http://www.cnx-software.com/2012/07/17/t...urce-code/

I hope XBMC will run on lots of arm devices in the very near future... )
While this sound extremly interesting, has telechips released source code for their VPU? Does it HAVE a VPU? Without a VPU it's useless. That telechips uses an arm core and Mali400 GPU isn't supprising, but I'm sure they haven't released sources for the Mali400's GPU bit. Luckly for the lima project to be working on that.


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - gimli - 2012-07-19

(2012-07-18, 21:04)rflores2323 Wrote: this look good that they are wanting to discuss with Gimli. Hope it comes out positive.

Gimli can you let us know where your conversation went with allwinner?

As requested by Allwinner i wrote them again, no anwser till now.


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - madpanter - 2012-07-19

We all hope that allwinner will support the open source comunity. They just need to realise the benefits of native working xbmc on arm. If that would work i my self would buy 3-4 devices and run openelec on them. I hope Gimli that you will recive the support from allwinner.


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - oliv3r - 2012-07-19

(2012-07-19, 10:36)madpanter Wrote: We all hope that allwinner will support the open source comunity. They just need to realise the benefits of native working xbmc on arm. If that would work i my self would buy 3-4 devices and run openelec on them. I hope Gimli that you will recive the support from allwinner.

Well it requires a little more work than just Allwinner, the Limaproject could use some support as well, to get proper OpenGL for Mali400 GPU's! which is equally important to the VPU drivers.


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - madpanter - 2012-07-19

(2012-07-19, 10:42)oliv3r Wrote:
(2012-07-19, 10:36)madpanter Wrote: We all hope that allwinner will support the open source comunity. They just need to realise the benefits of native working xbmc on arm. If that would work i my self would buy 3-4 devices and run openelec on them. I hope Gimli that you will recive the support from allwinner.

Well it requires a little more work than just Allwinner, the Limaproject could use some support as well, to get proper OpenGL for Mali400 GPU's! which is equally important to the VPU drivers.

Well dont know the tehnical part but yes that is of the same importance.




RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - j1nx - 2012-07-19

(2012-07-19, 10:42)oliv3r Wrote:
(2012-07-19, 10:36)madpanter Wrote: We all hope that allwinner will support the open source comunity. They just need to realise the benefits of native working xbmc on arm. If that would work i my self would buy 3-4 devices and run openelec on them. I hope Gimli that you will recive the support from allwinner.

Well it requires a little more work than just Allwinner, the Limaproject could use some support as well, to get proper OpenGL for Mali400 GPU's! which is equally important to the VPU drivers.

The MALI is licensed to ARM and that is a whole other fight which is even outside Allwinners hands.

The VPU is Allwinner's technology.


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - oliv3r - 2012-07-19

(2012-07-19, 12:07)j1nx Wrote:
(2012-07-19, 10:42)oliv3r Wrote:
(2012-07-19, 10:36)madpanter Wrote: We all hope that allwinner will support the open source comunity. They just need to realise the benefits of native working xbmc on arm. If that would work i my self would buy 3-4 devices and run openelec on them. I hope Gimli that you will recive the support from allwinner.

Well it requires a little more work than just Allwinner, the Limaproject could use some support as well, to get proper OpenGL for Mali400 GPU's! which is equally important to the VPU drivers.

The MALI is licensed to ARM and that is a whole other fight which is even outside Allwinners hands.

The VPU is Allwinner's technology.
Really? Well that makes it extra easy for them to produce programming specifications (not secrets of their own driver). As said before, Broadcom has drivers available for their VPU so the 'secret it out' anyway.

I thought that MALI was ARM's own graphics core ... but the fight is different, as in it is being actively reverse engineered.



RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - j1nx - 2012-07-19

(2012-07-19, 12:28)oliv3r Wrote: I thought that MALI was ARM's own graphics core ... but the fight is different, as in it is being actively reverse engineered.

That's what I said/meant Angel

MALI = ARM
CedarX = Allwinnertech


RE: Allwinner A10 : Is XBMC ported to MALI-400MP ? - davilla - 2012-07-19

Here's the normal way that Mali is licensed, Company XYZ license Mali GPU IP Code, places that on their SoC and glues it to the rest of the chipset. That's the simplistic hardware side.

Now software, Company XYZ gets Mali kernel/userland source code from ARM. The kernel code is built GPL and is 'open source', the userland side (libEGL, libOpenGLES, etc) is closed source and considered 'system' libs. Since they use an open API, no big deal, that's permitted under GPL. Then apps link to them and go, again no big deal.

Say this twice, Mali/GPU is not a problem. There's a well used path for enabling the use of Mali, lots of vendors do this. Amlogic being one such vendor. If Allwinnertech has problems with following this path, then they should really talk to ARM as ARM knows how to do this the proper way.