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Plextor just released an open source (GPL) Linux SDK for their very cool ConvertX PVR USB tuner/encoder product
This is great news for Linux PVR users who want to use an external device (linux support for the other major external tuner/encoder the Hauppauge wintvPVR USB2 was a little sketchy) or want hardware based MPEG-4 encoding in their MythTV or Freevo homebrew PVR. The ConvertX supports Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux!
The full press release is available here
Slashdot on Plextor PVRs Now Support Linux
###press release###
Plextor PVRs Now Support Linux
First Hardware-Based PVRs to Deliver MPEG-4 Video Capture and Compression on Linux Platform
FREMONT, Calif. - March 8, 2005 - Plextor® Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the availability of a free Linux Software Developers Kit (SDK) for ConvertX video capture devices. For the first time, the Open Source Software (OSS) community can enjoy the advanced features of Plextor ConvertX PVRs, including real-time hardware-based MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG video encoding in a low-cost USB 2.0 video peripheral.
Licensed under the GNU General Public License, the Linux SDK supports the popular Video for Linux 2 (V4L2) and Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) specifications. It also supports deprecated Open Sound System (OSS) applications via the OSS compatibility layer provided by ALSA. The new driver, which requires the Linux 2.6 kernel, includes sample code that can be reused in open source or proprietary applications to help developers get started quickly.
"Plextor is strongly committed to supporting the Open Source Software movement with free development tools that help speed the creation of next-generation Linux-based video software," said Dirk Peters, director of marketing, Plextor. "The release of this SDK was a direct response to requests from the user community for an easier way to work with Plextor ConvertX video capture devices on computers running Linux."
"Plextor's new Linux SDK provides developers with a free GPL-based full-source driver to support all of the popular V4L2 applications," said, Tom Luax, vice president of sales, WISchip International. "The combination of low-cost MPEG4/DivX Video compression hardware and Linux OSS software is a great solution for anyone who wants to build a high-quality and low-cost personal video recorder for their PC.
Availability
Version 0.91 of Plextor's new Linux SDK, with support for ConvertX PX-M402U and PX-TV402U, is available immediately from http://www.plextor.com/english/support/LinuxSDK.htm
About Plextor
Plextor Corp. is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment for professionals, consumers, and enterprises. Headquartered in Silicon Valley since 1990, Plextor has introduced generations of award-winning products, including digital video converters and CD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, and DVD±R/RW optical disk drives. Plextor is privately owned by Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of advanced technology hardware and precision electronic equipment headquartered in Japan. Contact Plextor at www.plextor.com.
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Plextor is a registered trademark and ConvertX is a trademark of Plextor Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders
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