I might be talking out of my armpit here but when you check the operation of the RGB scart do you have to disconnect the HDMI first, as not doing so disables the scart output?
Nope - SCART works fine with HDMI in. On my Panasonic TV anyway.
Edit : Do you mean it disables the RGB over Scart, or disables the Scart?
Rgds.
Les.
Hi Savvy no I missed your edit.
I thought I would mention this issue on removing the HDMI as when I first got my HDR I thought I would connect the old HD box to an CRT in the living room and knowing that when it was previously connected to the LCD in the conservatory I had toggled the source button to disable the scart output.. so on setting up on the CRT I decided to use a long HDMI that I have to connect to both TVs at once just so that I could see what was going on .. Having then toggled the source button to display on the CRT I happened to scroll through the channels and landed on BBC HD and I got a message along the lines of scart output is inoperable due to permission/rights or something. You'll have to forgive me it's a long while ago :D
Anyway later on a month or so on I connected the HD box to the CRT again and this time no HDMI and Bingo picture on BBC HD. Obviously it couldn't have been RGB back then but presumably composite via scart. But as I say that was the thinking about removing the HDMI
Nope - SCART works fine with HDMI in. On my Panasonic TV anyway.
Hi carvell yes I figured it does work when both are connected but the point I was trying to put over is that the RGB might not display as the HDMI is connected were as the way yours is connected you are getting composite through scart
Hi Savvy no I missed your edit.
I thought I would mention this issue on removing the HDMI as when I first got my HDR I thought I would connect the old HD box to an CRT in the living room and knowing that when it was previously connected to the LCD in the conservatory I had toggled the source button to disable the scart output.. so on setting up on the CRT I decided to use a long HDMI that I have to connect to both TVs at once just so that I could see what was going on .. Having then toggled the source button to display on the CRT I happened to scroll through the channels and landed on BBC HD and I got a message along the lines of scart output is inoperable due to permission/rights or something. You'll have to forgive me it's a long while ago :D
Anyway later on a month or so on I connected the HD box to the CRT again and this time no HDMI and Bingo picture on BBC HD. Obviously it couldn't have been RGB back then but presumably composite via scart. But as I say that was the thinking about removing the HDMI
The firmware available when the HD was released did not have any restrictions for HD. The HD has component and scart RGB outputs but only one can be selected RGB or Component. HDMI works independently of either option. In fact HD over component looked awesome (better then hdmi at least on my TV), until a firmware upgrade crippled the HD component (and RGB SD)
In fact HD over component looked awesome (better then hdmi at least on my TV), until a firmware upgrade crippled the HD component (and RGB SD)
Doesn't HD over component still work in non-freesat mode? It did on my non-PVR foxsat with component disabling f/w. (I've replaced it with a non-freesat box so I can't easily check if there have been further party-pooping updates.)
HD Component looked much better than HDMI to me as well.
But still, we have to suffer these things because of those pesky pirates, who would jump at the chance to make life really difficult for themselves by using component signals...
Doesn't HD over component still work in non-freesat mode? It did on my non-PVR foxsat with component disabling f/w. (I've replaced it with a non-freesat box so I can't easily check if there have been further party-pooping updates.)
HD Component looked much better than HDMI to me as well.
But still, we have to suffer these things because of those pesky pirates, who would jump at the chance to make life really difficult for themselves by using component signals...
Very likely but I don't have the HD anymore and the hdr does not have component out.
Given the above facts, if power is applied at any level and the CPU is active and, if (and its a big "if"!) the firmware/software is written correctly/well, it ought to be able to carry out any task at any time concurrently!! If it can't do this, then frankly, it is rubbish!! :mad:
If the CPU &/or IO subsystem were not fast enough to do the multi-tasking adequately then it would be reasonable for the software to prioritise the tasks.
Yep, and remember this isn't a general purpose PC-type processor in these boxes. It's a SoC device, which is used to help keep the costs down to a reasonable level, and hopefully to increase reliability.
The Broadcom chip use has a MIPS core, which runs the OS and has the job of looking after things like the UI, EPG, IO via integrated PCI and so forth, while the 'other side' of the chip does the grunt work, including PID filtering, video codec work, and graphics output.
The MIPS core runs at 300MHz, which is sufficient for the day to day operation; it compares with, for example, the 167 or 133MHz core in SD Freeview PVRs like the Humax 9200 and Topfield 5800.
USB transfer is fairly CPU intensive; but that's about the only issue that you get using devices like this; speccing up an x86 type system with the equivalent functionality is likely to result in a much higher cost, and probably be harder to code for too, with the only real consequence likely to be better USB performance.
If the CPU &/or IO subsystem were not fast enough to do the multi-tasking adequately then it would be reasonable for the software to prioritise the tasks.
"reasonable" perhaps but not what I expect from a box that is supposedly at the forefront of current technology. My Sony HXD860 does all these things (including thumbnails) "on-the-fly" and doesn't have to wait for a "quiet time" in order to catch up and it is presumably, older technology so why can't the HDR?? (not only that but it, when new, was the same price point as the HDR also)
Yep, and remember this isn't a general purpose PC-type processor in these boxes. It's a SoC device, which is used to help keep the costs down to a reasonable level, and hopefully to increase reliability.
The Broadcom chip use has a MIPS core, which runs the OS and has the job of looking after things like the UI, EPG, IO via integrated PCI and so forth, while the 'other side' of the chip does the grunt work, including PID filtering, video codec work, and graphics output.
The MIPS core runs at 300MHz, which is sufficient for the day to day operation; it compares with, for example, the 167 or 133MHz core in SD Freeview PVRs like the Humax 9200 and Topfield 5800.
USB transfer is fairly CPU intensive; but that's about the only issue that you get using devices like this; speccing up an x86 type system with the equivalent functionality is likely to result in a much higher cost, and probably be harder to code for too, with the only real consequence likely to be better USB performance.
I fully get what you are driving at but surely (leaving aside the HD factor for a moment) its not as if I am comparing apples with oranges here when comparing the HDR with the HXD860. I suppose I could be accused of comparing a Bramley to a Cox's Orange Pippin but I would argue that that's the worst it gets...
My point is that the HXD860 probably uses a similar kind of RISC processor to keep costs down (I'm sure someone will correct me on that - I have no idea what CPU it uses) and yet I know of no task in that box that doesn't complete in real time? The only one I know of is the 2am Freeview EPG update which I think is more to do with the mechanics of the transmission than it is the box itself and even then, it still happens even if you have the box on and in use? The fact that the HDR can't mimic all this in the way that it operates must surely be everything to do with the way that the software is written?
Comments
Also, did you see the Edit/Question in my post?
Rgds.
Les.
Hi Savvy no I missed your edit.
I thought I would mention this issue on removing the HDMI as when I first got my HDR I thought I would connect the old HD box to an CRT in the living room and knowing that when it was previously connected to the LCD in the conservatory I had toggled the source button to disable the scart output.. so on setting up on the CRT I decided to use a long HDMI that I have to connect to both TVs at once just so that I could see what was going on .. Having then toggled the source button to display on the CRT I happened to scroll through the channels and landed on BBC HD and I got a message along the lines of scart output is inoperable due to permission/rights or something. You'll have to forgive me it's a long while ago
Anyway later on a month or so on I connected the HD box to the CRT again and this time no HDMI and Bingo picture on BBC HD. Obviously it couldn't have been RGB back then but presumably composite via scart. But as I say that was the thinking about removing the HDMI
Hi carvell yes I figured it does work when both are connected but the point I was trying to put over is that the RGB might not display as the HDMI is connected were as the way yours is connected you are getting composite through scart
The firmware available when the HD was released did not have any restrictions for HD. The HD has component and scart RGB outputs but only one can be selected RGB or Component. HDMI works independently of either option. In fact HD over component looked awesome (better then hdmi at least on my TV), until a firmware upgrade crippled the HD component (and RGB SD)
Doesn't HD over component still work in non-freesat mode? It did on my non-PVR foxsat with component disabling f/w. (I've replaced it with a non-freesat box so I can't easily check if there have been further party-pooping updates.)
HD Component looked much better than HDMI to me as well.
But still, we have to suffer these things because of those pesky pirates, who would jump at the chance to make life really difficult for themselves by using component signals...
Very likely but I don't have the HD anymore and the hdr does not have component out.
The Broadcom chip use has a MIPS core, which runs the OS and has the job of looking after things like the UI, EPG, IO via integrated PCI and so forth, while the 'other side' of the chip does the grunt work, including PID filtering, video codec work, and graphics output.
The MIPS core runs at 300MHz, which is sufficient for the day to day operation; it compares with, for example, the 167 or 133MHz core in SD Freeview PVRs like the Humax 9200 and Topfield 5800.
USB transfer is fairly CPU intensive; but that's about the only issue that you get using devices like this; speccing up an x86 type system with the equivalent functionality is likely to result in a much higher cost, and probably be harder to code for too, with the only real consequence likely to be better USB performance.
My point is that the HXD860 probably uses a similar kind of RISC processor to keep costs down (I'm sure someone will correct me on that - I have no idea what CPU it uses) and yet I know of no task in that box that doesn't complete in real time? The only one I know of is the 2am Freeview EPG update which I think is more to do with the mechanics of the transmission than it is the box itself and even then, it still happens even if you have the box on and in use? The fact that the HDR can't mimic all this in the way that it operates must surely be everything to do with the way that the software is written?