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List:       linux-video
Subject:    Re: [video4linux] New API spec
From:       alexb () jetsuite ! com (Alex Bakaev)
Date:       1998-07-27 21:14:58
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Yep,
this could be useful and very easy to do with bt848. Except it should be
specified with the pixel format, so there is no need for 4 #defines.

Alex

Richard Guenther wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> 
> I completely agree with you - compatibility is not an issue
> (if its not easy to achieve).
> 
> One thing apout the proposal:
> It would be nice to have the bt848 capability to swap bytes
> of the PIX_FMT included in the FMT_FLAGS, i.e.
> FMT_FLAG_WSWAP_EVEN, FMT_FLAG_WSWAP_ODD,
> FMT_FLAG_BSWAP_EVEN, FMT_FLAG_BSWAP_ODD
> 
> Richard.
> 
> On Sat, 25 Jul 1998, Bill Dirks wrote:
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Alan Cox <alan@cymru.net>
> >
> > >> Alan, is there a deadline for when we should have the new spec
> > hammered
> > >> down?
> > >
> > >A week or so would be nice. Im hoping we dont change anything
> > drastically
> > >and cause breakages.
> >
> >
> > I think we can make some very worthwhile improvements, but it will cause
> > breakages. But they will be easy to fix.
> >
> > We can keep the old bttv spec in place separate from Video for Linux if
> > you need the legacy bttv stuff to continue working.
> >
> > I posted an early draft of some proposed changes to the spec under the
> > subject "New API spec proposals". It includes, for example, an improved
> > video image format structure. Obviously adopting that will break
> > existing code, but, jeez, it's not hard to adapt code to the new
> > structure!
> >
> > Most of my proposed new or changed data structures have 'reserved'
> > fields in them, so in the future changes can be made without breaking
> > anything. So part of the proposal is about avoiding this very delimma.
> > In the long run it's worth it to make these kinds of changes before tons
> > of applications have been written/ported.
> >
> > There will never be better time to fix the API. Now is our chance. I
> > know it's painful to have to modify working code. I have to modify my
> > driver too. It's not fair to the people who will be writing (and
> > porting) v4l applications and drivers in the future for us to ship a
> > spec that we know has problems we can easily fix but don't because we
> > don't want to break a couple early programs. I think everybody
> > understands that the current spec is experimental and subject to change.
> >
> > I would really like to see Video for Linux be a solid, well-thought-out,
> > high quality foundation for all kinds of video applications. Video
> > applications on personal computers have been novelty or niche items in
> > the past, but I think they will become more and more commonplace and
> > important in the near future. There are many applications that could be
> > applied to Linux if the foundation were there. Linux is highly respected
> > for many kinds of applications; it should be true for digital video too.
> >
> > Have a look at the proposals. If everyone agrees the proposals are a bad
> > idea, I'll drop it. Or else we can work out something we all agree on.
> > Keep in mind that *if* the initial spec is well designed and
> > sufficiently extensible we can add more features and refinements later
> > without breaking code anymore. And that will mean we don't have to solve
> > every problem this week.
> >
> > Bill.
> >
> > ------------
> > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@phunk.org with the
> > line "unsubscribe video4linux" without the quotes in the body of the
> > message.
> >
> 
> --
> Richard Guenther <richard.guenther@student.uni-tuebingen.de>
> PGP: 2E829319 - 2F 83 FC 93 E9 E4 19 E2 93 7A 32 42 45 37 23 57
> WWW: http://www.anatom.uni-tuebingen.de/~richi/
> 
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