Re: [linux-dvb] Hauppauge WinTV-CI Spec

[Steven Toth <stoth@linuxtv.org>]

Derk Dukker wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I was wondering if there is any progress going on at the Hauppauge WinTV 
> CI usb. I heard that a guy named Luc is currently working on it. Luc do 
> you have any information about your progress or do you have a site where 
> I/we can track back the progress? I also noticed that the design of the 
> Hauppauge WinTV CI usb is quite the same as the Terratec Cinergy CI usb 
> which I bought. SmarDTV is the vendor of it (I opened the case and on 
> the print board stood SmarDTV). You can get the specification from the 
> website (see also earlier emails).
> I think both the devices are the same, so when one driver is created it 
> will probably also works on the terratec cinergy ci. I don't know if the 
> specification from smarDTV is enough...
> I have had contact with the dutch terratec support and asked them if 
> they can get me the specification to create a linux driver. He said that 
> he would check it out if it is possible for me to have the 
> specification, as soon as he knows more he will update me. But that 
> email responds was 1 or 2 weeks ago. I will email him again. As soon as 
> I got something I will post it here.

I looked at the published spec and I it looks like it's for a newer 
device yet to hit the market. Trying to read it word for word will 
largely miss-represent what the WinTVCI device is, or its feature set. 
(Although I was at one point convinced this document was a super-set of 
the WinTVCI device).

I also looked at the USB traffic on the current Hauppauge driver, with a 
cam inserted and decryption happening. The protocol appears pretty simple.

I don't like their URB handling and their constant polling of the device 
regardless of whether it's being used or not, but that's likely an ugly 
feature of the windows implementation. I suspect a Linux driver could be 
written to do whatever it likes (mostly).

- Steve



> 
> regards,
> 
> Derk
> 
> On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:41 PM, Steven Toth <stoth@linuxtv.org 
> <mailto:stoth@linuxtv.org>> wrote:
> 
>     Aidan Thornton wrote:
>      > On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 7:57 PM, Steven Toth <stoth@linuxtv.org
>     <mailto:stoth@linuxtv.org>> wrote:
>      >> Aidan Thornton wrote:
>      >>  > On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 7:25 PM, Steven Toth
>     <stoth@linuxtv.org <mailto:stoth@linuxtv.org>> wrote:
>      >>  >> Recap: I said I'd notify the list when the spec was released
>     for the
>      >>  >>  Hauppauge CI device.
>      >>  >>
>      >>  >>  Hello!
>      >>  >>
>      >>  >>
>      http://www.smardtv.com/index.php?page=dvbci&rubrique=specification
>     <http://www.smardtv.com/index.php?page=dvbci&rubrique=specification>
>      >>  >>
>      >>  >>  Looks like SmartDTV have finally got something out of the
>     door. Put your
>      >>  >>  email address in their database and they'll email you the
>     PDF with full
>      >>  >>  command interface describing the protocol.
>      >>  >>
>      >>  >>  Regards,
>      >>  >>
>      >>  >>  - Steve
>      >>  >
>      >>  > Hi,
>      >>  >
>      >>  > I'm not sure how that's relevant. It seems to be the spec for
>      >>  > something called CI+, intended to prevent unauthorised
>     systems from
>      >>  > getting access to the decrypted stream coming out the CAM and
>     ensure
>      >>  > only authorised host devices can use CAMs. I expect open source
>      >>  > software will be able to make use of this stuff approximately
>     when
>      >>  > hell freezes over. If this catches on, say hello to more copy
>      >>  > protection and bye-bye to being able to use CAMs under Linux!
>      >>
>      >>  A subset of the spec will work with the CI USB device, for
>     those that
>      >>  are interested.
>      >
>      > Yeah, that's what I was wondering about - it doesn't seem to specify
>      > anything about CI USB devices, just the standard PC card based
>      > interface. (It even states that it doesn't deal with any interfaces
>      > other than that one). In what sense does the WinTV-CI implement
>     this -
>      > does it translate between standard CIs and some subset of this
>      > protocol done over USB? (I'm not even sure, at a glance, if this
>     makes
>      > sense.)
> 
>     I only glanced at the spec, but from what I'm told the command API is
>     implemented over USB. I suspect that Luc (the guy working on the Linux
>     driver) might be able to consolidate this command set, with the USB logs
>     he's been capturing. If not then something is clearly wrong.
> 
>     I'd been promised this document during December 2007 by the vendor and
>     said that I'd post it here to the community as soon as it was released.
> 
>     - Steve
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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