PowerVR drivers for kernel 2.6 available - 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

Hi people, digging through the TI website I've found this link http://focus.ti.com/general/docs/wtb...ontentId=27458
So it seems there is now a driver for the PowerVR 3D accelerator with 2.6.x kernel available. I've downloaded it an it has some header files and stuff (didn't have much time to look around).
I don't have enough experience to try to integrate this with the current kernel, but someone used to the kernel src might want to take a look at it.

Hope this helps get the 3D working on the tablet (while I wait for my n800 to travel from USA to Argentina :) )
Please excuse my english, I'm not a native speaker.

cheers to all

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

Not possible. I just downloaded it and took a look. They give binary modules for 2.6.14.7-omap2, and OS2008 is running 2.6.21-omap1. Someone find the sources for either that kernel or module, and we might be good to go.

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

The 2.6.x version is only for 2430 AFAICT. NITs use 2420 processors. Besides they seem to be for Montavista Linux - that is usually a sign that something is closed.

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

AFAICT the OMAP 2430 has a PowerVR MBX Lite, a subset of 2420's PowerVR MBX, so the drivers should work http://www.arm.com/community/display...=2099&display=.
If someone want to give it a try, I'll be glad to help.
One question, why is it that the IT is using a -omap1 kernel instead of -omap2 that is the kernel patchset for the IT's processor?

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

I'm giving it a try, will report back how I get on.

See my comments on irc:

http://mg.pov.lt/maemo-irclog/%23mae...11-14.log.html
http://mg.pov.lt/maemo-irclog/%23mae...11-15.log.html

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

Promising work lardman, I'll meet you on IRC later today.

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

I didn't want to open a new thread about 3d acceleration, so I used the search function and this one seemed the most suitable one for the argument...
I stumbled across this site http://www.htcclassaction.org/respon...ate_20080214_2, people complained about HTC not releasing a good driver for their devices and they finally got an update: why on earth can't we do the same thing? I mean that should be our right to have the best support for the hardware we paid for, I've seen many people on this forum and in the maemo community working hard to create or port new apps or games for the NITs, but I can't say nokia worked as hard as they did... Many flaws in nokia's NIT's can't be corrected (N8x0 slow video interface, for example) and we have to live with them, but the things that these devices could do if only there was a serious commitment by nokia are so many that we can't just sit here quietly: think about the 2d/3d chip integrated in the omap, think about the missing java... Nokia seems to be experimenting with our money, I think it's time we get something in return...

Ps: Maybe I sound a bit on the revolutionary side, but reading every day the gaming section of this forum and discovering that there are many among us NIT user who port games just to discover that they are slow for the missing 2d/3d acceleration really grinds my gears...

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

Technical limitations.

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

What do you mean? Is it about the "slow" serial connection between the OMAP and the display? Or the N8x0 has the 2D/3D accelerator and the imaging video accelerator cores hardware disabled? Or it's not possible because they work just with the on-chip display controller?
I read everything on the forums and on the maemo community about 3D acceleration, but I still haven't found an official nokia statement about the possibility to have this feature enabled: wouldn't it be at least polite if nokia let its customers know something more? I'd really like if nokia engineers wrote something about these supposed technical limitations in a consistent way, I'm an engineer myself, so it would be easyer for me to understand some technical paper instead of reading "maybe in the future" or "could it be" on NITs related websites...
Obviously if something like that has been already done please could you link those documents/discussions to me?
Thanks and sorry for the bothering, but reading about the HTC class action made me hope for something more from Nokia

Re: 3D acceleration for the N8x0
 

The video hardware cannot handle fullscreen updates with a high framerate and you will always get tearing. But I think pixel doubling still would be a good option for games. Can the 3D accelerator be used with pixel doubling? If yes, then Nokia should really get TI to port the PowerVR driver to Kernel 2.6.