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The High Definition (HD) content is everywhere these days, from HD and Blue Ray Discs to streaming HD media. Although HD content gives best picture quality, it also uses a lot of computational power to decode and play.

This was made easy for Windows by the introduction of new drivers from graphics card manufacturers, Nvidia and ATI, which allowed the whole media to be decoded on the dedicated graphics card, saving cost in computational power, and the need to have a stronger processor.

Nvidia recently released a new set of drivers for Linux supporting PureVideo technology for its line of graphics hardware, enabling full hardware HD-decoding, and giving smooth HD content playback, even on less powerful computers. The 180 series supports PureVideo decode acceleration. These drivers adds a new VDPAU API, which provides PureVideo like features on Linux, adds CUDA support, X Render optimizations, new workstation performance optimizations and some other improvements. The new versions offer optimizations and support for a wide range of Nvidia hardware, and is expected to improve with future releases.

Linux uses X-Video (Xv) as output extensions, where as X-Video MotionCompensation (XvMC) is an X-Video extension which offers some video decoding on GPU. With the new drivers, Nvidia implements VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for UNIX).

VDAPU is capable of hardware acceleration and the decoding of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, VC-1 and H.264 bit streams. It also provides an API for post-processing of decoded video in order to apply operations such as noise reduction and temporal and spatial de-interlacing, timestamp-based presentation of final video frames, and compositing of sub-picture elements.

AMD also supports hardware acceleration through X-Video Bit stream Acceleration or XvBA API. The recent drivers can take advantage of Unified Video Decoder (UVD2).

These new technologies are also supported by new video playback softwares, which can fully utilize the Graphics Hardware for video playback, providing smooth frames in HD and Blue-Ray movies. The VDPAU supported players include libavcodec, mplayer and ffmpeg.

CUDA support is also provided with 180 series drivers for Linux, and it can also be used to accelerate videos, and also to do any processing involved, like CoreAVC 1.9.0 is the first media player to offer this decoding.

The video acceleration on Linux came late, but certainly, with these new advancements by Graphics chips manufacturers, Linux users will be able to experience HD media playback, even on less powerful systems.

wget -q -O - http://linux.dell.com/repo/firmware/bootstrap.cgi | bash
aptitude install firmware-addon-dell
aptitude install $(bootstrap_firmware -a)
update_firmware


The first command enables Dell’s Ubuntu repository as well as downloads and installs GPG key for this repository. As you might guess, restart is needed after last command is done (keep fingers crossed)

Please note that detailed instructions on how to update BIOS with Ubuntu (or other Linux distro) and firmware-tools developed by Dell are here:

We are releasing this project in the hopes of moving the industry towards a more scalable and friendly way to update BIOS and Firmware for systems.

Respect to Dell and it’s Linux engineers!

As Dell’s laptop owner I’d like to share information that Dell Inc. prepared special Ubuntu Feisty Fawn version especially for it’s Inspiron E1505N, Inspiron 1420N, Inspiron 530N laptops.

Dell Linux Engineering team has a remastered copy of the Ubuntu 7.04 Live CD available for download. It includes native system hardware support and many of the fixes listed below. The media will help you get the system installed and running with the necessary drivers.

CD and DVD images are available here.

Please note: it’s not a full list of suggested distros at the screen.

Thanks to heaven there is alternative suspend/hibernate utility for Ubuntu OS – uswsusp (I really don’t know who gave such a name for it). To get it working just install it with apt-get or aptitude (I recommend aptitude) :

sudo aptitude install uswsusp

When it’s done it would be great if you test it before making it default suspend/hibernate engine:

sudo s2disk

This will hibernate your system, to check suspend feature execute:

sudo s2ram
or
sudo s2ram -f

Working well? Great! Let’s make it default (including Gnome logout dialog). First of all download these files:

hal-system-power-suspend-linux
hal-system-power-hibernate-linux

Then backup Ubuntu’s original files to your Desktop by commands:

cp /usr/lib/hal/scripts/linux/ hal-system-power-suspend-linux ~/Desktop
cp /usr/lib/hal/scripts/linux/ hal-system-power-hibernate-linux ~/Desktop

Now it’s time to make uswsusp to be default in the system:

sudo cp hal-system-* /usr/lib/hal/scripts/linux/
sudo chmod 755 /usr/lib/hal/scripts/linux/*

Note: if you use Edgy just replace /usr/lib/hal/scripts/linux/ with /usr/share/hal/scripts.

Now you can use suspend/hibernate features normally without any obstacles

You may also be interested in:
EV-DO Internet access with Ubuntu Linux
Review of sticky notes applications for GNOME
Video conference between Linux and Windows users
Ubuntu Linux and your Apple iPod
Debian/Ubuntu Linux apt-get vs. aptitude

Unison is a file-synchronization tool for Unix and Windows. It allows two replicas of a collection of files and directories to be stored on different hosts (or different disks on the same host), modified separately, and then brought up to date by propagating the changes in each replica to the other.

Unison that is available for Linux, Unix and Windows, shares a number of features with tools such as CVS, PRCS, Subversion, BitKeeper, distributed filesystems (e.g. Coda), uni-directional mirroring utilities (such as rsync), and other synchronizers (Intellisync, Reconcile, etc).

This article tells how to sync data between Desktop PC and laptop with Unison.

Make sure your device is activated by service provider and if possible test on other OS to which you may have software and drivers.

Open terminal window and type:

sudo -i

and enter your password.
Now all commands typed in this window will be executed with root privileges.
In terminal type:

apt-get update
apt-get upgradeapt-get install wvdial

Before you insert the Card or connect USB cable open terminal window and type:

cat /proc/bus/usb/devices > devices

Insert your data card or plug in USB cable and wait for a few seconds before continuing.
In terminal type:

dmesg

You will get output with some device info like this :

[17186692.460000] usb 3-1: configuration #1 chosen from 2 choices[17186692.460000] cdc_acm 3-1:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device[17186708.176000] usb 3-1: USB disconnect, address 4
[17186714.588000] usb 3-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address

At the end of this output you will find your device witch will be represented like this: ttyACM0 or ttyUSB or similar , make note of it you will need it later.
Now type in terminal:

cat /proc/bus/usb/devices | grep Vendor

Output will be similar to:

< P: Vendor=1234 ProdID=5678 Rev= 0.00

Make note of lines: Vendor=1234 , ProdID=5678

Now in teminal type following code Replacing values 1234 and 5678 with your own output from previously noted lines ::

modprobe usbserial vendor=0x1234 product=0x5678

Now you will edit wvdial config file by first typing in terminal :

sudo gedit /etc/wvdial.conf

In new opened window replace all text with following :

[Dialer Defaults]
Stupid Mode = on
Modem = /dev/ttyACM0
Baud = 921600
Init = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Phone = #777
Username = ??????????@vzw3g.com

Password = vzw
Init1 = ATZISDN = 0
Modem Type = Analog Modem
Auto Reconnect = on
Carrier Check = no
[Dialer shh]
Init3 = ATM0
[Dialer pulse]
Dial Command = ATDP

In the line “Modem =” replace ttyACM0 with value you noted from output of dmesg command.
In the line ” Username = ” put your phone number followed by your providers domain, for Verizon it is area code, your phone number and domain, in this format: 9178889999@vzw3g.com for Sprint it will be 9178889999@sprintpcs.com, for AT&T / Cingular WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM, for Alltel 9178889999@alltel.net and so on, further post have config’s posted for other providers.
In line ” password = ” in case of Verizon put: “vzw” for Cingular: “cingular1″ and so on, make sure to check with your provider as username and/or password may differ for other regions and countries.

If you are Cingular/AT&T subscriber and after completing whole guide you have problem with dropping connection you have to add another int line in wvdial script which is posted here http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=343989&page=3
If you need any specific info regarding your domain or password please contact your cellular provider.
The last thing you need to configure is wvdial line checking, by disabling LCP echo checking witch is not supported by most of providers.
Open terminal and type:

sudo gedit /etc/ppp/peers/wvdial

And insert aditionally those lines:

lcp-echo-failure 0
lcp-echo-interval 0

Make sure your ethernet jack is unplugged and wifi radio switch is turned off.
Now you can start connection by typing in terminal :

wvdial

Another thing i have been suggested is automating the connection process.
To do so in Gnome go to :

System > Preferences > Sessions next, click on the tab labeled, “Startup Programs” then click the “Add” button.
In the Startup Command field, enter “wvdial” and then click “OK”.Then restart your system.

Now make sure your EV-DO card is inserted before you boot it up, it will initiate the connection process automatically in the background connecting you to internet the second you log in.

The manual is kindly provided by Mach1US.

Ubuntu now works perfectly at my just bought Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop that has the following characteristics: AMD Turion 64 X2 1600 Mhz, 512 Mb RAM, 80 Gb HDD, Broadcom Wi-Fi adapter, 15.4” wide screen display… 32-bit Fiesty has been installed without any problems and provides all needed hardware support for the laptop. I really recommend this operating system to be installed onto Desktops and Laptops. ubuntu1501.blogspot.com contains all necessary information and provided invaluable help.
In case you have any problems and/or questions regarding this laptop running Ubuntu feel free to contact me at artiomix{at}gmail.com.