Although the Sensoray website states that their cards are supported under Linux (and they offer a Linux driver), here is my email exchange with their tech support. Hopefully this will save other users some time.
Thank you for your reply. I am using the current Fedora 6 version of Linux. As you know, the 2.4 kernels have been replaced since 2003, or for some four years now.
I tried using the bttv driver, as you suggest, but there is zero documentation with your card about how to do this (specifically, which card id to use, if there even is a card id that works with the 609). bttv can detect some cards, but could not detect the 609, according to the log in /var/log/messages. I was unable to capture anything but a blue screen. Of course, there would not have been much point to a 16 video input card that only had one input working.
I purchased your card because your website implies that you support Linux. However, as your response shows, you supported Linux four years ago, but do not any longer. This is a shame, as it appears that you have some excellent hardware, and with only a small amount of effort you could add Linux support to your cards. There is a huge market for multi-input video cards such as yours. For example, the ZoneMinder system is a free DVR monitoring system with motion detection, etc. As a small businessman, I have been looking for something like this. I already tried buying the $1000 pre-built DVR at Costco -- it basically doesn't work, and doesn't do what I want, and of course is not modifiable in any way to make it do what I want (example: you can record one frame per second, but then when you want to watch your recording in fast motion, you can't: it will only play back one frame per second, so it takes as long to watch as it did to record!!)
If you are serious about supporting Linux, all you have to do is have someone in your company update the drivers to the 2.6 kernel, and then install the system in ZoneMinder (or something similar), and publish an Application Note showing how to use your card under Linux, including the bttv modprobe settings and how to access the various inputs.
If you are not willing to support the Linux kernel that has been in use for four years now, I respectfully request that you clearly indicate on your website that the Linux driver is only for the old 2.4 kernel (basically, what you told me in your response, below). As it is, I have wasted many hours of my time figuring out what you now admit.
I do hope you will choose to support Linux, but if not, please remove the claim that you support Linux from your website.
Thank you,
James Nachbar
----- Original Message -----
From: "Konstantin Kobylinsky" <kostyak@sensoray.com>
To: "'James Nachbar'" <nachbar@plastic.org>
Cc: <dan@sensoray.com>
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 3:43 PM
Subject: RE: Support for 609 under modern 2.6 Linux kernel?
> Dear James,
>
> Linux driver for model 609 is available currently for 2.4.xx Kernel
> only.
> Image-capturing part of driver (bttv driver) comes with any one of the
> popular distributions, like RedHat, SuSE, etc and
> available for 2.6.xx Kernel.
> Digital I/O access and CrossPoint Switch control part of the driver,
> provided by Sensoray Co is not available for 2.4.xx Kernel.
> If you choose to return model 609 back to Sensoray, please contact
> Nathan Glass, nathan@sensoray.com to get an RMA number.
>
> Best Regards,
> Konstantin Kobylinsky
> Voice: 503.684.8073 x11,
> Fax: 503.684.8164
> Email: kostyak@sensoray.com
> Web: www.sensoray.com
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Nachbar [mailto:nachbar@plastic.org]
> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 8:03 PM
> To: support@sensoray.com
> Subject: Support for 609 under modern 2.6 Linux kernel?
>
>
> I also sent a message via your online system. I purchased a 609 to use
> under Linux, because you have a Linux driver and claim Linux support.
> However, it appears that your driver does not work with the 2.6 kernel,
> in use since 2003. For example, see:
>
> http://lwn.net/Articles/driver-porting/
>
> for info on all the changes needed to port a driver to the modern Linux
> kernel.
>
> Do you have a driver that has been ported to the current kernel?
> Otherwise, I will have to return the 609 and respectfully request that
> you clearly indicate on your website that your Linux driver does not
> work with the modern 2.6 kernel.
>
> Thank you,
> Jim Nachbar
>