Mplayer, FFmpeg Gain VA-API Support

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Mplayer, FFmpeg Gain VA-API Support

Video acceleration APIs for Linux has been a hot topic recently with NVIDIA having introduced VDPAU last month (the Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) that brings PureVideo-like features to Linux with great results while it's already finding its way into MPlayer, FFmpeg, MythTV, Xine, and VLC. AMD has been working hard on XvBA (X-Video Bitstream Acceleration), but that has yet to be officially introduced. In the open-source realm there has been talk of extending XvMC to support video formats besides MPEG-2, but that hasn't yet amounted to anything. Today though another video API is now on scene with VA-API finally being implemented in MPlayer and FFmpeg.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=13300

[bugmenot]

Great, great, great! Now we have a real free 'up2date' standard implemented. Competition is always good. I am interested in how effective VA API will be compared to nvidia.

Now only patches for vlc and totem and so on are missing, and of course drivers that support VA API. Hopefully intels open source graphics driver will support that and also the open AMD drivers.
Would it be possible simple to write a Gallium3d backend and so every Gallium3d driver would support that?

And please, intel, don't start closed source crap.

[Louise]

With the GPU being used more and more, I was wondering how it can be, that Gnome/KDE doesn't have a GPU monitor?

I mean, I can watch how much my CPU is used. Why doesn't Gnome and KDE have that for GPU's as well?

[bugmenot]

I mean, I can watch how much my CPU is used. Why doesn't Gnome and KDE have that for GPU's as well?

I would *really* like that, too! I think it has to implented in the graphical driver first, then there must be patches for reading this out. But yes, would be really great if that was possible!

[kdubya]

This is awesome. My Inspiron Mini 12 gets here today. I was debating on waiting for something similar with nvidia graphics for vdpau... glad I didn't wait.

[npcomplete]

.. upon seeing the title I thought I would be in for a surprise.. but it turns out ffmpeg (as in upstream ffmpeg) did not actually get vdpau support yet. Actually its acceptance would be a good indicator that vdpau functionality has improved

[kdubya]

There is no way vdpau will get into upstream ffmpeg as long as it is only available in the beta driver. VA-API is in the stable Paulsbo driver, so it might actually make it into ffmpeg first.

[bulletxt]

it's funny how Michael was able to fit an AMD sentence in the first 3 sentences of this article, an article that should say "nvidia go go go!" and "mplayer/vlc/xine/etc are really fast!". and the sentance is:

"AMD has been working hard on XvBA (X-Video Bitstream Acceleration), but that has yet to be officially introduced."

Now, if AMD has been working hard (really? wow!), then what the hell did NVIDIA do? work like slaves?

oh phoronix....just put an AMD flag on the website and I will finally shut up.

[jeffro-tull]

From the article:
"Some of the caveats though in this initial support include non-accelerated decoding is not supported with the VA-API renderer,"

uhhh.... what? There has got to be a better way to word that.

[unix_epoch]

Poulsbo is also commonly used on embedded devices that have the Atom, such as wall-mounted touch screen interfaces for proprietary A/V systems, and maybe in-car entertainment systems and navigation systems.