Broadcom Crystal HD Improvements Under Linux

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Broadcom Crystal HD Improvements Under Linux

For those that use the Broadcom Crystal HD adapters for video acceleration under Linux, their open-source driver has received a number of improvements just recently...

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

[droidhacker]

I always like improvements to crystalhd... its a beautiful piece of hardware. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of the mentioned improvements will help me at all, since I wouldn't be downscaling (I need 1080p output, so upscaling would be more useful...), haven't run into the packed b-frames bug, and I use a 70015 (not a 12).

Still though, its nice to hear that the hardware isn't being forgotten. It has been a while since hearing anything regarding it.

[doctoren]

If you don't mind me asking but in what setup do you use BCM70015? I think it's an interesting piece of hardware but I'm finding it difficult to apply it to a system in practice. I mean in my mind it only makes sense to use on a board like the Intel D525MW but then why wouldn't you go for a AMD Fusion or ION/ION2 based board instead? Perhaps it could make sense on an AMD Fusion board as the Broadcom chip may have better video acceleration support on Linux?

[JanC]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of the mentioned improvements will help me at all, since I wouldn't be downscaling (I need 1080p output, so upscaling would be more useful...)

Upscaling in the Crystal HD doesn't make sense, as it would mean that you have to copy all that extra data back to system memory & from there to GPU memory. Better send the smaller resolution images over and do upscaling in the GPU.

[droidhacker]

If you don't mind me asking but in what setup do you use BCM70015? I think it's an interesting piece of hardware but I'm finding it difficult to apply it to a system in practice. I mean in my mind it only makes sense to use on a board like the Intel D525MW but then why wouldn't you go for a AMD Fusion or ION/ION2 based board instead? Perhaps it could make sense on an AMD Fusion board as the Broadcom chip may have better video acceleration support on Linux?

I had no interest in Intel (every time I give them any money, they find some way to screw me over... not happening again), and did the system before fusion was available. The mainboard is a 785G mini ITX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813153179 with a SEMPRON 140.

It technically already does have video decode acceleration, but I really can't be bothered to deal with blob drivers. At some point, hopefully, the open source drivers (either through G3D or opening up UVD) will make the crystalhd obsolete in that system, so it will likely be transferred to an nvidia laptop at that time.

[droidhacker]

Upscaling in the Crystal HD doesn't make sense, as it would mean that you have to copy all that extra data back to system memory & from there to GPU memory. Better send the smaller resolution images over and do upscaling in the GPU.

Unfortunately, when you try doing that, the media player will start doing all kinds of other crap and eat lots of CPU time.

[Na-Fiann]

Great! Now, would Broadcom please start making expresscard versions that are advertised on their website? It would be nice to be able to use this card, as video decoding on my AMD 4570 is going nowhere..

[popper]

Unfortunately, when you try doing that, the media player will start doing all kinds of other crap and eat lots of CPU time.

what you talking about ?, Philip Langdale is the ffmpeg Crystal HD maintainer and that gets these patches first now, then ported to mplayer if they can be bothered to fix related problems these days.

[droidhacker]

what you talking about ?, Philip Langdale is the ffmpeg Crystal HD maintainer and that gets these patches first now, then ported to mplayer if they can be bothered to fix related problems these days.

Try it. Once mplayer, or whatever other media player you have is allowed to actually do any kind of processing (like resizing or whatever else you want to do...), your CPU usage will go through the roof.

[oliver]

I hate to dig up old junk, but whilst searching for info, this is the most up to date info I could find, or rather lack of.

What is the current situation with crystal HD. Is it fully open source? (Driver, libraries etc) under Linux? Or does one still need some blob (firmware) or library?

Edit:
I am aware of this statement from broadcom:
"To encourage the development of Linux media player applications using our HD video decoders, Broadcom is releasing the Linux kernel driver source code under the GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2 as well as application and library source code on a royalty-free basis under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), version 2.1, as published by the Free Software Foundation."

So just wanting to know the status is all