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#1 2015-07-14 10:20:10

cedricmc
Member
From: Madrid, Spain
Registered: 2011-11-20
Posts: 50

[SOLVED] vlc broken (intel va-api/vdpau)

Hi there,

I have realized that I can no longer play properly (low cpu usage or even video output) without using the command switch --avcodec-hw, more precisely, I issue:

vlc --avcodec-hw=vaapi mymedia.mp4

I believe this should be related with some update, but as I don't use often this machine for video playback, I can't point the offender. I would bet for libva or libva-intel-driver.

[2015-06-12 14:24] [ALPM] upgraded vlc (2.2.1-5 -> 2.2.1-6)
[2015-07-06 09:26] [ALPM] upgraded libva (1.5.1-1 -> 1.6.0-1)
[2015-07-06 09:26] [ALPM] upgraded libva-intel-driver (1.5.1-1 -> 1.6.0-1)

Anyone with a similar problem???

Last edited by cedricmc (2015-07-15 23:21:56)

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#2 2015-07-14 12:42:46

Gusar
Member
Registered: 2009-08-25
Posts: 3,605

Re: [SOLVED] vlc broken (intel va-api/vdpau)

Not a problem here:

vlc --avcodec-hw=vaapi somefile.mp4
VLC media player 2.2.1 Terry Pratchett (Weatherwax) (revision 2.2.1-0-ga425c42)
...
libva info: VA-API version 0.38.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/dri/i965_drv_video.so
libva info: Found init function __vaDriverInit_0_38
libva info: va_openDriver() returns 0
[084c2f38] avcodec decoder: Using Intel i965 driver for Intel(R) Bay Trail - 1.6.0 for hardware decoding.

PS. The thread title says vdpau, while the post correctly refers to vaapi. Fix the title, please. There is no vdpau for intel (there's a wrapper, but it doesn't work with vlc anymore and was really inefficient anyway).

PPS. For better efficiency, change the Output in Video settings to OpenGL.

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#3 2015-07-15 23:21:14

cedricmc
Member
From: Madrid, Spain
Registered: 2011-11-20
Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] vlc broken (intel va-api/vdpau)

The problem is not to play media with the switch but withOUT:

$ vlc mymedia.mp4
VLC media player 2.2.1 Terry Pratchett (Weatherwax) (revision 2.2.1-0-ga425c42)
[0000000001aeb488] core libvlc: Running vlc with the default interface. Use 'cvlc' to use vlc without interface.
libva info: VA-API version 0.38.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/dri/i965_drv_video.so
libva info: Found init function __vaDriverInit_0_38
libva info: va_openDriver() returns 0
[00007f7c8e1b85c8] avcodec decoder: Using OpenGL/VAAPI/libswscale backend for VDPAU for hardware decoding.
[h264 @ 0x7f7c8fc03480] hardware accelerator failed to decode picture
[00007f7c48001268] vdpau_display vout display error: video mixer surface width capabilities query failure: VDP_STATUS_NO_IMPLEMENTATION

With default (initial) configuration, VLC defaults (automatic) to VDPAU (a wrapper to VA-API in the case of Intel hw). To solve this, it is necesarry to force VLC to use VA-API either by the command switch "--avcodec-hw=vaapi" or by a proper setting in the configuration (warning: old content).

Definitively, something went wrong (I believe in the wrapper) because a month ago default (clean initial) settings were working nice.

Last edited by cedricmc (2015-07-16 22:04:52)

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#4 2015-07-15 23:35:08

cedricmc
Member
From: Madrid, Spain
Registered: 2011-11-20
Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] vlc broken (intel va-api/vdpau)

Gusar wrote:

PPS. For better efficiency, change the Output in Video settings to OpenGL.

Which one? Just OpenGL or OpenGL GLX-XCB?

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#5 2015-07-15 23:53:46

Gusar
Member
Registered: 2009-08-25
Posts: 3,605

Re: [SOLVED] vlc broken (intel va-api/vdpau)

Doesn't matter which. I didn't fully check, but I think the only difference is how the OpenGL context is set up, GLX or EGL, but then the actual GL stuff is the same for both. Also, I learned today that using Xv (which gets used if the output is set to Automatic) isn't so inefficient. But OpenGL does give you higher quality subtitle rendering compared to Xv.

What would be really efficient is a VAAPI output, it would allow zero-copy playback, but VLC doesn't have one. mpv does.

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#6 2015-07-16 22:05:20

cedricmc
Member
From: Madrid, Spain
Registered: 2011-11-20
Posts: 50

Re: [SOLVED] vlc broken (intel va-api/vdpau)

Thx for the info/tips.

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