[mythtv-users] Problems with VAAPI playback

[Michael T. Dean]

On 05/18/2012 01:40 PM, Geoff B wrote:
> On Fri, May 18, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>> On 05/18/2012 10:12 AM, Geoff B wrote:
>>> Based on the silence on this one, there's not a simple solution to this;
>>> is this better suited to the developers mailing list?
>>>
>> No, actually, this (or some Mythbuntu/Ubuntu forum) is likely the best
>> location to talk about it.  Developers wouldn't have any more information
>> on how the Ubuntu packages are compiled and how the system is configured
>> for VAAPI, so you're far more likely to find help from a user who's also
>> trying to go down the same road.
> Thanks Mike - the reason I posted here instead of on a more generic Ubuntu
> forum is that it does appear to run correctly in VLC, and although I
> haven't tested in MPlayer yet I suspect it will work fine there too (could
> of course be wrong about this).  What you're saying about the devs makes
> sense, although I was hoping to find out how I could help provide
> sufficient debugging info to help.  I'll maybe also try the Mythbuntu
> angle, though (I'm new to Mythbuntu after running Fedora for years).

Yeah, here is fine--there are a lot of *buntu users here.  I was just 
trying to say that you probably want *buntu users to help, and you'll 
find a lot of them around here versus on the -dev list.  And, for that 
matter, many of the devs actually read this list, so you're likely to 
get similar

>>> Or is VAAPI just not really working yet?
>>>
>> It's, er, temperamental--meaning you/your packager/your system
>> configuration has to do everything exactly right (from installing the right
>> VAAPI libs, to installing the right graphics drivers, to configuring
>> everything properly, to ...).  (And then, FWIW, once you get it working,
>> you're left with something significantly less useful than VDPAU.)
> That's what I was afraid of!  Nirvana (for me) is to have a small box that
> contains just the CPU and a small SSD.  I've successfully managed to
> migrate my storage out to a NAS, and I use a HD Homerun Prime for my
> tuners, so the graphics processing is next.
>

Yeah, since NVIDIA dropped out of (got strong-armed out of?*) the x86 
chipset business, it has limited the options for systems with integrated 
NVIDIA graphics (where, typically, you end up getting either discrete or 
mobile/laptop NVIDIA graphics at extra cost).  Since "small" generally 
means you need the mobile graphics, you're then paying premium price 
(versus just throwing in a PCIe card at a quite reasonable cost).  So, 
if you want small, powerful, and NVIDIA graphics, you could end up 
paying for something like 
http://www.asrock.com/nettop/overview.asp?Model=Vision%203D%20Series 
(though you can actually build a small, quiet, powerful, and quiet 
system with NVIDIA graphics for less, but that requires some planning).

My approach for dealing with this is to just go with a big, ugly case, 
but put it in another room (or closet/cabinet/...) with cables run to 
the TV and speakers--making the MythTV system even better than small.  
An invisible MythTV system makes for a clean entertainment center, and 
because it allows me to use big and ugly, I get significant cooling, 
noise, and price benefits, without having to settle for a toy.

Mike

* But, funny enough, NVIDIA is doing some strong-ARMing, itself, as it 
has decided there's life after x86, and seems to be proving that theory 
correct...