How to properly use the new Raspberry Pi open source video d

[coding]

Some days ago I read news about a new Raspberry Pi open source video driver being officially integrated into the Linux Kernel. I found the website http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/VC4/ which links to another site with ready-to-use Raspbian images which use the new driver: http://sukzessiv.net/~gohai/vc4-buildbot/build/

However, that custom Raspbian has major issues. The whole OS seems to freeze whenever you scroll a web page (the default browser won't even start), create a large selection rectangle on the desktop, or move windows. I wonder if the driver which is already included in the Linux 4.4 Kernel is that buggy, too.
Furthermore, I couldn't start or compile any application that tries to display a little more than basic unaccelerated 2D. Video players, emulators, and such.
All browsers I tried (Iceweasel, NetSurf, Dillo, Links2) except Ubuntu ARM Chromium with hardware acceleration enabled trigger the scroll-freeze bug.

Did anyone of you try or still use this new driver with different results?

[fruitoftheloom]

Some days ago I read news about a new Raspberry Pi open source video driver being officially integrated into the Linux Kernel. I found the website http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/VC4/ which links to another site with ready-to-use Raspbian images which use the new driver: http://sukzessiv.net/~gohai/vc4-buildbot/build/

However, that custom Raspbian has major issues. The whole OS seems to freeze whenever you scroll a web page (the default browser won't even start), create a large selection rectangle on the desktop, or move windows. I wonder if the driver which is already included in the Linux 4.4 Kernel is that buggy, too.
Furthermore, I couldn't start or compile any application that tries to display a little more than basic unaccelerated 2D. Video players, emulators, and such.
All browsers I tried (Iceweasel, NetSurf, Dillo, Links2) except Ubuntu ARM Chromium with hardware acceleration enabled trigger the scroll-freeze bug.

Did anyone of you try or still use this new driver with different results?

Still in very much in development, this is Anholt's Blog http://anholt.livejournal.com

[pire.dejaco]

With the new raspian release the user can enable an experimental OpenGL driver for the desktop throgh raspian-config (under advance options).

I tested this new driver with chromium (version 48) but the video (youtube) rendering is still slow and the browser use a lot of CPU.
It seems chromium does not use this driver.
My question is: is that a problem with the chromium or with the driver itself?

I would like to use a raspberry to make video call using webRTC API but the streaming of the webcam video is to slow and use a lot of CPU. What is the best way to do this?

[fruitoftheloom]

With the new raspian release the user can enable an experimental OpenGL driver for the desktop throgh raspian-config (under advance options).

I tested this new driver with chromium (version 48) but the video (youtube) rendering is still slow and the browser use a lot of CPU.
It seems chromium does not use this driver.
My question is: is that a problem with the chromium or with the driver itself?

I would like to use a raspberry to make video call using webRTC API but the streaming of the webcam video is to slow and use a lot of CPU. What is the best way to do this?

Yes the initial post and my response are out-of-date now, well spotted !! You also posted here very confusing ! viewtopic.php?f=63&t=121195&start=200#p907167

Look at this blog, ignore the first part about installation, it shows how to test whether or not WebGL is initialised..

The Chromium Browser afaiaa is not optimised for hardware accelleration, hence your over-expectations of the EXPERIMENTAL driver...

https://www.scirra.com/blog/ashley/23/h ... berry-pi-2


Regards WebRTC see:

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=105019

http://www.linux-projects.org/modules/s ... e&artid=14

[ghans]

1) The experimental driver breaks all video acceleration
and official camera support
2) The 3D driver does not do video acceleration (yet ?!)
3) Chromium never supported video acceleration in the
first place , whether this has to be fixed in Chromium ,
gtreamer , Raspbian or in all three projects i don't know


ghans

[pire.dejaco]

1) The experimental driver breaks all video acceleration
and official camera support
2) The 3D driver does not do video acceleration (yet ?!)
3) Chromium never supported video acceleration in the
first place , whether this has to be fixed in Chromium ,
gtreamer , Raspbian or in all three projects i don't know


ghans

It would mean that currently it is not possible to use any webbrowser to make video calling with the webRTC API (with or without OpenGL driver)?

[fruitoftheloom]

1) The experimental driver breaks all video acceleration
and official camera support
2) The 3D driver does not do video acceleration (yet ?!)
3) Chromium never supported video acceleration in the
first place , whether this has to be fixed in Chromium ,
gtreamer , Raspbian or in all three projects i don't know


ghans

It would mean that currently it is not possible to use any webbrowser to make video calling with the webRTC API (with or without OpenGL driver)?

Yes that is quite so, until the RPF Epiphany Browser is considerably updated.

Alternatively you can compile your own Chromium Browser it is open source

[mathboy4life]

I think the RPF should ditch Epiphany Browser and make Chromium browser the main Raspbian browser and try to get hardware acceleration.

[kusti8]

I think the RPF should ditch Epiphany Browser and make Chromium browser the main Raspbian browser and try to get hardware acceleration.

The problem is that Chromium only works on the Pi2 and without significant overhaul won't work on a Pi1, probably more work than its worth. The Foundation states backward compatibility as a must.

[mathboy4life]

I think the RPF should ditch Epiphany Browser and make Chromium browser the main Raspbian browser and try to get hardware acceleration.

The problem is that Chromium only works on the Pi2 and without significant overhaul won't work on a Pi1, probably more work than its worth. The Foundation states backward compatibility as a must.

They're going to have to get a new GPU soon at least for the PI4. Do you think there would be a backward compatibility? If the PI4 doesn't support 4k video I am not buying. I will buy the PI4 no matter what but if the foundation doesn't have 4K availability for the PI4 I am moving on to something else.

[kusti8]

The Pi4 is a long way away. I don't know if they could have a driver for both, but that's not what I was talking about. Chromium is compiled for ARMv7 and won't work on ARMv6. I'm having a look at the source to try to compile it with patches from Ubuntu and the old version but it's probably not going to work.

[fruitoftheloom]

I think the RPF should ditch Epiphany Browser and make Chromium browser the main Raspbian browser and try to get hardware acceleration.

Chromium for ARMv6 is only compatible to version 28..

...version 29 forwards uses the Blink Engine which despite efforts does not work satisfactorily.

Hence why Debian pulled from repositories.....


Epiphany was recompiled to work with all RPi's, this work was undertaken and paid for, so would be a shame to ditch it !