I'm trying to use a computer from 2005 as a media center, connected directly to my TV.
Debian 10 installs and runs nicely, but playing compressed video files or YouTube is pretty slow (maybe 10 fps).
Is this just to be expected with hardware that old? Or are the drivers lacking?
The computer has a 775Twins-HDTV motherboard with Radeon Xpress integrated graphics.
Motherboard manual says it's ATI X300-based 2D/3D graphics.
lspci says it's RC410 [Radeon Xpress 200/1100]
I've installed the xserver-xorg-video-ati wrapper package, and firmware-amd-graphics.
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Using an old PC as media center
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Using an old PC as media center
What are you using to play the video files?
Use vainfo and vdpauinfo to check for hardware acceleration support and see https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fi ... celeration for enabling it under firefox-esr (but only for a Wayland desktop).
Use vainfo and vdpauinfo to check for hardware acceleration support and see https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fi ... celeration for enabling it under firefox-esr (but only for a Wayland desktop).
deadbang
Re: Using an old PC as media center
I'm using Parole media player.
vainfo says
... so I guess that means hardware acceleration is not active.
And vdpauinfo says:
vainfo says
Code: Select all
libva info: VA-API version 1.4.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/r300_drv_video.so
libva info: va_openDriver() returns -1
vaInitialize failed with error code -1 (unknown libva error),exit
And vdpauinfo says:
Code: Select all
display: :0.0 screen: 0
API version: 1
Information string: G3DVL VDPAU Driver Shared Library version 1.0
Video surface:
name width height types
-------------------------------------------
420 2048 2048 NV12 YV12
422 2048 2048
444 2048 2048 Y8U8V8A8 V8U8Y8A8
Decoder capabilities:
name level macbs width height
----------------------------------------------------
MPEG1 0 16384 2048 2048
MPEG2_SIMPLE 3 16384 2048 2048
MPEG2_MAIN 3 16384 2048 2048
H264_BASELINE --- not supported ---
H264_MAIN --- not supported ---
H264_HIGH --- not supported ---
VC1_SIMPLE --- not supported ---
VC1_MAIN --- not supported ---
VC1_ADVANCED --- not supported ---
MPEG4_PART2_SP --- not supported ---
MPEG4_PART2_ASP --- not supported ---
DIVX4_QMOBILE --- not supported ---
DIVX4_MOBILE --- not supported ---
DIVX4_HOME_THEATER --- not supported ---
DIVX4_HD_1080P --- not supported ---
DIVX5_QMOBILE --- not supported ---
DIVX5_MOBILE --- not supported ---
DIVX5_HOME_THEATER --- not supported ---
DIVX5_HD_1080P --- not supported ---
H264_CONSTRAINED_BASELINE --- not supported ---
H264_EXTENDED --- not supported ---
H264_PROGRESSIVE_HIGH --- not supported ---
H264_CONSTRAINED_HIGH --- not supported ---
H264_HIGH_444_PREDICTIVE --- not supported ---
HEVC_MAIN --- not supported ---
HEVC_MAIN_10 --- not supported ---
HEVC_MAIN_STILL --- not supported ---
HEVC_MAIN_12 --- not supported ---
HEVC_MAIN_444 --- not supported ---
Output surface:
name width height nat types
----------------------------------------------------
B8G8R8A8 2048 2048 y NV12 YV12 Y8U8V8A8 V8U8Y8A8 A4I4 I4A4 A8I8 I8A8
R8G8B8A8 2048 2048 y NV12 YV12 Y8U8V8A8 V8U8Y8A8 A4I4 I4A4 A8I8 I8A8
Bitmap surface:
name width height
------------------------------
B8G8R8A8 2048 2048
R8G8B8A8 2048 2048
A8 2048 2048
Video mixer:
feature name sup
------------------------------------
DEINTERLACE_TEMPORAL y
DEINTERLACE_TEMPORAL_SPATIAL -
INVERSE_TELECINE -
NOISE_REDUCTION y
SHARPNESS y
LUMA_KEY y
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L1 y
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L2 -
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L3 -
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L4 -
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L5 -
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L6 -
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L7 -
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L8 -
HIGH QUALITY SCALING - L9 -
parameter name sup min max
-----------------------------------------------------
VIDEO_SURFACE_WIDTH y 48 2048
VIDEO_SURFACE_HEIGHT y 48 2048
CHROMA_TYPE y
LAYERS y 0 4
attribute name sup min max
-----------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND_COLOR y
CSC_MATRIX y
NOISE_REDUCTION_LEVEL y 0.00 1.00
SHARPNESS_LEVEL y -1.00 1.00
LUMA_KEY_MIN_LUMA y
LUMA_KEY_MAX_LUMA y
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Using an old PC as media center
Try
That should provide everything you need for VA-API support in Parole. Whether your card actually supports that is another question entirely...
Code: Select all
# apt install gstreamer1.0-vaapi va-driver-all libva2
deadbang
- Head_on_a_Stick
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Re: Using an old PC as media center
You could try the VDPAU wrapper: https://packages.debian.org/buster/vdpau-va-driver
I don't know if Parole can use VDPAU (and you only have very limited CODEC support anyway) so you could try VLC (which should use VDPAU automatically) or MPV (with --hwdec=vdpau) instead.
I don't know if Parole can use VDPAU (and you only have very limited CODEC support anyway) so you could try VLC (which should use VDPAU automatically) or MPV (with --hwdec=vdpau) instead.
deadbang
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Re: Using an old PC as media center
I use a ten-year-old Dell Optiplex. These computers are widely used in companies and schools and by the time they are ten years old, they cost little. They are reliable as hell, all metal cases. Always buy two or three. I run MX Linux and use Firefox to watch streaming. VLC for downloaded files. Some services, from time to time (Criterion), complain in their DRM settings that they won't let you view their content. Likely because the HDMI signal to the TV is not encrypted.
Fifteen years old is just really old.
Fifteen years old is just really old.