Unable to use HW acceleration

[softworkz 5066]

OK. What do you get from this URL?

http://localhost:8096/web/index.html#!/configurationpage?name=FfmpegOptions

 

[agottschling 2]

1 minute ago, softworkz said:

OK. What do you get from this URL?

http://localhost:8096/web/index.html#!/configurationpage?name=FfmpegOptions

 

It takes me to the same place as Dashboard > Advanced Transcoding > FFmpeg Options.

All selections appear to be the same

[softworkz 5066]

I don't understand. You said you don't see the FFmpeg Options tab?

[softworkz 5066]

Can you post a screenshot?

[agottschling 2]

Just now, softworkz said:

I don't understand. You said you don't see the FFmpeg Options tab?

I apologize, I must've poorly explained myself. I can find the ffmpeg options, but I can't find the selection to disable the iHD driver so that it falls back to the i965 driver. The other selections in your screenshot appear just fine.

[agottschling 2]

Unless this is what I'm supposed to use?

[softworkz 5066]

Yes, this is what you're supposed to use... ::-)

[softworkz 5066]

Tick the checkbox and choose "i965 - Intel VA Driver"

Then restart the server

[agottschling 2]

Just now, softworkz said:

Tick the checkbox and choose "i965 - Intel VA Driver"

Then restart the server

Ok. I'll test it out and report back

[softworkz 5066]

I forgot: you need to click SAVE.

[agottschling 2]

1 minute ago, softworkz said:

I forgot: you need to click SAVE.

I assumed that was implied.

 

As for the available decoders, changing to the old driver didn't remove the HW HEVC decoder

[softworkz 5066]

No, it wont't remove it. I'm rather curious whether something would be working.

Just move put QuickSync to the top, check HEVC, and the try to play back one H.264 and one H.265/HEVC video and post the logs.

That would be great, thanks.

[softworkz 5066]

I already have a fix for the beta to remove the QuickSync codecs, but I don't want to take away something that might be working. (HEVC very unlikely, H264 rather unlikely...)

Edited March 11, 2022 by softworkz

[softworkz 5066]

On 3/10/2022 at 2:46 PM, softworkz said:

No, it wont't remove it. I'm rather curious whether something would be working.

Just move put QuickSync to the top, check HEVC, and the try to play back one H.264 and one H.265/HEVC video and post the logs.

That would be great, thanks.

@agottschling - Have you had a chance to try?

[agottschling 2]

1 hour ago, softworkz said:

@agottschling - Have you had a chance to try?

Apologies for the delay. Here's the logs for a HEVC transcode and a h.264 transcode

ffmpeg-transcode-459940ec-05b6-4551-8256-859f0336e455_1.txtffmpeg-transcode-2cd80aef-3570-4cd5-b907-b8f126beee4b_1.txtffmpeg-transcode-8215e40d-0ba1-4da3-b066-64fbd279bbcb_1.txt

 

ffmpeg-transcode-01efa649-d4d6-4df5-ab58-67c6fad11400_1.txt

 

And the main server log: embyserver.txt

 

All of this was with the following settings in the transcoding dashboard:

And the following in the Advanced Transcoding settings:

Hope that helps, and if you need more info, please let me know.

[softworkz 5066]

Thanks, what I meant is testing QuickSync, through:

On 3/10/2022 at 2:46 PM, softworkz said:

 Just move QuickSync to the top , check HEVC, and then try to play back one H.264 and one H.265/HEVC video and post the logs.

[agottschling 2]

4 minutes ago, softworkz said:

Thanks, what I meant is testing QuickSync, through:

Ah yes. I do see that now. Give me a few minutes and I'll redo the test.

[agottschling 2]

@softworkz

Transcoding settings:

HEVC -> H.264:ffmpeg-transcode-a0774ae6-5aed-4d2f-84ad-1ac901420363_1.txtffmpeg-transcode-a0774ae6-5aed-4d2f-84ad-1ac901420363_1.txt

 

H.264 -> H.264:ffmpeg-transcode-a0774ae6-5aed-4d2f-84ad-1ac901420363_1.txt

 

 

Main Server log for the whole time period: embyserver(2).txt

 

Hope this helps. And let me know if you need other info.

[softworkz 5066]

Thanks. It seems that all three log files are the same. I'd need the one with h264 to h264, even though it seems it wasn't successful.

Thanks

[agottschling 2]

ffmpeg-transcode-a8d06c66-8392-4121-a0b3-81816ec8d388_1.txtffmpeg-transcode-a0774ae6-5aed-4d2f-84ad-1ac901420363_1.txtffmpeg-transcode-82035e39-c68a-4438-a42e-7e340a3cbaa6_1.txt

 

Here's all three. Don't know how I managed to attach the same file 3 times.

[softworkz 5066]

OK, thanks a lot for all your effort in trying these things! 

 So here's the conclusion: 

 It seems that in the recent versions of the Intel Media SDK (which provides those HWA codecs that ffmpeg calls QuickSync, even though it's actually Intel's name for the iGPU hw accel capability), it's not possible to enforce the use of the i965 driver instead of the iHD driver (like we tried). The iHD driver has always been the recommended driver for the MSDK, but I think in earlier versions it was possible to use it with the i965 driver. Also, there are artifacts in the MSDK (e.g. a constant like MFX_PLATFORM_SANDYBRIDGE) that indicate that earlier versions might have had support for that platform.

It was an attempt to be sure that it's not only just HEVC which is non-working, but that QuickSync codecs aren't working at all on this platform (not even for H.264), so we can safely disable QSV functionality for all platforms before Broadwell, which is the earliest supported CPU gen for MSDK.

This change will be included in the next beta version. When no QuickSync HEVC codecs will be detected, then they won't be erroneously chosen anymore, which will make sure that transcoding will be working again with default settings.

Thanks again for your help in that matter,
softworkz

[agottschling 2]

9 hours ago, softworkz said:

OK, thanks a lot for all your effort in trying these things! 

 So here's the conclusion: 

 It seems that in the recent versions of the Intel Media SDK (which provides those HWA codecs that ffmpeg calls QuickSync, even though it's actually Intel's name for the iGPU hw accel capability), it's not possible to enforce the use of the i965 driver instead of the iHD driver (like we tried). The iHD driver has always been the recommended driver for the MSDK, but I think in earlier versions it was possible to use it with the i965 driver. Also, there are artifacts in the MSDK (e.g. a constant like MFX_PLATFORM_SANDYBRIDGE) that indicate that earlier versions might have had support for that platform.

It was an attempt to be sure that it's not only just HEVC which is non-working, but that QuickSync codecs aren't working at all on this platform (not even for H.264), so we can safely disable QSV functionality for all platforms before Broadwell, which is the earliest supported CPU gen for MSDK.

This change will be included in the next beta version. When no QuickSync HEVC codecs will be detected, then they won't be erroneously chosen anymore, which will make sure that transcoding will be working again with default settings.

Thanks again for your help in that matter,
softworkz

Just to confirm though, VAAPI will still be available on these older Intel platforms right?

[softworkz 5066]

Yes of course!