How to install on Pine64 with VA-API support ( arch : arm64 )

[GreatLord 1]

I try find a good media server. I try plex and found it take allot of cpu power on ARM 

Almost all media was transcode and it did not have power todo transcode in most case.

 

So I did want try another media server. I did find emby server.

Most of Pine64 images are build with ARM64 support only. 

But emby server are build with arm32 bits support with hardware float point (armhf)

 

After some exprement and I document step for step how to install it. 

 

Do not forget activate the VA acclartion in the web config after you follow this guide

how to get it. 

 

 

 

 

Choice Ubunutu 16.04 base from longsteep

after burn the image to the memory card and put it in pine64 and boot it

 

in /usr/local/sbin/ u will find 3 script you need to run

 

1. run uboot update 

2. run linux kernel update

3. run resize 

4. reboot

 

After we reboot we got hardware acclartions of video in mpeg 1-2, h264, vc1, h265 

with ffmpeg script found in /usr/local/sbin

 

 

Now we need add 32bits arm support for our ubunut 

dpkg --add-architecture armhf

 

apt update

apt upgrade

 

After this command line we can run armhf on arm64 

apt install binfmt-support

 

test see if we got armhf support now

apt install traceroute:armhf

traceroute

 

if traceroute fail to run, you arm cpu are not backword compatible with arm32. 

But A64 are backword compatible, if it should  fail. check see if bmt misc service is running

if not start it and try again. in worst case do a reboot. and try again.

 

 

Now we come to how to install emby server 

emby server is writen in dotnet so it need mono to run it.

Ubuntu 16.04 comes with a outdated mono that can not run lates version of

emby server. So we need update manual to lates version of mono

 

we also need mplayer and ffmpeg for emby server

 

apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-keys 3FA7E0328081BFF6A14DA29AA6A19B38D3D831EF

apt install apt-transport-https

echo "deb https://download.mono-project.com/repo/ubuntu stable-xenial main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mono-official-stable.list

 

apt install mplayer ffmpeg mono-complete zlib1g:armhf 

 

 

Now we can follow emby website guide 

side note  Depends: libc6 (>= 2.22), zlib1g (>= 1:1.1.4)

 

wget https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby.Releases/releases/download/3.5.2.0/emby-server-deb_3.5.2.0_armhf.deb

dpkg -i emby-server-deb_3.5.2.0_armhf.deb

 

systemctl stop emby-server

 

add this two line to etc/emby.config

PATH=/usr/bin:$PATH

export VDPAU_DRIVER=sunxi

 

after u done that 

systemctl start emby-server

 

add user emby to your media group

usermod -a -G media emby

 

 

If you want to change ffmpeg version

edit 

/opt/emby-server/bin/emby-server

 

after you have change the ffmpeg version to 64 bits / I did change to /usr/bin/ffmpeg (64bits version instead for 32bits version) it give better perfoments

 

systemctl stop emby-server

systemctl start emby-server

Edited August 16, 2018 by GreatLord

[clarkss12 304]

You are just running it as a server and not a client on that machine are you??

[Luke 42078]

FYI:

 

This package:

https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby.Releases/releases/download/3.5.2.0/emby-server-deb_3.5.2.0_armhf.deb

Does NOT require you to install  mono or ffmpeg. It is completely standalone.

[GreatLord 1]

Yes I am running it as server.

[GreatLord 1]

it require 64 bits arm64 version of mono and ffmpeg 

the  emby-server-deb_3.5.2.0_armhf.deb is for armhf (32bits arm support)

all library and ffmpeg it comes with is compile for armhf (arm 32bits) 

 

Pine64 linux dist comes only with ARM64 (64bits ) not armhf (32 bits).

You are force adding backword compatible with arm 32bits. 

 

I you try install the emby-server-deb_3.5.2.0_armhf.deb it will compain missing mono for arm 64bits and some arm 32 bits libs

 

and this guide is step by step show how todo it.

Edited August 16, 2018 by GreatLord

[Luke 42078]

Sorry that is not true, not the mono part at least. This package:

emby-server-deb_3.5.2.0_armhf.deb

will never complain about missing mono. 

[GreatLord 1]

the mono part that comes with it is compile for armhf not arm64 that is the issue here. 

it reufse to run on arm64 for me. 

 

Pine64 linux dist I am using and arch is arm64 not armhf

pine64:~$ lsb_release -a

Distributor ID: Ubuntu

Description:    Ubuntu 16.04.5 LTS

Release:        16.04

Codename:       xenial

 

pine64:~$ uname -a

Linux pine64 3.10.105-0-pine64-longsleep #3 SMP PREEMPT Sat Mar 11 16:05:53 CET 2017 aarch64 aarch64 aarch64 GNU/Linux

[Luke 42078]

Right, it's not an arm64 package, so it shouldn't run on arm64.

[GreatLord 1]

Pine64 A64 arm cpu are backword compatible with arm32 bits 

with this guide you can make Emby-server work under pine64 distro with va-api for ffmpeg.

 

 

I hope this will help all other that want Emby-server work on a arm64 linux distro 

 

but it exists arm64 cpu that does not support arm32 at all. 

What I known is broadcom cpu for rasberry pi and Cortex A53 cpu for pine64 is backword compatible with arm32 bits instructions.

that why I was manger to get Emby-server working on arm64 and bit luck

 

[Luke 42078]

Thanks for the info.

[GreatLord 1]

I did miss one thing in my guide and discover today

 

 

the Group Emby are not create as defualt 

you need manual create it and add user emby to it.

[GreatLord 1]

Optimze tips for Pine64

 

The media scan is slow on Pine64 

I and some time the image did not come up so fast, but faster that plex. 

I was thinking why not move the hole folder of metadata to my 7TB usb hardrive with raid 5 

 

systemctrl stop emby-server

 

move the emby metadata to my drive

mv /var/lib/emby/metadata /mnt/usb/linux/emby/metadata 

 

create symblic link

ls /var/lib/emby/metadata

 

systemctrl start emby-server

 

it solv my slov some of my media library scan issue and and slow devliver of images to the client

[Luke 42078]

Great info, thanks !

[GreatLord 1]

It have  working great, but sad is the video encoding power in the pine64, it is better that raspbery pi. 

I have change from PIne64 to RockPro64 (pine64.org) and runing debain with same guide I wrote here. 

 

RockPro64 does have armhf image with debain as well but I did choice arm64 image.

No lag at scaning library, better hardware encoder and decoders (opensource from rockchip) 6core with 4GB ram

 

I can do more that 1 transcoding (least 2 transcoding same time I have not try doing more that 2 stream at time with transcoding with libary scan)

[Luke 42078]

Thanks for the info. At some point we will definitely roll out native arm64 images.

[27k 6]

Thanks for the info. At some point we will definitely roll out native arm64 images.

 

Is there a time schedule?

 

I'm thinking of getting a RockPro64. I would probably use OpenMediaVault. Emby is used on OMV via Docker.

Edited November 14, 2018 by 27k

[Luke 42078]

Yes, soon. Thanks.

[Luke 42078]

Emby Server for Arm64 is now available !

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/65476-emby-server-for-arm64-now-available/

 

Thanks.