AMD hardware acceleration on Kubuntu 12.04 with mplayer

[smeerlap]

hi, this is my first post and I thought I would share this information because it has been quite hard for me to find.

This is how I was able to use mplayer with hardware acceleration on a AMD HTPC board. I have a C-60 Ontario (1Ghz dual core with Radeon 6290), this might also work on E-350 Zacate (1.6Ghz dual core with Radeon 6310) (please confirm).

Although the CPU is quite weak (1Ghz)... I am able to play huge x264 (1080p) movies: smoothly and fluently on a board that cost only 70 euros.

Hardware:
Asus C60M1-i

• make sure you have the proprietary drivers.
  I do not know if this is mandatory but I did this anyway.
  See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI...
  In Kubuntu 12.04, you will find it in the KDE menu Applications > System > Additional Drivers
• You should be able to install all these without any extra PPA repository.
  

  sudo apt-get install xvba-va-driver libva-glx1 libva-egl1 vainfo

• vainfo should now give you something that looks like:
  

  me@doos:~$ sudo vainfo
  libva: VA-API version 0.32.0
  Xlib:  extension "XFree86-DRI" missing on display ":0".
  libva: va_getDriverName() returns 0
  libva: Trying to open /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/fglrx_drv_video.so
  libva: va_openDriver() returns 0
  vainfo: VA-API version: 0.32 (libva 1.0.15)
  vainfo: Driver version: Splitted-Desktop Systems XvBA backend for VA-API - 0.7.8
  vainfo: Supported profile and entrypoints
        VAProfileH264High               : VAEntrypointVLD
        VAProfileVC1Advanced            : VAEntrypointVLD

• The stock mplayer does not support libva or vaapi.
  You won't find those when you do:
  

  me@doos:~$ mplayer -vo help

• There is an mplayer with vaapi enabled.
  I found it here: https://launchpad.net/~sander-vangrieken/+archive/vaapi
  To install it:
  

  sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sander-vangrieken/vaapi
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install mplayer-vaapi

• now get a bag of popcorn and some Belgian beer
  

  me@doos:~$ mplayer -vo vaapi big_buck_bunny_1080p_h264.mov

[QIII]

Ah! Big Buck Bunny! Mrs. QIII scolds me when I let the grands watch that. Says he's mean to the squirrel.

[Linuxisfast]

vlc does gpu acceleration fine with amd as well, need to do the above, install vlc and enable gpu acceleration under inputs and codecs.

[oebantoe]

Cool PC name

[repelsteel]

This is how I was able to use mplayer with hardware acceleration on a AMD HTPC board. I have a C-60 Ontario (1Ghz dual core with Radeon 6290), this might also work on E-350 Zacate (1.6Ghz dual core with Radeon 6310) (please confirm).

sudo apt-get install xvba-va-driver libva-glx1 libva-egl1 vainfo

Thanks buddy, i needed this. I use asus eee 1015BX-whi026s with C-60 and hdmi out. Now finally VLC gpu acceleration works in Mint 13!

[Temüjin]

XBMC is another alternative if you're using fglrx/Catalyst driver: http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubu...yer_.28XvBA.29

[smeerlap]

For making an XBMC box, see
http://youresuchageek.blogspot.fr/20...for-linux.html