EDIT: As of today, I installed the Ubuntu 14.04 released driver for the NVIDIA GT 730 and it is now working fine with mplayer. Just checked the NVIDIA web site for drivers and found documentation indicating the currently supported latest version packaged by Canonical (nvidia-331-updates) now supports the GT 730.
I have not yet gotten 7.1 audio working but 5.1 is fine.
The vanilla driver on the NVIDIA web site was causing some weirdness with Firefox and Flash, and I could not get DKMS to play nice with it either. Just about every OS update broke the graphics driver and it had to be re-installed every time.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-amd64-331.113-driver.html
Not so much activity on the ATI graphics. The system is still working fine with the Nouveau driver and Oibaf PPA but I never did get VA-API or HDMI audio working with it.
EDIT: Many thanks to the kind forum members who helped me through this learning curve configuring Linux graphics for hardware video stream (bluray etc) decoding.
There are numerous technical details to work out and the process is not straightforward for someone unfamiliar with custom installing Linux graphics drivers or with using hardware decoding on various players that each require different 'command-line parameters'/'configuration file parameters'/'output device settings'.
Status of my experiments on Ubuntu 14.04 so far:
EVGA Geforce GT 730
- with latest proprietary NVIDIA driver tarball and its bundled VDPAU driver:
vdpau, va-api, digital audio passthrough working
- with open-source oibaf ppa and its mesa-vdpau-drivers:
untested yet (the Nouveau driver has difficulty with this new model)
XFX Radeon HD 6570
- with proprietary AMD driver:
unknown (my testing might have been compromised by my errors)
- with open-source oibaf ppa and its mesa-vdpau-drivers:
vdpau working
va-api and digital audio passthrough not working
flash hardware decoding:
- untested yet
Ubuntu 12.04:
- hardware decoding (if implemented at all) worked poorly
Hardware decoding CPU load on GT 730 with proprietary driver, Ubuntu 14.04 is substantially better than on Ubuntu 12.04. With 12.04, transitions in and out of fullscreen caused multiple players to freeze/crash. Also, open-source support for hardware decoding is nonexistent on 12.04 and therefore I do not recommend 12.04.
Somewhere around post number 90 I finally got the GT 730 with latest NVIDIA driver doing hardware video decoding.
In the next couple of posts after number 90 I finally got the XFX Radeon HD 6570 with oibaf ppa doing hardware video decoding through vdpau only.
I have not attempted to get hardware accelerated flash working yet.
If I get more working, I will append another post, and status update here. I am still finalizing the configuration of my HTPCs.
Here are links to drivers and instructions.
Open-source driver hardware decoding:
Ubuntu Will Not Enable Open-Source VDPAU Support
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTYwNzU
in their 14.04 repository and livecd disk image, so you need the
Updated and Optimized Open Graphics Drivers (oibaf)
https://launchpad.net/~oibaf/+archive/ubuntu/graphics-drivers
Using the VDPAU driver
http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Trusty_Installation_Guide#Using_the_VDPAU_driver
AMD Radeon VDPAU Video Performance With Gallium3D
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=amd_gallium3d_vdpau&num=1
Note that to get VDPAU working with a Radeon HD 6570 I had to install the oibaf ppa, and then update, and then add the mesa-vdpau-drivers package. I did not get va-api or digital audio pass-through working.
Enable Open Source UVD On Fedora 18
http://www.liangsuilong.info/?p=1609
I have not tried Fedora.
xorg-edgers fresh X crack
https://launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive/ubuntu/ppa
At that point in my learning curve I still did not understand how to force various applications to use hardware decoding. The functionality of hardware decoding with this driver is unknown to me.
Closed-source driver hardware decoding:
More Detailed Installation Instructions
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto#More_Detailed_Installation_Instructions
BinaryDriverHowto/AMD
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/AMD
AMD Catalyst™ Driver
http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop?os=Linux+x86
Unofficial Wiki for the AMD Linux Driver
http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Main_Page
Hardware Video Decode Acceleration (EXPERIMENTAL)
http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php
/Ubuntu_Trusty_Installation_Guide#Hardware_Video_Decode_Acceleration_.28EXPERIMENTAL.29
My experiments with Radeon proprietary driver were uninformed as to codec selection in the player and the hardware decoding conclusions are suspect. I will attempt to repeat the experiments, append a post and update here.
BinaryDriverHowto/Nvidia
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/Nvidia
Unix Driver Archive
http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html
NVIDIA VDPAU Performance Metrics On Ubuntu 14.04 Linux
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_vdpau_metrics&num=1
Note that to get NVIDIA VDPAU working (for mpv, mplayer, mythtv...) I had to install the latest LTS driver from NVIDIA web site (one that supported the recently released GT 730), requiring running the install script from the recovery root shell prompt, and install the bundled vdpau driver too, then blacklist the nouveau driver, then install the vdpau-va-driver package from repositories as well to get the va-api frontend to vdpau decoder working too (for VLC primarily).
If you also need to get vdpau working with NVIDIA GT 730 or other recent card you might want to check the posts leading up to post #90 to see how I did it, if you have any questions at all about the prior statement. I had to dig deep to figure out how to correctly install the NVIDIA driver straight from NVIDIA tarball and the instructions in the README were incorrect.
Superficially, performance of Geforce and Radeon vdpau decoding were similar in my experiments, but I was too busy learning how to configure them to make any methodical comparisons. Maybe later.
---
I have both an Intel and an Abit 2.1GHz Core2 Duo machines each with PCIExpress 1.0 (2 X16 slots on the ABIT), ancient graphics adapters with no hardware codecs or acceleration under Linux, 8GB memory and gobs of disk that I use/am upgrading for HD home theater both as NFS server and client for playback in living room and bedroom.
I know there are tons of smart tightwads like me reading these posts with their own rube goldberg HTPCs that work great. Someone somewhere has already conquered this HD mountain on a shoestring.
So, does anyone know of an inexpensive graphics card that will reliably decode 1080P in hardware in a 1.0 slot with Linux kernel 3.2 or later (Ubuntu 12.04 intending to upgrade to 14.04 once the hardware is stable)? My primary video applications are MythTV and VLC although I am interested in trying out XBMC someday and of course I occasionally need to use mplayer-based stand-alone player on some formats if I cannot figure out how to use my other two video players on a given program.
Gaming acceleration is welcome for future reference if it comes along for the ride but not required at this time since I have no plans to game.
Ideally, the replacement graphics adapters would be used or no-name, very affordable or free, and referenced somewhere on e.g. linuxtv documenting PCIExpress 1.0 slot compatibility plus the availability and reliability of the hardware codecs, or with a personal recommendation and verification of compatibility from someone who has already done this.
I need an expert opinion or at least some tips on how to develop one myself.
Ideas? Thanks.
More info for the masochistic:
These machines currently cannot handle bluray HD in either software or hardware decoding.
I also have some issues with MythTV playback because neither graphics card has Linux drivers that enable any hardware acceleration. I can barely get 1080i running and must do the de-interlace in the TV.
I searched AVS forum several times and cannot find anything useful on selecting an inexpensive graphics card that will play bluray etc. in hardware decoding. Even on NewEgg, the emphasis is on bus speeds, processors, and gaming rather than on what codecs are implemented and how well they work under Linux. It seems no one cares now that the average CPU handles HD streaming in software anyway.
Also, from looking at the pictures on NewEgg it seems that the newer cards might need an additional power connector in the PCIE card slot near the case penetration that does not exist on my v1.0 backplanes. The Intel power supply has no 6-pin graphics power connector either, just 4 pin, although I could maybe swap power supplies because the ABIT board has a separate Molex power connector for the PCI backplane anyway? I am not expecting bluray playback to draw down the city electrical grid am I?
I have no idea what limitations using an older model graphics adapter with hardware codecs would impose on my viewing experience, or why. Neither do I understand any incompatibilities with newer models plugged into PCIE 1.0 or power supply issues. It is all incomprehensible to me at this point. I only know that my ideal solution is zero cost or as close as possible since these machines are a decade old.
My other option is to just network through the bluray players for HD but that leaves me with having to switch the receiver, makes navigation a pain, limits multitasking to the tiny PC monitor, and does not help with MythTV, unless I can also use bluray for that?
I only have 2 bluray players but both seem network capable. Anyone have any experience using Sony bluray players as streaming remote graphics adapters for your network-attached media servers? NFS seems not to work with them. I read something about Samba somewhere to get Windoze compatibility for bluray players and set-top boxes?
Tight budget constraints are in play here. That is why I even bother asking else I would just buy a new machine or two. Using the bluray players is my backup plan if I cannot find a solution 'inside the box'.
I considered upgrading the main boards but then I need microprocessors too plus ram and maybe case and power supply. The cost quickly adds up to equal or exceed the cost of a new graphics adapter.
I am OK with needing to tweak software to work with old hardware, but less OK with needing to drain substantial ca$h from my bank account for HD television.
Thanks for your patience reading such a long post.
I have not yet gotten 7.1 audio working but 5.1 is fine.
The vanilla driver on the NVIDIA web site was causing some weirdness with Firefox and Flash, and I could not get DKMS to play nice with it either. Just about every OS update broke the graphics driver and it had to be re-installed every time.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-amd64-331.113-driver.html
Not so much activity on the ATI graphics. The system is still working fine with the Nouveau driver and Oibaf PPA but I never did get VA-API or HDMI audio working with it.
EDIT: Many thanks to the kind forum members who helped me through this learning curve configuring Linux graphics for hardware video stream (bluray etc) decoding.
There are numerous technical details to work out and the process is not straightforward for someone unfamiliar with custom installing Linux graphics drivers or with using hardware decoding on various players that each require different 'command-line parameters'/'configuration file parameters'/'output device settings'.
Status of my experiments on Ubuntu 14.04 so far:
EVGA Geforce GT 730
- with latest proprietary NVIDIA driver tarball and its bundled VDPAU driver:
vdpau, va-api, digital audio passthrough working
- with open-source oibaf ppa and its mesa-vdpau-drivers:
untested yet (the Nouveau driver has difficulty with this new model)
XFX Radeon HD 6570
- with proprietary AMD driver:
unknown (my testing might have been compromised by my errors)
- with open-source oibaf ppa and its mesa-vdpau-drivers:
vdpau working
va-api and digital audio passthrough not working
flash hardware decoding:
- untested yet
Ubuntu 12.04:
- hardware decoding (if implemented at all) worked poorly
Hardware decoding CPU load on GT 730 with proprietary driver, Ubuntu 14.04 is substantially better than on Ubuntu 12.04. With 12.04, transitions in and out of fullscreen caused multiple players to freeze/crash. Also, open-source support for hardware decoding is nonexistent on 12.04 and therefore I do not recommend 12.04.
Somewhere around post number 90 I finally got the GT 730 with latest NVIDIA driver doing hardware video decoding.
In the next couple of posts after number 90 I finally got the XFX Radeon HD 6570 with oibaf ppa doing hardware video decoding through vdpau only.
I have not attempted to get hardware accelerated flash working yet.
If I get more working, I will append another post, and status update here. I am still finalizing the configuration of my HTPCs.
Here are links to drivers and instructions.
Open-source driver hardware decoding:
Ubuntu Will Not Enable Open-Source VDPAU Support
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTYwNzU
in their 14.04 repository and livecd disk image, so you need the
Updated and Optimized Open Graphics Drivers (oibaf)
https://launchpad.net/~oibaf/+archive/ubuntu/graphics-drivers
Using the VDPAU driver
http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Trusty_Installation_Guide#Using_the_VDPAU_driver
AMD Radeon VDPAU Video Performance With Gallium3D
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=amd_gallium3d_vdpau&num=1
Note that to get VDPAU working with a Radeon HD 6570 I had to install the oibaf ppa, and then update, and then add the mesa-vdpau-drivers package. I did not get va-api or digital audio pass-through working.
Enable Open Source UVD On Fedora 18
http://www.liangsuilong.info/?p=1609
I have not tried Fedora.
xorg-edgers fresh X crack
https://launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive/ubuntu/ppa
At that point in my learning curve I still did not understand how to force various applications to use hardware decoding. The functionality of hardware decoding with this driver is unknown to me.
Closed-source driver hardware decoding:
More Detailed Installation Instructions
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto#More_Detailed_Installation_Instructions
BinaryDriverHowto/AMD
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/AMD
AMD Catalyst™ Driver
http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop?os=Linux+x86
Unofficial Wiki for the AMD Linux Driver
http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Main_Page
Hardware Video Decode Acceleration (EXPERIMENTAL)
http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php
/Ubuntu_Trusty_Installation_Guide#Hardware_Video_Decode_Acceleration_.28EXPERIMENTAL.29
My experiments with Radeon proprietary driver were uninformed as to codec selection in the player and the hardware decoding conclusions are suspect. I will attempt to repeat the experiments, append a post and update here.
BinaryDriverHowto/Nvidia
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/Nvidia
Unix Driver Archive
http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html
NVIDIA VDPAU Performance Metrics On Ubuntu 14.04 Linux
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia_vdpau_metrics&num=1
Note that to get NVIDIA VDPAU working (for mpv, mplayer, mythtv...) I had to install the latest LTS driver from NVIDIA web site (one that supported the recently released GT 730), requiring running the install script from the recovery root shell prompt, and install the bundled vdpau driver too, then blacklist the nouveau driver, then install the vdpau-va-driver package from repositories as well to get the va-api frontend to vdpau decoder working too (for VLC primarily).
If you also need to get vdpau working with NVIDIA GT 730 or other recent card you might want to check the posts leading up to post #90 to see how I did it, if you have any questions at all about the prior statement. I had to dig deep to figure out how to correctly install the NVIDIA driver straight from NVIDIA tarball and the instructions in the README were incorrect.
Superficially, performance of Geforce and Radeon vdpau decoding were similar in my experiments, but I was too busy learning how to configure them to make any methodical comparisons. Maybe later.
---
I have both an Intel and an Abit 2.1GHz Core2 Duo machines each with PCIExpress 1.0 (2 X16 slots on the ABIT), ancient graphics adapters with no hardware codecs or acceleration under Linux, 8GB memory and gobs of disk that I use/am upgrading for HD home theater both as NFS server and client for playback in living room and bedroom.
I know there are tons of smart tightwads like me reading these posts with their own rube goldberg HTPCs that work great. Someone somewhere has already conquered this HD mountain on a shoestring.
So, does anyone know of an inexpensive graphics card that will reliably decode 1080P in hardware in a 1.0 slot with Linux kernel 3.2 or later (Ubuntu 12.04 intending to upgrade to 14.04 once the hardware is stable)? My primary video applications are MythTV and VLC although I am interested in trying out XBMC someday and of course I occasionally need to use mplayer-based stand-alone player on some formats if I cannot figure out how to use my other two video players on a given program.
Gaming acceleration is welcome for future reference if it comes along for the ride but not required at this time since I have no plans to game.
Ideally, the replacement graphics adapters would be used or no-name, very affordable or free, and referenced somewhere on e.g. linuxtv documenting PCIExpress 1.0 slot compatibility plus the availability and reliability of the hardware codecs, or with a personal recommendation and verification of compatibility from someone who has already done this.
I need an expert opinion or at least some tips on how to develop one myself.
Ideas? Thanks.
More info for the masochistic:
These machines currently cannot handle bluray HD in either software or hardware decoding.
I also have some issues with MythTV playback because neither graphics card has Linux drivers that enable any hardware acceleration. I can barely get 1080i running and must do the de-interlace in the TV.
I searched AVS forum several times and cannot find anything useful on selecting an inexpensive graphics card that will play bluray etc. in hardware decoding. Even on NewEgg, the emphasis is on bus speeds, processors, and gaming rather than on what codecs are implemented and how well they work under Linux. It seems no one cares now that the average CPU handles HD streaming in software anyway.
Also, from looking at the pictures on NewEgg it seems that the newer cards might need an additional power connector in the PCIE card slot near the case penetration that does not exist on my v1.0 backplanes. The Intel power supply has no 6-pin graphics power connector either, just 4 pin, although I could maybe swap power supplies because the ABIT board has a separate Molex power connector for the PCI backplane anyway? I am not expecting bluray playback to draw down the city electrical grid am I?
I have no idea what limitations using an older model graphics adapter with hardware codecs would impose on my viewing experience, or why. Neither do I understand any incompatibilities with newer models plugged into PCIE 1.0 or power supply issues. It is all incomprehensible to me at this point. I only know that my ideal solution is zero cost or as close as possible since these machines are a decade old.
My other option is to just network through the bluray players for HD but that leaves me with having to switch the receiver, makes navigation a pain, limits multitasking to the tiny PC monitor, and does not help with MythTV, unless I can also use bluray for that?
I only have 2 bluray players but both seem network capable. Anyone have any experience using Sony bluray players as streaming remote graphics adapters for your network-attached media servers? NFS seems not to work with them. I read something about Samba somewhere to get Windoze compatibility for bluray players and set-top boxes?
Tight budget constraints are in play here. That is why I even bother asking else I would just buy a new machine or two. Using the bluray players is my backup plan if I cannot find a solution 'inside the box'.
I considered upgrading the main boards but then I need microprocessors too plus ram and maybe case and power supply. The cost quickly adds up to equal or exceed the cost of a new graphics adapter.
I am OK with needing to tweak software to work with old hardware, but less OK with needing to drain substantial ca$h from my bank account for HD television.
Thanks for your patience reading such a long post.