News: 0001608682

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AMD Radeon Linux Driver Introduces Low-Latency Video Decode Option

([Mesa] 4 Hours Ago RadeonSI Low-Latency Decode)


AMD's RadeonSI Gallium3D driver for next quarter's Mesa 26.1 release is introducing a new low-latency video decode mode. This lower-latency video decoding comes with a trade-off of increased GPU power consumption.

Similar to the [1]low-latency video encoding that has been worked on previously within the AMD Mesa code, for the RadeonSI driver with the Video Core Next (VCN) integration is a new low-latency video decode option for lowering video decoding latency in exchange for higher GPU power usage.

[2]This merge landed in Mesa Git today. The low-latency decode can be enabled via the AMD_DEBUG=lowlatencydec environment variable. Due to the increased power consumption, it's not enabled by default. Likewise, already within Mesa is AMD_DEBUG=lowlatencyenc as the low-latency encode option for RadeonSI and there being similar support with RADV Vulkan Video too.

No numbers on the latency benefit or power consumption impact were noted as part of this new AMD Radeon driver option in Mesa 26.1. The change was made by AMD's [3]David Rosca who has done a lot for the open-source AMD Linux video support in recent years.



[1] https://www.phoronix.com/news/RADV-Vulkan-Video-Low-Latency

[2] https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/merge_requests/39450

[3] https://www.phoronix.com/search/David+Rosca



To code the impossible code, This is my quest --
To bring up a virgin machine, To debug that code,
To pop out of endless recursion, No matter how hopeless,
To grok what appears on the screen, No matter the load,
To write those routines
To right the unrightable bug, Without question or pause,
To endlessly twiddle and thrash, To be willing to hack FORTRAN IV
To mount the unmountable magtape, For a heavenly cause.
To stop the unstoppable crash! And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest,
And the queue will be better for this, That my code will run CUSPy and calm,
That one man, scorned and When it's put to the test.
destined to lose,
Still strove with his last allocation
To scrap the unscrappable kludge!
-- To "The Impossible Dream", from Man of La Mancha