SOLVED Recompiling ffmpeg with libx264 for hardware encoding

[Bluetarget]

Hello

I'm desperatly trying to livestream some video with ffmpeg (does not have alsa) or avconv (does not have hardware accelerated x264 encoding).

I would like to ask to raspbian developpers :

WHY did you include a precompiled version of avconv WITHOUT h264 hardware accelerated encoder like --enable-omx-rpi or --enable-decoder=h264_mmal ?

I'm really disappointed since I'm still trying to recompile ffmpeg myself for 4 days now...

Please, next time, consider adding important features such as video encoding acceleration. It's some very basic feature, I cannot understand why you did not include this. Just making life harder for Raspbian users.

[mattmiller]

It took me 30 mins to install ffmpeg
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=174402&hilit=+ffmpeg#p1114822

[jamesh]

Hello

I'm desperatly trying to livestream some video with ffmpeg (does not have alsa) or avconv (does not have hardware accelerated x264 encoding).

I would like to ask to raspbian developpers :

WHY did you include a precompiled version of avconv WITHOUT h264 hardware accelerated encoder like --enable-omx-rpi or --enable-decoder=h264_mmal ?

I'm really disappointed since I'm still trying to recompile ffmpeg myself for 4 days now...

Please, next time, consider adding important features such as video encoding acceleration. It's some very basic feature, I cannot understand why you did not include this. Just making life harder for Raspbian users.

The Raspbian distro is based on Debian, with as few changes as possible. Basically because if we make changes to a load of apps, we need to make those same changes every time there is a new Raspbian release. This is a maintenance nightmare. It's hard enough maintaining the kernel with Pi specific stuff, doing it for the distribution as well doesn't bear thinking about, especially since it is not actually done by the Foundation.

[Bluetarget]

Thanks for the reply.

Anyway, as ffmpeg and avconv already come with raspbian, why don't you activate the h264 hardware encoding by default ?
It's really annoying for a lot of users since it makes us unable to stream anything but raspicam.

Also, when I try to recompile avconv, I've got this error :

/usr/local/lib/libavcodec.a(libx264.o): In function `X264_init':
/home/pi/ffmpeg/libavcodec/libx264.c:814: undefined reference to `x264_encoder_open_148'

So I'm completely stuck

[gkreidl]

You could use gstreamer. Hardware decoding and encoding is supported by the gstreamer1.0 omx-plugin, which is provided by the Foundation repository.

[Bluetarget]

I finally recompiled ffmpeg successfully this way :

sudo apt-get install libtool-bin
mkdir /home/pi/Desktop/sources
mkdir /home/pi/Desktop/sources/arm

cd /home/pi/Desktop/sources
wget http://tipok.org.ua/downloads/media/aac ... 0.2.tar.gz
tar -xzf libaacplus-2.0.2.tar.gz
cd libaacplus-2.0.2
#./autogen.sh --with-parameter-expansion-string-replace-capable-shell=/bin/bash --enable-static --host=arm-unknown-linux-gnueabi --prefix=/home/pi/Desktop/sources/arm
./autogen.sh --with-parameter-expansion-string-replace-capable-shell=/bin/bash --enable-static --prefix=/home/pi/Desktop/sources/arm
make
sudo make install

cd /home/pi/Desktop/sources
git clone git://git.videolan.org/x264
cd x264
./configure --enable-static --enable-shared
make
sudo make install

sudo apt-get install git libasound2-dev libav-tools
sudo apt-get install yasm libvpx. libx264. libxcb.
sudo apt-get install libmp3lame-dev libmp3lame0

cd /usr/src
sudo git clone https://git.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.git

cd ffmpeg
./configure --enable-gpl --enable-libx264 --enable-mmal --enable-omx-rpi --enable-omx --enable-libxcb --enable-libmp3lame --enable-nonfree
make
ffmpeg --list-hwaccels
#sudo make install
#ldconfig

[dhempling]

Thank you for posting that fix to the libaacplus autogen argument list. Very Big Help!

[klode]

Sorry, I've executed what you have reported in your thread, however when I try to use h264_mmal for decoding with ffmpeg:

Code: Select all

ffmpeg -c:v h264_mmal -i video.mkv [params] -vcodec libx264

I got this error:

Code: Select all

[h264_mmal @ 0x34a5760] Did not get output frame from MMAL.
Error while decoding stream #0:0: Unknown error occurred

Without using the parameter:

Code: Select all

-c:v h264_mmal

I got the cpu at 100%.

I'm using Raspbian of 2019-04, and this is my ffmpeg version:

Code: Select all

ffmpeg version N-93791-gcc86982fc5 Copyright (c) 2000-2019 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 6.3.0 (Raspbian 6.3.0-18+rpi1+deb9u1) 20170516
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-libx264 --enable-mmal --enable-omx-rpi --enable-omx --enable-libxcb --enable-libmp3lame --enable-nonfree

Somebody can help me?

[fruitoftheloom]

Sorry, I've executed what you have reported in your thread, however when I try to use h264_mmal for decoding with ffmpeg:

Code: Select all

ffmpeg -c:v h264_mmal -i video.mkv [params] -vcodec libx264

I got this error:

Code: Select all

[h264_mmal @ 0x34a5760] Did not get output frame from MMAL.
Error while decoding stream #0:0: Unknown error occurred

Without using the parameter:

Code: Select all

-c:v h264_mmal

I got the cpu at 100%.

I'm using Raspbian of 2019-04, and this is my ffmpeg version:

Code: Select all

ffmpeg version N-93791-gcc86982fc5 Copyright (c) 2000-2019 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 6.3.0 (Raspbian 6.3.0-18+rpi1+deb9u1) 20170516
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-libx264 --enable-mmal --enable-omx-rpi --enable-omx --enable-libxcb --enable-libmp3lame --enable-nonfree

Somebody can help me?

The original post was TWO years ago when Raspbian Jessie was the de-facto Operating System.

You have stated you are running Debian Stretch !!

[klode]

The original post was TWO years ago when Raspbian Jessie was the de-facto Operating System.

You have stated you are running Debian Stretch !!

What's the meaning?

[fruitoftheloom]

The original post was TWO years ago when Raspbian Jessie was the de-facto Operating System.

You have stated you are running Debian Stretch !!

What's the meaning?

You are running a different Operating System, that is why you should not of hijacked a SOLVED Post.....

[klode]

Oh, nice!
So, what is, about your opinion, the best solution to obtain a ffmpeg version with libx264 for hardware encoding?
1. Rollback to Jessie
2. apply a new solution for Stretch

In case of option 2, where can I found a good info to resolve this?

[gkreidl]

Oh, nice!
So, what is, about your opinion, the best solution to obtain a ffmpeg version with libx264 for hardware encoding?
1. Rollback to Jessie
2. apply a new solution for Stretch

In case of option 2, where can I found a good info to resolve this?

The actual Stretch version of ffmpeg supports accelerated decoding and encoding (h264_mmal, h264_omx).

[klode]

Oh, nice!
So, what is, about your opinion, the best solution to obtain a ffmpeg version with libx264 for hardware encoding?
1. Rollback to Jessie
2. apply a new solution for Stretch

In case of option 2, where can I found a good info to resolve this?

The actual Stretch version of ffmpeg supports accelerated decoding and encoding (h264_mmal, h264_omx).

I don't think so. I mean, in my Rpi2 I have some trouble on using accelerated decoding... So, I think I have ffmpeg works with accelerated deconding on Rpi3, but for Rpi2 what I need to use instead? Jessie?

[gkreidl]

I don't think so. I mean, in my Rpi2 I have some trouble on using accelerated decoding... So, I think I have ffmpeg works with accelerated deconding on Rpi3, but for Rpi2 what I need to use instead? Jessie?

Is your Stretch version in your RPi2 fully upgraded (I think HW decoding/encoding have been added some time ago)?
Run
ffmpeg -codecs
and earch for H264 in the output (quite large). It should contain the HW decoder and encoder.