Short version.
VDPAU works, finally. libvdpau.i686 was recently updated to 0.5-1 in
Fedora 17. There have also been recent updates to the proprietary
nvidia drivers. The result of this is that vdpau works well, at least
with XBMC running on Fedora 17 on Asus 1012P EeeBox PCs.
Long version.
Asus (and others) made compact form factor PCs based on the Atom series
of processors. Asus called their line the EeeBox PC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asus_EeeBox_PC
One of these devices, the EB1012P was particularly suited for use as a
stand alone media center box (like Apple TV, only with Linux and on
steroids) because it had the right combination of size, cost, quiet
operation, just enough processing power and HDMI output.
The later was provided by an nVidia ION2 graphics controller
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_ION), which was supposedly capable
of 4th generation pure video.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_PureVideo) The advantage of which
is supposedly the near total processing of various video streams by the
video card directly into HDMI video, aka VDPAU.
About 16 months ago I began working on a whole house video solution
using EB1012P devices as the media player component specifically because
of their VDPAU capability.
What I quickly learned was that VDPAU functionality was all but broken
on this device for the at least the 2 applications I was interested in,
namely XBMC and MythTV. The symptoms ranged from high CPU utilization
playing 1080P streamed mkv files, to screen stuttering to outright
freezing that only a reboot could cure.
Without VDPAU functionality, the EB1012Ps were just about useless as
media center devices. I put my devices to work in other capacities, but
kept one set up as a test device for XBMC and MythTV.
Fast forward to last week when I noticed that libvdpau had received an
update, the first I had seen in a while. Earlier this evening I ran an
update on Fedora 17 that included the libvdpau update. Thereafter I
started XBMC and ran the same 1080p mkv file that I have been fighting
to get displayed properly for the last 16 months.
I am happy to report that a stock F17 XBMC 11 (Eden) install on Fedora
17 running on my EB1012P now renders my test mkv stream perfectly.
I always thought that the EB1012P should be able to do this, but this is
the first time I have ever actually seen it done.
The sad part of all this is that the world has moved on from the
EB1012Ps. They are no longer in production, though one can probably
pick up used devices. At one point I was able to buy them for $120
new, without OS, RAM or a hard drive. Those items were inexpensive
additions, allowing me to equip the 1012Ps exactly how I needed them.
Times have changed and we now have Raspberry Pis capable of rendering
1080P HDMI output, for a lot less money. But the RPis don't have as
much RAM (512 MB versus 2GB), nor USB 3.0, nor an eSATA port, nor a hard
drive interface, nor built in WIFI nor a sleek case and power supply.
The EB1012P is fully capable of running KDE sessions on F17, browsing
with Firefox and displaying Youtube videos, making it a decently high
end media center, mostly thanks to the power of Linux and the 1012Ps
high end graphics capability. The 1012P running XBMC, KDE and Firefox
makes the applications and network integration built into 2012 high end
TVs look like a toy.
I think its a shame that the world essentially missed out on such a
wonderful device for lack of a working driver. Its amazing what one can
do with an EB1012P. Part of that spirit has been captured with RPi,
but the EB1012P did it first and does it with quite a bit more power and
finesse than the RPi does.
If anyone from Asus reads this, I highly recommend you bring these
devices back, with an improved processor, an infared receiver and a
slightly lower price point. RPi is just catching on as a media
center. An upgraded 1012P, unlocked, loaded with the right Linux
software and priced right could literally revolutionize how we use our TVs.
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