Plex HW Transcoding 1.81 Beta4 (QNAP TVS-673)

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
1

Tried to leverage HW transcoding, still appears with beta4 not to support the TVS-x73 Family (AMD Embedded R-Series RX-421BD Radeon R7).

Here are the errors posted to console:

libva info: VA-API version 0.40.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /share/CACHEDEV1_DATA/.qpkg/PlexMediaServer/dri/radeonsi_drv_video.so
libva info: va_openDriver() returns -1
libva info: VA-API version 0.40.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /share/CACHEDEV1_DATA/.qpkg/PlexMediaServer/dri/radeonsi_drv_video.so
libva info: va_openDriver() returns -1
libva info: VA-API version 0.40.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /share/CACHEDEV1_DATA/.qpkg/PlexMediaServer/dri/radeonsi_drv_video.so
libva info: va_openDriver() returns -1
libva info: VA-API version 0.40.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /share/CACHEDEV1_DATA/.qpkg/PlexMediaServer/dri/radeonsi_drv_video.so
libva info: va_openDriver() returns -1
libva info: VA-API version 0.40.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /share/CACHEDEV1_DATA/.qpkg/PlexMediaServer/dri/radeonsi_drv_video.so
libva info: va_openDriver() returns -1

And here are the errors out of the Plex Logs:

Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.030 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: testing h264_qsv (encoder)
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.030 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: testing API qsv
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.030 [0x7f8d46fff700] DEBUG - Auth: We found auth token (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx), enabling token-based authentication.
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.030 [0x7f8d46fff700] DEBUG - Auth: authenticated user 1 as mwc_trexx
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.030 [0x7f8d46fff700] DEBUG - Auth: Came in with a super-token, authorization succeeded.
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d44fff700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Failed to initialise VAAPI connection: -1 (unknown libva error).
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d3e511700] DEBUG - Request: [192.168.0.80:57904 (Subnet)] GET /library/metadata/42194?checkFiles=1&includeChapters=1&includeConcerts=1&includeExtras=1&includeGeolocation=0&includeOnDeck=1&includePopularLeaves=1&includeRelated=0&includeRelatedCount=15&includeReviews=1 (9 live) TLS GZIP Signed-in Token (mwc_trexx)
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: opening hw device failed - probably not supported by this system, error: Input/output error
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: testing h264_vaapi (encoder)
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: testing API vaapi
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d44fff700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Failed to initialise VAAPI connection: -1 (unknown libva error).
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: opening hw device failed - probably not supported by this system, error: Input/output error
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.031 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: testing h264_nvenc (encoder)
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.032 [0x7f8d44fff700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Cannot load libcuda.so.1
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.032 [0x7f8d44fff700] WARN - avcodec_open2 returned -1313558101 for encoder 'h264_nvenc'
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.032 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: testing API vaapi
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.032 [0x7f8d44fff700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Failed to initialise VAAPI connection: -1 (unknown libva error).
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.032 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: opening hw device failed - probably not supported by this system, error: Input/output error
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Scaled up video bitrate to 6255Kbps based on 1.500000x fudge factor.
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: E11 - Judge Cuts 4: Audio Direct Streaming is disabled, so video's audio stream will be transcoded
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: America's Got Talent - S12 E11 - Judge Cuts 4: selected media 0 / 44535
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Streaming Resource: Reducing playback quality for 1904kbps stream bitrate: video resolution to 720x406, audio channels to 2, quality to 41
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: analyzing media item 44535
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: E11 - Judge Cuts 4: Direct Play is disabled
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: E11 - Judge Cuts 4: media must be transcoded in order to use the hls protocol
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: E11 - Judge Cuts 4: no direct play video profile exists for http/mkv/h264
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: E11 - Judge Cuts 4: no direct play video profile exists for http/mkv/h264/aac
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Judge Cuts 4 - video.width limitation applies: 1920 > 720
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: E11 - Judge Cuts 4: Direct Streaming is disabled, so video stream will be transcoded
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - MDE: E11 - Judge Cuts 4: no remuxable profile found, so video stream will be transcoded
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: testing h264_nvenc (encoder)
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.033 [0x7f8d44fff700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Cannot load libcuda.so.1
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.034 [0x7f8d44fff700] WARN - avcodec_open2 returned -1313558101 for encoder 'h264_nvenc'
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.034 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: testing API vaapi
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.034 [0x7f8d44fff700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Failed to initialise VAAPI connection: -1 (unknown libva error).
Aug 10, 2017 16:39:35.034 [0x7f8d44fff700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: opening hw device failed - probably not supported by this system, error: Input/output error
2

Thanks,

From my sources you need fully up to date MESA drivers (there have been a few updates recently).

Iā€™ve not yet queried the team if theyā€™re making explicit quick-sync calls or not. If so, which is what I referenced earlier, thatā€™s where it stands.

If I had an AMD in the house, I would know more but had to give them all up when they went ā€œAPUā€. Now that AMD is back at making CPU chips again, itā€™s time to replan :slight_smile:

3

Followup:

Libva.org just added Gallium. This is essential to get mesa support in.
Next is whatever the transcoder team is needing/requesting of the API itself.

Iā€™ve asked

4

Thanks for the information Chuck. If you need someone to help with beta testing, let me know.

I believe there maybe a TVS-x73 box floating around at Plex as well (at least there was one there recently per my QNAP contacts).

5

@mwc_trexx

Anything at HQ has already been ā€˜tappedā€™ but they donā€™t have all the toys. The new AMDs arenā€™t there (unless someone is secretly hoarding it)

6

@ChuckPA

It may have only been a loaner. I know one was there fairly recently that was used for performance testing as there were updates made to Google Docs NAS spreadsheet for the x73 family after the testing was done.

I donā€™t know if you have audit logs on when the spreadsheet is updated to see who made the update for that or not.

7

Oh wow, this is an exciting read. I was going to replace my TS-451 with a TVS-463, before hearing about the Ryzen based TS-677. Reading this I assumed that AMD models would not support hardware transcoding. However, if I correctly understand your posts, AMD models will eventually support hardware transcoding?

8

I have one thing to say regarding the Ryzen. ā€œAMD is back!ā€

9

Ryzen has no embedded Gpu so will need video card with it.

10

@mwc_trexx

What about the 421? It has the R7 embedded

11

@ChuckPA said:
@mwc_trexx

What about the 421? It has the R7 embedded

Yes, the BD-421 has an embedded R7 GPU.

You can find more information here:

12

isnā€™t the BD-421 a Ryzen? That was my point/question.

Edit. figured it outā€¦ the RX-421BD is the 2015 processor. :slight_smile:

13

@mwc_trexx said:
Ryzen has no embedded Gpu so will need video card with it.

So, with regards to Plex and QNAP, AMD models may utilize the GPU for hardware transcoding, while Intel models utilize Quick Sync, which is built into the CPU? Interesting.

Still, I would probably prefer the upcoming TS-x77 (Ryzen) models over the TVS-x73 (AMD Embedded R-Series RX-421BD Radeon R7) models.

14

@ChuckPA said:
I have one thing to say regarding the Ryzen. ā€œAMD is back!ā€

Heck yeah!

15

@AJchang said:

@mwc_trexx said:
Ryzen has no embedded Gpu so will need video card with it.

So, with regards to Plex and QNAP, AMD models may utilize the GPU for hardware transcoding, while Intel models utilize Quick Sync, which is built into the CPU? Interesting.

Still, I would probably prefer the upcoming TS-x77 (Ryzen) models over the TVS-x73 (AMD Embedded R-Series RX-421BD Radeon R7) models.

In terms of CPU itself, the Ryzen will be anywhere from 1.75x to 2.85x faster (depending model) to the x73 based on passmark #'s. If/when GPU transcoding hits the x73, that should close that gap vs. a SW Transcoding Ryzen.

Of course then you get a GPU in the Ryzen box, and then the Ryzen pulls back ahead.

16

Sorry but my english is not Perfect at all.
I ask for the Summary of this thread.
Did i understand right that at the moment HW transcoding on the x73 is not supported but will be in a future version?

Thanks for explaining.

17

Barry,

There is not yet support for AMD with the HW transcode beta.

Software needed to suport this (Gallium) was updated only last week. It will take time before Linux has the support.

When Linux has support for it, I believe the Plex transcoder team will be waiting to test and use it.

18

I have a TVS-673 If you need testing .

19

Me too. I would like to test my TVS-673 with w/h as well)

20

Hardware transcoding has been officially launched and is available to Plex Pass users with Intel processors supporting Quick Sync Video (QSV).

All you need do is download and install a current 64 bit version.