Question: what is the state of hardware video decoding on the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ platform ?

LouLecrivainLouLecrivain
in Supported devices

Hello,

I'd like to know if hardware video decoding is available on the RPI3B+ ? Our target usage is low-latency video but we're not sure about compatibility, and would like a formal answer to help us choosing the right platform.

Thank you for your answer
Best regards

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Comments

  • webhopperwebhopper
    edited December 2022

    Hi @LouLecrivain,

    As a start, you might want to check out the posts from smiesche in "Video playback on RPI 4 not working" back in July 2021.
    https://forum.emteria.com/discussion/1036/video-playback-on-rpi-4-not-working

    Also emteria had a blog post back on Jan 31, 2022 :
    ROCK Pi Android: Run Android on ROCK Pi 4
    https://emteria.com/blog/rockpi-4b

    I haven't seen anything about RPi4B HW video acceleration from emteria since then.

    Bill

  • emmafrost1emmafrost1

    Hi,

    The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ does support hardware video decoding. It has a VideoCore IV GPU that can decode H.264 video up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second. This means that it can play back high-definition video without putting a strain on the CPU.

    Hardware video decoding is important for low-latency video applications. This is because it frees up the CPU to do other tasks, such as processing user input or streaming video to a network. Without hardware decoding, the CPU would have to decode the video itself, which would introduce latency.

    The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is a good choice for low-latency video applications. It has a powerful GPU that can decode H.264 video quickly and efficiently. This makes it ideal for applications such as live streaming, video conferencing, and gaming.

    Here are some additional details about hardware video decoding on the Raspberry Pi 3 B+:

    • The VideoCore IV GPU uses the OpenMAX IL 2.0 API for hardware video decoding.
    • The GPU can decode H.264 video up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second.
    • Hardware video decoding is enabled by default in the Raspberry Pi OS operating system.
    • To disable hardware video decoding, you can edit the config.txt file and set the disable_hw_decode option to 1.

    I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

  • emmafrost1emmafrost1

    Did the above step work?

  • emmafrost1emmafrost1

    In case it didn't, the the additional details about hardware part that I mentioned along the solution.

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