How to Install XBMC PVR Xvba for AMD/Nvidia/Intel GPUs

fritsch · 2012-07-01 11:42

@virus0190:
can you join #xbmc-xvba? I don't want to give you a guide to 12.6beta, but 12.6 is not working without modification. With a short hack, you get everything up running fine, including aticonfig/amdconfig. As I currently do not have access to my AMD hardware, i won't write this to public for now.

virus0190 · 2012-07-01 12:10

@fritsch
i can't join. but you can write me a pm ?

fritsch · 2012-07-01 12:12

@virus0190:
Will check when i am at home and make it public then.
http://webchat.freenode.net/ <- perhaps this can make joining possible.

fritsch · 2012-07-01 12:34

Okay verified this with two users.

1.) Backup /etc/ati/control and /etc/ati/signature from your current installed drivers.
2.) Install version 12.6 final as you always do. See the howto given by wsnipex some pages back.
3.) After it is finished copy back /etc/ati/control and /etc/ati/signature.
4.) Run all the aticonfig commands again, reboot and fine.

So 12.6 is fully functional only the control file was messed up. Have fun.

fritsch · 2012-07-01 14:15

Disclaimer: We don't give support for people not fully reading this howto. If your brain already is in standby, wait till resume.

Detailed howto:

First install dependencies, you need to build fglrx (libc6-i386 is only needed on 64 bit systems):

Code:

sudo apt-get install dh-make dh-modaliases execstack libqtgui4 build-essential libc6-i386

Now continue (see legacy notes at the bottom for older amd gpus):

Code:

1. login in to the xbmc computer via ssh

2. sudo service lightdm stop

# backup signature and control to your home directory

3a. cp /etc/ati/signature /etc/ati/control $HOME

# if you have fglrx-updates fglrx-amdcccle-updates installed, remove it now

# the next command does not harm, it will just tell: package not installed, if you don't have it

# just go on with 3. in this case. This step might remove xbmc and xbmc-bin. We will install it later.

# on xbmcbuntu there is nvidia-current installed. This is not nice to us, when reinstalling fglrx later

# so we remove it, too.

3b. sudo apt-get remove fglrx* nvidia*

3. mkdir 12-6

4. cd 12-6

# if you have legacy hardware (HD2X, HD3X, HD4x)  continue with the instructions at the bottom.

5. wget http://www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/amd-driver-installer-12-6-x86.x86_64.run

6. sudo sh amd-driver-installer-12-6-x86.x86_64.run --buildandinstallpkg

# should tell something about supported hardware not detected

# so we restore _only_ the control file to /etc/ati as the signature within 12.6b is not signed.

6b. sudo cp $HOME/control /etc/ati

7. sudo aticonfig --initial -f

8. sudo aticonfig --vs=on

9. sudo aticonfig --set-pcs-u32=MCIL,HWUVD_H264Level51Support,1

(Optional 9b. if you have black bars normally, disable underscan (always after lightdm has stopped): sudo aticonfig --set-pcs-val=MCIL,DigitalHDTVDefaultUnderscan,0)

# the next step is only needed if fglrx-updates was installed before

10. sudo apt-get install xbmc xbmc-bin

# finally reboot

11. sudo reboot

Legacy Instructions
If you have a card that is not supported by 12.6 anymore, these are all cards < HD5000. So: HD2XXX, HD3XXX, HD4XXX. You have to use the amd legacy driver. The steps are a bit different. Instead of step 5 and 6 you do:

Code:

5 legacy: wget http://www2.ati.com/drivers/legacy/12-6/amd-driver-installer-12.6-legacy-x86.x86_64.zip

5b legacy: unzip amd-driver-installer-12.6-legacy-x86.x86_64.zip

6 legacy: sudo sh amd-driver-installer-12.6-legacy-x86.x86_64.run --buildandinstallpkg

Now continue with step 7 from above.

csmager · 2012-07-01 20:43

(2012-04-14 15:07)gsjosh Wrote: Earlier in this thread I cheered for getting this guide working on my setup, but maybe I cheered too early. It works pretty flawlessly up to the point that I go from the video player back into the menus (doesn't matter whether video is still playing or not). As soon as I start a new video, or perhaps go back to the video I was watching, it starts skipping frames backwards and forwards.

The problem has, I think, very much the same symptoms as described this ticket.

I could provide logs if needed, but at first I'm wondering if anybody has seen something like this with XVBA?

I'm having this issue - I followed the guide and have installed the Eden stable version. Some videos will play and a few times a second intersperse frames from earlier.

Certain of my x264 files exhibit this even on a fresh boot, but others will show it if played, stopped and played again as described above.

Any info I can provide, let me know!

fritsch · 2012-07-01 20:47

@csmager:
Could you upgrade to at least xbmc-xvba ppa version? We do not have the man power to develop on the eden branch anymore, sorry about this.

csmager · 2012-07-01 20:54

(2012-07-01 20:47)fritsch Wrote: @csmager:
Could you upgrade to at least xbmc-xvba ppa version? We do not have the man power to develop on the eden branch anymore, sorry about this.

No probs - will give it a go and report back. I think I tried it earlier in the day with the same result, but I'll try again to confirm!

xbmc.log doesn't seem to log anything once playback has started - is there anything else I should be looking at to gather any info? If I disable XVBA, the files work fine (subject to them being within the limits of what the CPU can decode in software!)

fritsch · 2012-07-01 21:55

@csmager:
Best is to upload a sample, pastebin your xbmc.log with debugging turned on (complete one) and describe the error you are seeing.

PeterV · 2012-07-02 08:29

Hi,
Thanks for the solving issue with 5.1 and small comment:
I have Ubuntu 12.04 (upgraded from 11.10) with fglrx from Ubuntu repository, and command from the 1 message

Code:

sudo aticonfig --set-pcs-u32=MCIL,HWUVD_H264Level51Support,1

are not worked for me, no normal playing of L5.1 files, and

Code:

grep HWUVD_H264Level51Support /etc/ati/amdpcsdb

give empty result.
But if I use amdconfig instead aticonfig (I have both in the system)

Code:

sudo amdconfig --set-pcs-u32=MCIL,HWUVD_H264Level51Support,1

- all playing good.
May be it make sense to include information check command (grep) and possible usage of amdconfig in first message ?

virus0190 Junior Member Posts: 3 Joined: Jul 2012 Reputation: 0	2012-07-01 12:10 Post: #802 @fritsch i can't join. but you can write me a pm ?
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fritsch Posting Freak Posts: 1,262 Joined: Aug 2011 Reputation: 34	2012-07-01 12:12 Post: #803 @virus0190: Will check when i am at home and make it public then. http://webchat.freenode.net/ <- perhaps this can make joining possible.
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fritsch Posting Freak Posts: 1,262 Joined: Aug 2011 Reputation: 34	2012-07-01 20:47 Post: #807 @csmager: Could you upgrade to at least xbmc-xvba ppa version? We do not have the man power to develop on the eden branch anymore, sorry about this.
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fritsch Posting Freak Posts: 1,262 Joined: Aug 2011 Reputation: 34	2012-07-01 21:55 Post: #809 @csmager: Best is to upload a sample, pastebin your xbmc.log with debugging turned on (complete one) and describe the error you are seeing.
	find quote