Linux Platform Blocks - VisioForge Media Blocks SDK .Net¶

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Media Blocks SDK .Net

This section covers MediaBlocks specifically optimized for Linux platforms.

Available Blocks¶

VA-API Hardware Decoders¶

Linux provides hardware-accelerated video decoding through VA-API (Video Acceleration API):

VAAPIH264DecoderBlock: Hardware H.264/AVC decoding
VAAPIHEVCDecoderBlock: Hardware H.265/HEVC decoding
VAAPIJPEGDecoderBlock: Hardware JPEG decoding
VAAPIVC1DecoderBlock: Hardware VC-1 decoding

See Video Decoders Documentation

Platform Requirements¶

Linux: Any modern Linux distribution
VA-API: libva and appropriate driver for your GPU
Hardware: Intel, AMD, or other GPU with VA-API support

Features¶

Hardware Acceleration: GPU-based video decoding
Low CPU Usage: Offload decoding to dedicated hardware
Wide Compatibility: Works with Intel, AMD, and other GPUs
Power Efficiency: Reduced power consumption
Multi-Stream: Handle multiple HD/4K streams

Sample Code¶

Hardware H.264 Decoding¶

var pipeline = new MediaBlocksPipeline();

// The decoder takes the encoded stream: demux the MP4 and parse its H.264 instead of decoding it in a source block (another container needs its own demuxer)
var fileSource = new BasicFileSourceBlock("video.mp4");
var demux = new QTDemuxBlock(renderVideo: true, renderAudio: false);
var parse = new H264ParseBlock();
pipeline.Connect(fileSource.Output, demux.Input);
pipeline.Connect(demux.VideoOutput, parse.Input);

// VA-API hardware decoder
if (VAAPIH264DecoderBlock.IsAvailable())
{
    var vaapiDecoder = new VAAPIH264DecoderBlock();
    pipeline.Connect(parse.Output, vaapiDecoder.Input);

    var videoRenderer = new VideoRendererBlock(pipeline, VideoView1);
    pipeline.Connect(vaapiDecoder.Output, videoRenderer.Input);
}
else
{
    // Fallback to software decoder
    var decoder = new UniversalDecoderBlock(MediaBlockPadMediaType.Video);
    pipeline.Connect(parse.Output, decoder.Input);

    var videoRenderer = new VideoRendererBlock(pipeline, VideoView1);
    pipeline.Connect(decoder.VideoOutput, videoRenderer.Input);
}

await pipeline.StartAsync();

Multiple Hardware Decoders¶

var pipeline = new MediaBlocksPipeline();

// Decode H.264 stream
var h264Source = new BasicFileSourceBlock("h264.mp4");
var h264Demux = new QTDemuxBlock(renderVideo: true, renderAudio: false);
var h264Parse = new H264ParseBlock();
var h264Decoder = new VAAPIH264DecoderBlock();
pipeline.Connect(h264Source.Output, h264Demux.Input);
pipeline.Connect(h264Demux.VideoOutput, h264Parse.Input);
pipeline.Connect(h264Parse.Output, h264Decoder.Input);

// Decode H.265 stream
var h265Source = new BasicFileSourceBlock("h265.mp4");
var h265Demux = new QTDemuxBlock(renderVideo: true, renderAudio: false);
var h265Parse = new H265ParseBlock();
var h265Decoder = new VAAPIHEVCDecoderBlock();
pipeline.Connect(h265Source.Output, h265Demux.Input);
pipeline.Connect(h265Demux.VideoOutput, h265Parse.Input);
pipeline.Connect(h265Parse.Output, h265Decoder.Input);

// Mix both streams (example)
var mixer = new VideoMixerBlock(mixerSettings);
pipeline.Connect(h264Decoder.Output, mixer.Inputs[0]);
pipeline.Connect(h265Decoder.Output, mixer.Inputs[1]);

var videoRenderer = new VideoRendererBlock(pipeline, VideoView1);
pipeline.Connect(mixer.Output, videoRenderer.Input);

await pipeline.StartAsync();

Setup and Configuration¶

Installing VA-API¶

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install libva2 libva-drm2 vainfo

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install libva libva-utils

Checking VA-API Support¶

vainfo

This command displays available VA-API profiles and entrypoints.

Driver Installation¶

Intel GPUs:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install intel-media-va-driver

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install intel-media-driver

AMD GPUs:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install mesa-va-drivers

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install mesa-va-drivers

Checking Hardware Support in Code¶

// Check if VA-API H.264 decoder is available
if (VAAPIH264DecoderBlock.IsAvailable())
{
    Console.WriteLine("VA-API H.264 hardware decoding is available");
    var decoder = new VAAPIH264DecoderBlock();
}
else
{
    Console.WriteLine("VA-API not available, using software decoder");
    var decoder = new UniversalDecoderBlock(MediaBlockPadMediaType.Video);
}

Performance Tips¶

Ensure VA-API drivers are properly installed
Use hardware decoders when available for best performance
Check decoder availability before creating blocks
Monitor GPU memory usage when processing multiple streams
Use vainfo command to verify hardware support

Troubleshooting¶

VA-API not working: 1. Verify driver installation with vainfo 2. Check user permissions (may need to be in video or render group) 3. Ensure GStreamer VA-API plugins are installed: gstreamer1.0-vaapi

Permission issues:

# Add user to video group
sudo usermod -a -G video $USER
# Log out and back in for changes to take effect

Platforms¶

Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, RHEL, Arch, and other distributions).

Requires VA-API support with appropriate drivers.

VideoDecoders - Hardware decoding blocks
Nvidia - Nvidia GPU acceleration (also works on Linux)