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Merged
devopvoid merged 1 commit into from
Oct 15, 2026
Merged

feat: encode VP9 with VA-API on Linux without turning it on #374

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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion docs/guide/advanced/video-codecs.md
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Expand Up @@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ PeerConnectionFactory factory = PeerConnectionFactory.builder()

Hardware encoders produce a single layer. A stream that asks for SVC, such as an AV1 stream with a scalability mode like `L1T3`, is encoded in software.

VP9 can be encoded in hardware too, with the VP9 encoder of the GPU driver, which Intel GPUs have: through Media Foundation on Windows and VA-API on Linux. It is off by default, since it has not been tested on such a GPU yet; turn it on with a system property before the factory is created:
VP9 can be encoded in hardware too, with the VP9 encoder of the GPU driver, which Intel GPUs have: through VA-API on Linux, and through Media Foundation on Windows. On Windows it is off by default, since it has not been tested on such a GPU yet; turn it on with a system property before the factory is created:

```java
System.setProperty("webrtc.hardware.vp9Encoder", "true");
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7 changes: 4 additions & 3 deletions webrtc-jni/src/main/cpp/include/media/video/codec/HardwareCodecOptions.h
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Expand Up @@ -19,9 +19,10 @@

namespace jni
{
// The Java system property that turns on hardware VP9 encoding, which is
// off by default: only Intel GPUs encode VP9, and the encoder has not been
// tested on one.
// The Java system property that turns on hardware VP9 encoding on
// Windows, which is off by default: only Intel GPUs encode VP9, and the
// Media Foundation encoder has not been tested on one. VA-API encodes VP9
// on Linux regardless.
constexpr const char * kHardwareVp9EncoderProperty = "webrtc.hardware.vp9Encoder";

// Whether hardware VP9 encoding is turned on: the Java system property
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7 changes: 3 additions & 4 deletions webrtc-jni/src/main/cpp/include/media/video/codec/linux/VaapiVideoEncoderFactory.h
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Expand Up @@ -32,15 +32,14 @@ namespace jni
// Creates VA-API encoders on the GPU whose driver encodes H.264, as Intel
// and AMD drivers do. It offers H.264 in the profiles WebRTC's software
// encoder offers too, and only with packetization mode 1: mode 0 needs
// each NAL unit to fit a packet. It offers H.265 Main as well where the
// driver encodes it, and VP9 profile 0 where the driver encodes it and
// hardware VP9 encoding is turned on.
// each NAL unit to fit a packet. It offers H.265 Main and VP9 profile 0
// as well where the driver encodes them.
class VaapiVideoEncoderFactory : public webrtc::VideoEncoderFactory
{
public:
// Returns a factory, or null if no GPU driver encodes H.264
// through VA-API.
static std::unique_ptr<VaapiVideoEncoderFactory> Create(bool vp9Enabled);
static std::unique_ptr<VaapiVideoEncoderFactory> Create();

~VaapiVideoEncoderFactory() override = default;

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6 changes: 1 addition & 5 deletions webrtc-jni/src/main/cpp/src/media/video/codec/linux/LinuxHardwareVideoCodecFactories.cpp
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Expand Up @@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
* limitations under the License.
*/

#include "media/video/codec/HardwareCodecOptions.h"
#include "media/video/codec/HardwareVideoDecoderFactory.h"
#include "media/video/codec/HardwareVideoEncoderFactory.h"
#include "media/video/codec/linux/VaapiVideoDecoderFactory.h"
Expand All @@ -33,10 +32,7 @@ namespace jni
if (auto nvenc = NvencVideoEncoderFactory::Create()) {
factories.push_back(std::move(nvenc));
}
// VP9 only if asked for: it has not been tested on an Intel GPU yet.
auto vaapi = VaapiVideoEncoderFactory::Create(IsHardwareVp9EncoderEnabled());

if (vaapi) {
if (auto vaapi = VaapiVideoEncoderFactory::Create()) {
factories.push_back(std::move(vaapi));
}

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11 changes: 4 additions & 7 deletions webrtc-jni/src/main/cpp/src/media/video/codec/linux/VaapiVideoEncoderFactory.cpp
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Expand Up @@ -27,7 +27,7 @@

namespace jni
{
std::unique_ptr<VaapiVideoEncoderFactory> VaapiVideoEncoderFactory::Create(bool vp9Enabled)
std::unique_ptr<VaapiVideoEncoderFactory> VaapiVideoEncoderFactory::Create()
{
VaapiLibrary * library = VaapiLibrary::Get();

Expand All @@ -39,13 +39,10 @@ namespace jni
const bool h265 = library->EncodeEntrypoint(VAProfileHEVCMain, &h265Entrypoint);

VAEntrypoint vp9Entrypoint = VAEntrypointEncSlice;
const bool vp9 = vp9Enabled && library->EncodeEntrypoint(VAProfileVP9Profile0, &vp9Entrypoint);
const bool vp9 = library->EncodeEntrypoint(VAProfileVP9Profile0, &vp9Entrypoint);

RTC_LOG(LS_INFO) << "VA-API (" << library->Vendor() << ") H.265 encoding: " << h265;

if (vp9Enabled) {
RTC_LOG(LS_INFO) << "VA-API (" << library->Vendor() << ") VP9 encoding: " << vp9;
}
RTC_LOG(LS_INFO) << "VA-API (" << library->Vendor() << ") H.265 encoding: " << h265 << ", VP9 encoding: "
<< vp9;

return std::unique_ptr<VaapiVideoEncoderFactory>(
new VaapiVideoEncoderFactory(*library, h265, h265Entrypoint, vp9, vp9Entrypoint));
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9 changes: 4 additions & 5 deletions webrtc/src/main/java/dev/onvoid/webrtc/media/video/codec/HardwareVideoEncoderFactory.java
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Expand Up @@ -41,11 +41,10 @@
* stream that asks for SVC is encoded in software. H.265 (Main profile) is
* encoded with NVENC or Media Foundation on GPUs that have an H.265 encoder.
* VP9 (profile 0) is encoded on GPUs that have a VP9 encoder, which are
* Intel's, with Media Foundation on Windows and VA-API on Linux, but only
* with the system property
* {@code webrtc.hardware.vp9Encoder} set to {@code true} when the factory is
* created: the encoder has not been tested on such a GPU yet. Without it, VP9
* is encoded with libvpx. On Linux, H.265 is encoded with NVENC on NVIDIA
* Intel's: with VA-API on Linux, and with Media Foundation on Windows only
* with the system property {@code webrtc.hardware.vp9Encoder} set to
* {@code true} when the factory is created, since that encoder has not been
* tested on such a GPU yet. Otherwise VP9 is encoded with libvpx. On Linux, H.265 is encoded with NVENC on NVIDIA
* GPUs and with VA-API on the GPUs of Intel and AMD whose driver encodes it.
* A hardware encoder that fails to start, for example because the GPU has no
* encoder sessions left, or fails while encoding, is replaced by the next one
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4 changes: 2 additions & 2 deletions webrtc/src/test/java/dev/onvoid/webrtc/HardwareVideoEncoderIntegrationTest.java
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Expand Up @@ -275,8 +275,8 @@ private PeerConnectionFactory hardwareCallFactory() {

@Test
void vp9HardwareEncodingIsOptIn() throws Exception {
assumeTrue(OS.contains("win") || OS.contains("linux"),
"hardware encoders are implemented on Windows and Linux only");
// On Linux, VA-API encodes VP9 without it.
assumeTrue(OS.contains("win"), "hardware VP9 encoding is opt-in on Windows only");
assumeTrue(System.getProperty(VP9_ENCODER_PROPERTY) == null, VP9_ENCODER_PROPERTY + " is set");

PeerConnectionFactory hardware = hardwareFactory();
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