The Generic USB Display Driver Taking Shape For Linux 5.9~5.10

[droidhacker]

This is brilliant. Just a few days ago I was actually thinking about starting to write up something like this myself, but looks like someone beat me to it!
The performance in the video looks a little shakey, but that obviously won't be as bad with a decent SBC and USB3. Still though, for office work... now suddenly we are no longer limited to just one external monitor on a mainstream laptop.

[ssokolow]

That sounds like some DRM takedown message. Ugh. One of the worst aspects of YouTube.

It sounds like a ContentID match where the company that uploaded the ContentID signature set the auto-response to "keep it up, but forbid off-YouTube embedding".

[klokik]

I was just looking into this project a week or two a go...

One of the main ideas is to do a virtual webcam for osx. Currently you have to have a signed binary or do some major hacks for the virtual device to work in Chrome / Firefox.
If the USB device 'outputs' the correct device type and protocols, OSX / Chrome / FF will happly use it as a cam source.
And thats kind of the idea behind it, fake it being a webcam.

You should be able to do that for quite a few years already with an existing uvc gadget function driver in linux kernel.

[SteamPunker]

I wonder if such a driver could also expose the hardware acceleration capabilities of the VC4 GPU on the Raspberry Pi. Granted it wouldn't support anything higher than OpenGL 2.0, but that would still be useful. Also, perhaps the h.264 video acceleration capabilities of this hardware could be exposed through VA-API.

Why in the freaking heck do you even use YouTube for showing this off? What's the point of that horrible, privacy-invading, cookie-setting trash being embedded when it won't work?!

Why not just a link TO IT?! WHY!?!?!?!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

That sounds like some DRM takedown message. Ugh. One of the worst aspects of YouTube.

[oiaohm]

What about Plugable? Aren't their devices well supported on Linux?

https://www.displaylink.com/downloads/ubuntu

Plugable are displaylink and are fairly much use Ubuntu or be on your own.

I suppose this is motivated because a lack of drivers for the current models on the market? Because there are sub $10, USB 3.0 models available.

What about Plugable? Aren't their devices well supported on Linux?

[tildearrow]

This video contains content from LatinAutor - UMPG, who has blocked it from display on this website or application.

Why in the world do you even use YouTube for showing this off? What's the point of that horrible, privacy-invading, cookie-setting thing being embedded when it won't work?!

[MrEcho]

I was just looking into this project a week or two a go...

One of the main ideas is to do a virtual webcam for osx. Currently you have to have a signed binary or do some major hacks for the virtual device to work in Chrome / Firefox.
If the USB device 'outputs' the correct device type and protocols, OSX / Chrome / FF will happly use it as a cam source.
And thats kind of the idea behind it, fake it being a webcam.

[oiaohm]

I suppose this is motivated because a lack of drivers for the current models on the market? Because there are sub $10, USB 3.0 models available.

There is a differences that could be important once covid-19 mess sorts out and conferences can start back up.

Take those annoying projectors that when they loss signal cycle though sources something like a USB to HDMI done by a raspberry pi could avoid this because the raspberry pi could be maintaining the HDMI signal while the USB cable is being changed between computers due to the fact the raspberry pi does not have to depend on the USB cable for power.

Performance does not have to be exactly that great for display of slides this lead the fact that the raspberry pi can be independently powered to the device providing the display. Of course what being developed here could also be used with a rock pi 4 that is USB 3.0 otg in time. Yes this is not going to be that cheap to use a rock pi 4 but if it avoid issues when running conference it could be worth it.

Yes you are right lack of drivers with a lot of those USB to HDMI and the like is a real problem as well.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Adapter-Converter-Multiple-Monitors-Compatible/dp/B0811LTJ1H/

There are a lot of them that don't have Linux or OS X or Android... support. Of course this also misses that some of these you buy 2 the same model and they are different versions so require different drivers as well that happen to not be able to be installed on the 1 computer at the same time. The lack standard drivers here comes a serous pain in the ass in two ways here not just one.

Again think conference if you have 1 standard USB to HDMI driver everyone coming to the conference could setup there computers for would make life simpler. Its very stupid that we have USB standards for audio and webcam so generic drivers can be used but we don't have one for display out done over USB.

Remember there USB 2.0 forwards covers a lot of devices. There are still phones made today that the otg port on them is only USB 2.0 as well. Yes a lot of those USB 3.0 to HDMI don't work well with pure USB 2.0 either. So there is a lack of product on the market here as well. Please note the video in the article over USB 2.0 he is doing over 1080p out. 1080p is 1920 x 1080 and the video he is doing 1920x1200 from a pi zero on a USB 2.0 connection. Yes read the amazon link one it will not do 1080p at all if you have a USB 2.0 connection. So yes there are a lot of USB 3.0 to HDMI devices on the market most of them will restrict output modes when you only have a USB 2.0 connection as well of course there are a lot of cases where you are just displaying slides/slow content these restricted output modes is stupid.

So there are a few different reason to-do what he is doing here.