Kodi 18.2 Released With VA-API Fixes, OpenGL ES Rendering Fixes

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Kodi 18.2 Released With VA-API Fixes, OpenGL ES Rendering Fixes

For fans of the Kodi HTPC software, version 18.2 of the "Leia" update is now available with several prominent fixes...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Kodi-18.2-Released

[Dukenukemx]

Does VA-API require FFMPEG to do H.265 on Ubuntu 18.04? Once VA-API is enabled in Kodi I can't watch H.265 videos. I have a RX-470 for a GPU.

[R41N3R]

Hope Kodi receive some improved user input handling in the 19 release, where a back button is always a back button and not only in specific cases. I've not seen anybody that didn't have the feeling that the interface is clunky. But good to see this updated release.

[Hibbelharry]

Slightly unrelated:

I'm still using an old machine for htpc purposes, that's slowly beginning to act weird. I use vdr and kodi a top of ubuntu on it, currently using a nvidia gt730. I'm now in the process of locating parts for a rebuild and would like to put a ryzen 2200g in it, but I can't really find useful information about deinterlacing possibilities with amd graphics, which matters to me. Does anyone have any insights on that? Is there a working temporal deinterlacing on amd va-api?

[fritsch]

Does VA-API require FFMPEG to do H.265 on Ubuntu 18.04? Once VA-API is enabled in Kodi I can't watch H.265 videos. I have a RX-470 for a GPU.

You need libva2.1.x for that to work. The buffer exchanging API did not make it into the old vaapi releases, see: https://github.com/intel/libva/releases/tag/2.1.0 - after that it will work nicely.

[Grim85]

and yet opensuse tumbleweed is still on Kodi 17

[Guest]

Nice! I tried out Kodi with VAAPI, but it wasn't working for me. Will see if it works now.

I tried out VLC with VAAPI and it worked great.

AMD's VAAPI driver doesn't seem to work with anything.

[Dukenukemx]

You need libva2.1.x for that to work. The buffer exchanging API did not make it into the old vaapi releases, see: https://github.com/intel/libva/releases/tag/2.1.0 - after that it will work nicely.

I'm using Oibaf's PPA, shouldn't that get me the latest VA-API releases?

[fritsch]

I'm using Oibaf's PPA, shouldn't that get me the latest VA-API releases?

Try libreelec from an usb stick if you have doubts concerning your software stack.

[aht0]

Try libreelec from an usb stick if you have doubts concerning your software stack.

LibreElec has few problems. It's for "appliances". Most of it is read-only on your drive, you cannot even use console, current KODI version included is not the latest. Basically, when you have PVR device, you are okay with it as it is - use it. When you don't have PVR device, it's something that may cause temp freezes because system is desperately trying to detect one once you choose wrong menu option.

Other than that and it's more reasonable to set Kodi up on some general purpose distro. Zentyal 6 development edition (Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS-based) is good bet, you can easily also set up Samba right there and run KODI on top of it's LXDE on full screen. Setting LXDM to autologin and adding autostart program to LXDE are pretty trivial tasks. You'll have your KODI box up in less than hour.