Skip to content

docs(linux): Add chromium video streaming documentation #498

New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Open
wants to merge 2 commits into
base: master
Choose a base branch
from
Open

docs(linux): Add chromium video streaming documentation #498

Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
Show all changes
2 commits
Select commit Hold shift + click to select a range
5aaa91a
feat(linux): Chromium: Add video streaming documentation
Oct 23, 2025
c7441fa
fix(linux): configs: j7: Add Demo User Guides to TOC
Oct 22, 2025
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions configs/J721S2/J721S2_linux_toc.txt
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -136,3 +136,8 @@ linux/How_to_Guides/Hardware_Setup_with_CCS/AM68_SK_Hardware_Setup
linux/How_to_Guides/Target/How_To_Carve_Out_CMA

linux/Documentation_Tarball

linux/Demo_User_Guides/index_Demos
linux/Demo_User_Guides/TI_Apps_Launcher_User_Guide
linux/Demo_User_Guides/Seva_Store
linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser
5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions configs/J742S2/J742S2_linux_toc.txt
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -133,3 +133,8 @@ linux/How_to_Guides_Hardware_Setup_with_CCS
linux/How_to_Guides/Hardware_Setup_with_CCS/J742S2_EVM_Hardware_Setup
linux/How_to_Guides/Target/How_To_Carve_Out_CMA
linux/Documentation_Tarball

linux/Demo_User_Guides/index_Demos
linux/Demo_User_Guides/TI_Apps_Launcher_User_Guide
linux/Demo_User_Guides/Seva_Store
linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser
5 changes: 5 additions & 0 deletions configs/J784S4/J784S4_linux_toc.txt
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -136,3 +136,8 @@ linux/How_to_Guides/Hardware_Setup_with_CCS/AM69_SK_Hardware_Setup
linux/How_to_Guides/FAQ/How_to_run_BIST_on_a_core
linux/How_to_Guides/Target/How_To_Carve_Out_CMA
linux/Documentation_Tarball

linux/Demo_User_Guides/index_Demos
linux/Demo_User_Guides/TI_Apps_Launcher_User_Guide
linux/Demo_User_Guides/Seva_Store
linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser
158 changes: 158 additions & 0 deletions source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -306,3 +306,161 @@
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| | 177.11 @ 1080p60 |
+---------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+


Video Streaming

Check warning on line 310 in source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst

View workflow job for this annotation

GitHub Actions / vale 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[RedHat.Headings] Use sentence-style capitalization in 'Video Streaming'.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[RedHat.Headings] Use sentence-style capitalization in 'Video Streaming'.", "location": {"path": "source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst", "range": {"start": {"line": 310, "column": 1}}}, "severity": "INFO"}
---------------

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant not in ('AM62X', 'AM62AX', 'J721E')

Streaming platforms and demuxed videos support hardware acceleration for video playback.
This is achieved using the V4L2 stateful decoder API that interfaces with the :ref:`Wave 5<foundational-components-multimedia>` hardware decoder present on |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__|.

Check warning on line 316 in source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst

View workflow job for this annotation

GitHub Actions / vale 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[RedHat.UserReplacedValues] Separate words by underscores in user-replaced values.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[RedHat.UserReplacedValues] Separate words by underscores in user-replaced values.", "location": {"path": "source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst", "range": {"start": {"line": 316, "column": 94}}}, "severity": "INFO"}
Hardware acceleration has been successfully verified with the `W3C WebCodecs VideoDecoder Interface <https://www.w3.org/TR/webcodecs/#videodecoder-interface>`_, which serves as the backend technology for streaming platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo.

Tested streaming sources include HTML5 video playback, YouTube, and Vimeo.

.. rubric:: HTML5 Video Playback

An **HTML5 video** is a standard video element embedded directly into a webpage by using the ``<video>`` tag.
Unlike platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo, which run within complex web applications containing ads, thumbnails, and JavaScript-heavy interfaces, HTML5 video playback delivers the raw video stream directly to the browser's player.

Check warning on line 324 in source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst

View workflow job for this annotation

GitHub Actions / vale 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[RedHat.SentenceLength] Try to keep sentences to an average of 32 words or fewer.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[RedHat.SentenceLength] Try to keep sentences to an average of 32 words or fewer.", "location": {"path": "source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst", "range": {"start": {"line": 324, "column": 1}}}, "severity": "INFO"}

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant not in ('AM62X', 'AM62AX', 'J721E')

This makes it ideal for testing hardware decoding performance, as it avoids additional CPU load from webpage rendering and scripting.

.. code-block:: console

$ chromium http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/BigBuckBunny.mp4

.. rubric:: Vimeo Streaming

Vimeo commonly uses the **H.264** codec for playback.

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant not in ('AM62X', 'AM62AX', 'J721E')

Vimeo is supported by hardware acceleration through the V4L2 decoder.
Unlike YouTube, Vimeo does not dynamically switch codecs based on system capability and generally delivers consistent H.264 streams across devices,

Check warning on line 341 in source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst

View workflow job for this annotation

GitHub Actions / vale 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[RedHat.Spelling] Verify the word 'codecs'. It is not in the American English spelling dictionary used by Vale.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[RedHat.Spelling] Verify the word 'codecs'. It is not in the American English spelling dictionary used by Vale.", "location": {"path": "source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst", "range": {"start": {"line": 341, "column": 54}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}
making it more predictable for hardware decoding tests.

.. code-block:: console

$ chromium https://player.vimeo.com/video/640499893

.. rubric:: YouTube Streaming

YouTube commonly uses **VP9** or **AV1** codecs for playback, which are **not hardware accelerated** on this platform.
Chromium falls back to **software decoding** when using those codecs, resulting in high CPU usage, especially at higher resolutions.

Check warning on line 351 in source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst

View workflow job for this annotation

GitHub Actions / vale 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[RedHat.TermsSuggestions] Depending on the context, consider using 'later' rather than 'higher'.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[RedHat.TermsSuggestions] Depending on the context, consider using 'later' rather than 'higher'.", "location": {"path": "source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst", "range": {"start": {"line": 351, "column": 114}}}, "severity": "INFO"}

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant not in ('AM62X', 'AM62AX', 'J721E')

To enable hardware acceleration, **Chromium requires an extension** that forces YouTube to use the **H.264 codec**.
Once this extension is installed, YouTube streams can be hardware decoded using the V4L2 decoder.

.. code-block:: console

$ chromium https://www.youtube.com/embed/R6MlUcmOul8

.. note::

- YouTube and Vimeo perform best when played in an **embedded player**, as loading the full webpage and thumbnails is CPU-intensive.
- Chromium performs **Audio decoding** using **software**, as hardware acceleration for audio streams is not supported.
- Tested resolutions are up to **1080p30**. Higher resolutions might work depending on the platform capabilities.
- Hardware accelerated encoding for WebRTC is not currently supported.
- Only H.264 codec videos encoded in YUV420 8-bit format are hardware accelerated. Other codecs and formats will fall back to software decoding.

Check warning on line 368 in source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst

View workflow job for this annotation

GitHub Actions / vale 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[RedHat.Spelling] Verify the word 'codecs'. It is not in the American English spelling dictionary used by Vale.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[RedHat.Spelling] Verify the word 'codecs'. It is not in the American English spelling dictionary used by Vale.", "location": {"path": "source/linux/Demo_User_Guides/Chromium_Browser.rst", "range": {"start": {"line": 368, "column": 93}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant in ('AM62PX', 'J722S')

.. rubric:: Hardware Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 41.21% | 10% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 62.39% | 13% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+


.. rubric:: Software Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 213.02% | 13% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 157.86% | 11% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant in ('AM68','J721S2')

.. rubric:: Hardware Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 48.30% | 6% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 60.12% | 7% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+


.. rubric:: Software Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 98.24% | 8% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 123.68% | 11% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant in ('J742S2')

.. rubric:: Hardware Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 26.88% | 6% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 38.19% | 7% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+


.. rubric:: Software Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 107.87% | 9% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 106.30% | 12% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant in ('AM69','J784S4')

.. rubric:: Hardware Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 25.52% | 5% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 28.88% | 7% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+


.. rubric:: Software Acceleration Performance

+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| **Platform** | **Website** | **CPU Utilisation** | **GPU Utilisation** |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | YouTube | 138.43% | 9% |
| |__PART_FAMILY_DEVICE_NAMES__| +----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| | Vimeo | 104.19% | 11% |
+---------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+

.. ifconfig:: CONFIG_part_variant not in ('AM62X', 'AM62AX', 'J721E')

.. note::

The tests were performed using the Big Buck Bunny video at 1080p24 for Vimeo and Tears of Steel at 1080p30 for YouTube at full screen.