Some Gen-4 intel GPUs (GMA X4500HD, GMA 4500MHD, X4700MHD) support hardware acceleration of h264 video decoding, but the user-space driver from Intel doesn't offer it.
The video acceleration user-space driver was maintained at:
- https://cgit.freedesktop.org/vaapi/intel-driver (until 2017.02.18)
- https://github.com/intel/intel-vaapi-driver (until 2024.10.29)
The driver is no longer maintained by Intel with intel-vaapi-driver successor https://github.com/intel/media-driver supporting Gen-8 and up.
Patches that enable h264 in G45 are available at https://bitbucket.org/alium/g45-h264/downloads.
I am not aware who is the author of the code. It might be the Bitbucket's user called alium or someone else.
Please open the issue if you know the details where this code comes from.
This project is a fork of https://github.com/intel/intel-vaapi-driver v2.4-branch and master branches with applied patches from https://bitbucket.org/alium/g45-h264/downloads.
I created this repository to preserve the patches in a transparent way. Archives that are available in Bitbucket feel like a black-box without a real option for further contribution.
git clone https://github.com/w8jcik/intel-vaapi-driver.git intel-vaapi-driver-srcYou can specify branch v2.4-branch-g45-h264, master-g45-h264, master-experimental.
v2.4-branch-g45-h264is based on upstreamv2.4-branchand intel-driver-g45-h264-2.4.1.tar.gzmaster-g45-h264isv2.4-branch-g45-h264rebased onto upstreammaster. It has few extra fixes.master-experimentalis based on intel-driver-g45-h264-2.4.1-experimental.tar.gz. It has just one line of changed code that blindly enables h264.
Look into draft pull requests in this project to see what are the modifications.
You can also download the original code from Bitbucket
wget https://bitbucket.org/alium/g45-h264/downloads/intel-driver-g45-h264-2.4.1.tar.gz
tar -xvzf intel-driver-g45-h264-2.4.1.tar.gz
mv intel-vaapi-driver intel-vaapi-driver-srcFor example in Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04
apt install build-essential pkgconf autoconf libtool -y
apt install libdrm-dev libva-dev libx11-dev -ycd intel-vaapi-driver-src
./autogen.sh
./configure LIBVA_DRIVERS_PATH="$(pwd)/../intel-vaapi-driver"
make install -j $(nproc)The outcome can be found at intel-vaapi-driver/i965_drv_video.so.
For example on Ubuntu the i965-va-driver package installs a single file /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so. Replacing the file with a modified version offers h264 acceleration.
Make copies first
sudo cp /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so-ubuntu
sudo cp intel-vaapi-driver/i965_drv_video.so /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so-g45-h264-aliumYou can switch between the upstream and modified driver with
sudo cp /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so-ubuntu /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.soand
sudo cp /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so-g45-h264-alium /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.sosudo vainfoBefore modification
libva info: VA-API version 1.22.0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so
libva info: Found init function __vaDriverInit_1_20
libva info: va_openDriver() returns 0
vainfo: VA-API version: 1.22 (libva 2.22.0)
vainfo: Driver version: Intel i965 driver for Intel(R) GM45 Express Chipset - 2.4.1
vainfo: Supported profile and entrypoints
VAProfileMPEG2Simple : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileMPEG2Main : VAEntrypointVLD
After modification
libva info: VA-API version 1.22.0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so
libva info: Found init function __vaDriverInit_1_22
libva info: va_openDriver() returns 0
vainfo: VA-API version: 1.22 (libva 2.22.0)
vainfo: Driver version: Intel i965 driver for Intel(R) GM45 Express Chipset - 2.4.1
vainfo: Supported profile and entrypoints
VAProfileMPEG2Simple : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileMPEG2Main : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264ConstrainedBaseline: VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264Main : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264High : VAEntrypointVLD
mpv --hwdec=vaapi big_buck_bunny_720p_h264.movUnfortunatelly the modification doesn't work for me.
v2.4-branch-g45-h264- refuses to use GPU in Ubuntu 24.04, most likely due to lack of fix that was added tomasterlater.master-g45-h264- GPU acts strangely for few seconds, then GPU hangs, session crashes back to login screen.master-experimental- refuses to use GPU.
vlc big_buck_bunny_720p_h264.movinxi -GGraphics:
Device-1: Intel Mobile 4 Series Integrated Graphics driver: i915 v: kernel
Display: wayland server: X.Org v: 24.1.2 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.2
compositor: gnome-shell v: 47.0 driver: dri: crocus gpu: i915
resolution: 1680x1050~60Hz
API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: crocus,swrast
platforms: gbm,wayland,x11,surfaceless,device
API: OpenGL v: 4.5 compat-v: 2.1 vendor: intel mesa v: 24.2.3-1ubuntu1
renderer: Mesa Mobile Intel GM45 Express (CTG)
sudo intel_gpu_topFailed to initialize PMU! (No such device)
Chromium needs --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecodeLinuxGL switch, for example
flatpak run com.google.Chrome --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecodeLinuxGLFirefox might need configuration in about:config.
For YouTube both browsers need h264ify or enhanced h264ify extension to prevent use of AV1 or VP9 codecs. Blocking 60fps in favor of 30fps using these extensions might also help.
Packages without modification are available in:
- Debian called
i965-va-driver. - Ubuntu called
i965-va-driver. - Arch Linux called
libva-intel-driver.
Patched driver (h264 G45) is available in:
- Arch Linux AUR called
libva-intel-driver-g45-h264.
- intel#544
- https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Firefox_Hardware_acceleration
- https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration
- https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics#Hardware_accelerated_H.264_decoding_on_GMA_4500
To avoid unnecessary changes to line endings
git config core.whitespace cr-at-eol