Phytium-based ARM PC

[LivingLinux]

Thanks for the explanation. I just thought, the Pi Community is so big (compared to this Phytium device here), there already should be proper drivers for basically everything. I didn't thought that HW Acceleration under Linux is still an issue in 2022 or so. At least it sounds like the modern SoCs itself should have more than enough power to play videos fluidly when HW acceleration is present. It would be a waste to force this with pure software acceleration through raw CPU power or so - IMHO.
Chip manufacturers really could start to provide proper Linux drivers for their GPU units, nobody says that Linux drivers have to be open source all the time. I'm just a customer and all I want a device that simply works.
In this case a small, simple and power efficient "Mini PC" that can play YOutube Videos the same way my big PC can. - Just more efficient of course.

It seems drivers for GPUs and VPUs really need cooperation from the manufacturers.
Nvidia has a bad reputation and last I heard is that they primarily focus on the closed source drivers and the open source driver Nouveau has nowhere near the performance of the closed source driver from Nvidia.
Short term there is no big problem to use closed source drivers, but as soon as Nvidia decides to drop support for older cards and things break down with newer kernels, you are SOL.
So even for Nvidia cards things have progressed slowly and I assume it's not a small community.

And that is also one of the problems with those cheap TV sticks.
Once they stop updating, you are stuck.
They might work for quite some years, but you don't get security updates, etc.

AMD is much more cooperative and is actively helping with kernel development.
From that perspective I'm happy we will get an AMD Radeon card and can't wait to receive this machine.

 

[levi]

Yeah, AMD have made great strides, but from the awful position we were in a few years ago, they've still a long way to go. It's nothing compared to what you can do with an intel box, whose internal graphics solutions have always had open source drivers. But intel don't make performance graphics cards, so if you really need graphics I guess you're stuck with AMD or Nvidia's closed source driver if you can stomach that.

In my opinion it's something ARM really need to work on, especially now that machines like this one are being made.

 

[EvilDragon]

The Phytiums are now on their way to me

 

[fusion_power]

That's on a slightly different machine (FT2000/4 + full-sized Rx550), but I I would expect similar result on the D2000 and it's MXM Rx550...

This looks promising indeed. So does the CPU run it on raw power or does it have "some kind of" HW acceleration? I know there are still some issues with HW acceleration of various browsers under Linux too, Firefox for instance. BUT - I've also read that there are various browser-plugins for Firefox and Chrome, that allow to watch Youtube with another codec .h264 for instance and the Raspberry Pi 4 has HW acceleration for that. Worth a try anyways. ^^

And that is also one of the problems with those cheap TV sticks.
Once they stop updating, you are stuck.
They might work for quite some years, but you don't get security updates, etc.

Ok, at least they DO run until they don't run anymore, that's an advantage compared to "doesn't run at all from the beginning".

AMD is much more cooperative and is actively helping with kernel development.
From that perspective I'm happy we will get an AMD Radeon card and can't wait to receive this machine.

I'm not even that interested in dedicated GFX cards anymore. I am more and more looking for an efficient small PC (Laptop?) device that can do some Office, browsing and Videos watching like my normal PC - but with much less power needed. So I hope the integrated GPUs of various SoCs are getting more support in the future. I mean, even Intel still has issues with their own iGPU driver performance of their (actually not that bad) "Xe Graphics" - even under Windows. And Intel want to release dedicated graphic cards with that architecture soon, to compete with AMD and NVidia. Good luck Intel.

 

[pyrat]

Yeah, AMD have made great strides, but from the awful position we were in a few years ago, they've still a long way to go. It's nothing compared to what you can do with an intel box, whose internal graphics solutions have always had open source drivers. But intel don't make performance graphics cards, so if you really need graphics I guess you're stuck with AMD or Nvidia's closed source driver if you can stomach that.

In my opinion it's something ARM really need to work on, especially now that machines like this one are being made.

But now I think all GPUs (Intel, Nvdia and Intel) require signed firmware, so no matter whether the drivers are free, you still have to load proprietary stuff. Maybe MALI, thanks to Alyssa Rozenweig and the LIMA team. Other ARM GPUs have free drivers and maybe don't require propietary firmware, but then they're found in SOCs that need other proprietary stuff. And of course this hardware is not designed for so much performance as a discrete GPU from Nvidia or AMD.
Edit: sorry to talk about 3D GPUs when the initial question was about video acceleration, which is somethign different.

 

[matzesu]

Well, i made my decicion to preeorder the Phytian was also a bit like a Challenge for me: I know that i could achieve whit a Cheap Windows 11 Mini PC about the same results in Gaming as its dont need Box 86,

But i would need a Desktop PC anyway sometime, and why not something strange like a ARM CPU whit a "normal Graphics Cart"..
The Pyra is quite capable for Desktop Stuff also, but More Power is More Power..

I just looked on the Shipping Speed of this Orient Freight Express Thing: 21 Days, not that fast, but if the Power for the Electric Locomotive comes from Solar Collectors in the Gobi Dessert, its much less enfroiment harmfull than a Heavy Oil Freight Ship or a Airplane..

Well whit the Closed Source Drivers: As long as they get maintened, im fine whit them, also: I would suspect as the Phytian used much more "newer" parts then Pyra, there shouldnd be that much issues like whe have whit the Audio Driver..

 

[ptitSeb]

Some video of gameplay took from a Phytium miniPC (not by me, video recorded by xiaoji, and edited by MicroLinux).

 

[matzesu]

This 3D RPG Game on the first few minutes dosnt look that bad, maybe not Witcher 3 but it’s shows that it can at least run 3D Stuff ^^
I don’t know how to record videos on a PC itself, but I will see how far I can go whit the Phytian ^^
My Work on the Script for the Pyra Video yesterday dit show me that a Desktop Computer would be quite useful..
Let’s hope there is also OpenRGB available, as my New Cherry Keyboard dit blinking like a Christmas Tree and I will have to work on this ^^

 

[ptitSeb]

This 3D RPG Game on the first few minutes dosnt look that bad, maybe not Witcher 3 but it’s shows that it can at least run 3D Stuff ^^
I don’t know how to record videos on a PC itself, but I will see how far I can go whit the Phytian ^^
My Work on the Script for the Pyra Video yesterday dit show me that a Desktop Computer would be quite useful..
Let’s hope there is also OpenRGB available, as my New Cherry Keyboard dit blinking like a Christmas Tree and I will have to work on this ^^

Mount & Blade have a good reputation yes.
Just to note, The Witcher 2 works fine also. GOG have a linux version and runs pretty well. I don't own Witcher 3, so I never tried it...

 

[matzesu]

I have Witcher 3 on Switch, so I don’t want to run this on the Phytian, but at least some older Farming Sims, and Windows Games from GOG..
but whe will see what I can get to run, and I will write about it,
I also allready made a Playlist on my Chanel, but as my Phytian is still on its way to EvilDragon, whit the Freight Train from China to Europe..

 

[ptitSeb]

I have Witcher 3 on Switch, so I don’t want to run this on the Phytian, but at least some older Farming Sims, and Windows Games from GOG..
but whe will see what I can get to run, and I will write about it,
I also allready made a Playlist on my Chanel, but as my Phytian is still on its way to EvilDragon, whit the Freight Train from China to Europe..

xiaoji told me they used a freighter plane, as they found a cheaper one. So we'll see how long it takes, but probably less than the 3 weeks by train.

 

[matzesu]

Mount and Blade is also part of my GOG Library, ditnt buy it, might be a gift or something..
Freighter Plane sounds fast, as they cant stay 2 Weeks in the Air, but not that "Envroiment Friendly" than a Freight Train, but well, maybe i get it to run for the ZOOM Meeting from the Beeceeper Convention of our Departément Saarland..

 

[matzesu]

I wonder: I want to use this also as a Youtube Cutting PC, i would use my Mixer to bring Sound from the Pyra, and my Speech to the Microphone In Port, so i could record Audio, and later put this together whit a Video and make some Cuttings, Paste Together, Rendering etc..
Would this work via Debian ARM?

 

[ptitSeb]

I wonder: I want to use this also as a Youtube Cutting PC, i would use my Mixer to bring Sound from the Pyra, and my Speech to the Microphone In Port, so i could record Audio, and later put this together whit a Video and make some Cuttings, Paste Together, Rendering etc..
Would this work via Debian ARM?

I used OpenShot on it, to prepare a video for the Fosdem, and it worked like a charm

 

[matzesu]

Ok, OpenShot then, so expect my next Videos to be quite Professionall ^^
I would suspect i could also Record Directly on the Phytian, so a Video on the Games i try would not need that i film the TV ?

Well, but first i need to get this Computer delievered bevor i can think about working whit it..

 

[ptitSeb]

Ok, OpenShot then, so expect my next Videos to be quite Professionall ^^
I would suspect i could also Record Directly on the Phytian, so a Video on the Games i try would not need that i film the TV ?

Well, but first i need to get this Computer delievered bevor i can think about working whit it..

You can record on device too. I used Kazam and was able to record 1080p gameplay at 30fps.

 

[matzesu]

So i could make my own Rigs of Rods Lets Play Projekt? Because nobody else wants to make something whit ROR... , and a Farming Sim 2013 Unimog Only Lets Play ^^ Sounds like fun..

 

[ptitSeb]

Here the video

 

[LivingLinux]

You can record on device too. I used Kazam and was able to record 1080p gameplay at 30fps.

Which codec did you use with Kazam?

 

[ptitSeb]

Which codec did you use with Kazam?

I don't remember precisly, some h.264 I think