OS X Hardware HEVC support in High Sierra!! (via API)
#1
Hello devs and users,
you probably heard of the big news: the next major release of macOS will FINALLY come with system-level support for GPU-accelerated fixed-function HEVC/h.265 10bit decoding! Smile

The feature will be available to third party programs via the VideoToolbox API, as usual.

To take advantage of the feature, you will need
- any Kaby Lake mac
or
- [YET TO BE CONFIRMED] any Mac with thunderbolt + a suitable external GPU (nvidia 950, 960 or 1000-series, amd rx 4xx or 5xx)
or
- skylake macs? (limited to 8bit HEVC, not Main10)

So, imagine a 2011-2012-2014 mac mini turned into a 4K 10bit HDR htpc with an eGPU + High Sierra + updated Kodi. Cool huh?

Now the questions
- will Kodi on High Sierra support HEVC hw-acceleration "automatically"? (by simply keep using the VideoToolbox API)
- or will support need to be added "manually" by the devs?
- are kodi devs working on all of this currently? registered apple devs can download High Sierra beta right now, but I also understand buying a Kaby Lake mac (the cheapest is the 1080p iMac but then you can't even test 4K content properly, the 4k iMac would be ideal..) is a bit pricey...

So, here we are.
Thoughts?
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#2
Seriously? This just was announced and you already expect us to jump at the whims of whatever Apple comes up with?
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#3
I just put the news on the table for everybody (devs and user) to discuss.
Nobody expect anything from anyone.

And you're a bit off calling "the whims of whatever Apple comes up with" the mother of all kodi@Macos missing features, i.e. smooth gpu 4K HEVC playback, now obtainable by simply leveraging the usual API. Not sure what's whimsical or comesupsical about it, unless you're being passive aggressive for things of the past.
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#4
The last time something this major happened the (then) xbmc team made a blog post spearheading the understanding and leveraging of the API

https://kodi.tv/article/osx-gets-h264-acceleration

at the "whims" of apple weird comeuppitances...
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#5
Support needs to be added to ffmpeg by their devs first.
AppleTV4/iPhone/iPod/iPad: HowTo find debug logs and everything else which the devs like so much: click here
HowTo setup NFS for Kodi: NFS (wiki)
HowTo configure avahi (zeroconf): Avahi_Zeroconf (wiki)
READ THE IOS FAQ!: iOS FAQ (wiki)
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#6
(2017-06-07, 07:36)Memphiz Wrote: Support needs to be added to ffmpeg by their devs first.

Well, that's precisely what's happening here, right?

In High Sierra, VideoToolbox (and therefore ffmpeg-vtb I suppose) will get h.265 hardware decoding.

So Kodi 17, running in High Sierra, by simple (keep) using ffmpeg-vtb may get h.265 support automatically with no action by the kodi devs, right? That's why I asked. Actually if somebody here happens to get a Kaby Lake mac, an apple developer account (not needed in a couple of weeks when the beta goes public) and Kodi 17, he/she could test this "it just works" hypothesis right now.

I wonder if there's a WWDC 2017 session about it, we'll know more when they're made publicly available.
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#7
it will certainly not "just work"
Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting, read this first
Interested in seeing some YouTube videos about Kodi? Go here and subscribe
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#8
I see.

By the way I went to read the exact wording of Apple footnotes about the High Sierra requirements and found this about HEVC

A more powerful Mac will deliver better HEVC performance. The playback of 4K HEVC content requires a Mac with a sixth‑generation Intel Core processor or newer.

Sixth generation is Skylake and as we know it has
- hardware fixed function HEVC 8bit decoding
- hybrid hardware/software HEVC 10bit decoding

So I guess the updated VideoToolbox (and ffmpeg-vtb) in High Sierra will add system-level HEVC decode to all the supported macs in such manner:
- pre-Skylake macs: fully software CPU decode (720p and 1080p, maybe 4K 8bit in the most powerful desktop macs)
- Skylake macs: fully hardware HEVC 8bit and hybrid HEVC 10bit
- Kabylake macs and newer: fully hardware HEVC 8bit and 10bit

What I mean to say: as soon as the High Sierra beta goes public later in June, we don't actually need a KabyLake mac to start testing the new ffmpeg-vtb_now_with_HEVC and see what happens with Skylake and pre-Skylake macs. So forget what I said about needing a KabyLake mac, that is needed only to test HEVC 10bit.
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#9
Ok the first relevant WWDC 2017 session is available

Session 503 - Introducing HEIF and HEVC
video:
https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2017/503/
slides:
https://devstreaming-cdn.apple.com/video...d_hevc.pdf

lots of info

We should also keep an eye on the upcoming Session 511:

https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2017/511/

High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) are powerful new standards-based technologies for storing and delivering images and video. Gain insights about how to take advantage of these next generation formats and dive deeper into the APIs that allow you to fully harness them in your apps.
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#10
(2017-06-07, 07:36)Memphiz Wrote: Support needs to be added to ffmpeg by their devs first.

Now I understand what you meant...basically all of this should be implemented by ffmpeg devs...I somehow misunderstood it was about apple devs...
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#11
One of my primary questions is whether or not we will finally be able to bitstream HD Audio...doubtful.
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#12
Unrelated tohevc?
AppleTV4/iPhone/iPod/iPad: HowTo find debug logs and everything else which the devs like so much: click here
HowTo setup NFS for Kodi: NFS (wiki)
HowTo configure avahi (zeroconf): Avahi_Zeroconf (wiki)
READ THE IOS FAQ!: iOS FAQ (wiki)
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#13
(2017-06-18, 12:41)Memphiz Wrote: Unrelated tohevc?

They are clearly giving some love to higher quality video, let's hope they do the same on the audio side of the equation.
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#14
Big Grin 
I have been a little confused ever since Intel announce a new driver that promise to leverage a 10bit HEVC hybrid decode of any Intel 4th gen CPU with Intel 5XXX graphics. I know you can’t update drivers in OSX yourself, but why can’t an Intel based Apple machine with those specs perform a hybrid decode of 10bit HEVC if Apple just updates the drivers in a future OS update? I was “assuming” at some point High Sierra would leverage this machines and not limit to Skylake 6th gen only? By my “calculations” it “appeared” certain Mac Airs with Intel 5000 graphics should of been able to do this? I (sadly) upgraded my girlfriends drivers in her Yoga 2 Pro knowing with Intel 4400 graphics Intel only promised 8bit hybrid decode which is nearly been abandoned as a format and might as well left it alone as all 10bit HEVC video is still just dumped onto a Dual Core 4510U to do a full software decode. I do know initial tests where not showing the CPUs getting much help from the GPU firmware updates but I was still wondering if Apple might of at least “allowed” a legitimate Intel firmware update’s attempt to leverage a hybrid decode at least? I apologize I don’t have a link to Intel’s driver updates and accompanying chart showing what models would benefit but I’m 100% sure I figured out even some later model Mac Airs could potentially do a hybrid decode and I KNOW they aren’t Skylakes? Is this a PC only thing in the end? If so, any reason why Apple would not allow hardware Intel said was capable of doing in some fashion?
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Hardware HEVC support in High Sierra!! (via API)0