VDPU381 and VDPU383 video decoders are found in Rockchip RK3588 and RK3576 SoCs and variants like the RK3588S and RK3576J. So far, we had to rely on the Rockchip BSP to support hardware video decoding, but Collabora has just announced upstream/mainline Linux support for H.264 (AVC) and H.265 (HEVC) video decoding for RK3588 and RK3576 SoCs. Highlights of H.265/H.264 video decoder implementation on mainline Linux: A 17-patch series adding decoder support, in addition to dt-bindings and device tree nodes New V4L2 HEVC UAPI controls for explicit short-term and long-term RPS (Reference Picture Set) handling Fixing a non-obvious IOMMU restore issue caused by decoder-embedded IOMMU resets Struct-based register programming model to enforce completeness, ordering, and future multi-core readiness The new V4L2 UAPI controls for HEVC long and short-term Reference Picture Set (RPS) are required for the VDPU381 (RK3588) and VDP383 (RK3576) video decoders, contrary to some other decoders (e.g., VeriSilicon) that […]
MediaTek MT7902 wireless chipset finally gets a Linux driver
MediaTek MT7902 wireless modules are used in many Windows laptops, but so far, a Linux driver has been missing. This is about to change, as Mediatek has finally committed a patchset for MT7902 to the mainline Linux mailing list. This is personal. I bought an ASUS Vivobook 16 in August 2023, and Ubuntu 22.04 worked pretty well out of the box, except for support for the Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth module, detected as “Network controller: MEDIATEK Corp. Device 7902” with lscpi but without working drivers. Since then, I’ve been using the laptop connected to the USB dock with Ethernet support when at home, or using USB tethering with my phone when on the road. I initially thought it might just be a matter of time before the driver is ported to Linux, but it took well over two years. I was far from being alone in my ordeal, and you […]

