[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH v4 1/1] avutils/hwcontext: When deriving a hwdevice, search for existing device in both directions

[Soft Works]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ffmpeg-devel <ffmpeg-devel-bounces at ffmpeg.org> On Behalf Of Mark
> Thompson
> Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2021 12:04 AM
> To: ffmpeg-devel at ffmpeg.org
> Subject: Re: [FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH v4 1/1] avutils/hwcontext: When deriving a
> hwdevice, search for existing device in both directions
> 
> On 25/11/2021 02:41, Soft Works wrote:
> > The test /libavutil/tests/hwdevice checks that when deriving a device
> > from a source device and then deriving back to the type of the source
> > device, the result is matching the original source device, i.e. the
> > derivation mechanism doesn't create a new device in this case.
> >
> > Previously, this test was usually passed, but only due to two different
> > kind of flaws:
> >
> > 1. The test covers only a single level of derivation (and back)
> >
> > It derives device Y from device X and then Y back to the type of X and
> > checks whether the result matches X.
> >
> > What it doesn't check for, are longer chains of derivation like:
> >
> > CUDA1 > OpenCL2 > CUDA3 and then back to OpenCL4
> >
> > In that case, the second derivation returns the first device (CUDA3 ==
> > CUDA1), but when deriving OpenCL4, hwcontext.c was creating a new
> > OpenCL4 context instead of returning OpenCL2, because there was no link
> > from CUDA1 to OpenCL2 (only backwards from OpenCL2 to CUDA1)
> 
> Yes, this is exactly what I expect.
> 
> Because of how these APIs work, device derivation is always one-way - you can
> make an OpenCL device from a D3D11 one, but not the other direction.  I don't
> think there is any case which allows both directions

hwmap=reverse=1


> Saying that derivation from A should always return the same B is not
> intended, nor do I think it should be.

Why not?

Looking at the reality of API users:

- I'm covering a wide range of different processing pipelines and 
  found that this behavior is crucial to make important and relevant
  processing pipelines work

- Intel have three different workaround-patches in their backlog/queue
  of ffmpeg patches to get certain processing setups working

- The developers working on Vulkan have confirmed that this change
  is necessary and crucial for certain setups to work

- Nobody has named any case or scenario that would be negatively
  affected by this change

Given that situation, I don't think it's useful to talk about 
theoretical implications.

Kind regards,
softworkz