OpenSource CUDA Encoder Project

[rica]

Hi guys.
I've been awaiting a real CUDA encoder from the skilled coders.
This is gonna be a common/massive project; i hope.

I'd not even ask about a CUDA encoder to begin with. Discussion of it has popped up -many- times and it's a no go because of the extensive resources required. Unless you have a lot of coders who are willing to put time and effort into optimizing code for CUDA, it's not happening. IIRC, one huge issue Dark Shikari had was getting functions to run fast enough to make it worthwhile.


Thanks in advance.

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[rica]

I do not believe it can not be figured out.
Please take in.
Yes or No would be almost satisfactory.

[Chengbin]

I think x264 has already gotten a lot of peoples' hands full. x264 is not that slow. Also, it will be a long time before it is actually programmed for speed and reach the quality of x264.

I think x264 is good enough now. I don't believe it is worth it to produce a GPU x264.

[Sharktooth]

there is no interest in GPU encoders since they're actually slower and produce worse quality than software solutions.

[Esurnir]

Though, if your good at cuda encoding, I'm sure a way to run some threads of ESA/TESA on CUDA could be found.

[Sharktooth]

actually that's not certain at all...

[Sagekilla]

@Esurnir: You keep assuming "if you're good at CUDA coding.." But, there are very few (if any) CUDA programmers who are actually -good- at it. CUDA hasn't been around for a few decades like C, and even though it has a "C like" language (C like does not mean it's as easy to use as C though) it's still extremely difficult to code for it.

Many, many people have come before in your same shoes asking for the same thing. Try programming with CUDA yourself, and see if you can accomplish anything. Otherwise, asking other people who are already busy with projects like x264 won't get you anywhere.

[CruNcher]

The best currently @ this are Elemental Technologies and we gonna see what they and Nvidia come up with in the future, though they are a lot other 2nd level ISVs that working on GPU Encoding but it's questionable if they gonna reach Elementals Quality.
Their GPU Encoder is very well comparable with x264's quality goal especially with the 2nd Consumer release of Badaboom and Main Profile support, yet it's not clear if they gonna make High Profile availabe in the Consumer Application (Badaboom) also they still lack all the HVS Enhancements of x264, though i guess they could easily borrow Darks Complexity Masking at least :)

[Sharktooth]

speculation... and no, it's not comparable at all...

[Dark Shikari]

Their GPU Encoder is very well comparable with x264's quality Oh dear, you're trying to get me to spit soda all over my keyboard aren't you?

[shon3i]

What about developing something which use both CPU and GPU at same time?? Is that possible?? I think using GPU only isn't much efficient than normal quad core system.

[Sharktooth]

badaboom does that... the ati encoder too...
not worth...

[rica]

Thanks guys for the responses.
I understand there would never been an open source CUDA encoder project; at least for now :)

[Sharktooth]

well, maybe in the near future. however, the difficulties are the same when cell was out for the first time.
programmers cant still figure, in certain cases, how to squeeze performance from that beast... go figure.

[Ranguvar]

Bottom line is that it's hard to write for CUDA and it's questionable whether the GPU can really help much.

The GPU is good at some things - the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT3DGPU destroys FFT3DFilter with a 9600GT and Q6600), video decoding, and Folding-type apps come to mind (compare a PS3 or a fast GPU to any modern CPU... no contest). When it's better than a CPU, it's far better. But otherwise it's just a lot of effort for likely minimal gain.

Even with all that, I'd wait for OpenCL before doing any very large project. Supporting only one of the two big descrete graphics card makers seems like a very bad idea IMO, even if OpenCL takes ages to get out. I own NVIDIA, but vendor lock-in is a very, very, VERY bad thing.

[Sharktooth]

agreed. also coz OpenCL is an open standard while CUDA is proprietary.
apple tends towards OpenCL too, so it's just a matter of time.
most likely, MS will have its counterpart with DirectX11 though, but, as CUDA, it will be proprietary as well...

[Ranguvar]

Oh, god... not an MS "standard" x.x

For once in my life, I'm rooting on the Apple side.

[Sharktooth]

it's called DirectX 11 Compute Shaders (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9F943B2B-53EA-4F80-84B2-F05A360BFC6A&displaylang=en).
btw, my hope is OpenCL becomes the de-facto standard.