Isn't it time we had all new and exciting devices running mailing kernel? Robust and efficient Graphics & Media stacks are a must for most of these devices, yet mainline always fell behind in these areas. However, with the inclusion of Explicit Synchronization of buffer sharing in DRM, this is all starting to change. Explicit Synchronization is a way to let the userspace control the synchronization of buffers between drivers, allowing for smarter, and thus, more efficient decisions. And now V4L2 is on its way to support it as well!
With Explicit Synchronization, Android is now capable of running on top of mainline Graphics, and soon we will achieve similar results on Media side. There are also some extensions that we've been working on DRM to improve the performance in complex usecases, like Android Apps running inside ChromeOS.
In the end, these exciting developments will hopefully help broaden mainline usage in the industry!
Gustavo Padovan holds a BSc. Computer Science from the University of Campinas, Brazil. He is Linux Kernel Developer and works at the open-source consultancy Collabora Ltd. In the Kernel he has worked in a number of areas, notably as Maintainer of the Bluetooth Subsystem and has been... Read More →
