Video Decoder tests

The video decoder tests are a set of tests used to validate various video decoder implementations. Multiple scenarios are tested, and the resulting decoded frames are validated against known checksums. These tests run directly on top of the video decoder implementation, and don‘t require the full Chrome browser stack. They can be very useful when adding support for a new codec or platform, or to make sure code changes don’t break existing functionality. They are build on top of the GoogleTest framework.

Running from Tast

The Tast framework provides an easy way to run the video decoder tests from a ChromeOS chroot. Test data is automatically deployed to the device being tested.

tast run <host> video.<test_name>

e.g.: tast run $HOST video.DecodeAccelH264

Check the tast video folder for a list of all available tests. See the Tast quickstart guide for more information about the Tast framework.

Note: Tast tests are currently being migrated from the video_decode_accelerator_unittest to the new video_decode_accelerator_tests binary. Check the documentation for more info about the old video decode accelerator tests.

Running manually

To run the video decoder tests manually the video_decode_accelerator_tests target needs to be built and deployed to the device being tested. Running the video decoder tests can be done by executing:

./video_decode_accelerator_tests [<video path>] [<video metadata path>]

e.g.: ./video_decode_accelerator_tests test-25fps.h264

Test videos: Test videos are present for multiple codecs in the media/test/data folder in Chromium's source tree (e.g. test-25fps.vp8). If no video is specified test-25fps.h264 will be used.

Video Metadata: These videos also have an accompanying metadata .json file that needs to be deployed alongside the test video. They can also be found in the media/test/data folder (e.g. test-25fps.h264.json). If no metadata file is specified <video path>.json will be used. The video metadata file contains info about the video such as its codec profile, dimensions, number of frames and a list of md5 frame checksums to validate decoded frames. These frame checksums can be generated using ffmpeg, e.g.: ffmpeg -i test-25fps.h264 -f framemd5 test-25fps.h264.frames.md5.

Command line options

Multiple command line arguments can be given to the command:

 -v                  enable verbose mode, e.g. -v=2.
--vmodule            enable verbose mode for the specified module,
                     e.g. --vmodule=*media/gpu*=2.
--disable_validator  disable frame validation, useful on old
                     platforms that don't support import mode.
--output_frames      write all decoded video frames to the
                     "video_frames" folder.
--use_vd             use the new VD-based video decoders, instead of
                     the default VDA-based video decoders.
--gtest_help         display the gtest help and exit.
--help               display this help and exit.

Source code

See the video decoder tests source code.