RE: [meta-arago][master/wrynose][PATCH v2] meta-arago-distro: chromium: add force-h264-youtube extension

["Lannynd, Thorsten" <t-lannynd@ti.com>]

On 6/9/26 12:52 PM, Jon Cormier via lists.yoctoproject.org wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 9, 2026 at 1:43 PM Denys Dmytriyenko via lists.yoctoproject.org
> <denis=denix.org@lists.yoctoproject.org> wrote:
> >
> > On Tue, Jun 09, 2026 at 12:13:06PM -0500, Thorsten Lannynd via
> lists.yoctoproject.org wrote:
> > > Install a lightweight Chrome extension that forces YouTube to serve
> > > H.264 (avc1) by blocking VP8, VP9, and AV1 via
> MediaSource.isTypeSupported.
> > > This enables Wave5 hardware video decoding on YouTube, which only
> > > supports
> > > H.264 and HEVC.
> > >
> > > Installed at /usr/lib/chromium/extensions/force-h264-youtube
> > > and --load-extension flag is needed to enable the extension.
> > >
> > > Signed-off-by: Thorsten Lannynd <t-lannynd@ti.com>
> > > ---
> > > v2:
> > > - Remove the flag that enables extension by default as not all SoCs support
> > >   Wave5 and Chromium
> Why would disabling this extension help? Does this mean there are some SoCs
> which do support VP8, VP9, and AV1?  Or if using CPU, decode those better
> than h.264?
H.264 and HEVC are the only codecs with hardware acceleration, however, we
have one SoC that supports Chromium with no hardware video decoder.

Not enabling the extension gives the user control over what codec YouTube
Is serving. I found the CPU utilization results to be roughly around the same,
at 480p 30 fps when using S/W acceleration for AV1 and H.264 with
significant playback stutters.

> >
> > This is also fine, though requires enabling it manually...
> 
> >
> >
> >
> > >  .../chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland-arago.inc | 13 +++++++++++++
> > >  .../force-h264-youtube/force_h264.js          |  4 ++++
> > >  .../force-h264-youtube/manifest.json          | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
> > >  3 files changed, 36 insertions(+)
> > >  create mode 100644
> > > meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-brow
> > > ser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-youtube/force_h264.js
> > >  create mode 100644
> > > meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-brow
> > > ser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-youtube/manifest.json
> > >
> > > diff --git
> > > a/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-br
> > > owser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland-arago.inc
> > > b/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-br
> > > owser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland-arago.inc
> > > index ab092fa1..d8eb0204 100644
> > > ---
> > > a/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-br
> > > owser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland-arago.inc
> > > +++ b/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipe
> > > +++ s-browser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland-arago.inc
> > > @@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
> > >  PR:append = ".arago0"
> > >
> > > +EXTENSION_DIR = "/usr/lib/chromium/extensions/force-h264-youtube"
> > > +
> > >  FILESEXTRAPATHS:prepend := "${THISDIR}/chromium-ozone-wayland:"
> > >
> > >  PACKAGECONFIG:append = " proprietary-codecs"
> > > @@ -9,4 +11,15 @@ SRC_URI:append = " \
> > >                    file://0002-chromium-gpu-sandbox-Allow-GPU-sandbox-access-
> to-V4L.patch \
> > >                    file://0003-chromium-gpu-v4l2-Fix-OUTPUT-queue-streaming-in-
> V4L2.patch \
> > >
> > > file://0004-media-gpu-v4l2-Avoid-placing-incomplete-H264-access-.pat
> > > ch \
> > > +                  file://force-h264-youtube/force_h264.js \
> > > +                  file://force-h264-youtube/manifest.json \
> > >                    "
> > > +
> > > +do_install:append() {
> > > +    install -d ${D}${EXTENSION_DIR}
> > > +    install -m 0644 ${WORKDIR}/sources/force-h264-youtube/force_h264.js
> \
> > > +                    ${WORKDIR}/sources/force-h264-youtube/manifest.json \
> > > +                    ${D}${EXTENSION_DIR}/ }
> > > +
> > > +FILES:${PN}:append = " ${EXTENSION_DIR}"
> > > diff --git
> > > a/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-br
> > > owser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-
> youtube/force_h264.
> > > js
> > > b/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-br
> > > owser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-
> youtube/force_h264.
> > > js
> > > new file mode 100644
> > > index 00000000..5e942321
> > > --- /dev/null
> > > +++ b/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipe
> > > +++ s-browser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-
> youtube/for
> > > +++ ce_h264.js
> > > @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
> > > +(function() {
> > > +    var orig = MediaSource.isTypeSupported.bind(MediaSource);
> > > +    MediaSource.isTypeSupported = function(t) { return
> > > +/vp8|vp09?|av01/i.test(t) ? false : orig(t); }; })();
> > > diff --git
> > > a/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-br
> > > owser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-
> youtube/manifest.js
> > > on
> > > b/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipes-br
> > > owser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-
> youtube/manifest.js
> > > on
> > > new file mode 100644
> > > index 00000000..fc69be22
> > > --- /dev/null
> > > +++ b/meta-arago-distro/dynamic-layers/chromium-browser-layer/recipe
> > > +++ s-browser/chromium/chromium-ozone-wayland/force-h264-
> youtube/man
> > > +++ ifest.json
> > > @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
> > > +{
> > > +  "manifest_version": 3,
> > > +  "name": "Force H.264",
> > > +  "version": "1.0.0",
> > > +  "description": "Lightweight extension that forces YouTube to play
> > > +H.264 (avc1) by blocking VP8, VP9, and AV1",
> > > +  "content_scripts": [
> > > +    {
> > > +      "matches": [
> > > +        "*://*.youtube.com/*",
> > > +        "*://*.youtube-nocookie.com/*",
> > > +        "*://*.youtu.be/*"
> > > +      ],
> > > +      "js": ["force_h264.js"],
> > > +      "run_at": "document_start",
> > > +      "world": "MAIN",
> > > +      "all_frames": true
> > > +    }
> > > +  ]
> > > +}
> > > --
> > > 2.34.1
> >
> >
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> 
> 
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> Jonathan Cormier
> Senior Software Engineer
> 
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