[PATCH v2 1/1] media: Documentation: Interaction between routes, formats and selections

Sakari Ailus
2022-12-07T10:58:08Z

Document how setting up routes interacts with formats and selections.

Signed-off-by: Sakari Ailus <sakari.ailus@linux.intel.com>
---
since v1:

- Rewording changes based on Tomi's comments. In particular stricter
separation between "stream" and "stream ID".

.../userspace-api/media/v4l/dev-subdev.rst | 50 ++++++++++++++-----
1 file changed, 37 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/dev-subdev.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/dev-subdev.rst
index 5075b1828b32d..92710bb9a0caa 100644
--- a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/dev-subdev.rst
+++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/v4l/dev-subdev.rst
@@ -406,6 +406,8 @@ pixel array is not rectangular but cross-shaped or round. The maximum
size may also be smaller than the BOUNDS rectangle.

+.. _format-propagation:
+
Order of configuration and format propagation
---------------------------------------------

@@ -507,12 +509,12 @@ source pads.
Streams, multiplexed media pads and internal routing
----------------------------------------------------

-Commonly V4L2 subdevices support only separate video streams, that is, only a
-single stream can pass through a media link and a media pad. Thus each pad
-contains a format configuration for that single stream. In some cases a subdev
-can do stream processing and split a stream into two or compose two streams
-into one, but the inputs and outputs for the subdev are still a single stream
-per pad.
+Simple V4L2 subdevices do not support multiple, unrelated video streams,
+and only a single stream can pass through a media link and a media pad.
+Thus each pad contains a format and selection configuration for that
+single stream. A subdev can do stream processing and split a stream into
+two or compose two streams into one, but the inputs and outputs for the
+subdev are still a single stream per pad.

Some hardware, e.g. MIPI CSI-2, support multiplexed streams, that is, multiple
data streams are transmitted on the same bus, which is represented by a media
@@ -539,14 +541,33 @@ streams from one end of the link to the other, and subdevices have routing
tables which describe how the incoming streams from sink pads are routed to the
source pads.

-A stream ID (often just "stream") is a media link-local identifier for a stream.
+A stream ID is a media link-local identifier for a stream.
In other words, a particular stream ID must exist on both sides of a media
link, but another stream ID can be used for the same stream at the other side
-of the subdevice.
+of the subdevice. The same stream ID is used to refer to the stream on
+both pads of the link on all ioctls operating on pads.
+
+A stream at a specific point in the media pipeline is identified by the
+sub-devdev and a pad ID-stream ID pair. For subdevices that do not support
+multiplexed streams the 'stream' field is always 0.
+
+Interaction between routes, formats and selections
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The addition of routes to the V4L2 sub-device interface moves the
+sub-device formats and selections from pads to pad ID-stream ID pairs.
+Besides the usual pad ID, also the stream ID needs to be provided for
+setting formats and selections.
+
+Instead of the sub-device wide merging of streams from all source pads
+towards all sink pads, data flows for each route are separate from each
+other. Any number of routes from streams on sink pads towards streams on
+source pads is allowed, to the extent supported by drivers. For every
+stream on a sink pad, however, only a single route is allowed.

-A stream at a specific point in the media pipeline is identified with the
-subdev and a (pad, stream) pair. For subdevices that do not support
-multiplexed streams the 'stream' is always 0.
+Stream IDs, part of routes, are configured by using the
+:ref:`VIDIOC_SUBDEV_S_ROUTING <VIDIOC_SUBDEV_G_ROUTING>` ioctl. This will
+also revert the format and selection configuration to device defaults.

Configuring streams
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
@@ -565,8 +586,11 @@ Controller API <media_controller>`
setting the routing table will reset all the stream configurations in a media
entity.

-3) Configure streams. Each route endpoint must be configured
-with :ref:`VIDIOC_SUBDEV_S_FMT <VIDIOC_SUBDEV_G_FMT>`.
+3) Configure formats and selections. Each route is configured separately
+as documented plain subdevices in :ref:`<format-propagation>`. The stream
+ID is set to the same stream ID associated with either sink or source pads
+of routes configured using the :ref:`VIDIOC_SUBDEV_S_ROUTING
+<VIDIOC_SUBDEV_G_ROUTING>` ioctl.

Multiplexed streams setup example
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
--
2.30.2