A Tip for Better Video Optimization when Porting Android to New Hardware

Several Android porting projects we’ve been working on require video optimization.

Video performance issues are usually related to one of the following:

• video drivers
• OpenGL
• codecs

The most recent video performance issue occurred because video displayed with a rate of 7 frames per second instead of 25 FPS (the way it should be).

After using a series of benchmark programs to isolate the problem cause, it became clear the video player was displaying frames with frequency based on the audio stream time. As soon as we changed the frame rate frequency based on system time, everything started working OK.

Of course, this partial fix is not the final solution since some side effects are possible, such as non-synchronized video and audio streams. Experience shows that troubleshooting such issues becomes the essential and significant part of Android porting projects.