Open-Source NVIDIA Driver Adds HDMI 2.1 Support Using GSP Firmware
Support for HDMI Fixed Rate Link (FRL), a key feature of the HDMI 2.1 specification, has been implemented for the open-source Nouveau graphics driver for NVIDIA GPUs on Linux. Developed by David Airlie at Red Hat, the patches leverage NVIDIA's GPU System Processor (GSP) firmware to enable higher display resolutions and refresh rates. The code, tested on an Ampere GPU, is expected to be proposed for inclusion in the Linux v7.2 kernel.
Key Takeaways
- David Airlie of Red Hat developed the patches to enable HDMI FRL, a key feature of the HDMI 2.1 specification, on the Nouveau driver.
- The implementation offloads most of the work to NVIDIA's closed-source GPU System Processor (GSP) firmware.
- This firmware-based method bypasses HDMI Forum restrictions that have blocked open-source HDMI 2.1 implementations for other drivers, such as AMDGPU.
- The functionality was successfully tested using an NVIDIA Ampere GPU and is proposed for inclusion in the Linux v7.2 kernel.
Why It Matters
This update enables high-resolution, high-refresh-rate video output over HDMI on Linux systems using NVIDIA hardware with the open-source Nouveau driver. For production environments, this expands options for playback and monitoring stations built on open-source platforms. The approach stands in contrast to the hurdles faced by the AMDGPU driver, highlighting a trend where hardware vendors use closed firmware blobs to enable licensed standards within an open-source driver framework. The signal to watch is the official acceptance of these patches into the Linux v7.2 kernel, which would make the feature widely available.
Read full article at phoronix.com
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