RK3566 H.264 Encoding Performance Issue

Zero Series
1

Hello,

I am testing H.264 encoding on the ZERO3w and Radxa Camera 8M (IMX219) platform using GStreamer ( mpph264enc ).
According to the specification, RK3566 should support 1080p @ 30fps hardware encoding.

However, in my test pipeline:

gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src device=/dev/video0 io-mode=4 ! \
video/x-raw,format=NV12,width=1920,height=1080,framerate=30/1 ! \
mpph264enc ! h264parse ! fakesink

and also in my C application using appsink , the measured framerate is only around 20 fps , not 30 fps.

Could you please advise why the encoder cannot reach 30 fps?

  • Is there any parameter I need to adjust in mpph264enc ?
  • Could this be a limitation of the driver or V4L2 capture?
  • Are there known constraints on the RK3566 hardware encoder that could cause this drop in frame rate?

Thank you for your support.

2

The default mode is 20 FPS. You need to set the 30 FPS mode for 1920x1080 frame size manually.

3

thank！but…
I have now reached 30fps encoding, but when I set " sudo media-ctl -d /dev/media0 --set-v4l2 ‘“m00_b_imx219 2-0010”:0[fmt:SRGGB10_1X10/1920x1080]’ " I need to restart rkaiq_3A_server after restarting rkaiq_3A_server , the camera output becomes completely black. It looks like the ISP is not working properly after the restart.

4

You need to stop the engine first, set the mode and restart. If that does not help, perhaps downgrading the engine would fix this. But i think you are satisfied with 30fps encoding, so no need to mess with engine and modes.

5

Hello

For wichoane OS image you successfully enable camera imx219?

I try official image from radax but not suuces to activated

Subject: Radxa Zero 3 + IMX219 8MP Camera – No Working Drivers Found on Any OS Image

Hello,

I am writing regarding the Radxa Zero 3 (RK3566) and the Radxa 8MP IMX219 CSI camera module.
After extensive testing, I have not been able to get this camera to work properly on any official or third-party OS image.

Below is a short, precise summary of what I have tested and what the results were.

  1. Hardware

Board: Radxa Zero 3 (RK3566)

Camera: Radxa 8MP IMX219 (Raspberry Pi Camera V2 compatible)

CSI connection confirmed

Camera is visible on I²C:
i2c-6, address 0x30, consistently detected with i2cdetect

Hardware side is OK.

  1. Armbian (6.1.115, community image)

Image used:
Armbian_community_26.2.0-trunk.22_Radxa-zero3_trixie_vendor_6.1.115_minimal.img

Observations:

Camera appears in the RKISP media pipeline

/dev/video0 is created

Streaming works (GStreamer → VLC)

BUT image is extremely dark, almost black

Even with:

maximum manual exposure/gain via v4l2-ctl

videobalance / gamma correction

custom IQ files

Indicates incomplete ISP support (no AE/AWB/gamma) on kernel 6.1 for Zero 3.

Conclusion:
Camera is detected, but image quality is unusable.

  1. Radxa Debian (Bookworm, Kernel 6.1)

Camera is not detected at all

No /dev/video* from RKISP

Overlays in rsetup do NOT activate the camera on Zero 3

Conclusion:
IMX219 does not load on the official 6.1 image.

  1. Radxa Debian (Bullseye XFCE, Kernel 5.10 BSP)

Image:
radxa-zero3_debian_bullseye_xfce_b6 (kernel 5.10.160-26-rk356x)

Confirmed DTB: rk3566-radxa-zero3.dtb

rsetup overlays list:

“Enable Raspberry Pi Camera v1.3” (OV5647)

“Enable Raspberry Pi Camera v2” (IMX219)

Enabled “Raspberry Pi Camera v2” successfully

After reboot:

Still only /dev/video-dec0 and /dev/video-enc0

NO /dev/video0

NO RKISP pipeline nodes for the camera

Meanwhile:

Camera still visible on I²C (0x30), so hardware is fine

This strongly suggests that the IMX219 overlay does not apply correctly to Radxa Zero 3

Conclusion:
On Debian 5.10 BSP, the camera never appears as a video device.
The overlay seems to target CM3/CM5/other boards, not Zero 3.

  1. Summary of the issue

After testing all available OS images:

OS / Kernel Camera Detection Image Quality Notes
Armbian 6.1 YES Very dark / ISP incomplete Not usable
Radxa Debian 6.1 NO — Driver missing
Radxa Debian 5.10 BSP NO — Overlay does not work for Zero 3

In no combination of OS + overlays does IMX219 work properly on Zero

Best regards,