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QNX® SDK for Apps and Media 1.1: Release Notes

Electronic edition published: Tuesday,  April  21,  2015

Target OS: This SDK produces software that's compatible with ARMLE-v7 and x86 targets that are running QNX® Neutrino® 6.6.

Host OS: You can install this package on one of the following development hosts:

  • Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, or XP Professional SP3
  • Linux Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 64-bit or Ubuntu Workstation LTS 12.04 32- and 64-bit
Important: Don't install QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.1 if you've installed QNX CAR™ Platform for Infotainment 2.1. This version of Apps and Media isn't an update; it's for connected embedded devices only.

What's in this release?

The QNX SDK for Apps and Media extends the tools provided by the QNX Software Development Platform by adding the following:

  • Support for x86 platform
  • QNX Browser
  • Advanced UI/UX components
    • Soft Keyboard
    • QNX Browser invocation from Qt5
  • Multimedia Enhacements
    • Support for RTP streams
    • Support for software based video decoding
  • Out-of-box improvements
    • Qt5 availability
    • Reference home screens and demo applications

Supported media devices and file formats

The QNX SDK for Apps and Media currently supports various device types, codecs, and video formats, some of which may require you to additionally download and install optional add-on packages.

Note: You can obtain the optional add-on packages from the QNX Download Center (www.qnx.com). Install them according to installation instructions included in each archive.
Device types
  • USB
  • SD
  • iPod
Codecs/containers

The QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.1 supports the playback of the following:

  • AAC
  • MP3
  • WMA9
  • WMA10
  • WAV

For some platforms, you'll need to get and install codecs or decoders for video playback:

  • BeagleBone Black — Ittiam software codecs.
  • i.MX6Q SABRE Smart — Freescale codecs.
  • OMAP5432 EVM — Texas Instruments video codecs.
Video formats
  • MP4/MPEG4 Part 14
  • H.264/MPEG4 Part 10
  • DIVX/XVID
  • VC-1
Display support
  • The default display is a Lilliput FA1012-NP/C/T 10.1" LCD touchscreen monitor with multi-touch DVI HDMI.
  • The default output resolution is 1280x720 at 60FPS. Note that BeagleBone Black supports a resolution of 800x400.

Known issues

General

  • When installing QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.1 on a host that's running Windows 7 64-bit, the installer may fail if it doesn't find the InstallAnywhere registry where it's expected. (Ref# 817181)
    Workaround:
    1. Open a new command shell.
    2. Set up your environment in this command shell by running the following command:
      base_directory\qnx660-env.bat
                                      

      where base_directory is where you installed QNX SDP.

    3. From this command shell, launch the QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.1 installer.
  • When uninstalling QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.1 on a host that's running Windows 7 64-bit, the uninstaller may fail if the path for the lax.nl.current.vm variable is incorrect. (Ref# 923741)
    Workaround:
    1. Open the following file for editing:
      base_directory\install\qnx-sdk\1.1\uninstaller.lax
                                      

      where base_directory is where you installed QNX SDP.

    2. Locate the entry for the lax.nl.current.vm variable.
    3. Modify the lax.nl.current.vm variable and set it to the following:
      lax.nl.current.vm=..\\..\\..\\jre\\bin\\java.exe
                                      
    4. Try uninstalling QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.1 again.
  • There is currently no support for stroked text on HTML5 Canvas using Freetype fonts. (Ref# J750868)
  • By default, the library reference usr/lib/libdbnotify.so.1 in the infra/filesets/basefs.common.multimedia.xml doesn't include a directive to create a symlink that doesn't have the version number. For example, a symlink for libdbnotify.so.1 to libdbnotify.so.(Ref# J835561)

    Workaround: Add the following symbolic link:

    <symlink name="usr/lib/libdbnotify.so" target="libdbnotify.so.1" uid="root" gid="nto" mode="0755"/>
                            
  • The Launcher fails to create the directory in /accounts/1000/appdata/ for applications whose IDs are longer than 48 characters. Therefore, these applications can't be started. (Ref# 190345, J240678)

    Workaround: Ensure the app ID is less than 48 characters long.

  • Repeatedly switching between regular and private browsing in the Browser app may result in tab bar to stop working. (Ref# J845124)
  • If you add a tag for, or edit a bookmark in the Browser app, you must tap Save twice in order to save your changes. (Ref# J777059)
  • There's no option available to allow or disallow the Browser Lite app from sending location information. (Ref# J812463)
  • Attempting to delete a site permission from a list of permissions in the Browser app results overlapping text appearing briefly on the display. (Ref# J819620)
  • Configuring a proxy in the Browser app doesn't work. (Ref# J723847)
    Workaround: Specify the following in /scripts.env.sh:
    export http_proxy=http://[ip_address]:[port]/
                            
    where ip_address and port are the IP address and the port number respectively.
  • The Browser app can't authenticate credientials on sites that use Digest and Basic access authentication. (Ref# J769667)
  • Graphics-intense sites may cause issues with the Browser or Browser Lite apps. The following broswer test sites may show issues as described:
    • http://browsemark.rightware.com

      Browser app may crash unexpectedly. (Ref# J908805, J894262, J847481)

    • http://css3test.com

      Browser Lite app may crash due to low memeory on BeagleBone Black. (Ref# J883211, J893115)

      Browser app may crash unexpectedly. (Ref# J732320)

    • http://jeremybouny.fr/ocean/demo

      Browser app may crash on x86 Bay Trail. (Ref# J828030)

    • http://acid3.acidtests.org

      Browser Lite app may blink continuously while tests are running on i.MX6x SABRE Smart. (Ref# J917874)

    • http://www.w3schools.com

      Browser app may show black screen on x86 Bay Trail. (Ref# J913213)

  • Websites where JavaScript is used to change volume result in the Browser and Browser Lite apps changing the volume setting at the start of video playbacks. (Ref# J832432)
  • In the Browser app, if you use the soft keyboard to type in the address bar and then open the list of search providers, the address bar moves to the bottom of the display and can't be edited. (Ref# J754881)
  • A Web SQL database rollback may fail if there's a transaction that attempts to populate a table that doesn't currently exist. (Ref# J763634)
  • The software keyboard may not be displayed even when you have input focus. (Ref# J807576, J915084)

    Workaround: Try touching the input area once again to make the keyboard reappear.

  • The Shutdown app may fail on x86 Bay Trail and VMware. (Ref# J823400)
  • All tables listed in the <ConfigurableMetadata> section in the /etc/mm/mm-sync.conf file must also exist in your database schema. Additionally, for each metadata field you want to store in the database, you must define a <metadata> element in <ConfigurableMetadata> that maps the field read from the metadata provider to the database storage field. (Ref# J671540)
  • On Linux platforms, the uninstallation process might not remove all files for the QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.1, such as documentation-specific files. (Ref# J803117)

    Workaround: Refer to QNX Apps and Media 1.1 Installation Note.

  • If you are using a physical keyboard, the browser may be sized incorrectly as if to accomodate a software keyboard.
    Workaround: On your target:
    1. Set the HAS_SOFTWARE_KEYBOARD environment variable in the file /scripts/env.override.variant:
      export HAS_SOFTWARE_KEYBOARD=false
                                      
    2. Reboot your target.
  • WebInspector might not work with browsers that are not WebKit based. (Ref# J870176)
  • Use of some IP cameras may require full URL, username, and password. (Ref# J766978)

    For example, when using an Axis IP camera, you’ll be prompted for the address of the camera you wish to use. At this prompt, you should input:

    rtsp://root:root@am-ipcam-01/axis-media/media.amp
                        
  • If you run a reference image with a Lilliput 1012 NP/C/T monitor, the screen size should be 800x480, but the library sets it to 752x450, causing overscanning. (Ref# J814047, J879564, J807215)

    Workaround: Hold down the MENU button on the Lilliput for few seconds to correct the overscanning.

BeagleBone Black

  • The full Browser app isn't supported for the Beaglebone Black reference image. (Ref# J819690)

    Workaround: Use the Browser Lite app.

  • The current SGX driver doesn't support the output format from the USB camera on the Beaglebone Black boards. (Ref# J809725)

    Workaround: Use IP camera.

  • The software keyboard may stop processing input. (Ref# J915021)
  • In video playback, fast forwarding beyond 2x isn't supported; fast forwarding and rewinding several times may cause audio and video to become out of sync. (Ref# J842377, J883202)
  • Audio playback at half-speed may cause the target to reset. (Ref# J918109)

i.MX6x SABRE Smart

  • WebGL isn't supported on i.MX6x SABRE Smart boards. (Ref# J736468)
  • After completion of a video playback, you might need to select the Play button multiple times before you can replay the video. (Ref# J803484)

Jacinto 6

  • In an expanded list of search engines from the Browser app, a long tap on some of the search engines fails to present a Delete option. (Ref# J895122)

OMAP5 5432 uEVM

  • The volume slider bar must be 40% or greater to hear audio for any of the media playback apps (e.g., Media Player, Audio demo). (Ref# J751985)
  • Attempting to play four or more videos concurrently may result irregularities in some video playbacks. (Ref# J611884)

    Workaround: Stop all video playbacks and restart with less video playbacks running concurrently.

  • Default video in Media Player app may not start playing at the beginning. (Ref# J916549)
  • When playing video in reverse, only one image might be displayed. (Ref# J891493)

x86 Bay Trail

  • Camera app may stop working if USB camera is detached and attached again.(Ref# J824938)

    Workaround: Attach your USB camera and reboot your target.

  • There's a known memory leak with mm-renderer; approximately 5kB is leaked per video playback.(Ref# J845140)

    Workaround: If you note that your memory usage is high and increasing, stop and restart mm-renderer.

VMware

  • Only one VMware session with networking can be running at any given time because VMWare (e.g., Workstation and Player) uses a static MAC address. (Ref# J770631)

    Workaround: Dynamically generate the MAC address by following these steps in VMware:

    1. Do the following:
      • If you're using VMware Workstation, from the VM menu, click Settings, select Network Adapter and then click the Advanced button.
      • If you're using VMware Player, from the Player menu, select Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, select Network Adapter, and then click the Advanced button.
    2. To assign a new MAC address to the network adapter, either type a new address in MAC address box, or click Generate to have VMware generate a new address for you.
    3. Click OK.
  • An 8-bit unsigned .wav file played through the PCM software mixer device may cause io-audio to fail in VMware. (Ref# J787201)
  • VMware can send only pointer events and is unable to simulate touch events. (Ref# J769443, J776046)
  • The Browser Lite app doesn't display a Media error dialog when it's unable to play a video in VMware. (Ref# J783357)
  • In the Browser app for VMware, the control panel might not disappear for bookmarks that are loaded in the background on new tabs. (Ref# J781048)
  • In the Browser and Browser Lite apps for VMware, a single-click event on a web page might cause the page to zoom in or zoom out. (Ref# J780074)
  • If there are multiple tabs open in the Browser Lite app for VMware, you might not be able to scroll to all of the tabs. (Ref# J763576)
  • In VMware, the Options button in the Browser app might stop working after setting Home Page. (Ref# J845911)

    Workaround: Remove localstorage file:

    1. From the Settings option, note your IP address.
    2. Telnet to this IP address.
    3. Log in as root.
    4. Change directory to /accounts/1000/appdata/sys.browser.gYABgJYFHAzbeFMPCCpYWBtHAm0/data/chrome/localstorage/
      cd /accounts/1000/appdata/sys.browser.gYABgJYFHAzbeFMPCCpYWBtHAm0/data/chrome/localstorage/
                                  

      Note that on your specific VMware session, the string of characters following sys.browser. may differ from this example.

    5. Delete the local__0.localstorage file:
      rm local__0.localstorage
                                  
    6. Stop and restart your Browser app.
  • If attempting to playback a video from the Browser app in VMware, a Media Error dialog may popup and can't be dismissed. (Ref# J783013)

    Workaround: Try selecting the OK button on the dialog several times, or restart your Browser app.

  • You may see some unexpected icons on the right side of your page while scrolling in the Browser and Browser Lite apps for VMware. (Ref# J784128)
  • The following apps are not available in VMware:
    • IP Camera
    • Camera
    • Video Demo
    (Ref# J927702)

Fixed issues

The following reported issues for QNX SDK for Apps and Media 1.0 have been fixed:

General

  • The disk space requirement quoted in the Linux installer is incorrect. The correct information is listed in the installation note. (Ref# 259685, J393514)
  • To use the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) with usblauncher, mm-sync, or mm-renderer, you must make a number of changes (Ref# J616410):
    1. In the Multimedia section of the BSP_directory/src/hardware/support/appsmedia-sample/appsmedia-sample-common.build file, add the following:
      /lib/dll/iofs-pfs.so
    2. In the ${QNX_TARGET}/etc/usblauncher/rules.lua file, remove the start and end comments ("--[[" and "--]]" , respectively) from the following section:
      -- generic MTP rule should proceed generic MSC (mass storage) rule so that it is tried first.
      --[[
      -- example commented out
      device() {
              ms_desc("MTP") {
                      driver"io-fs-media -dpfs,device=$(busno):$(devno):$(iface)";
              };
      };
      --]]
      
    3. In the ${QNX_TARGET}/etc/mm/mm-md.conf file, remove the comment ("#") character from the following lines:
      #[plugin]
      #dll=mm-mdp-mediafs.so
      ...
      #mtp=mediafs
      
    4. Run make appsmedia-sample to rebuild the image.

iPod

  • iPod Playback is no longer choppy. (Ref# J439788)
  • When the target is booted with an iPod connected, the iPod now plays music as expected. (Ref# J422442)
  • When you're connected to iPod via USB3.0 and playing a DLNA track, you can now switch media sources and play any track. (Ref# J413373)
  • Album art for iPods that have operating systems older than iOS 5 isn't supported. (Ref# 267838, J392405)
  • When you play a song from a connected iPod, the HMI no longer displays the wrong album art for that song. (Ref# J571196)
  • Enabling multiple iPods on the TI OMAP5 uEVM platform:

    To play tracks on multiple iPods concurrently on OMAP5, you must set a high enough value for the num_itd option passed to the USB stack (io-usb). (Ref# J502397)

    For each iPod, you must increase the num_itd value by about 150, on top of its default setting of 256. For example, to support 2 iPods, modify the arguments specified for io-usb in $QNX_DEPLOYMENT_WORKSPACE/target/product/AnM/boards/omap5uevm/etc/slm-config-platform.xml as follows:

    <SLM:component name="usb">
    <SLM:command>io-usb</SLM:command>
    <SLM:args>-vvv -c -dehci-omap3 ioport=0x4a064c00,irq=109,num_itd=512 -d sevm-omap5-xhci ioport=0x4a030000,irq=124<SLM:args>

Technical support

To obtain technical support for any QNX product, visit the Support area on our website (www.qnx.com). You'll find a wide range of support options, including community forums.

You can also view the forums on our community portal host, Foundry 27, http://community.qnx.com. There are forums for specific topics, including the BlackBerry 10 OS, development tools, networking, Board Support Packages, and so on.

Where can I get more information?

Start with the help docs that accompany your software (Help > Help Contents). In the Contents pane on the left, you should find these entries for the products you've installed:

  • QNX SDK for Apps and Media
  • QNX Software Development Platform

When you click an entry, you'll see a table in the right pane to guide you through the docs for that product.

For the latest version of the documentation, see http://www.qnx.com/developers/docs/.