[FFmpeg-devel] Threading issue with avcodec_decode_video2 ?

[Don Moir]

>I load up multiple instances of the same file. These are used for playback, thumbnails, and other things. Each is in a separate 
>thread with their own context, variables, etc.
>
> We noticed a crash when decoding WMV3 files. It's was a rare event so hard to track down.
>
> Recently I put some code in to help find the problem. It seems that avcodec_decode_video2 is not thread safe at least for WMV3 
> decoding.
>
> I have disable-pthreads set. I use av_lockmgr_register and see it allows a lock for avformat and avcodec. The lock for avcodec 
> never gets called.
>
> If I put a lock around avcodec_decode_video2, the problem goes away. After several crashes that led nowhere, I isolated it to 
> avcodec_decode_video2.
>
> Shouldn't related decoders be setting the lock via the lock manager if needed ?
>
> I don't want to have to lock the entire avcodec_decode_video2 call and lock should be special cased for each decoder and so I am 
> left wondering.
>

Looks like the call to ff_msmpeg4_decode_init is causing the problem.

About midway down in vc1_decode_frame you will see:

if (ff_msmpeg4_decode_init(avctx) < 0 || ff_vc1_decode_init_alloc_tables(v) < 0)

I added avpriv_lock_avcodec and avpriv_unlock_avcodec and wrapped ff_msmpeg4_decode_init(avctx) with a lock and problem went away. 
So there may be more to it but can't get it to crash anymore. ff_vc1_decode_init_alloc_tables(v) appears to be ok.

The scary part is what about the other decoders. I have not noticed a problem outside of this though. There could also be a way to 
fix it without using a lock but didn't look further.