977437 - Add pref to disable the whitelist in the gstreamer media backend

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Core :: Audio/Video: Playback, defect, P5)

Description

[Alessandro Decina]

The patch adds a media.gstreamer.disable-whitelist pref (false by default) which when set to true lets gstreamer decode every format it supports. This is always going to stay false of course, but overriding it can be useful for local testing and XUL apps.

Comment 1

[Alessandro Decina]

Attachment: whitelist.patch

Comment 2

[Alessandro Decina]

btw with this patch applied and the pref turned on, HLS and DASH are suddenly supported :P

Comment 3

[Chris Pearce [:cpearce (Not reading bugmail)]]

Comment on attachment 8382709 [details] [diff] [review]
whitelist.patch

Review of attachment 8382709 [details] [diff] [review]:
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No. We don't want to encourage media format proliferation in web content. Even with something that's preffed off by default. Sorry.

Comment 4

[Alessandro Decina]

Hum. How does this encourage media proliferation in web content in practice? Are you worried that people would en masse turn the pref on? If so, how is that a concern for this pref specifically but not any other pref? (honest question)

Comment 5

[Dave Garrett]

I'd be worried that some website would use a format not supported, but viewable with this pref toggled, then give step-by-step instructions to users to turn it on. The other possibility is requiring the installation of an addon to flip the pref. It's stupid, but I can easily envision it happening.

Env var instead?

Comment 6

[Alessandro Decina]

I really don't see why someone would go through the pain (for them and their users) of doing a step-by-step guide to enable a pref when transcoding in a supported format is likely less work. 

About addons... well, one can install addons to do everything, including decoding video directly (https://github.com/alessandrod/gst-browser-plugin).

The reason why I care about this patch is that it allows me to dogfood the gst media backend. Otherwise I never use it, since I don't use linux and I mostly ignore youtube. In a way it's a way to ensure I don't lose interest in hacking it :)

Comment 7

[Jean-Yves Avenard [:jya]]

gstreamer is going in bug 1234092