193% CPU usage while using webex with chromium

[Chia-Hao Hsu]

193% CPU usage while using webex with chromium. The process seems associated with audio. When the process was killed. The voice was muted.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: chromium-browser 80.0.3987.163-0ubuntu0.18.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.3.0-46.38~18.04.1-generic 5.3.18
Uname: Linux 5.3.0-46-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.14
Architecture: amd64
DRM.card0-HDMI-A-1:
 enabled: enabled
 dpms: On
 status: connected
 edid-base64: AP///////wAEaeIgAQEBASAbAQOAKxh46tr1pFVSnycOUFS/7gCBwAEBAQEBAQEBAQEBAQEBZiFWqlEAHjBGjzMAsuwQAAAeAAAA/QAyTB5TDgAKICAgICAgAAAA/ABWWDIwNwogICAgICAgAAAA/wBIOExNUVMwMTg1ODUKAbQCAxthIwkHB4MBAABnAwwAIACALUOQhALiAA+MCtCKIOAtEBA+lgCgWgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKQ==
 modes: 1366x768 1920x1080 1920x1080 1280x720 1280x720 1280x720 1024x768 1024x768 1024x768 832x624 800x600 800x600 800x600 800x600 720x480 720x480 720x480 640x480 640x480 640x480 640x480 640x480 720x400
DRM.card0-eDP-1:
 enabled: enabled
 dpms: On
 status: connected
 edid-base64: AP///////wAGr+1hAAAAAAAaAQSlIhN4Alklk1hZkykmUFQAAAABAQEBAQEBAQEBAQEBAQEBeDeAtHA4LkBsMKoAWMEQAAAYAAAADwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAAAA/gBBVU8KICAgICAgICAgAAAA/gBCMTU2SEFOMDYuMSAKANo=
 modes: 1920x1080
Date: Mon Apr 13 11:01:39 2020
Desktop-Session:
 'gnome'
 '/etc/xdg/xdg-gnome:/etc/xdg'
 '/usr/share/gnome:/usr/local/share:/usr/share:/var/lib/snapd/desktop'
DetectedPlugins:

Env:
 'None'
 'None'
ExecutablePath: /usr/lib/chromium-browser/chromium-browser
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-04-29 (714 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20180228)
Load-Avg-1min: 6.54
Load-Processes-Running-Percent: 0.3%
MachineType: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. FX503VD
ProcEnviron:

ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.3.0-46-generic root=UUID=8d5334b6-ef1c-42d3-880c-f5d4c937cba2 ro quiet splash tpm_tis.interrupts=0 acpi_osi=Linux i915.preliminary_hw_support=1 idle=nomwait mds=full,nosmt quiet splash tpm_tis.interrupts=0 acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=vendor i915.preliminary_hw_support=1 idle=nomwait mds=full,nosmt vt.handoff=1
SourcePackage: chromium-browser
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to bionic on 2019-12-20 (114 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 04/29/2019
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: FX503VD.308
dmi.board.asset.tag: ATN12345678901234567
dmi.board.name: FX503VD
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrFX503VD.308:bd04/29/2019:svnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:pnFX503VD:pvr1.0:rvnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:rnFX503VD:rvr1.0:cvnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:ct10:cvr1.0:
dmi.product.family: TUF Gaming
dmi.product.name: FX503VD
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
modified.conffile..etc.default.chromium-browser: [deleted]

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

I assume you mean Webex Meetings? I'm not able to create a test meeting here to confirm the problem, but I suppose this might have to do with chromium not enabling hardware-accelerated video decoding on linux. Can you by any chance test this with the Chrome deb package (https://www.google.com/chrome/) and confirm whether it is similarly affected?

[Chia-Hao Hsu (hsusonic)]

Thank you for your help. Yes, it is an bug report about Webex meeting.

I enable hardware-accelerated video decoding on chromium (80.0.3987.163, official build, 64-bit) by editing chrome://flags. But, it still use around 200 % CPU. Noticeably, the process did not turn down when I close the tab of webex meeting.

The functions enabled was listed below.
"Graphics Feature Status
Canvas: Hardware accelerated
Flash: Hardware accelerated
Flash Stage3D: Hardware accelerated
Flash Stage3D Baseline profile: Hardware accelerated
Compositing: Hardware accelerated
Multiple Raster Threads: Enabled
Out-of-process Rasterization: Hardware accelerated
OpenGL: Enabled
Hardware Protected Video Decode: Hardware accelerated
Rasterization: Hardware accelerated
Skia Renderer: Enabled
Video Decode: Hardware accelerated
Viz Display Compositor: Enabled
Vulkan: Enabled
WebGL: Hardware accelerated
WebGL2: Hardware accelerated"

I also try chrome (81.0.4044.122, official build, 64-bit) and enable hardware-accelerated video decoding. It use around 105 % CPU.

The functions enabled was listed below.
"Graphics Feature Status
Canvas: Hardware accelerated
Flash: Hardware accelerated
Flash Stage3D: Hardware accelerated
Flash Stage3D Baseline profile: Hardware accelerated
Compositing: Hardware accelerated
Multiple Raster Threads: Enabled
Out-of-process Rasterization: Hardware accelerated
OpenGL: Enabled
Hardware Protected Video Decode: Hardware accelerated
Rasterization: Hardware accelerated
Skia Renderer: Enabled
Video Decode: Hardware accelerated
Vulkan: Disabled
WebGL: Hardware accelerated
WebGL2: Hardware accelerated"

[Michel-Ekimia (michel.ekimia)]

Neither chromium nor chrome on linux are gpu video decoding capable.

You have to use Brave for this ( with limitations)

I guess Webex use Webrtc ( So may be VP8 )

Check the last section of chrome://gpu/ to know what decoding is supported.

[Chia-Hao Hsu (hsusonic)]

   For the update report, we had another webex meeting today. I try chromium initially, it showed situation similar to the one mentioned above. After that, I try chrome, it initially comes out very well. After an uncertain time point the CPU run up more than 100%. After I kill the process, the webex was closed. After that, I reload the browser without close it. Everything went smoothly for at least 2 hours. So far, the only thing I did different from the previous report is that I only turn on chrome but not both chrome and chromium. Not really sure if it is correlated to the situation. Also not really sure what the difference is between the initial open of webex meeting in chrome and reload one.

  Should I give bug reports for both high cpu usage (initially) and the low cpu usage (after reload) next time, if I encounter the same situation?

[Chia-Hao Hsu (hsusonic)]

For Michel-Ekimia

  The previous Graphics Feature Status is the information I got from http://gpu/ in chromium and in chrome, respectively.

  I did not check if the task was sent to GPU or not. But I am sure that when I use youtube with 4K resolution. I do find a process in htop showed chrome sent a task to GPU and I can find a corresponding number in nvidia-smi. Did that mean gpu video decoding is actually worked with chrome? Or that is different concept?

[Chia-Hao Hsu (hsusonic)]

For Michel-Ekimia

   Correction: information is form chrome://gpu.

[Michel-Ekimia (michel.ekimia)]

You would use chrome://media-internals/

To know if a video is gpudecoded ( MOjo) or soft (vpx or ffmpeg)

But all default version are soft.

[Chia-Hao Hsu (hsusonic)]

You are right. Hardware-accelerated video decode is currently not supported by chrome and also the chromium, released by Ubuntu. Brave or chromium-Beta is likely a way to get through it. Both of the browsers are not able to be installed from Ubuntu's repository. They are also not available in snap store. Is there any reason for that? security vulnerability?

[Chia-Hao Hsu (hsusonic)]

Brave is also not support Hardware-accelerated video decode. Chromium (80.0.3987.163), Chrome (81.0.4044.129), Brave (1.8.86) all use vpx and indicate Hardware-accelerated video decode is not available for the platform in chrome://flags. Enable Override software rendering list did not overcome the problem.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for chromium-browser (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]