nal_h264_write_filler(9)

💅 nal_h264_write_filler(9) — from the Kernel API Manual, bestie

okay so picture this: you're deep in the kernel, you're messing with H.264 NAL units, and you need some filler. not the fun kind. the spec-compliant kind. that's literally this function, and she's iconic for it. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

nal_h264_write_filler — write filler data RBSP. that's it, that's the whole vibe. 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

ssize_t nal_h264_write_filler (const struct device *dev , void *dest ,
       size_t n );

✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

• dev — device pointer. the main character of the operation, honestly.
• dest — buffer to fill with filler data. this is where the magic goes. 🪄
• n — size of the buffer to fill with filler data. how much filler we're serving, in bytes.

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So what she does is: write a filler data RBSP to dest with a size of n bytes, and then return the number of written filler data bytes. lowkey efficient, highkey essential. ✨

Use this function to generate dummy data in an RBSP data stream that can be safely ignored by h264 decoders. yes bestie, the decoders literally do not care — they skip right past it. it's giving "background character who's still slaying." 💅

The RBSP format of the filler data is specified in Rec. ITU-T H.264 (04/2017) 7.3.2.7 Filler data RBSP syntax. so if you wanna fact-check me, that's where the receipts live. 🧾

⭐ RETURN ⭐

number of filler data bytes (including marker) or negative error. so if it's negative, that's not a slay, that's a situation. 😭

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

Kernel file ./drivers/media/platform/allegro-dvt/nal-h264.c

nal_h264_write_sps(9), nal_h264_read_sps(9), nal_h264_write_pps(9), nal_h264_read_pps(9), nal_h264_read_filler(9) — the whole friend group, fr fr. 🫶

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and that's the page!! source/version is ./drivers/media/platform/alleg... and the date is October 2026, so yeah, she's a little calendar girl too. 💖 go forth and write ur filler, bestie. 🦋🌸