diff --git a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-api.c b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-api.c
index cf8337dd7bdf747535e53f62f0c9fa88740c72c2..0a2fdcde2f96ac68c35c00b72fb8adebdc850552 100644
--- a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-api.c
+++ b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-api.c
@@ -24,6 +24,31 @@
 
 #include "saa7164.h"
 
+int saa7164_api_get_load_info(struct saa7164_dev *dev, tmFwInfoStruct_t *i)
+{
+	int ret, debug;
+
+	if (!(debug & DBGLVL_CPU))
+		return 0;
+
+	dprintk(DBGLVL_API, "%s()\n", __func__);
+
+	i->deviceinst = 0;
+	i->devicespec = 0;
+	i->mode = 0;
+	i->status = 0;
+
+	ret = saa7164_cmd_send(dev, 0, GET_CUR,
+		GET_FW_STATUS_CONTROL, sizeof(tmFwInfoStruct_t), i);
+	if (ret != SAA_OK) {
+		printk(KERN_ERR "%s() error, ret = 0x%x\n", __func__, ret);
+	}
+
+	printk(KERN_INFO "saa7164[%d]-CPU: %d percent", dev->nr, i->CPULoad);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
 int saa7164_api_collect_debug(struct saa7164_dev *dev)
 {
 	tmComResDebugGetData_t d;
diff --git a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-core.c b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-core.c
index db4b39cb72ac25ef5b27dfb642db0c2a4a8eb7c6..5913ed75cb9056e8bb0623331b8730e16ffac1aa 100644
--- a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-core.c
+++ b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-core.c
@@ -1191,6 +1191,8 @@ static int saa7164_proc_create(void)
 static int saa7164_thread_function(void *data)
 {
 	struct saa7164_dev *dev = data;
+	tmFwInfoStruct_t fwinfo;
+	u64 last_poll_time = 0;
 
 	dprintk(DBGLVL_THR, "thread started\n");
 
@@ -1205,8 +1207,16 @@ static int saa7164_thread_function(void *data)
 		dprintk(DBGLVL_THR, "thread running\n");
 
 		/* Dump the firmware debug message to console */
+		/* Polling this costs us 1-2% of the arm CPU */
+		/* convert this into a respnde to interrupt 0x7a */
 		saa7164_api_collect_debug(dev);
 
+		/* Monitor CPU load every 1 second */
+		if ((last_poll_time + 1000 /* ms */) < jiffies_to_msecs(jiffies)) {
+			saa7164_api_get_load_info(dev, &fwinfo);
+			last_poll_time = jiffies_to_msecs(jiffies);
+		}
+
 	}
 
 	dprintk(DBGLVL_THR, "thread exiting\n");
diff --git a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-reg.h b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-reg.h
index 153da76e857549d470703c5bc8c328833cbece1e..2bbf81583d33e668d36de6787836926d5398e5e9 100644
--- a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-reg.h
+++ b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-reg.h
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
 #define GET_STRING_CONTROL		0x03
 #define GET_LANGUAGE_CONTROL		0x05
 #define SET_POWER_CONTROL		0x07
+#define GET_FW_STATUS_CONTROL		0x08
 #define GET_FW_VERSION_CONTROL		0x09
 #define SET_DEBUG_LEVEL_CONTROL		0x0B
 #define GET_DEBUG_DATA_CONTROL		0x0C
diff --git a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-types.h b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-types.h
index ea245ba563b7de3e6a27b676ffecc5c327e1b99d..e66c29d6ead33a600a3fca6d1ee2ff886c6d3070 100644
--- a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-types.h
+++ b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164-types.h
@@ -446,3 +446,15 @@ typedef struct
 	u8	ucDebugData[256];
 } __attribute__((packed)) tmComResDebugGetData_t;
 
+typedef struct
+{
+	u32	status;
+	u32	mode;
+	u32	devicespec;
+	u32	deviceinst;
+	u32	CPULoad;
+	u32	RemainHeap;
+	u32	CPUClock;
+	u32	RAMSpeed;
+} __attribute__((packed)) tmFwInfoStruct_t;
+
diff --git a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164.h b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164.h
index 88b9b91bf4f5185d66f8cec0be83e013e9f468f9..329564452e27e3432cff72cf294a6132582d9937 100644
--- a/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164.h
+++ b/drivers/media/video/saa7164/saa7164.h
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@
 #define DBGLVL_ENC 1024
 #define DBGLVL_VBI 2048
 #define DBGLVL_THR 4096
+#define DBGLVL_CPU 8192
 
 #define SAA7164_NORMS ( V4L2_STD_NTSC_M |  V4L2_STD_NTSC_M_JP |  V4L2_STD_NTSC_443 )
 
@@ -551,6 +552,7 @@ int saa7164_api_get_videomux(struct saa7164_port *port);
 int saa7164_api_set_vbi_format(struct saa7164_port *port);
 int saa7164_api_set_debug(struct saa7164_dev *dev, u8 level);
 int saa7164_api_collect_debug(struct saa7164_dev *dev);
+int saa7164_api_get_load_info(struct saa7164_dev *dev, tmFwInfoStruct_t *i);
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* saa7164-cards.c                                             */