diff --git a/libavutil/common.h b/libavutil/common.h
index ddeecad7dc..a8fd922145 100644
--- a/libavutil/common.h
+++ b/libavutil/common.h
@@ -323,79 +323,6 @@ static inline av_pure int ff_get_fourcc(const char *s){
         }\
     }
 
-#if ARCH_X86 || ARCH_PPC || ARCH_BFIN
-#define AV_READ_TIME read_time
-#if ARCH_X86
-static inline uint64_t read_time(void)
-{
-    uint32_t a, d;
-    __asm__ volatile("rdtsc\n\t"
-                 : "=a" (a), "=d" (d));
-    return ((uint64_t)d << 32) + a;
-}
-#elif ARCH_BFIN
-static inline uint64_t read_time(void)
-{
-    union {
-        struct {
-            unsigned lo;
-            unsigned hi;
-        } p;
-        unsigned long long c;
-    } t;
-    __asm__ volatile ("%0=cycles; %1=cycles2;" : "=d" (t.p.lo), "=d" (t.p.hi));
-    return t.c;
-}
-#else //FIXME check ppc64
-static inline uint64_t read_time(void)
-{
-    uint32_t tbu, tbl, temp;
-
-     /* from section 2.2.1 of the 32-bit PowerPC PEM */
-     __asm__ volatile(
-         "1:\n"
-         "mftbu  %2\n"
-         "mftb   %0\n"
-         "mftbu  %1\n"
-         "cmpw   %2,%1\n"
-         "bne    1b\n"
-     : "=r"(tbl), "=r"(tbu), "=r"(temp)
-     :
-     : "cc");
-
-     return (((uint64_t)tbu)<<32) | (uint64_t)tbl;
-}
-#endif
-#elif HAVE_GETHRTIME
-#define AV_READ_TIME gethrtime
-#endif
-
-#ifdef AV_READ_TIME
-#define START_TIMER \
-uint64_t tend;\
-uint64_t tstart= AV_READ_TIME();\
-
-#define STOP_TIMER(id) \
-tend= AV_READ_TIME();\
-{\
-    static uint64_t tsum=0;\
-    static int tcount=0;\
-    static int tskip_count=0;\
-    if(tcount<2 || tend - tstart < FFMAX(8*tsum/tcount, 2000)){\
-        tsum+= tend - tstart;\
-        tcount++;\
-    }else\
-        tskip_count++;\
-    if(((tcount+tskip_count)&(tcount+tskip_count-1))==0){\
-        av_log(NULL, AV_LOG_ERROR, "%"PRIu64" dezicycles in %s, %d runs, %d skips\n",\
-               tsum*10/tcount, id, tcount, tskip_count);\
-    }\
-}
-#else
-#define START_TIMER
-#define STOP_TIMER(id) {}
-#endif
-
 /**
  * Returns NULL if CONFIG_SMALL is true otherwise the argument
  * without modifications, used to disable the definition of strings
diff --git a/libavutil/internal.h b/libavutil/internal.h
index 52fa7e8c97..78bfdd828a 100644
--- a/libavutil/internal.h
+++ b/libavutil/internal.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include "common.h"
+#include "timer.h"
 
 #ifndef attribute_align_arg
 #if (!defined(__ICC) || __ICC > 1100) && AV_GCC_VERSION_AT_LEAST(4,2)
diff --git a/libavutil/timer.h b/libavutil/timer.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6d11fe2b5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libavutil/timer.h
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/**
+ * @file timer.h
+ * high precision timer, useful to profile code
+ *
+ * copyright (c) 2006 Michael Niedermayer <michaelni@gmx.at>
+ *
+ * This file is part of FFmpeg.
+ *
+ * FFmpeg is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * FFmpeg is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with FFmpeg; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
+ */
+
+#ifndef AVUTIL_TIMER_H
+#define AVUTIL_TIMER_H
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include "config.h"
+
+#if ARCH_X86 || ARCH_PPC || ARCH_BFIN
+#define AV_READ_TIME read_time
+#if ARCH_X86
+static inline uint64_t read_time(void)
+{
+    uint32_t a, d;
+    __asm__ volatile("rdtsc\n\t"
+                 : "=a" (a), "=d" (d));
+    return ((uint64_t)d << 32) + a;
+}
+#elif ARCH_BFIN
+static inline uint64_t read_time(void)
+{
+    union {
+        struct {
+            unsigned lo;
+            unsigned hi;
+        } p;
+        unsigned long long c;
+    } t;
+    __asm__ volatile ("%0=cycles; %1=cycles2;" : "=d" (t.p.lo), "=d" (t.p.hi));
+    return t.c;
+}
+#else //FIXME check ppc64
+static inline uint64_t read_time(void)
+{
+    uint32_t tbu, tbl, temp;
+
+     /* from section 2.2.1 of the 32-bit PowerPC PEM */
+     __asm__ volatile(
+         "1:\n"
+         "mftbu  %2\n"
+         "mftb   %0\n"
+         "mftbu  %1\n"
+         "cmpw   %2,%1\n"
+         "bne    1b\n"
+     : "=r"(tbl), "=r"(tbu), "=r"(temp)
+     :
+     : "cc");
+
+     return (((uint64_t)tbu)<<32) | (uint64_t)tbl;
+}
+#endif
+#elif HAVE_GETHRTIME
+#define AV_READ_TIME gethrtime
+#endif
+
+#ifdef AV_READ_TIME
+#define START_TIMER \
+uint64_t tend;\
+uint64_t tstart= AV_READ_TIME();\
+
+#define STOP_TIMER(id) \
+tend= AV_READ_TIME();\
+{\
+    static uint64_t tsum=0;\
+    static int tcount=0;\
+    static int tskip_count=0;\
+    if(tcount<2 || tend - tstart < 8*tsum/tcount || tend - tstart < 2000){\
+        tsum+= tend - tstart;\
+        tcount++;\
+    }else\
+        tskip_count++;\
+    if(((tcount+tskip_count)&(tcount+tskip_count-1))==0){\
+        av_log(NULL, AV_LOG_ERROR, "%"PRIu64" dezicycles in %s, %d runs, %d skips\n",\
+               tsum*10/tcount, id, tcount, tskip_count);\
+    }\
+}
+#else
+#define START_TIMER
+#define STOP_TIMER(id) {}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* AVUTIL_TIMER_H */