From 3845eff65833ebf862e0e154ea93ca5fb6b549eb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Guenter Bartsch Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 17:30:29 +0000 Subject: add a section about playback smoothness and ways to improve it by kernel tuning CVS patchset: 4615 CVS date: 2003/04/15 17:30:29 --- doc/faq/faq.html | 409 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------------------------- doc/faq/faq.sgml | 29 ++++ doc/faq/faq.txt | 18 +++ 3 files changed, 264 insertions(+), 192 deletions(-) (limited to 'doc') diff --git a/doc/faq/faq.html b/doc/faq/faq.html index 41afb7569..6d5431def 100644 --- a/doc/faq/faq.html +++ b/doc/faq/faq.html @@ -1,10 +1,11 @@ + The xine engine FAQ
The xine engine FAQThe xine engine FAQ

Copyright © 2001-2003 the xine project team

Oki, xine doesn't drop frames now but video output still is not really smooth
I have problems when using xine on FreeBSD, Solaris, ... !
Requirements
The OSS driver is maintained by creative and can be downloaded at
Setting up xine for SPDIF (AC3_passthrough) output
The cable used for the SBLive can easily be self-made or buy a stereo 3.5mm jack to dual RCA cable.
What is the xine engine?What is the xine engine?

The xine engine is a free media player engine. It comes in the form of @@ -491,8 +497,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >What's the aim and scope of this text?What's the aim and scope of this text?

The primary goal of this FAQ is to cover all recurring questions related to the xine engine. Frontend specific questions are not covered here. @@ -504,8 +510,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >My question is not yet covered here - where can I ask for help?My question is not yet covered here - where can I ask for help?

First of all be sure that your question is really not covered here and that you haven't just been a bit too lazy to read through all of this @@ -525,12 +531,12 @@ CLASS="COMMAND" >

That said - you are welcome to mail to our user mailing list: - > Please provide some info about your setup so people have a chance to @@ -549,8 +555,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >What are those xine-lib, xine-ui, gxine, ... modules in cvs for?What are those xine-lib, xine-ui, gxine, ... modules in cvs for?

Some time ago xine just became too complex to be just one big program. Therefore it was split into two major parts. @@ -596,8 +602,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Where and how do I get the latest development version?Where and how do I get the latest development version?

Be advised that end-users should stick to the official xine releases. CVS is only intended for developers. @@ -638,8 +644,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Where can I find pre-compiled binaries, e.g. RPMs?Where can I find pre-compiled binaries, e.g. RPMs?

The xine project does not provide pre-compiled binaries for legal reasons (some parts of xine may be covered by patents in some countries). @@ -672,8 +678,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >What do I need to compile everything properly?What do I need to compile everything properly?

First of all an official and stable release of gcc. Also be aware that patched gcc versions may break parts of xine and are therefore @@ -715,16 +721,16 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >How do I compile xine?How do I compile xine?

Simple build instructions for beginners

Simple build instructions for beginners

Download the latest xine-lib and gxine/xine-ui tarballs, then follow these instruction. To unpack a tarball, use: @@ -813,8 +819,8 @@ CLASS="SECT2" CLASS="SECT2" >Complete build instructionsComplete build instructions

The build process is the same for all of the xine modules.

Making your own RPM packages (xine-lib, xine-ui)Making your own RPM packages (xine-lib, xine-ui)

Basically you will only have to issue one command, if you have just downloaded a source tarball from our web site: @@ -929,8 +935,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Can I provide additional CFLAGS for compilation?Can I provide additional CFLAGS for compilation?

Yes, you can do so by setting the CFLAGS variable and then run configure again. @@ -952,8 +958,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Are there binaries for my AMD K7 (Athlon (TM) ) available? Can I build them?Are there binaries for my AMD K7 (Athlon (TM) ) available? Can I build them?

If you have a recent gcc you can try to compile "more" k7 support in (esp. better instruction scheduling). If the configure script should fail to @@ -984,16 +990,16 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Build problems: xine engine (xine-lib)Build problems: xine engine (xine-lib)

The package doesn't compile at all!

The package doesn't compile at all!

In order to be able to compile xine-lib, you need (amongst other things) the zlib compression library plus the appropriate headers, which are @@ -1016,8 +1022,8 @@ CLASS="SECT2" CLASS="SECT2" >The Xv video-out plugin fails to compile!The Xv video-out plugin fails to compile!

If you want to have Xv support compiled in, make sure you either have a shared Xv library on your system, e.g. @@ -1074,16 +1080,16 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Build problems: frontend (gxine/xine-ui/...)Build problems: frontend (gxine/xine-ui/...)

I have installed xine-lib but the frontend complains about not finding it!

I have installed xine-lib but the frontend complains about not finding it!

First of all take a closer look at the compilation instructions above again. You will probably find your answer there right away. @@ -1114,8 +1120,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Can I install xine in my home directory (without being root) ?Can I install xine in my home directory (without being root) ?

yes. first set up a subdir where you install your private software, eg

DVD Playback with xineDVD Playback with xine

How do I play back DVDs with xine?

How do I play back DVDs with xine?

Newer xine (1.0.x) releases come with a full-featured DVD plugin that should be able to handle any unencrypted, @@ -1320,8 +1326,8 @@ CLASS="SECT2" CLASS="SECT2" >DVD playback works, but it takes a long time until playback startsDVD playback works, but it takes a long time until playback starts

This points to a region code problem. Some versions of libdvdcss can play back DVDs from other regions than the RPC-2 DVD drive is set up for, @@ -1349,8 +1355,8 @@ CLASS="SECT2" CLASS="SECT2" >I have problems setting up my RPC-2 drive for the right region!I have problems setting up my RPC-2 drive for the right region!

You can download a tool to set the region code of RPC-Drives here: Can I watch Video CDs (VCDs)? SVCDS ? CD-i?Can I watch Video CDs (VCDs)? SVCDS ? CD-i?

xine supports VCD and SVCD playback out-of-the box. Similar to DVDs, make sure you have a Can I watch Quicktime (.mov, .mp4) files using xine?Can I watch Quicktime (.mov, .mp4) files using xine?

Quicktime is just a system layer (container format) which can contain various different audio and video formats. The system layer itself is fully supported @@ -1436,11 +1442,9 @@ CLASS="FILENAME" >/usr/lib/win32 (actually you can place them anywhere you want, e.g. someplace in your homedirectory, but then you'll - have to set codec.win32_pathcodec.win32_path in your xine config file accordingly). Restart xine then and you should be able to watch Quicktime trailers. @@ -1452,16 +1456,16 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Real Network files/streamsReal Network files/streams

Can I watch Real (.rm, .ram) files using xine ?

Can I watch Real (.rm, .ram) files using xine ?

The situation with real files and streams is pretty similar to the situation with Quicktime Streams (see above). Most newer real audio and video formats @@ -1489,11 +1493,9 @@ CLASS="FILENAME" >Codecs in the directory where you have installed RealPlayer in) and set - codec.real_codecs_pathcodec.real_codecs_path in your xine config file accordingly.

What about (live) network streams (pnm://, rtsp:// style urls) ?What about (live) network streams (pnm://, rtsp:// style urls) ?

xine supports both pnm and rtsp streaming. However, digging out the actual pnm/rtsp url can be tricky as they're often packed into heavy JavaScript and @@ -1526,8 +1528,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Can I watch Windows Media (.asf/.wmv) files using xine?Can I watch Windows Media (.asf/.wmv) files using xine?

While the container format (system layer) ASF (wmv is just an alias) is fully supported in xine, for newer windows media 8 and 9 based streams @@ -1547,11 +1549,9 @@ CLASS="FILENAME" >/usr/lib/win32 (actually you can place them anywhere you want, e.g. someplace in your homedirectory, but then you'll - have to set codec.win32_pathcodec.win32_path in your xine config file accordingly). Restart xine then and you should be able to watch windows media streams. @@ -1563,8 +1563,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Can I watch Digital TV (Digital Video Broadcast) using xine ?Can I watch Digital TV (Digital Video Broadcast) using xine ?

At the time of this writing DVB support is a very new and experimental feature in xine. The number of supported cards is pretty limited at the moment. @@ -1580,8 +1580,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >How do I play streams from STDIN?How do I play streams from STDIN?

Use something like: How can I watch files with external AVI subtitles?How can I watch files with external AVI subtitles?

In xine 0.9.13 this used to be:

I have a lot of dropped frames - what can I do?I have a lot of dropped frames - what can I do?

Your hardware might be too slow for xine. Make sure you turn on all speed optimizing options. A few things you should check (in order of @@ -2027,9 +2027,50 @@ CLASS="SECT1" >

Oki, xine doesn't drop frames now but video output still is not really smooth

video output can be further improved by tuning your linux kernel: +

  • set HZ to 1000 in + /usr/src/linux/include/asm-i386/param.h +

  • try applying scheduler patches, especially the O(1) and the preemptive + patches have proven useful at the time of this writing (spring 2003). +

+ linux 2.5/2.6 will probably have these improvements out of the box. +

Miguel Freitas has written a nice article about his kernel multimedia experiments + here. +

I have problems when using xine on FreeBSD, Solaris, ... !

I have problems when using xine on FreeBSD, Solaris, ... !

Check out the the corresponding README files in the directory What is aalib? How do I use it in xine?What is aalib? How do I use it in xine?

aalib is an ascii art library. xine comes with an aalib video output plugin so you can watch movies in your xterm, on the console or on your @@ -2085,14 +2126,14 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >What do all these ~/.xine/config (~/.gxine/config) entries mean?) entries mean?

You can find information about them in Does xine support my dxr3 / hollywood+ card?Does xine support my dxr3 / hollywood+ card?

while xine's focus is clearly on software decoding, the dxr3 is supported. @@ -2140,8 +2181,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >What audio drivers does xine support? OSS? Alsa? Arts? Esd?What audio drivers does xine support? OSS? Alsa? Arts? Esd?

Currently xine support audio output via OSS (kernel audio drivers), ALSA 0.9.x (ALSA 0.5.x is no longer supported), arts (KDE's sound daemon) @@ -2155,8 +2196,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >When I'm watching a movie, the sound effects are much higher volume than the voicesWhen I'm watching a movie, the sound effects are much higher volume than the voices

Congratulations, you seem to have an original movie audio track there.

When I play this stream, xine shows video but there's no audio!When I play this stream, xine shows video but there's no audio!

Well, first try a different audio driver (Can xine produce 4-/5-channel surround audio output?Can xine produce 4-/5-channel surround audio output?

Yep, it can do that using OSS or ALSA drivers, provided that the driver supports it. On startup xine tells you what modes are supported by your @@ -2310,8 +2351,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >What about ac3 output via spdif to an external ac3 decoder?What about ac3 output via spdif to an external ac3 decoder?

xine can do that too. Pretty much the same story as for 4-/5-channel surround (see above). You can either use the config dialog or edit @@ -2345,8 +2386,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Getting SPDIF output from a SBLive 5.1 using OSS driversGetting SPDIF output from a SBLive 5.1 using OSS drivers

The following explains how to get the above configuration going with xine. Some parts of it may applicable to other @@ -2357,9 +2398,9 @@ CLASS="SECT2" >

Requirements

Requirements

    The OSS driver is maintained by creative and can be downloaded at http://opensource.creative.com/

    The driver package contains documentation on how to install it. @@ -2607,9 +2648,9 @@ CLASS="SECT2" >

    Setting up xine for SPDIF (AC3_passthrough) output

    Setting up xine for SPDIF (AC3_passthrough) output

    You can either use the config dialog or edit the config file (

    The cable used for the SBLive can easily be self-made - or buy a stereo 3.5mm jack to dual RCA cable.

Changing the volume with the GUI control has no effect! What's up!?Changing the volume with the GUI control has no effect! What's up!?

Some xine drivers do not support volume changing although the GUI will show the volume bar. Usually this is not xine's fault: aRts C @@ -2718,8 +2759,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Audio is stuttering and i see a lot of "metronom: fixing sound card drift by -2115 pts" on the console outputAudio is stuttering and i see a lot of "metronom: fixing sound card drift by -2115 pts" on the console output

Might be a soundcard problem, if it only comes in longer intervals. Your soundcard does not keep it's sampling frequency accurately @@ -2727,27 +2768,21 @@ NAME="STUTTERING" getting out of sync and xine has to compensate. If you see the message only from time to time, you might remedy it by using the resampling sync method. You can do this by setting the configuration entry - audio.av_sync_method to audio.av_sync_method to resampleresample.

If you receive the metronom message more often, maybe switching to different drivers (alsa to oss or vise-versa) can help here. It has also been reported that setting the configuration - entry audio.force_rateaudio.force_rate to the native sampling rate of your soundcard (try 44100 and 48000) helps sometimes.

xine seems to lose sound arbitrarily during playback, especially with DVDsxine seems to lose sound arbitrarily during playback, especially with DVDs

You are using the OSS audio output plugin, right? In order to keep video and audio in sync, xine regularly queries the audio driver for the amount of delay induced by @@ -2779,38 +2814,28 @@ NAME="SOUNDLOSS"

You should try the various settings of the - configuration entry audio.oss_sync_methodaudio.oss_sync_method. The options - getodelay and getodelay and getoptrgetoptr ask the driver and might therefore show the problem. But chances are that only one is broken and the other works, so you should try them both first, since they are the most accurate. - The option probebufferprobebuffer does not ask the driver directly but tries to determine the buffer length from outside. This should work with any driver and is the way to go, of the driver dependent methods fail. - softsyncsoftsync is the least accurate and should be used only in emergency situations.

I can hear the audio - but I don't see a picture!I can hear the audio - but I don't see a picture!

Probably your hardware is simply too slow - see above for some hints on how to speed things up. @@ -2846,8 +2871,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >How can I make xine use the Xv extension and what drivers do I need?How can I make xine use the Xv extension and what drivers do I need?

xine will normally use Xv by default if it is available. In some cases you might need to choose Xv playback manually (when the Some parts of my X Desktop get transparent when xine plays the video!Some parts of my X Desktop get transparent when xine plays the video!

Looks like some colors on your GUI match the colorkey Xv uses. You can change the colorkey value to avoid this. There should be a line like: @@ -3028,8 +3053,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >The aspect ratio of the video is wrong!The aspect ratio of the video is wrong!

Try pressing "a" to change the aspect ratio.

What is the difference between discarded and skipped frames?What is the difference between discarded and skipped frames?

Sometimes xine will output a message like that:

My xine is runing in black and white! / I only get a gray video output!My xine is runing in black and white! / I only get a gray video output!

This frequently happens with new Xv drivers or when switching to a different video card. Background is that different Xv drivers often @@ -3114,8 +3139,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Which is the best video driver to use?Which is the best video driver to use?

xine support several video drivers for outputing the image. These will differ on how the frames are copied to the video card memory, whether @@ -3160,8 +3185,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >Starting xine fails with complains about audio drivers/devices!Starting xine fails with complains about audio drivers/devices!

You can select the audio driver using the -A option. So try:

"no video port found""no video port found"

You got the Xv extension, but your video card driver doesn't support it. First try to find a driver that does support Xv on your hardware (check @@ -3264,8 +3289,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >"Unable to open dvd drive (/dev/dvd)""Unable to open dvd drive (/dev/dvd)"

You probably don't have /dev/dvd (check that). If so, simply create a link /dev/dvd that points to your DVD device. Something like... @@ -3299,8 +3324,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >"demux error! 00 00 00 (should be 0x000001)""demux error! 00 00 00 (should be 0x000001)"

Probably xine can't access your input source. Most commonly this happens when you're trying to play locked/encrypted DVDs. Remember that xine @@ -3322,8 +3347,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >"audio driver 'oss' failed, using null driver instead""audio driver 'oss' failed, using null driver instead"

First of all, make sure that your OSS Audio drivers are working (i.e. you can play music with other software). Maybe you're using alsa? @@ -3399,8 +3424,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >"video_out: throwing away image with pts xxx because it's too old""video_out: throwing away image with pts xxx because it's too old"

This is a performance related problem. @@ -3415,8 +3440,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >"No video plugin available to decode 'xxxxxx'.""No video plugin available to decode 'xxxxxx'."

You have tried to play a stream using a unknown or unhandled codec. Possibly the file uses some obscure proprietary format and no @@ -3434,8 +3459,8 @@ CLASS="SECT1" CLASS="SECT1" >"w32codec: decoder failed to start. Is 'xxxxxx' installed?""w32codec: decoder failed to start. Is 'xxxxxx' installed?"

You probably don't have the win32 dll needed to decode this file.

xine just crashed on me - i didn't get any error messagexine just crashed on me - i didn't get any error message

OK, yes, that shouldn't happen and you're upset. We can understand that. But, to help you and of course to fix this, we need some information. @@ -3495,12 +3520,12 @@ CLASS="COMMAND" >

Maybe at the time you read this, there's an XFree upgrade which fixes this for the Savage driver. If that works for you, please notify the xine crew at - >, so they can update this FAQ!

If you write to the xine user mailing list - > make sure you include a the above information (when applicable) and also some information about your machine (operating system, cpu type and diff --git a/doc/faq/faq.sgml b/doc/faq/faq.sgml index 4a829ea33..6f9720bee 100644 --- a/doc/faq/faq.sgml +++ b/doc/faq/faq.sgml @@ -1020,6 +1020,35 @@ + + + + Oki, xine doesn't drop frames now but video output still is not really smooth + + + video output can be further improved by tuning your linux kernel: + + + + set HZ to 1000 in + /usr/src/linux/include/asm-i386/param.h + + + + + try applying scheduler patches, especially the O(1) and the preemptive + patches have proven useful at the time of this writing (spring 2003). + + + + linux 2.5/2.6 will probably have these improvements out of the box. + + + + Miguel Freitas has written a nice article about his kernel multimedia experiments + here. + + diff --git a/doc/faq/faq.txt b/doc/faq/faq.txt index c9d91b7d4..181770709 100644 --- a/doc/faq/faq.txt +++ b/doc/faq/faq.txt @@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ Table of Contents 4. Running xine I have a lot of dropped frames - what can I do? + Oki, xine doesn't drop frames now but video output still is not really + smooth I have problems when using xine on FreeBSD, Solaris, ... ! What is aalib? How do I use it in xine? What do all these ~/.xine/config (~/.gxine/config) entries mean? @@ -767,6 +769,22 @@ optimizing options. A few things you should check (in order of importance): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +Oki, xine doesn't drop frames now but video output still is not really smooth + +video output can be further improved by tuning your linux kernel: + + * set HZ to 1000 in /usr/src/linux/include/asm-i386/param.h + + * try applying scheduler patches, especially the O(1) and the preemptive + patches have proven useful at the time of this writing (spring 2003). + +linux 2.5/2.6 will probably have these improvements out of the box. + +Miguel Freitas has written a nice article about his kernel multimedia +experiments here. + +------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + I have problems when using xine on FreeBSD, Solaris, ... ! Check out the the corresponding README files in the directory xine-lib/doc -- cgit v1.2.3