[mythtv-users] "something is currently using: /dev/dsp"

[Simon Starr]

On Friday 19 September 2003 1:34 pm, Simon Starr wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Whenever I try and watch live TV, mythbackend seg faults while mythfrontend
> quits with the following error:
> Opening OSS audio device '/dev/dsp'.
> ERROR: something is currently using: /dev/dsp
>
> fuser -v /dev/dsp before, during and after running mythback/frontend comes
> back empty and I'm running twm with all traces of esd and arts removed.
>
> The mythtv user has full permissions on /dev/dsp etc.
>
> This has only started happening since I installed ALSA - with the OSS
> driver I was using before I could watch live tv but the sound was out of
> sync so I installed ALSA as per the instructions in the HOWTO.
>
> xawtv works fine - I have a cable from tv card output to soundcard line in
> so if i unmute the line in with alsamixer I can hear the audio. If I mute
> it then run aplay /dev/dsp I can hear it a couple of seconds out of sync.
>
> xmms works fine with the ALSA 1.2.8 output plugin.
>
> I'm running Debian unstable on kernel 2.4.22 with a WinTV capture card and
> ymfpci based sound card.
>
> root at saunton:/home/simon# lspci
> 00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8363/8365 [KT133/KM133] (rev
> 03) 00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8363/8365 [KT133/KM133
> AGP] 00:07.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super
> South] (rev 40)
> 00:07.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586/B/686A/B PIPC Bus
> Master IDE (rev 06)
> 00:07.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB (rev 16)
> 00:07.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB (rev 16)
> 00:07.4 Bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super ACPI] (rev
> 40) 00:09.0 Multimedia audio controller: Yamaha Corporation YMF-744B [DS-1S
> Audio Controller] (rev 02)
> 00:0b.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82557/8/9 [Ethernet Pro 100] (rev
> 08) 00:0f.0 Multimedia video controller: Brooktree Corporation Bt878 Video
> Capture (rev 02)
> 00:0f.1 Multimedia controller: Brooktree Corporation Bt878 Audio Capture
> (rev 02)
> 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV15 [GeForce2
> GTS/Pro] (rev a4)
>
> root at saunton:/home/simon# lsmod
> Module                  Size  Used by    Tainted: P
> snd-pcm-oss            38308   0  (unused)
> snd-mixer-oss          13304   0  [snd-pcm-oss]
> nvidia               1629600  11
> snd-ymfpci             41792   1
> snd-pcm                57828   0  [snd-pcm-oss snd-ymfpci]
> snd-page-alloc          6164   0  [snd-ymfpci snd-pcm]
> snd-opl3-lib            6564   0  [snd-ymfpci]
> snd-hwdep               5088   0  [snd-opl3-lib]
> snd-timer              14212   0  [snd-pcm snd-opl3-lib]
> snd-mpu401-uart         3312   0  [snd-ymfpci]
> snd-rawmidi            13440   0  [snd-mpu401-uart]
> snd-seq-device          4208   0  [snd-opl3-lib snd-rawmidi]
> snd-ac97-codec         39576   0  [snd-ymfpci]
> snd                    28836   1  [snd-pcm-oss snd-mixer-oss snd-ymfpci
> snd-pcm snd-opl3-lib snd-hwdep snd-timer snd-mpu401-uart snd-rawmidi
> snd-seq-device snd-ac97-codec]
>
>
> I've spent about 10 hours in the last couple of days searching google and
> the mailing list archives to try and find a solution so any help would be
> very welcome as this is in danger of driving me mad :/
>
> Cheers
>   Simon

For the record, I discovered this was because when setting up ALSA although I 
took my sound card driver out of the kernel I left btaudio in there. Removing 
the btaudio driver and rebuilding the kernel fixed it straight away :)

-- 
Simon Starr
www.ruffest.org