[mythtv-users] RE: HDTV Woes

[Mat Kyne]

>Date: Fri, 01 Apr 2005 08:49:15 -0800
>From: John Sturgeon <mythtv at sturgeonfamily.com>
>Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] HDTV Woes
>To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
>Message-ID: <424D7B8B.6030808 at sturgeonfamily.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>Mat Kyne wrote:
>
> > After 5 attempts to get myth running correctly on FC3, I tried (for
> > the 3rd time) to install Knoppmyth.
> > I am pleased to report that after much online research, the drivers
> > were loaded for my pcHDTV 3000, and eventually, my nVidia 5200 FX. So,
> > after calling my wife at work and demanding that she cross her
> > fingers, I selected the option "Watch TV"  . . . And there it was!
> > GLORIOUS HDTV !!! . . . . For about 2 seconds. Then it froze and
> > crashed.  :(
> >
> > Well I had heard that HDTV live was not all that great, So I set it to
> > record Lost in ABC.
> >
> > -I had to schedule a manuel recording, because the myth guide times
> > were off by several hours- I will ask about that in a later post.-
> >
> > Well, while I was watching the show on SDTV, I saw my HDD light start
> > to blink, so I knew it was recording. Yeah!
> >
> > So after my wife went to bed, when I am allowed to "Play with my
> > stupid computer" I tried to watch the show I recorded.  --You can
> > probably tell that this is not going to end well --
> >
> > Well the picture was amazing, but the playback was choppy/jittery. If
> > I tried to fast-forward or skip a commercial, The system would just
> > hang. I was able to Ctrl-Alt-Esc out ant try again. Then I remembered
> > reading Jarod's Guide (You da man!), and what he had written about
> > giving Myth root privileges (I think it's called suedo-root). So I did
> > that, and tried again. No real improvement, and when I tried to skip a
> > commercial, the system crashed. I couldn't even ssh in to do a nice
> > reboot.
> >
> > So my question that I lay before the all-knowing Mythtv guru's is
> > this, What am I doing wrong. Do I just need a faster processor (I
> > currently have a 2.4 Ghz Celeron that I bought just for this)? Or are
> > there other things that I can try first. Any help would be
> > appreciated. Thanks -Mat
> >
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
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> >mythtv-users at mythtv.org
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> >
> >
>First, you should try XvMC for playback if your card supports it, also,
>I have found that when you are decoding in the CPU that mplayer gives
>you a few more options that can make the output a bit smoother:  Try:
>mplayer -vo xv -framedrop -mc 0.001 (the -mc is video motion correction
>timing.  The lower the value the less 'aggressive' it is.).
>
>--
>John Sturgeon <><
>http://www.sturgeonfamily.com/mythtv.php


Just wanted to thank you for your help. I had the XvMC setting turned on, 
but that didn't work, so I turned ot off. -No real improvement. But then I 
tried "mplayer -vo xv -framedrop -mc 0.001"  and low and behold it worked! I 
watched the enire 60 min episode of LOST with our a single hiccup. Then I 
watched it again and tried a few other options, (change aspect ratio, FF, 
picture enhancements, etc) all with no problems. While playing, I did a 
Ctrl-Alt-F1 to switch to a text terminal and did a "top" command, and the 
CPU was running at 68%. Thanks Again for your help! -Mat