[mythtv-users] Pulseaudio max's out CPU usage

[DaveD]

On 10/29/2010 07:10 PM, Jean-Yves Avenard wrote:
> Pulse audio doesnt support digital passthrough.
>
> Are you using pulse audio or something else?
>
> What version of mythtv are you using?
>
> On 30/10/2010, DaveD<mythtv at guiplot.com>  wrote:
>    
Audio output device in mythtv settings is set to ALSA:spdif.  Distro is 
fedora 12, running mythtv 0.24--238_trunk_r26853 (latest atrpms build as 
of a couple of days ago).  I had the same issue when running fedora's 
0.23 build.  Here's what mythfrontend's pulseaudio suspend operations 
look like:

2010-10-30 08:28:58.912 Launching: ps -ae | grep pulseaudio > /dev/null
2010-10-30 08:28:58.916 PID 2844: launched
2010-10-30 08:28:58.962 PID 2844: exited: status=0, result=0
2010-10-30 08:28:59.023 Pulse: PulseAudio suspend OK
2010-10-30 08:28:59.052 Launching: ps -ae | grep pulseaudio > /dev/null
2010-10-30 08:28:59.058 PID 2847: launched
2010-10-30 08:28:59.163 PID 2847: exited: status=0, result=0
2010-10-30 08:28:59.224 Pulse: PulseAudio resume OK
2010-10-30 08:51:04.877 Received a remote 'Clear Cache' request
2010-10-30 08:51:07.014 Pulse: Cleaning up PulseHandler

I haven't been able to induce the high CPU usage mode.  Everything seems 
to work fine... while I'm keeping track.  It's when I'm just sitting 
back and watching a show that it sneaks in there and causes the system 
overload.  Kill the out-of-control pulseaudio process and all is well again.

I've thought about just uninstalling pulseaudio but since mythfrontend 
seems to take it into account, I hesitate as I'm afraid of breaking 
bunches of other things.

NEW INFO:  While I was writing this, I had mythfrontend running and 
playing back a show.  All was fine until I received a new email.  
Apparently pulseaudio overloads when the email client (T-bird) sends a 
"you have new mail" sound while myth is playing.  I stopped the mythtv 
playback and pulseaudio went back to normal.  Again, it looks like 
pulseaudio goes crazy if it gets a sound request while mythfrontend has 
it suspended.  Any pulseaudio experts know how to fix this?  (besides 
not having my email client open during playback, which I'll do for 
now.)  How does mythtv "suspend" pulseaudio?  Does it kill it and 
restart it later?  If so, maybe fedora has a respawn thing going on that 
I can disable.

(Sorry 'bout the mid-post, didn't quite know how to handle the top-post)

Dave D.

>> I'll be watching a recording and notice a little jumpy video.  That's
>> when I know pulseaudio has taken over one of the cores.  top shows it
>> using 99.9% of the cpu.  I kill it and the video smooths out again.  It
>> seems to happen once per mythtv session, but not always.  I'm guessing
>> it's when some other sound tries to happen while myth has the sound
>> system tied up.
>>
>> I'm using SPDIF passthrough on Fedora 12 (upgraded via yum (twice,
>> now)).  Anyone know what could cause this?
>>
>> Dave D.
>>