[mythtv-users] Problems with VC-1 playback?

[Stephen Worthington]

On Sun, 16 Mar 2014 22:19:42 -0700, you wrote:

>Has anyone else experienced problems playing back videos with VC-1
>encoding?  We recently tried watching Sherlock Holmes (2009 version with
>Robert Downey Jr.) which is encoded using VC-1.  This was a mkv ripped
>using makemkv and had no additional processing or re-encoding.  This is the
>only movie in our collection with VC-1 but it's also the only one that is
>giving us problems.
>
>The movie will begin to play fine (from either the start or resuming from a
>bookmark) but after a few minutes (random intervals and not at the same
>spots) will dramatically lose audio / video sync and begin skipping large
>numbers of frames at a time.  The movie can be stopped then started again
>from the same position and will be fine for a few more minutes.
>
>Relevant info:
>
>mythfrontend --version
>Please attach all output as a file in bug reports.
>MythTV Version : v0.27-187-g30d86b1-dirty
>MythTV Branch : fixes/0.27
>Network Protocol : 77
>Library API : 0.27.20140303-1
>QT Version : 4.8.1
>Options compiled in:
> linux profile use_hidesyms using_alsa using_pulse using_backend
>using_bindings_perl using_bindings_python using_bindings_php using_dvb
>using_frontend using_hdhomerun using_libcrypto using_libdns_sd
>using_libfftw3 using_libxml2 using_lirc using_mheg using_opengl
>using_opengl_video using_qtwebkit using_qtscript using_qtdbus using_sdl
>using_taglib using_v4l2 using_x11 using_xrandr using_xv using_profiletype
>using_bindings_perl using_bindings_python using_bindings_php
>using_mythtranscode using_opengl using_vdpau using_ffmpeg_threads
>using_mheg using_libass using_libxml2
>
>Starting using -v playback shows large amounts of frame dropping due to
>video behind audio but I also noticed this error:
>
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.210960 I  Player(0): Video is 5.69804 frames behind
>audio (too slow), dropping frame to catch up.
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.210995 I  Player(0): Video is 4.92687 frames behind
>audio (too slow), dropping frame to catch up.
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.211236 I  Player(0): FPS:   22.80 Mean: 43854 Std.Dev:
>68885 CPUs: 100% 7% 12%
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.211287 I  Player(0): Waiting for video buffers...
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.226695 W  VDPAU: Display pre-empted.
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.226720 E  VDPAU: Error at mythrender_vdpau.cpp:1534
>(#2, The display was pre-empted, or a fatal error occurred.)
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.228232 N  VDPAU: Attempting to re-create VDPAU
>resources.
>2014-03-16 21:55:42.229162 I  Player(0): Video is 4.10274 frames behind
>audio (too slow), dropping frame to catch up.
>
>I've got the full playback log if anyone is interested...
>
>Thanks!
>
>Neil

I have many wmv files that give me playback problems of various sorts
in mythfrontend's internal player.  What you are describing is a rare
problem I have seen with a few of them.  My solution has been to
configure mplayer as an external player and then I use I > Play > Play
In Alternate Player to play the file with mplayer.  I have lirc set up
so that mplayer works with my remote.