[mythtv-users] FE Stop/Restart for Smooth Playback

[jim]

On 03/28/2015 12:51 PM, Stephen P. Villano wrote:
>
> On 3/28/15 12:29 PM, jim wrote:
>>
>> On 03/28/2015 11:51 AM, Mike Perkins wrote:
>>> On 28/03/15 14:41, jim wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 03/28/2015 08:48 AM, Mark Perkins wrote:
>>>>>> On 28 Mar 2015, at 11:03 pm, "jim" <jim_32766 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 03/27/2015 10:21 AM, jim wrote:
>>>>>>> Occasionally, usually after the system has been running 24/7 for
>>>>>>> a few days,
>>>>>>> playback of recorded television shows is no longer smooth, with
>>>>>>> visible
>>>>>>> stutter where there should be smooth panning motion. Stopping and
>>>>>>> restarting
>>>>>>> the FE returns the playback to smooth operation. Has anyone else
>>>>>>> experienced
>>>>>>> this scenario?
>>>>>>> I have experimented with sync, cache drop, and swap stop/restart
>>>>>>> to achieve
>>>>>>> smooth playback without the FE stop/restart, but only the FE
>>>>>>> stop/restart
>>>>>>> seems to work. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly
>>>>>>> appreciated. Thanks.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> System Info:
>>>>>>> 4 GB Ram
>>>>>>> i3 4330 CPU
>>>>>>> MythTV Version : v0.27.4-41-gf1115fc
>>>>>>> MythTV Branch : fixes/0.27
>>>>>>> Network Protocol : 77
>>>>>>> Library API : 0.27.20141016-1
>>>>>>> QT Version : 4.8.6
>>>>>> Based on receiving no answers it may be that nobody else
>>>>>> experiences this
>>>>>> problem. Please confirm if you do not.
>>>>>> My system is very modern, and has plenty of RAM. I wonder what
>>>>>> causes this
>>>>>> issue?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> I do not have this problem, my FE can be on for weeks or months at
>>>>> a time. But
>>>>> I have nvidia graphics, where I assume you use VAAPI.
>>>>>
>>>>> I would recommend starting by comparing the log file for a
>>>>> recording that
>>>>> plays fine with that of one that does not to see what the
>>>>> differences are.
>>>>>
>>>> If the difference were vaapi wouldn't the problem be present all the
>>>> time? I
>>>> wonder if something else running on my system contributes, or if the
>>>> OS (Mint
>>>> 17.1) is involved. What OS are you running?
>>>> I will also check the log file for a recording playback pre/post FE
>>>> start/stop.
>>>>
>>> Any problem like this doesn't automatically have to be continuous.
>>> For example, different programs may have different bit rates/frame
>>> rates/screen formats. These can impose differing demands on the video
>>> driver and hardware.
>>>
>>> The same also goes for audio, incidentally. If the audio encoding
>>> changes mid transmission - say for a commercial break - then that
>>> might cause buffering problems which could affect the vodeo.
>>>
>>> As Mark wrote above, your best bet is to look at the logs, a segment
>>> which works and a segment which is bad.
>>>
>> I use recorded Jeopardy! episodes for testing as the panning of
>> categories in Jeopardy! makes for a great test of smooth motion in
>> playback. When I test I use the same exact recording, pre and post FE
>> stop/start. The FE stop/start completely fixes the problem for some
>> inexact period of time. I've not done a good log comparison between a
>> smooth playback and a jerky one, and will do so as soon as the
>> problems appears again.
>>
>> I've never noticed a situation wherein the smoothness is better/worse
>> before/after a commercial break. I've experimented with SD and HD and
>> the full range of standard frame rates. None of that seems to stress
>> the system. If the FE has been recently stopped/started all
>> combinations are good. The problem behaves more like a buffer/cache
>> issue that builds over time and eventually causes a problem. Why FE
>> stop/start helps I do not know.
>>
>> I really appreciate the time people contribute on this mail list
>> answering questions. It really helps. Thanks.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
> Try running top during the post restart of the FE and during the poorly
> performing ones. That also might give you a clue.
> I've had to do that many times, a couple of times, process hogs turned
> up. Tuning or stopping unnecessary ones fixed the issue I was having
> (non-mythtv system, but the troubleshooting remains the same).
>
>
I removed MediaBrowser and Mono to see if that would help. I noticed 
that Mono was high on the list from "top" most of the time, plus I've 
read that there have been memory management issues with those programs. 
I am still waiting for the problem to reappear so I can do a log 
comparison pre/post. Thanks!