[mythtv-users] MythPhone causes mythfrontend to lock??

[Paul Volkaerts]

Mythphone runs as several threads.  The audio and RTP is one thread, the SIP
stack is one thread, and the RTP for video is one thread. The H.263 and
displaying of webcams runs in the main GUI thread currently though I do want
to change this. This means when H.263 locks up, so does the GUI.

I test MythPhone between two MythFrontends and between MythFrontend and
Windows Messenger. Version 0.16 was reasonably stable on good CPUs. I have a
3GHz P4 which it runs perfectly on and a 1GHz CPU that often exhibits the
behaviour you mention.

Since 0.16 there have been many changes which may help your situation. I
have taken out most of the polling that originally drove the tasks and
replaced by event-driven. The only polling now is polling of the microphone
driver for data which I will get rid of when I figure out how to.

I've also fixed an incompatability with Messenger which caused a video frame
split across several IP packets to be reconstructed incorrectly, which
caused the H.263 stack to discard it.

Paul


> -----Original Message-----
> From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org
> [mailto:mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org]On Behalf Of Jim Kusznir
> Sent: 02 January 2005 07:25
> To: mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> Subject: [mythtv-users] MythPhone causes mythfrontend to lock??
>
>
> Hello all:
>
> I've been having continous problems with the 0.16 version of mythphone
> causing the frontend to lock.
>
> I have a usb webcam set up (with mythphone set to use /dev/video1), and
> mythpone correctly shows my local video.  I'm connected to FWD (Free
> World Dialup).  Everything is fine in this idle state (showing my local
> video, registered with FWD but not in a call).
>
> When I place a video call to another FWD user (who's using the Pulver
> Communicator under WinXP with a web cam and proper local video), it
> often works for at least a few seconds (Occasionally even for a few
> minutes).  I'm able to see and hear the other person, and the other
> person sees me (but can't hear me -- that's a different problem,
> though).  The call lasts anywhere from 1 sec to 10 minutes, but at some
> point the frontend freezes completely.  Interestingly enough, I can
> continue to hear the other person, but both of my video windows are
> frozen, and the video she recieves is frozen (based on what the other
> person described of the remote client, it is not recieving video signals
> anymore).  My only recourse at this point is to kill mythfrontend and
> relaunch it.
>
> I've played a bit with the resolutions and fps and found the values do
> seem to have a signifiant effect on call duration (most resolutions and
> fps over 10 cause the frontend to freeze more quickly; fps below 10
> don't seem to effect freeze rate, but can often take way too long to
> fully draw the remote end).
>
> When I run mythfrontend in a terminal and collect its stderr output, I
> get output like:
>
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]illegal ac vlc code at 0x7
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]Error at MB: 84
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 2147483614 errors
> Error decoding frame; 1443
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]illegal dc 0 at 0 4
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]illegal dc 128 at 1 4
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]I cbpc damaged at 9 4
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]Error at MB: 57
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 2147483647 errors
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]I cbpy damaged at 0 7
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]Error at MB: 84
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 2147483647 errors
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]Error at MB: 84
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 2147483647 errors
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]illegal dc 0 at 0 8
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 9 errors
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]Error at MB: 96
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 2147483647 errors
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]Error at MB: 84
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 2147483647 errors
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]I cbpy damaged at 0 8
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]Error at MB: 96
> [h263 @ 0xb7a761d0]concealing 2147483647 errors
>
> These messages generally occur at 2-4 lines per second, and occur the
> entire duration of the call.  I see no errors that hint at or relate to
> the freeze.
>
> So...questions...
>
> I've recently retrieved the CVS versions of mythtv and associated
> modules.  I'm still working on a clean way to install them on my system
> (gentoo).  In any case, I haven't been able to deturmine if anything's
> been done to mythphone that might address this issue.
>
> I'd be greatful of any assistance one can offer...
>
> --Jim
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