[mythtv-users] MHEG issues (UK) - flickering, video resizing, mind the gaps!

[John Veness]

Sam Jacobs wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I've noticed a few issues with MHEG, and couldn't find any posts on
> them, so here they are, in no particular order:
> 
> 1. Some apps, always on Teletext's ones but I have seen it on BBCi
> once or twice, flicker on and off the screen. It seems to be related
> somehow to the updating of the screen (like the news ticker on page
> 100 of Teletext, and while it usually comes back on it's own it can
> take a button press or two. What can be seen when the MHEG has
> flickered off the screen brings me conveniently to the next issue:
> 
> 2. When an app requests video to be rendered quarter-screen, the
> frontend actually decodes and renders a copy of the same video stream
> (CPU usage about doubles, but network activity stays the same). While
> this probably isn't an issue on reasonably powerful frontends with SD
> video (on my Mac, CPU usage is about 40% normally, and 80% when on a
> BBCi page displaying 1/4-screen), it isn't very efficient and I'd
> imagine things would suffer greatly with HD video.
> 
> 3. The gaps! Obviously, it must be difficult to get everything laid
> out correctly, and the engine does a great job at the moment, but
> because of 2 the gaps are really obvious because the fullscreen video
> shows through them!
> 
> Anyway, that's about it. Just thought I should sum these issues up,
> since I couldn't find any posts on them and if nothing else this might
> spark discussion on it.
> 
> Thanks,
> Sam

Yes, I've seen these things too, although 0.21 was an improvement on 
0.20.2. There are some rendering errors on the GameCentral letters page 
too (page 809 on ITV1). To help the devs I'd like to be able to provide 
screenshots - what's a good way to make a screenshot of an MHEG screen?

Cheers,

John

-- 
John Veness, MythTV user, UK, DVB-T