[mythtv-users] FE makes hiccups ones in a while

[Tony Sauri]

On 31/12/13 11:35, Kim johansen wrote:
> Hey all,
>
> I have a Mythtv setup with separated with a BE and a FE.
> The is a Shuttle XS35GTV2 with NVidia Next generation ION and Intel Atom
> D525 with 4GB of memory. In specs it should be full capable of playing
> full HD.
>
>
> But ones in a while the sound and video makes a hiccup, it can be as
> often as every minute, or every 10 min, there is no system in it.
>
> I have ruled out:
> - network issues(Switch, IF in the machines)
> - performances issue in CPU, memory, HDD)
> - CEC adapter (External)
> - Surround receiver
> - De-interlacing
> - Audio over HDMI
>
>
> Some facts:
> - I use VDPAU to get hardware acceleration.
> - The GPU is about 60 degrees Celsius when plying HD
> - I have studied the log file, but I have not found any errors
> - I have tested it on a laptop with a NVidia graphic card and there was
> no problems
>
>

Hi Kim

I have an XS35GTV2 and while I have found it to be mostly a great FE I 
recently became aware of a hardware issue that they have:

There appears to be a bios issue which interacts with nvidia drivers >
195 and manifests itself as the GPU not being able to get to full power
(powermizer level 0 & 1 - no 2).

I am running Xubuntu 10.04. The Nvidia Driver is Version 280.13. and yes 
I am prevented from setting powermizer to 2 however it does not seem to 
have an effect on playback be it SD or HD.  However I have been told 
that Xubuntu 12.04 that I may move to in the next month does make this 
bios/hardware problem worse.

That said there was also another fix/workaround that completely fixed 
occasional stutters that occurred randomly with spacings of about 1 to 5 
mins.

There is an issue with the wifi adapter built into the motherboard.

This has to do with the wifi drivers that are automatically loaded at 
boot time even if you use ethernet cables for your connectivity.

Apparently the driver does a periodic refresh of the wifi landscape and 
does not free-up till it is complete!

The solution is to blacklist the driver to prevent it loading at boot.

I created the file /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist_wifi.conf
with the following content

#  ########### First line
#  The wifi driver can cause problems with Video playback.
#  I don't need it so blacklist it
#
blacklist rtl8192ce
blacklist rtl8192c_common
#  ########### Last line

This had an immediate and positive effect


Let me know how you get on.

Regards

Tony Sauri