Problem starting movie playback: with XVBA, only audio starts playing
#1
Hi forum,

when I start a movie that is stored as *.MP4 on my NAS, which in turn is accessed via WLAN and SMB protocol, by hitting "Enter" on the movie list, very often only the audio part of the movie starts playing, and the movie selection list in XBMC stays open:

Image

...and the video is not played (only the audio).

If I press "Enter" a second time on the same movie in the list, then the list closes, and the movie starts playing properly.

What could be the reason for this behaviour? Caching problems? Slow WLAN and/or NAS access?

Thanks for any help,

Regards David.P
Reply
#2
*bump*

....no idea anyone?
Reply
#3
I've had this a number of times on an XBMC-pc that was quite far away from the router. Took about 5 seconds for the image to catch up with the sound.

I'd advise you to try out a wired connection, for purpose of ruling out other matters. If a wired connection gives you the same issues, I'd advise looking into your logfiles (possibly with debugging turned on) to see if there's anything strange there.

You might also want to experiment using NFS instead of SMB (if your NAS supports it), as it's supposed to be a tad faster.
Reply
#4
You could also copy the file locally to rule out the WLAN. How are you creating the files? I suppose it's not impossible that there's an error in the file, although that doesn't explain why it works with a second Enter.

Does this happen on all skins? Does it happen on all clients - have you anything else running XBMC to test it with, or anything else based on ffmpeg (VLC or mplayer, for example) that you can use from the same system?

NFS may not be a practical option if you're using Windows as a client OS - not all versions come with an NFS client (although there are ways and means - I think MIT or one of the US universities offers a free NFS client).
Reply
#5
Thanks!

Actually the problem is also present when playing movies stored locally on the Arcitc. The problem only goes away when I use XBMCBuntu instead of Openelec on the same machine (but I'd rather use the latter than the former).

Yes, the problem is present on all skins.

Unfortunately, NFS is not available on my NAS.

Should I change the buffering settings in advancedsettings.xml?
Reply
#6
OK I changed cachemembuffersize to zero: no change.

Then I set it to 55242880 (roughly 10 times the default): no change.

I mean isn't it strange that it doesn't happen on XBMCBuntu, only in Openelec?
Reply
#7
OK guys now I disabled Hardware Acceleration/XVBA (whatever that means and whatever are the consequences) -- and the problem has completely vanished.

(This is an Arctic MC001 system with Dual Core Atom D525 @1.8GHz and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 512MB)

Image
Reply
#8
If you're still digging, I'd check to see what that's set to on the XBMCbuntu image, and also see what video drivers each system has installed. That may be where the difference lies... I'd normally shy away from disabling anything that suggests acceleration, but if it works for you, great!
Reply
#9
True, but CPU I - IV are still only at about 17% or so when playing 720p material according to the info overlay when pressing letter "O" on the keyboard.

Only thing is, I thought I only had 2, not 4 CPU cores Rolleyes
Reply
#10
That I can answer - 2 cores, 2 threads each.
Reply
#11
(2013-03-01, 11:06)David.P Wrote: Thanks!

Actually the problem is not present with a wired connection, however there is no LAN cable available in the Living room. The problem even goes away when I use XBMCBuntu instead of Openelec on the same machine (but I'd rather use the latter than the former).

Yes, the problem is present on all skins.

Unfortunately, NFS is not available on my NAS.

Should I change the buffering settings in advancedsettings.xml?

Try powerline ethernet.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
Reply
#12
Thanks Smile
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
Problem starting movie playback: with XVBA, only audio starts playing0