[MrCarbo]

Hi Guys,

My Revo 3619 is currently down due to the problem I've got installing Linux Lucid from a mini ISO.... but the real problem I'm trying to resolve is stuttering playback when playing my Avatar BluRay rip. When it stutters it isn't dropping frames. I ripped it to an MKV using MakeMKV; I removed foreign language and other audio tracks leaving the movie (untouched), the english soundtrack and the forced english subtitles.

The MKV files is 34GB, and mediainfo says:

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : [email protected]
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Muxing mode : Container [email protected]
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 2h 41mn
Bit rate : 28.2 Mbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.568
Stream size : 31.9 GiB (93%)

Should I be experiencing stuttering/juddering when playing back this on an R3610? If not then what should I look at to resolve it?

Thanks.

[MrCarbo]

Hoping this will help:

debug log
MediaInfo information

I've tried clean install, 9.11 repack, latest SVN (32246) and tried various nvidia drivers (190.53 up to 256.35) and various vsync and syn with screen etc options. Is the revo 3610 just not capable of this? I thought it was?

Anybody any ideas about this?

[neil.j1983]

at the moment, it's basically "live with it". I use windows 7 (because the windows version which uses dxva provides smooth playback) and test the linux svn every now and then hoping for a fix.

And it's not just avatar. Cars, Up, Life On Mars, almost all the h264 blurays I've tried.

I mad a thread here about it. But noone had a fix. It also does it on my q6600 and a gt240 (with vdpau decoding).

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=74611

[Vankwish]

What is your mileage when you play killer.sample.mkv?

Try that first to narrow down a revo/driver/setting problem vs a problem with your avatar rip.
Are you playing over hardwire, wifi, local? What graphics drivers are you on at the moment?

I'm using the xbmcfreak livecd and haven't had any problems playing my rips (inc. Avatar 1080 32gb), perhaps give that a go?.

[MrCarbo]

What is your mileage when you play killer.sample.mkv?

Try that first to narrow down a revo/driver/setting problem vs a problem with your avatar rip.
Are you playing over hardwire, wifi, local? What graphics drivers are you on at the moment?

I'm using the xbmcfreak livecd and haven't had any problems playing my rips (inc. Avatar 1080 32gb), perhaps give that a go?.

Is your avatar rip untouched, ie it's not been re-encoded just ripped from bluray and packaged in an mkv?

[Vankwish]

It has not be re-encoded and it is in a .mkv container, I may have removed a few streams as far as I can recall, I am not home at the moment to check . . .

[MrCarbo]

It has not be re-encoded, I may have removed a few streams as far as I can recall, I am not home at the moment to check . . .

Yeah I've removed all streams, including audio, and just left the move... comes out at 30GB... still doesn't work.

When I press "o" whilst watching the film I can see all the stats... none of the cpu ones or vcpu even go near 50%.

I also get tearing as well as stuttering. It's definitely not just "juddering" as I'm used to that in certain panning shots with SD footage anyway.. this is defintely stuttering. But it's not dropping frames.

[Vankwish]

I have 2 Revos both 3610, setup with 4gb ram and SSD's, in the BIOS I set 512 for graphics. (also flashed the latest linux bioses)

REVO 1
XBMCFreak's latest liveCD
Revo <-HDMI-> Onkyo Amp <-HDMI-> Plasma
Audio passthrough's are set for the amp and the amp handles sync delay.

Revo 2
Lucid mini XBMC installed with the XCI script (BIG UP for the script!)
Revo <-HDMI-> LED

Both Revo's connect via ethernet to a media server over samba.

I have never adjusted any other settings in XBMC other than checking VDPAU is on and audio passthrough's on Revo 1. Previously I had less then acceptable results on 9.11 but quickly changed to using newer versions on the Revo's. Neither set ups shows *any* evidence of tearing/judder/stutter on HD or SD, panning or otherwise (and I have looked!!!). I am in a pal region but I don't know if this makes any difference any more?

My only suggestion at the moment would be to try the killer sample and XBMCFreak's LiveCD. There are far more knowledgeable people here, I consider myself a beginner here so I might be ignoring/overlooking something but if you want to me to check any other of my settings let me know?

[MrCarbo]

I have 2 Revos both 3610, setup with 4gb ram and SSD's, in the BIOS I set 512 for graphics. (also flashed the latest linux bioses)

REVO 1
XBMCFreak's latest liveCD
Revo <-HDMI-> Onkyo Amp <-HDMI-> Plasma
Audio passthrough's are set for the amp and the amp handles sync delay.

Revo 2
Lucid mini XBMC installed with the XCI script (BIG UP for the script!)
Revo <-HDMI-> LED

Both Revo's connect via ethernet to a media server over samba.

I have never adjusted any other settings in XBMC other than audio passthrough's on Revo 1. Previously I had less then acceptable results on 9.11 but quickly changed to using newer versions on the Revo's. Neither set ups shows *any* evidence of tearing/judder/stutter on HD or SD, panning or otherwise (and I have looked!!!). I am in a pal region but I don't know if this makes any difference any more?

My only suggestion at the moment would be to try the killer sample and XBMCFreak's LiveCD. There are far more knowledgeable people here, I consider myself a beginner here so I might be ignoring/overlooking something but if you want to me to check any other of my settings let me know?

So you've never installed any other nvidia drivers other than those that come with the xbmcfreak CD?

I doubt the 4GB RAM is anything to do with it as there's around 1GB free while it's playing it.

I'll get hold of that sample file and see what happens there.

[Vankwish]

Used the default drivers on the Live-CD and used the drivers that installed with the XCI script.

I cant check what version is in use on either system until l get home but as far as I recall XBMCFreak's LiveCD played my Avatar rip out-of-the-box.

On Revo 2 before using the XCI script I did a manual install and had to play around with getting the drivers installed myself to get HD to play smoothly. I ended up copying the liveCD's setup then I found the XCI script which did it all for me.

Throughout it all I used the Killer Sample to check my settings, as it allowed me to compare my set-up with other's.

[MrCarbo]

Used the default drivers on the Live-CD and used the drivers that installed with the XCI script.

I cant check what version is in use on either system until l get home but as far as I recall XBMCFreak's LiveCD played my Avatar rip out-of-the-box.

On Revo 2 before using the XCI script I did a manual install and had to play around with getting the drivers installed myself to get HD to play smoothly. I ended up copying the liveCD's setup then I found the XCI script which did it all for me.

Throughout it all I used the Killer Sample to check my settings, as it allowed me to compare my set-up with other's.

The killer sample also plays badly; stuttering and some other graphical glitches.

The BIOS version on my R3610 is P01-A4L which appears to be the latest one.

I'll try the latest xbmcfreak cd and the XCI script.

[neil.j1983]

killa sample is a file encoded with x264. The avatar is bluray compliant. The avatar file should be 'easier' for the ion to decode.

until recently, x264 did not produce bluray compliant streams.

I will try the killer sample later.

[Hannes The Hun]

even on a single core revo the killa sample plays smooth when the system is set-up correctly

when you press "o" does it say that you're actually using ffmpeg-vdpau codec for decoding?

at the beginning I had a "buffering..."-problem with my first revo while playing HD-content from SMB but your stuttering does not seem to be related to this

only other suggestions: make sure that lipvdpau is installed and switch to the x-swat ppa for newest nvidia-current and xorg

[Vankwish]

The killer sample also plays badly; stuttering and some other graphical glitches.

I think it's pretty safe to say that there is a problem with hardware decoding then . . either a setting in XBMC or a driver issue.

Download the XBMCFreak LiveCD and use unetbootin to whack it on a USB stick and try that with the killer sample, it *should* be fine with that. You could then either install the LiveCD to HDD or use the XCI script to install on a minimal ubuntu.

[MrCarbo]

I've tried the latest xbmcfreaks CD and it didn't work.

As for "make sure that lipvdpau is installed and switch to the x-swat ppa for newest nvidia-current and xorg" I'll give this a try.

XBMC settings - I don't know what else to look at; I've tried all permutations of the sync etc settings and nothing sorts it.

I'll try and get a screengrab of the killa sample with the statistics on screen; it may help?

Is everyone basically saying that they have no problems on a single or 2 core revo with the Killa sample? Not only does mine stutter there's also a weird shimmering effect in the water.. like some static trying to show through? hard to explain. just looks knackered basically.

Just a thought ; 24p capabilities of my TV can't be affecting it can it, with regard the stuttering? I wouldn't of thought so? Is there a way to get xbmc to play everything at 50hz as that's my TVs refresh rate?

thanks for all your suggestions and help