We should try to build a list of all the things that can go wrong in making HD work smoothly. There are many.
They include:
a) Right drivers for card with your kernel b) Proper AGP bus speed and AGP interface driver in use c) Proper user of openGL sync for retrace d) Proper settings for deinterlace and, if used, xvmc e) Proper sound settings and handling of 5.1 sound and multiple streams f) Real time scheduling of playback thread g) Making sure disk or network speed is adequate h) Nothing else sucking up CPU on the machine
And of course having the right cards and memory itself.
I found a couple of things this weekend while screwing around with my machine.
1. Getting the RTC working correctly. I couldn't find it documented anywhere but when I ran "mythfrontend -v all" and went through all the output I noticed that it was falling back on a different method for syncing because something was not right with the RTC (also, I noticed that mplayer was saying stuff about can't use the RTC). Anyway, I did some googling and found that if you enable the HPET in your kernel it'll conflict with the RTC. I recompiled without it and behold both programs use the RTC now! I've noticed an improvement in audio-video sync.
2. Forcing the nvidia drivers to use the NvAGP "1" value. I read that it improves performance so I stuck it in the XF86Config file but then I started getting those messages in syslog about "AGPGART is loaded can't use NvAGP". This is also due to compiling in the AGP support in the kernel. I recompiled without it and behold glxgears gives me about 1000 more fps!
Anyway, I just thought I'd share since I was able to gain some quality and speed in those two areas. As far as performance I get theses numbers:
Standard Definition Digital - Anywhere from 15% - 45% cpu High Definition Digital - Anywhere from 65% - 100% cpu (always smooth)
I'm not using XvMC since there has been so much talk of hard lock ups and stuff I have been too scared to give it a try.
-Greg
--- Running Conditions ---
939pin Athlon64 3200+
OS - Standard Issue Debian (32-bit)
MythTV - CVS Version (4/3/2005)
Capture Card - pcHDTV HD-3000
Drivers - Using DVB (kernel 2.6.12) _______________________________________________
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