Mailing List Archive

Maybe turn on debug messages on the ALSA driver.

./configure --with-debug=all --with-oss=yes --with-cards=via82xx

Are the options that I used. I am using v.92, and I am getting jitter sound
with ALSA and my VIA sound card. I will interested in haring how your sound
is when you get it working.

Michael Drons
INS
mdrons@ins.com


-----Original Message-----
From: mythtv-users-bounces@snowman.net
[mailto:mythtv-users-bounces@snowman.net] On Behalf Of rwk@americom.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 5:28 AM
To: mythtv-users@snowman.net
Subject: [mythtv-users] ALSA Driver

Hi,

I just got alsa working on my RH9 system. (I was ruining mythtv with OSS
before now but was getting jittery sound.) Although alsa works with
mplayer, I now get no sound from mythtv. I do get the following error
message when I start mythtv:

"Your soundcard is not reporting free space correctly."

Is this my problem, and if so, what does it mean and how do I fix it?

I tried configuring both /dev/dsp and /dev/adsp but neither work.

I am using snd-via82xx driver.

There are no messages from mythtv in my /var/log/messages.

Thanks!
Dick

_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users@snowman.net
http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

Are there module options to turn on the debugging when you're using the
RPMs from freshrpms.net?

When I follow the ALSA website instructions for installation (module
loading) my video flakes out--I get a blank screen when I boot runlevel
5. (my card is an i810 clone, the SiS7012 which is supported according to
the matrix).

Strangely, with enough futzing around, it started working. I don't know
what I did. The last thing I did was reload the msp3400 module on the
backend, but I am running the frontend on a different machine, so I
can't imagine that affecting it.

In any case, it does seem to have cured the jitters!

I get a very slight amount now (usually only when I start mythtv or
change channels) but once it gets going, it is much much smoother.
There is still a very short pause in the sound every once in a while,
but I have not yet sat through a full show to really evaluate it.

With OSS, there were time, that I could not even watch it was so bad,
like continuously stuttering....

So if you have sound problems, it is definitely worth the effort to
update to alsa.

I would be interested to know if the slight jitters I hear, like when
changing channels, is normal.

> Maybe turn on debug messages on the ALSA driver.
>
> ./configure --with-debug=all --with-oss=yes --with-cards=via82xx
>
> Are the options that I used. I am using v.92, and I am getting jitter sound
> with ALSA and my VIA sound card. I will interested in haring how your sound
> is when you get it working.

I am using v.93c. My frontend machine is an Athlon 2200+ but I am
planing to put it on a VIA M10000 when I can get one. The VIA mini-itx
boards have hardware decoders, so I am hopeful it will be fine. I can't
imagine it is cpu power though.

Are you running front and back on the same machine? Does your CPU do
mpeg encoding, or are you using a hardware encoder? Does it jitter with
prerecorded programs? What is your cpu?

Regards,
Dick

> Michael Drons
> INS
> mdrons@ins.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mythtv-users-bounces@snowman.net
> [mailto:mythtv-users-bounces@snowman.net] On Behalf Of rwk@americom.com
> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 5:28 AM
> To: mythtv-users@snowman.net
> Subject: [mythtv-users] ALSA Driver
>
> Hi,
>
> I just got alsa working on my RH9 system. (I was ruining mythtv with OSS
> before now but was getting jittery sound.) Although alsa works with
> mplayer, I now get no sound from mythtv. I do get the following error
> message when I start mythtv:
>
> "Your soundcard is not reporting free space correctly."
>
> Is this my problem, and if so, what does it mean and how do I fix it?
>
> I tried configuring both /dev/dsp and /dev/adsp but neither work.
>
> I am using snd-via82xx driver.
>
> There are no messages from mythtv in my /var/log/messages.
>
> Thanks!
> Dick
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users@snowman.net
> http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users@snowman.net
> http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>

Strangely, with enough futzing around, it started working. I don't know
what I did. The last thing I did was reload the msp3400 module on the
backend, but I am running the frontend on a different machine, so I
can't imagine that affecting it.

In any case, it does seem to have cured the jitters!

I get a very slight amount now (usually only when I start mythtv or
change channels) but once it gets going, it is much much smoother.
There is still a very short pause in the sound every once in a while,
but I have not yet sat through a full show to really evaluate it.

With OSS, there were time, that I could not even watch it was so bad,
like continuously stuttering....

So if you have sound problems, it is definitely worth the effort to
update to alsa.

I would be interested to know if the slight jitters I hear, like when
changing channels, is normal.

> Maybe turn on debug messages on the ALSA driver.
>
> ./configure --with-debug=all --with-oss=yes --with-cards=via82xx
>
> Are the options that I used. I am using v.92, and I am getting jitter sound
> with ALSA and my VIA sound card. I will interested in haring how your sound
> is when you get it working.

I am using v.93c. My frontend machine is an Athlon 2200+ but I am
planing to put it on a VIA M10000 when I can get one. The VIA mini-itx
boards have hardware decoders, so I am hopeful it will be fine. I can't
imagine it is cpu power though.

Are you running front and back on the same machine? Does your CPU do
mpeg encoding, or are you using a hardware encoder? Does it jitter with
prerecorded programs? What is your cpu?

Regards,
Dick

> Michael Drons
> INS
> mdrons@ins.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mythtv-users-bounces@snowman.net
> [mailto:mythtv-users-bounces@snowman.net] On Behalf Of rwk@americom.com
> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 5:28 AM
> To: mythtv-users@snowman.net
> Subject: [mythtv-users] ALSA Driver
>
> Hi,
>
> I just got alsa working on my RH9 system. (I was ruining mythtv with OSS
> before now but was getting jittery sound.) Although alsa works with
> mplayer, I now get no sound from mythtv. I do get the following error
> message when I start mythtv:
>
> "Your soundcard is not reporting free space correctly."
>
> Is this my problem, and if so, what does it mean and how do I fix it?
>
> I tried configuring both /dev/dsp and /dev/adsp but neither work.
>
> I am using snd-via82xx driver.
>
> There are no messages from mythtv in my /var/log/messages.
>
> Thanks!
> Dick
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users@snowman.net
> http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtv-users mailing list
> mythtv-users@snowman.net
> http://lists.snowman.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>

> Are there module options to turn on the debugging when you're using the
> RPMs from freshrpms.net?

I didn't use the RPMs because I didn't understand how they work when the
compilation procedure requires you to specify the sound card at compile
time.

> When I follow the ALSA website instructions for installation (module
> loading)

You mean the compilation instructions?

I didn't see any procedures for installing the RPMs. What sound card
would the RPMs be compiled with?

> my video flakes out--I get a blank screen when I boot runlevel
> 5. (my card is an i810 clone, the SiS7012 which is supported according to
> the matrix).

I would compile from source specifying your sound card as described on
the alsa web site.

Dick

> Are there module options to turn on the debugging when you're using the
> RPMs from freshrpms.net?

I didn't use the RPMs because I didn't understand how they work when the
compilation procedure requires you to specify the sound card at compile
time.

> When I follow the ALSA website instructions for installation (module
> loading)

You mean the compilation instructions?

I didn't see any procedures for installing the RPMs. What sound card
would the RPMs be compiled with?

> my video flakes out--I get a blank screen when I boot runlevel
> 5. (my card is an i810 clone, the SiS7012 which is supported according to
> the matrix).

I would compile from source specifying your sound card as described on
the alsa web site.

Dick

At 07:27 AM 5/29/03 +0000, rwk@americom.com wrote:
> > When I follow the ALSA website instructions for installation (module
> > loading)
>
>You mean the compilation instructions?

No, the module configuration instructions. The modules are all compiled
and part of the RPMs. Every card supported has a module. You then tell
/etc/modules.conf which one to use, and some other stuff. It's the other
stuff that's causing me problems.


> > my video flakes out--I get a blank screen when I boot runlevel
> > 5. (my card is an i810 clone, the SiS7012 which is supported according to
> > the matrix).
>
>I would compile from source specifying your sound card as described on
>the alsa web site.

I'd just as soon build my car from spare parts. :-)

If it comes down to that, I'll do it, but I'm trying to go as much with
RPMs for everything as possible. So far none of the pieces parts appear to
require compiling--they're all available as RPMs--it's just a matter of
finding the magic configuration instructions since the RPMs are apparently
built by people who already know exactly how to configure them :)


One really weird thing is that with a subset of the modules.conf entries
active I 1) don't have the video problem 2) can hear my microphone if I
unmute it, and 3) can't seem to hear any other sound output even when I've
gone into alsamixer and unmuted everything and cranked it all up to
100%. (by subset, I've got all the entries but the last two; I was
re-adding them one at a time to find which one zonked the video but then it
got to be way past bedtime :-).