dma is on, dvd playback still lacking

[miickEe]

Hey

From what I can see in my hdparm.conf file, my drive has dma = on, and yet my video still seems to be unnaturally unwatchable. I watch music dvds by the way, and it's hard to explain but the video is just slow and painful to watch. I don't know what to do.

I've played around with video settings in vlc, and in movie player etc and it all doesn't work.

Suggestions (please)?

[miickEe]

My dvd rom is /dev/scd0, which means it is scsi from what I understand. Apparently hdparm does not work on scsi drives, so dma being enabled is not really an issue.

I've read that my xserver.xorg is configured wrong, and that I should run:
"sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg"

And this is what I saw written in the same thread I obtained this info:
"Very good news! I'm able to play DVD.

and this was not a DMA issue!!!

In fact I have an ATI Radeon card and the DRI was not enabled. I removed all the fglrx drivers, re-installed the ATI driver as well as the restricted kernel module for ATI and it works!"

I have an nvidia geforce fx 5200, with the latest drivers etc. Where does my problem lie, what do I have to do to get my dvd video working correctly?

[miickEe]

Do I need to edit my /etc/modules file with anything? Is that needed for what I'm looking for?

I've heard it might be because speed from drive to system is slow, is there a way to tweak that?

And sdparm.. what is it, should I use it, will it be of any help?

[miickEe]

Here are some outputs from some commands

miickee@miickee-desktop:~$ sudo hdparm -Tt /dev/scd0

/dev/scd0:
Timing cached reads: 630 MB in 2.00 seconds = 315.02 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 10 MB in 3.51 seconds = 2.85 MB/sec

miickee@miickee-desktop:~$ sudo hdparm -I /dev/scd0

/dev/scd0:

ATAPI CD-ROM, with removable media
Model Number: PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-115D
Serial Number: GKDP265637WL
Firmware Revision: 1.13
Standards:
Likely used CD-ROM ATAPI-1
Configuration:
DRQ response: 50us.
Packet size: 12 bytes
Capabilities:
LBA, IORDY(can be disabled)
Buffer size: 64.0kB
DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 *udma4
Cycle time: min=120ns recommended=120ns
PIO: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
Cycle time: no flow control=240ns IORDY flow control=120ns
Commands/features:
Enabled Supported:
* Power Management feature set
* PACKET command feature set
* DEVICE_RESET command
HW reset results:
CBLID- above Vih
Device num = 0 determined by the jumper

miickee@miickee-desktop:~$ sudo hdparm -i /dev/scd0

/dev/scd0:

Model=PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-115D , FwRev=1.13 , SerialNo=
Config={ Fixed Removeable DTR<=5Mbs DTR>10Mbs nonMagnetic }
RawCHS=0/0/0, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=0
BuffType=13395, BuffSize=64kB, MaxMultSect=0
(maybe): CurCHS=0/0/0, CurSects=0, LBA=yes, LBAsects=0
IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:240,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
PIO modes: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
DMA modes: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 *udma4
AdvancedPM=no
Drive conforms to: unknown: ATA/ATAPI-2,3,4,5,6,7

* signifies the current active mode

Mean anything to you?

[miickEe]

B-U-M-P. I really need help with this.

[miickEe]

Bump. bump, bump.

I'm not kidding.

[rbalfour]

Hey

From what I can see in my hdparm.conf file, my drive has dma = on, and yet my video still seems to be unnaturally unwatchable. I watch music dvds by the way, and it's hard to explain but the video is just slow and painful to watch. I don't know what to do.

I've played around with video settings in vlc, and in movie player etc and it all doesn't work.

Suggestions (please)?

Take one step back from the keyboard and take a deep breath.

Okay, you feel refreshed? Now let's get started.

1) this is either a video card conf issue or a faulty drive.
2) I will show you the tests, you run them.

First let's test the video.

$ glxgears -info

Collect the following info.
GL_RENDERER = ???
GL_VERSION = ???
GL_VENDOR = ???
GL_EXTENSIONS = ???

At the bottom of the screen you should see something like this:
2782 frames in 5.0 seconds = 552.702 FPS

let it run for at LEAST 5 lines, collect that info.

Okay with that, do you have a XviD or Divx5 encoded file, the length should be at least 10 mins. Play that file and report back on quality. Does it lag? Does it should right? etc.

Next testing the drive.

Next test, put in a Audio CD and listen to it. Does the audio should good? Does the music skip?

And the finally test, put in a data CD. Anything with over 100MB, copy the contents of the data cd to a folder on your Hard Disk, you can delete what you copied. Does it copy correctly? How long did it take? etc.

[miickEe]

"miickee@miickee-desktop:~$ glxgears -info
GL_RENDERER = GeForce FX 5200/AGP/SSE2/3DNOW!
GL_VERSION = 2.1.2 NVIDIA 169.12
GL_VENDOR = NVIDIA Corporation
GL_EXTENSIONS = GL_ARB_depth_texture GL_ARB_fragment_program GL_ARB_fragment_program_shadow GL_ARB_fragment_shader GL_ARB_half_float_pixel GL_ARB_imaging GL_ARB_multisample GL_ARB_multitexture GL_ARB_occlusion_query GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object GL_ARB_point_parameters GL_ARB_point_sprite GL_ARB_shadow GL_ARB_shader_objects GL_ARB_shading_language_100 GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp GL_ARB_texture_compression GL_ARB_texture_cube_map GL_ARB_texture_env_add GL_ARB_texture_env_combine GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3 GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat GL_ARB_texture_rectangle GL_ARB_transpose_matrix GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object GL_ARB_vertex_program GL_ARB_vertex_shader GL_ARB_window_pos GL_S3_s3tc GL_EXT_texture_env_add GL_EXT_abgr GL_EXT_bgra GL_EXT_blend_color GL_EXT_blend_func_separate GL_EXT_blend_minmax GL_EXT_blend_subtract GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array GL_EXT_Cg_shader GL_EXT_draw_range_elements GL_EXT_fog_coord GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit GL_EXT_framebuffer_multisample GL_EXT_framebuffer_object GL_EXT_gpu_program_parameters GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays GL_EXT_packed_depth_stencil GL_EXT_packed_pixels GL_EXT_paletted_texture GL_EXT_pixel_buffer_object GL_EXT_point_parameters GL_EXT_rescale_normal GL_EXT_secondary_color GL_EXT_separate_specular_color GL_EXT_shadow_funcs GL_EXT_shared_texture_palette GL_EXT_stencil_two_side GL_EXT_stencil_wrap GL_EXT_texture3D GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc GL_EXT_texture_cube_map GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp GL_EXT_texture_env_combine GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3 GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_EXT_texture_lod GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias GL_EXT_texture_object GL_EXT_texture_sRGB GL_EXT_timer_query GL_EXT_vertex_array GL_IBM_rasterpos_clip GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat GL_KTX_buffer_region GL_NV_blend_square GL_NV_copy_depth_to_color GL_NV_depth_clamp GL_NV_fence GL_NV_float_buffer GL_NV_fog_distance GL_NV_fragment_program GL_NV_fragment_program_option GL_NV_framebuffer_multisample_coverage GL_NV_half_float GL_NV_light_max_exponent GL_NV_multisample_filter_hint GL_NV_occlusion_query GL_NV_packed_depth_stencil GL_NV_pixel_data_range GL_NV_point_sprite GL_NV_primitive_restart GL_NV_register_combiners GL_NV_register_combiners2 GL_NV_texgen_reflection GL_NV_texture_compression_vtc GL_NV_texture_env_combine4 GL_NV_texture_expand_normal GL_NV_texture_rectangle GL_NV_texture_shader GL_NV_texture_shader2 GL_NV_texture_shader3 GL_NV_vertex_array_range GL_NV_vertex_array_range2 GL_NV_vertex_program GL_NV_vertex_program1_1 GL_NV_vertex_program2 GL_NV_vertex_program2_option GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap GL_SGIS_texture_lod GL_SGIX_depth_texture GL_SGIX_shadow GL_SUN_slice_accum
3589 frames in 5.0 seconds = 717.164 FPS
3636 frames in 5.0 seconds = 727.123 FPS
3659 frames in 5.0 seconds = 731.761 FPS
3626 frames in 5.0 seconds = 725.076 FPS
3624 frames in 5.0 seconds = 724.704 FPS
3635 frames in 5.0 seconds = 726.882 FPS
3733 frames in 5.0 seconds = 746.512 FPS
3663 frames in 5.0 seconds = 732.562 FPS"

I played a 70MB xvid video file perfectly all the way through.

Audio cd works fine.

148.5MB of data copied to harddrive in around 2 minutes, copied correctly.

[rbalfour]

Okay the good news is. 1-You card is fine 2-the drive is fine.
So now we are looking at a software issue.
To bypass any mis-understanding.
From console, run the following. and copy and paste the output BEFORE you press "Y".

$ apt-get install vlc vlc-plugin-*

I will be watching the forums for the next hour.

[miickEe]

"miickee@miickee-desktop:~$ sudo apt-get install vlc vlc-plugin-*
[sudo] password for miickee:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
vlc is already the newest version.
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-dvb for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-ggi for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-esd for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-mad for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-alsa for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-ogg for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-sdl for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-arts for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-glide for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-xosd for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-svgalib for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-aa for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-pulse for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-dv for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-lirc for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
Note, selecting vlc-plugin-a52 for regex 'vlc-plugin-*'
The following extra packages will be installed:
libglide2 vlc-plugin-alsa vlc-plugin-arts vlc-plugin-esd vlc-plugin-ggi
vlc-plugin-glide vlc-plugin-sdl vlc-plugin-svgalib
Suggested packages:
device3dfx-module device3dfx-source
Recommended packages:
glide2-bin
The following NEW packages will be installed:
libglide2 vlc-plugin-alsa vlc-plugin-arts vlc-plugin-esd vlc-plugin-ggi
vlc-plugin-glide vlc-plugin-sdl vlc-plugin-svgalib
0 upgraded, 8 newly installed, 0 to remove and 21 not upgraded.
Need to get 408kB of archives.
After this operation, 1278kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? "

I'd like o agree with you that it's a software issue but it doesn't take into account that this problem is not just within the scope of vlc but all media players, and the low disk read speeds.