[linux-dvb] Re: problems with more than one dvbs-card

[apieper@gmx.net]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [linux-dvb] Re: problems with more than one dvbs-card (10-Jun-2001 23:20)
From:    Klaus.Schmidinger@cadsoft.de
To:      linux-dvb@linuxtv.org

> apieper@gmx.net wrote:
> > 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > since i installed a second dvbs-card in my vdr-pc
> > i got some problems.
> > 
> > My VDR-PC: Pentium 166 / Intel Chipset (FX?)/ RAM 128MB
> > VDR 0.72 / Driver 0.82 / Mandrake with kernel 2.2.17
> > 2 Hauppauge DVBs-Cards, 'old' Version, 80GB Maxtor
> > 
> > Problem 1:
> > Often (60%-70%) if i record with both cards and one
> > recording stops vdr is unloaded and my pc reboots
> > (the pc is installed to reboot if vdr stops).
> > 
> > Problem 2:
> > I get messages in the log regarding buffer overflow, example:
> > 
> > Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: record /mnt/video/vdr.00/Tagesschau/2001-06-
> > 08.19.59.10.04.rec
> > Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: recording to '/mnt/video/vdr.00/Tagesschau/
> > 2001-06-08.19.59.10.04.rec/002.vdr'
> > Jun  8 20:16:11 VDR vdr[2088]: output thread started (pid=2088)
> > Jun  8 20:16:11 VDR vdr[2089]: input thread started (pid=2089)
> > Jun  8 20:16:43 VDR vdr[2089]: buffer usage: 76%
> > Jun  8 20:16:43 VDR last message repeated 5 times
> > Jun  8 20:16:43 VDR vdr[2089]: buffer usage: 77%
> > Jun  8 20:16:43 VDR last message repeated 7 times
> > Jun  8 20:16:44 VDR vdr[2089]: buffer usage: 78%
> > Jun  8 20:16:44 VDR last message repeated 6 times
> > [...]
> > Jun  8 20:16:52 VDR vdr[2089]: buffer usage: 97%
> > Jun  8 20:16:52 VDR last message repeated 6 times
> > Jun  8 20:16:52 VDR vdr[2089]: buffer usage: 98%
> > Jun  8 20:16:53 VDR last message repeated 7 times
> > Jun  8 20:16:53 VDR vdr[2089]: buffer usage: 99%
> > Jun  8 20:16:53 VDR last message repeated 6 times
> > Jun  8 20:16:53 VDR vdr[2089]: buffer usage: 100%
> > Jun  8 20:17:04 VDR vdr[854]: buffer stats: 1048575 (100%) used
> > Jun  8 20:17:04 VDR vdr[854]: timer 3 stop
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > 
> > In this example vdr stops here and the pc resets.
> 
> Aren't there any further messages in the log file?
> I don't see why VDR would see any need to exit here?!

Jun  8 20:16:02 VDR kernel: record buffer full
Jun  8 20:16:06 VDR last message repeated 69 times
Jun  8 20:16:07 VDR vdr[854]: confirm: Aufzeichnung beenden?
Jun  8 20:16:07 VDR kernel: record buffer full
Jun  8 20:16:07 VDR last message repeated 12 times
Jun  8 20:16:07 VDR vdr[854]: confirmed
Jun  8 20:16:08 VDR kernel: record buffer full
Jun  8 20:16:09 VDR last message repeated 36 times
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: buffer stats: 1048575 (100%) used
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: timer 9 stop
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: deleting timer 9
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR kernel: record buffer full
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR last message repeated 5 times
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: stopping recording on DVB device 1 due to higher priority
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: timer 3 start
Jun  8 20:16:10 VDR vdr[854]: switching to channel 1

This are the messages before the ones i sent with
my last mail. Why are there so many messages re-
garding the buffer, arent 128MB enough for VDR ?

After more tests i can say that the reboots after
one recording stops (if i record with both cards)
will occur in ~20-30%.
  
> > Sometimes i get such buffer-usage messages but
> > vdr is running without problems.
> > 
> > Even with only one dvbs-card i got such messages,
> > but this never produced such effect.
> > 
> > Problem 3:
> > Picture distortions (blocks).
> > If i record with both cards sometimes i get distorted recordings
> > with blocks in it. Until now i only got this when i recorded
> > Pro7 and Sat1 together, i tested few other combinations (will
> > test more next days) but there where no problems (e.g. ARD and RTL).
> > With Sat1 and Pro7 i can reproduce the errors, the recordings
> > are almost unusable.
> > 
> > I guess i have a bottleneck somewhere, how can i
> > change this ? (faster processor, more ram ?)
> 
> Are you sure you have DMA activated for your disk?
> 
>    video:/home/kls # hdparm /dev/hda
> 
>    /dev/hda:
>     multcount    = 16 (on)
>     I/O support  =  0 (default 16-bit)
>     unmaskirq    =  0 (off)
>     using_dma    =  1 (on)       <=====================
>     keepsettings =  0 (off)
>     nowerr       =  0 (off)
>     readonly     =  0 (off)
>     readahead    =  8 (on)
>     geometry     = 4560/255/63, sectors = 73261440, start = 0

DMA is activated. For example if i transform recordings
with pes2av_pes the throughput is much higher than 2
simultaneously recordings should acquire (should be ~1MB/sec ?).

I only wonder that this errors only seems to occur (as of 
now i only tested some channel-combinations) if i record 
Sat1 and Pro7 together.

> Otherwise you could try using a faster processor.

So you mean faster processor is better than more ram ?

> Klaus

...Andreas



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