@oldcpu: Help Needed on Multimedia Issues

English Multimedia
1

@oldcpu: would appreciate your help in suggesting what may be the problem here. TIA.

OpenSuse 11.1 (32bit) with KDE 3.5.10 on Asrock A785GM-LE/128M MB containing ALC662 audio/codec, along with ATI 4770 PCie2 video card with some audio capability on it - unused.

I can see the video portion of YouTube and CNN-like transmissions, but not the audio. I can play .mp3 files on my PC, and I can hear the audio portion in Mplayer of a .mov file, but the video is missing/error. Kaffeine shows the video portion, but the audio is missing! Also, globally, despite cranking up kmix (mixer and volume) to max, the volume level on my headphones (no speakers attached) is “adequate”, but cannot be adjusted any louder as I can in WinXP on this dual-boot PC.

Using this test (speaker-test -c2 -l5 -twav), I hear the left-right voice perfectly. This test (speaker-test -Dplug:front -c2 -l5 -twav) bombs out with:
Unable to set hw params for playback: Invalid argument
Setting of hwparams failed: Invalid argument

Running the ALSA diagnostics gives this URL for your review:
http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=67287c9e4cc18bf6239a0cb63aec9867980ce6d5

As well, individual console I/O:

s111f:~ # rpm -qa | grep alsa
alsa-oss-1.0.17-1.37
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.12
alsa-utils-1.0.18-6.4
alsa-1.0.18-8.12.1
alsa-plugins-1.0.18-6.12

s111f:~ # rpm -qa | grep pulse
pulseaudio-module-zeroconf-0.9.14-2.3.1
alsa-plugins-pulse-1.0.18-6.12
pulseaudio-lang-0.9.14-2.3.1
pulseaudio-0.9.14-2.3.1
pulseaudio-utils-0.9.14-2.3.1
pulseaudio-esound-compat-0.9.14-2.3.1
libpulse0-0.9.14-2.3.1
libpulse-mainloop-glib0-0.9.14-2.3.1
pulseaudio-module-bluetooth-0.9.14-2.3.1
pulseaudio-module-lirc-0.9.14-2.3.1
libpulse-browse0-0.9.14-2.3.1
pulseaudio-module-jack-0.9.14-2.3.1
libxine1-pulse-1.1.18.1-1.pm.37.2
pulseaudio-module-x11-0.9.14-2.3.1

s111f:~ # rpm -q libasound2
libasound2-1.0.18-8.12.1

s111f:~ # uname -a
Linux s111f 2.6.27.45-0.1-pae #1 SMP 2010-02-22 16:49:47 +0100 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux

s111f:~ # cat /etc/modprobe.d/sound
options snd slots=snd-hda-intel,snd-hda-intel

5Dex.4lROAptOBP8:SBx00 Azalia (Intel HDA)

alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel

NXNs.txz_sgxDiRE:RV730XT Audio device [Radeon HD 4670]

alias snd-card-1 snd-hda-intel

s111f:~ # rpm -q alsa alsa-utils alsa-firmware
alsa-1.0.18-8.12.1
alsa-utils-1.0.18-6.4
package alsa-firmware is not installed

2

OK, this is important. This indicates your sound driver is working.

So now all that needs to be sorted are application configurations, codecs, and ensure there are no functional conflicts by mixing up applications from incompatible repositories.

If my memory serves me correctly, a problem with flash on openSUSE-11.1 was the file libflash-support (or something like that) would interfer with audio. That file has to be removed. So keep flashplayer, and remove that file. If you can’t find the exact file, type:

rpm -qa '*flash*'

and post here the output and maybe I can point it out to you.

I assume these .mov files are on your hard drive and not being streamed from Apple trailers site? I think mplayer comes with its own codecs. So while you could add libquicktime rpm, I suspect the problem may lay elsewhere. Try installing the smplayer front end to mplayer, and see if you can get the video with that. You could play with the preferences output video module/mode on mplayer and try “xv” or “x11” to see if any of those work better.

The latest Kaffeine in KDE3 gives one the choice of using either gstreamer of xine as the backend. Which one do you have selected? Also note there is a KDE4 version of kaffeine available, which is not yet as good as the KDE3 version, and if you have installed that by mistake, it may also be related to your problem. I also recommend you use the Packman packaged KDE3 kaffeine and not the Novell/SuSE-GmbH packaged kaffeine. I recommend you select the “xine” backend in Kaffeine, and if you do have the xine backend selected in kaffeine, then you also need to ensure you have the Packman packaged libxine1 and also libffmpeg0 (and all its dependencies) installed. Note these should be Packman packaged versions and NOT Novell/SuSE-GmbH nor Videolan packaged versions. You can tell Packman packaged versions by the “pm” in the version number.

I am getting my KDE4 and KDE3 kmix’s confused in my head, but in some kmix variants one can add extra volume controls by a “channel” selection in the kmix (I’m NOT at a Linux PC right now so I can not check). So check to see if you have all the necessary volume controls available. Note that dependant on one’s hardware, there may be 3 volume controls: Master, PCM, speaker.

Also, in some cases by going to YaST > Hardware > Sound > Other > Voume, one can move up volume controls and improve the situation. Again, I’m going by memory so I may have the GUI sequence/labels a bit mixed up.

Also, some general broken record / oldcpu-pet-peeve guidance. Please try to limit your repositories to 4 repositories and just 4. Those are the 3 official repositories: Oss, Non-Oss, and Update and one unofficial repository: Packman. No others. None. Not one. IF you find you need an application that is NOT on those 4 but is on another repository, then briefly add that repository, install the needed application, and then remove that 5th repository. That is important. It will prevent all sorts of functional and dependency headaches. I am of the firm opinion that the best way to solve a dependency problem is to never encounter it in the first place.

Good luck, and let us know how it works out.

3

Thanks for the quick response. Answering your points:

s111f:~ # rpm -qa ‘flash’
libflashsupport-1.2-4.20
pullin-flash-player-11.1-1.1
flash-player-10.0.45.2-0.1.1

Per your advice, I deleted libflashsupport … and now I can hear the audio portion of CNN clips and YouTubes, along with the video portion that I always could see, in Firefox. So that problem’s solved.

Try installing the smplayer front end to mplayer, and see if you can get the video with that.

I forgot that I already had smplayer front-end installed and yes, it plays the .mov file on my HDD properly, both audio & video, as opposed to Kaffeine.

Kaffeine is 0.8.7 (0.8.7-1.105 in Yast, from OSS), and appears to have Xine as the only engine. In the audio section:

Audiodriver is set to Auto
mixer_software is checked.
Nothing is in the pulseaudio_device field
both "A52.xxxxx boxes are unchecked
a52.level=99
synchronization.passthrough_offset=0
synchronization.slow_fast_audio is unchecked
synchronization.av_synch_method=metronom feedback
synchronization.force_rate=0
synchronization.resample_mode=auto
volume.mixer_volume=0
volume.remember_volume is unchecked.

I changed to the (newer) Packman version of Kaffeine (0.8.8-1.pm.1.36) and rebooted. No change. The .mov file on the HDD still shows the video correctly in the new Kaffeine, but no sound. BTW, the speaker icon in Kaffeine has a red “X” through it, OSS and Packman versions, even though toggling it back and forth gives the “on/off” message on the OSD. In other words, toggling does not change the presence of the “X” though the icon.

libxine1 is 1.1.18.1-1.pm.37.2 from Packman, and libffmpeg0 is 0.5.22648svn-0.pm.1.1, also from Packman. I followed another guide in the forums to install/check the MM-Restricted stuff, and all seems to check out. So it seems as just Kaffeine is fouled up, and I can live with that, preferring to use (S)Mplayer anyways. I’ll just change the KDE associations.

check to see if you have all the necessary volume controls available

WRT the volumes, Kmix has the following outputs:
Master (that’s my designated master channel) is on, at 100% or so
PCM has a "fuzzy blue icon, no “dot” for on/off, but is se to 100%; lools like this isn’t working at all.
Front is on, at 100%
3D Center is on, at 100%
3D LFE is on, at 100%
Line is on, at 100%
CD is on, at 100%
Mike is off (I don’t have one)
PC Speaker is off
Digital, like PCM, appears to be inaccessible, but I presume that’s not an issue since I’m not using digital outputs but, rather, analogue.

YaST > Hardware > Sound > Other > Voume

BTW, in Yast/Hardware/Sound/PulseAudio Configuration, “Enable PulseAudio Support” is unchecked. Should it be checked? The volume controls in that applet are cranked up, in line with the above list.

I’d rate sound volume as “barely adequate”, certainly in comparison to under WinXP where I can shatter my eardrums if desired, but if I have to live with it like this in Suse, so be it. But it would be nice to know why the volume can’t be cranked up.

Finally, I’ve cut back on active repos, per your recommendation.

4

Well done on getting this far.

I think it may be worth your while working your way through post#1 in this guide of Reddwarf’s:
Check your multimedia problem in ten steps - openSUSE Forums

The reason being I am suspicious you have something installed that is causing the kaffeine problem.

You could also install (for testing only) xine-ui from packman and with that installed try:

xine yourmovie.mov

file. That will help us see if it is the xine engine or kaffeine causing the problem.

5

How about doing this instead:

type

amixer > mymixersettings.txt

then open up mymixersettings.txt in a text editor and post it to PasteBin.be and press dump and post here the URL that pastebin gives you.

6

There must be something wrong with Xine itself, since it displays the video of the .mov file, but no sound … same as Kaffeine which uses the Xine engine. BTW, libquicktime0 is installed, 1.1.5-100.pm.100.16 from Packman, FYI.

I think this handles both your above posts:

Result of “amixer > mymixersettings.txt” is at http://pastebin.be/txt/24134.txt

Result of RedDwarf’s diagnostic list (first part); These were done one after the other in Konsole, I’ve just put some blank lines in for clarity of reading::

s111f:~ # LC_ALL=C zypper ve
Loading repository data…
Reading installed packages…
Dependencies of all installed packages are satisfied.

s111f:~ # rpm -qa --queryformat '%{NAME} → %{VENDOR}
’ | grep -i VideoLAN
libdvdcss → VideoLAN Project (VideoLAN, Free streaming and multimedia solutions for all OS!)

s111f:~ # rpm --verify --query --all 'libav’ 'libpostproc’ ‘libswscale*’**

s111f:~ # rpm --query --queryformat '%{NAME}-%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}-%{ARCH} → %{VENDOR}
’ libxine1 libxine1-codecs
libxine1-1.1.18.1-1.pm.37.2-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
libxine1-codecs-1.1.18.1-1.pm.37.2-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite

s111f:~ # rpm --verify --query --all 'xine’

s111f:~ # rpm --query --queryformat '%{NAME}-%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}-%{ARCH} → %{VENDOR}
’ gstreamer-0_10-ffmpeg gstreamer-0_10-fluendo-mp3 gstreamer-0_10-fluendo-mpegdemux gstreamer-0_10-fluendo-mpegmux gstreamer-0_10-plugins-bad gstreamer-0_10-plugins-base gstreamer-0_10-plugins-good gstreamer-0_10-plugins-good-extra gstreamer-0_10-plugins-ugly
gstreamer-0_10-ffmpeg-0.10.10-999.pm.999.1-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-fluendo-mp3-0.10.10-42.pm.42.5-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-fluendo-mpegdemux-0.10.23-42.pm.42.5-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-fluendo-mpegmux-0.10.4-42.pm.42.3-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-plugins-bad-0.10.18-999.pm.1000.6-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-plugins-base-0.10.28-999.pm.999.3-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-plugins-good-0.10.21-999.pm.999.4-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-plugins-good-extra-0.10.21-999.pm.999.4-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite
gstreamer-0_10-plugins-ugly-0.10.14-999.pm.999.4-i586 → PackMan :: Startseite

s111f:~ # rpm --verify --query --all 'gst’

s111f:~ # rpm --verify MPlayer

s111f:~ # rpm --verify --query --all 'vlc’

s111f:~ # rpm --verify w32codec-all

Result of the next step in diagnostic:
rpm --query --all 'libav’ 'libpostproc’ ‘libswscale*’ ‘xine’ ‘gst’ MPlayer ‘vlc’ | grep -v avahi | sort**
is at http://pastebin.be/txt/24135.txt

7

Forgot to mention, xine-ui from Packman was already installed.

8

I’m curious (wild speculation in fact) about this parameter:
Simple mixer control 'Channel Mode',0
Capabilities: enum
Items: '2ch' '6ch'
Item0: '2ch'
What happens if you change it to 6ch ? That may in fact block all audio (in which case, put it back to 2ch).

9

I confess, I prefer the line I suggested in that thread. Can you run this and provide the output:

rpm --query --all 'libav*' 'libpostproc*' 'libswscale*' '*xine*' '*gst*' MPlayer '*vlc*' | grep -v avahi | sort
10

Changing to 6ch, from 2ch, including logging out/in, had no effect on Kaffeine or Xine. Still get video but no sound at all. Speaker icon in Kaffeine still has the “X” in a red circle over/attached to it.

sMplayer plays MP3’s, no change in volume. I’ve left the setting at 6ch, since it hasn’t impacted negatively.

Result of:
rpm --query --all ‘libav*’ ‘libpostproc*’ ‘libswscale*’ ‘xine’ ‘gst’ MPlayer ‘vlc’ | grep -v avahi | sort

is at http://pastebin.be/txt/24136.txt

11

I don’t understand this “x” in a red circle over Kaffeine, but lets ignore this for now and get xine working.

Is it only .mov that xine does not play for you ?

12

I don’t see anything untoward there, except you appear to be using the somewhat buggy KDE-4.3.1 instead of the official updated KDE-4.3.5. Do I have that correct ?

13

Hmmm … disregard that. You are using KDE-3.5.10.

I’m puzzled then, why you have those phonon KDE4 apps installed …

14

6ch was a wild guess, and its likely for 5-channel surround sound. I would put it back to 2 ch if you don’t have 5-channel sound speakers.

15

what audio driver are you using in xine?

Try changing it to “oss”.

16

By the way, Amarok performs worse than Kaffeine. It doesn’t show video, and produces no sound, even on plain-old MP3’s. Might help in the diagnosis?

17

Well, well, well. In Xine it was set to “auto”, so I changed it to OSS as you instructed. Voila, sound & video. Changed Amarok & Kaffeine too (whatever), and now they work properly. Wonder why auto doesn’t work?

As I said previously, I can put up with the barely acceptable volume level, so all the problems I mentioned are addressed.

Many, many thanks for your work. What was the tip-off, if your fingertips have enough skin left for a final, dying bash at the keys?

18

I was at work for most of the earlier posts with no access to a Linux PC. … That requires I rely on likely the worst memory here on the forum (which is my memory). :slight_smile:

Once I got home, and had a chance to flash up my Linux PC and look at my settings, it was a bit easier :slight_smile: