Forum - HDMI Audio cuts out for a sec every 5-10 mins [XBMC]

Hello All,

i have just switched from raspbmc to xbain however, when watching vids the HDMI cuts out for a sec every 5-10 mins. I have both raspberry license keys and using DTS pass-through to the AMP via HDMI.

Please note that my setup is the same when i was using raspbmc and had no issues. please let me know how we can troubleshoot this issue?

Firstly please read "Please read before you post" a link is in my signature and supply the necessary details.

Also include the output from dmesg, xbmc.log and vmstat 5 20 when the HDMI cuts out.

It sounds more like a wait state or high CPU than an HDMI problem.

As requested:

Software
XBian version: 1.0 Beta2
XBMC version: 12.2
Overclock settings:(xbian default setting)
MPEG/VC1 Keys: Yes

Hardware
Power supply rating: USB from LED TV
RPi model (model A/B 256mb/512mb): B, 512MB
SD card size and make/type:16GB ScanDisk Class 10 UHS1
Network (wireless or LAN): LAN
Connected devices (TV, USB, network storage, etc.): TV

Issue Occured: 13:37:37

[TOP]
%Cpu(s): 13.4 us, 7.5 sy, 0.0 ni, 76.5 id, 0.0 wa, 0.0 hi, 2.6 si, 0.0 st
KiB Mem: 254128 total, 218600 used, 35528 free, 448 buffers
KiB Swap: 314872 total, 464 used, 314408 free, 118364 cached

PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND
682 xbian 17 -3 448m 86m 20m S 20.6 34.9 137:05.87 xbmc.bin
30 root 1 -19 0 0 0 S 1.3 0.0 4:53.19 VCHIQ-0
24404 xbian 20 0 4600 1360 964 R 1.0 0.5 0:00.86 top
3 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.3 0.0 2:21.94 ksoftirqd/0
23930 xbian 20 0 9716 1636 1008 S 0.3 0.6 0:00.28 sshd
1 root 20 0 3460 1984 1328 S 0.0 0.8 0:07.77 init

[vmstat 5 20]
xbian@xbian ~ $ vmstat 5 20
procs -----------memory---------- ---swap-- -----io---- -system-- ----cpu----
r b swpd free buff cache si so bi bo in cs us sy id wa
0 0 464 35856 448 118432 0 0 8 7 1285 702 32 10 57 0
1 0 464 35796 448 118432 0 0 0 0 3179 2876 12 9 79 0
0 0 464 35796 448 118432 0 0 0 0 3180 2865 14 14 72 0
0 0 464 35796 448 118432 0 0 0 0 3210 2871 13 12 75 0

LogFile
dmesg.log
http://pastebin.com/qBajiiWf

xbmc.log
http://pastebin.com/bpNP1Yir

Ok Thanks - The information supplied makes it a lot easier to see what you are using.

1) Your xbmc.log has been removed - so I can't check that.
2) Nothing unusual in dmesg, nor vmstat or top (I assume this was just after or during the "glitch". If not, can you repost.
3) Unless you know for sure the amperage of the TV USB output is 1amp or more - can you try a 1amp or more power supply.
4) Can you try a slower SD card - class 4 or 6. I have a 16Gb Class 10x and it won't even boot my Pi.
5) Have you set use DTS bypass in System -> System (It shouldn't make a lot of difference)
6) How are you accessing the files? USB, NFS, SMB or a NAS system?
7) When playing the SAME video does it cut out at the same place or is it random? If at the same place, then if possible can a small section be cut out (If legal) and posted to an upload site.

I know this seems a lot as it all seems to work on Raspbmc, but they may look similar but Xbian is very different underneath.

I don't believe it is a bug as I constantly watch DTS, AC3 without any problems on USB and SMB. The only time I did have problems was when streaming a DTS from my DNS 323 NAS - and it was the NAS box causing the glitch as it couldn't stream fast enough. But if it worked on Raspbmc it SHOULD work on Xbian - only better.

(25th Nov, 2013 05:09 AM)IriDium Wrote: [ -> ]Ok Thanks - The information supplied makes it a lot easier to see what you are using.

1) Your xbmc.log has been removed - so I can't check that.
2) Nothing unusual in dmesg, nor vmstat or top (I assume this was just after or during the "glitch". If not, can you repost.
3) Unless you know for sure the amperage of the TV USB output is 1amp or more - can you try a 1amp or more power supply.
4) Can you try a slower SD card - class 4 or 6. I have a 16Gb Class 10x and it won't even boot my Pi.
5) Have you set use DTS bypass in System -> System (It shouldn't make a lot of difference)
6) How are you accessing the files? USB, NFS, SMB or a NAS system?
7) When playing the SAME video does it cut out at the same place or is it random? If at the same place, then if possible can a small section be cut out (If legal) and posted to an upload site.

I know this seems a lot as it all seems to work on Raspbmc, but they may look similar but Xbian is very different underneath.

I don't believe it is a bug as I constantly watch DTS, AC3 without any problems on USB and SMB. The only time I did have problems was when streaming a DTS from my DNS 323 NAS - and it was the NAS box causing the glitch as it couldn't stream fast enough. But if it worked on Raspbmc it SHOULD work on Xbian - only better.

1. not sure why the xbmc.log was removed however, here is the snip, nonthing really shows when the glitch occurs.

13:34:06 T:2675962944 NOTICE: CDVDVideoCodecFFmpeg::Open() Using codec: H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10
13:34:09 T:3041313312 NOTICE: COMXPlayer: Opening: smb://NAS2/Drive1/TV Shows/The X Factor (US)/Season 03/The X Factor (US) - S03E18 - Live Results.mp4
13:34:09 T:3041313312 WARNING: CDVDMessageQueue(player)::Put MSGQ_NOT_INITIALIZED
13:34:09 T:3041313312 NOTICE: CXBMCRenderManager::ResetRenderBuffer - using 5 render buffers
13:34:09 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Thread COMXPlayer start, auto delete: false
13:34:09 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating InputStream
13:34:11 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating Demuxer
13:34:12 T:2692740160 NOTICE: CDVDVideoCodecFFmpeg::Open() Using codec: H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Opening video stream: 0 source: 256
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating video thread
13:34:14 T:2684351552 NOTICE: Thread COMXPlayerVideo start, auto delete: false
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Opening audio stream: 1 source: 256
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating audio thread
13:34:14 T:2659185728 NOTICE: Thread COMXPlayerAudio start, auto delete: false
13:34:14 T:2684351552 ERROR: Output - renderer not started
13:34:15 T:2650797120 NOTICE: OMXClock using audio as reference
13:34:15 T:2684351552 ERROR: Output - renderer not started
13:34:15 T:2684351552 ERROR: Previous line repeats 4 times.
13:34:15 T:2684351552 NOTICE: Display resolution ADJUST : 1920x1080 @ 60.00 - Full Screen (16) (weight: 0.001)
13:34:15 T:2684351552 NOTICE: CXBMCRenderManager::ResetRenderBuffer - using 5 render buffers
13:34:15 T:3041313312 NOTICE: Using GL_TEXTURE_2D
13:34:15 T:3041313312 NOTICE: GL: Using BYPASS render method
13:34:15 T:3041313312 NOTICE: GL: NPOT texture support detected

3. Retesting with a 5v 1.8amp AC adapter now.
4. I do have other cards however, i have three Pi's here all with the same cards. remember that all three were using raspbmc, i upgraded one to test xbian and now this is the one with issues.
5. Still cuts out. one thing i see is at times the audio cuts out but at other times the DTS lights and such drop form the amp receiver screen.
6. All my files are on a NAS(Alt-F dlink 323) drive so SMB
7. Its random, if i play it again its at different sport. also the same file plays on my other TV with raspbmc.

(25th Nov, 2013 05:21 AM)rcmpayne Wrote: [ -> ]
(25th Nov, 2013 05:09 AM)IriDium Wrote: [ -> ]Ok Thanks - The information supplied makes it a lot easier to see what you are using.

1) Your xbmc.log has been removed - so I can't check that.
2) Nothing unusual in dmesg, nor vmstat or top (I assume this was just after or during the "glitch". If not, can you repost.
3) Unless you know for sure the amperage of the TV USB output is 1amp or more - can you try a 1amp or more power supply.
4) Can you try a slower SD card - class 4 or 6. I have a 16Gb Class 10x and it won't even boot my Pi.
5) Have you set use DTS bypass in System -> System (It shouldn't make a lot of difference)
6) How are you accessing the files? USB, NFS, SMB or a NAS system?
7) When playing the SAME video does it cut out at the same place or is it random? If at the same place, then if possible can a small section be cut out (If legal) and posted to an upload site.

I know this seems a lot as it all seems to work on Raspbmc, but they may look similar but Xbian is very different underneath.

I don't believe it is a bug as I constantly watch DTS, AC3 without any problems on USB and SMB. The only time I did have problems was when streaming a DTS from my DNS 323 NAS - and it was the NAS box causing the glitch as it couldn't stream fast enough. But if it worked on Raspbmc it SHOULD work on Xbian - only better.

1. not sure why the xbmc.log was removed however, here is the snip, nonthing really shows when the glitch occurs.

13:34:06 T:2675962944 NOTICE: CDVDVideoCodecFFmpeg::Open() Using codec: H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10
13:34:09 T:3041313312 NOTICE: COMXPlayer: Opening: smb://NAS2/Drive1/TV Shows/The X Factor (US)/Season 03/The X Factor (US) - S03E18 - Live Results.mp4
13:34:09 T:3041313312 WARNING: CDVDMessageQueue(player)::Put MSGQ_NOT_INITIALIZED
13:34:09 T:3041313312 NOTICE: CXBMCRenderManager::ResetRenderBuffer - using 5 render buffers
13:34:09 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Thread COMXPlayer start, auto delete: false
13:34:09 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating InputStream
13:34:11 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating Demuxer
13:34:12 T:2692740160 NOTICE: CDVDVideoCodecFFmpeg::Open() Using codec: H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Opening video stream: 0 source: 256
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating video thread
13:34:14 T:2684351552 NOTICE: Thread COMXPlayerVideo start, auto delete: false
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Opening audio stream: 1 source: 256
13:34:14 T:2650797120 NOTICE: Creating audio thread
13:34:14 T:2659185728 NOTICE: Thread COMXPlayerAudio start, auto delete: false
13:34:14 T:2684351552 ERROR: Output - renderer not started
13:34:15 T:2650797120 NOTICE: OMXClock using audio as reference
13:34:15 T:2684351552 ERROR: Output - renderer not started
13:34:15 T:2684351552 ERROR: Previous line repeats 4 times.
13:34:15 T:2684351552 NOTICE: Display resolution ADJUST : 1920x1080 @ 60.00 - Full Screen (16) (weight: 0.001)
13:34:15 T:2684351552 NOTICE: CXBMCRenderManager::ResetRenderBuffer - using 5 render buffers
13:34:15 T:3041313312 NOTICE: Using GL_TEXTURE_2D
13:34:15 T:3041313312 NOTICE: GL: Using BYPASS render method
13:34:15 T:3041313312 NOTICE: GL: NPOT texture support detected

3. Retesting with a 5v 1.8amp AC adapter now.
4. I do have other cards however, i have three Pi's here all with the same cards. remember that all three were using raspbmc, i upgraded one to test xbian and now this is the one with issues.
5. Still cuts out. one thing i see is at times the audio cuts out but at other times the DTS lights and such drop form the amp receiver screen.
6. All my files are on a NAS(Alt-F dlink 323) drive so SMB
7. Its random, if i play it again its at different sport. also the same file plays on my other TV with raspbmc.

and its still occurring with a 1.8amp 5v AC adapter.

just want to report the same issue, but cant really troubleshoot for known reasons.
the thing is that it doesnt really matter what media source if is local, local network or internet stream like youtube.
However I'm suspicious that its caused by either kernel or firmware. Its simply cutting off audio signal on HDMI as I could clearly seen No signal on my Onkyo receiver display or OSD.
Definitely not caused by hardware, as I have all tested if is the PSU stable 5V 2.5A and good quality cables, HDMI PSU, etc. Its not the SD card either.

So I would like to suggest, try to concentrate to test different kernel and firmware, I'm convinced that anything else would be just waste of the time

not 100% sure how to test different kernel and firmwares. if someone can provide some steps i will gladly test.

@rikardo1979 Thanks for that, it eliminates any user settings (@rcmpayne I would still check the amperage from the TV - to stop future problems)

In that case you'll need to upload a section that does cause issues and we'll try and duplicate it on another machine.

I have a feeling that this is a simple setting issue - but what I am not too sure.

Bear with us..........

no need to test specific media files as I mentioned that it happens on online streams like Youtube or any other stream or local network file. And it happens on every single file I have tried, every single youtube video... so this eliminates the bad file.
Also I have the same HW and I can say I know the XBMC pretty well for, ahm, quite a few years so I know that all my settings are right and as it should be. This wasnt an issue in previous builds, so thats why I would say its an FW or kernel cos it cuts off the HDMI audio signal

I dont have much time but look here as this seems to be kind of general problem and not just XBian
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=176736

I have the exact same problem. This problem started after I've reinstalled Xbian (newer version). Before this was never a problem. Is there a known solution?

(4th Jun, 2014 03:58 PM)Kevf Wrote: [ -> ]I have the exact same problem. This problem started after I've reinstalled Xbian (newer version). Before this was never a problem. Is there a known solution?

I switched to raspbmc and it's working fine.

I know I had problems with Beta 1 and my DNS 323 - so I switched to USB HDD and all my woes went away.

Have you activated ssh on your DNS-323? If so can post the output from vmstat 5 20 when playing the file.

Have you tried the same file via a PC and SMB, also the same file on a USB HDD. Same problems?

I resolved (some) problems with the DNS 323 not allowing unsecured access by flashing ALT-F to the DNS-323.

If you have a spare SD card, can you try a fresh install an a full upgrade to Gotham and see if you still have an issue.

I have a feeling it is the DNS-323 rather than Xbian but why it works on Raspbmc, I'm not too sure.

SSH is activated, how do I post the outpot from vmstat 5 20?

what do you mean with dns-323?