YJL

When I was trying to watch a live streaming, VLC only burped once and no more audio output. The Message dialog spat lots of warning messages:

main warning: audio drift is too big (170368), dropping buffer
main warning: audio drift is too big (147148), dropping buffer
main warning: audio drift is too big (134086), dropping buffer
main warning: output date isn't PTS date, requesting resampling (1536590)

VLC can play other media files normally with default preferences, but not with that live streaming. I searched for the error message and read something about changing audio output module to OSS. Before I tried to re-emerge VLC with pulseaudio USE flag, I changed

• Audio Output Module from Default to ALSA audio output.

Still no luck with it. At this moment, I had issued re-emerge command for PulseAudio support in VLC, while waiting, I made another change for ALSA audio output's settings

• Audio Device from Default to HDA Intel: STAC92xx Analog (hw:0,0).

That fixes the problem. Somehow the Default audio device would cause the "audio drift too big..., dropping buffer" error. By specifying the device resolving the issue, I have no clue why this didn't happen on other regular media files.

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The live streaming is GOMTV, a stream of GSL, a StarCraft II tournament. Watching GSL requires a Windows-only custom media player. I found a Python script, GOMstreamer, which can extract the streaming URL and feed stream data to VLC automatically using just one command.

I installed VLC just for watching this stream because GOMstreamer only officially supports playing using VLC. I am sure you can play it using MPlayer, but I haven't tried to know what exactly behind the scene. Since VLC also uses Qt as SMPlayer does, so I might keep it on my disk for a while. The interface is quite nice.

I don't know if the error is related to the presence of PulseAudio (PA). I have PA installed months ago, because I need to record the system audio output, my sound card does not provide such recording channel. That's how PA got into my computer, I generally do not want a second program does the same things as ALSA has already taken care all tasks except the recording need.
After the installation of PA, I honestly didn't feel much difference than before as in performance and memory consumption. I kept PA around even I now have no need for recording.

Recently I kept playing a MV on my screen, so I decided to turn on Desktop Effects, then I will have alpha channel. I can make video window a little transparent and I can read stuff beneath that window. I have tried to keep system as simple as possible, therefore I didn't install other players besides the default, totem. Funny thing is after turned the Desktop Effects on, I also installed Xine (front-end), MPlayer, and VLC. Why I installed them? because I can't stand with the quality of gstreamer, Xine, or VLC, only MPlayer can satisify my eyes.



I will start to note about how to let each player play with Desktop Effects first:




Make sure you switch to gstreamer (as root)

totem-backend -b gstreamer

Choose video driver

gstreamer-properties

Switch to Video tab, choose X Window System (No XV), Test, then Close.




Go to Setup, Choose Master of the known universe from Configuration experience level in gui tab, Switch to video tab, Choose driver xshm.




Tools/Preferences, Video, Display/Output X11 video output.




In Preferences/Video. x11 may work, but the fullscreen doesn't work for me. gl2 is sort of working, but have other issues.



The quality of them, I rank them in this order: MPlayer > VLC >>> Xine = gstreamer. Although VLC seems to be better than Xine or gstreamer, but it gives me few glitches on audio, that is not acceptable to me.



MPlayer is not really fully working with Desktop Effects, I wonder if this is also about open source video driver. I can't recall the status when I still use ATI driver.



Since I only have a small window playing, I will stay with Desktop Effects using Totem + gstreamer, I can accept the quality when window is small. When I need the fullscreen playing, I will turn off Desktop Effects and use MPlayer.