Mpg video player bad performance on PicoCOMA9X WEC 2013

  • Good morning,


    we have a problem with video playback (in .mpg format) inside our application on PicoCOMA9X with WEC2013, display with 1024 * 600 pixel resolution.

    Using FS_CEPlayit.exe (provided by F&S), the video sometimes doesn't start.

    I explain better, the player seems to start but nothing is seen (there is NO black screen, but the screen remains the previous one to the launch of the video file), and during this phase the display does not respond to the touch exactly for the duration of the video (as if the video started but nothing was displayed on the screen).


    Usually this occurs in the first attempts to start the video, in the subsequent attempts the video is displayed but it jerks, with a bad performance.


    We tried to change the video resolution (800 * 480, 720 * 480, 1280 * 720, 1024 * 600, 480 * 272), lowered the bitrate (256k, 512k), lowered the FPS (30 FPS, 25 FPS, 24 FPS) but the result does not change. With each combination the video has the problems mentioned above. It looks like a problem with FS_CEPlayit.


    What to do to improve video performance? Obviously with these bad performances it is impossible to include video playback in the project.


    It is an urgent problem to be solved.

    We look forward to your reply.

  • Hello,


    i don't think the ceplayit application is the root of the problem(s). I test it on an imx6 board and it works well. So i assume the problems are located in the display driver, maybe other modules and configuration. So we can't offer you a short term solution (also it is holiday time right now).

    Another point is the that imx6sx has no HW accelleration in contrast to imx6. So this CPU is not mainly assigned for multimedia applications.


    Can you send me your movie and your handling procedure by email?


    Thanks.

    F&S Elektronik Systeme GmbH
    As this is an international forum, please try to post in English.
    Da dies ein internationales Forum ist, bitten wir darum, Beiträge möglichst in Englisch zu verfassen.

  • Hello,


    Thanks for the reply. Where can I find the email to send you the video file? Can you provide it to me here using the forum conversation?

    However, within my vb.net application I launch the video in the click event of a picturebox (which is generated via the touch screen), the code is as follows:

    Code
    1. Dim p As New Diagnostics.Process
    2. p = Crea_Processo("\FFSDISK\FS_CEPlayit.exe", True,, Name & " -f -d")
    3. p.Kill()


    Crea_Processo is a function that creates a process on cePlayit.exe using the "video file name" & "-f -d" as arguments.
    I also tried using Shell, using the Process class and other conventional methods, but the result is the same.

  • Hello,


    you can send the email to support@fs-net.de.

    You call "Crea_Processo" twice, first time nothing happens next time Video is shown with less performance?

    F&S Elektronik Systeme GmbH
    As this is an international forum, please try to post in English.
    Da dies ein internationales Forum ist, bitten wir darum, Beiträge möglichst in Englisch zu verfassen.

  • Hello,

    Yes, i call "Crea_processo" the first time and it doesn't start, when it happens that the video doesn't start I have to close the form from which I launch the video (otherwise it doesn't start every time), reopen it and then when I try to relaunch the video it has bad performances (sometimes doesn't start again).

  • Hi,


    please try to set the registry value "AccelLevel" to "4". It is lokated in the Key "HKLM\drivers\display\lcd"


    You can do this with the following ndcucfg commands:

    - reg open \drivers\display\lcd

    - reg set val AccelLevel dword 4

    - reg save

    - reboot


    Best regards


    Torsten

    F&S Elektronik Systeme GmbH
    As this is an international forum, please try to post in English.
    Da dies ein internationales Forum ist, bitten wir darum, Beiträge möglichst in Englisch zu verfassen.

    Edited once, last by fs-support_TM ().

  • Hi Team,


    I know it is an old post, but still the problem is not solved.


    If my application is open, the video struggles to start (as described in previous posts).


    Could it possibly be a "memory problem"? With my application open (two forms open, with a few pictureboxes inside), the graphics inside it are reduced to one image for each background form (one weighs about 400KB, the other about 100KB).


    Form Main (background picturebox) opens -> form 2 (background picturebox) -> start play video process


    in this situation the problem occurs in 90% of cases (also the video jerks).

    In form 2, I tried to start the video from telnet: same problem.


    We urgently need to solve this problem because our customers complain about this lack.

    I hope these tests can be of help to understand and solve the problem.



    Thanks in advance.

  • Hello,


    i am not sure if i understand you right but this: "If my application is open, the video struggles to start (as described in previous posts)." means if you start the system without your application running and than start the video by commandline "ceplayit <media filename> <options>" the video starts always (and the performence is better)?


    Than maybe it is not (only) a memory (RAM) problem but your application may also cause heavy CPU load?

    You can check both RAM load and CPU load using FSSBCProfiler2013_V104 from tools download section or this SystemLoad.


    As outlined above imx6sx has no HW accelleration in contrast to imx6. So this CPU is not mainly assigned for multimedia applications.To rework the display driver for get improvements in this case may be time intensive.

    F&S Elektronik Systeme GmbH
    As this is an international forum, please try to post in English.
    Da dies ein internationales Forum ist, bitten wir darum, Beiträge möglichst in Englisch zu verfassen.

    Edited 2 times, last by fs-support_ZU ().

  • Hello,


    thanks for your answer. I will perform the tests today.

    I also assumed that it was a load problem of my application, but the strange thing is that, when I open the video, only two forms are open in my application (both with a background image inside a picturebox).


    This seems strange to me, given the low CPU load that (in theory) my application should exert.


    Anyway, I'll run the tests and let you know.

    In the meantime, thanks.

  • Hello,


    I did a test:

    -I started my application

    -I entered the form that launches the video

    -I started the video from my application (it did NOT start)

    -I started the F&S utility via telnet

    -there was a 100% CPU spike as soon as the utility was started (just for one second), then 1-2% on average CPU and 30% RAM.(CPU at 10% is only at the moment of the screenshot with ccZoom)


    The problem occurred that the video did not start.

    From what I see, it doesn't seem to me that the CPU is under stress.


    I have attached the screenshot of the power of attorney on your utility

    Please let me know something. Thanks in advance.

  • Hello,


    don't think that the spike is a problem. CPU and RAM load seems to be ok. But it would be interessting if the same happens if you reboot without your application and start the video via commandline (not from your applcation, telnet ->"ceplayit <media filename> <options>"). So that we can exclude side effects from your application.

    Did you also try other formats like wmv?

    F&S Elektronik Systeme GmbH
    As this is an international forum, please try to post in English.
    Da dies ein internationales Forum ist, bitten wir darum, Beiträge möglichst in Englisch zu verfassen.

  • - Without my application the video seems to work fine.
    - I have never tried other video formats because F&S had indicated to use the .mpg format. I tried to convert to wmv and the result is the same as I described in previous posts.


    I don't understand what it can be to block the playback of the video.
    Maybe the PicoCOM / display driver can't handle the use of images as a background simultaneously with video playback?

    We have seen that it is not a memory (RAM) or CPU problem.
    My application does not overload anything, in fact it is very stable in terms of "resource consumption".

  • >>- Without my application the video seems to work fine.

    << Ok that is strange!

    But i think we have a chance to isolate the root of the issue by successive remove/disable all items from the form. Maybe some items are repainted each frame?

    Assume when you start the movie over a simple form the issue does not occur too?

    F&S Elektronik Systeme GmbH
    As this is an international forum, please try to post in English.
    Da dies ein internationales Forum ist, bitten wir darum, Beiträge möglichst in Englisch zu verfassen.

  • Ok, I'll do the tests, first test done:

    -Starting from an empty project with a form and a button, the video starts correctly.


    My complete application, at the moment of the launch of the video, has only two forms open, but other forms (about 10) are initialized at the start of the application, they also contain images (both background and graphic elements such as buttons etc. .), but are optimized as much as possible to load these images only at the moment of opening,so they should not "weigh".

    So much so that CPU and RAM are efficient.


    I wonder, if the CPU and RAM are ok, how is it possible to "measure" this overload that does not start the video?

    I guess we need to monitor the GPU, but how to do on windows CE? don't you at F&S have any utilities?


    PS. I add a note, on a 7 "display, with the same application (same form structure etc.) the videos run well. It's probably a mix of factors, both performance and display (10" creates problems).

  • Hello,


    please test following registry adjustment:

    [HKLM\Drivers\Display\LCD]

    VidMemLen=dword:18 (24 decimal, default is 6MB)


    >>PS. I add a note, on a 7 "display, with the same application (same form structure etc.) the videos run well. It's probably a mix of factors, both performance and display (10" creates problems).

    << Assume 10" has more pixel lines and rows and maybe other color depth. So more memory is needed.

    F&S Elektronik Systeme GmbH
    As this is an international forum, please try to post in English.
    Da dies ein internationales Forum ist, bitten wir darum, Beiträge möglichst in Englisch zu verfassen.

  • Hello,


    thank you for your suggestion.

    Please note that, by default, the registry did not exist.

    I added the registry, and I tried with the value 18 and 24 (then also with 48 and 96) but in all the tests the behavior was always the same.


    There is also a "VideoMemSize" register, with value dword 6291456. Can you try something here too?


    I also tried changing the videos, turning them into 480 * 272 reducing the bitrate a lot, but nothing has changed yet.


    I also tried removing the full screen, but nothing has changed.


    When I first open the form which then launches the video, it doesn't start. But if I close and reopen the same form immediately afterwards, the video always started.

    EDIT: By carrying out further tests it is not 100% sure that the second opening of the form the video will start. However, there is a good chance that it will start correctly (about 70%).


    Perhaps, by solving this thing of the first opening of the form, we can reach a compromise.

    But I don't know what can affect this? The form performs the same operations when it is opened the first time and also the second time.


    Probably some "hidden operation" of the OS at the first opening of the form?