[MPlayer-dev-eng] Re: Make -nortc the default?

[Corey Hickey]

Vladimir Mosgalin wrote:
>>> Mplayer's cpu statistics doesn't include cpu wasted on rtc. Use top to
>>> measure difference.
>> Those apple h.264 files aren't very good for watching with top.
>> MPlayer's CPU usage is so variable that it's hard to see subtle trends.
> 
> Well yes, but over 10% difference is visible even with top. It's like
> 60-73% usage becoming 45-65% (note - for all processes, not just
> mplayer)
> 
>> Ok, I'm seeing a difference now. I tried playing a few less
>> cpu-intensive videos and watched top. I see a difference now, but not
>> that great a difference; only 2-4% of total CPU usage.
> 
> Strange..
> Have you tried monitoring free cpu usage? I never actually monitored
> mplayer usage, just (100% - free).

I did just now. I played the serenity trailer, which my machine can
actually handle. I watched free CPU usage.

-rtc:   15% - 62% idle
-nortc: 13% - 62% idle

Still no noticable difference.

>> Out of curiosity, are you using HPET for the RTC?
> 
> CONFIG_HPET_TIMER=y
> CONFIG_HPET_EMULATE_RTC=y
> CONFIG_HPET=y

Same for me.

> It that good or what?

No, that was just the only thing I could think of. If you weren't using
HPET, then that could conceivably be the culprit. As it is now, I have
no idea.

>> $ grep HPET /path/to/your/kernel/.config
>>
>>> ..though I have 32-bit system and 2.6.16.
>> If you want better performance, build a 64-bit mplayer. I haven't
>> benchmarked recently, but I do remember seeing a substantial performance
>> advantage; somewhat more of a difference than the RTC usage makes now.
> 
> Building won't help unless I have 64-bit libraries and kernel which
> operates in 64-bit mode ;)
> 
> I love mplayer, but I don't want to break my system just for the sake of
> better performance. My current desktop linux was installed in 1999 (it
> was rh 6.0) and only updated since (it's fc4-based with fc5 desktop
> packages right now). I can't update to get 64-bit system, I need to
> reinstall everything, and that's too much for me. So I guess, no 64-bit
> system for me for a few more years.. *sigh*

Well, you can set up a 64-bit chroot and eventually transfer over to it,
leaving your old 32-bit installation as a 32-bit chroot. That's what I
did, but it was more of a necessity back before there was an installer
for Debian amd64.

-Corey