[MPlayer-users] how to solve "too many video packets in buffer" while playing mpeg2 clip

[David Timms]

Hi, I was going to post a bog about this, but found many instances of 
people seeing the message (in various lists}, without much help, nor a 
permanent solution.
=====
Playing 
/home/media/ftpfs/home/bigdisk/media/dvb/program/proof_of_life.2007-12-30.20-33-58.sd_1.mpg.
MPEG-PS file format detected.
VIDEO:  MPEG2  720x576  (aspect 3)  25.000 fps  9500.0 kbps (1187.5 kbyte/s)
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [mpegpes] MPEG 1/2 Video passthrough
VDec: vo config request - 720 x 576 (preferred colorspace: Mpeg PES)
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.
Try appending the scale filter to your filter list,
e.g. -vf spp,scale instead of -vf spp.
VDecoder init failed :(
Opening video decoder: [libmpeg2] MPEG 1/2 Video decoder libmpeg2-v0.4.0b
Selected video codec: [mpeg12] vfm: libmpeg2 (MPEG-1 or 2 (libmpeg2))
==========================================================================
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [mp3lib] MPEG layer-2, layer-3
AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 256.0 kbit/16.67% (ratio: 32000->192000)
Selected audio codec: [mp3] afm: mp3lib (mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3)
==========================================================================
AO: [pulse] 48000Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Starting playback...
VDec: vo config request - 720 x 576 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is 1.78:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
VO: [xv] 720x576 => 1024x576 Planar YV12
VDec: vo config request - 720 x 576 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12) 

VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is 1.78:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
VO: [xv] 720x576 => 1024x576 Planar YV12
VDec: vo config request - 720 x 576 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12) 

VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is 1.78:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
VO: [xv] 720x576 => 1024x576 Planar YV12
Warning! FPS changed 25.000 -> 0.000  (25.000000) [14]   20%  1.3% 51 0 

A:2837.9 V:   inf A-V:   -inf ct:218.967 70719/70720  0%  0%  0.0% 51 0 

Too many video packets in the buffer: (4096 in 8273029 bytes).
Maybe you are playing a non-interleaved stream/file or the codec failed?
For AVI files, try to force non-interleaved mode with the -ni option.
A:2838.2 V:   inf A-V:   -inf ct:   -inf 70719/70720  0%  0%  0.0% 51 0 

Too many video packets in the buffer: (4096 in 8273029 bytes).
Maybe you are playing a non-interleaved stream/file or the codec failed?
For AVI files, try to force non-interleaved mode with the -ni option.
=====
At this point:
- the clip freezes
- "too many packets in buffer" dialog is shown on the display
- 1xCPU of a dual core system goes to 100% CPU usage {gkrellm} - this 
toggles form core to core every few seconds - perhaps the os is trying 
to cool the current core by switching away.
- the gmplayer, video output windows, nor the dialog redraw if they get 
obscured by another window
- clicking the dialog's close X button: after 8-10 seconds, the 
temrinate task dialog {gnome} is displayed with the "wait" and "force 
quit" buttons.
- choosing wait gets the same dialog; clicking force kills the 
3xwindows, and exits the terminal it was started from.

I have the clip that reproduces this, and was planning to use dd to trim 
the file down to a minimum fault case.

Is that a reasonable way forward ?
Should I be get a backtrace or strace ?

DaveT.