P4 Hyper Threading: Causes scripts to "halt" ....

Posted: Sunday, 06/13/2004 -- by Jorge Mira. Subject: P4 Hyper Threading: Causes scripts to "halt" ....

I've tested this phenomenon in 8 different pcs with different configurations (motherboards, graphics and audio). The fact is that with busy scripts (lots of audio events associated to wipe-ins, mpeg1 background with some flash animation in the fisrt plane, some vbscrpting acees to data and a couple of looped-events via "while"...) (... just for the interactive menu...) when tne player is playing for about 5-6 hours, it "halts"... it a strange situation, because the player network engine does not reboot the Player itself, as it isn't "hanged", it is just "stopped", just like there was a "wait forever" event.

I've tested the same script on machines WITH "hyper threading" enabled in bios (and windows under "multi processor driver" in "system") (all of them halted in some point ater 5-6 hous of continuous playing) and players with Hyper threading DISABLED (and windows under "single processor ACPI" driver in "system") The latter, obviously, decreases system perfomance, but the scripts never halt. They've been cootinously playing the same scripts after 48 hours without any problem.

Anyone expeienced this trouble?
Hope this helps.

Jorge Mira
ASVideo Multimedia.

Posted: Monday, 06/14/2004 -- by John Schilling. Subject: There are too many variables in your example

HyperThreading for the most part has all of the same issues as does SMP. Generally Dual CPU's are a very good thing--from a Scala overall performance standpoint. The biggest issue is: "Are all of of your device drivers SMP safe?" The same issue exists with every CODEC/AV-Filter in the Multi-Media food chain. If any of this code is not safe when multiple instances of it is running at the same time--you will experience lockups.

You will need to make your test case more simple/take your environment to its most basic configuration and test a step at a time. If you don't have the time/patience--run the machines single threaded.

Regards,

--John Schilling, Scala, Inc.

Posted: Tuesday, 06/15/2004 -- by Jorge Mira. Subject: Narrowed to audio events...

Definetly, audio events are the key. I'm out of time right now, as I have to deploy on Monday a 6 units network for a Theme Park here in Spain and they'll have them single threaded. It's all about AC'97 codecs. I'll fix it maybe next week by adding some decent audio card to the players.

Anyway, thanks for your time John.

Posted: Tuesday, 06/15/2004 -- by John Schilling. Subject: Avoid Creative/Ensoniq

In our testing the Creative, Creative/Ensoniq, and Yamaha AC'97 HW CODEC's (and propritory--in the case of Creative) drivers have had the most problems. Extensively tested in SMP environments: ESS Technology, RealTek, CMI, and ADI/SOundMAX. Of these, RealTek, CMI, and ADI have had historical problems--but been quite good the past few years. ESS has historically been the "most stable" of the bunch, but they have been exiting the "HW CODEC on the Cheap Soundcard" business in recent years. If you can still find them, a Euro 8,00 ESS Maestro-2E or Allegro PCI card is a very sound inventment. [pun intended]

Regards,

--John Schilling, Scala, Inc.

Posted: Wednesday, 06/16/2004 -- by Ravi. Subject: freeze/halt

Well i am not sure if my problem is the same as yours but...
this is what i faced...after playing normally all the content... Scala froze and had to restart the pc but then as soon as scala would load and was about the switch to full screen mode, it would just hang (only scala as i could still operate the pc ) regardless of how many times i restart the pc or scala it would do the same thing till i reinstalled scala info channel player and the release,,, this happened in one system but then i am experiencing it with other 4 players also..what could be the reason?

Ravi Soni
asst. Gr. Designer
Virgin Megastore, Dubai

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