Problems trying to run mplayer using the xmga video output using Ubuntu Studio

[Ismael Valladolid Torres]

Here mplayer runs nicely enough using the x11 video output. However my
computer has a Matrox MGA G450 video card installed, and I remember
having been able to run mplayer using the xmga video output in an
older Debian version with an older kernel, just using module-assistant
to compile the mga_vid module.

Now I am running Ubuntu Studio. Kernel is 2.6.24-16-rt, and udev
version is 117-8. Here module-assistant gives an error while compiling
mga-vid-source. I got the latest subversion release from mga-vid and
compiled it. I installed mga_vid.ko. I've also installed the
mga-vid-common package. This seems to do two correct things:

- Create a /etc/modutils/mga-vid-common file with the following contents.

# alias file for the mga_vid kernel module

alias char-major-83 mga_vid
alias /dev/mga_vid mga_vid

- Create a /etc/udev/rules.d/50-mga-vid-common.rules file so udev
creates the correct device nodes.

KERNEL=="mga_vid[0-9]*", NAME="%k", MODE="0660", GROUP="video"
KERNEL=="mga_vid0", SYMLINK+="mga_vid"

(Yes, my user belongs to the video group.)

I've included mga_vid into my /etc/modules to make sure module is
loaded while system launchs but before xorg starts. Checking system
logs seem to imply the module loaded correctly.

: [ ~ ] $; dmesg | grep mga
[ 64.132311] mga_vid: Found MGA G400/G450 at 0000:01:00.0
[ 64.132317] mga_vid: MMIO at 0xf8be8000 framebuffer: 0xF4000000
[ 64.132322] mga_vid: OPTION word: 0x400A1160 mem: 0x04 SDRAM
[ 64.132324] mga_vid: detected RAMSIZE is 16 MB
[ 64.132327] mga_vid: 1 supported cards found
[ 64.132374] Modules linked in: mga_vid sbp2 lp loop ipv6 arc4 ecb
blkcipher snd_usb_audio snd_usb_lib snd_hwdep rt2500pci rt2x00pci
rt2x00lib rfkill input_polldev crc_itu_t mac80211 matrox_w1 snd_rme96
cfg80211 wire eeprom_93cx6 cn snd_intel8x0 snd_ac97_codec ac97_bus
snd_pcm_oss snd_mixer_oss snd_pcm snd_seq_dummy snd_seq_oss
snd_seq_midi snd_rawmidi snd_seq_midi_event evdev snd_seq snd_timer
snd_seq_device button parport_pc parport snd soundcore amd64_agp
shpchp agpgart snd_page_alloc i2c_nforce2 pci_hotplug i2c_core k8temp
pcspkr ext3 jbd mbcache sg sr_mod cdrom sd_mod amd74xx ide_core
sata_nv ata_generic usbhid hid floppy ohci1394 initio ieee1394
uhci_hcd 3c59x pata_acpi pata_amd mii libata ehci_hcd ohci_hcd
scsi_mod usbcore thermal processor fan fuse
[ 64.132526] [<f8aec955>] mga_vid_initialize+0x355/0x378 [mga_vid]
[ 74.076973] [drm] Initialized mga 3.2.1 20051102 on minor 0

However after system is loaded and the X session started, there are no
/dev/mga_vid? files anywhere. So mga_vid_test refuses to run, and of
course mplayer can't be started using the xmga video output.

Anywhere else I can look for debug info? Any ideas useful, so thanks in advance.

Cordially, Ismael
--
Ismael Valladolid Torres <***@gmail.com>

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Breve et irreparabile tempus omnibus est vitae

[Attila Kinali]

On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:27:03 +0100

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
Now I am running Ubuntu Studio. Kernel is 2.6.24-16-rt, and udev
version is 117-8. Here module-assistant gives an error while compiling
mga-vid-source.

I do not support any distribution packages, as i have no way
to tell what they modified.

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
I got the latest subversion release from mga-vid and
compiled it. I installed mga_vid.ko. I've also installed the

I'm not sure whether the current svn HEAD compiles with such
an old kernel. And even if it does, there was at least one
incompatible API change from 2.6.26 -> 2.6.27.

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
[ 64.132526] [<f8aec955>] mga_vid_initialize+0x355/0x378 [mga_vid]

This is part of an Oops message, that you should have seen
if you had checked the output of dmesg.

Your options are:
1) try the mga_vid version for 2.6.26 (no idea whether this works with .24)
2) use the mga_vid version for 2.6.24, but make sure that you have the
correct mga_vid.h used by your player application (with mplayer svn,
you need to copy the mga_vid.h from mga_vid into the mplayer source tree)
3) upgrade your kernel

I'd recommend 3)

Note: i haven't tried mga_vid with 2.6.28 yet and i'm probably not able
to do so for the next few weeks. If anyone could confirm whether mga_vid
works/doesnt work for 2.6.28, i'd appreciate that.

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
--
Jaiku/Twitter/Skype/Yahoo!: ivalladt
AIM/ICQ: 264472328
GnuPG key: DE721AF4
t. 0034912519850 http://lamediahostia.blogspot.com/
m. 0034609884094 (Yoigo) http://www.linuxav.net/
Breve et irreparabile tempus omnibus est vitae

Your signature is way too long, please trim it to 4 lines
as defined by the netiquette.

Attila Kinali

[Ismael Valladolid Torres]

Post by Attila Kinali
3) upgrade your kernel
I'd recommend 3)
Note: i haven't tried mga_vid with 2.6.28 yet and i'm probably not able
to do so for the next few weeks. If anyone could confirm whether mga_vid
works/doesnt work for 2.6.28, i'd appreciate that.

The problem is that a distro like Ubuntu Studio is thought to be run
with a patched realtime kernel so low latencies during audio work can
be used. And realtime kernels later than 2.6.24 are still not stable
enough. But I will give a try! Thanks a lot!

Post by Attila Kinali
Your signature is way too long, please trim it to 4 lines
as defined by the netiquette.

Sorry about this. Thanks again.

[Attila Kinali]

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:39:22 +0100

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
The problem is that a distro like Ubuntu Studio is thought to be run
with a patched realtime kernel so low latencies during audio work can
be used. And realtime kernels later than 2.6.24 are still not stable
enough. But I will give a try! Thanks a lot!

Then i'd recomend to use the 2.6.24 version with a patched mplayer.
BTW: why do you need a real time linux with a video player?

Attila Kinali

[Sune Vuorela]

Post by Attila Kinali
On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:27:03 +0100

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
Now I am running Ubuntu Studio. Kernel is 2.6.24-16-rt, and

udev

Post by Attila Kinali

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
version is 117-8. Here module-assistant gives an error

while compiling

Post by Attila Kinali

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
mga-vid-source.

I do not support any distribution packages, as i have no way
to tell what they modified.

As supplier of debian packages, I follow the list as well.

But the issue in ubuntu is probably the usual: Ubuntu takes the
debian package without testing it and ships a different kernel
than the debian package is targetted.

/Sune

[Attila Kinali]

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:23:24 +0100

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres

Post by Attila Kinali
On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:27:03 +0100

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
Now I am running Ubuntu Studio. Kernel is 2.6.24-16-rt, and

udev

Post by Attila Kinali

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
version is 117-8. Here module-assistant gives an error

while compiling

Post by Attila Kinali

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
mga-vid-source.

I do not support any distribution packages, as i have no way
to tell what they modified.

As supplier of debian packages, I follow the list as well.

Cool, so we have support here :-)

Post by Ismael Valladolid Torres
But the issue in ubuntu is probably the usual: Ubuntu takes the
debian package without testing it and ships a different kernel
than the debian package is targetted.

Like with all other debian/RH/.. based distributions :-(

Attila Kinali

[Sune Vuorela]

Post by Attila Kinali

Post by Sune Vuorela
But the issue in ubuntu is probably the usual: Ubuntu takes

the

Post by Attila Kinali

Post by Sune Vuorela
debian package without testing it and ships a different kernel
than the debian package is targetted.

Like with all other debian/RH/.. based distributions :-(

I do my best (and normally succeeds) in making sure the mga_vid
package in debian matches the current debian kernel and the
current debian mplayer.

/Sune

[ael]

Post by Attila Kinali
Note: i haven't tried mga_vid with 2.6.28 yet and i'm probably not able
to do so for the next few weeks. If anyone could confirm whether mga_vid
works/doesnt work for 2.6.28, i'd appreciate that.

Compiles OK:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
$ make mga_vid
make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build M=`pwd` modules
make[1]: Entering directory
`/fs1/local/src/kernel-git/stable/linux-2.6.28.y'
CC [M] /fs1/local/src/mga_vid/subversion/mga_vid/mga_vid/trunk/mga_vid.o
/fs1/local/src/mga_vid/subversion/mga_vid/mga_vid/trunk/mga_vid.c: In
function 'mga_vid_read':
/fs1/local/src/mga_vid/subversion/mga_vid/mga_vid/trunk/mga_vid.c:899:
warning: ignoring return value of 'copy_to_user', declared with
attribute warn_unused_result
Building modules, stage 2.
MODPOST 1 modules
CC
/fs1/local/src/mga_vid/subversion/mga_vid/mga_vid/trunk/mga_vid.mod.o
LD [M] /fs1/local/src/mga_vid/subversion/mga_vid/mga_vid/trunk/mga_vid.ko
make[1]: Leaving directory `/fs1/local/src/kernel-git/stable/linux-2.6.28.y'

----------------------------------------------------------

Also plays ok :-)

ael

[Attila Kinali]

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:11:20 +0000

Post by ael

Post by Attila Kinali
Note: i haven't tried mga_vid with 2.6.28 yet and i'm probably not able
to do so for the next few weeks. If anyone could confirm whether mga_vid
works/doesnt work for 2.6.28, i'd appreciate that.

[...]

Post by ael
Also plays ok :-)

Thanks a lot!

Attila Kinali