ubuntu-x-swat team mailing list archive

[Bryce Harrington <346289@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

** Description changed:

- I am running Ubuntu Jaunty 32 bit updated to March, 20th, 2009. Playback
- using Flash works as expected so long as I do not run it in full screen.
- Playing youtube videos in full screen results in choppy playback and it
- acts like it is out of sync. It does not appear to be an issue with
- Flash itself because the same version of Flash works in Hardy and
- Intrepid. I believe the problem could be in the restricted modules
- because an update improved the problem somewhat.
+ [Problem]
+ Adobe's Flash player can exhibit very poor playback behavior, due to issues in how it implements GPU acceleration on Linux.
+ 
+ 
+ [Workarounds]
+ Each of these workarounds has its pros and cons.  Some work for certain flash performance bugs but not others.
+ 
+ A. Disable compiz
+ 
+ B.  Disable GPU validation.  Note: Only works on 32-bit Flash
+ 1. sudo mkdir /etc/adobe
+ 2. sudo nano /etc/adobe/mms.cfg
+ 3. Paste "OverrideGPUValidation=true" (without quotation marks)
+ 4. Restart Firefox.
+ 
+ C. Switch to a different (open source) Flash implementation
+ 
+ D. Use the YouTotem Greasemonkey script to play flash videos, using Totem, mplayer, vlc, or other players
+ 1.  Install Greasemonkey - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748
+ 2.  install YouTotem Greasemonkey script - http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/25481
+ 
+ If none of these make any change to your Flash video playback
+ performance, you may well have a unique bug.  In that case, do not add
+ comments to this bug report but instead file a NEW one against
+ flashplugin-nonfree.
+ 
+ 
+ [Discussion]
+ "Choppy flash playback" is actually a generic symptom which is caused by a collection of different bugs.  This is why a workaround that "solves" it for one person, doesn't work for another, and also why it may seem to be video driver specific.
+ 
+ However, if you download the flash video (e.g. look in /tmp/Flash* while
+ the video is playing in firefox) and then play it in another video
+ player (like mplayer), it works fine.
+ 
+ As an example, Adobe Flash assumes that none of the open source video
+ drivers provide hardware acceleration, so it forces software
+ acceleration to be used in these cases.  It determines this by looking
+ for "SGI" in the client glx vendor string.  A long time ago, that was an
+ okay assumption to make - few open source drivers provided accelerated
+ OpenGL - but these days all the major drivers do supply it.  It is
+ possible to turn off Flash's GPU validation to bypass this behavior (see
+ below).
+ 
+ Adobe also has found trouble making Flash video work with Compiz.  So
+ even in situations where the video card does hardware acceleration for
+ OpenGL, it's possible this could cause instabilities if compiz was on.
+ 
+ For additional background and explanations by Adobe as to why it doesn't
+ use your graphics card's hardware acceleration in various circumstances,
+ see:
+ 
+  http://blogs.adobe.com/penguinswf/2008/05/flash_uses_the_gpu.html
+ 
+ For more information including a series of different workarounds, please
+ see:
+ 
+  http://firefox-tutorials.blogspot.com/2010/05/flash-optimization.html
+ 
+ 
+ [Upstream Status]
+ The problems with flash performance on Linux have been communicated to Adobe, and Adobe has communicated their position on the issues.  For example:
+ 
+ http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/FP-83
+ http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/FP-1692
+ http://blogs.adobe.com/penguinswf/2008/05/flash_uses_the_gpu.html
+ http://blogs.adobe.com/penguinswf/2010/01/solving_different_problems.html
+ 
+ 
+ [Ideas]
+ A.  What if Ubuntu just forced OverrideGPUValidation in general?  Just how much stability trouble would we be in with Compiz?
+ 
+ B.  Is there any way we could make the full screen function launch the
+ default video player in full screen rather than just let flash try to do
+ it and get choppy?
+ 
+ 
+ [Original Report]
+ I am running Ubuntu Jaunty 32 bit updated to March, 20th, 2009. Playback using Flash works as expected so long as I do not run it in full screen. Playing youtube videos in full screen results in choppy playback and it acts like it is out of sync. It does not appear to be an issue with Flash itself because the same version of Flash works in Hardy and Intrepid. I believe the problem could be in the restricted modules because an update improved the problem somewhat.
  
  I was unable to find an existing bug report for this problem for Ubuntu
  9.04 and I do of course understand that Jaunty is still currently in the
  alpha stage of development. If this has already been reported, please
  merge this with any existing report.
  
  My system is using on board Intel graphics and is using the supported
  open source driver.

-- 
MASTER: Choppy Flash playback in full screen
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/346289
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