Problem to access DVD drive

[Kemel Zaidan aka Legendario]

I have a very strange problem. I can't read audio on my DVD drive. When I try to do it, it music starts to stumble and flick and I just can't play the file well. The strange thing is that it happens only with audio and not with other data files. The problem happens on every player: vlc, totem, mplayer, audacious, etc.

It seems kernel can't access drive's cache, or something like that. I had the same problem on Windows 7 but a firmware update solved the problem which is very weird though. Here is some output from vlc:

~$ vlc
VLC media player 2.0.3 Twoflower (revision 2.0.2-93-g77aa89e)
[0x200a108] main libvlc: Executando o VLC com a interface padrão. Use 'cvlc' para usar o VLC sem interface.
[0x201d9e8] main playlist: stopping playback
[0x7f2cd80286e8] main stream error: cannot pre fill buffer
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 300 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 314 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 375 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 453 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 454 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 482 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 623 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 639 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 754 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 755 ms)
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_RESET_PCR called
[0x7f2cf8006138] main input error: ES_OUT_SET_(GROUP_)PCR is called too late (pts_delay increased to 824 ms)

When I try to play with mplayer setting a big cache value, music plays perfectly while there is data in the cache but it inevitably runs out even when I set a minimum cache value.

~$ mplayer -cache 4048 -cache-min 99 -cdrom-device /dev/dvd cdda://
MPlayer svn r34540 (Ubuntu), built with gcc-4.6 (C) 2000-2012 MPlayer Team
mplayer: could not connect to socket
mplayer: No such file or directory
Failed to open LIRC support. You will not be able to use your remote control.

Playing cdda://.
Found audio CD with 7 tracks.
Cache fill: 0.00% (0 bytes)
Track 1
Cache fill: 98.52% (4083072 bytes)

rawaudio file format detected.
Cache not responding! [performance issue]
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [pcm] Uncompressed PCM audio decoder
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 1411.2 kbit/100.00% (ratio: 176400->176400)
Selected audio codec: [pcm] afm: pcm (Uncompressed PCM)
==========================================================================
AO: [pulse] 44100Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Video: no video
Starting playback...
A: 26.4 (26.3) of 1588.5 (26:28.4) 0.0% 0%
Cache empty, consider increasing -cache and/or -cache-min. [performance issue]
Cache empty, consider increasing -cache and/or -cache-min. [performance issue]
Cache empty, consider increasing -cache and/or -cache-min. [performance issue]
Cache empty, consider increasing -cache and/or -cache-min. [performance issue]
Cache empty, consider increasing -cache and/or -cache-min. [performance issue]
Cache empty, consider increasing -cache and/or -cache-min. [performance issue]
Cache empty, consider increasing -cache and/or -cache-min. [performance issue]

MPlayer interrupted by signal 2 in module: decode_audio
A: 26.8 (26.7) of 1588.5 (26:28.4) 9.8% 0%

Exiting... (Quit)

~$ hdparm -i /dev/dvd

/dev/dvd:
 HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(identify) failed: Bad address

 Model=TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223C, FwRev=SB00, SerialNo=X ^ [
 Config={ Fixed Removeable DTR<=5Mbs DTR>10Mbs nonMagnetic }
 RawCHS=0/0/0, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=0
 BuffType=unknown, BuffSize=unknown, MaxMultSect=0
 (maybe): CurCHS=0/0/0, CurSects=0, LBA=yes, LBAsects=0
 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
 PIO modes: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
 DMA modes: *mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5
 AdvancedPM=no
 Drive conforms to: ATA/ATAPI-4 T13 1153D revision 17: ATA/ATAPI-3,4,5,6,7

 * signifies the current active mode

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: hdparm 9.37-0ubuntu3.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-31.50-generic 3.2.28
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-31-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu13
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Oct 8 20:04:15 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120425)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=pt_BR:pt:en
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=pt_BR.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: hdparm
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[billio (billoldroyd)]

This bug has continued in 13.04 and 13.10

[billio (billoldroyd)]

On 32-bit 13.10 the CD used for this test plays without a problem in all applications that play CD tracks..

On amd64 system 13.10, the same CD only plays with significant gaps in the playback and will eventually stop playing.

However, if I Restart the system, and play a CD track by clicking on the file displayed in Nautilus which loads into Totem, the CD track plays fine. Running other software, for example Firefox, has not effect on the playback.

Now, if I run Rhythmbox it will will play tracks from the mucic library normally without a problem, but if I attempt to play a track from the CD then System Monitor shows high IOwait status and the playback has gaps. If I run other software such as Firefox the gaps get longer and eventually the track stops playing.

If then I quit Firefox and run Totem again, Totem will no longer play the track properly and has the same and sometimes longer gaps in playback, with very high IOwaits. Eventually it stops playing the track.

Now, if I Suspend and then Resume, Totem will play the track properly as originally. Running Rhythmbox in the way described above is exactly the same, long gaps in playback.

If I Restart the system and go through this same scenario a second time, but in this case using Soundjuicer instead of Rhythmbox, Soundjuicer has exactly the same effect as Rhythmbox, that is gaps in playback, high IOwait and the same impact on Totem.

The DVD Drive is TSSTCorp CDDVDW SH-S233C
Rhythmbox is 2.991
Soundjuicer is 3.5.0
Totem is 3.8.2

It would seem to me that Rhythmbox and Soundjuicer are having the same impact on the system. Are they somehow loading different software for CD buffering that over-rides the initial load used by Totem ?.

I don't know how to check if something like this has changed. Any advice ?.