Fglrx, embed mode, flimmer/massive tearing

[knut]

Everything worked nicely with pipelight with the open drivers, running Mint 16. When i installed the fglrx or the fglrx_updates drivers I got massive tearing or flimmering is a better way to describe it, in windowed mode, entering fullscreen worked nicely.
When i turned embed mode to false, it worked nicely in both window mode and fullscreen mode. Anyway to fix this with out turning off embed?

[Sebastian Lackner (slackner)]

Hi,

it is very weird that the graphic card driver has an influence, since we don't have GPU acceleration enabled on AMD/Radeon graphic cards.
Is it possible that you've forced GPU acceleration somehow? If yes please undo this modification, and try again.

What probably also could help:

1.) What is your output of "glxinfo" ?

2.) What is the console output when you start your browser from a terminal. To redirect all output to a file you can use:
firefox &> ~/pipelight.log
and upload the file pipelight.log from your home directory afterwards.

It could probably also help to test some other (pipelight unrelated) applications, for example 3D games in windowed mode and things like that - does the problem occur then, too?

Sebastian

[knut (knumag)]

name of display: :0
display: :0 screen: 0
direct rendering: Yes
server glx vendor string: ATI
server glx version string: 1.4
server glx extensions:
    GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap,
    GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_OML_swap_method,
    GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_pbuffer,
    GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group, GLX_SGI_make_current_read,
    GLX_SGI_swap_control
client glx vendor string: ATI
client glx version string: 1.4
client glx extensions:
    GLX_AMD_gpu_association, GLX_ARB_create_context,
    GLX_ARB_create_context_profile, GLX_ARB_fbconfig_float,
    GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_buffer_age,
    GLX_EXT_framebuffer_sRGB, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_swap_control,
    GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating,
    GLX_MESA_allocate_memory, GLX_MESA_copy_sub_buffer, GLX_MESA_swap_control,
    GLX_MESA_swap_frame_usage, GLX_NV_swap_group, GLX_OML_swap_method,
    GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_pbuffer,
    GLX_SGIX_swap_barrier, GLX_SGIX_swap_group, GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group,
    GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGI_swap_control, GLX_SGI_video_sync
GLX version: 1.4
GLX extensions:
    GLX_ARB_create_context, GLX_ARB_create_context_profile,
    GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_buffer_age,
    GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_swap_control, GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap,
    GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_MESA_swap_control,
    GLX_NV_swap_group, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_SGIS_multisample,
    GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_pbuffer, GLX_SGIX_swap_barrier,
    GLX_SGIX_swap_group, GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group,
    GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGI_swap_control, GLX_SGI_video_sync
OpenGL vendor string: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series
OpenGL core profile version string: 4.2.12337 Core Profile Context 13.101
OpenGL core profile shading language version string: 4.30
OpenGL core profile context flags: (none)
OpenGL core profile profile mask: core profile
OpenGL core profile extensions:
    GL_AMDX_debug_output, GL_AMDX_vertex_shader_tessellator,
    GL_AMD_conservative_depth, GL_AMD_debug_output,
    GL_AMD_depth_clamp_separate, GL_AMD_draw_buffers_blend,
    GL_AMD_multi_draw_indirect, GL_AMD_name_gen_delete,
    GL_AMD_performance_monitor, GL_AMD_pinned_memory,
    GL_AMD_query_buffer_object, GL_AMD_sample_positions,
    GL_AMD_seamless_cubemap_per_texture, GL_AMD_shader_stencil_export,
    GL_AMD_shader_trace, GL_AMD_texture_cube_map_array,
    GL_AMD_texture_texture4, GL_AMD_transform_feedback3_lines_triangles,
    GL_AMD_vertex_shader_layer, GL_AMD_vertex_shader_tessellator,
    GL_AMD_vertex_shader_viewport_index, GL_ARB_ES2_compatibility,
    GL_ARB_ES3_compatibility, GL_ARB_arrays_of_arrays, GL_ARB_base_instance,
    GL_ARB_blend_func_extended, GL_ARB_clear_buffer_object,
    GL_ARB_color_buffer_float, GL_ARB_compressed_texture_pixel_storage,
    GL_ARB_compute_shader, GL_ARB_conservative_depth, GL_ARB_copy_buffer,
    GL_ARB_depth_buffer_float, GL_ARB_depth_clamp, GL...

[knut (knumag)]

I tried three times already, when I go back to the open drivers the flimmering does not occur, only when using the fglrx drivers, but working perfectly when embed is false. very strange, reason i want fglrx drivers is the small annoying tearing that occurs while watching with the open drivers.

I have a clean install of Mint 16, so nothing else should be bothering the system, using chome, but the same appears on firefox.

[knut (knumag)]

Ive tried with gpuaccel off and on, nothing differs.

[knut (knumag)]

Im at a loss now, it started working when trying again, same setting as before, even have gpuaccel on, no flimmering, only thing i did was install 32bit library, dont know if that could have had an impact somehow? :D very strange stuff.

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

I am having this exact problem. Mint 16 on amd64 with Firefox 26 and fglrx (13.101) drivers; embed mode produces the "flimmer" effect, turning it off makes things work fine (testing with sliverlight5.1 on US Netflix.) It might be worth noting that the distortion begins immediately, before video playback even starts; even Netflix's red loading screen with the progress bar comes out scrambled. I originally ran into this on 0.2.3, but updating to 0.2.4.1 hasn't helped.

Turning on windowlessMode seems to have no effect. Additionally turning on linuxWindowlessMode seems to stablize the image, but then large parts of it are obscured by black boxes. Turning embed off fixes things, but of course at the cost of running in a separate window, which is less than ideal.

I have attached the output of glxinfo; I'll post a second comment with my firefox output attached, since it seems I'm only allowed one attachment per comment.

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

Here's the output of firefox over the course of starting it, loading a video from Netflix, backing out of it, and then exiting.

[Sebastian Lackner (slackner)]

Hi,

it is especially weird that such graphic problems occur although GPU acceleration is disabled.
Please update wine-compholio to 1.7.11 and pipelight to 0.2.4.1 (if not done yet). Then afterwards run:

1.) with GPU acceleration forced:
PIPELIGHT_GPUACCELERATION=1 firefox

2.) with GPU acceleration + strictDrawingOrder forced:
PIPELIGHT_GPUACCELERATION=2 firefox

Does the problem then still occur?

Sebastian

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

Already updated to the latest versions of everything. With either of those variables set, I get a completely black browser window. I still get audio, though, and I'm able to navigate away from the page.

The problem doesn't seem to be particular to Silverlight. I've also tried the Flash plugin, and get the same tearing/flickering effect. It seems like some frames are drawn in the proper position, and others are (partially?) drawn some random number of pixels "too high" - some random chunk of the top of the image is clipped off. It doesn't look like any frames are ever visibly drawn "too low," if that makes any sense at all. The effect reminds me somewhat of trying to watch scrambled channels on cable as a child, although there is no distortion of color.

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

Here's a video of what it looks like: http://youtu.be/6aTWwOH_ZEc

[Sebastian Lackner (slackner)]

Hi,

thanks for testing and the video, really looks a bit weird.
Can you please test if it also occurs with a non-3d-accelerated desktop environment, like for example lxde.

To install lxde its sufficient to run:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Afterwards log out and switch temporarily to the LXDE desktop environment.
Does the problem occur with this one, too? After testing you can just switch back to the regular desktop environment.

Sebastian

[Sebastian Lackner (slackner)]

Sorry, second line should be:

sudo apt-get install lxde

;)

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

Yeah, I figured that out ;)

The problem still occurs under LXDE.

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

I just tried it out with a couple different beta versions of fglrx (the one currently included in Steam OS, and then another one they recently released for the new A10 chips) but that didn't help.

[knut (knumag)]

I installed the 32bit libraries and it stopped flimmering for some reason. When I installed adobe air.. Strange, but pretty sure that fixed it for me.

Jordan Webb <email address hidden>:

>I am having this exact problem. Mint 16 on amd64 with Firefox 26 and
>fglrx (13.101) drivers; embed mode produces the "flimmer" effect,
>turning it off makes things work fine (testing with sliverlight5.1 on US
>Netflix.) It might be worth noting that the distortion begins
>immediately, before video playback even starts; even Netflix's red
>loading screen with the progress bar comes out scrambled. I originally
>ran into this on 0.2.3, but updating to 0.2.4.1 hasn't helped.
>
>Turning on windowlessMode seems to have no effect. Additionally turning
>on linuxWindowlessMode seems to stablize the image, but then large parts
>of it are obscured by black boxes. Turning embed off fixes things, but
>of course at the cost of running in a separate window, which is less
>than ideal.
>
>I have attached the output of glxinfo; I'll post a second comment with
>my firefox output attached, since it seems I'm only allowed one
>attachment per comment.
>
>
>** Attachment added: "glxinfo output"
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/pipelight/+bug/1265874/+attachment/3952231/+files/glxinfo.txt
>
>--
>You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
>report.
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1265874
>
>Title:
> Fglrx, embed mode, flimmer/massive tearing
>
>Status in Pipelight:
> New
>
>Bug description:
> Everything worked nicely with pipelight with the open drivers, running Mint 16. When i installed the fglrx or the fglrx_updates drivers I got massive tearing or flimmering is a better way to describe it, in windowed mode, entering fullscreen worked nicely.
> When i turned embed mode to false, it worked nicely in both window mode and fullscreen mode. Anyway to fix this with out turning off embed?
>
>To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/pipelight/+bug/1265874/+subscriptions

[knut (knumag)]

Don't remember, followed some instructions how to install adobe air in mint 16 and or Ubuntu 13.10.. Then suddenly it worked in embed mode..

Jordan Webb <email address hidden>:

>I saw that, but I'm not sure which 32-bit libraries in particular you're
>referring to. Do you happen to recall what the name of the package was?
>
>--
>You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
>report.
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1265874
>
>Title:
> Fglrx, embed mode, flimmer/massive tearing
>
>Status in Pipelight:
> New
>
>Bug description:
> Everything worked nicely with pipelight with the open drivers, running Mint 16. When i installed the fglrx or the fglrx_updates drivers I got massive tearing or flimmering is a better way to describe it, in windowed mode, entering fullscreen worked nicely.
> When i turned embed mode to false, it worked nicely in both window mode and fullscreen mode. Anyway to fix this with out turning off embed?
>
>To manage notifications about this bug go to:
>https://bugs.launchpad.net/pipelight/+bug/1265874/+subscriptions

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

I saw that, but I'm not sure which 32-bit libraries in particular you're referring to. Do you happen to recall what the name of the package was?

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

I hunted down some instructions on installing Adobe AIR on 64-bit Linux and went through the libraries it wanted. With the exception of NSS and NSPR, all the other 32-bit libraries that it said were needed were already installed as dependencies of wine-compholio. I tried installing the i386 versions of NSS and NSPR, but I'm still having the problem (I have also upgraded to 0.2.4.2)

[Jordan Webb (jordan-webb)]

Just gave it a try with the latest Catalyst 14.1 beta driver, but it is still happening. I'd just switch to the open drivers, but then I can't get sound working. I'm really very interested in doing whatever I can to help get this resolved; running with "embed = false" works well enough for Netflix, but it gets very awkward with the Flash plugin, and I'd like to switch over to Pipelight for that as well because my cable company's on-demand service requires something newer than the native Linux plugin. Please let me know if there's anything else I can try, or any other debugging information that might be useful that I could capture, or if you have any code you'd like me to try out.

[Michael Müller (mqchael)]

Hi guys,

Pipelight 0.2.7 now enables hardware acceleration by default on AMD hardware which completely changes the way how the image is rendered. Could you please retest if this fixes the problem? You should also run

pipelight-plugin --system-check

and verify that 32 bit driver files are correctly installed.

Michael

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Pipelight because there has been no activity for 60 days.]