xmms/oss newbie problem

[thane]

I've just started playing with Tiny Core Linux.

I've been able to install the Opera TCE (and even got it to persist!) but when I installed XMMS and OSS to listen to streamed radio (Radio Paradise) the sound was sped up (like an old record played too fast) and then died after a few minutes. Played around with various settings (which I don't really understand) but it didn't help. I'm running on a year 2000+ Compaq box.

Also, if you don't mind a newbie suggestion it would be nice if the TCE/TCZ lists were divided into various categories instead of just alphabetically. Or maybe they are and I didn't see it.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[thane]

OK, got XMMS to work using ALSA instead.

[thane]

Just wondering if there are any other Radio Paradise (or other streaming radio) fans out there who found a software combination that works, other than XMMS + ALSA. The combo sounds great but I still haven't got ALSA settings persistency figured out. I see info praising OSS and some of the other media players but haven't found an alternative to what I have.

Also is there any editor for files other than vi? I've used it before and can manage it, but it always makes me paranoid about clobbering something.

Starting to really like TCL though. It's a bit frustrating at first but fun when you start learning your way around.

I've even got my own forum thread.

[Jason W]

You may want to redownload alsa.tcel as I have made some improvements in the alsasound script.  If after your sound settings are saved (alsactl store) and /etc/asound.state is in your backup, then when you run /usr/local/etc/init.d/alsasound start it should load the settings automatically.  I think before there was issues with loading saved settings. 

In fact, I need to add a restart function to the present alsasound and perhaps make the default saved file /usr/local/etc/asound.state as that would eliminate the need for including the file in backup for PPI users.

[thane]

Thanks for the reply.

I did re-download alsa last night (about 14 hours ago; were changes made since then?). I ran alsaconf and alsactl store in sudo mode, and added (I hope correctly) /etc/asound.state to the backup and "/usr/local/etc/init.d/alsasound start" to the boot script. Nothing bombed but it didn't restore my settings.

Thinking about it, in the backup I entered the save file as etc/asound.state (no slash). It bombed the shutdown when I had the slash there. Also if that's a script I'm adding to the boot script does it need .sh at the end? Sorry I'm at work and don't have the code in front of me.

[xpto09]

Also is there any editor for files other than vi? I've used it before and can manage it, but it always makes me paranoid about clobbering something.

Try beaver.

[thane]

Thanks, I will.

[Jason W]

thane,

Scripts don't need a .sh at the end, though many have it to identify it as a script.

Also, I am curious.  Did using the alsasound script in /opt/bootlocal.sh result in the sound being started correctly even though it did not restore the actual settings?

EDIT:  I was able in TC 2.x to get alsa to auto load and persist across reboots by backing up /etc/asound.state and running the alsasound script.

[thane]

"Did using the alsasound script in /opt/bootlocal.sh result in the sound being started correctly even though it did not restore the actual settings?"

No. After booting I got the same configuration error message when trying to use XMMS that I did previously. I manually ran alsaconf and this resolved the problem. It acted as though none of the changes I made had any effect.

Oops, something I forgot. When I run alsaconf it gives me a choice of sound cards to configure (don't know why there's two; one is described as 'legacy'). I have to manually select which one I want  (the non-legacy one) and click through a couple of selections after that. The box is a Compaq Deskpro circa year 2000. Maybe those are factors. Anyway I'd like to double-check the boot script and backup list before I say anything categoric.

[Jason W]

The alsasound script assumes one soundcard, anything more complex must use alsaconf.  But as TC's alsaconf as well as alsasound are custom, I have never tried alsaconf with two soundcards to make sure it would work.  I may test that now and see.

[thane]

OT, but since I started this thread I don't feel too bad about it.

I recently downloaded mplayer.tcz and have run into problems with video/sound sync and "too many packets in the buffer". These problems aren't unique to TCL; they seem to be widely reported for mplayer under various versions of Linux. Just wondering if anyone here has run across this and found solutions.

[Jason W]

It is OT, but seems to me like you have the same issues I have with some of my machines.  That is a processor that cannot keep up with the video, especially in unaccelerated Xvesa mode.  I don't see this with the same Mplayer and the same video/DVD on my faster machines.  YMMV.

[thane]

Thanks for the reply. I'm away from my TCL box now so I can't follow-up, but I'll look at the video setting when I get home.

In future I'll start a new thread if I have a new topic. I'm more used to forums where posters either can't start threads at all or are discouraged from doing so. But every place has its own etiquette.

Edit: Started mplayer problems thread for further mplayer discussion.

[thane]

I'm trying out TCL 2.0rc4 in TCE mode. On my box, XMMS with both ALSA and OSS has the same problem with accelerated and choppy sound when playing streaming radio that it has with OSS under TCL 1.x. I tried various XMMS settings with no effect. In TCL 1.4.3 (and previous 1.x TCL versions) the XMMS + ALSA combination has worked fine.

Has anyone else run into this? I'm not in love with XMMS but so far haven't found another TCL app that plays m3u links.

[curaga]

Doesn't mplayer play those? mplayer -playlist mylist.m3u