periodic high CPU usage (1 Viewer)

[kevin939]

TV-Server Version: rc4
MediaPortal Version: rc4
MediaPortal Skin: blue3 wide
Windows Version: xp - sp3 fully patched
CPU Type: intel 651
HDD: samsung 500G
Memory: 1G pc3200
Motherboard: ?
Video Card: ati hd2400
Video Card Driver: 8.4
Sound Card: realtek
Sound Card AC3: ac3 realtek
Sound Card Driver: latest
1. TV Card: hauppauge nova-t-500
1. TV Card Type: dvb-t
1. TV Card Driver: latest
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec:
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
h.264 Video Codec: cyberlink pd7
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: advent
Cooling: fans
Power Supply: 250W
Remote: generic mCE compatible
TV: panasonic 1080p plasma
TV - HTPC Connection: dvi to hdmi


I installed RC4 and it all looks great. However I have noticed that the fans on my PC now kick in periodically - they didn't previously. I have monitored the system remotely using perfmon and I see that the CPU usage goes up from around 12% gradually over a minute or two to 100% and the process that is using the CPU is mediaportal.

There is no obvious cause. I have seen the problem while TV is being recorded but its MP not TVService that is using the CPU. I have not seen the CPU usage increase while watching tv only while recording

Logs attached fro a period while the machine saw toothed between 33% (higher than normal) and 100% - half ramping up, half at 100% over around 2-3 minutes.

After stopping MP TVservice usage dropped to 10% and continued to record......


Cheers

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

There's nothing in logs to show what may have been causing this, but the usual suspects are DVB epg grab, try disabling and see if the same thing happens, or a plugin auto updating, ie TVSeries or Moving Pictures.

 

[kevin939]

Not sure if the DVB EPG graber is running - and I thought that was part of tvserver which is not showing any increase in CPU usage.

I have left the machine just showing tv - sits nicely at around 12% usage in total - basically tvservice on one (HT) CPU and MP on the other. When I start 2 recording after a few minutes the problem arises. Its all privileged time in MP - nothing else rises.

Stopped all the recordings (eventually) and CPU usage returns to nominal. Just tried one recording and low and behold CPU usage cranks up to 100% after a few minutes - longer than when doing 2 recording concurrently. Switched to program guide and CPU drops like a stone. Hang around (screen blanks as intended) and then go back to full screen. CPU stays put at a low level but then afer a few minutes up it goes

Basically the periodicity of the CPU increase is much shorter with 2 concurrent recordings than with 1. No recording may have a very long periodicity

Nothing I can find related to the MP process increases when the CPU increases.........more monitoring may reveal something

System sat doing nothing - no MP - shows a very idle system.

 

[kevin939]

I have done some more monitoring. The problem appears even when watching TV regardless of recording (guess its still time shifting).

Having looked at an idle MP (no TV) I noticed that most of the MP time is privilege time rather than user - around 10%-15%. When the CPU usage goes high its the privilege time that increases - user remains constant and very low but overall usage goes to 100%. [this privilige/user split appears to be the case whatever MP is doing]

The problem only arises when TV gets involved. What I just cannot understand is why MP shows a problem and not TVS. I though TVS did most of the work and MP "just" displayed the image - very similar to displaying a video (which so far has not shown ANY problems).

Does anyone else see this behaviour?

Any idea what else I could monitor to determine what's happening?

[does the released MP come with symbols? I could possibly connect Visual Studio to the running system and see where its spending its time]

 

[chillertje]

I have the same behaviour.
I use speedfan to control my fans and my asus pundit(4400+) (only tv-client) goes sometimes to 100% for a few secs. I have the same behaviour on my laptop, but he can't handle the 100% so it hang up (centrino 1.7 ghz)