[Solved] Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

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[Solved] Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by GunZi » Sat May 12, 2018 8:52 am

So I'm kind of a stuck at the moment. I have connected my raspberry pi zero to both BW (Variant 10) and Gearbest screen and I get the same results: All the graphics/video run slow. games, splashscreen, everything, even the audio is worse.

But then I connected my pi zero through it's HDMI port to a larger screen I salvaged from a laptop which is 1280×720 if I remember correctly. And here everything works great, even the audio is crystal clear.

Have any of you encountered this problem? It's got to be a software issue right? I've reinstalled retropie at least 3 times now and tried changing various settings but nothing has helped. I've also ruled out that using retrogame for controls (using GPIO pins) does not cause this issue.

EDIT:

Here's how my config file looks like:

Code: Select all

# For more options and information see
# http://rpf.io/configtxt
# Some settings may impact device functionality. See link above for details

# uncomment if you get no picture on HDMI for a default "safe" mode
#hdmi_safe=1

# uncomment this if your display has a black border of unused pixels visible
# and your display can output without overscan
#disable_overscan=1

# uncomment the following to adjust overscan. Use positive numbers if console
# goes off screen, and negative if there is too much border
#overscan_left=16
#overscan_right=16
#overscan_top=16
#overscan_bottom=16

# uncomment to force a console size. By default it will be display's size minus
# overscan.
framebuffer_width=320
framebuffer_height=240

# uncomment if hdmi display is not detected and composite is being output
#hdmi_force_hotplug=1

# uncomment to force a specific HDMI mode (this will force VGA)
#hdmi_group=1
#hdmi_mode=1

# uncomment to force a HDMI mode rather than DVI. This can make audio work in
# DMT (computer monitor) modes
#hdmi_drive=2

# uncomment to increase signal to HDMI, if you have interference, blanking, or
# no display
#config_hdmi_boost=4

# uncomment for composite PAL
#sdtv_mode=2

#uncomment to overclock the arm. 700 MHz is the default.
#arm_freq=800

# Uncomment some or all of these to enable the optional hardware interfaces
#dtparam=i2c_arm=on
#dtparam=i2s=on
#dtparam=spi=on

# Uncomment this to enable the lirc-rpi module
#dtoverlay=lirc-rpi

# Additional overlays and parameters are documented /boot/overlays/README

# Enable audio (loads snd_bcm2835)
dtparam=audio=on
gpu_mem_256=128
gpu_mem_512=256
gpu_mem_1024=256
overscan_scale=1
dtoverlay=pwm,pin=13,func=4
disable_audio_dither=1
audio_pwn_mode=2
And here are two videos I filmed of each screen:
HDMI larger screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... zkKftee_sI splash screen starts at 0:50
Gearbest screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... iDEhfUqiF0 splash screen starts at 0:48
Last edited by GunZi on Sun May 13, 2018 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by VeteranGamer » Sat May 12, 2018 10:26 am

GunZi wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 8:52 am
So I'm kind of a stuck at the moment. I have connected my raspberry pi zero to both BW (Variant 10) and Gearbest screen and I get the same results: All the graphics/video run slow. games, splashscreen, everything, even the audio is worse.


EDIT:

Here's how my config file looks like:

Code: Select all

# For more options and information see

audio_pwn_mode=2




remove this from your config....

audio_pwn_mode=2


theres no need for it (if you've wired your setup properly and cleanly)....



.

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by GunZi » Sat May 12, 2018 10:46 am

VeteranGamer wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 10:26 am
GunZi wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 8:52 am
So I'm kind of a stuck at the moment. I have connected my raspberry pi zero to both BW (Variant 10) and Gearbest screen and I get the same results: All the graphics/video run slow. games, splashscreen, everything, even the audio is worse.


EDIT:

Here's how my config file looks like:

Code: Select all

# For more options and information see

audio_pwn_mode=2




remove this from your config....

audio_pwn_mode=2


theres no need for it (if you've wired your setup properly and cleanly)....



.
I removed it and everything remains the same.

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by VeteranGamer » Sat May 12, 2018 10:54 am

GunZi wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 10:46 am


thats the only thing to me that looked out of place in the config....


start again with a fresh image of Retropie....

https://retropie.org.uk/download/


and do everything single addition/modification in steps.....

and run the system (do a reboot)

you'll soon find out which one of your custom additions/modifications is causing the slow down....



(i would still suggest that the "audio_pwn_mode=2" is the culprit)

.

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by GunZi » Sun May 13, 2018 6:00 am

I just tried a different pi0. First I had raspberry pi zero 1.3 now I tried raspberry pi zero w and the results are the same, so I'm guessing that this issue is not due to my pi 1.3.

I will now try a new fresh image of retropie, I'll let you know how that goes.

EDIT: I am using Etcher on Mac OS to get retropie on the SD card (16GB)

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by GunZi » Sun May 13, 2018 7:15 am

Ok, now the new retropie is loaded and booted on my pi0, it is connected to the BW(variant 10) screen and I only added dtoverlay=pwm,pin=13,func=4 to the config file in order for me to test the navigation sound (before it lagged/delayed). I can confirm that it no longer lags and behaves as expected.

config file:

Code: Select all

# For more options and information see
# http://rpf.io/configtxt
# Some settings may impact device functionality. See link above for details

# uncomment if you get no picture on HDMI for a default "safe" mode
#hdmi_safe=1

# uncomment this if your display has a black border of unused pixels visible
# and your display can output without overscan
#disable_overscan=1

# uncomment the following to adjust overscan. Use positive numbers if console
# goes off screen, and negative if there is too much border
#overscan_left=16
#overscan_right=16
#overscan_top=16
#overscan_bottom=16

# uncomment to force a console size. By default it will be display's size minus
# overscan.
framebuffer_width=320
framebuffer_height=240

# uncomment if hdmi display is not detected and composite is being output
#hdmi_force_hotplug=1

# uncomment to force a specific HDMI mode (this will force VGA)
#hdmi_group=1
#hdmi_mode=1

# uncomment to force a HDMI mode rather than DVI. This can make audio work in
# DMT (computer monitor) modes
#hdmi_drive=2

# uncomment to increase signal to HDMI, if you have interference, blanking, or
# no display
#config_hdmi_boost=4

# uncomment for composite PAL
#sdtv_mode=2

#uncomment to overclock the arm. 700 MHz is the default.
#arm_freq=800

# Uncomment some or all of these to enable the optional hardware interfaces
#dtparam=i2c_arm=on
#dtparam=i2s=on
#dtparam=spi=on

# Uncomment this to enable the lirc-rpi module
#dtoverlay=lirc-rpi

# Additional overlays and parameters are documented /boot/overlays/README

# Enable audio (loads snd_bcm2835)
dtparam=audio=on
gpu_mem_256=128
gpu_mem_512=256
gpu_mem_1024=256
overscan_scale=1
dtoverlay=pwm,pin=13,func=4

Instead of adding games/roms via pi0 w, im going to add them via a blinking usb this time and thus not turning on SSH, connecting to Wifi and all that stuff (I did that before).

Ok, USB stops blinking, I restart emulation station. And games are visible now. Perfect, I loaded Legend of Zelda like I did in the HDMI video above except now it's on the 3.5" screen. Works perfectly.

Now I'm going to change the resolution in the config file to 320x240 and see if anything changes.

Code: Select all

framebuffer_width=320
framebuffer_height=240
As expected, no problems. I will now add

Code: Select all

disable_audio_dither=1
to the config file.

Still works perfectly.

I will now add

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2 
to the config file.

Ok, navigation sounds are still ok, no lag or delay, games run the same, audio and video is good. I see no immediate difference in sound quality, so I will remove

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2
from the config file.

Just to be safe I boot up the pi in case there is a difference having removed the line. -> everything still runs fine.

So I am going to assume that

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2
is not the source of the issue.

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by GunZi » Sun May 13, 2018 7:50 am

Next I connect the SD card to my pi0 w. I will not add the splash screen yet. I will connect to Wifi first, then see how it retropie runs on my Pi0 1.3

My pi0 w is connected to the Gearbest screen.

Retropie is booted now on pi0 w and I can confirm games run just as expected (though I do not have GPIO sound connected I can clearly see the difference in video, there is no slowness there). Next I turn on SSH server.

I got to raspi_configs -> Interfacing options -> and enable SSH server option

I restart the system, and test Legend of Zelda, I can’t tell the difference.

Just to be thorough I will now put the SD card into my pi 1.3, see if there's a difference. (Here I can also test the audio) Ok, navigation sound the same, games and audio is good. So turning SSH does not cause this issue.

Next I connect to Wifi through my pi0 w. Hmm I had to enable SSH again.

I reboot the system again.

Retropie is now discoverable on my laptop. Before doing anything else I try Legend of Zelda. It runs just as expected, no problems.

Next I add the splash screen. And I select my custom splash screen to play instead of the default one. And then I reboot the system.

The splash screen plays on boot up and it lags :( Just like before. I will try the game next. The game is slow too. I will confirm this by putting the SD card into my pi0 1.3, there I will see how the sound is.

Ok, so it appears I am back to square one. I now have the exact same problem. Audio and video is slow. Audio is also more muffled/distorted.

I will next remove the splash screen and make the default one play, see if that reverts the problem.

Interesting, after a reboot Legend of Zelda now runs perfectly just as before. Next I will check if I get the same results in pi0 1.3

Confirmed, audio and video works as it should.

So this problem must be with the splash screen. The default one has format png but my custom one is mp4. Strange that it would affect the entire system.

Next I choose one of the default splash screens, one has mp4 format: “retropie-2015-carbon-video.mp4”

I reboot the system and see what happens.

Yeb, it is lagging too. Aaaand everything else is also lagging just like before. So this must be because the splash screen is a video? Why would it affect the system in this way?

Next I disable splash screen on boot up, see if the makes any difference. There is no difference in which I can tell apart from having a png splash screen.

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by GunZi » Sun May 13, 2018 9:20 am

I just noticed I can "preview" the splashscreens in the "splashscreens" settings. When I play them there I see not stuttering at all, is very smooth.

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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by Helder » Sun May 13, 2018 9:56 am

Try resizing the video to the native screen size of the LCD.
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Re: Video is slow on composite screen (Gearbest) and audio muffled, but works good on HDMI?

Post by VeteranGamer » Sun May 13, 2018 10:35 am

GunZi wrote:
Sun May 13, 2018 7:15 am



I will now add

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2 
to the config file.

Ok, navigation sounds are still ok, no lag or delay, games run the same, audio and video is good. I see no immediate difference in sound quality, so I will remove

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2
from the config file.

Just to be safe I boot up the pi in case there is a difference having removed the line. -> everything still runs fine.

So I am going to assume that

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2
is not the source of the issue.

did you add the splash video before or after the

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2 

the only reason why i suspect this is might be causing the issue is that i've encountered something similar myself.....


you can try to resize the video and see if that works....


but i would recommend to setup everything without this code (adding roms/splashvideo/pwm audio enable)

Code: Select all

audio_pwn_mode=2 
(you really dont need this in the script, its not vital to the build)

and see how you get on.....



.

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