[HiImTye]

Code:

tye@T:~$ apt-cache policy xbmc
xbmc:
  Installed: 2:11.0~git20120229.f38655f-0ubuntu1~ppa1~oneiric
  Candidate: 2:11.0~git20120229.f38655f-0ubuntu1~ppa1~oneiric
  Version table:
*** 2:11.0~git20120229.f38655f-0ubuntu1~ppa1~oneiric 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc/unstable/ubuntu/ oneiric/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Ubuntu 11.10 kernel 3.0.0-16-generic
(using Gnome-Shell not Unity)
http://pastebin.com/gSnShC57
from SMPlayer:

Code:

Demuxer avi

Clip info
Software AVI-Mux GUI 1.17.8.3, Feb 16 201019:42:50

Video
Resolution 720 x 384
Aspect ratio 1.875
Format XVID
Bitrate 1244 kbps
Frames per second 23.976
Selected codec ffodivx

Initial Audio Stream
Format 8192
Bitrate 448 kbps
Rate 48000 Hz
Channels 2
Selected codec ffac3

Audio Streams
# Language Name ID
0 <empty> <empty> 1

Intel® Core™2 CPU 6700 @ 2.66GHz × 2
GeForce 210/PCIe/SSE2
32-bit

Code:

tye@T:~$ uname -m
i686

now that all of that is out of the way, here is whats happening.
I play a video file and there is a stutter every .5 seconds. it doesn't matter what video file I play (although with .mkv it is worse, but I'll be happy to just get XViD working, I can convert anything else) there is a constant stutter. XBMC's UI is still fully functional and does not stutter, it just the video playback

[FernetMenta]

You are playing back a video with 23.976fps on a screen with 50hz. Enable "set refresh rate to match video" and "sync playback to display".
Make sure you have disabled DynamicTwinView in your xorg.conf because there is a problem with current nvidia driver.

[HiImTye]

I had both options enabled but apparently disabling DynamicTwinView seems to have fixed it, at least for now

edit: it definitely seems to have fixed it, thanks a million!
edit2: looking for a way to mark as solved

[HiImTye]

disabling Dynamic Twinview helped playback but it also disabled my ability to change resolutions in the 'nVidia X Server Settings' tool, any other ideas on how to fix this or just disabling my ability to resize?
edit: I found a temporary solution, 'grandr', which is a front end for xrandr