[Bunto Skiffler]

but I won't ever upgrade Ubuntu again.

Thou speaketh truth.

[dsrl]

@FernetMenta,

The learning curve is pretty steep. It took several hours just to read different opinions about how to partition an SSD for a Linux install.

So Ubuntu 12.04 is now installed, configured and ready for XBMC. I am using it to write this message.

I followed directions on the XBMC site for installing to Linux and hit a roadblock. The command

Code:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc

fails with the message "Cannot access PPA ... to get PPA information, please check your internet connection." The internet connection is OK.

The remaiing alternatives for Ubuntu seem to be either compiling from source or installing Dharma.

Neither of those two alternatives are very attractive. Can you suggest something else?

[artrafael]

I followed directions on the XBMC site for installing to Linux and hit a roadblock. The command

Code:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc

fails with the message "Cannot access PPA ... to get PPA information, please check your internet connection." The internet connection is OK.

I just tried it and it worked fine for me... maybe just a temporary hiccup? Try it again and see if it works this time. Just to be sure it's not a network issue, you may want to:

Code:

ping www.google.com

and see if you get any response (hit Ctrl-C to stop it).

[dsrl]

I just tried it and it worked fine for me... maybe just a temporary hiccup?

The connection was OK because I was browsing the xbmc site when first I tried to get the package. Apparently it was a temporary hiccup. I tried again and it worked.

Install of XBMC completed without any more problems.

I installed vaapi, rebuilt the video library and tried playing a DVD ripped to the hard drive. Terrible results. Playback was very jerky with and without vaapi acceleration turned on.

I did not create an xorg.conf file. There are more changes in settings I can try but initial results are much worse than what I had with XMBCbuntu out of the box.

[FernetMenta]

It took several hours just to read different opinions about how to partition an SSD for a Linux install

So you did not trust my recommendation?

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc

This is wrong. There is no version for Precise in this ppa. Check out: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Ins..._for_Linux
and: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl...d-ohne-pvr

Remove this ppa and add this one: ppa:nathan-renniewaldock/xbmc-stable

[dsrl]

So you did not trust my recommendation?

Well, I did choose different partition sizes but the big issue was correct alignment for an SSD. There were different opinions about whether the installer partition manager would do it. Some said "yes" and others said it was necessary to use gparted. I could not resolve that issue, could not get gparted to work, so I used Win7 to do the partitions. Do you know anyone else who uses Win7 as a glorified partition tool?

Remove this ppa and add this one: ppa:nathan-renniewaldock/xbmc-stable

OK. I'll report back.

[dsrl]

I took a backup of the system just prior to installing XBMC so I restored from that backup. I think that removes any concerns about the removal being clean and complete.

I installed the version you pointed to and tried DVDs on disc and hard disk, and a bluray on hard disk.

The hiccup problem seems to be fixed -- that is the good news.

Now there is a horizontal line on the screen where the picture has a discontinuity. Its a line that is a few pixels wide that shimmers like water.

For DVDs, the line is about 40% of the way from the top of the screen. For the bluray, the line is about 80% of the way down from the top.

[FernetMenta]

Sounds like tearing. Check your video options under system. Make sure vsync is set to always enabled.

[dsrl]

Sounds like tearing. Check your video options under system. Make sure vsync is set to always enabled.

I changed the setting to Vertical blank sync = always enabled.

No change.

[FernetMenta]

What window manager do you use? Don't use Unity! Try with Unity 2D or any other non-composition WM. This is my xorg.conf:
http://xbmclogs.com/show.php?id=6025

Check the last section. Copy this to /etc/X11/xorg.conf

You might need to change HDMI1 to match you output.

[dsrl]

What window manager do you use? Don't use Unity! Try with Unity 2D or any other non-composition WM. This is my xorg.conf:
http://xbmclogs.com/show.php?id=6025

Check the last section. Copy this to /etc/X11/xorg.conf

You might need to change HDMI1 to match you output.

I am using Ubuntu 2D. I guess they changed the name from Unity to Ubuntu?

I copied your xorg.conf file, changed HDMI1 to HDMI3 and rebooted.

It looks like everything is fixed! Both DVD and bluray playback are smooth and without the discontinuity (tearing?)

I am cautiously optimistic this is the solution. Another point awarded for your persistence.

Question -- this XBMC package is described as "stable" but I am not sure what that means. Is it stable in a developmental sense and should be used only by the more adventerous, or is it a build that is OK even for the faint of heart?

In other words, should I look for a update in the near future or is this something that I can expect to live with for a long time?

[FernetMenta]

You are running XBMC Eden now. At the time it was released Ubuntu 12.04 was not there. This might be the reason why the team-xbmc ppa has no version compiled against Precise. As long as you are happy with this build keep it.

[dsrl]

You are running XBMC Eden now. At the time it was released Ubuntu 12.04 was not there. This might be the reason why the team-xbmc ppa has no version compiled against Precise. As long as you are happy with this build keep it.

I would not update for no reason. After more testing, I have a reason to update.

XBMC sometimes crashes at start up. There is a brief flash on the screen and then a dialog box indicating the crash with an offer to send a log or dump to Ubuntu. I cannot recreate this at will.

When this happens, XBMC will not start successfully until I reboot. That seems to fix it for that particular boot.

If it does not become worse, I can live with this for now but I want to fix it eventually.

This is outside the original purpose of this thread but I hope you do not mind me asking this -- can these "stable" builds be updated or must they be removed and a new build re-installed? If the latter, how can I retain XBMC settings?

[dsrl]

Hi Fernet,

I don't know if you are still reading this thread. If you do, I want to thank you for all the work you did helping me. Unfortunately, it may not have accomplished much because I am giving up on Linux and going back to Windows. At least for now. Maybe the next release of XBMCbuntu will work for me and I will try again.

But for now, the version of XBMC I had to install to fix the hiccup problem crashes too often -- the latest crash log is here: http://xbmclogs.com/show.php?id=6077

And Linux itself locks up. Five times tonight I had power down because Linux would freeze and nothing else would get things working again. The freezes occurred while using Firefox, running tests with ir-keytable, and Nautilus.

In contrast, XBMC with Windows works well. I don't like Windows as well as Linux but at least it allows me to spend more time watching movies instead of solving computer problems.

This has been frustrating but I certainly appreciate the time you spent helping me.

[FernetMenta]

Are you saying Linux itself does not run stable? That's really bad, I don't even remember the time I had problems with this.

Do you know OpenElec? http://openelec.tv/component/k2/item/246...5-released
Worth a try?