RetroPie Attract Mode video snaps keep stopping, or dont show

[VoxT3R]

Hi all.

I have a good working retropie using Attract Mode. The roms, video snaps and wheel art are all in place, correctly named and all is set right. My problem is that the video snaps begin to start when i change game, but they then either freeze, or go blotchy or blank. I can still hear them though. 

I am using the video snaps from progetto's site, and so all should work fine.

I am running things on a Pi3 board, using a brand new Samsung 64EVO UHS-1 micro SDXC card, but cant really see that being the issue as it should be fast enough.

Thought I'd reach out to you guys for help.

Thanks in advance.

VoxT3R.

[progets]

Read the Pi F.A.Q. #3. http://forum.attractmode.org/index.php?topic=1249.0

[VoxT3R]

Thanks for the response.

I have been thorough the wiki and cannot find how to 'Enable video decoding hardware support'.

Any additional help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

[progets]

https://github.com/mickelson/attract/wiki/Compiling-on-the-Raspberry-Pi-(Raspbian-Jessie)

[VoxT3R]

Thanks once again for your reply.

I downloaded an image populated with snaps etc, and so my first thought that this would have been installed and set up beforehand.

Either way, i have installed the hardware accelerated video decoding, running the following code but yet still having the same problem with the snap videos not working properly.

Method 2: build FFmpeg with mmal support (hardware accelerated video decoding)
cd ~/develop
git clone --depth 1 git://source.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.git
cd ffmpeg

./configure --enable-mmal --disable-debug --enable-memalign-hack --enable-shared
make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

Am I missing something? 

[progets]

You know what I say, "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself".

Recompile AttractMode and then you'll be able to enable hardware decoding under Configure-->General-->Video Decoding = mmal.

[verion]

You can also make a simple test: replace one of the videos with the one encoded in low-res or mid-res XviD or DivX. You don't have to convert your gameplay videos - it can be any movie - just rename it to match your rom.

If it plays ok - it means that you have a problem with hardware decoding.
If it's still not ok - it means that your problem it's not related (or not only) to hardware decoding.

[VoxT3R]

Hi again.

For some reason, I just can't get the hardware accelerated video decoding enabled.

I downloaded a 64gb image (of whick 37gb is free for roms). This image is complete with vid snaps and wheel art. All looks great on the demo video showing off the setup. I write the image to my 64EVO UHS-1 micro SDXC card, boot it up, and... slow or greying videos.

If this hardware decoding was enabled on the pi the 64gb image was written from, wouldn't it be set on the pi when written again (all settings/scripts/libraries etc are on the sd card right? Or am I wrong in the sense that the hardware decoding storage is on a hidden partition or something? This isn't making any sense to me.

I am a newbie to this, and the links to the wiki given to me by @progets ran with a lot of warning errors when running the make command when trying to enable the hardware decoding. Just to add, running the hardware decoding script doesn't seem to make a difference, and there is only a software setting choice in the Video Decoder option in AM.

I'm just about out of ideas here... and may have to revert back to snapshots of games (which is a massive defeat given the vids i've seen out there of running attract mode with superb arcade cabinet and system mimicry with in game vids.

Incidentally, any suggestions on software to use to re-encode the snap vids I have to a lower res?

Thanks all yet again.

[verion]

Incidentally, any suggestions on software to use to re-encode the snap vids I have to a lower res?

You don't need to lower video res (if your videos are 640x480 or lower) just use a codec that is designed to utilize CPU without relying on HW decoding - like XviD or DivX (in .avi container).

free software: Handbrake older version - 0.96 or .093 IIRC

[VoxT3R]

just use a codec that is designed to utilize CPU without relying on HW decoding - like XviD or DivX (in .avi container).

Sorry, but I have no idea what you mean. Could you point the noob inside me in the right direction... 

Update: I have used Handbrake as suggested. Amazing software and batch encoded full set of vids. They all work like a charm. Kept them at 640 x 480. This works well up to now... fingers x'ed. Thanks @Verion 

[verion]

just use a codec that is designed to utilize CPU without relying on HW decoding - like XviD or DivX (in .avi container).

Sorry

It's just more elaborate way to say: just convert your videos to XviD, it's less CPU demanding.