Version: (using KDE 4.2.2) OS: Linux Installed from: Unlisted Binary Package Distribution : Archlinux, kernel 2.6.29 KDE 4.2.2 from the kdemod team GPU : nvidia 9300M GS with the stable 180.44 driver CPU : Core 2 Duo 2Ghz mplayer compiled from svn revision 29148 with vdpau support Sample video file : Terminator Salvation trailer (x264 1920x800) When playing this file using mplayer with -vo vdpau -vc ffh264vdpau, no compositing enabled, conky reports the following CPU usage : mplayer 2.5% and X 0.50% with compositing enabled: X 24% to 30% mplayer 8% to 10% kwin 6% to 8% For reference, kwin without video and compositing enabled takes 0.1% CPU, sometimes up to 7.5%. (seems random) Playing the same file without vdpau (mplayer -vo vdpau -vc ffh264) + compositing gives: mplayer 35% to 40% CPU usage kwin 7% X 2% without vdpau (mplayer -vo vdpau -vc ffh264) and without compositing: mplayer 35% to 40% CPU kwin and X takes less than 0,1% according to this thread on nvidia forum http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=129789 , it may be because kwin doesn't use direct rendering even when it is checked in the options. This thread is also related but unanswered : http://forum.kde.org/kwin-and-vdpau-t-38516.html
Trying enabling "direct rendering" in the advanced settings and restarting KWin from a terminal with `KWIN_DIRECT_GL=1 kwin --replace &`.
Same result as before. I have the following lines in the console, so i suppose direct rendering is ok : kwin(32228) KWin::Extensions::init: Extensions: shape: 0x "11" composite: 0x "4" render: 0x "a" fixes: 0x "40" kwin(32228) KWin::CompositingPrefs::detect: glx version is 1 . 3 Xlib: extension "Generic Event Extension" missing on display ":0.0". kwin(32228) KWin::CompositingPrefs::detectDriverAndVersion: GL vendor is "NVIDIA Corporation" kwin(32228) KWin::CompositingPrefs::detectDriverAndVersion: GL renderer is "GeForce 9300M GS/PCI/SSE2" kwin(32228) KWin::CompositingPrefs::detectDriverAndVersion: GL version is "3.0.0 NVIDIA 180.44" kwin(32228) KWin::CompositingPrefs::detectDriverAndVersion: XGL: no kwin(32228) KWin::CompositingPrefs::detectDriverAndVersion: Detected driver "nvidia" , version "180.44" kwin(32228) KWin::CompositingPrefs::applyDriverSpecificOptions: nvidia >= 173.14.12, enabling compositing kwin(32228) KDecorationPlugins::loadPlugin: kwin : path "/usr/lib/kde4/kwin3_bespin.so" for "kwin3_bespin" kwin(32228) KWin::Extensions::init: Extensions: shape: 0x "11" composite: 0x "4" render: 0x "a" fixes: 0x "40" kwin(32228) KWin::Extensions::init: Extensions: shape: 0x "11" composite: 0x "4" render: 0x "a" fixes: 0x "40" kwin(32228) KWin::Workspace::setupCompositing: OpenGL compositing kwin(32228) KWin::SceneOpenGL::initBufferConfigs: Drawable visual (depth 24 ): 0x "49" kwin(32228) KWin::SceneOpenGL::initBufferConfigs: Drawable visual (depth 32 ): 0x "64" kwin(32228) KWin::SceneOpenGL::initBuffer: Buffer visual (depth 24 ): 0x "47" kwin(32228) KWin::SceneOpenGL::selfCheck: Compositing self-check passed. kwin(32228) KWin::SceneOpenGL::SceneOpenGL: DB: true , TFP: true , SHM: false , Direct: true
The last line of your output says you are using direct rendering. Also KWin uses loose texture binding on nVidia cards so that's not the problem either.
My mplayer version is still too old to test it, but since the report there are new NVIDIA versions which might have fix it. So is this still an issue?
The behaviour now is much better (nvidia 190.42 and kwin from KDE SC 4.3.4) kwin uses around 5 to 6.5% of my cpu. X uses 3,5 to 7% while mplayer uses less than 3% when I play some vdpau-accelerated movie with compositing enabled. (For reference I have a Core 2 Duo 2Ghz)
Thanks for the infor. Given these numbers and the fact that we have not worked on this bug I assume it was a problem of the NVIDIA driver.