[alsa-devel] [PATCH] ALSA: usb: refine delay information with USB frame counter
Existing code only updates the audio delay when URBs were submitted/retired. This can introduce an uncertainty of 8ms on the number of samples played out with the default settings, and a lot more when URBs convey more packets to reduce the interrupt rate and power consumption.
This patch relies on the USB frame counter to reduce the uncertainty to less than 2ms worst-case. The delay information essentially becomes independent of the URB size and number of packets. This should improve audio/video sync and help applications like PulseAudio which require accurate audio timing.
As pointed out by Clemens Ladisch clemens@ladisch.de, the implementation of frame counters varies between different HCDs. Only the 8 lowest-bits are used to estimate the delay.
Signed-off-by: Pierre-Louis Bossart pierre-louis.bossart@linux.intel.com --- sound/usb/card.h | 2 ++ sound/usb/pcm.c | 30 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ sound/usb/pcm.h | 3 +++ sound/usb/urb.c | 28 +++++++++++++++++++++++++--- 4 files changed, 60 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/sound/usb/card.h b/sound/usb/card.h index ae4251d..a39edcc 100644 --- a/sound/usb/card.h +++ b/sound/usb/card.h @@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ struct snd_usb_substream { spinlock_t lock;
struct snd_urb_ops ops; /* callbacks (must be filled at init) */ + int last_frame_number; /* stored frame number */ + int last_delay; /* stored delay */ };
struct snd_usb_stream { diff --git a/sound/usb/pcm.c b/sound/usb/pcm.c index b8dcbf4..6076863 100644 --- a/sound/usb/pcm.c +++ b/sound/usb/pcm.c @@ -34,6 +34,32 @@ #include "clock.h" #include "power.h"
+/* return the estimated delay based on USB frame counters */ +snd_pcm_uframes_t snd_usb_pcm_delay(struct snd_usb_substream *subs, + unsigned int rate) +{ + int current_frame_number; + int frame_diff; + int est_delay; + + current_frame_number = usb_get_current_frame_number(subs->dev); + /* HCD implementations use different widths, use lower 8 bits. + * The delay will be managed up to 256ms, which is more than + * enough + */ + current_frame_number &= 0xFF; + frame_diff = current_frame_number-subs->last_frame_number; + if (frame_diff < 0) + frame_diff += 256; /* handle 8-bit wrap-around */ + + /* Approximation based on number of samples per USB frame (ms), + some truncation for 44.1 but the estimate is good enough */ + est_delay = subs->last_delay-(frame_diff*rate/1000L); + if (est_delay < 0) + est_delay = 0; + return est_delay; +} + /* * return the current pcm pointer. just based on the hwptr_done value. */ @@ -45,6 +71,8 @@ static snd_pcm_uframes_t snd_usb_pcm_pointer(struct snd_pcm_substream *substream subs = (struct snd_usb_substream *)substream->runtime->private_data; spin_lock(&subs->lock); hwptr_done = subs->hwptr_done; + substream->runtime->delay = snd_usb_pcm_delay(subs, + substream->runtime->rate); spin_unlock(&subs->lock); return hwptr_done / (substream->runtime->frame_bits >> 3); } @@ -417,6 +445,8 @@ static int snd_usb_pcm_prepare(struct snd_pcm_substream *substream) subs->hwptr_done = 0; subs->transfer_done = 0; subs->phase = 0; + subs->last_delay = 0; + subs->last_frame_number = 0; runtime->delay = 0;
return snd_usb_substream_prepare(subs, runtime); diff --git a/sound/usb/pcm.h b/sound/usb/pcm.h index ed3e283..df7a003 100644 --- a/sound/usb/pcm.h +++ b/sound/usb/pcm.h @@ -1,6 +1,9 @@ #ifndef __USBAUDIO_PCM_H #define __USBAUDIO_PCM_H
+snd_pcm_uframes_t snd_usb_pcm_delay(struct snd_usb_substream *subs, + unsigned int rate); + void snd_usb_set_pcm_ops(struct snd_pcm *pcm, int stream);
int snd_usb_init_pitch(struct snd_usb_audio *chip, int iface, diff --git a/sound/usb/urb.c b/sound/usb/urb.c index e184349..9e3e3f9 100644 --- a/sound/usb/urb.c +++ b/sound/usb/urb.c @@ -718,7 +718,16 @@ static int prepare_playback_urb(struct snd_usb_substream *subs, subs->hwptr_done += bytes; if (subs->hwptr_done >= runtime->buffer_size * stride) subs->hwptr_done -= runtime->buffer_size * stride; + + /* update delay with exact number of samples queued */ + runtime->delay = subs->last_delay; runtime->delay += frames; + subs->last_delay = runtime->delay; + + /* realign last_frame_number */ + subs->last_frame_number = usb_get_current_frame_number(subs->dev); + subs->last_frame_number &= 0xFF; /* keep 8 LSBs */ + spin_unlock_irqrestore(&subs->lock, flags); urb->transfer_buffer_length = bytes; if (period_elapsed) @@ -737,12 +746,25 @@ static int retire_playback_urb(struct snd_usb_substream *subs, unsigned long flags; int stride = runtime->frame_bits >> 3; int processed = urb->transfer_buffer_length / stride; + int est_delay;
spin_lock_irqsave(&subs->lock, flags); - if (processed > runtime->delay) - runtime->delay = 0; + + est_delay = snd_usb_pcm_delay(subs, runtime->rate); + /* update delay with exact number of samples played */ + if (processed > subs->last_delay) + subs->last_delay = 0; else - runtime->delay -= processed; + subs->last_delay -= processed; + runtime->delay = subs->last_delay; + + /* Report when delay estimate is off by more than 2ms. + * The error should be lower than 2ms since the estimate relies + * on two reads of a counter updated every ms */ + if (abs(est_delay-subs->last_delay) > (runtime->rate*2/1000L)) + snd_printk(KERN_DEBUG "ALSA usb.c: Delay %d actual delay %d\n", + est_delay, subs->last_delay); + spin_unlock_irqrestore(&subs->lock, flags); return 0; }
Pierre-Louis Bossart wrote:
Existing code only updates the audio delay when URBs were submitted/retired. This can introduce an uncertainty of 8ms on the number of samples played out with the default settings, and a lot more when URBs convey more packets to reduce the interrupt rate and power consumption.
This patch relies on the USB frame counter to reduce the uncertainty to less than 2ms worst-case. The delay information essentially becomes independent of the URB size and number of packets. This should improve audio/video sync and help applications like PulseAudio which require accurate audio timing.
I haven't yet found the time to test this, but there are a few theoretical nitpicks ...
- /* HCD implementations use different widths, use lower 8 bits.
* The delay will be managed up to 256ms, which is more than
* enough
*/
/* * Multi-line comments are supposed to use this formatting style. */
- current_frame_number &= 0xFF;
- frame_diff = current_frame_number-subs->last_frame_number;
- if (frame_diff < 0)
frame_diff += 256; /* handle 8-bit wrap-around */
This could be replaced with just: frame_diff = (current_frame_number - subs->last_frame_number) & 0xff;
- /* Report when delay estimate is off by more than 2ms.
* The error should be lower than 2ms since the estimate relies
* on two reads of a counter updated every ms */
- if (abs(est_delay-subs->last_delay) > (runtime->rate*2/1000L))
snd_printk(KERN_DEBUG "ALSA usb.c: Delay %d actual delay %d\n",
est_delay, subs->last_delay);
Do you know how large the difference actually becomes?
I'm not sure if it might be possible to construct a scenario where rounding errors could accumulate ...
Regards, Clemens
/*
- Multi-line comments are supposed to use this formatting style.
*/
Ok
This could be replaced with just: frame_diff = (current_frame_number - subs->last_frame_number) & 0xff;
ok
Do you know how large the difference actually becomes?
I'm not sure if it might be possible to construct a scenario where rounding errors could accumulate ...
I don't think so. I've use a classic technique, I've seen similar code used to improve a/v sync when the audio time is updated in steps. The estimate starts from the delay as computed before (number of samples queued), then decreased down (possibly to zero) using the frame counter. When the urbs are retired, the delay is reset as previously. The frame number is only used to predict the delay more accurately, and the delay is always based on 2 reads of the frame counter. Worst case one case be off by one ms on each read.
Pierre-Louis Bossart wrote:
... This should improve audio/video sync
It does indeed; mplayer's A-V difference gets lowered from up to nrpacks ms down to at most 1 ms.
- est_delay = subs->last_delay-(frame_diff*rate/1000L);
Why a long dividend?
The spacing around operators is inconsistent; please use checkpatch.
snd_printk(KERN_DEBUG "ALSA usb.c: Delay %d actual delay %d\n",
est_delay, subs->last_delay);
snd_printk already can print the "ALSA" and file name prefixes. (And it uses the correct file name. ;-)
Regards, Clemens
participants (2)
-
Clemens Ladisch
-
Pierre-Louis Bossart