FPP install script on Ubuntu, no video

[ee351]

Hi all,

I'm trying to get the HDMI port working on a dell wyse 3040 sbc with FPP.  I installed ubuntu server 22.04.1 LTS, followed by the FPP install script.  The fpp webserver comes up fine, with FPPD running.  However, I cannot get the video to output when playing an mp4 file.  All I see is a flicker on the screen with the terminal running.  

Is there something I can try to get video to work?  Another OS perhaps?

Thanks in advanced.

[darylc]

FPP is designed to be run on the supported platforms - pi/beaglebone etc.

If you run it on a PC under a linux install you're unknown territory, likely no-one has ever tested or written the support for virtual matrixes on PC's.

We would welcome a pull request to fix the issue to the fpp github repository.

[dkulp]

If you upgrade it to the latest master code that was committed to the repo yesterday, there is a better chance you could get it to work, but it may require some trial and error on the command line to find the right combination of flags for vlc.

If you turn on the Advanced UI, on the Video tab, and "Extra VLC Arguments"field would appear.   I would start by adding:

--kms-drm-chroma XR24

and see if that helps.   On a couple of devices I have, that's all that was needed.   Beyond that, try figuring out the dri card number and connector.   For one of my devices, I need:

--kms-device /dev/dri/card1 --kms-connector HDMI-A-1 --kms-drm-chroma XR24

to specify card1 (check the /dev/dri/ directory for cards) and the appropriate HDMI port.  

[ee351]

I added --kms-drm-chroma XR24 and now the screen goes black only when playing the video.  After the video is done, the terminal comes up.  The other settings had no effect, and this was after I changed the card1 to card0 (verified from the directory you provided).  Anything else I can try?  I feel like I'm close.

[ee351]

Success!  I was able to get the video to play after I encoded the video file to match the native resolution of the HDMI port (1366 X 768 for this SBC).  No audio, but I'll keep playing with the settings to see if I can figure it out.

Also, is there any way to force the native resolution to 1080P?  This device is supposedly capable of 4k@30fps.  I tried force hdmi resolution under settings but this had no effect.

I'm also happy to report that a virtual matrix works with this setup, which was my end goal.  Trying different effects/videos and playback is smooth.

[AlexanderMedia]

The issue I had with the audio not working had to do with FPP not controlling the audio of the underlying OS.
I was able to easily set the volume in the CLI by running:

amixer sset 'Master' 100%

However, this was not kept through a reboot, so I setup the crontab to do this at boot.
I made a file in the media/scripts directory called set_volume.sh with the following:

#!/bin/bash
amixer sset 'Master' 100%

I set it to executable by running:

chmod u+x set_volume.sh

Then to get to crontab:

sudo crontab -e

I added a line at the bottom like this:

@reboot sh media/scripts/set_volume.sh

This sets the volume to 100% at start up.
It works for my testing, but I may see if I can get FPP to control the volume later.

Thanks

(Running FPP on Debian 11 on a cheap ASUS laptop)

[ee351]

Success!  I was able to get the video to play after I encoded the video file to match the native resolution of the HDMI port (1366 X 768 for this SBC).  No audio, but I'll keep playing with the settings to see if I can figure it out.

Also, is there any way to force the native resolution to 1080P?  This device is supposedly capable of 4k@30fps.  I tried force hdmi resolution under settings but this had no effect.

I'm also happy to report that a virtual matrix works with this setup, which was my end goal.  Trying different effects/videos and playback is smooth.

Sorry for rehashing an old thread, but I felt it would be better to have this info in one thread in case someone else wants to try using and x86 machine with FPP

I jumped back into this recently and everything is working as expected except the virtual matrix resolution.  It only displays full screen if I use the native resolution of the monitor (1366 X 768).  Any ideas how I can force full screen at a lower resolution (say 320 X 240)?  If I lower the resolution it only displays a very small screen.  I tried playing with the extra VLC options but no luck so far.

[jaywalk101]

Hey. It's funny you recently posted this.  Due to Raspberry pi shortages/demand I'm venturing down the road of installing and testing FPP on a Wyse 3040 as well.  Out of curiosity.  What's your experience like?   How does it compare say to a Pi 3B+ or Pi 4?  My plan is driving LED Panels/color light card with this.  Any advice you can share would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

[ee351]

Hey. It's funny you recently posted this.  Due to Raspberry pi shortages/demand I'm venturing down the road of installing and testing FPP on a Wyse 3040 as well.  Out of curiosity.  What's your experience like?  How does it compare say to a Pi 3B+ or Pi 4?  My plan is driving LED Panels/color light card with this.  Any advice you can share would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

Overall I'd say my experience has been pretty good so far.  I'm using a USB to sata adapter so I can use an SSD with more storage.  If you do this, make sure trim is enabled and working.  Performance wise, I'd say the z8350 should be about on par with a pi 4.  I had a virtual matrix running a video on a loop for 4 days without any issues.  If I can figure out the resolution issue I'll be set to use these for my 2 projectors.

[jessica12ryan]

It seems that there is an interest to port FPP to an OS ISO and to make it compatible with Virtual Machines.

I've done exactly that!

It's only a beta version right now, and it uses the master branch of FPP. Once FPP 10 is officially released, it will move to a stable release.

I'd like to hear feedback. I'd also be interested in moving it over to FalconChristmas/fpp-os on GitHub and continuing to maintain it there if there is a solid interest for it and positive feedback.

FPP (Falcon Player) - Falcon Player OS for PC's and Virtual Machines

Please check the README.md before installing. It gives instructions on installing on PC, Proxmox, and VM's. Each release will contain a bootable automated ISO installer. There is also a Proxmox script that makes installation on Proxmox very simple