Mac Mini ('07 Intel Core 2 Duo 1.87) HTPC will "display sleep" during VLC session

1. YLu.Personal@gmail.com - 21 October 2007

   JR

   I ran the test you've recommended. I noticed that when the system "rewakes" I get more page ins than I do page outs. Page outs is also pretty constant during this time at zero. My memory usage is like this during the rewaking period: 200+MB inactive and 40MB free. After rewaking is complete, here are the stats: 228M wired, 298M active, 129M inactive, 656M used, 367M free.

   I only keep: Vine Server, Azureus, Hamachi, Quicksilver, iTunes, and VLC on all the time, so I don't think memory is the issue. It comes off like the screen falls asleep (cause I set the display sleep to 15 minutes), but if things like iTunes visualizer, VLC, front row are on, it prevents the screen from sleeping.

   I have these energy settings: sleep: never | display: 10m | put hd to sleep when possible: check (but I've tried, with and without and no difference).

   Weird right? I've also tried things like Jiggler, but it doesn't kick in if the default option: jiggle when computer is idle is selected. Apparently running VLC and not touching the mouse or keyboard is not idle.

2. Jolly Roger - 22 October 2007

   I agree.

   It comes
   off like the screen falls asleep (cause I set the display sleep to 15 minutes), but if things like iTunes visualizer, VLC, front row are on, it prevents the screen from sleeping.

   I have these energy settings: sleep: never | display: 10m | put hd to sleep when possible: check (but I've tried, with and without and no difference).

   Weird right? I've also tried things like Jiggler, but it doesn't kick in if the default option: jiggle when computer is idle is selected. Apparently running VLC and not touching the mouse or keyboard is not idle.

   VLC probably keeps the display from sleeping. I think the white screen must be related to VLC too.

   But I think the delay on wake could be the hard drive waking up (though I know you indicated it didn't make a difference).

   Note: Please send all responses to the relevant news group. If you must contact me through e-mail, let me know when you send email to this address so that your email doesn't get eaten by my SPAM filter.

   JR

3. YLu.Personal@gmail.com - 25 October 2007

   JR,

   So I investigated into the hard disk spin down option online and found out that, although there is that option in system preferences, it doesn't work all that well. It apparently just works with external hard drives. I found a terminal command here:
   http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17122 So I just ran that command in terminal. The speed is dramatically improved when exiting full screen although the screen still does turn white. It is a blink of an eye rather than a 10 second illuminating white. Still turning white, doesn't happen on my Macbook or anything else when exiting full screen. I don't know, but I have some direction now.

4. Jolly Roger - 25 October 2007

   If you're talking about the pmset command, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's the exact same command Energy Saver uses for drive slep. So you haven't really changed anything by using it. ; )

   So I just ran
   that command in terminal. The speed is dramatically improved when exiting full screen although the screen still does turn white. It is a blink of an eye rather than a 10 second illuminating white. Still turning white, doesn't happen on my Macbook or anything else when exiting full screen. I don't know, but I have some direction now.

   I'm wondering if something else you messed with actually caused this change.

   Note: Please send all responses to the relevant news group. If you must contact me through e-mail, let me know when you send email to this address so that your email doesn't get eaten by my SPAM filter.

   JR