fix(apple): stage-4 deadline presenter (CAMetalDisplayLink) — iOS default; gate depth back to 1

Field verdict on the depth-2 gate (M4 iPad Pro, 2752x2064@120): display stage
22-28 ms vs depth-1's 14 — a REGRESSION, not the predicted 5-8. Post-mortem:
any bounded-FIFO pacing keeps a STANDING queue on the always-vsync-latch
platforms. One burst fills every admitted slot and, with arrivals and latches
then running at the same rate, occupancy never returns to zero — each gate
slot costs one full refresh, permanently (the ladder fits exactly: arrival ~3
slots -> 30+ ms, depth 2 -> 22-28, depth 1 -> 14). A bounded FIFO caps the
queue; nothing ever drains it. And depth 1 serializes presents on the on-glass
callback's delivery lag, so neither rung can approach the sub-refresh floor.

Stage-4 (PresentPacing.deadline) inverts drawable ownership instead:
- A CAMetalDisplayLink on its own runloop thread vends ONE deadline-timed
  drawable per refresh (preferredFrameLatency 1) into a newest-wins LatestBox;
  an unpresented vend is replaced by the next (back to the pool).
- The render thread pairs it with the newest decoded frame the moment either
  half arrives — the common case presents a frame INSTANTLY into an already-
  vended drawable, latching the upcoming refresh. No image queue can form and
  nothing waits on on-glass callbacks (they only feed the meters now).
- A stashed drawable can lag a mid-session HDR reconfigure by one vend:
  encodePresent skips the mismatched-format vend (frame re-rings) instead of
  tripping Metal validation.
- iOS/iPadOS defaults to stage-4; tvOS keeps stage-3 until its own A/B
  (PUNKTFUNK_PRESENTER=stage4); macOS resolves "stage4" back to its default
  (the sync-off/DCP-panic saga — deadline pacing lands there deliberately or
  not at all). Settings picker gains Stage 4 with the derived default marker.
- Gate depth defaults to 1 everywhere again; PUNKTFUNK_GATE_DEPTH stays only
  to reproduce the standing-queue ladder on-device.
- PUNKTFUNK_PRESENT_DEBUG gains latchMs p50/max (present-issue -> on-glass:
  standing queue reads ~n x period, healthy reads < 1 period) + noDrawable=.

swift test (14/14) + full Punktfunk-iOS device build green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
2026-07-19 13:35:43 +02:00
parent d2daeacc60
commit ab2bcc8e68
7 changed files with 480 additions and 117 deletions
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
// Per-session presenter stack shared by the macOS and iOS/tvOS stream views: the Metal pipeline
// (explicit VTDecompressionSession decode CAMetalLayer, driven by the hosting view's
// CADisplayLink) is the default glass-paced stage-3 on tvOS + iOS, arrival-paced stage-2 on
// macOS (see PresenterChoice.platformDefault); stage-1 (StreamPump AVSampleBufferDisplayLayer)
// is the Metal-unavailable / DEBUG fallback. The views own the platform bits capture,
// window/scale tracking, and constructing the display link and delegate the shared presenter
// lifecycle here.
// (explicit VTDecompressionSession decode CAMetalLayer) is the default deadline-paced
// stage-4 on iOS, glass-paced stage-3 on tvOS, arrival-paced stage-2 on macOS (see
// PresenterChoice.platformDefault); stage-1 (StreamPump AVSampleBufferDisplayLayer) is the
// Metal-unavailable / DEBUG fallback. The views own the platform bits capture, window/scale
// tracking, and constructing the display link (arrival/glass pacing only; deadline pacing runs
// its own CAMetalDisplayLink) and delegate the shared presenter lifecycle here.
//
// Main-thread only: start/layout/stop and the display-link tick all run on the main runloop.
@@ -28,15 +28,17 @@ public final class DisplayLinkProxy: NSObject {
@objc public func tick(_ link: CADisplayLink) { onTick(link) }
}
/// Which presenter a session runs. Stage-2/stage-3 are the same Metal pipeline with arrival vs
/// glass-gated present pacing (`PresentPacing` see Stage2Pipeline for the tradeoff, and why
/// stage-3 exists: stage-2's present-on-arrival saturates the layer's FIFO image queue on panels
/// running near the stream rate). Stage-1 (compressed video straight to the system layer) is a
/// DEBUG-only diagnostic. Internal (not private) for unit tests.
/// Which presenter a session runs. Stage-2/3/4 are the same Metal pipeline with different present
/// pacing (`PresentPacing` see Stage2Pipeline for the full tradeoff): stage-2 presents on frame
/// arrival, stage-3 gates presents on the on-glass callback, stage-4 presents into
/// CAMetalDisplayLink-vended drawables (deadline pacing iOS/tvOS only; see `PresentPacing`'s
/// doc for why the vsync-latching platforms need it). Stage-1 (compressed video straight to the
/// system layer) is a DEBUG-only diagnostic. Internal (not private) for unit tests.
enum PresenterChoice: Equatable {
case stage1
case stage2
case stage3
case stage4
/// Resolve from the `PUNKTFUNK_PRESENTER` env override (A/B without touching settings) first,
/// then the persisted `DefaultsKey.presenter` setting; anything unknown (or an empty env var)
@@ -50,29 +52,49 @@ enum PresenterChoice: Equatable {
/// The user's EXPLICIT stage selection, nil when they haven't made one (unset/unknown values,
/// and a release build's gated "stage1"). Split from `resolve` so a codec-conditional default
/// (see `SessionPresenter.pacing`) can apply only when the user hasn't picked a stage an
/// explicit "stage2" must stay a faithful A/B of arrival pacing.
/// explicit "stage2" must stay a faithful A/B of arrival pacing. "stage4" resolves only on
/// iOS/tvOS: macOS's present path is entangled with the sync-off/DCP-panic saga (see
/// MetalVideoPresenter's init) and stays on its proven pacings until deadline presents are
/// deliberately validated there a synced "stage4" value maps back to the platform default.
static func explicit(setting: String?, env: String?, allowStage1: Bool) -> PresenterChoice? {
let raw = env.flatMap { $0.isEmpty ? nil : $0 } ?? setting
switch raw {
case "stage1": return allowStage1 ? .stage1 : nil
case "stage2": return .stage2
case "stage3": return .stage3
case "stage4":
#if os(macOS)
return nil
#else
return .stage4
#endif
default: return nil
}
}
/// tvOS and iOS/iPadOS default to GLASS pacing: their layers ALWAYS vsync-latch presents into
/// the FIFO image queue (`displaySyncEnabled` is macOS-only API), so whenever the panel runs
/// near the stream rate an Apple TV's fixed 60 Hz fed a 60 fps stream by construction; an
/// iPhone/iPad fed a stream at the panel rate, which VRR (default on, preferred = stream rate)
/// makes the COMMON case arrival pacing pins the queue at ~`maximumDrawableCount` and every
/// frame rides ~23 refreshes of it (measured: ~50 ms on Apple TV; 2330 ms at 120 Hz on
/// ProMotion iPads the 2026-07 iPad Pro 2752×2064@120 field report read display 23.1 ms on
/// arrival vs 14 ms glass). The Settings picker can still force stage-2 for an A/B. macOS
/// keeps stage-2: with the layer's sync off, presents are out-of-band flips that don't queue,
/// so arrival is genuinely lowest-latency there.
/// iOS/iPadOS defaults to DEADLINE pacing (stage-4), tvOS to glass (stage-3), macOS to
/// arrival (stage-2).
///
/// The iOS/tvOS layers ALWAYS vsync-latch presents into a FIFO image queue
/// (`displaySyncEnabled` is macOS-only API), and at stream rate panel rate an Apple TV's
/// fixed 60 Hz by construction; an iPhone/iPad with VRR (default on, preferred = stream rate)
/// steering the panel to the stream that queue's depth is STICKY: one burst fills it and,
/// with arrivals and latches then running at the same rate, it NEVER drains. Every queued
/// present costs a full refresh, forever: the 2026-07 iPad Pro (2752×2064@120) field ladder
/// read ~30 ms display on arrival (~3 refreshes of queue), 2228 ms glass-gated at depth 2
/// (a standing queue of 2 the depth-2 experiment's post-mortem), 14 ms at depth 1. Glass
/// pacing (stage-3) bounds the queue but presents still serialize on the on-glass callback;
/// deadline pacing (stage-4) is the fix for the remainder: one CAMetalDisplayLink-vended
/// drawable per refresh, presented the moment a frame decodes the queue cannot exist and
/// nothing waits on callbacks (see `PresentPacing.deadline`).
///
/// tvOS stays on its proven stage-3 until stage-4 gets an on-glass A/B there
/// (`PUNKTFUNK_PRESENTER=stage4`). macOS keeps stage-2: with the layer's sync off, presents
/// are out-of-band flips that don't queue, so arrival is genuinely lowest-latency there.
static var platformDefault: PresenterChoice {
#if os(tvOS) || os(iOS)
#if os(iOS)
.stage4
#elseif os(tvOS)
.stage3
#else
.stage2
@@ -99,6 +121,7 @@ final class SessionPresenter {
static func pacing(
for choice: PresenterChoice, explicit: PresenterChoice?, codec: VideoCodec
) -> PresentPacing {
if choice == .stage4 { return .deadline }
if choice == .stage3 { return .glass }
#if os(macOS)
if explicit == nil, codec == .pyrowave { return .glass }
@@ -106,31 +129,27 @@ final class SessionPresenter {
return .arrival
}
/// The glass gate's in-flight present budget (`PresentGate` capacity) for this platform.
/// The glass gate's in-flight present budget (`PresentGate` capacity): 1 everywhere.
///
/// - iOS/iPadOS: 2 one flip scanning out plus one queued for the next latch. A decoded
/// frame presents immediately (the gate is open in steady state) and latches the very next
/// vsync, so the present cadence never serializes on the on-glass callback's own latency
/// depth 1's extra-refresh cost (the field-measured 14 ms display stage at 120 Hz, vs a
/// ~half-refresh floor). The queue still can't build past two flips, so arrival pacing's
/// FIFO saturation (2330 ms) stays gone.
/// - tvOS: 1 the proven fixed-60-Hz config. Depth 2 should shorten its display stage the
/// same way but is unmeasured there; A/B first (`PUNKTFUNK_GATE_DEPTH=2`), then flip.
/// - macOS: pinned to 1, env ignored glass pacing exists there as the DCP swapID
/// kernel-panic mitigation (see `pacing`), and STRICT present serialization is its point.
/// Depth 1 is the only depth that works. The 2026-07 depth-2 experiment (one flip scanning
/// out + one queued, predicted ~58 ms at 120 Hz) REGRESSED the iPad Pro's display stage to
/// 2228 ms vs depth 1's 14: any second gate slot becomes a STANDING queue a burst fills
/// it, and with presents and latches then running at the same rate the occupancy never
/// returns to zero, so every frame permanently rides one extra refresh per slot. A bounded
/// FIFO can cap the queue but nothing ever drains it; the prediction assumed an idle queue
/// that doesn't exist after the first Wi-Fi clump. Sub-refresh display latency needs pacing
/// that can't queue at all that's stage-4 (`PresentPacing.deadline`), not a deeper gate.
///
/// `PUNKTFUNK_GATE_DEPTH` (13) overrides on iOS/tvOS for on-device A/B, mirroring the other
/// presenter env levers. Internal (not private) for unit tests.
/// `PUNKTFUNK_GATE_DEPTH` (13) still overrides on iOS/tvOS so the standing-queue ladder
/// stays reproducible on-device; macOS is pinned to 1, env ignored glass pacing exists
/// there as the DCP swapID kernel-panic mitigation (see `pacing`), and STRICT present
/// serialization is its point. Internal (not private) for unit tests.
static func gateDepth(env: String?) -> Int {
#if os(macOS)
return 1
#else
if let env, let depth = Int(env), (1...3).contains(depth) { return depth }
#if os(tvOS)
return 1
#else
return 2
#endif
#endif
}
@@ -192,12 +211,12 @@ final class SessionPresenter {
env: ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["PUNKTFUNK_PRESENTER"],
allowStage1: allowStage1)
let choice = explicit ?? PresenterChoice.platformDefault
let pacing = Self.pacing(for: choice, explicit: explicit, codec: connection.videoCodec)
if choice != .stage1,
let pipeline = Stage2Pipeline(
endToEndMeter: endToEndMeter, decodeMeter: decodeMeter,
displayMeter: displayMeter,
pacing: Self.pacing(
for: choice, explicit: explicit, codec: connection.videoCodec),
pacing: pacing,
gateDepth: Self.gateDepth(
env: ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["PUNKTFUNK_GATE_DEPTH"])) {
let metal = pipeline.layer
@@ -216,14 +235,19 @@ final class SessionPresenter {
// The link is the vsync CLOCK + putBack-retry nudge, not the presentation trigger
// (frame arrival is see Stage2Pipeline's header). timestamptargetTimestamp is the
// link's own report of the current refresh period (tracks VRR rate changes).
let proxy = DisplayLinkProxy { [weak self] link in
self?.stage2?.renderTick(
targetMediaTime: link.targetTimestamp,
period: link.targetTimestamp - link.timestamp)
// DEADLINE pacing needs neither: its CAMetalDisplayLink (pipeline-owned) is the vsync
// clock, and every one of its updates re-checks the ring, which IS the retry tick
// a second link would only fight it over the frame-rate hint.
if pacing != .deadline {
let proxy = DisplayLinkProxy { [weak self] link in
self?.stage2?.renderTick(
targetMediaTime: link.targetTimestamp,
period: link.targetTimestamp - link.timestamp)
}
let link = makeDisplayLink(proxy, #selector(DisplayLinkProxy.tick(_:)))
link.add(to: .main, forMode: .common)
stage2Link = link
}
let link = makeDisplayLink(proxy, #selector(DisplayLinkProxy.tick(_:)))
link.add(to: .main, forMode: .common)
stage2Link = link
syncFrameRate(hz: connection.currentMode().refreshHz)
pipeline.start(
connection: connection, onFrame: onFrame, onSessionEnd: onSessionEnd,
@@ -251,7 +275,12 @@ final class SessionPresenter {
/// rate (it already tracks the display and must NOT be capped to the stream rate).
/// Re-applied from `layout` so a mid-session `Reconfigure` picks up a new refresh.
private func syncFrameRate(hz: UInt32) {
guard hz > 0, let link = stage2Link else { return }
guard hz > 0 else { return }
// Deadline pacing: the hint goes to the pipeline's CAMetalDisplayLink instead (staged;
// applied from the link's own thread see Stage2Pipeline.setFrameRateHint). A no-op
// under arrival/glass pacing, where the CADisplayLink below is the one hinted link.
stage2?.setFrameRateHint(hz: Float(hz))
guard let link = stage2Link else { return }
let hzF = Float(hz)
let allowVRR = UserDefaults.standard.object(forKey: DefaultsKey.allowVRR) as? Bool ?? true
#if os(macOS)