diff --git a/DOCS/tech/MAINTAINERS b/DOCS/tech/MAINTAINERS
index 01d23b8c9c..e2fcf01862 100644
--- a/DOCS/tech/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/DOCS/tech/MAINTAINERS
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ libvo drivers:
     * vo_ivtv.c - Benjamin Zores
     * vo_jpeg.c - Ivo van Poorten
     * vo_md5sum.c - Ivo van Poorten
-    * vo_mga.c - Attila Kinali
+    * vo_mga.c - None
     * vo_mpegpes.c - None
     * vo_null.c - None
     * vo_png.c - Felix Bünemann
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ libvo drivers:
     * vo_wii.c - Benjamin Zores
     * vo_winvidix.c - Sascha Sommer
     * vo_x11.c - Alexander Strasser
-    * vo_xmga.c - Attila Kinali
+    * vo_xmga.c - None
     * vo_xover.c - Alban Bedel
     * vo_xv.c - Alexander Strasser
     * vo_xvidix.c - None
diff --git a/etc/codecs.conf b/etc/codecs.conf
index 3496604e49..d018d2d0a2 100644
--- a/etc/codecs.conf
+++ b/etc/codecs.conf
@@ -3978,20 +3978,6 @@ audiocodec msadpcmacm
   driver acm
   dll "msadp32.acm"
 
-audiocodec mp3
-  info "mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3"
-  status working
-  comment "Optimized to MMX/SSE/3Dnow!"
-  format 0x50        ; layer-1 && layer-2
-  format 0x55        ; layer-3
-  format 0x5500736d  ; "ms\0\x55" older mp3 fcc (MOV files)
-  format 0x5000736d  ; "ms\0\x50" older mp2 fcc (MOV files)
-  format 0x55005354  ;  broken file
-  fourcc ".mp3"      ; CBR/VBR MP3 (MOV files)
-  fourcc "MP3 "      ; used in .nsv files
-  fourcc "LAME"      ; used in mythtv .nuv files
-  driver mp3lib
-
 audiocodec ffpcmdaud
   info "D-Cinema audio (FFmpeg)"
   status untested
@@ -4043,6 +4029,23 @@ audiocodec ffsonic
   driver ffmpeg
   dll "sonic"
 
+audiocodec mp3
+  ; this is preferred over ffmp2/ffmp3 since it is faster due to using
+  ; floating point and there are even broken mkv files where the audio
+  ; needs to be parsed, making this codec work more reliably
+  info "mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3"
+  status working
+  comment "Optimized to MMX/SSE/3Dnow!"
+  format 0x50        ; layer-1 && layer-2
+  format 0x55        ; layer-3
+  format 0x5500736d  ; "ms\0\x55" older mp3 fcc (MOV files)
+  format 0x5000736d  ; "ms\0\x50" older mp2 fcc (MOV files)
+  format 0x55005354  ;  broken file
+  fourcc ".mp3"      ; CBR/VBR MP3 (MOV files)
+  fourcc "MP3 "      ; used in .nsv files
+  fourcc "LAME"      ; used in mythtv .nuv files
+  driver mp3lib
+
 audiocodec ffmp3on4
   info "FFmpeg Multi-channel MPEG layer-3 on MP4 audio"
   status working
@@ -4076,6 +4079,7 @@ audiocodec ffmp2
   comment "integer only"
   status working
   format 0x50
+  format 0x5000736d  ; "ms\0\x50" older mp2 fcc (MOV files)
   fourcc ".mp2"      ; MP2 (MOV files)
   fourcc ".mp1"      ; MP1 (MOV files)
   driver ffmpeg
diff --git a/libao2/ao_alsa.c b/libao2/ao_alsa.c
index 92b8b64ea7..49f4237604 100644
--- a/libao2/ao_alsa.c
+++ b/libao2/ao_alsa.c
@@ -77,10 +77,7 @@ static snd_pcm_sw_params_t *alsa_swparams;
 
 static size_t bytes_per_sample;
 
-static int ao_noblock = 0;
-
-static int open_mode;
-static int alsa_can_pause = 0;
+static int alsa_can_pause;
 static snd_pcm_sframes_t prepause_frames;
 
 #define ALSA_DEVICE_SIZE 256
@@ -120,9 +117,9 @@ static int control(int cmd, void *arg)
       snd_mixer_elem_t *elem;
       snd_mixer_selem_id_t *sid;
 
-      static char *mix_name = "PCM";
-      static char *card = "default";
-      static int mix_index = 0;
+      char *mix_name = "PCM";
+      char *card = "default";
+      int mix_index = 0;
 
       long pmin, pmax;
       long get_vol, set_vol;
@@ -478,25 +475,17 @@ static int init(int rate_hz, int channels, int format, int flags)
         print_help();
         return 0;
     }
-    ao_noblock = !block;
     parse_device(alsa_device, device.str, device.len);
 
     mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_V,"alsa-init: using device %s\n", alsa_device);
 
-    //setting modes for block or nonblock-mode
-    if (ao_noblock) {
-      open_mode = SND_PCM_NONBLOCK;
-    }
-    else {
-      open_mode = 0;
-    }
-
     if (!alsa_handler) {
+      int open_mode = block ? 0 : SND_PCM_NONBLOCK;
       int isac3 =  AF_FORMAT_IS_AC3(format);
       //modes = 0, SND_PCM_NONBLOCK, SND_PCM_ASYNC
       if ((err = try_open_device(alsa_device, open_mode, isac3)) < 0)
 	{
-	  if (err != -EBUSY && ao_noblock) {
+	  if (err != -EBUSY && !block) {
 	    mp_tmsg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_INFO,"[AO_ALSA] Open in nonblock-mode failed, trying to open in block-mode.\n");
 	    if ((err = try_open_device(alsa_device, 0, isac3)) < 0) {
 	      mp_tmsg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_ERR,"[AO_ALSA] Playback open error: %s\n", snd_strerror(err));