err = -EBUSY;
        if (!mutex_trylock(&dev->empress_tsq.vb_lock))
                goto done;
-       if (dev->empress_users)
+       if (atomic_read(&dev->empress_users))
                goto done_up;
 
        /* Unmute audio */
        saa_writeb(SAA7134_AUDIO_MUTE_CTRL,
                saa_readb(SAA7134_AUDIO_MUTE_CTRL) & ~(1 << 6));
 
-       dev->empress_users++;
+       atomic_inc(&dev->empress_users);
        file->private_data = dev;
        err = 0;
 
 {
        struct saa7134_dev *dev = file->private_data;
 
-       mutex_lock(&dev->empress_tsq.vb_lock);
-
        videobuf_stop(&dev->empress_tsq);
        videobuf_mmap_free(&dev->empress_tsq);
 
        saa_writeb(SAA7134_AUDIO_MUTE_CTRL,
                saa_readb(SAA7134_AUDIO_MUTE_CTRL) | (1 << 6));
 
-       dev->empress_users--;
-
-       mutex_unlock(&dev->empress_tsq.vb_lock);
+       atomic_dec(&dev->empress_users);
 
        return 0;
 }
                ts_reset_encoder(dev);
        } else {
                dprintk("video signal acquired\n");
-               if (dev->empress_users)
+               if (atomic_read(&dev->empress_users))
                        ts_init_encoder(dev);
        }
 }
 
        /* SAA7134_MPEG_EMPRESS only */
        struct video_device        *empress_dev;
        struct videobuf_queue      empress_tsq;
-       unsigned int               empress_users;
+       atomic_t                   empress_users;
        struct work_struct         empress_workqueue;
        int                        empress_started;