Playback on XBox Series X stuttering like mad.

[SamuelWinsor 12]

Within the last fortnight, playback on Emby Theater on XBox has become unbearably jumpy. The conditions or file size don't seem to matter. DirectPlay, transcoding, 1080p, 480p, AAC, Stereo, whatever. All exactly the same, it just stutters throughout the entire thing, noticeably much worse during panning or busy shots. Pretty much all of my stuff is 23-24fps, and I have noticed that during transcoding the transcode framerate bumps up to 50-60fps. I'm not great with this sort of thing, so not sure if that would be a factor in something, though the stuttering is consistent even when not transcoding. Nothing has changed in my network, Emby Server or XBox settings. Before what I assume must have been the most recent update for Theater (some minor visual changes occurred around the same time), playback was perfect, I could not fault it. It's now almost unwatchable. I cannot post the logs right now, but to my eyes they look no different. Everything plays perfectly on the computer in either Server or Theater, so it is XBox specific.

Is anyone else having similar experiences on XBox at all, or am I simply going mad?

[Carlo 4330]

Hi, if this is happening even for media that is direct played that would seem to indicate it's a client not server issue which makes sense based on other info you mentioned.

If you look at stats for nerds during play back on the xbox are you seeing dropped frames?

Have you tried powering down your router and xbox and restarting them?  This could be some kind of network issue that a restart could help with.

[Luke 37178]

Hi there, can we please look at an example? Please attach the information requested in how to report a media playback issue. thanks !

[SamuelWinsor 12]

@cayarsThanks for the reply. Yep, tried restarts and power cycles etc. on all devices and routers. No different. No dropped frames, internet is handling all settings and bitrates. It looks like everything should be playing perfectly, but it isn’t. So bizarre. 
 

@LukeI will get some this evening with luck. I appreciate you wanting to take a look. 

[Carlo 4330]

Thanks for trying that.

We need to look at the logs at this point so don't forget to post the logs when you get a chance.

[SamuelWinsor 12]

Okay, so I will preface this by saying I have no idea what I'm looking for here. We watched a film tonight, stuttered like crazy throughout. File is about 1.8gb, bit rate was between 2-3mbs, and the file was direct playing. Encode is HEVC in an .mp4 container. I am not sure what info you need from logs, so I have just grabbed the most recent one from today (appears to be generated after we finished watching) to be certain. Sorry if there's a tonne of irrelevant information attached here, but just not sure what I'm looking for to trim it down. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated, because troubleshooting on all relevant devices has still not improved things.

embyserver.txt

[SamuelWinsor 12]

Sorry, I'll just add that a quick internet speed test demonstrates that my network is capable of averaging 50mpbs. So, whilst not the most incredible network speed, there is no way it would be struggling with anything within the realm of what we played tonight (or most nights for that matter).

[Carlo 4330]

Hi, is the server remote or local?
What client were you playing back from?

What movie/show were you playing?

[SamuelWinsor 12]

If I know what you mean, it was local. Server and client in the same household on the same network. I don’t ever connect to Emby remotely because I just don’t have the need. Client was Emby Theater on XBox Series X. Movie was (regrettably) Space Jam: A New Legacy. 

[Carlo 4330]

What does stats for nerds show when playing back this file?

You can get to this from the COG menu while playing the media.

[SamuelWinsor 12]

I’ve given a bit of information on this above, but I’ll get you a screenshot of the stats sometime today. Thanks!

[SamuelWinsor 12]

Ignore the photo of the screen, quickest and easiest way. But as you can see, it all looks like it should be smooth sailing. It’s still stuttering like hell. My son watched a couple old Power Rangers episodes this afternoon, and they didn’t let up on the stuttering either, and they’re about 160mb in file size per episode, so it wouldn’t be a network demand or strain. Thanks again for having a look. 

[Carlo 4330]

Try and remux a file from an mp4 to mkv file.

A lot of hardware doesn't like HEVC Main 10 in mp4 files but handle them fine in an MKV file.
This should be a simple test that will help narrow down the problem.

[SamuelWinsor 12]

Will do, but will just say that almost all of my stuff is HEVC in MKV containers, and they’re all the same. Will try it just to see. 

[SamuelWinsor 12]

Tried this tonight, but literally no noticeable difference. Still stuttering. Just to humour myself, did a hard reset on the console, no improvement. No stuttering on Netflix or Disney+, so still Emby specific. Honestly starting to wonder if I’ll just have to ride it out until it resolves itself the same way it came out of nowhere. Devs, any difference or changes to the video player on the XBox Theater app at all, even if you don’t think it would be causing the issue?

[SamuelWinsor 12]

Just throwing it out there that there has been no improvement with any of these suggestions. Given that we’ve tried various things, that there’s been no changes to my server or network, and that the issue is replicating across all containers and conditions on Emby Theatre only and no other streaming platforms or devices, I kinda just have to assume I’m waiting it out until a future update fixes whatever’s gone wrong. Super disappointing, so any attention the dev’s could place on any changes that may have caused this in the XBox theatre app, I’d hugely appreciate it. 

[Luke 37178]

We are looking into it. Thanks for reporting.

[SamuelWinsor 12]

@LukeJust to add to this, XBox updated the Emby Theatre app tonight, and the issue is still occurring exactly as above. Just for your information. Has anybody anywhere else reported something similar, just out of curiosity?

[Luke 37178]

Thanks for the update. We're still looking into it.

[Carlo 4330]

9 hours ago, SamuelWinsor said:

@LukeJust to add to this, XBox updated the Emby Theatre app tonight, and the issue is still occurring exactly as above. Just for your information. Has anybody anywhere else reported something similar, just out of curiosity?

If I give you access to my Emby Server would you be willing to try playing something back from my system?

Pretty much everything is HEVC in MKV on my system.

[SamuelWinsor 12]

@cayarsI mean, if you’re willing, I’m willing. But obviously I will not be the one to suggest it unless you’re 100% considerable with doing so. 

[Carlo 4330]

Yes, totally fine.  I'll send you a PM.

[SamuelWinsor 12]

@cayars @Luke Just replying publicly for visibility, exactly the same thing on Cayars’ server. If anything, supports that the issue is not my server or network side, which is still backed by no stuttering on any other streaming service. Will continue to wait for whatever you work out on your end, Emby. 

[Carlo 4330]

Thanks for testing that.

Can you do me a favor and take a look at any switches or routers you're using and see if you have any type of processing or packet manipulation type things set which could be anything from QOS to virus checking.  I've seen these have an odd affect on streaming with certain devices and not others.

Have you made any other changes to anything like Jumbo Frames?
Have you check your LAN speed for the Xbox to see if it's connecting at 1Gb?

[SamuelWinsor 12]

No changes to anything, XBox LAN is all good. Just out of curiosity, I tried playing things in the browser on the XBox as opposed to Theatre, and same juddering issue. Still doesn’t appear to be doing it on other apps or streamers, but that’s got more perplexed now. Just continuing to keep playing with ideas here, but still at a loss.