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Direct Play Buffer Size/auto transcode stream size


EmbyOak

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EmbyOak

Hello,

I'm new to Emby (I've been running Plex for roughly 10 years).  I have a buffer issue when playing direct.  I have more than 100mb/s of Internet available (my server is in a data centre with my ISP and I'm using DSL so "directly" connected, no Internet traffic to impact) but for some reason even 5-8mb/s streams "pause".  If I actually pause the show for a few seconds, more more "pausing" occurs (I can see the server is still pushing content).  So this comes down to a buffer size.  I am not seeing anything in the forums that allows for changing of the buffer size. If this exists, would someone please share.

When attempting to use Auto-Transcode mode (I'm using an ATV 4k v1), even with 100mb/s available to me, Emby wants to always select 3mb/s.  Is there a default setting for this?  How does it select the speed?  Is there a way to be more aggressive to try faster bit rates?

I do not have an accelerator card but am the only streamer on a dedicated server with dual Intel Xeon 2.8 GHz processors with 6 cores (12 threads) each with 32GB of RAM.  Thread count is set to "Auto".  I'm using 16GB of RAM for transcoding cache. H264 is set to auto.HDR tone mapping is disabled.  I do allow subtitle extraction on the fly.

Thank you!

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RanmaCanada

Someone has broken something seriously bad in the recent editions of the server software.  It's hardcore throttling like crazy on certain devices, even if those devices can direct play it and have the correct bandwidth.  I did some testing myself over the weekend, and it was odd where Emby would play a 30mbit video perfectly fine one playthrough with no buffering, and then throttle the exact same video to 2mbit on the next play through.

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49 minutes ago, EmbyOak said:

Hello,

I'm new to Emby (I've been running Plex for roughly 10 years).  I have a buffer issue when playing direct.  I have more than 100mb/s of Internet available (my server is in a data centre with my ISP and I'm using DSL so "directly" connected, no Internet traffic to impact) but for some reason even 5-8mb/s streams "pause".  If I actually pause the show for a few seconds, more more "pausing" occurs (I can see the server is still pushing content).  So this comes down to a buffer size.  I am not seeing anything in the forums that allows for changing of the buffer size. If this exists, would someone please share.

When attempting to use Auto-Transcode mode (I'm using an ATV 4k v1), even with 100mb/s available to me, Emby wants to always select 3mb/s.  Is there a default setting for this?  How does it select the speed?  Is there a way to be more aggressive to try faster bit rates?

I do not have an accelerator card but am the only streamer on a dedicated server with dual Intel Xeon 2.8 GHz processors with 6 cores (12 threads) each with 32GB of RAM.  Thread count is set to "Auto".  I'm using 16GB of RAM for transcoding cache. H264 is set to auto.HDR tone mapping is disabled.  I do allow subtitle extraction on the fly.

Thank you!

Hi @EmbyOak, if you're finding that Auto on a remote connection is too conservative, then simply set the quality setting in the app to a more appropriate value.

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EmbyOak

I did force the speed, but as I stated above, I then have to pause the content to allow the buffer to increase to prevent pausing. 

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5 minutes ago, EmbyOak said:

I did force the speed, but as I stated above, I then have to pause the content to allow the buffer to increase to prevent pausing. 

Can we please look at an example?

Thanks.

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EmbyOak

Yes, bonded DSL. My other connection is Starlink which has been giving me consistently 150mbps. I focus on the DSL as then I’m not dealing with any hiccups over the internet. 
 

I will try to find the logs for what I was watching. 
 

 

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1 hour ago, EmbyOak said:

I did force the speed, but as I stated above, I then have to pause the content to allow the buffer to increase to prevent pausing. 

This is evidence that there is a bottleneck somewhere and you aren't getting the speed you think you are point to point.

Can you please play that item for a few seconds and then follow the instructions to send a log from the app?

 

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EmbyOak

Under normal circumstances this may be the case. I do speed tests to my own infrastructure to confirm the bandwidth is there. I have extensive experience with networks and network designs. I was also watching the actual speeds in the interface of my router (mikrotik) for what was being used. 
 

even if there was a hiccup in the network, the buffer should be large enough to overcome any hiccup, especially on small programs that have a bit rate between 5-8mbps. 
 

As mentioned, I will find the logs and send  

 

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11 minutes ago, EmbyOak said:

Have you setup ssl on your server?

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Hi.  I need you to follow the instructions in the link I provided for sending a log from the app:

__________________________________________________

Emby for Android TV/Fire TV and Emby for Roku Logs

 
These apps have the option to send an app log to us electronically.  You enter the settings page and turn on the "Debug Options".  Now there will be a new option on the user menu at the top of your app home page labelled "Send Log".  
 
  NOTE

If you are using Android TV/Fire TV and your problem is with playback, please send the log directly from the playback OSD.
There will be an option on the "cog" menu.

 

Reproduce your problem and then use this button to send the log.  Then add the following information to your report in the forum:
 
  • Exactly what you were doing and what happened.  Include the name of whatever you played if it is a playback problem
  • The time you sent the log (in Eastern Time please - UTC -5)
  • The name of the Emby user on the local server that was logged in at the time

Edit: Never mind.  User is using an Apple TV.  Moving...

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EmbyOak

@Luke, yes, SSL is setup with a wildcard certificate which does work when you manually force the port.  I just put in the server name to see how it would act hoping it would choose SSL over no encryption.

I also have a private tunnel between my home and the server.  Having the ATV configured with the public A record, traffic is using the public network instead of the private network.

I'm mirroring my Plex setup which will test "local" (private) connectivity before using the public internet for traffic.

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On 2/22/2022 at 5:35 PM, EmbyOak said:

Yes, bonded DSL. My other connection is Starlink which has been giving me consistently 150mbps. I focus on the DSL as then I’m not dealing with any hiccups over the internet. 
 

I will try to find the logs for what I was watching. 
 

 

@EmbyOak can you please provide this example? Thanks !

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EmbyOak

@LukeI would but it looks like I lost payback on my personal media.  I would hit play, get a blank screen and see nothing going through the network.  This was using .27.  I even tried force quitting the Emby app on my AppleTV.  The Emby server was reporting the show playing but it was a black screen with no data.  I could pause the program but the Emby server was saying it was still playing.  I could confirm there was no bandwidth being transferred, so no data at all.

So I decided to downgrade to the stable version. I could log in to the server but all my content was gone.  So I decided to go to the most recent version that worked best for me, .25 (which was not available).  So, back to .27 then down to .26.  Nether of which are allowing me to play my personal content.

Any chance you can put .25 back up there for access (Fedora) or explain to me how to downgrade to a stable version?

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