How to kill 4K Transcodes

[AB1ackb3rry 1]

4K Transcodes take an absurd amount of CPU and is something I would like to avoid especially when I have 1080p copies of media files available for playing for devices which cannot handle playing 4K content natively.

However, I cannot find a way to kill 4K transcode that works across clients no matter what I try. A common example of a client that cannot be stopped is

1. Open a 4k file in Emby theater and start transcoding

2. Minimize the stream

3. Try to kill it, nothing works.

 

 

Some of the things I've tried are:

• REST API to kill the stream or even show the user a message
• Plugin to kill the stream via the Plugin API
• Disabling the user completely via the user config
• Removing library access from the user in the user config
• A script that loops and kills the FFMPEG constantly.

 

None of these options resulted in the stream dying. So what magic must I do to kill a stream, any help would be appreciated!

[Luke 38807]

Hi, did you try using the remote control stop command?

[AB1ackb3rry 1]

Yes something like this will timeout with a Roku TV. The same happens when using the stop button on the emby web UI

kill_response = requests.post(EmbyURL + '/emby/Sessions/' + session_id + '/Playing/Stop', headers=headers, params=params, data=data)

[speechles 1976]

Is that Roku TV local on your LAN?

[RanmaCanada 418]

why not just keep your libraries separate and lock the idiots who continue to play the files their system can't play, out, ie do not give them access to your 4k libraries?  This is the easiest way to handle this.  I've had to do this with several users who even after I told them their hardware could not play the files, they insisted on trying and complaining when colours were wrong.  Its simplier to just have your 4k content in a different library and hide it from them so they don't know it exists.

[adminExitium 258]

This may not always be user-specific and may instead be device-specific i.e. a couple of devices for that user cannot play 4k due to system limitations or bandwidth limitations at the moment but can support 4k when conditions are ideal. Those situations shouldn't result in the server being brought to it's knees due to transcoding 4k and should ideally be able to be killed so the user can switch to the available 1080p version.

[RanmaCanada 418]

2 hours ago, adminExitium said:

This may not always be user-specific and may instead be device-specific i.e. a couple of devices for that user cannot play 4k due to system limitations or bandwidth limitations at the moment but can support 4k when conditions are ideal. Those situations shouldn't result in the server being brought to it's knees due to transcoding 4k and should ideally be able to be killed so the user can switch to the available 1080p version.

I'd still lock them out till they upgrade their devices.  Remember, it's your server, and they are guests under your terms.  Or conversely, upgrade your hardware as 4k transcoding is easy with modern processors, both CPU and GPU.

[bakes82 133]

On 3/3/2024 at 8:24 PM, RanmaCanada said:

Remember, it's your server, and they are guests under your terms

And being able to kill a stream should be one of the basic requirements of having a media server lol.

[alghorabi 3]

On 3/12/2024 at 9:00 PM, bakes82 said:

And being able to kill a stream should be one of the basic requirements of having a media server lol.

Does your plugin for killing 4k or HEVC trancodes still work? Or does it need alot of work to rework it to get it working on 4.9?

Edited March 25, 2024 by alghorabi

[auroraemby 0]

it does not work, he won't update it. Emby won't add it so...........

[RanmaCanada 418]

Anyone who is not using hardware transcoding for 4k should just block non 4k capable users out from those libraries. Software transcoding 4k is absurd, and you should be using hardware, either Quicksync or NVENC. Both make trivial work of 4k transcoding. Even my old i3-8130u could handle 3 4k transcodes without a problem. If your hardware is not up to the task, upgrade. Heck an inexpensive N100 system will smoke an 8 core Ryzen in number of trancodes when using Quicksync.

[bakes82 133]

17 hours ago, auroraemby said:

it does not work, he won't update it. Emby won't add it so...........

I have a new version. But I don’t post it and they don’t want to give me access to post it on the marketplace thing and charge for it so.