Emby Roku app, playing this media in Spanish... English checked

[jonesay 2]

I was watching the media initially on my Nvidia Shield and it plays just fine in English. Not I do not have any foreign movies or shows. I don't know Spanish, so this is not something I would ever toggle on. I decided to watch a show from my Roku which uses a different app, and it starts playing in Spanish. It doesn't matter if the media picks up in the middle of a paused episode or if it's from the beginning.

The media says specifically for Audio: English AAC stereo (Default). I've even switched it to other languages and it's still playing in Spanish.
In the Web app: preferred audio language is English
This was checked: Remember audio track selections

Audio track selections will be remembered on a per video basis and reapplied when playing the same video again.

Clear saved track selections

I unchecked it and cleared and still the same issue.

Is there something I'm missing? This is only occurring with the Emby app on my Roku.

Update: "Attempt playback correction" in the Roku Emby app fixes the issue, but  I assume it's temporary

Seems as if this is an old issue where @Grimmer provided a lot of information and the new Emby update didn't resolve it.

 

Edited February 9 by jonesay

[Luke 37066]

 

Hi there, let's look at an example. Please attach the information requested in how to report a media playback issue. Thanks!

 

[jonesay 2]

I only removed my API key from the ffmpeg-directstream. That log only relevant when I selected "Attempt playback correction" which does play the correct audio stream afterward.

ffmpeg-directstream-921b0895-f621-463e-9e2c-cc3e607afddb_1-logs.txt embyserver-logs.txt

Edited February 9 by jonesay

[Luke 37066]

Hi, have you set your audio preferences in the Roku system menu? sometimes when direct playing it will take over.

@speechlescan comment more.

[jonesay 2]

3 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi, have you set your audio preferences in the Roku system menu? sometimes when direct playing it will take over.

@speechlescan comment more.

Yes, it's set to English on the Roku TV settings.

I'm sure it has to do with the same issue that @Grimmer brought up. It's related to the Roku Emby app. Why does my app on the Nvidia Shield work fine but Roku doesn't? Seems there should be an a fix that corrects that issue, but @Grimmer gave a lot more in-depth answers and that was a year ago and still no solution.

[tedfroop21 37]

Is there a DTS track in the file as well?   If so its a known Roku problem where it only recognizes Track 1 as Default.  There are no specific models affected as even two units with consecutive serial numbers may have different audio handling chip sets.

If you have the allow DTS-HD  turned on in audio options, and no DTS-HD playback, the Roku looks for the first track with an alternate format regardless of default that your system can play.   So if track 1 of your TV show is DTS HD, you have no DTS decoder,  and track 2 is AAC 5.1 in Spanish and track 3 is AAC 5.1 English Default,  it ignores the default track 3 and plays track 2. 

If you turn the DTS-HD option off it forces the media server to remux the Default Track 1 audio for your system.  They added the option because Roku doesn't decode DTS and forcing the default track to remux solved another media players issue with the same problem.

Edited February 10 by tedfroop21

[ebr 14913]

Hi. Is the Spanish track also marked as default?

[jonesay 2]

To recap: 
In the Roku settings -> Audio preferred language: English
-> Digital output format: Auto
When setup like this the track plays in Spanish, even though in the Emby Web App, everything is set to English and the track itself says English as well.

Based upon what @tedfroop21said, I tried some different settings on the Roku to see if that made a difference.

My question is, what is the Emby app doing when I select: Attempt Playback Correction?
Seems like this should be an automatic fallback option option for Roku users as this fixes the issue and it plays in English afterwards.

-> Preferred streaming format: Auto
With the setting above, it plays in Spanish

-> Preferred streaming format: Dolby
With the setting above, it plays in Spanish

-> Preferred streaming format: DTS
With the setting above, it plays in Spanish

-> Digital output format: Passthrough
With the setting above, it plays in Spanish

-> Digital output format: Stereo
With the setting above, it plays in Spanish

-> Digital output format: Custom with Dolby (Dolby Digital) and DTS (Off)
With the setting above, it plays in Spanish

-> Digital output format: Custom with Dolby (Dolby Digital) and DTS (On)
With the setting above, it plays in Spanish

@ebrWhat are the steps to check for that information?

Edited February 10 by jonesay

[ebr 14913]

56 minutes ago, jonesay said:

What are the steps to check for that information?

Look at the video streams in something like mkvtoolnix.

If two tracks are marked as default, the Roku will choose which one to play no matter what we tell it to do.  That can also be the case if a track is marked as both Default and Forced.  No matter what we tell the Roku to do, it will still play that track.

[jonesay 2]

46 minutes ago, ebr said:

Look at the video streams in something like mkvtoolnix.

If two tracks are marked as default, the Roku will choose which one to play no matter what we tell it to do.  That can also be the case if a track is marked as both Default and Forced.  No matter what we tell the Roku to do, it will still play that track.

I'll get that information, but if that's the case, where you say it's a Roku issue, the what is happening when I select in Emby Roku app: Attempt Playback Correction?

If this fixes the issue, I'd like that to be an option in future Roku Emby apps so I don't get foreign audio, as this does fix the issue, although temporarily, so the app does have a way to make it "work" currently, just not natively. 

Default flag yes for Spanish and all others, but Track enabled = No.
For English it's Track enabled = Yes

 

Edited February 10 by jonesay

[speechles 1917]

There is something about the header of the file the Roku cannot understand. It is always choose the first audio track. You want to remux with MKVToolNix GUI and it will correct the header. But you must correct the streams inside. Make sure only 1 default is set for the audio. 1 default is set for the subtitles. And remove the mjpeg/image from the streams.

{"Codec":"mjpeg","ColorSpace":"bt470bg","TimeBase":"1/90000","IsInterlaced":false,"BitDepth":8,"RefFrames":1,"IsDefault":false,"IsForced":false,"IsHearingImpaired":false,"Height":720,"Width":960,"RealFrameRate":90000,"Profile":"Baseline","Type":"EmbeddedImage","AspectRatio":"4:3","Index":37,"IsExternal":false,"IsTextSubtitleStream":false,"SupportsExternalStream":false,"Protocol":"File","PixelFormat":"yuvj444p","Level":-99,"IsAnamorphic":false,"ExtendedVideoType":"None","ExtendedVideoSubType":"None","ExtendedVideoSubTypeDescription":"None","AttachmentSize":0}],"Formats":[],"Bitrate":6052064,"RequiredHttpHeaders":{},"AddApiKeyToDirectStreamUrl":false,"ReadAtNativeFramerate":false}

This shows in your ffmpeg log. It shows at the end. Make sure when you remux the file you remove this and do not copy it. The rest you can copy just make sure you only have 1 default for audio. 1 default for subtitles.

In your ffmpeg logs just the English audio file is marked as default. Yet in your images above it shows all set default? Did you do this? If everything is set to default this will cause problems.

Can you show us what the web app shows in the "About" section at the bottom for the audio streams?

Note: When you use "Playback Correction" it will fix the header. It will be repackaged into a new container if this is direct playing which your file is. What happens is the streams are copied. But that header problem is corrected. This allows you to change audio streams.

Edited February 10 by speechles

[jonesay 2]

1 hour ago, speechles said:

 

Quote

In your ffmpeg logs just the English audio file is marked as default. Yet in your images above it shows all set default? Did you do this? If everything is set to default this will cause problems.

No changes have been made since I sent the logs or provided the images. I see where mkvtoolnix shows multiple default audios for each language, yet only English is set to enabled.

Quote

Can you show us what the web app shows in the "About" section at the bottom for the audio streams?

I am not sure where you are asking me to look.  I assume you mean the Emby web app, but I don't see what you are asking me to look exactly.
This is from the Nvidia Shield if I arrow down when on the show.

If I arrow down in the app the first audio section is Spanish.
Language: Spanish
Coded: AAC
Profile: LC
Layout: stereo
Channels: 2
Bitrate: 125 kbps

If I scroll over past the other audio versions it says: Title: English AAC stereo (Default)
Language: English
Coded: AAC
Profile: LC
Layout: stereo
Channels: 2
Bitrate: 192 kbps
Default

Quote

Note: When you use "Playback Correction" it will fix the header. It will be repackaged into a new container if this is direct playing which your file is. What happens is the streams are copied. But that header problem is corrected. This allows you to change audio streams.

Would be nice if this was an option to auto correct based on the Emby App setting to only play English. It seems this is only an issue with the Roku app due to the way the Roku TV addresses audio, but Emby's Roku app has a workaround which is the Playback Correction. Maybe a Force Playback Correction for the Roku Emby app would be a solution, as that seems to look for the default audio which is English and then repackages it in the a new container and plays correctly. 

Edited February 10 by jonesay

[ebr 14913]

Looking at your screenshot it looks like ALL of the tracks are marked as default.  Is that correct?  The Roku player is not good accepting bad inputs like that (every track cannot be a default).  Can you remux it and properly flag the tracks?

[tedfroop21 37]

Or use MKVToolnix  to remove the tracks you don't use......save a little space along the way.

About 90% of my library has one audio track - which is the one I want to play.  Which solves the problem in that there is no choice of what track to play.

[Luke 37066]

@jonesay?

[jonesay 2]

23 hours ago, ebr said:

Looking at your screenshot it looks like ALL of the tracks are marked as default.  Is that correct?  The Roku player is not good accepting bad inputs like that (every track cannot be a default).  Can you remux it and properly flag the tracks?

 

I agree this would resolve the issue. My question which I've asked a few times with no answer is can this be fixed in a future Roku Emby app update, so if it fails to properly play it will auto Remux to English which is the default in my Emby server settings and the Roku as well as the Roku Emby app, if not, then I there are multiple workarounds which are to remux the files or do the Playback Correction

@tedfroop21same response as to what I wrote above.

@All I assume since nobody from Emby is responding to a fix for the Roku Emby app that means there is nothing in the pipeline to address this from the Roku Emby app prospective?

 

Edited February 11 by jonesay

[tedfroop21 37]

Emby can not fix it.  It is a hard coded behaviour of the Roku box.  Your best option,  is to at the least, remove the Spanish track from the files that are affected.

Sorry,  but if you want it fixed for good, once and for all - that's what you gotta do.  And I feel your pain brother.   I fixed about 1800 files when I got it figured out at last.  Everything I ripped from there until I got a new Roku Ultra for Christmas last year had/has only one audio track.

[Happy2Play 8282]

In the end per the devs having default tracks like this will always choke have issues on ROKU, but that is a ROKU issue.

So if you only make one track default do you still have issues?

example

[jonesay 2]

1 hour ago, tedfroop21 said:

Emby can not fix it.  It is a hard coded behaviour of the Roku box.  Your best option,  is to at the least, remove the Spanish track from the files that are affected.

Sorry,  but if you want it fixed for good, once and for all - that's what you gotta do.  And I feel your pain brother.   I fixed about 1800 files when I got it figured out at last.  Everything I ripped from there until I got a new Roku Ultra for Christmas last year had/has only one audio track.

Well the Roku Emby can fix it, which is what happens when you select: Attempt playback correction. So that is a fix Emby can do on Roku. I'm not here to cause an issue, just asking if that is in the pipeline for a future fix as it works on the Nvidia Shield.

[jonesay 2]

1 hour ago, Happy2Play said:

In the end per the devs having default tracks like this will always choke have issues on ROKU, but that is a ROKU issue.

So if you only make one track default do you still have issues?

example

I'm sure it will, and that's been made clear that's a fix. My question is since Roku doesn't play the right stream, and there is a way for the Roku Emby app to fix the issue "temp" or otherwise, is this in the works for a future Roku Emby app. If not, then I know the two paths forward.

1. Remux all files, which work on other platforms but not on Roku Emby app.

2. Select, Attempt playback correction in the Roku Emby app.

[Happy2Play 8282]

But the Devs have already told you it is a Roku issue but if you want Remux transcoding to alway happen for a Direct play issue you will need to manually click to correct playback or change playback quality to for transcoding.

As the Roku does not like your specific media.  Always easier for users to fix their improperly provided media in my opinion.

In the end Roku is a weak platform that if it does not like your media it will not work the way you want it to.

 

But sounds like you need to open a ticket with Roku to have them fix their multi default language flag detection.

Edited February 11 by Happy2Play

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

1 minute ago, jonesay said:

I'm sure it will, and that's been made clear that's a fix. My question is since Roku doesn't play the right stream, and there is a way for the Roku Emby app to fix the issue "temp" or otherwise, is this in the works for a future Roku Emby app. If not, then I know the two paths forward.

1. Remux all files, which work on other platforms but not on Roku Emby app.

2. Select, Attempt playback correction in the Roku Emby app.

But Emby and Roku do play the correct track based on the track label. It seems the best fix is what @Happy2Playsuggested. 
That is, of course, assuming you do not want to make "Spanish" one of your languages.  

[jonesay 2]

1 hour ago, Gilgamesh_48 said:

But Emby and Roku do play the correct track based on the track label. It seems the best fix is what @Happy2Playsuggested. 
That is, of course, assuming you do not want to make "Spanish" one of your languages.  

I'm not opposed to learning Spanish  

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

42 minutes ago, jonesay said:

I'm not opposed to learning Spanish  

I do not know how to make this anything other than sounding like bragging but I, and the US Government found out I had a "gift" for languages. I speak 6 plus a smattering of 7 or eight more. The "problem" with my 'abilities" is that it does not extend to the written word. Even with my language abilities, That includes English, German, Japanese, French  and Spanish. (The languages I run into most often in movies) I still find that there are many movies that have tracks in languages that are not one of those. I ran into a similar problem to yours but the default track was Farcie and that is one that I have only a smattering of. The "playback correction" that you used to get the correct track to play did not work. (Maybe it was not available at the time.)
To this day I have no idea what was really wrong and the only thing that finally fixed the issue was when I redid the whole movie using Handbrake. At that time I was totally unaware of the better tools so I used what I had. 
I also rarely use sub-titles and the last time I had to use subs was actually for a movie in English. It was actually Australian English with accents so strong that it was actually worse than being in a language I have no faciality in. I do use the tools that I have when needed.

BTW: I do not know what actually happens when media is converted but if it does not have the ability to set a new/different audio track it would be good if that were possible that would give users the ability to fix this kind of problem fairly simply.

Lastly, the easiest way, and about the only way that works for me is to live with people that speak the language you want to learn. That is how I learned Japanese, German and French. But i does not work for all languages. I, for some reason, found Italian impossible. For Spanish I grew up in Texas and in a very early mixed neighborhood. There I learned "Tex-Mex" from the local kids and that meant all the others got easier.

I am sorry this got long but, if needed, a mod can remove or edit it. I find it, in my advanced years, VERY hard to be brief.  

[tedfroop21 37]

4 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

In the end Roku is a weak platform that if it does not like your media it will not work the way you want it to.

Lets say Rokus up to and including that generation, without a DTS decoder in the HDMI chain were weak.   When Roku support blew up with angry plex users,  they decided not to use faulty DVD audio chips that wouldn't automatically select the right track any more.

I have had 3 generations of their devices,  and with my previous and current (a 2023 Ultra with a DTS - HD Master decoder in the AVR in the chain) being quite capable for Audio and video playback.