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Confused about IPTV Recording and Audio Codecs


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NortherNerd
Posted

Hi,

Looking for a bit of direction here.  I am using Emby to record some shows from IPTV.  For some channels it works really well, and I can replay the recorded video file on Emby running in a browser, on my Windows 11 PC, and on Emby running on Roku.  Emby on Roku is how we watch shows.

However, recently some shows I've recorded will not play audio on my Windows 11 PC or on Emby for Roku.  I should clarify that on my Windows 11 PC, I can successfully play the file if I use VLC, but not any of the native Windows media players.  

So obviously there is a audio codec problem, but here is where I get confused:

  1. I would have thought that when Emby was doing a recording, regardless of the stream, it would record using the same audio codec
  2. When I look at the audio codec of working and not working recordings, they appear to be the same to me. 

I've attached two files from the VLC info page.  One for working, and one for not working.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Working codec.png

Not working codec.png

visproduction
Posted

Well usually Video is Stream #1 and the first example has two Audios both with DTS encoding.  I don't think any browsers that support that audio. Roku playback is probably on DTS is probably very finicky about exactly what media stream it will accept for DTS audio.  I would guess stream 1 and 2 both DTS audio just freaks it out as being not normal.  If you look up Roku DTS audio error, you will probably find a lot of people complaining it doesn't work very well.

NortherNerd
Posted

Thanks for that @visproduction  So how do I (or can I) change the recording behavior so that I get a more normal encoding?  As far as I can see, I don't have control over that?

Posted (edited)

This isn't DTS (Digital Theater Systems). Roku can pass-through DTS. DTS does not have issues. Emby works perfectly fine with DTS on all clients that support it on the HDMI device chain for pass-through.

https://wiki.multimedia.cx/index.php/ADTS

It is ADTS (Audio Data Transport Stream). The ADTS is audio that can only be played back correctly when encapsulated inside a TS container. Usually done by IPTV services to keep sync with video packets.

The problem you are having is these TS files cannot be direct played because you will lose the ability to seek within the container. They will play as real time only. Emby will need to transcode these TS files into an m3u8 to properly seek within them. The transcoding will require ffmpeg and it will no longer be able to play the audio since ffmpeg doesn't understand. ADTS is basically raw AAC data inside the ADTS container.

@softworkzIs there some way ffmpeg can handle this?

 

This reddit post has the same issue and they have used XTeVe to allow fmpeg to understand how to convert the audio properly.

Edited by speechles
  • Thanks 1
NortherNerd
Posted

The odd thing is that I am able to play many of the TS files on Emby for Roku that I have recorded.  For the working files, I can fast-forward and rewind as needed.  Some however, as mentioned above, cannot be played.  I am doing the exact same thing to record the TS files that work and the ones that do not work.  Is there something I should be changing to change how the recording is done?

Posted
2 hours ago, NortherNerd said:

Working codec.png

Not working codec.png

@NortherNerdWhich is the working and not working in your screen shot here? Does the ADTS actually work on one of these above?

The top is working and the bottom is not working? Or the bottom is working and the top is not working? Or are both of these not working?

If one of the above is working and the other is not you might just have to rearrange the streams on the non-working ones.

 

visproduction
Posted
59 minutes ago, speechles said:

This isn't DTS (Digital Theater Systems). ...

Speechles,

Thanks for the correction.  So nice to learn something new.

NortherNerd
Posted

Sorry @speechlesI named the files "Working" and "Not Working" but it looks like the posting software strips out the name. 

The second one, the one with "Golden Girls" in the location file name is the one that does not work.

The first one, the one with "Maple Valley Christmas" in the location field works perfectly.  I can play it back on Emby for Roku, Emby for Windows, and use native Windows media players.

  • Thanks 1
Carlo
Posted

Hi,

Can you show us what the metadata looks like for both of these media files?
You can find this info at the bottom of the detail screen for each of them.

Thanks

NortherNerd
Posted

Hi @Carlohere is the meta data.  As before, the first file is the one that works, the second is the one that does not work.Metaworked.png.c7c38040a037f9f5d1b6dc4ed750f43d.pngMetadidnotwork.png.5485eea23c217227ae96acb116b6577a.png

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
NortherNerd
Posted

Yes, sorry, we've been away from home for weeks on business.  I'm back now and I will try and post these logs over the weekend.

Posted
9 hours ago, NortherNerd said:

Yes, sorry, we've been away from home for weeks on business.  I'm back now and I will try and post these logs over the weekend.

That would be great. Thanks!

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