Files play on web client but not Roku

[Netfool 20]

I have several series that play on the web client but fail on Roku Ultras running Emby client 4.1.33.

Server:

Operating System: Linux version 5.15.0-1072-raspi (buildd@bos03-arm64-059) (gcc (Ubuntu 11.4.0-1ubuntu1~22.04) 11.4.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Ubuntu) 2.38) #75-Ubuntu

OS/Process: arm/arm

Emby Server version: 4.8.10.0

Operating system: Unix 5.15.0.1072

 

The attached logs are for one of these files that puts up a spinner for 30 seconds or so and then plays a few seconds of video and then repeats the process.  This generated the attached server log, a hardware detection log and then 25 ffmpeg-transcode logs (first and last attached), at which point I gave up.

 

This was on a freshly rebooted Roku.   I've tested with identical results with both 5Ghz WiFI and a wired ethernet connection to the Roku. 

 

I initially though the problem was with very large files but the example logged was passed through Handbrake to produce a 3.33 MBPS H.264 file, with exactly the same symptoms as the original larger file.

 

I've been unable to identify a way to get logs from the Roku.

 

embyserver-63876877475.txt ffmpeg-transcode-75169916-d902-44de-a256-8595e6ea1e9f_1.txt ffmpeg-transcode-92ed2db9-1c0f-4f8c-aa31-15a173c5f27b_1.txt hardware_detection-63876876023.txt

[Luke 39394]

HI, if you look at this data from ffprobe:

{"Protocol":"File","Id":"b30368082de39c8a299a00122e097aef","Path":"/mnt/emby2/tv/Would I Lie to You!/Season 18/Would.I.Lie.to.You.S18E01.1080p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-NTb.mp4","Type":"Default","Container":"mp4","Size":721157989,"Name":"Would.I.Lie.to.You.S18E01.1080p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-NTb","IsRemote":false,"HasMixedProtocols":false,"RunTimeTicks":17288520000,"SupportsTranscoding":true,"SupportsDirectStream":true,"SupportsDirectPlay":true,"IsInfiniteStream":false,"RequiresOpening":false,"RequiresClosing":false,"RequiresLooping":false,"SupportsProbing":false,"MediaStreams":[{"Codec":"h264","CodecTag":"avc1","Language":"und","ColorTransfer":"bt709","ColorPrimaries":"bt709","ColorSpace":"bt709","TimeBase":"1/90000","VideoRange":"SDR","DisplayTitle":"1080p H264","NalLengthSize":"4","IsInterlaced":false,"BitRate":3164102,"BitDepth":8,"RefFrames":1,"IsDefault":true,"IsForced":false,"IsHearingImpaired":false,"Height":1080,"Width":1920,"AverageFrameRate":29.347536,"RealFrameRate":150,"Profile":"Main","Type":"Video","AspectRatio":"16:9","Index":0,"IsExternal":false,"IsTextSubtitleStream":false,"SupportsExternalStream":false,"Protocol":"File","PixelFormat":"yuv420p","Level":40,"IsAnamorphic":false,"ExtendedVideoType":"None","ExtendedVideoSubType":"None","ExtendedVideoSubTypeDescription":"None","AttachmentSize":0},{"Codec":"aac","CodecTag":"mp4a","Language":"eng","TimeBase":"1/48000","DisplayTitle":"English AAC stereo (Default)","DisplayLanguage":"English","IsInterlaced":false,"ChannelLayout":"stereo","BitRate":164098,"Channels":2,"SampleRate":48000,"IsDefault":true,"IsForced":false,"IsHearingImpaired":false,"Profile":"LC","Type":"Audio","Index":1,"IsExternal":false,"IsTextSubtitleStream":false,"SupportsExternalStream":false,"Protocol":"File","ExtendedVideoType":"None","ExtendedVideoSubType":"None","ExtendedVideoSubTypeDescription":"None","AttachmentSize":0}],"Formats":[],"Bitrate":3337049,"RequiredHttpHeaders":{},"AddApiKeyToDirectStreamUrl":false,"ReadAtNativeFramerate":false,"ItemId":"89287"}

This is what is causing the server transcoding:

"RealFrameRate":150

Is there anything you might have configured in handbrake to cause that? The Roku can possibly direct play this file, it's just that framerate is one of the criteria that our app uses to determine if it can handle it or not.

[speechles 1991]

>>>>>>  FindVideoEncoder - MediaType: h264, UseHardwareCodecs: True, HWA-Mode: Automatic
Info    Checking: 'x264'
Info    Check successful - selecting 'x264'

>>>>>>  FindVideoDecoder - MediaType: h264, UseHardwareCodecs: True, HWA-Mode: Automatic
Info    Checking: 'MMAL H.264'
Info    Check successful - selecting 'MMAL H.264'

... snipped irrelevant stuff ...

mmalipc: mmal_vc_init_fd: could not open vchiq service
16:42:56.631 [h264_mmal @ 0x122b40] Cannot initialize MMAL VC driver!
16:42:56.632 Stream mapping:
16:42:56.632   Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (h264 (h264_mmal) -> h264 (libx264))
16:42:56.632   Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (copy)
16:42:56.632 Error while opening decoder for input stream #0:0 : Function not implemented
16:42:56.632 Execution Date: 2025-03-06 16:42:56
16:42:56.633 EXIT

https://randomadult.com/raspberry-pi-failed-open-vchiq-instance-solved/

Might be the same problem shown above that was solved with usermod changes.

[Netfool 20]

The original file was 1920x1080 at 50 fps.   Here are the Handbrake settings I used:

So a 150fps frame rate is a bit of a puzzle. I'll try turning off the Variable Frame Rate option and report back.

[Luke 39394]

Hi, has this helped?

[softworkz 4464]

On 3/7/2025 at 10:37 PM, Netfool said:

So a 150fps frame rate is a bit of a puzzle

No really. When you convert from 50 to 30 fps, you need to distribute the existing 50 in each second frames in some ideally equal way to 30.

Example:

You got 50 pieces of cake and 30 guests.

How can you make sure that each guest can get the equal amount of cake?

Prime Factorization to find the smallest common multiple:

50 = 2 * 5 * 5

30 = 2 * 3 * 5

All green factors appear in both, except the red one (3) is missing in the 50 and needs to be added:

2 * 5 * 5 * 3 = 150

So, to distribute your 50 pieces of cake, you cut each one into three pieces, so you got 150 pieces and each guest will get 5. (150 / 30 = 5)

 

For the framerate conversion, each frame isn't cut but tripled, so for each 30 fps frame, you have 5 50 fps frames as a source merge into a single frame.

1 1 1 2 2  => 1
2 3 3 3 4  => 2
4 4 5 5 5  => 3
6 6 6 7 7  => 4
7 8 8 8 9  => 5
etc

 

[Luke 39394]

@Netfool?

[softworkz 4464]

On 3/7/2025 at 10:37 PM, Netfool said:

I'll try turning off the Variable Frame Rate

Variable frame rate is something for screen recordings or surveillance cams, but nor for home entertainment!

[Luke 39394]

@Netfoolcan you provide a sample video for testing? Thanks !

[Netfool 20]

On 3/11/2025 at 3:40 PM, Luke said:

Hi, has this helped?

Setting constant frame rate in Handbrake seems to have done the trick.  Sadly I don't see a way to make that happen in Emby's transcode processor.

[Luke 39394]

21 hours ago, Luke said:

@Netfoolcan you provide a sample video for testing? Thanks !

 

[Netfool 20]

On 3/11/2025 at 3:40 PM, Luke said:

Hi, has this helped?

Yes, setting constant frame rate seems to do the trick.