Force Transcode to SD?

[soniCron 5]

I'm not sure if this should be in this forum or in the server, but since the problem device is a Roku, this seems appropriate.

 

I'm using Emby server on Linux, version 3.0.5607.2. On all my Rokus, Emby client is latest version and everything works fine... except one.

 

This is an odd case, and probably very low priority, but worth asking anyway.

 

I have an older generation 1 Roku that's hooked up to an SD CRT. (480p... shush, it's for the kids!) I've had trouble streaming anything from Emby on this device. Some things refuse to play altogether, others will start playing but only audio and restart after a few seconds, and others will loop the "Loading" bar over and over.

 

However, I did isolate the issue. ONLY standard definition videos will play correctly. I've set up a ton of different tests and the ONLY differentiating factor between what works and what doesn't is the resolution. (All are h264/AAC) Bitrate doesn't matter. Only videos at 480p (or below) will play correctly. I haven't tested the Roku on an HD TV to see if the same behavior applies, but it WAS hooked up to one a couple months ago and it played other channels' (Netflix, Amazon, etc) HD content fine.

 

All that said, I assume it's possible to force transcoding to a lower bitrate to certain devices (which, at a low enough bitrate, would I assume downsample the resolution?), but I can't seem to figure out how to force transcoding for anything except the web client? Am I missing something? (I looked EVERYwhere in the console!) And am I correct in assuming that it also downscales the resolution if the transcode bitrate is set low enough?

 

I'm sure I'm probably the only guy trying to stream to an ancient SD TV on an ancient Roku 1 box, but if there are any existing options in the server I can use to facilitate this automatic transcoding, it would be a lifesaver for the kids!

 

FYI, logs don't show much useful. I get that "Write failure" error for everything that streams to the Roku, however, it shows the same error for the videos that play correctly, so that's not the culprit (or, I imagine, the problem). I have to assume it's an issue with the Roku itself having trouble downscaling the video once it's got it. (Which is not y'alls problem.)

 

The error is roughly as such:

 

"Error - HttpAsyncTaskHandler: Error occured while Processing Request: Write failure

*** Error Report ***

Version: 3.0.5607.2

Command line: /opt/mediabrowser/MediaBrowser.Server.Mono.exe -programdata /var/lib/mediabrowser

Operating system: Unix 3.16.0.30

Processor count: 2

64-Bit OS: True

64-Bit Process: True

Program data path: /var/lib/mediabrowser

Mono: 3.10.0 (tarball Wed Nov  5 12:50:04 UTC 2014)

Application Path: /opt/mediabrowser/MediaBrowser.Server.Mono.exe

Write failure

System.IO.IOException

 at System.Net.Sockets.NetworkStream.Write (System.Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

 at SocketHttpListener.Net.ResponseStream.InternalWrite (System.Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

 at SocketHttpListener.Net.ResponseStream.Write (System.Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0..... blah blah blah...."

 

 

In any case, what I'm basically asking is: Is there a way to force transcoding to a standard definition resolution for a particular device on my network?

 

Thanks!

[soniCron 5]

I should mention: No, Emby is not trying to transcode anything at any point. I made the test transcodes myself.

 

(And sorry for all the bold? I don't know what happened there? Copy/paste rich text failure??  )

[Luke 37113]

you could try lowering the app bitrate which might indirectly accomplish what you're seeking. the app is supposed to handle SD screens properly but as not many users are doing this, testing for it has fallen off the wayside lately. 

[soniCron 5]

That did the trick! Thank you!