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Adaptive streaming


dragon2611

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dragon2611

I'd imagine this one will probably be a little to tricky to implement any-time soon

Heck I'm not even sure if there's a suitable codec available that's opensource/free to use

 

But it would be a really awesome extension to sync if you could transcode into multiple bitrates and then use adaptive streaming between the emby client and the server to pick the highest quality possible at any given moment.

 

I would think this would be especially useful for mobile clients where the network performance can be all over the shop.

 

I thought i'd suggest it on the off chance it was feasible.

Edited by dragon2611
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  • 1 year later...
zigzagtshirt

I know it's been quite awhile since this thread was started, but I'd like to also express my interest for this feature.  

 

I read an interesting intro to using mpeg-dash with several mp4 files, each with its own bitrate.  Streaming auto switches between them seamlessly based on bandwidth conditions.  

 

https://blog.streamroot.io/encode-multi-bitrate-videos-mpeg-dash-mse-based-media-players/

 

What's the feasibility of adaptive bitrate streaming at this point?

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zigzagtshirt

We already support it with HLS.

 

Sorry, I'm still on a rookie level with understanding these particular technologies and terminologies, so sorry if this is a stupid question.  Can Emby auto switch playback from one file to another file on the fly based on network conditions?  My understanding is that it will check conditions at the start only.

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HLS is just an alternative to mpeg dash. Most devices support HLS now, so for now at least that is our preferred protocol.

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zigzagtshirt

HLS is just an alternative to mpeg dash. Most devices support HLS now, so for now at least that is our preferred protocol.

 

Okay, got it.  But my question still is:

 

Can Emby auto switch playback from one file to another file on the fly based on network conditions?  My understanding is that it will check conditions at the start only.

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zigzagtshirt

@@Luke To clarify, I am referring to pre-transcoded files only (not live transcoding).

 

Example: movieA(10mbps); movieA(5mbps)

 

Direct playing movieA.  Server auto adapts between 10mbps file and 5mbps file as bandwidth conditions change.

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  • 1 year later...
neik

@@Luke To clarify, I am referring to pre-transcoded files only (not live transcoding).

 

Example: movieA(10mbps); movieA(5mbps)

 

Direct playing movieA. Server auto adapts between 10mbps file and 5mbps file as bandwidth conditions change.

This is interesting, this could alleviate those with bw variation to some extent.

 

@@Luke, any info on this please, does this work as suggested?

 

And, +1 of course

Edited by neik
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We make the decision prior to playback. We do not currently switch between them during playback.

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neik

We make the decision prior to playback. We do not currently switch between them during playback.

Wouldn't this be a quite interesting improvement?

 

There seem to be a couple of us with the issue of bw variation and this could help us a lot, I guess.

Edited by neik
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  • 2 years later...
ng4ever
32 minutes ago, crusher11 said:

Plex has been doing this for years. 

Your right but you have to remember it was in beta for a long time and may still be. Can't remember.

 

Where Emby will do it right by only offering it in the final version once it works pretty well! Of course it will come to the beta version first.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...
KarlDag
On 19/07/2021 at 19:54, crusher11 said:

Plex has been doing this for years. 

 

On 19/07/2021 at 20:27, ng4ever said:

Your right but you have to remember it was in beta for a long time and may still be. Can't remember.

 

Where Emby will do it right by only offering it in the final version once it works pretty well! Of course it will come to the beta version first.

 

 

No. Plex can change quality settings on the fly *when transcoding*, but it won’t switch from one file to another.

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GrimReaper
1 hour ago, KarlDag said:

No. Plex can change quality settings on the fly *when transcoding*, but it won’t switch from one file to another.

Yep, it applies to transcodes only, it does change between versions for DirectPlay. 

Quote

If content is already directly playing at the original quality (e.g. “Direct Play” or “Direct Stream”), then Plex will not adjust the quality dynamically. Automatically adjusting the quality requires that the content be transcoded.

Quote
  • Auto quality requires a Plex Media Server that is capable of converting (transcoding). Servers that can’t transcode, such as some NAS Devices and Limitations, cannot support auto quality.
Quote
  • Auto quality is only used when the video is being converted (transcoded). If a video starts with Play Original Quality also known as Direct Play or Direct Stream, it will not automatically change quality based on connection speed.  Similarly, if a video starts withit will Convert Automatically, it not automatically change to Play Original Quality. 

 

 

Edited by GrimReaper
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  • 2 months later...
niallobr

+1

 

There’s a similar request on Plex forums they said they are working on it but no progress report in a while. I’m willing to bet Emby can get there first probably with a more elegant implementation too (nudge nudge, wink wink)

 

https://forums.plex.tv/t/default-all-clients-to-max-internet-streaming/440641/837

 

My friends streaming remotely on devices like Xbox One and Samsung TV seem to always default to a poor 720p 1.5 Mbps streams, similar to what happens in Plex currently, even when theres plenty of bandwidth on both sides. Its also a bit annoying that Emby might show a movie is 4K in the library, a user might even select a 4K quality setting but HDR tone mapping will limit the stream to a lower resolution like 720p or similar. Fully support this feature request to help remote users get the best quality with the bandwidth available.

Edited by niallobr
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On 12/31/2021 at 12:19 PM, crusher11 said:

They've already implemented it for transcoding.

And this is where it is most relevant IMO.
Imagine streaming stuff on mobile data, where adaption could help avoiding buffering.
Or transcoding high bitrate stuff where the server struggles to keep up, it could then reduce bitrate further to match 1x transcoding speed.

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