Movie stream stops and won't resume

[mediacowboy 438]

It took over a week for me to get mine.

[Happy2Play 8281]

How long does it take for that admin to send me the beta patch? I requested it yesterday.

 

Sounds like mixed results.  I got mine in about 48 hours.  You can try force updating to see if it is sitting the queue for updates.  Since the Roku only checks once a day.

[speechles 1917]

@@pclausen if you are using the blue neon app you can enable the "force surround" preference. This will pass ac3 in 5.1 for trueHD. For the dts-hd you can use "force directstream" and will use the 5.1 dts core.

 

..and its rokudale who should be messaged. Not rokudake.. heh.. Roku stages firmware updates in pools of devices. It is up to their schedule when they activate your device. The new firmware coming up in november is v7.5.x.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[mediacowboy 438]

I did check daily for the update but nothing for almost a week. So with that what speechles said makes sense.

 

Any word @@speechles what is all included in this update?

[speechles 1917]

@@mediacowboy not sure as you have to sign their NDA for access to the beta firmwares. For the firmware "fixes" its part of a different pool. It also depends on your region, and make of roku device. Your serial number determines which update pool you are placed in. Your region and device type determine when it activates. So if you messaged rokudale assume you are in. When your turn comes it will happen. It takes the same amount of time (read as lag) to get them to update apps they need to approve. These things take time.

 

As far as what to expect in OS7.5.x I am hoping for better thread aware debugging for scene graph nodes, especially child nodes. So "under the hood" several things are happening to better scene-graph. They also seem to be including fixes for the stock video player which is still used in the app. The present roku app is only a 720p gui. Most of the work seems to be on 4K and 1080p scene-graph components. These updates will benefit roku4, premiere+, and ultra.

 

OS7.5:

https://blog.roku.com/developer/2016/09/21/beta-developer/

 

Thread aware debugging (joy!):

https://sdkdocs.roku.com/display/sdkdoc/Debugging+Scene+Graph+Applications

Edited October 12, 2016 by speechles

[pclausen 41]

So I typed up a long message that I posted to this thread last night.  Looks like the mods took it down for some reason.

 

I picked up a Roku Ultra yesterday and was sharing my impression with how it compared to the Roku 3 and a HTPC running ET.

 

The short version is that it performs worse than the Roku 3 with the Emby client.  In fact some titles don't play at all that do play on the Roku 3 and some titles play with no sound.  Also, titles encoded with FLAC 5.1 play back as 2 channel AC3 despite FLAC playback supposedly being a new feature of the Ultra.

 

That said, the Netflix client is awesome on a 4k TV and navigating the menus are very fast.

[jnheinz 17]

This issue has definitely struck me on a Roku 2 with Wired ethernet.. generally higher bitrate MKV files.  Forcing a transcode through the use of a lower bitrate in Emby always works.  I signed up for the beta program.  I love Emby, but this is killing me.  Are there better front-end players than Roku that are not as susceptible to flaky firmware that is released very sparsely?  Windows 7 w/Emby Theater?  Fire TV?  I don't mind switching hardware, I just need something that plays rock-solid, every time.  I'm a Plex Pass user (looking to abandon) & long-time XBMC/Kodi user that is finally trying to get all my libraries & metadata centralized.

[jhs39 13]

This issue has definitely struck me on a Roku 2 with Wired ethernet.. generally higher bitrate MKV files.  Forcing a transcode through the use of a lower bitrate in Emby always works.  I signed up for the beta program.  I love Emby, but this is killing me.  Are there better front-end players than Roku that are not as susceptible to flaky firmware that is released very sparsely?  Windows 7 w/Emby Theater?  Fire TV?  I don't mind switching hardware, I just need something that plays rock-solid, every time.  I'm a Plex Pass user (looking to abandon) & long-time XBMC/Kodi user that is finally trying to get all my libraries & metadata centralized.

Are you trying to abandon Plex Pass because of the cost?  Because Plex actually works consistently, unlike Emby.  The web interface is programmed much better in Plex (especially on the music side).  Plex was able to handle large movie files on Roku even without the beta firmware update.  Plex also handles subtitles much better than Emby, at least on the Roku.  With Plex you turn on the subtitles and they play.  Period.  On Emby sometimes they play.  Sometimes you have to turn the caption function on Roku on to get them to play.  Sometimes there's nothing you can do to get them to play.  I'm curious why you are determined to go with Emby over Plex when Plex seems like a professional endeavor and Emby seems to be populated entirely by volunteers.

 

I tried Emby on my Fire Stick and wasn't happy with the results--although you might have better luck with the Fire TV.  The Fire Stick doesn't have much memory and between the installed apps, Kodi and Emby it was nearly all used up.  While the Emby interface was very nice I experienced a lot of buffering issues that I never got with the Roku.  Even with a strong wi-fi signal, I could rarely get anything from my Emby library to play on the Fire Stick without significant buffering.  I finally ended up resetting my Fire Stick to get rid of Emby on it because Emby was pretty much useless.  I definitely wouldn't recommend Emby on the Fire Stick.         

[jnheinz 17]

Are you trying to abandon Plex Pass because of the cost?  Because Plex actually works consistently, unlike Emby.  The web interface is programmed much better in Plex (especially on the music side).  Plex was able to handle large movie files on Roku even without the beta firmware update.  Plex also handles subtitles much better than Emby, at least on the Roku.  With Plex you turn on the subtitles and they play.  Period.  On Emby sometimes they play.  Sometimes you have to turn the caption function on Roku on to get them to play.  Sometimes there's nothing you can do to get them to play.  I'm curious why you are determined to go with Emby over Plex when Plex seems like a professional endeavor and Emby seems to be populated entirely by volunteers.

 

I tried Emby on my Fire Stick and wasn't happy with the results--although you might have better luck with the Fire TV.  The Fire Stick doesn't have much memory and between the installed apps, Kodi and Emby it was nearly all used up.  While the Emby interface was very nice I experienced a lot of buffering issues that I never got with the Roku.  Even with a strong wi-fi signal, I could rarely get anything from my Emby library to play on the Fire Stick without significant buffering.  I finally ended up resetting my Fire Stick to get rid of Emby on it because Emby was pretty much useless.  I definitely wouldn't recommend Emby on the Fire Stick.         

 

Cost is not really an issue; I just feel it's unnecessary to throw all that money at a product that you can't get, say 60 days, of free trial membership to see what kind of issues crop up over the course of time in the household on different players, different apps, etc.  The reason I have fallen in love with Emby is its scraping & presentation.  I immediately noticed Emby identifying movies, storing in NFO files, all sorts of graphics data IN the movie folder that Plex hides away in a little (big) temporary box.  I know I can run 3rd party apps like Media Center Master & do all the scraping for me.. but I'd prefer to just have "it work" in Emby.. which it does, well.  

 

So this is a goofy question, does the Emby plug-in for Kodi work reliably?  I have a few Raspberry Pi 2's with OpenELEC floating around still.  I could give them a whirl.

[speechles 1917]

This issue has definitely struck me on a Roku 2 with Wired ethernet.. generally higher bitrate MKV files. Forcing a transcode through the use of a lower bitrate in Emby always works. I signed up for the beta program. I love Emby, but this is killing me. Are there better front-end players than Roku that are not as susceptible to flaky firmware that is released very sparsely? Windows 7 w/Emby Theater? Fire TV? I don't mind switching hardware, I just need something that plays rock-solid, every time. I'm a Plex Pass user (looking to abandon) & long-time XBMC/Kodi user that is finally trying to get all my libraries & metadata centralized.

You need to use the blue neon roku app, this has an option to "force transcoding". This doesnt require any bitrate changes. It will let emby perform a remux of the original video/audio/subtitle streams and place them into a new container (using hls). Then it is much faster than a transcode, keeps the original quality, and keeps the load on your server lighter.

 

Plex still has the 4GB bug on roku 7.2 firmware. It also has the same DTS-HD wont pass core DTS bug, and the same FLAC 5.1 on roku4 passes no audio at all bug. Whoever says it isnt having the same problems, really isnt paying attention.

 

The plex app will switch from direct to transcode in the same 4GB spot. Emby doesnt do this and fallback you just start the file with "force transcode". The blue neon app has better capabilities detection for roku devices and has the "force direct" and "force transcode" options. So before you dismiss your roku2 as inferior, give it a try.

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/24151-theme-blue-neon-night/

 

If you have any questions, comments, criticism, suggestions feel free to post them in a follow up post.

Edited October 18, 2016 by speechles

[jnheinz 17]

You need to use the blue neon roku app, this has an option to "force transcoding". This doesnt require any bitrate changes. It will let emby perform a remux of the original video/audio/subtitle streams and place them into a new container (using hls). Then it is much faster than a transcode, keeps the original quality, and keeps the load on your server lighter.

 

Plex still has the 4GB bug on roku 7.2 firmware. It also has the same DTS-HD wont pass core DTS bug, and the same FLAC 5.1 on roku4 passes no audio at all bug. Whoever says it isnt having the same problems, really isnt paying attention.

 

The plex app will switch from direct to transcode in the same 4GB spot. Emby doesnt do this and fallback you just start the file with "force transcode". The blue neon app has better capabilities detection for roku devices and has the "force direct" and "force transcode" options. So before you dismiss your roku2 as inferior, give it a try.

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/24151-theme-blue-neon-night/

 

If you have any questions, comments, criticism, suggestions feel free to post them in a follow up post.

 

Thanks.  I just installed it.  Like what I am seeing.  When I set "Reset Play Method: No"  in the Options-- Does this mean when I set the play method to "Force Transcode" for a movie.. play it briefly.. stop, exit Emby App (and optionally reboot Roku).  Will every movie default to Force Transcode unless I change it back?  I am having it revert back to Auto.. so just seeking clarity on how to use this Force Transcode feature in Blue Neon Night.

[jnheinz 17]

Thanks.  I just installed it.  Like what I am seeing.  When I set "Reset Play Method: No"  in the Options-- Does this mean when I set the play method to "Force Transcode" for a movie.. play it briefly.. stop, exit Emby App (and optionally reboot Roku).  Will every movie default to Force Transcode unless I change it back?  I am having it revert back to Auto.. so just seeking clarity on how to use this Force Transcode feature in Blue Neon Night.

I think search found the answer for me.  It sticks until you leave the Emby app.

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/24151-theme-blue-neon-night/?p=326202

[speechles 1917]

It doesnt remember the play-method when restarting the app, it will always reset to auto-detection. But with "reset play method" set to no it will remember as long as the app is open. The resest changes the play-method back to auto-detection after every play session. This helps keep kids from complaining videos wont play by reseting back to auto-detection everytime. For everyone else who understand what they are doing, by all means, set this to no. I have mine set to no too.

Edited October 18, 2016 by speechles

[Scott750 29]

How long does it take for the beta update to reach my roku? I PM'd rokudale back on Oct 10. When he didn't respond to me after a week, I contacted him again. He says my device already has the update. But I'm still having issues with movies randomly stopping. My roku Software version says : 7.2.0 build 4139-04. Isn't this still the old software?

Edited October 31, 2016 by Scott750

[farside847 39]

build 4100-04 is the one with the 4gb issue

[Scott750 29]

[speechles 1917]

[Scott750 29]

I'm not using blue neon. Should I install this theme? And if so should I do the forced or non-forced version?

[speechles 1917]

I'm not using blue neon. Should I install this theme? And if so should I do the forced or non-forced version?

Use the force, lu...um..Scott750. Pun intended. Heh. The non-forced simple version is for users using anothers server remotely.

 

Its more than just a theme. Its an enhanced app building upon the original. It has two themes, the blue neon theme, and the standard monochrome theme. It can exist on the roku homescreen alongside the standard app.

 

Make sure to change the preferences to your liking. Any questions feel free to ask.

[Scott750 29]

Lol thanks speechles!

[Scott750 29]

I installed the theme on my Roku 3 and it auto logged into my admin user account. When I tried to sign out, the app is now stuck in an endless loop for "failed to post capability" and "user profile error". No matter how many times I click ok, the dialog up box reappears. I deleted and reinstalled the app, but immediately get the error. I deleted the roku profile in emby webclient, but same issue. Any suggestions?

 

Edited November 2, 2016 by Scott750

[Happy2Play 8281]

@@Scott750

You used emby connect to log in. The problem is, you cant sign out when using this method. Your only option is to change servers. I need to make it hide the "sign out" if a user is using emby connect. Once signed out it wipes the connect username. Now the app has a servername + blank username = fails emby connect authentication. You are now stuck in authentication limbo.

 

You need to delete the blue neon app, then reinstall it. This should wipe the registry for it. Now when starting the app, if it is a local server, choose skip and manually enter the details. You can also use emby connect, but remember when doing so avoid using sign out.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Edited November 2, 2016 by Happy2Play

[Scott750 29]

@@Happy2Play, thanks for posting this!

Edited November 2, 2016 by Scott750

[speechles 1917]

 

If you manually update your roku you should see the same thing. Firmware 7.5.x fixes the issue mentioned in topic of this thread.

 

https://blog.roku.com/blog/2016/11/01/new-features-coming-with-roku-os-7-5/

 

https://blog.roku.com/roku-os-7-5-release-notes/

Edited November 4, 2016 by speechles

[jayw654 5]

Good News. V7.5 firmware for Roku has been released for roku 3 & 4 and yes it does resolve the random drops in playback. I already played 2 movies completely through that were problems in the past with no issues. So now direct play streaming works fine and without issue and for a bigger test I'm running Captain America Civil war @ 32mbps with 448bit AAC audio without issue as well on the Roku 4. The bug in firmware 7.2 also affected Plex app and Mezzmo as well so if you have issues with those apps they should now work as intended in v7.5

 

Now if we can get the dropouts of Emby server fixed and improve HTTPS we'll all be set.

 

Update 3 hours later***

Completely played Captian America at a very high bitrate flawlessy and actually everything was fast and speedy as well. I am hardwired but still a vast improve over how things ran before especially @ 32mbps with 448 AAC audio. I say the problem is resolved at first glance and basic testing.

Edited November 11, 2016 by jayw654