fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 How does the app decide whether to use the internal player or VLC? My movies are all mkv, ripped from bluray or DVD. Video is almost always h.264 (I have some VC-1 where I haven't transcoded). Audio is a mixture of ac3, DTS and DTS-HD. I'm using a Fire TV 4K connected to a surround amp. Anything with ac3 plays fine, the amp receives ac3. For files with DTS or DTS-HD, if the app uses the vlc player (direct/V), audio is transcoded to multi-channel PCM. Does this PCM audio come from the DTS core or from the DTS-HD and will it be possible in the future to passthru the DTS or DTS-HD? If the app uses the internal player (direct/I) then I get picture but no sound, the amp indicates no signal. I can't work out how the app is choosing the player. I have some files that are dual audio on these files I start them playing and the internal player is used so I get no sound. If I switch to the second audio track then the app switches to the VLC player and I get sound. If I then switch back to the default audio the app carries on using VLC so I get sound. Can someone explain the logic used to choose the player? Also I have loads of files that transcode, the reason they transcode is because the server hasn't saved media info for the files. I can fix this by refreshing the metadata for that file and then the files direct play. As a feature suggestion, is it possible to get a refresh metadata button on the app? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBers 6795 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 As a feature suggestion, is it possible to get a refresh metadata button on the app? I've been thinking about asking for that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14959 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 The Fire TV does not support DTS but, if using VLC (which we will basically use unless it is determined that the internal player would do a better job with a particular item) it will decode it and send it out as PCM. On the Shield or NP we can pass through the DTS core. In all instances, it is the core. However, if you couldn't tell by listening, then it didn't really matter, right... . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 (edited) unless it is determined that the internal player would do a better job with a particular item How do you decide if the internal player will do a better job? The main problem I have at the moment is that if the internal player is used and the mkv has a DTS track, I get no audio. The VLC player is always fine. Here is an example of a file where the internal player is used Edited July 17, 2016 by fuzzthekingoftrees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14959 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Make sure you turn off the option to bitstream DTS. If that option is turned on, we will attempt to use the Google player to bitstream DTS. If your setup cannot receive it, then you will get no audio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 I've tried the various audio setting with the following results. 1. Audio output direct. Bitstream dolby, don't bitstream DTS - Direct/I - no audio 2. Audio output downmix - Trans/I - server transcodes the audio to stereo aac, works but is only in stereo and has an extra compression step 3. Audio output direct. Both bitstream options off - Trans/I - server transcodes the audio to 5.1 aac, also works but has an extra compression step Any file that plays using Direct/V is fine, anything that plays using Direct/I with DTS audio has no audio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14959 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Do the ones that do that only have DTS-HD MA tracks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14959 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Can you reproduce this scenario: 1. Audio output direct. Bitstream dolby, don't bitstream DTS - Direct/I - no audio and send me a log from the app? Then come tell me what you played and the Emby user name. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Do the ones that do that only have DTS-HD MA tracks? Yes, but I'm not sure that's the cause. I took one of those tracks, the one with the media info above, extracted the DTS core and remuxed so that it only has a DTS track and it still plays Direct/I without working Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Can you reproduce this scenario: 1. Audio output direct. Bitstream dolby, don't bitstream DTS - Direct/I - no audio and send me a log from the app? Then come tell me what you played and the Emby user name. Thanks. So I went to send you a log from the app and now it's behaving differently. I tested this a lot previously and it was reliably playing everything as Direct/I. Now it is playing Trans/I and the server is transcoding the audio to ac3. I sent you the log anyway, my emby username is fuzz the video I'm trying to play is Amelié Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14959 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Based on the code, I couldn't see how that scenario was possible but, if you can reproduce it, please send the log and provide the media info for the item in question. If it is determined the item will transcode, then the internal player will be used because it works best with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 OK thanks. Is the behaviour I'm seeing now expected? Audio transcoded to ac3 on the server for any files with DTS? Seems a bit wasteful when the VLC player handles the DTS fine. Also there is a loss in quality transcoding lossy DTS core to lossy ac3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14959 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 There is some other reason the item is transcoding. I cannot reproduce your issue. I have items with DTS and they direct play fine on my Fire 4k. So something else is going on. Could be bandwidth vs. bitrate or something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Is it the server or the app that decides whether to transcode? I have loads of bandwidth as the fire TV is on ethernet. I would've thought it would transcode the video if it was a bandwidth issue, this is just the audio that is getting recoded. I can try and make a small test file that reproduces the issue on my setup if it will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14959 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 It is the x264 profile level of 50 that is causing it to use the internal player. We've only reliably tested up to 41 with VLC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzthekingoftrees 10 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 That makes sense then, most of my movies are 50 or 51. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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