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Live TV Stops, ffmpeg.exe Maxes CPU


jsil

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Hi, thanks in advance for any help you might be able to provide

 

Problem:

Unable to play live TV from Emby iPhone app for more than a few seconds before it freezes

 

Configuration:

 

Server

  • Emby Server: 3.2.70.0
  • Windows 10
  • i5 M430 2.27 Ghz
  • 6GB RAM

Client

  • iPhone 6
  • iOS: 11.2.1

Tuner:

  • HDHomeRun PRIME - HDHR3-CC
  • Version 20170930

Details:

  • Using the iOS app - When I play live TV via the iPhone app it plays for a few seconds, maybe 20 or so, then freezes
  • During that time Windows 10 task manager shows CPU usage quickly pins at 99-100%
    • EmbyServer.exe - about 4%
    • ffmpeg.exe - instance #1 - about 45%
    • ffmpeg.exe - instance #2 - aboutr 40%
      • NOTE: instance #2 only starts up when instance #1 gets up to about 45%
    • NOTE: See attached files: ffmpeg-transcode, server, and CPU_iPhone.jpg for CPU usage details
  • Using the Android app it works beautifully where Windows 10 task manager shows the following CPU usage
    • CPU is about 30%
    • EmbyServer.exe - about 20%
    • ffmpeg.exe - there are never instances
    • NOTE: See attached files: AndroidChrome_server-63652655466.txt and CPU_Android.jpg for CPU usage details

server-63652655334.txt

ffmpeg-transcode-d4f523d9-bfb2-4f69-a5b2-fc2fe6bd944f.txt

ffmpeg-transcode-441b2583-4af2-4eb5-92d8-394062db3e48.txt

AndroidChrome_server-63652655466.txt

post-18793-0-00059000-1517086858_thumb.jpg

post-18793-0-34398400-1517086867_thumb.jpg

Edited by jsil
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@@jsil, it would appear that your transcoding is just not happening fast enough, and that's why you have the issue on iOS.

 

What model tuner is this?

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cookemandan

I am also having the same issue on IOS devices. My IPhone 7 Plus and my Wife’s as well. It works flawless on Roku though.

 

 

Xbox one has a similar issue to the IOS devices as well starts for a second then stops and never regains. I have to force quit every time.

Edited by cookemandan
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cookemandan

Thanks Luke. So far I am impressed with Emby where Plex fell short. I have only been a user since Saturday but I definitely appreciate the forum support. In the threads I have seen you are very quick to help.

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@@Luke - Thanks for the response, much appreciated!  The tuner model is HDHR3-CC - I added that to the op to keep all config centralized.

 

In case it helps as a reference in terms of performance, the HDHR3-CC has been in use with WMC on Win 7 on a very old core 2 duo which has served as my cable box replacement for my living room TV for 6+ years including DVR functionality.  It's been so solid that my wife and kids don't even complain ;)

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wstanislaus

Hi,

I just brought lifetime  Emby Premiere to watch Superbowl today when i am out of my home, unfortunately it is not working in my iphone x, after couple of seconds, screen freeze.

 

My server is on Ubuntu with 8 Core and 16G RAM.

 
HDHomeRun EXTEND
Model: HDTC-2US
Firmware: 20171208
 

I am going to miss Superbowl today... :(

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Hi, this is resolved for the next release of emby server. We'll get an app update out to work around it so that you don't have to wait for the next release.

 

 

 

Thanks.

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Hi,

I just brought lifetime  Emby Premiere to watch Superbowl today when i am out of my home, unfortunately it is not working in my iphone x, after couple of seconds, screen freeze.

 

My server is on Ubuntu with 8 Core and 16G RAM.

 
HDHomeRun EXTEND
Model: HDTC-2US
Firmware: 20171208
 

I am going to miss Superbowl today... :(

 

Hi, for immediate workaround today, try playing with the online web app at http://app.emby.media

 

Thanks.

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Hi Luke, thanks very much for prioritizing and taking the time to work on this.  I tried the web app as a workaround and I now see that only one ffmpeg.exe is running so it looks like that's resolved.  I also noticed the performance is significantly better, i.e. live TV doesn't just freeze up on me after about 20 or so seconds.

 

However, I'm still experiencing occasional freezing, sometimes after a few minutes and sometimes after only about a minute.  Unlike before, it would come back after a couple/few seconds but definitely not smooth.  I'm also noticing that between EmbyServer.exe and ffmpeg.exe my server's CPU (see OP for config) is pegging pretty consistently at 99-100% and for the most part nothing else is running, i.e. CPU hovers at around 3% when Emby isn't running.

 

Question: Per my server's config, should I be experiencing this behavior, i.e. does my server meet the requirements of supporting live TV?  I'm guessing others aren't experiencing what I've described and are completely happy with Emby serving live TV.

 

Side note: I know the HD Homerun app doesn't rely on my server, but it is notable that I haven't see it freeze.

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Hi Luke, please find attached the server and ffmpeg-transcode log files.  To get fresh log files I stopped the server, removed the log files that were there, then started the server again.  I accessed 2 channels over the course of about 7 or so minutes.  I didn't experience a pause in viewing until towards the end where it happened 3, possibly 4 times.  There were some times when the CPU wasn't pegged at 99-100% but quite a bit of the time it was.  Let me know if there's any other information I can provide.

server-63654564385.txt

ffmpeg-transcode-e3194b5a-7df6-4c94-9cbb-c5c32a9ea640.txt

ffmpeg-transcode-e889958a-8419-4e89-b690-736de5482ca6.txt

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Luke,

 

Thanks again for your help.  Unfortunately I'm not seeing much of a change with the new 3.3.0.0 Emby Server via Safari browser on my iPhone 6 (see attached image).

 

I watched live TV for about 10 minutes and it froze briefly only twice, which is a little better than I've seen before, and certainly significantly better than when I made my original post, so that's very good!

 

I'm still seeing my CPU pinned at 99-100% almost the entire time (see attached image) where it will occasionally very briefly drop to as low as 70-80%.

 

I've attached the server log and the 3 ffmpeg-transcode files that were created during this 10 minute period.  Note that I cleared all logs prior to starting Emby for this test.

 

Please let me know if you need any more information.

 

Thanks!

server-63655748795.txt

ffmpeg-transcode-5bffc95d-c43e-485b-b6ab-b5c71a7a5639.txt

ffmpeg-transcode-5eb909b5-af54-4b05-8906-de7620540894.txt

ffmpeg-transcode-ab956c05-14db-4d2a-b5d3-1d3b8d012ecd.txt

post-18793-0-91083800-1520171450_thumb.jpg

post-18793-0-72303500-1520171458_thumb.jpg

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hi @@jsil it's normal for CPU usage to be high because ffmpeg will transcode as fast as it possibly can. What changed in the 3.3 release is that we resolved an issue that was causing two ffmpeg processes to be spawned instead of one. If you really want to lower cpu usage you can try tinker with the server transcoding thread count settings, although this may have adverse effects but you can certainly play with it.

 

Beyond that if this is going to be a major concern then I would suggest playing live tv with Emby apps that don't require any transcoding, such as Emby Theater for Windows, Android, etc.

 

Please let us know if this helps. Thanks.

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Hi Luke, thanks again for your help on this, both for your suggestions and resolving the multiple ffmpeg process instances issue.

 

Regarding playing live TV with Emby apps that don't require any transcoding, is there an iPhone Emby app that doesn't require any transcoding?  It appears that the Emby app for the iPhone does require server side transcoding and I don't think the Emby Theater app is available for the iPhone.  In my case unfortunately my wife/kids are all about the iPhone.

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Not yet because apple devices don't support mpeg2video but we are exploring a custom video player for the app that would be able to handle it.

  • Like 2
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Thanks, that sounds promising, is there anything in the forum that tracks the topic or progress of an app for Apple devices that doesn't require any transcoding?  Also, in case it helps, the HDHomeRun app might be a good reference.

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