No Transcode after Update to v3.4, XBox One S Choppy PlayBack

[UnderMiner 11]

Hello,

 

After the update to v3.4, the video does not transcode and remains in .ts format. This results in choppy playback on Xbox One S.

I experienced issues in the past and needed to use the "preserve original audio" setting but I can no longer locate the setting.

I included the log files at this link https://1drv.ms/f/s!AnfmLnbQksWOhytOE0vZjYY-aJvZ

My previous post is at this link https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/55151-no-recorded-tv-playback-in-windows-10-or-xbox-one-s/

 

[Luke 37335]

We don't convert the recordings on the fly anymore because the output just wasn't stable. We have replaced this with a feature to convert after the recording has completed, and you can learn about that here:

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/blog/1/entry-423-emby-server-34-released/

[UnderMiner 11]

Thanks Luke, I noticed the new approach and I will test for a while.

I have an HDHomerun that does not transcode and I was considering an upgrade because the server struggled if recording one channel and playing back another.

 

As long as we are able to watch Live TV and pause while Emby is in the process of recording, this would be perfect. I will test during the hockey game tonight.

For the past couple of months, this feature did not work. If we played a recording from the beginning while the recording was in progress and then tried to skip a commercial, Emby always went back to the beginning which made the feature useless.

 

We primarily use the Xbox One S and I will test, the game is about to start...

 

Just tested and the good news is that we can now pause and skip commercials without returning to the beginning.

However, to use the feature requires ffmpeg to transcode the .ts stream that is being recorded and between the two activities, the CPU is between 90% and 100%.

(CPU i5-2500k, with SSD media and 16GB RAM)

Edited May 4, 2018 by UnderMiner

[UnderMiner 11]

Hello,

 

I cannot playback the mpeg2 recordings on Xbox One S, it stutters all the time. I have a wired gigabit LAN but for some reason it is being converted and not being played directly.

The media plays correctly using ET on windows 10 with the server performing the conversion to stream.

 

I would like to use the convert option but I cannot locate the feature.

Where is the convert option?

I read the blog post and I cannot replicate the menu shown in the post.

I use a browser on Windows to configure Emby and I still have a transcode item but no convert options.

Is there a help file I may read?

 

Thanks.

[Luke 37335]

You need to be running the latest version of Emby Server and check the permissions for that Emby user and make sure they are granted access to the convert media feature.

[UnderMiner 11]

Thanks Like, I am the Ember server admin and the Server auto updated to Version 3.4.0.0.

I apologize if I am missing something but I selected every menu item twice and cannot locate the Convert option from a browser window using Emby settings or using "Configure Emby" from the notification area.

[Luke 37335]

Try right clicking on a single item.

[UnderMiner 11]

I got the convert option when right clicking a single item.

I thought there were options to have this happen automatically after recording similar to the transcode feature.

I assume that even though there is a transcode item in the menu it no longer functions and is replaced by this new feature.

[UnderMiner 11]

We use Emby as a PVR for our Xbox.

Because of the stuttering on the Xbox when playing back the recorded .ts file format, is there a way to force the server to convert on the fly (stream to the Xbox)?

Otherwise I cannot watch the programs that I recorded the same day without converting them first.

 

For watching live TV the system works very well. It seems that ffmeg is working for live TV playback but not for previously recorded content in the .ts format.

For live tv, ffmpeg uses about 35% of the cpu when watching on the Xbox with an HD Homerun. The pause and commercial skip also work well with live TV.

[Luke 37335]

Because of the stuttering on the Xbox when playing back the recorded .ts file format, is there a way to force the server to convert on the fly (stream to the Xbox)?

 

I would imagine it will be transcoding the recording on the fly, no?

[UnderMiner 11]

Emby server transcodes on the fly when watching Live TV, this works well when pausing and skipping commercials.

 

Emby does not transcode content that I previously recorded. For example, if we record the local news at 5:00, the new version of Emby creates a .ts file. When we watch the news at 8:00, it does not transcode during playback and the Xbox struggles to play the recording (stutters and slow to skip ahead). I checked the task manager on the server and Emby is not transcoding during playback.

[kingy444 108]

@@Luke

 

Any chance you could provide the required command to put into the post processing area. Rather than needing to manually convert them all.

 

Personally I had no issues with the previous process - so i would like to be able to put the relative commands in to make the mkv post recording if possible.

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by kingy444

[Luke 37335]

@@Luke

 

Any chance you could provide the required command to put into the post processing area. Rather than needing to manually convert them all.

 

Personally I had no issues with the previous process - so i would like to be able to put the relative commands in to make the mkv post recording if possible.

 

 

What required command line? The required command line will vary depending on what post processing application you are using. It is up to you to find out what is needed. How is Emby Server supposed to know this?

[kingy444 108]

What required command line? The required command line will vary depending on what post processing application you are using. It is up to you to find out what is needed. How is Emby Server supposed to know this?

 

as for the post processing application i planned to put the embyserver ffmpeg.exe application

 

I was hoping you could provide the relative post process arguments so that all recordings could be converted from .ts to .mkv post recording.

 

Basically doing the same thing to the mkv that you were in the 'on the fly mkv' we had in server 3.3

[Luke 37335]

I think you'll find some helpful examples here:

https://www.bugcodemaster.com/article/convert-videos-mkv-using-ffmpeg

 

Thanks.

[Luke 37335]

Emby server transcodes on the fly when watching Live TV, this works well when pausing and skipping commercials.

 

Emby does not transcode content that I previously recorded. For example, if we record the local news at 5:00, the new version of Emby creates a .ts file. When we watch the news at 8:00, it does not transcode during playback and the Xbox struggles to play the recording (stutters and slow to skip ahead). I checked the task manager on the server and Emby is not transcoding during playback.

 

I think most users would prefer to avoid the server transcoding, which means the only way to offer this would be with an in-app setting.

[UnderMiner 11]

Hello Luke,

I understand your statement above and agree that off-loading the transcode from the server is great whenever possible.

 

In this case, I record Live TV with Emby on Xbox and playback with Emby Theater on Xbox.

The issue is that the Xbox playback using Emby Theater is very choppy and slow.

Is there a way to play the recorded TV on the Xbox using Emby Theater as Direct Play (i.e. without transcoding)?

Is there a setting I need to change? This was not an issue before the update because Emby Theater directly played the recorded TV (it was previously transcoded during the initial recording).

We do not want to transcode everything before we watch the recordings on Emby Theater (Xbox). For example, we watch the news the next day because we would have to wait for the transcode to complete to get smooth playback on the Xbox.

Let me know you recommendations for Emby Theater app playback settings for native playback of the new recorded format (MPEG2.TS).

[Luke 37335]

 

 

Is there a way to play the recorded TV on the Xbox using Emby Theater as Direct Play (i.e. without transcoding)?

 

This should already be happening, it's just that the Xbox video player doesn't handle them very well. So we're going to have to add a setting to force at least a remux so that you can get a better seeking experience. To get an even better direct play experience, consider trying the new convert media feature.