ClutchFan 5 Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Hi all, I have a bunch of home videos in 4k that I'd like to stream to my tv, however it only plays about 5 - 10 seconds of video, then goes back to a loading bar (it just says "Loading" on a black screen with a purple meter below). I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong or how to fix it, can anyone help? Here are a bunch of specs and details: Video: 4k H264 Synology 718+ specs: Quad-core burst up to 2.3GHz 8 GB RAM (their website says upgradable to 6 but I went to 8 and nothing bad happened) Emby version 4.2.0.40 TV: TCL Roku w/Emby app installed On the TV Emby app I tried going to settings > Video Quality and changing it from Auto down to 1080P / 30 FPS and it still does the same thing. Is there anything else I need to do to make this work? Movies that are 1080P work fine. The videos I'm playing were all recorded on DSLR's and are .mp4. I can play them fine on my Windows machine (I have my NAS set up as a network drive visible in Windows). I can even cast them from windows to my TV and that works fine too.. Thanks in advance for any help! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Attaching some log files here, hopefully it's helpful... embyserver.txt mpgtranscode.txt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diovano 0 Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Attaching some log files here, hopefully it's helpful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebr 14902 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Hi. It looks like your server is simply not powerful enough to transcode these items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Hmm even though the website for this server claims it is powerful enough? Any suggestions on an upgrade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke 36997 Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 @@FrostByte, how does this compare to your model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostByte 5041 Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 (edited) The 718+ actually has a slightly faster Apollolake processor than mine. My usage is a little different though as none of my stuff needs transcoding on my Samsung and all my 4K direct plays. However, in testing what I've noticed similar results and that if I try to transcode something 4K to 4K like burning in PGS subs it does the same and buffers a lot while feeding me little chunks of movie. Though what I've seen if I transcode 4K down to 1080p at a low bitrate it is just fine. A few thoughts - James mentioned when the Synology website says its NAS can transcode 4K H265 that none of that testing was with vaapi, but using their video software, etc. From the Synology website: "4K transcoding is not supported on third-party software applications". Which is why we use vaapi and Im not sure how the two compare. - Also, according to the link below it says the 718+ can trancode 4K video, but only to 1080p max. So 4K to 2160p would seem to be out which is what I've seen with mine also https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/DSM/tutorial/Multimedia/Can_my_Synology_NAS_transcode_4K_videos_for_my_device There are many other restrictions in that link also depending on the client which you may find interesting and maybe explain why your NAS can't handle the transcoding of your 4K. When you play 4K on your Windows machine or cast to your TV is your NAS transcoding? The key would seem to be eliminating transcoding all together and it will be just fine. Just a note on the 8mb of RAM, I've seen many people who do it with no issues and the Intel page page even says that processor can support 8gb so not sure why Synology only says 6gb https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/95594/intel-celeron-processor-j3455-2m-cache-up-to-2-3-ghz.html Edited September 21, 2019 by FrostByte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rp4000 3 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I upgraded my 718+ the first day I got it to 8gb of ram. And never had any issues. Btw for the transcoding buffer are you using cat6 cables because cat5 might be to slow for such a large bandwidth. Just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 Hi @@Luke @@FrostByte and @@Rp4000, thank you for the responses and sorry for my delayed response here, haven't had time to look at this in a while. @@Rp4000 - I'm using Cat6 cables, but my TV is connected to WiFi (5g) @@FrostByte, I'm sorry, I'm not particularly knowledgeable about video stuff - what is vaapi? Is it something I should install that might help the problem? I did discover something interesting the other day - 4k video recorded on my cell phone (Pixel 3) plays just fine from the NAS. The troublesome video is all recorded by my Nikon DSLR. Both are .mp4 format (but I think everyone says that's just a container right?). Looking at the details panel of the Windows Properties box for each file type, here are some stats from each, the DSLR has significantly higher numbers. They're both about 30 frames per second. Pixel 3: Data Rate = 48,190 kbps Total Bitrate = 48,382 kbps Audio Bitrate = 191 kbps Audio Sample Rate = 44.1 kHz DSLR: Data Rate = 123,306 kbps Total Bitrate = 123,562 kbps Audio Bitrate = 256 kbps Audio Sample Rate = 48 kHz I didn't realize the 718 can only transcode up to 1080 - that's pretty crappy and honestly not acceptable to me. I didn't get a 4k tv and a nice DSLR to watch in 1080. Should I just be looking for a new NAS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostByte 5041 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 vaapi assists with transcoding for third party apps like Emby. If you have a Premium account you should already see it in your transcoding settings, if not then you should add it if transcoding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostByte 5041 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Yes, I was fooled by the ability to transcode 4K HEVC also. Never dawned on me that was only input and didn't include outputting 4K HEVC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 Thanks @@FrostByte I'm going to check out vaapi now. So is there any NAS that can transcode 4k in as well as out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 I just found the vaapi settings - if i sign up for premiere and add vaapi do you think that would solve the problem (and allow 4k out)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostByte 5041 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 It can do it, I just don't know if it will be fast enough. It's still slow on mine with vaapi, though your system is a little faster. I tend to just make sure all my stuff direct plays and I'm happy I believe there is a 30 day trial of Premium, so you could give it a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 cool I'll give it a shot, will report the outcome here! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 no difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke 36997 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Can we look at a log with vaapi? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemFandango 12 Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 (edited) Thanks @@FrostByte I'm going to check out vaapi now. So is there any NAS that can transcode 4k in as well as out? I've got a DS118 and a number of 4K movies and I've been trying Emby again recently. If I take John Wick 3 as an example, I pressed 'play' on this yesterday and it took 25 seconds between pressing play and the movie actually starting. When it did eventually start, the bottom half of the screen was glitching badly as well, basically making it unwatchable. Tried Groundhog Day as well and that took 55 seconds between pressing play and the film actually starting and, when it eventually did, it stopped after about 5 seconds and froze. Tried both films in Kodi, both started playback instantly and both played back without a single issue. It also seemingly puts such a strain on the network that if I come out of Emby and try to run Kodi afterwards, everything hangs and Kodi takes forever to load until the 'logjam' is cleared. Edited October 16, 2019 by ClemFandango 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke 36997 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I've got a DS118 and a number of 4K movies and I've been trying Emby again recently. If I take John Wick 3 as an example, I pressed 'play' on this yesterday and it took 25 seconds between pressing play and the movie actually starting. When it did eventually start, the bottom half of the screen was glitching badly as well, basically making it unwatchable. Tried Groundhog Day as well and that took 55 seconds between pressing play and the film actually starting and, when it eventually did, it stopped after about 5 seconds and froze. Tried both films in Kodi, both started playback instantly and both played back without a single issue. It also seemingly puts such a strain on the network that if I come out of Emby and try to run Kodi afterwards, everything hangs and Kodi takes forever to load until the 'logjam' is cleared. If you're comparing Kodi to the web app, don't do that. Web browsers have very limited media format support and this is why you see the transcoding. For a better comparison to Kodi, try our Emby Theater app: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html This embeds a much more robust video player that can direct play just about anything without transcoding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemFandango 12 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 If you're comparing Kodi to the web app, don't do that. Web browsers have very limited media format support and this is why you see the transcoding. For a better comparison to Kodi, try our Emby Theater app: https://emby.media/emby-theater.html This embeds a much more robust video player that can direct play just about anything without transcoding. I'm not using the web app. I installed Emby Server on my DS118 and added a folder that only had 3 movies in it just so i wouldn't have to wait forever for it to scan and add all of the artwork. I then installed Emby for Android TV (which I have paid to unlock) on my new NVidia Shield box which, as I'm sure you're aware, is also running Android TV, so it could connect to the server and stream the content from my DS118 to my new 4K TV. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 18, 2019 Author Share Posted October 18, 2019 @@Luke sorry for the delayed response, here are log files from an attempted playback a few minutes ago. About the Kodi discussion - I'm not sure what the web app is but that's not what I'm using - I'm attempting to play from my NAS directly to my Roku TV which has the emby app installed. @@ClemFandango, mine only takes 5 - 10 seconds to start playing, but I only get another 5 - 10 seconds of playback before another loading bar. embyserver.txt mpgtranscode.txt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 The plot thickens: I'd tried other software to play 4k videos before and had similar results, but today I randomly tried Synology's DS Video app, and to my surprise, it played all videos without a problem. It loaded for 10 - 15 seconds and then played smoothly. Not sure if it was true 4k or 1080p that my TV upscaled to 4k. But in any case, the videos played.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostByte 5041 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) The plot thickens: I'd tried other software to play 4k videos before and had similar results, but today I randomly tried Synology's DS Video app, and to my surprise, it played all videos without a problem. It loaded for 10 - 15 seconds and then played smoothly. Not sure if it was true 4k or 1080p that my TV upscaled to 4k. But in any case, the videos played.. Did it transcode? I play high bitrate 4K remuxes all the time to my Samsung and as long as it doesn't transcode (Direct Plays) I'm fine. When it transcodes high bitrate movies to something that is high bitrate is when I have problems and it plays small chunks of the movie before it buffers again Edited October 21, 2019 by FrostByte 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClutchFan 5 Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 @@FrostByte I'm not really sure if it transcoded..? Is there a way to tell? If it didn't, then that means transcoding isn't a required step? If so, then why ever bother transcoding, especially considering that Emby completely fails when it attempts to do so? Why not just skip transcoding every time? I don't really understand what transcoding is, and why it's sometimes necessary and sometimes not.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostByte 5041 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) Emby clients will request something to be transcoded when there is something in your file it can't handle like the video or audio formats. For instance my Samsung TV can't play TrueHD or DTS-HD audio files so Emby has to convert those into something my TV can read like Dolby Digital. Or, an older Xbox One client may need to request the server convert 2160p to 1080p because it can't handle 4K. A slow network connection may require the file to be transcoded to somewith with a lower bitrate. If nothing needs to be converted/transcoded then there is little to no overhead on the server and I can play high bitrate 4K movies with no problem. How you can tell if it's transcoding is to bring up the OSD , click on the wheel icon and choose Stats for Nerds. If it says Direct Playing, then you're fine. If though it says Direct Streaming or Transcoding then the server has to work and convert something in your file. If it's not Direct Playing then SFN should tell you what it had to convert. Another way is to go to the dashboard on the server and it will say what it's doing in the Active Devices. The trick to playing 4K for me is to make sure everything Direct Plays and you will need to know what your client hardware can support to do that. If it doesn't Direct Play then the transcode or streaming logs will help. Then you can convert your files before playing so it not doing all the work on the fly during playback Edited October 21, 2019 by FrostByte 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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