Double playback speed, no audio playback when multichannel source needs to downmix to stereo

[mackatini 4]

Hi guys,

I've had a weird issue for all the releases since 1.7.78g. If the source doesn't require transcoding and has a 5.1 audio track that requires local downmix to happen, I get no audio and the playback speed of the video appears to be doubled.

When I install version 1.7.78g everything works correctly.

All versions stream the same way, ie, no transcoding, with audio downmix.

I don't have any external soundbars or audio equipment, just the stereo speakers from the TV.

The TV is a JVC Smart TV. Granted not a great piece of kit, but as I say, it did work and then it didn't.

I have no such issues with external players like VLC, MX, or Kodi. They all seem to be fine.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ebr 14910]

Hi.  That version is quite old now.  Can you please play one of these items for just long enough to reproduce the problem and then send a log from the app?

Thanks.

[mackatini 4]

yes, it is quite an old version.

It appears to me that the problem lies within the android app, and not the server. As I said in my previous post the source doesn't require transcoding at all. It's a standard H264 movie with an AC3 5.1 soundtrack and it streams directly and only downmixes the audio locally on the TV, so it doesn't generate any transcode or playback logs on the server.

I looked at the release note for version 1.7.92 and they mention "Update to Exo 2.11.2 (Google only)". Could that have anything to do with it perhaps?

On the old version 1.7.78 which works fine, and any of the newer versions that dont work the attached screenshot stays the same.

Hope that helps.

[mackatini 4]

7 minutes ago, mackatini said:

yes, it is quite an old version.

It appears to me that the problem lies within the android app, and not the server. As I said in my previous post the source doesn't require transcoding at all. It's a standard H264 movie with an AC3 5.1 soundtrack and it streams directly and only downmixes the audio locally on the TV, so it doesn't generate any transcode or playback logs on the server.

I looked at the release note for version 1.7.92 and they mention "Update to Exo 2.11.2 (Google only)". Could that have anything to do with it perhaps?

On the old version 1.7.78 which works fine, and any of the newer versions that dont work the attached screenshot stays the same.

Hope that helps.

yes, it is quite an old version.

It appears to me that the problem lies within the android app, and not the server. As I said in my previous post the source doesn't require transcoding at all. It's a standard H264 movie with an AC3 5.1 soundtrack and it streams directly and only downmixes the audio locally on the TV, so it doesn't generate any transcode or playback logs on the server.

I looked at the release note for version 1.7.92 and they mention "Update to Exo 2.11.2 (Google only)". Could that have anything to do with it perhaps?

On the old version 1.7.78 which works fine, and any of the newer versions that dont work the attached screenshot stays the same.

Hope that helps.

Also worth mentioning that this is version 1.7.78 of the android TV app. Server is running the latest 4.4.3.0.

[ebr 14910]

Hi. I was asking for you to send a log from the app.  Instructions are linked in that post.

Thanks.

[mackatini 4]

Ah.. Apologies..

Ok, I started playback and it has no audio, video playing at double speed, then stopped it and sent log.

I was playing 5 days to war. H264 AC3 5.1

Time was 15:19 UTC-5

User logged in at the time was Mark.

 

[ebr 14910]

I'm seeing a bunch of this in your log:

09-03 22:18:01.931  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 563693016, 563693345, 22764000, 1105920, 1104672
09-03 22:18:02.432  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 564193661, 564193988, 23793000, 1155072, 1154064
09-03 22:18:02.941  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 564699063, 564702867, 24864000, 1205760, 1204464
09-03 22:18:03.445  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 565198592, 565207614, 25893000, 1254912, 1253856
09-03 22:18:03.952  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 565709055, 565714703, 26943000, 1305600, 1304256
09-03 22:18:04.460  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 566218068, 566222486, 27993000, 1354752, 1354656

Exo times it's video presentation based on the audio so this is probably the culprit.

Where did this item come from?  If you use Playback Correction to force transcoding, does it correct it?

[mackatini 4]

56 minutes ago, ebr said:

I'm seeing a bunch of this in your log:

09-03 22:18:01.931  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 563693016, 563693345, 22764000, 1105920, 1104672
09-03 22:18:02.432  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 564193661, 564193988, 23793000, 1155072, 1154064
09-03 22:18:02.941  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 564699063, 564702867, 24864000, 1205760, 1204464
09-03 22:18:03.445  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 565198592, 565207614, 25893000, 1254912, 1253856
09-03 22:18:03.952  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 565709055, 565714703, 26943000, 1305600, 1304256
09-03 22:18:04.460  8329  8477 W AudioTrack: Spurious audio timestamp (frame position mismatch): 0, 566218068, 566222486, 27993000, 1354752, 1354656

Exo times it's video presentation based on the audio so this is probably the culprit.

Where did this item come from?  If you use Playback Correction to force transcoding, does it correct it?

Encoded from my own DVD collection.

But I've noticed this with any video that has 5.1 channels regardless of Codec. AAC does it too, yet both AC3/AAC 2 channel, plays perfectly.

Yes, if I use playback correction to force transcoding, it solves the issue and then it encodes at 2 channel audio AAC.

This same video however, works perfectly on version 1.7.78g.

I can send you a l log using that version playing the same video if that would help.

 

[ebr 14910]

1 minute ago, mackatini said:

I can send you a l log using that version playing the same video if that would help.

You can try but I doubt that will tell us anything - just perhaps the absence of errors.

We are about to update Exo again in beta so you could try that when it is ready.

[mackatini 4]

1 minute ago, ebr said:

You can try but I doubt that will tell us anything - just perhaps the absence of errors.

We are about to update Exo again in beta so you could try that when it is ready.

I'll give that a go and provide feedback.. When will it be available for download?

 

[ebr 14910]

I don't know yet.  Also, you might investigate the settings for whatever you are using to rip these.

[mackatini 4]

5 minutes ago, ebr said:

I don't know yet.  Also, you might investigate the settings for whatever you are using to rip these.

I'm using handbrake to encode them, but to add a bit more info here. I am using the latest version of the app on a different device in the lounge and that works perfectly with the same content.

[ebr 14910]

I think there is likely something wrong or at least unusual with your Handbrake settings.  Exo has a very low tolerance for things that are out of spec.  What happens if you create one of these with something like makemkv?

[Carlo 4330]

Hi,

If you're on Windows I'd like to suggest you take a look at XMedia Recode. https://www.xmedia-recode.de/en/download.php

It has a nice easy to understand GUI and gives you complete control over tracks, convert, copy or illiminate.  So it can be used to remux or recode.

You can easily take DTS or DD tracks and make a default 2 channel stereo audio track, remove audio or subtitle tracks in languages you don't want/need.

You'll never go back to handbrake again after you use this tool.

I've been using it for years and it creates files that work great with Emby and Exo.

[mackatini 4]

5 hours ago, ebr said:

I think there is likely something wrong or at least unusual with your Handbrake settings.  Exo has a very low tolerance for things that are out of spec.  What happens if you create one of these with something like makemkv?

With respect,

I don't think the file is the issue. I have a lot of media that's been collected over many years and encoded with various pieces of software. Handbrake just happens to be the flavour of the month at the moment.

If we consider the following.

The media plays perfectly on a different device with the latest Android TV app. (Surely that rules out the media)

The media plays perfectly on the JVC TV using version 1.7.78g of the Android TV app.

Just to re-iterate, the problem only persists with multi-channel audio tracks. I have many other files also encoded with Handbrake that are 2 channel and they play perfectly.

I tried MakeMKV this afternoon. Same result. Multi-Channel doesn't work on any version newer than 1.7.78g, yet on a different device, works perfectly.

 

[ebr 14910]

It could very well be a device-specific problem in the player.

The new beta is up now if you would like to try it.

[mackatini 4]

I tried the beta version, unfortunately with no success. I'm getting exactly the same issue.

Just a little FYI. I have also installed Plex and that player works perfectly with all my media but there were some tweaks that I had to do to get it to work.

In the plex settings, under advanced, there is an option to set audio to passthrough, and then select what type of passthrough. The options were HDMI and Optical and Disabled. In both disabled and HDMI, the videos did not play, but when I switched to optical, another menu option appeared with optical encodings, AC3 and DTV as options. I have left both unticked, and that way everything works.

[mackatini 4]

Is there perhaps a new beta that I can try? I still can't get the latest version of emby for android TV to work.

[ebr 14910]

Hi.  There will be a new release soon but it does not change the player from that earlier beta.

[mackatini 4]

Understood. This is quite frustrating though. All other players, kodi, plex, vlc, mx player, all play the same content without an issue on my hardware. Are there any plans to look further into this problem?

[Luke 37057]

Hi there, can you provide a sample video for testing? Thanks.