Audio sync issues whenever transcoding

[Thomas64 38]

Hey Folks -

For the past few months, I have been having Audio Sync issues with anything I play through the Web Interface that requires transcoding - including Live TV.

This happens on different computers, with different releases of W10 (1903 to 20H2) - all on my internal network. Happens with Chrome, FireFox, and Edge (both original and Chromium version).

Hitting the "skip back" button will get the audio in sync again for a few minutes, then it slowly gets out of whack again.

I had not intentionally made any setting changes - though I am now running Emby 4.5.3.0. I beleive it may have started when I upgraded to 4.5.2. I didn't worry about it at the time thinking it would clear up auto-magically or with the next release.

But - now running 4.5.3.0, and still happening.

Could someone suggest any settings that may be beneficial to check or change to see if it clears it up? I turned off "Enable hardware acceleration when available" on the transcoding page and rebooted - that made no difference.

My Emby Server hardware is nothing special, but has been rock solid so far (knock on wood). Just an old Dell i660, with 8gb mem, O/S is on SSD, other 3 drives are 72k RPM HDD, and it has a Intel i5 quad core something or another processor.. No special video card - just the onboard GPU. Running W10 Pro 2004 (just recently updated from 1909 - holding off on 20H2, as long as it will let me).

Edited December 10, 2020 by Thomas64

[Luke 37129]

Hi there, can we please look at an example? Please attach the information requested in how to report a media playback issue. thanks !

[Thomas64 38]

Here you go, Luke.

I started watching a recording of NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt about 00:13 via Edge Chromium (on a W10 20H2 machine, with latest updates for everything).

I shutdown and restarted Emby Server Software (not the machine) just before doing so. Attached are the different logs from around that time - as well as screen shots of the Media Info and Stats for Nerds.

This time around - it actually only got out of sync a couple times, go figure... Usually it is more (even when there is no other activity - watching or recording - going on).

I always scratched my head over why this program transcodes in the first place - but the nuts and bolts of the codecs and all that is a bit beyond my understanding..

 

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Thomas64
Deleted attachment

[Luke 37129]

Quote

I always scratched my head over why this program transcodes

@Thomas64 It's no mystery. The browser does not support mpeg2, therefore it needs to be converted.

[Thomas64 38]

Ah - ok. This probably blantantly shows my ignorance on the nuts and bolts, but I guess I don't get why with different recordings off the same Cable Card & HDHomerun Prime need to be transcoded and some don't.
I get it with different types of media from different sources.
But with Comcast - just expected it would all come across and/or get saved with the same specifics. Modern technology! So much better and thus more complicated than the Analog Cable days! LOL

Anyway - the fact that it transcodes really isn't a concern, as it used to work perfectly so I never paid much attention to it.

I looked at some of the logs this afternoon and saw the references to QuickSync - which I didn't even realize the server computer was capable of..
Went into Advanced settings in Transcoding (instead of just leaving the setting at YES) and turned off all the options but QuickSync, rebooted no change.
Did it again and turned off the QuickSync D3D11 (leaving only plain QuickSync enabled) - rebooted no change. I turned this off because I found specific documentation that the machine supports QuickSync, but nothing specifically about D3D11.

Tried watching something live off of COMET which needed transcoding for each setting change. Audio got out of sync after a few minutes everytime, jumping back (set to 10 seconds) gets it to play nice for a bit then it screws up again, so on and so forth. The video gets behind the audio, and the longer it is left alone - the worse it gets.

I've never messed with many of the settings in the Emby Server, for fear of royally srewing something up. Only mess with stuff like auto update and such - stuff I am comfortable with.
Figure you guys know what settings would work for the detailed stuff way better than me. (Evidence being first comment.. LOL)

So, maybe a windows update or such has mucked up the works. Or, it is time for a new computer or dedicated video card.

[Thomas64 38]

Poked around with this for a bit more (err.. a lot more) today.. Figured it is broken anyway, so how much harm could I do..

Found the Intel Video drivers were pretty old - so updated to the latest with high hopes. No change.

I messed around with choosing each one of the Decoders/Encoders individually that are listed, playing the same recording on my laptop with Edge Chromium. The only one that actually kicked in was the "plain" QuickSync Intel(R) HD Graphics option. The others all show Software transcoding is in use on the Dashboard. QuickSync will keep the audio in check with the video - but the video quality is horrific. For now, seems I get the best results with just turning off Transcoding Hardware Accelertaion altogether and dealing with skipping back to get the audio realigned as necessary for items which need transcoded.

I dunno what has messed this all up. But definitely never had these transcoding issues before. I even tried turning on the "Automatically process video to enhance it" option under Apps in W10 out of desperation.. LOL

I see in one of the posts under Hardware a Quadro P400 video card is recommended as a low need transcoding solution. Maybe I'll try that out first - before going down the road of replacing the whole machine..

[Carlo 4330]

For a few bucks more you can get a GTX 1650 which has newer architecture.  These run $150 & up on Amazon and work like a charm with Emby.

[Thomas64 38]

Cayars - thanks for the tip, I will go with that model..

Looks like Amazon and Newegg are having stock issues.. Christmas and/or COVID wreaking havoc I imagine.

Wish I could figure out what caused this to start happening - but the time already spent on it with no results, versus throwing 150 to 200 bucks at it (and ending up with more functionality) - seems to make throwing in the towel and getting the dedicated video card a better choice..

Though, looks like it may be after the fist of the year before I will be able to get the thing. Haven't used TigerDirect for ages, maybe I'll have to see what they have in stock..

Thanks again!!

 

[Carlo 4330]

There are other models to consider as well, but I'd try to pick up a model based on the newest "Turing" architecture.

Be patient and just wait if needed to after Christmas and then snag one.

I purchased this one for $159.99 on Oct 27th this year (1.5 months ago) and now they are $300 due to limited supply, nearly double the price in just over a month.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BNRR5SJ/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
As soon as stock is replenished the prices will drop again.

Right now anything with limited supply will have some price gouging so best to wait a bit.

[Luke 37129]

Quote

but I guess I don't get why with different recordings off the same Cable Card & HDHomerun Prime need to be transcoded and some don't.

Perhaps the ones that don't transcode were broadcast in h264, which the browser does support.

[Carlo 4330]

That's exactly what I see Luke.  On a Prime in my area for both Xfinity and Verizon FIOS there is a mix and match of video codecs used.   It seems both use mpeg2 for any station that is also OTA (local) and uses h.264 for anything not OTA.

Thus anything I record on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX will be much larger files compared to CNN, Fox News, ESPN, Hallmark Channel, etc

Because of the codec differences Emby Server will often have to transcode the local station since they use mpeg2 video while can often just direct play/stream the network stations that have h.264.

[Thomas64 38]

Cayars - Thanks for the advice on the Video Card. I will look for one with the "Turing" architecture. Hope to be able to get one in January!

Cayars / Luke - Looks like you guys are onto something.. Here is a snapshot of a few channels from the HDHomeRun web interface - the NBC Nightly News program that needs transcoding is recorded off of channel 1012.

All the "cable only" channels show AVC HD, and the ones available OTA locally show HD only. Unfortunately, out of the 326 channels the HDHomeRun finds - none of the OTA available ones have an alternate AVC HD enabled version.

Have another question for you guys.. I see a "The Direct3D version of the decoder does not match the encoder" error in the ffmpeg-transcode log. It may have always been there - I've never had a reason to look at it before. Is that normal? I ran DXDIAG, and it comes back saying everything is OK (and that I have DirectX version 12 installed). I am thinking just maybe this is why I am having the audio sync issue now..??

Thanks again!!!

Edited December 18, 2020 by Thomas64

[Luke 37129]

Right that's not an error, nothing to worry about with that.

[Carlo 4330]

I believe that's just a check of what the system can do in hardware vs software.

The system then uses this info to know what can be done in hardware and what needs to be done in software when transcoding.  Nothing to worry about at all.
When you get the Nvidia GPU, you'll notice it to be different yet in a good way.

[Luke 37129]

Hi, has this helped?

[Thomas64 38]

Hey Luke -

Thanks for checking!

Nothing has changed as far as the transcoding audio issues (for the MPEG2 video based recordings). I am hoping to find a fair priced, in-stock GTX 1650 graphic card sometime soon!

I've just used Theater for anything that would need transcoded in a browser. Though I've found the older client PC I use (Acer RL100) at my TV does not handle direct playing 1080i very well, for whatever reason (choppy playback). It handles anything playing via Edge Chromium without issue, though. Not in front of it right now, but I switched Theater between the option of GPU and the other one - GPU works better, but still a bit choppy.

Honestly - I've not put much more time into tinkering with it.. Figuring as soon as I can get a dedicated video card - things will go back to the way they were.. (Worry free unnoticed transcoding bliss, LOL..)

[Thomas64 38]

Woo Hoo!

I just came across an ASUS branded version of the GTX 1650 at Newegg for $190 and ordered it.

ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 TUF-GTX1650-O4GD6-P-GAMING Video Card - Newegg.com

Though I was perfectly happy with how everything worked before I started having the audio sync transcode issues, I'm looking forward to seeing how much better everything is with a dedicated card. I never would have messed with it if the issue hadn't cropped up.. Just took the approach - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Especially since I didn't really ever get into the nuts and bolts of codecs and transcoding and such - everything just worked as is. But in a way - it is good this happened - I now know more than I did before! It wasn't quite as complicated as I thought it would be, and I don't seem to have made anything worse in the process!

Thanks again for your help Luke and Cayars!

I'll update once the thing is installed and transcoding away. (Knock on wood!) Expected delivery is around Jan. 6th.

[Carlo 4330]

Bad News on that GPU,                                                                                                                                                                                                                   that it won't arrive until Jan 6th.

I'm quite happy with my 1650 and think it's a perfect GPU for Emby. I've got 2 HEVC conversions going 24/7 in the background while Emby's running and transcoding.  I'm using the Nvidia unlock on mine to bypass the stream limit.

[Corteq 3]

Did you ever get this resolved? I am having the same problem on two PC's and one of them is only about 6 months old. Ryzen 9 3950X, RTX 2080, 64GB RAM Windows 10 20H2. My other system is a couple of years old but still pretty grunty. Obviously it is not a hardware issue so I wouldn't go running out buying expensive upgrades to try and solve this.

All my movies are mkv and are not dropping frames. Symptoms are - playback is fine for about 30-60 seconds, then audio precedes video by quite a bit. Rewinding fixes the problem for about another 30-60 seconds only.

Emby Server resides on a Windows 2012 Virtual Server and there has been no changes there. My theory is Windows 10 20H2 upgrade is the culprit. It seems the only thing that has changed recently.

[Corteq 3]

Thought I should create a new topic for this rather than hijack this one  I hope Thomas64 has fixed this. If so please post your solution.

[Thomas64 38]

Hey Corteq -

Unfortunately, adding the dedicated video card did not solve the Audio issue. It stills gets out of Sync just as you described for anything that needs transcoding, which is usually just MPEG2 video for my setup.

I think my issue started before I upgraded the Server computer to 20H2, or the client computer I typically use for playback. I really think it was an M/S Update that started the issue - maybe a pre 20H2 update to prepare for 20H2. The catch-22 of trying to stay up to date!

I should have reported back - but I've had some other things going on and hadn't gotten back to fiddling with it after installing the card.

I did install Theater on the client computer, and use that for anything that would otherwise need transcoded in a browser. It was a quick workaround - I'd rather just be able to use only the browser again. Nothing against Theater - I like it, just trying to keep it simple as possible. Since I use the browser for Netflix, Tune In, and other things - it is just a one stop shopping preference for me.

Luke / Cayars - I am really glad I added the dedicated video card. The video image is definitely much better on transcodes. If the Audio part ever gets resolved (from Microsoft I suspect) - it will be a beautiful thing! I did end up getting a lower end card - the Asus GeForce GT 710 2GB GDDR5..

I realized after ordering the 1650 that the stock power supply in the machine I use as a Server didn't have the extra connectors to supply additional power to the card. I looked at splitter/converter cables - but was afraid of overloading the PSU, and starting an avalance of upgrades that would be money better spent just to replace the whole "server"..

[Corteq 3]

Thanks for that update. As you and I are both experiencing the same issue there have to be others. I just tested Emby Theatre again and you are right, this does work, so that is a possible work around, but like you, my preference is a browser.

[Thomas64 38]

Hey Luke / Cayars -

I might have stumbled onto something this evening in my environment... It looks like just maybe the problem is isolated to playing a transcoding file on a W10 20H2 machine, and not the actual transcoding of the file itself on a 20H2 server. Odd! And, I guess this coincides with what Corteq is experiencing..

Before I installed the video card - I was having the new audio issues playing transcoding files on any of the computers I had no matter the version. Tonight, I happened to watch something on my work issued laptop - which is still 1903 - which had to transcode while playing, and it worked perfectly! (It was having the same audio issue as my personal machines before..)

This weekend I will test this more, as I have installed all the latest rounds of updates to W10, Edge Chromium and FireFox on my home 20H2 computers. The work laptop updates are out of my control - bundled once a month, though Chrome gets updates as they hit their release channel.

I know this is really vague - but I'm excited that maybe it is NOT a problem originating from the actual server setup (now)!

Edited January 29, 2021 by Thomas64

[Corteq 3]

Are you having the same issue with Firefox? From my testing I find Opera and Firefox to play perfectly and the issue seems tied to Chrome. As New Edge is built on Chrome the core functionality will be the same. I don't think this is a Windows 10 20H2 issue and I am certain it is not hardware related although the upgrades you are talking about would be beneficial to you for other reasons.

I have marked this as solved (well sort of) by using alternative browsers. This is not my preference, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. I am very interested in your experience this weekend when you do some testing. Try Opera and let us know how you get on.

[Carlo 4330]

Hi, Interesting info @Thomas64.

Yes, please update us on what you find testing this weekend for sure!