Since Roku updated to latest firmware (9.4) all my video with AAC audio out of sync

[adammckay 0]

Chromecast has gotten a lot better since I last saw it.  It now has a remote that will do Power and Volume on your TV - the menus are also blazing fast.  With that feature alone, you can start to ignore the garbage firmware from the likes of TCL/Roku and just buy the dongle.

I got tired of waiting for this to get fixed and honestly, why would they care?  They already got our money.

[Gilgamesh_48 942]

26 minutes ago, metropical said:

I'll have to look at the new Apple TV and see if that is any better.

I was just forced to get an Apple TV and I found it barely usable. I thoroughly detest the pretty but hard to use and understand the interface and the remote they send with it is truly unusable.

I suppose it is better that no streaming device at all but it is really not much better. I had always said that I would avoid Apple "stuff" if at all possible but Spectrum made it impossible. My "new" Apple TV now sits in my equipment rack and gets almost no use because every device I own is so much better. The unfortunate thing is that Spectrum is in bed with Apple (Tied to the bed) and is unable to write an app that works or the Roku or the Fire devices or even the Shield Pro.

The redeeming feature for me is that Channels DVR works with the Spectrum system quite well and I do not have to use the crappy Apple TV device even for "live" TV or to record shows.

If all I had was the Apple TV device I suppose I could use it but it would be so painful that I might just revert to using a computer hooked to my TV for everything.

My Rokus are all better devices.
My Shield TV is a better device.
My Fire TV devices are all better devices.
Even my computer is a better device.

For me the bottom line is that I could not even use my Apple TV if I did not have a Harmony remote. The supplied remote is unusable for me and the device itself is almost disfunctional.

My recommendation is if at all possible use anything else for streaming. Most people will find their steaming lives more pleasant if they avoid Apple TV at all costs.If something were to happen that makes my Roku Ultras (my goto devices for streaming) unusable for streaming I would use my old Shield Pro as my first choice and my Fire 4K stick as my second.

[thegrunge 29]

@metropical

The firestick is the most compatible device. Apple tv does not support dts audio and the auto mode does not work well have to set it to 1080p 60fps

[Carlo 4330]

To me the Shield TV is as it can handle audio formats that no other device can. It can also direct play from the file system which most other HW devices can't do.
Shame it costs 3x as much as a firestick or MiBox.

[Lane03 14]

2 hours ago, ebr said:

Hi.  This is something we're highly resistant to.  As soon as we start adding switches to try and work around bugs in other systems, things can get very messy very quickly.  And, something like this, could cause a lot of problems for people who don't know what it actually does or why it is there.

Hi, I understand that but unfortunately if Roku doesn't get it fixed soon this may make people leave emby for Plex. I wouldn't think it would cause problems for users as otherwise Plex would've removed the option from their client for that same reason. You've made other changes in the past to align emby with Plex (such as reporting a movie as "direct streaming" instead of "transcoding" when in reality the audio is being transcoded). I totally get that this isn't emby's fault, but unfortunately your users are stuck between a rock and a hard place and if Roku won't fix it (not looking likely as the issue remains on firmware v10) then you're the only one who can. What about putting it in a separate "experimental test" setting section or something?

[ebr 14903]

If you enable the option to convert AAC audio to DD does it help?  Or are all these stereo AAC?

[vdatanet 1549]

15 minutes ago, cayars said:

To me the Shield TV is as it can handle audio formats that no other device can. It can also direct play from the file system which most other HW devices can't do.
Shame it costs 3x as much as a firestick or MiBox.

Yes, from a hardware capabilities standpoint, the Shield is hands down the best. In my case, from a content point of view, the best is Apple TV, I have tons of material purchased on iTunes with excellent quality (4K Dolby Vision, many HD purchases upgraded to 4K for free) At the moment I use both, the day the Apple TV+ application is available for the Shield (I hope it's soon), the Shield will become my main device.

[Lane03 14]

19 minutes ago, ebr said:

If you enable the option to convert AAC audio to DD does it help?  Or are all these stereo AAC?

That's what I've been doing for 5.1, but the issue also occurs with stereo AAC

[metropical 29]

Emby is much better supported than Plex.  Plex was OK when I first got it, but there were Mac issues then that took too long to get proper attention to.

The Emby devs and support have been 24 hrs and less for the most part.

I think the community is better too.

I'll have to look at Shield and Firestick.  But for now, as I said, the minor inconvenience of hitting the resync button on the gear is only bothering my right thumb.

All these devices need a decent connect app or simple BT kb access.

Edited May 17, 2021 by metropical

[thegrunge 29]

@metropical Indeed it is not emby the problem, but rather to develop them of applications for all the devices. Currently they seem more active with the firestick. I see bugs with the chromecast tv. I can't speak for the shield because I don't have one

Edited May 17, 2021 by thegrunge

[metropical 29]

who's they?  developers in general?

It'll be a long time before I drop $200 for a streaming box.  I work in TV and it ain't that important to me.

Is the picture in sync, is the sound decent?  Done.

[Carlo 4330]

2 minutes ago, metropical said:

Is the picture in sync, is the sound decent?  Done.

If you want high end sound that can play just about any audio codec there is really only one box to get.

[thegrunge 29]

@metropicalwith the firestick I have no problem with the different audio format. The majority of my users who use the firestick are still live reading. Today the trend is for android tv devices.

Edited May 18, 2021 by thegrunge

[negativzeroe 70]

On 5/17/2021 at 8:47 AM, ebr said:

Hi.  This is something we're highly resistant to.  As soon as we start adding switches to try and work around bugs in other systems, things can get very messy very quickly.  And, something like this, could cause a lot of problems for people who don't know what it actually does or why it is there.

You could have a "fixes" section like some game system emulators do. Just one page that outlines various issues and a quick description of the issues they are meant to fix.

[vdatanet 1549]

On 5/17/2021 at 6:32 PM, vdatanet said:

Yes, from a hardware capabilities standpoint, the Shield is hands down the best. In my case, from a content point of view, the best is Apple TV, I have tons of material purchased on iTunes with excellent quality (4K Dolby Vision, many HD purchases upgraded to 4K for free) At the moment I use both, the day the Apple TV+ application is available for the Shield (I hope it's soon), the Shield will become my main device.

Apple TV+ is now available for Android TV. I’m afraid that Nvidia Shield is close to be my main device. I just need gapless audio playback for Android TV. 

[sekondchakra 5]

I've been having audio glitching/stuttering every 5 to 10 seconds for a few months now.  Thought there were way too many variables to try and figure out what could be causing it.  Didn't seem to be in every file, just occasioally.  I have a Roku Ultra runnng v10.0.0, build 4209-46.  It's really bad in the file I'm watching now, and I decided to do a quick search...which led me here.   This is an .mkv with an AAC audio 192Kbs.  I don't have anything to add towards a solution, but I guess it's comforting on some level to know I didn't screw something up inadvertently. 

Earlier in this thread there is mention of transcoding...Is that a setting I can change, or...?  Is that a premium feature?

Edited July 20, 2021 by sekondchakra

[speechles 1917]

When this happens you can press DOWN on the Roku remote control. It will open the On Screen Display. Find the Cog/Gear and click it this will open Playback Settings. Inside Playback Settings is the Attempt Playback Correction button. Press that once to force a remux which should fix it. If it isn't fixed after pressing Attempt Playback Correction you can press it again to force full transcoding.

The audio sync issue is a problem Roku caused since firmware 9.4.x.

Edited July 21, 2021 by speechles

[Lane03 14]

@speechlesyes, that does fix it - but it has to be done manually every time. Could we pretty please get an option to force this automatically? It doesn't look like Roku has any intention of fixing it...

[speechles 1917]

1 hour ago, Lane03 said:

@speechlesyes, that does fix it - but it has to be done manually every time. Could we pretty please get an option to force this automatically? It doesn't look like Roku has any intention of fixing it...

I guess we can try.

I need to get with @ebr to come up with a fool proof system. Where it is accessed in the same way as Attempt Playback Correction through the Playback Settings menu. Call it "Force Audio Sync" and whenever that is enabled it will never direct play an item. It has to have a name related to why you would use it. Calling it force audio sync should work.

Stay tuned...

References:
Issue #1131: OS 9.4 - Force Audio Sync to compensate for Roku breaking direct play
Issue #1117: [OS 10] HE-AAC out of sync

Edited July 21, 2021 by speechles

[thegrunge 29]

it's curious, i have a roku tv and the rare times i have this problem i restart the tv and i'm ok for a bit.

[sekondchakra 5]

3 hours ago, speechles said:

When this happens you can press DOWN on the Roku remote control. It will open the On Screen Display. Find the Cog/Gear and click it this will open Playback Settings. Inside Playback Settings is the Attempt Playback Correction button. Press that once to force a remux which should fix it. If it isn't fixed after pressing Attempt Playback Correction you can press it again to force full transcoding.

The audio sync issue is a problem Roku caused since firmware 9.4.x.

Good tip, thanks!  I didn't know about this option.  I manually ran a problematic file thru handbrake (out to an .mp4) which seemed to have fixed the issue for that file.  Good to know there's an in-remote solution.  

[speechles 1917]

34 minutes ago, thegrunge said:

it's curious, i have a roku tv and the rare times i have this problem i restart the tv and i'm ok for a bit.

It is a memory management issue. Their garbage collection runs during video playback and its supposed to happen behind Vsync. Because all Roku run at 60fps. I can tell on the new Roku Express 4K+ that there is some unoptimized code running on it. There are certain things that run in a weird slowdown/speedup behavior. Like it isn't able to constantly keep 60 frames per second and has to chase to keep up.

Roku needs to fix their ship. We can only trim the sails. We can't fix the rudder. They keep turning us and we keep having to trim sails and either jibe or tack our way out of it to stay on course. Sailing is a good analogy for this. Imagine you can only turn the ship by using sails while the captain gets to turn the rudder any damn way he pleases and you are expected to keep a straight course. It can be done but it is very difficult.

[thegrunge 29]

one thing can say on the other hand all the hdmi inputs lagg because my tlc tv has roku built-in.  the are image offset.  so my chromecast and my ps4 must go through my amplifier to avoid this problem of audio lag.