Live TV channel fails to load but works on different app

[Flintfamily 6]

I am regulary having the same issue with the same channel. I get a loading icon, then black screen, then after a minute a message saying no compatible streams. However when I check the channel on a separate mobile app it plays fine. This is an intermittent, ongoing issue some days it works then the next I can start the channel. I would really appreciate someone helping me to troubleshoot using the log (attached).

embyserver(3).txt

[Luke 42079]

Hi there @Flintfamily can you please attach the ffmpeg log as well? Thanks.

[Flintfamily 6]

Here you go.

ffmpeg-transcode-af39a7b6-2850-49ad-8154-9f0444621e8e_1.txt

[Luke 42079]

As a test, if you try Chrome, how does that compare?

[Flintfamily 6]

As I mentioned it's intermittent. At the moment the channel is working I will have to try to recreate or want until it happens again. I will reply when I can test this. Any ideas from the logs?

[Flintfamily 6]

Should mention though at the same time I did try the mobile app on mobile network and it wouldn't play on that either.

[Luke 42079]

Is this HD Homerun? 

[Flintfamily 6]

No, standard setup.

[Luke 42079]

What do you mean by standard setup? What kind of Live TV?

[Flintfamily 6]

Sorry I mean it's an m3u playlist link

[ebr 16184]

On 12/16/2021 at 1:06 AM, Flintfamily said:

This is an intermittent, ongoing issue some days it works then the next I can start the channel

To me, this just looks like the data is being delivered incredibly slowly:

05:52:59.365 frame=    1 fps=0.4 q=0.0 size=      26kB time=00:00:01.06 bitrate=N/A throttle=off speed=   0x    
05:52:59.763 frame=    8 fps=2.6 q=0.0 size=      31kB time=00:00:01.28 bitrate=1204.8kbits/s throttle=off speed=0.0706x    
05:53:00.363 frame=   12 fps=3.3 q=0.0 size=      31kB time=00:00:01.28 bitrate=1204.8kbits/s throttle=off speed=0.059x    
05:53:01.247 frame=   19 fps=4.3 q=0.0 size=      36kB time=00:00:01.49 bitrate= 697.7kbits/s throttle=off speed=0.0963x    
05:53:01.904 frame=   24 fps=4.7 q=0.0 size=      36kB time=00:00:01.49 bitrate= 697.7kbits/s throttle=off speed=0.083x    
05:53:02.410 frame=   26 fps=4.6 q=0.0 size=      37kB time=00:00:01.53 bitrate= 653.5kbits/s throttle=off speed=0.0821x    

 

[Flintfamily 6]

Thanks @ebr. The question that inevitably follows is why would that be happening given I can play the same stream through a different app with the same internet connection and it plays with no issue. In this instance it's not as if the channel is opening and then buffering, the channel completely fails to load with an error message about compatible streams.

[ebr 16184]

12 hours ago, Flintfamily said:

The question that inevitably follows is why would that be happening given I can play the same stream through a different app with the same internet connection and it plays with no issue

You said the issue was intermittent...

As for the error - I think the player is probably getting data so slowly that it cannot reasonably continue so it is just giving up.

It is possible that it is something in your Emby configuration or hardware that is causing the slowdown (like a problem on the transcoding temp drive) as well.

[Flintfamily 6]

Not sure if intermittent is exactly the correct description. Periodic might be better. I might investigate this a little more but at the moment I've noticed that I have this issue with only one channel (that I regularly use hence notice) and when it occurs it remains inaccessible for a period of time, after which, usually the next day or more I will try it again and it works fine. However, when it's not working through Emby I have then tested it on a mobile IPTV app and I find it's working on that app despite not being accessible through Emby.

If it's a config/hardware issue is it likely that it would only be affecting one channel? As I've said when that channel is not working I can still use Emby to watch other channels okay.

[Carlo 4561]

Take note when it's playing well and look at the log ebr quoted above to see what the bitrate is as well as speed value.  1.0 is realtime.  2.0 is twice as fast as needed (movies, show libraries).  Live TV will always be right around 1 (roughly) but not 0.08 which means it's processing the stream at roughly 8% of the speed needed. This is also reflected in the fps value (frames per second).

Do you know why this TV channel is transcoding vs direct playing or remuxxing?  Do you have an Intel CPU with QuickSync or any kind of GPU in your Emby Server? That would be of definite help with transcoding speeds. Transcoding in software is as your log shows is usually the last resort.

[Molboen 0]

I have the same problem.

I use M3U + XMLTV with a tvheadend server. Some of my channels don't work from time to time. I guess it's a codec thing for specific movies/shows that screws it up.
In tvheadend I use the pass-profile. Another thing I tried, is piping to ffmpeg from tvheadend, which gives the same errors, so I think it's a ffmpeg problem?
I have attached the non-working raw ts. Emby only shows a black screen, when playing back. The file plays in VLC with some glitching at the beginning.

ffmpeg-remux-f5de8f57-b176-458b-bb42-808686b2d5e6_1.txt dvb-notworking.ts

[Flintfamily 6]

Thanks @cayars, I will take a look at the channel later today. Interesting you mention the transcoding, no there is no reason it should be transcoding rather than direct playing as my speed is well above what's needed for that bitrate. I do have a GPU and hardware transcoding is enabled and does work normally. No idea why its resorting to software transcoding.

I have not delved too much into my logs in the past but I will take a closer look and come back with any q's that might crop up.

@Molboen, thanks for the comment but I don't use tvheadend so I'm not sure how much relevance it has to my situation. What is pass-profile?

[Molboen 0]

@Flintfamily I'm pretty sure it boils down to a problem with ffmpeg and not Emby. The pass-profile in tvheadend sends the stream as is to Emby (ffmpeg).

[Carlo 4561]

I just took a look at your sample media in Media Info and it's showing different FPS (frames per second) for video and audio (mp2) which is a bit strange.
If I add this to a library and play it back selecting AC3 it gives and error. If I select mp2 audio it plays with no video.  This makes sense to me.

It's a bad stream if the sample is just like the stream.  Now we need to see if it's this way originally or only when going through TVH.

What happens if you create a new m3u file with just this channel in it using the direct stream (not through TVH). You could change the channel name in the file to "test" or something.
Add this m3u file as a new tuner in Emby.  Then after the guide reloads try playing it back and see if playback is different then when going through TVH.

Another test you could try is have TVH force a transcode for this channel before handing it off to Emby.

Do you have Emby running in docker or is it running directly on the host in Ubuntu?
What GPU do you have?

In transcoding setup what do you see for the hardware decode settings under mpeg-2?
Same for hardware encoding of H.264? 

[Molboen 0]

This ts-file was captured directly from /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 tuned to the problematic channel, so it should be the raw stream from my cable provider.

Emby is running directly on the host. My Quadro P2000 is activated for H.264, H.265 encoding and MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264, H.265, VP9 decoding.

This log is using the built-in transcoder in tvheadend ("av-lib" I think). This results in the player loading, but not playing (as opposed to the player never loading on the pass-profile).
The transcoded stream is working fine in the tvheadend browser UI.

dvb-notworking2.ts ffmpeg-directstream-a1f12a5d-0b33-4987-a7cc-1477873dfeb6_1.txt

[Luke 42079]

@Molboen can you try lowering the in-app quality setting to force a full transcode of the video? We're trying to play the original video stream as-is, and it could be that the browser is having trouble with it.

[Molboen 0]

4 hours ago, Luke said:

@Molboen can you try lowering the in-app quality setting to force a full transcode of the video? We're trying to play the original video stream as-is, and it could be that the browser is having trouble with it.

Forcing 480p 1mbps works. The channel plays fine, but there is a problem with stuttering the first couple of minutes. This is a common problem with all channels on the web player.

I just tried installing the EmbyCon plugin on my kodi box. The problematic channels do indeed play without trouble. The original ts-file also plays fine.

On my smart tv it works too. Direct Play Live TV does not work tho.

[Luke 42079]

We'll take a look at it. Thanks.