Google chromecast w Google tv stuttering but chromecast ultra works

[Bhawks_2 0]

Hi all,

I'm having a strange problem. I've used emby in combination with a chromecast ultra connected to an older Samsung smart tv (4k) without problem. Recently I decided to upgrade my chromecast to the new chromecast with Google tv. Put the new one in, connected it to wired network just like the old chromecast. All services work flawlessly, except for Emby. Any movie I try to play (or at least the 4 I've tried so far) are completely unwatchable. Constant stuttering and buffering. When I try the old chromecast, no problem. Even tried an old v1 full HD chromecast, also works. But the new one with Google tv stutters. 

Clearly the issue is related to the new device. Maybe something to do with codec support our something. Because of another post over here I looked at advanced audio settings, but there isn't anything I can set there. So I'm stomped.

Anyone else recognize this? Or have any clue what might be causing it?

Thanks in advance,

Stefan 

[ebr 16184]

 

Hi there, let's look at an example. Please attach the information requested in how to report a media playback issue. Thanks!

 

[Bhawks_2 0]

Hi, I've attached the server log. As an example I started playing a movie at 18:34 my time. Stuttering again. I just played a couple of minutes, but that should be enough?

 

embyserver.txt

[Bhawks_2 0]

Oh, and by the way: the problem isn't app dependent. It happens when I use the native Emby app on the Chromecast, when I use the Android app on my phone and cast to the Chromecast and same for the IOS app on my iPad. 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Bhawks_2

[Luke 42078]

Hi.  Can you try sideloading our standard android app on the same device and see how that compares?

https://emby.media/emby-for-android.html

Thanks.

 

[Bhawks_2 0]

I haven't yet figured out how to sideload apps to the Chromecast, but would that matter? The problem also appears when I play on my Android or IOS Emby app and then just cast to the Chromecast. That shouldn't even use the Chromecast version of the app?

 

[ebr 16184]

21 hours ago, Bhawks_2 said:

Oh, and by the way: the problem isn't app dependent. It happens when I use the native Emby app on the Chromecast, when I use the Android app on my phone and cast to the Chromecast and same for the IOS app on my iPad. 

 

That would possibly imply a network bottleneck at the device.  Can you try hooking it up wirelessly?

[Bhawks_2 0]

It can't be network, since when I replace the chromecast with the older ultra in the exact same setup everything runs smoothly. Plus, it's a gigabit network, throughput is not an issue. It has to be something in the new chromecast. My bet would be that it thinks it can run a certain codec and then have to decode on the fly leading to performance issues. And the older chromecast thinking it can't use the same codec? But I can't figure out what

 

[ebr 16184]

1 hour ago, Bhawks_2 said:

t can't be network, since when I replace the chromecast with the older ultra in the exact same setup everything runs smoothly. Plus, it's a gigabit network, throughput is not an issue. It has to be something in the new chromecast.

It could be related to the network implementation on the device.  99% of people use these devices wirelessly so I imagine that's where all the development and testing goes so it is worth a test...

[Luke 42078]

@Bhawks_2 has this helped? Are you still having an issue with this?

[Bhawks_2 0]

Unfortunately yes. It was a valid suggestion (although it would have surprised me since the older chromecasts didn't have a problem), so I tried it on wifi instead of wired. No difference, still stuttering and buffering. Still think it's somehow codec related, but still haven't found anything  

[Luke 42078]

@Bhawks_2are you still running into this following the latest Android updates?

[Bhawks_2 0]

The problem still exists. I'm not aware of any recent Android updates?

[Luke 42078]

On 10/31/2022 at 5:37 PM, Bhawks_2 said:

The problem still exists. I'm not aware of any recent Android updates?

What version of the Emby app are you on now?

[Bhawks_2 0]

I'm always on the latest version, currently 4.7.8 for Debian/Ubuntu

[nospotify 184]

This seems related to the problems reported in this thread, below.  Have any Emby developers purchased a CCHDwGTV to try to replicate and debug these problems?

 

 

[Bhawks_2 0]

Might very well be. I've tried plex in the mean time, same problem! But to make it more complex, on all chromecasts, so also on the older one that does play emby. Call me stomped

[Luke 42078]

@Bhawks_2 Are you still having an issue with this? 

Can you try sideloading our standard android app on the same device and see how that compares?

https://emby.media/emby-for-android.html

Thanks.

 

[Bhawks_2 0]

For no clear reason the problem seems to have gone. Haven't experienced it now for a couple of weeks. Was so tired of it I bought a separate media player to get around it, but that's now no longer needed. Probably something got upgraded somewhere to solve the problem. Not a clue what/where though...

[swehawk 7]

@Bhawks_2Is your GCCTV the HD or the 4k version?

[Bhawks_2 0]

The 4k 

[turpentine 17]

@Bhawks_2

 

i have posted the answers here

 

 

Google chromecast with android TV just sucks. this is not the same chip handling h265 or h264.

For 1080p h264 vids, it cannot support bitrates more than 24 megabit/s

For 4k 2160p videos coded in h265 codec, it can support bitrates up to 100 megabit/s

 

yes the chromecast ultra is older but still better. it can support 1080p vids at full bluray bitrate speed (around 35 megabit/s)

google engineers tricked us.

They have done a chromecast with worse performance than before.

 

the chromecast ultra is stil better than the google tv chromecast.

Edited April 6, 2023 by turpentine

[Bhawks_2 0]

Like I said above, the issue now seems to be gone for me. On 1080p content as well. It used to appear on all content, and now not at all. Haven't checked the codecs but I doubt all I tried before were high bitrate h264 and now none. 

I would think a software issue that somehow got resolved seems more likely than hardware 

[turpentine 17]

It occurs only on h264 vids more than 24 mb/s on new Google tv  Chromecast it Is not a software issue and not network as well (fiber). On Chromecast ultra with less ram, High bitrates h264 simply works. Maybe you had several combined issues