Android App framerate issue vs Android TV app

[bruor 43]

Using Chromecast with Google TV.  Some streams do not play properly in the mobile app when sideloaded.  Providing feedback since the mobile app will overtake the TV app at some point.  

Videos with stats for nerds and Logs attached

embyserver.txt video2-AndroidTV_app-ffmpeg-directstream-fff9ad7d-75d9-4c0a-8f71-97cc81934a29_1.txt video1-sideload_app-ffmpeg-directstream-33e72a4c-0971-4693-aa34-49321b68460a_1.txt

[ebr 16172]

Hi.  What is not playing properly about it?

[bruor 43]

If you watch the 1st video you can see that the playback is very jerky, and then it skips at one point (scrolling text is easiest to see) the audio plays fine though

2nd vid is smooth

No issues with the phone app on my pixel 6 pro, only on my CCwGTV.  It happens on both the 4K and HD variant. 

[Jam_Lai 1]

still waiting for the android tv app update... seems last update was 6 months ago..:( , my sony tv cannot install android app...

[ebr 16172]

4 hours ago, Jam_Lai said:

my sony tv cannot install android app

Why not?

[Jam_Lai 1]

16 hours ago, ebr said:

Why not?

ok now, i guess i needed to install v8a version...it was failed..last night, i tried v7a version, it works now..

but not as TV version as much settings can be set with.

[Luke 42077]

9 hours ago, Jam_Lai said:

ok now, i guess i needed to install v8a version...it was failed..last night, i tried v7a version, it works now..

but not as TV version as much settings can be set with.

Hi, what do you mean exactly about settings?

[Jam_Lai 1]

16 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi, what do you mean exactly about settings?

such as enhanced home screen........

[seanbuff 1316]

52 minutes ago, Jam_Lai said:

such as enhanced home screen........

There is, it's just not named that. Suggest you explore your user 'Home Screen' settings 

[Luke 42077]

Have you explored the focus preview Home Screen option?

[bruor 43]

Where is this setting you're talking about and what does it do?  I can't find any reference to it and Google searches are only coming up with forum results that don't mention how to enable it. 

[FrostByte 5392]

It's under the Home Screen settings as mentioned above.  ET equivalent of ATV's Enhanced Home screen option.

[seanbuff 1316]

7 hours ago, Luke said:

Have you explored the focus preview Home Screen option?

It's not even called focus preview anymore, why did it change again?

I feel it's needs a more meaningful title, otherwise hardly anyone will even notice it's there.

[bruor 43]

Is that only visible in the non TV Android app if you're using it on a TV device?  It doesn't show up on mobile as an option. 

[seanbuff 1316]

4 minutes ago, bruor said:

Is that only visible in the non TV Android app if you're using it on a TV device?  It doesn't show up on mobile as an option. 

It is only an option when the app is displayed in "TV Mode"

So while it does work on a mobile device if you force it to TV Mode, it is completely impractical for that form-factor, best used for large landscape screens.

[bruor 43]

That's pretty cool functionality, thanks! 

[bruor 43]

So I've found that the frame rate issues on CCwGTV On the latest Android app go away if you manually force a bitrate limit change on the playing stream. (app settings playback bitrate limit seems to be ignored on LAN) 

For example, I started a channel stream, stats for nerds shows direct play 8mbps.  Quality shows Auto 720p - 10mbps.  If I manually change it to 720p - 10mbps, stats for nerds shows direct play still, but playback has no frame rate issues. If I leave the stream and restart it, the quality setting sticks, but the frame rate issues is present until another quality setting is selected. 

[bruor 43]

I've just noticed that when the app attempts to use MediaCodec as the renderer, the issue occurs, when changing the playback quality it will sometimes switch the renderer to ffmpeg which plays the streams without issue.  

[bruor 43]

I switched over to the beta Android TV app and have the same issue as the sideloaded app. 

All this testing (along with a new server) seems to have maxed out my device license count. I need to wait for some to fall off before I can do any more troubleshooting. 

[bruor 43]

I had to upgrade my license in order to keep  troubleshooting.  

I attempted to use an external player with the sideloaded app and unfortunately they seem to have similar issues displaying the streams. 
I tried
-vlc: attempts to open and exits immediately
-mpv: similar playback issues to sideloaded app
-mx player: worked as expected for some channels but not others 
-chromecast from emby app on my phone:  stream display is slowed 

I've used solid explorer to export the current Android TV app apk just in case an update comes through the store and breaks playback.

Attaching a logcat during which I used the sideloaded app to play the stream for a few seconds, and then used the ATV app to play the same stream.
I think the issue has to do with the following entry in the logs at 16:46 which would align with when the 1st attempt to play the stream happened. 
 

MediaCodecInfo: NoSupport [sizeAndRate.cover, 1280x720@59.939998626708984] [OMX.amlogic.avc.decoder.awesome2, video/avc] [sabrina, Chromecast, Google, 31]

embyplaybacklog.txt

[bruor 43]

My Shield Tv Pro does not exhibit this problem either. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by bruor