Photo Slideshow Glitching

[ginjaninja 605]

SVR 4.9.0.25 (not a new issue)

Firestick - AndroidTV 2.1.14a

To reproduce

Enter Photo library click play - play all

Observed behaviour

Slideshows starts off as expected but after ~ 100 photos the timing of each photo on screen starts to glitch. Once it goes wrong it stays wrong. It always go wrong eventually.

Its difficult to appreciate how its going wrong but its as if the wrong photo is being inserted momentarily into the feed...but hopefully the video tells a 1000 pictures and it means something to the devs.

the pictures are not particularly technically interesting, 1-2MB taken on a phone, different aspect ratios...

 Expected Behaviour 

Each photo is on screen for same length of time and in an order with a fade between photos...

 

Can anyone else reproduce?

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2024 by ginjaninja

[ebr 16171]

I think this is likely a hardware issue as the transition is just not playing smoothly.  It may be memory related if it takes a while for it to happen.  What happens with the standard app?

[ginjaninja 605]

no problems on any other app....rebooting the firestick prior to running slideshow does seem to resolve the issue, supporting memory hypothesis perhaps....may be the entry level firestick just isnt up to the job...

[Luke 42077]

So you tried the Emby standard android app?

[ginjaninja 605]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

So you tried the Emby standard android app?

apologies missed the point....i now realise there is a 2nd emby app in the app store ...but when i try to install it, its unavailable due to incompatible device.

edit

checking device info

its a fire stick 2nd gen...

Edited June 28, 2024 by ginjaninja

[Luke 42077]

OK can you try sideloading the apk for now?  Then with the next app update we should have it in the store:

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

Thanks.

[ginjaninja 605]

the standard android version doesnt exhibit the issue, but the device is so under powered for this version that there is a different minor issue. namely each picture sometimes is not  100% loaded by the time the fade comes......its like goring back to Netscape navigator and seeing a picture load in (2) chunks (sometimes).

[Luke 42077]

How does the UI navigate?

[ginjaninja 605]

navigation is not 'snappy' but it works..(in fire stick version  navigation is more responsive). Functionally this Android version feels richer. (haven't used extensively)

I like the music ui, now playing ui and lyric support in this version so for music its superior.

video playback ...it chugs a bit getting started..but once going its ok.

You can go down avenues which really tax it...eg bringing up cast an crew during video playback.....then it does feel its not up to the task. (but you cant do that function on the firestick version at all, so you take your choice).

 

If i just wanted to jump in, play something on "continue watching" and leave...id probably err towarrds the firestick version but anything else...i like this android version; probably need to upgrade the device to fully appreciate it.

 

 

[Luke 42077]

OK thanks for the update. It sounds like we can just barely use the standard app then, but I think it’s the right way to go.

[ginjaninja 605]

6 hours ago, Luke said:

OK thanks for the update. It sounds like we can just barely use the standard app then, but I think it’s the right way to go.

yes i think so... (even more so after experience below)

i played a 'non-exceptional' episode yesterday 1080p HEVC  which displayed slowly  ~ 10fps on pure android...firestick android was fine....

Both were direct playing video and audio.

edit - a bit more feedback on pure android....

FWIW the 10fps issue seems to follow HEVC (rather than audio encoding/channels)

After a device reboot the UI navigation speed is just as snappy, possibly a little faster than firestick android. Playing a theme tune makes things chug a bit, but general navigation through the library is good.

Moving down the alpha picker (on tv shows at least) and pausing momentarily has an 'incorrect?' behaviour of moving the cursor off the alpha picker onto the 1st media with that alpha. I would have expected the cursor to stay on the picker whilst the focus of the content changes but not move the cursor to the content until i intentionally move off the picker...I guess that might be intentional but it felt odd to me...

using back to exit out of the app may not be working as intended...reason...a playing theme tune continues to play even when i have long since started a new app...maybe the app is not being 'closed fully'.

further edit...

actually the chugging of the UI during playback is transitory...after a reboot... on a 1080p H264 movie the UI performance is fine...

If the HEVC 10 FPS wasnt there (so far in terms of issues), i think pure android would be a useable option on firestick gen 2...

The UI is so unresponsive during 10fps issue that i cant get to the cog to force transcoding...(which might be a solution)..still we know the device can direct play the content (as shown by firestick version)...so perhaps the 10fps issue is fixable.

The behaviour of the app not closing down when using back button is consistent with other apps on the stick eg youtube...so that was perhaps an unfair criticism although does perhaps go to show the unexpected load playing a theme tune has...(that it cant respond immediately to a navigate away series and stop playing).

Edited July 1, 2024 by ginjaninja