Audio is being transcoded when i dont want it to (Nvidia Shield Pro)

[As777 27]

Server : Ubuntu linux / docker. Intel Nuc 10
Client : Nvidia Shield Pro 2019 Android

I have a receiver that supports DTS HD MA. When i play a bluray movie with full band width is starts transcoding the audio to ac3. The video shows direct play.

I can't find any server setting to turn off audio transcoding for movies.

Another issue i have is some 4K HEVC movies play back extremely slowly at full bitrate. If i select 80Mbs it will transcode the video and it works perectly. But again, the audio is being converted to ac3. In this instance, I want the video to transcode but the audio remain in full quality. This is not an issue with my network, server or the video file because it works perfectly in Kodi.

[Luke 42077]

Hi there, did you explore the stats feature in the video player to learn why it was being transcoded?

[ebr 16169]

Hi.  Make sure your Shield is plugged into your receiver and not your TV.

[As777 27]

50 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi there, did you explore the stats feature in the video player to learn why it was being transcoded?

The stats feature in the video player only tells me what it is being transcoded to and not why. If we are talking about the same thing (stats for nerds)

[As777 27]

10 minutes ago, ebr said:

Hi.  Make sure your Shield is plugged into your receiver and not your TV.

It is plugged into the tv and it is not convenient to plug it into the receiver as it means a third remote control to have to switch inputs between various sources.

Even if this was the problem (it is not, because in many cases the audio is passing through anyway), KODI does not have this issue so Emby really shouldn't either.
 

[As777 27]

I made some more tests. If i turn off audio and video transcoding for my profile it stil transcodes the audio to AC3. Even the DTS HD MA stereo stream is being transcoded.

When I play the same file in Kodi I get the DTS HD MA text on my receiver confirming the correct audio stream.

I tested a different movie in Emby that also has DTS HD MA and it passes through correctly. So it is only certain movies this is happening, not all.

Edited July 22, 2024 by As777

[Luke 42077]

Hi.  Can you try searching for our standard android app (Just "Emby" on Amazon and "Emby for Android on Google) on the same device's app store and see how that compares?

Thanks.

 

[As777 27]

13 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi.  Can you try searching for our standard android app (Just "Emby" on Amazon and "Emby for Android on Google) on the same device's app store and see how that compares?

Thanks.

 

should have mentioned I'm already using the latest standard Android app and not Android TV. 

I regularly keep the server up to date with the latest beta and sideload the app from the website every few weeks 

Edited July 22, 2024 by As777

[ebr 16169]

17 hours ago, As777 said:

It is plugged into the tv

If you want full HD audio support, you need to bypass the TV.  I don't think any of them will pass thru HD audio formats from an Android device via ARC.

[As777 27]

11 minutes ago, ebr said:

If you want full HD audio support, you need to bypass the TV.  I don't think any of them will pass thru HD audio formats from an Android device via ARC.

I bet to differ but they absolutely do. My receiver will not display the DTS HD MA and 7:1 does not work when it transcodes (transcodes to 5:1). When it passes through the 7:1 works perfectly.

You obviously haven't read the tests I made yesterday after quoting you as it's only some streams that are not passing through in Emby. "Stats for nerds" doesn't show it is transcoding when the stream passes through but it does when it transcodes. The receiver also shows that the stream is not DTS HD MA which is how I know it was suddenly transcoding in the first place. It also doesn't transcode to 7:1 but only 5:1. 

Kodi always passes through correctly to the receiver.

If you use Emby on the TV and not the Shield then it never passes through the DTS HS MA stream, which is one of the reasons I upgraded to the Shield Pro (it is the only device I have found that does HD audio). There are no Android TVs that I am aware of that can pass through uncompressed audio. But on my LG C3 the passthrough works from the Shield just fine (as it does on my Sony tv too).

I am unsure why you are insistent that I need to plug it into the receiver when I've already said in my original post that it works perfectly well from Kodi.

For the record, TrueHD has always passed through correctly. 

Edited July 23, 2024 by As777

[As777 27]

[As777 27]

Maybe the last picture is a bad example as I just realised now it's not actually an mkv container but direct bluray.
But this is also an example of the original problem - even if the video decides to transcode so does the audio stream too. And I don't want that.

[ebr 16169]

37 minutes ago, As777 said:

even if the video decides to transcode so does the audio stream too.

If the item needs to be transcoded or remuxed for any reason, then we can no longer send HD audio because we are now delivering via HLS.

[As777 27]

1 hour ago, ebr said:

If the item needs to be transcoded or remuxed for any reason, then we can no longer send HD audio because we are now delivering via HLS.

Ah ok, then that's the origin of the problem then.

Is it not possible to transcode to 7:1 flac or E-AC3 in these cases? I mostly don't want to downgrade to 5:1 when transcoding.

Edited July 23, 2024 by As777

[ebr 16169]

5 hours ago, As777 said:

Ah ok, then that's the origin of the problem then.

Is it not possible to transcode to 7:1 flac or E-AC3 in these cases? I mostly don't want to downgrade to 5:1 when transcoding.

It is complicated and there is a lot of previous discussion out here but the short answer is not at this time. 

[rbjtech 5284]

99.9% of people do not have this issue, as they plug the Shield Pro into their receiver - thus ARC or eARC are no longer needed - it's a direct HDMI connection where you pass the Video to the TV, not the Audio.

Use CEC on the Shield Pro to control the Receiver - the AVR will automatically turn on and select the Shield Pro HDMI connection.    You can control volume etc all via the Shield remote.  Turn off the Shield Pro, the Receiver turns off.   

(btw, HD Audio over ARC is not technically possible, despite what Kodi claims.   Any search on the internet on what ARC vs eARC is will explain to you why)

[As777 27]

45 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

99.9% of people do not have this issue, as they plug the Shield Pro into their receiver - thus ARC or eARC are no longer needed - it's a direct HDMI connection where you pass the Video to the TV, not the Audio.

Use CEC on the Shield Pro to control the Receiver - the AVR will automatically turn on and select the Shield Pro HDMI connection.    You can control volume etc all via the Shield remote.  Turn off the Shield Pro, the Receiver turns off.   

(btw, HD Audio over ARC is not technically possible, despite what Kodi claims.   Any search on the internet on what ARC vs eARC is will explain to you why)

I initially didn't correct the term "Arc" to "E-ARC" as it wasn't central to the issue at hand and I wasn't me that brought it up. 

 I was clumsy with my opening paragraph as various tests were giving conflicting results while not transcoding. I realised when doing more tests (see the screenshots) that it was because one of the movies was a bluray image and not an MKV and that said the video was "direct play "while the audio was being transcoded.

My receiver accurately displays the audio stream, and I can clearly distinguish between 7.1 and 5.1 sound.

Regarding CEC, I've found the Shield's placement in the receiver problematic in other ways. Additionally, I run Home Assistant automations on my Shield and LG C3 for button customizations and app launching, which don't function as needed if the Shield is in the receiver.

So to just confirm - Emby does pass through lossless surround audio from the Shield through the TV's e-arc. There is some reason a very small handful of 4K mkv files stutter with Emby and not Kodi but I am yet to find out what that is. The main confusion on my part was not knowing that if you transcode the video the audio will also be transcoded regardless of whether you want it to or not.

Edited July 25, 2024 by As777

[Audiomixer 374]

As a side note, the Lg C3 will passthrough full HD audio DTS and Dolby via eARC. I have this connection with my shield and Lg C3 and it is working fine.

Edited July 25, 2024 by Audiomixer