5.1 support

[NastyPirate 1]

Hello, this is my first post in this forum, so sorry in advance if I placed it in the wrong thread.

I've been using Emby to watch movies on my PC. I use the web server, not the app. I have the app as well but it has the same issue.

So, my setup is for Dolby 5.1 speakers (Logitech Z906 paired with a Sound Blaster Z) and I don't think the movies actually work at 5.1 sound when I watch them through my Emby server. I tried a comparison with an external player and there is a difference. Through Emby most of the sound plays through the Front LR and center channel but very little to no sound from the rear speakers.

I have gone through the options in the web and the windows app, but I haven't found any option related to the audio setup. Is there something I'm missing? Do I need to perform any tinkering for it to work as it should?

I've seen similar posts in here but most were related to the TV app or other devices. Also at one post I saw an option in the settings for speaker setup in Emby but I don't see it in mine.

Looking forward to any help.

[Abobader 3464]

Hello NastyPirate,

** This is an auto reply **

Please wait for someone from staff support or our members to reply to you.

It's recommended to provide more info, as it explain in this thread:

Thank you.

Emby Team

[Luke 42078]

Hi, you may want to use an installed Emby app because even though the browser can decode 5.1 I’m not sure it will actually send it that way to your receiver. Perhaps ms edge will when the audio is ac3.

 Please let us know if this helps. Thanks.

[NastyPirate 1]

Hi Luke,

I have the Windows app for Emby. It has the same result. Only with a dedicated video player (I use GOM player) can I get true 5.1 from my movies.

Is there a setting for Audio like speaker selection in Emby?

Edited September 12, 2024 by NastyPirate

[Happy2Play 9780]

2 hours ago, NastyPirate said:

Hi Luke,

I have the Windows app for Emby. It has the same result. Only with a dedicated video player (I use GOM player) can I get true 5.1 from my movies.

Is there a setting for Audio like speaker selection in Emby?

ET store app use Windows speaker setting and believe Edge browser does also according to google as they are both using MS player.

Desktop ET has an Audio settings page as it is using MPV. Emby Theater - Emby

Edited September 12, 2024 by Happy2Play

[Luke 42078]

@NastyPirateplease let us know if this helps. Thanks.

[NastyPirate 1]

Hi Luke!

I must have had a different version of the desktop Emby. I uninstalled it, and after installing it again, I found all the options I didn't have before. However the app performs a bit strange; it doesn't seem to play my videos, while I can play them just fine over the web.

I also tried Edge (I was using Firefox) and it has better performance when it comes to 5.1 audio. Is Firefox not supported then? Will there be an update, as it's my main browser?

[Happy2Play 9780]

Every browser/player will have its own supported codecs and is not anything that Emby controls.  Believe the only browser that supports ac3 is Edge. 

You can check your browser capabilities via a checker like.

HTML5test - How well does your browser support HTML5? (opensuse.org)

codec support (dolby.com)

Media MIME Support (cconcolato.github.io)

As for Desktop ET you would have to elaborate more on doesn't seem to play your videos.

Edited September 12, 2024 by Happy2Play
added additional links

[Luke 42078]

Quote

it doesn't seem to play my videos,

Hi, what exactly happens?

[GrimReaper 4740]

2 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

Believe the only browser that supports ac3 is Edge. 

Thorium does too (and is a tad quicker in general). 

Edit: Looks like E-AC3 also, never tested that one - well, that's a surprise. 

Edited September 12, 2024 by GrimReaper
Link

[NastyPirate 1]

1 hour ago, Luke said:

Hi, what exactly happens?

Hey Luke,

So I can view my library as usual, but when I click to play but it doesn't actually start. It stays at 00:00 with the play button pressed. This wasn't happening in the previous version. I tried loading a movie from a different drive to verify that the drive is not performing as it should. Right now I'm rescanning all my libraries inside the ET app and see if it makes any difference.

[NastyPirate 1]

3 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

Every browser/player will have its own supported codecs and is not anything that Emby controls.  Believe the only browser that supports ac3 is Edge. 

You can check your browser capabilities via a checker like.

HTML5test - How well does your browser support HTML5? (opensuse.org)

codec support (dolby.com)

Media MIME Support (cconcolato.github.io)

As for Desktop ET you would have to elaborate more on doesn't seem to play your videos.

Thanks for the links. It seems that Firefox is behind in the Dolby Surround support. I will just use Edge for the time being I guess.

[NastyPirate 1]

2 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi, what exactly happens?

To be more specific only certain .mkv movie files seem to not work. They are 1080p HEVC with 5.1 sound and size is around 2GB. They play fine in the web EMBY. MP4 ones work just fine.

Edited September 12, 2024 by NastyPirate

[Happy2Play 9780]

9 minutes ago, NastyPirate said:

To be more specific only .mkv files seem to not work. MP4 ones work just fine.

Still need more info as you should not have issue with the container.

[Lessaj 467]

5 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

Believe the only browser that supports ac3 is Edge. 

Chromium supports it too. No idea why Chrome doesn't if Chromium does but c'est la vie.

[Happy2Play 9780]

1 minute ago, Lessaj said:

Chromium supports it too. No idea why Chrome doesn't if Chromium does but c'est la vie.

Ya I checked Brave and Vivaldi and they don't support it either.

Appears Opera GX does also.

[NastyPirate 1]

2 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

Still need more info as you should not have issue with the container.

You gotta help me a bit here. I'm just pressing play and the videos don't start. They start fine in the web. Other videos run fine in the app. MKV is the issue. Should I reinstall it?

[GrimReaper 4740]

2 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

 

Phew, luckily you know now that Aspect Ratio to the 16th (yes, I counted them) decimal - you never know when you might need it. 

[NastyPirate 1]

Also the Microsoft Store version of Emby Theater works just fine with mkv files, but lacks the audio options mentioned above. It's really strange. I'll just use the web via Edge to have 5.1 sound and leave it at that.

[visproduction 315]

NP, 

Your original media bitrate is 17 mbps.  That is sort of high and probably the same as a blu-ray data rate.  This is OK, I suppose, to use media this size if everything in your server setup, network, Wifi / Internet bandwidth can handle, say 4 users at once, pulling this high bit rate.  I don't anything that large to test, but I don't think any of my computers could even easily play that back with a browser without stuttering.  Maybe with a dedicated third party video player.  I think you are pushing the limit of your system.  

If any user logs in and tries to play back this very large file and the playback test fails to work, then, if you have transcoding turned on, Emby will transcode this file to something the user can play on whatever hardware, software, through the Internet or network speed the user needs.  So, it probably will need to be transcoded.  Transcoding takes more bandwidth the larger the file is.  This could happen with possibly multiple user streams at once and try to send the results through the server / network / Internet at the same time with bandwidth speed available that might be in use by whomever is doing whatever else on the network.  I am trying to explain how having media of this file size is sort of asking for trouble.

My media collection at blu-ray resolution is typically around 3 mbps or about 1/6th the size of your media.  And I've already pre converted using CPU and software at a very high quality setting which takes a while, sometimes 3 to 6 times longer the media length.  I get great quality looking playback with h.264 video codec and AAC set to high bitrate audio, sometimes 5.1.  My file size for a two hour media is around 2.5 GB.  .mp4 uses 30% more space compared to h.265, but h.264 never needs to be transcoded.  It can play direct for everyone.  Your .mkv  h.265 video codec can play direct for around, I would guess, 15% to 25% of users, depending what they use to play the media.  Most people cannot play direct .mkv h.265 media files.  These users need to have the media transcoded first.

My approach is to get the media correct and playable for everyone, without transcoding.  Many users with Emby, don't like that because it takes a lot time and effort to precode everything at quality level h.264 video. The h.265 in .mkv can be relatively smaller file sizes, but your sizes are large because of your 17 mbps.

I think your choices are that you possibly need to upgrade everything, that isn't handling the throughput, transcoding and playback requirements, so your system can handle, say 4 users at once, transcoding with a hardware card for your media at 17 mbps. I am guessing you will write a check with mid- 4 figures involved... Wow!

Or, do it, the method I use, (no one likes this way).  Pre encode to quality looking h.264 at 2.4 to 3 mbps streaming and audio with AAC codec, everything at a high quality level and then you can play direct to all users, no matter what playback software or hardware or TV they use.  This method takes a lot more prep time but you don't need to spend money on your server system, hardware or buy special decoder cards.

I hope that makes sense and help give you some options.

Edited September 12, 2024 by visproduction

[NastyPirate 1]

34 minutes ago, visproduction said:

NP, 

Your original media bitrate is 17 mbps.  That is sort of high and probably the same as a blu-ray data rate.  This is OK, I suppose, to use media this size if everything in your server setup, network, Wifi / Internet bandwidth can handle, say 4 users at once, pulling this high bit rate.  I don't anything that large to test, but I don't think any of my computers could even easily play that back with a browser without stuttering.  Maybe with a dedicated third party video player.  I think you are pushing the limit of your system.  

If any user logs in and tries to play back this very large file and the playback test fails to work, then, if you have transcoding turned on, Emby will transcode this file to something the user can play on whatever hardware, software, through the Internet or network speed the user needs.  So, it probably will need to be transcoded.  Transcoding takes more bandwidth the larger the file is.  This could happen with possibly multiple user streams at once and try to send the results through the server / network / Internet at the same time with bandwidth speed available that might be in use by whomever is doing whatever else on the network.  I am trying to explain how having media of this file size is sort of asking for trouble.

My media collection at blu-ray resolution is typically around 3 mbps or about 1/6th the size of your media.  And I've already pre converted using CPU and software at a very high quality setting which takes a while, sometimes 3 to 6 times longer the media length.  I get great quality looking playback with h.264 video codec and AAC set to high bitrate audio, sometimes 5.1.  My file size for a two hour media is around 2.5 GB.  .mp4 uses 30% more space compared to h.265, but h.264 never needs to be transcoded.  It can play direct for everyone.  Your .mkv  h.265 video codec can play direct for around, I would guess, 15% to 25% of users, depending what they use to play the media.  Most people cannot play direct .mkv h.265 media files.  These users need to have the media transcoded first.

My approach is to get the media correct and playable for everyone, without transcoding.  Many users with Emby, don't like that because it takes a lot time and effort to precode everything at quality level h.264 video. The h.265 in .mkv can be relatively smaller file sizes, but your sizes are large because of your 17 mbps.

I think your choices are that you possibly need to upgrade everything, that isn't handling the throughput, transcoding and playback requirements, so your system can handle, say 4 users at once, transcoding with a hardware card for your media at 17 mbps. I am guessing you will write a check with mid- 4 figures involved... Wow!

Or, do it, the method I use, (no one likes this way).  Pre encode to quality looking h.264 at 2.4 to 3 mbps streaming and audio with AAC codec, everything at a high quality level and then you can play direct to all users, no matter what playback software or hardware or TV they use.  This method takes a lot more prep time but you don't need to spend money on your server system, hardware or buy special decoder cards.

I hope that makes sense and help give you some options.

Hi there, and thanks for the detailed analysis.

Almost 80% of my library is at that resolution. Most are h.265 but several are h.264 too. I've never had any stutters whatsoever when I play them through the web Emby service. Size-wise, it's about that 1-1,2GB per hour, roughly. The h.265 MP4 files actually play fine. I didn't have issues with them with the Microsoft Store ET edition either. The only issue I have is with the regular Windows ET. My computer is quite powerful (12C/20T & 4090) and my network more than enough (200Mbps internet, and 1,4Gbps WiFi) so I don't really pay any attention to such details when it comes to video files. I have 1 more local user using the library from time to time but also a couple more from abroad, and no one has ever complained about stuttering etc. It's quite stable.

Since the windows ET app is the only one that fails to play them, there really has to be something I'm missing or the app needs an update?

PS. The 17Mbps mkv file was not from me

Edited September 12, 2024 by NastyPirate

[visproduction 315]

NP,
Well, I agree with your comments.  It seems like you pinned it down.  Try running Chrome Inspect and then Console and Network tabs.  Maybe there are errors that show up that can give you a clue of what's going on.

[NastyPirate 1]

This is from a file that cannot be played in the ET windows app.

As you can see it's only 5 Mbps, but this specific file is over 3GB.

[NastyPirate 1]

Anyway the thread is getting off topic as I started it for the 5.1 support and was given a workaround.

Thank you all of the replies and information.

[NastyPirate 1]

By the gods,

I fixed it! It seems like for .mkv files, I need to push play once -> the movie doesn't start; stays at 0:00 -> then I select info from the lower left -> the info pops up from the bottom -> and there is an option "From Beginning" at the right. When I clicked that by chance, the movie started playing normally! Go figure!!

These are the stats from such a file from within the Desktop ET, if anyone wants to investigate.