Video stutter with HEVC, sound no problem

[PeteGul 37]

Hi

I've downloaded test files from Trinnov, for good sound and picture quality. Looks good, but not in Emby as is.

I really think I've tried every setting there is, but can't get it to work..

nVidia Shield TV 2019, latest Android main app. (not tv app)

I will mention that the network handels the video nice with VLC as player.

 

MediaInfo from the one file:

General
Unique ID                                : 327957619299405152657311156189275384758 (0xF6BA5706F45A9AE5C59A45C207106BB6)
Complete name                            : E:\Testfiler\Trinnov Trailers Dolby Atmos\Experience 16-9 Dolby Atmos.mkv
Format                                   : Matroska
Format version                           : Version 4
File size                                : 282 MiB
Duration                                 : 44 s 458 ms
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 53.2 Mb/s
Frame rate                               : 23.976 FPS
Encoded date                             : 2024-02-18 11:08:11 UTC
Writing application                      : mkvmerge v79.0 ('Funeral Pyres') 64-bit
Writing library                          : libebml v1.4.4 + libmatroska v1.7.1

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : HEVC
Format/Info                              : High Efficiency Video Coding
Format profile                           : Main 10@L6.1@Main
Codec ID                                 : V_MPEGH/ISO/HEVC
Duration                                 : 44 s 458 ms
Bit rate                                 : 48.2 Mb/s
Width                                    : 3 840 pixels
Height                                   : 2 160 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 23.976 (23976/1000) FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 10 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.242
Stream size                              : 256 MiB (91%)
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No
Color range                              : Limited
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : MLP FBA 16-ch
Format/Info                              : Meridian Lossless Packing FBA with 16-channel presentation
Commercial name                          : Dolby TrueHD with Dolby Atmos
Codec ID                                 : A_TRUEHD
Duration                                 : 44 s 375 ms
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 4 879 kb/s
Maximum bit rate                         : 8 130 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 8 channels
Channel layout                           : L R C LFE Ls Rs Lb Rb
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 1 200.000 FPS (40 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossless
Stream size                              : 25.8 MiB (9%)
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No
Number of dynamic objects                : 15
Bed channel count                        : 1 channel
Bed channel configuration                : LFE

 

If more info is needed, tell me

 

embyserver.txt embyserver-63874709117.txt ffmpeg-transcode-3b28d963-d710-4acd-9b5c-f6f7c8e09a2a_1.txt ffmpeg-transcode-73e4384a-2fc9-46cc-9cdc-6f6e85231ac6_1.txt

[visproduction 315]

Related?
 https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/127718-a-decode-call-did-not-consume-any-data/

 

[PeteGul 37]

This is local streaming for me. So can't see that this is related.

If I play over internet, it get transcoded and works.

[yocker 1248]

What kind of stutter? Microstutter, stuttering caused by buffering and so on?

[PeteGul 37]

The video just stops, start again for for 2 sec stops for 20 sec and so on. Never a running picture. I'll take shot of it when I come home and put it in here.

The sound is working nice

[PeteGul 37]

Link to video of the problem: VIDEO

 

Edit: Also, forgot to mention. Direct stream to my Pixel 7Pro phone also works as it should on the same network.

Edited February 9, 2025 by PeteGul

[yocker 1248]

Since it doesn't seem to be your server having a problem seeing as your phone doesn't have a problem, I would try to delete the Emby apps cache on the Shield or simply uninstalling the app and installing it again. Could also try and see if the Emby Android TV app works to confirm if it's the Shield it self that the problem.
If nothing important is on the Shield and it can be setup fast again then a complete factory reset.

Would be the most simple and easiest fix if it works.

[PeteGul 37]

Testet reset and reinstall, does not help at all.

I haven't tested reset of the whole unit, the I can't see any reason for this to help. Inn all my years I have never seen this really help. And it is an really pain, I don't just use it for Emby.

The fun part is, the "old" app for TV. The video shows as it should, but then there is no Atmos.

This is strange and so over my head!

[PeteGul 37]

Should this maybe be moved to Android/Android TV forum?

[yocker 1248]

13 hours ago, PeteGul said:

Testet reset and reinstall, does not help at all.

I haven't tested reset of the whole unit, the I can't see any reason for this to help. Inn all my years I have never seen this really help. And it is an really pain, I don't just use it for Emby.

The fun part is, the "old" app for TV. The video shows as it should, but then there is no Atmos.

This is strange and so over my head!

It can help if settings or other files do not get deleted when uninstalling the apps with problems or if a forgotten setting on the unit is causing problems.

You can try to delete all "non needed" files for Emby by in the Shield going into Settings -> Apps -> See all apps -> Emby.
Press the "Clear Cache" "Clear Data" "Clear Defaults". If you want to be 100% sure then uninstall the app afterwards and then install it again.
This should reset the Emby app to defaults.

If you are passing through the TrueHD Atmos to a TV or receiver that doesn't support it, it might also cause video stutter.
That happens for me if i try to play a video with DTS-MA 7.1 audio on my TV (not my Shield -> receriver), the video will stutter, lag and even hang but for some reason the audio will play with no problem.
The other apps might simply be converting the audio on before passing it on to the TV, in the Emby for Android TV app there are options to configure that, you can Set "Passthrough, convert to Dolby or downmix to stereo", set it to passthrough and see if that app does the same, that would be a good indicator if that's what wrong.
You can also disable passthrough in the Shield it self.

All i can think of sorry.

[PeteGul 37]

Thanks for the answer.

As per now I have tried delete cache, data and clear defaults. Deleted both Emby apps after the cache and data release on both. 

And yes, my receiver is get the passthrough for the Atmos sound. And yes it is supported. Everything goes through my receiver, by everything, I mean I just use Shield for everything

There is no converting of audio in Emby for Android or VLC.

What Emby for Android TV does, I don't understand. But there the video works and not the sound, there it converts the sound to DD+. Even when it is set to passthrough.

Maybe I'll try a reset, but this should not be necessary when other apps work. (VLC).

For me I could use VLC as an player, but then I loose all the good stuff in Emby player, info and stuff. Don't want that, just want it to work.

Summary: Emby Android: Sound and bad video, Emby for ATV: Good video and bad sound, VLC: works. 

Settings in Shield it self is set to passthrough, I really don't want anything to mess up the sound.

 

If there is other things I can check, please let me know. 

Tried to re download the files from Trinnov, still the same.

Thanks again for answers!

Hope there is an solution for this.

[yocker 1248]

3 hours ago, PeteGul said:

Thanks for the answer.

As per now I have tried delete cache, data and clear defaults. Deleted both Emby apps after the cache and data release on both. 

And yes, my receiver is get the passthrough for the Atmos sound. And yes it is supported. Everything goes through my receiver, by everything, I mean I just use Shield for everything

There is no converting of audio in Emby for Android or VLC.

What Emby for Android TV does, I don't understand. But there the video works and not the sound, there it converts the sound to DD+. Even when it is set to passthrough.

Maybe I'll try a reset, but this should not be necessary when other apps work. (VLC).

For me I could use VLC as an player, but then I loose all the good stuff in Emby player, info and stuff. Don't want that, just want it to work.

Summary: Emby Android: Sound and bad video, Emby for ATV: Good video and bad sound, VLC: works. 

Settings in Shield it self is set to passthrough, I really don't want anything to mess up the sound.

 

If there is other things I can check, please let me know. 

Tried to re download the files from Trinnov, still the same.

Thanks again for answers!

Hope there is an solution for this.

Tbh. it could be a lot of things, i just mentioned the things i would think of and try first if it was me.

That you say that it works when it gets transcoded tells me that you have problems with unsupported format some where likely because of a misconfiguration, most likely with the TrueHD lossless format.
 

[PeteGul 37]

What gets transcoded?

Is it in Android TV app it gets transcoded, if so on the server or app side?

TrueHD, works just fine in other scenarios. The problem, as far as I understand is the video part.

BTW cleared my head a little bit here now, checked my stats for nerds and info from tv. The Shield does not change the fps/Hz on this movie, like it does on other movies. 

I tried to force it in the Android menu (Match frame rate Beta), no help. Maybe the problem is here. 

Is there anything I can try to understand from the logs, to look for to get som more help and understanding?

Edit: got it to change rate, but still same lag in video.

 

Edit2: also manually updated to 3.4.37, no difference.

Edited February 11, 2025 by PeteGul

[yocker 1248]

5 hours ago, PeteGul said:

What gets transcoded?

Is it in Android TV app it gets transcoded, if so on the server or app side?

TrueHD, works just fine in other scenarios. The problem, as far as I understand is the video part.

BTW cleared my head a little bit here now, checked my stats for nerds and info from tv. The Shield does not change the fps/Hz on this movie, like it does on other movies. 

I tried to force it in the Android menu (Match frame rate Beta), no help. Maybe the problem is here. 

Is there anything I can try to understand from the logs, to look for to get som more help and understanding?

Edit: got it to change rate, but still same lag in video.

 

Edit2: also manually updated to 3.4.37, no difference.

You said that when you play it over the internet it gets transcoded and it works.

On 2/9/2025 at 6:47 PM, PeteGul said:

If I play over internet, it get transcoded and works.

[yocker 1248]

Look in the settings on your shield.

Display & Sound -> Advance Sound Settings -> Available formats.
See if you have passthrough enabled and/or if passthrough of Dolby TrueHD is possible.

You can also try throttling the Dolby Processing option and see if that helps.

If that doesn't fix it then i'm out of idea.
It could be something complete different wrong, i'm just basing all this on that my Android TV will do the precisely same if i try and play some lossless formats on it. So if you have by mistake hit a setting that stop your receiver from handling the signal and instead have the shield handle it,  then that's what could be wrong.

[PeteGul 37]

Oh, forgotten that I had tried away from home.

Tried the settings, and I resat the Shield. But no luck, still the same. 

As far as I can tell, there must be something with the Shield Emby app. As it works in VLC, but that is just in my mind.

 

Thanks again dir your help and hints. 

 

Now I have a little hope the "Emby Team" can look at it......

[yocker 1248]

Can you give a link to the file so i can test it my self ?

[PeteGul 37]

Of course, but you have make fast register to download it. But there are many good ones. 

The two I don't get to work is Experience Atmos 16:9 and Les Dieux Atmos 16:9.

LINK

[yocker 1248]

I just use a trow away email address (nobody@here.com)

So i tested a file, admittedly something i should have done to start with and can only apologize for that.
The videos seems to be encoded weirdly and does indeed lag like crazy, so the fault might lie with them.
I ran one through a re-encode while not touching the sound and it worked fine after that, that can explain why the file worked after a trans code.
Makes you wonder about the company making those videos if they can't encode their stuff right.

VLC might be a bit more tolerant towards some files than Exoplayer (Used by Emby) so reason for it working there.

Btw.. My subwoofer and neighbors in a huge radius hate me now, the bass in the video i tested loud and i had forgotten to turn down my receiver from last i used it.
 

Edited February 11, 2025 by yocker

[PeteGul 37]

It's good sound movies, and they should now what they are doing. But, maybe not

Would MkvToolNix do this for me?

Little bit new to encoding etc.

[yocker 1248]

I do very little encoding, so know just as little about it but, any program that can encode should be able to do it, just remember to passthrough the audio (not re-encode that too)
Many people use Handbrake, it's a relatively easy program to learn.

[PeteGul 37]

On 11/02/2025 at 20:21, yocker said:

I do very little encoding, so know just as little about it but, any program that can encode should be able to do it, just remember to passthrough the audio (not re-encode that too)
Many people use Handbrake, it's a relatively easy program to learn.

Hi again

Did you use Handbrake, if I can ask?

Tried it, and the file worked. But tried to set it to not do much with the video. But still it got encoded from 281Mb to 50Mb. The sound looks (mediainfo)and hears right, but I'll get a litte bit skeptical. 

[yocker 1248]

3 hours ago, PeteGul said:

Hi again

Did you use Handbrake, if I can ask?

Tried it, and the file worked. But tried to set it to not do much with the video. But still it got encoded from 281Mb to 50Mb. The sound looks (mediainfo)and hears right, but I'll get a litte bit skeptical. 

Couple of years since i used it for anything but let's see.

You seem to already know the basic like trowing the file in and getting an output so skipping that.
In the "presets" scroll down to the hardware presets and pick one that fits the graphics card / internal graphics you have, if you have fx. intel graphics then pick "H.265 QSV 2160p 4K", you can't pick wrong as those for graphics cards you don't have will be grayed out.
In format i would choose mkv
Since this is a file to test sound we don't really care about the video it self so in the other taps you just pick automatic, in the "filters" tap you disable all.

Here the one that matter:
In the audio tap you make sure the right audio track is chosen, in codec depending on audio format you choose ">insert name here<passthru" like fx. "TrueHDpasstru, that should leave the audio untouched.

Since you are going to use H.265 with this the file and no filters or other things are used the file might be considerably smaller, H.265 is a very efficient format.
The audio will remain untouched and have it's original size inside the video file.

And you are done.

Edited February 13, 2025 by yocker

[PeteGul 37]

Thank you very much for the good explanation. Tried this, and the sound works good. Don't really think I can see any difference in the picture quality, maybe in some fast movement, but that's OK.

Thanks again!