Random stutters/freezes with horrible crackling audio after 10 - 30 minutes of playback

[IJsmat 1]

Dear all,

I hope you can help me. For a few weeks now, I have been experiencing freezes, with horrible crackling audio, after 5, 10 or sometimes 30 minutes of playback. This hapens with almost every film I play, although I feel like it happens more often with 4K HDR movies with Dolby Atmos audio than with 'regular' Full HD content. With some films, it is also accompanied by stuttering images just before the crash. With other films, the crash is without warning. The image stops and freezes. The sound can best be described as a very loud, repetitive crackle.

• Emby Server runs on a Synology Nas DS720+
• Emby for Android (playback) runs op een NVIDIA SHIELD TV.
• NVIDIA SHIELD TV is connected via home network, gigabit ethernet (no connectivity issues in other apps)
• Emby for Android 3.4.36 (latest)
• Emby Server version 4.8.11.0 (latest)
• In the Emby app, playback settings are: switch framerate to match content of video.

I have had no problems with this hardware for a very long time: all films and series played without problems. But for a few weeks now, I have been experiencing this problem and it seems to be getting worse. I do not experience these problems when I play the same films on my PC or laptop via Emby Theater (for Windows). So it seems to me a playback issue on the NVIDIA SHIELD.

What I have already tried:

• Clear the Emby app cache on the NVIDIA Shield
• Unplug the NVIDIA SHIELD, replug, restart
• Restart Emby Server, restart NAS
• Remove Emby app from the NVIDIA Shield and reinstall
• Increase database cache size to 500MB
• Attempt to optimize the database on server shutdowns
• Vacuum the database on the next Emby Server startup
• Install the latest version of Emby server on the NAS

Nothing above helped.
I have attached an Emby Server log file. Tried to read but don't know what to look for.

Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks a lot in advance.
Matthijs, The Netherlands

embyserver.txt

[Luke 42077]

Hi, is the content direct playing?

[IJsmat 1]

Thanks,
Yes, Direct Playback

[Luke 42077]

Does this only happen on high bitrate content?

[IJsmat 1]

Mostly I think. yes.
But I have to say that most of the content I play is 4K HDR with a pretty high bitrate. (40 - 60 mbps).
The thing is: this was never before a problem. And the strange thing is also: movies run smoothly until the crash /  freeze for at least 5 minutes up to 30 minutes.
And then, out of the blu, the crash happens.

 

[IJsmat 1]

Also, I have some more information (hope it's helpfull):
Yesterday I also played some high bitrate content on my smartphone on the Emby for Android app.
On my smartphone I have no issues. Just as I have no issues running the same content on Emby Theater for Windows.
So, it's really the NVIDIA SHIELD TV that all of a sudden has issues.
 

[Luke 42077]

Is it consistent, or are there times when it will play successfully?

[IJsmat 1]

Hi Luke,
It is consistent, and has become worse. I cannot watch any movie.
Normal playback mostly only for a few minutes before the crash.

I have tried to share the log of the Emby Android on the Nvidia Shield, but wehn you click on "Share" it says: "You don't have an app that can do this".
Is there another way to get this log?

 

[IJsmat 1]

I the meantime, here is another Emby server log, from this morning after playing a movie for just 3 minutes before it crashed.
Hope it helps. Do you already have an idea what the problem could be?

embyserver-63877714133.txt

[Luke 42077]

On 3/16/2025 at 4:35 AM, IJsmat said:

I the meantime, here is another Emby server log, from this morning after playing a movie for just 3 minutes before it crashed.
Hope it helps. Do you already have an idea what the problem could be?

embyserver-63877714133.txt 62.85 kB · 2 downloads

What exactly do you mean by "it crashed" ?

[IJsmat 1]

Same as I described in my first post. A freeze with horrible repetitive crackling sound.

[Luke 42077]

OK we're looking into it. Thanks.