Samsung tv 2021 av1 codec

[Mindows 0]

A question also, why is such an old version of ffmpeg 5.1, dating from July 22, 2022, still being used when version 7.1 is available from September 30, 2024? Let's say that it's new, it doesn't take time, and it's more efficient.

ffmpeg-transcode-79b2ea1a-9541-4483-8e48-2bdca9719a92_1.txt embyserver-63885318654.txt

[SamES 1056]

Thanks for testing and providing the logs.

i wouldn't worry about the ffmpeg version. Emby uses a custom ffmpeg version, and relevant features from newer versions are added as required.  A newer version won't resolve your issues.

The TV does not support the internal subrip subtitles in this file. You proved that when you disabled all the transcoding and conversion features and the file refused to play.  If the TV had been capable of playing them, then playback would not have failed.

For this reason, the subtitle track you have selected needs to be converted for playback. To prove this, please turn off subtitles from the details screen before you start playback, then try playing the file.  It should direct play.

Now that we know the subtitles need to be converted (which is why you should not turn of the transcoding and conversion options), the next problem is that the TV cannot support EAC3 audio tracks when we deliver the file using the HLS protocol, which occurs whenever we need to convert audio or video (or to burn in subtitles - as in your case).  In this case, we need to also convert the audio to AC3 which is why you are seeing audio being converted.

In one of your earlier screenshots you show Jellyfin, but it looks like it is using the HTML video player rather than the native Samsung player, which is not what Samsung recommends for 4K playback.

I'm not sure why the subtitles are being burnt in, can you please check that these two settings on the server (under Transcoding) are turned on:

Please see if that improves playback with subtitles enabled - this should allow the video and audio to DirectPlay (no conversion) and the subtitles will be extracted and sent to the TV as text subtitles.

What I, and many others do is make sure we have an external text subtitles file for our media as this generally ensures that embedded subtitles don't cause these issues. I recommend looking at the 'Open Subtitles' option in the server settings. You just need a free account, then you can either automatically or manually download files for your media

[Mindows 0]

On 6/12/2025 at 12:18 PM, SamES said:

Thanks for testing and providing the logs.

i wouldn't worry about the ffmpeg version. Emby uses a custom ffmpeg version, and relevant features from newer versions are added as required.  A newer version won't resolve your issues.

The TV does not support the internal subrip subtitles in this file. You proved that when you disabled all the transcoding and conversion features and the file refused to play.  If the TV had been capable of playing them, then playback would not have failed.

For this reason, the subtitle track you have selected needs to be converted for playback. To prove this, please turn off subtitles from the details screen before you start playback, then try playing the file.  It should direct play.

Now that we know the subtitles need to be converted (which is why you should not turn of the transcoding and conversion options), the next problem is that the TV cannot support EAC3 audio tracks when we deliver the file using the HLS protocol, which occurs whenever we need to convert audio or video (or to burn in subtitles - as in your case).  In this case, we need to also convert the audio to AC3 which is why you are seeing audio being converted.

In one of your earlier screenshots you show Jellyfin, but it looks like it is using the HTML video player rather than the native Samsung player, which is not what Samsung recommends for 4K playback.

I'm not sure why the subtitles are being burnt in, can you please check that these two settings on the server (under Transcoding) are turned on:

Please see if that improves playback with subtitles enabled - this should allow the video and audio to DirectPlay (no conversion) and the subtitles will be extracted and sent to the TV as text subtitles.

What I, and many others do is make sure we have an external text subtitles file for our media as this generally ensures that embedded subtitles don't cause these issues. I recommend looking at the 'Open Subtitles' option in the server settings. You just need a free account, then you can either automatically or manually download files for your media

I have activated those options as you indicate, but it still does not display subtitles on the television. My TV is compatible with e-AC3, so the file I'm trying to play is fully compatible with the TV itself. As I mentioned before, the file inserted into the TV from a USB flash drive plays directly without any issues, even with the subtitles inserted. The only format it does not support is audio in DTS codec.

[Mindows 0]

I have also disabled all these options in Jellyfin and it continues to work without problems, both video, audio and subtitles.

[SamES 1056]

1 hour ago, Mindows said:

I have activated those options as you indicate, but it still does not display subtitles on the television. My TV is compatible with e-AC3, so the file I'm trying to play is fully compatible with the TV itself. As I mentioned before, the file inserted into the TV from a USB flash drive plays directly without any issues, even with the subtitles inserted. The only format it does not support is audio in DTS codec.

Yes, your TV is compatible with EAC3, and it works with USB and also if we get DirectPlay working, but EAC3 is not compatible with HLS delivery on this TV.  That is where there is a difference. 

But, let's address one issue at a time.

• With subtitles turned off, does AV1 play using DirectPlay? (yes/no)
• With all the playback options turned on and the subtitle extraction issues turned on:
  • Try playback with subtitles enabled, does it still playback AV1 correctly (and EAC3) with DirectPlay? {yes/no)
    • Don't worry for the moment if you can't see the subtitles, as long as they are turned on.
  • If you watch for several minutes, do subtitles eventually appear? (yes/no)
    • If no, then during playback, turn the subtitles off, then turn them back on again and watch for a few more minutes?
      • Subtitles?

Please attach any logs for these tests.  Thanks

[Mindows 0]

Regarding the subtitles, I have to stop the movie and restart it, and they appear. Turning them off during playback and then turning them on again doesn't activate them. I'm leaving you new logs and an image of how I did it. Now, I'm testing just by activating the conversion. In both AC3 and e-AC3, the sound is heard, but there's no image, even though it says it plays directly.

 

embyserver-63885437116.txt ffmpeg-directstream-8541c747-98fc-407b-90e7-4997715cee78_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-1ca27d76-4b08-421e-b875-09f8633a437d_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-2099d74e-02ef-44ba-b2d7-504d883f9b0d_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-4762a212-6054-4521-a358-fa862fcfc101_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-72e51a22-46f5-4452-b9b1-48633359259f_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-5c115346-39a3-4bba-9dd7-4c8fc73a23d1_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-0bce5c53-5d47-4fe3-9f43-f2f82e3cf8d0_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-1bb4bd2d-066f-41cc-be3d-be44c38cfae2_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-713fa699-3e75-4ace-a46e-88fc5697e4f5_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-60d80748-44f5-47da-8316-71b190a0f302_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-b88f645e-419b-46ce-aa7b-bdfbf3534f47_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-cbf5c2df-7738-44cd-a85f-508cff9d482e_1.txt ffmpeg-directstream-b7368327-5cf0-48f4-aed6-880216b52b87_1.txt

Edited June 13, 2025 by Mindows
upload anonymous logs

[SamES 1056]

While we're testing, can you please leave all the playback options enabled until we confirm this is working correctly. How the server and apps behave when you turn off some options can be unpredictable and it makes this really hard to troubleshoot.

Step 1, without subtitles enabled, and with all the playback options enabled, we need to establish whether just the av1 video and EAC3 audio work correctly with DirectPlay.  If they do, then after that we can check subtitles.  If it doesn't, then we have a different problem to investigate. Can you please do just this test?

[SamES 1056]

Can you share a copy of this file with me via PM?

[Mindows 0]

I've already tried after sending that data. I've been combining switches and also with everything active and nothing, subtitles off, English audio in AC3 and it starts transcoding the video to H.264. The problem is that it doesn't play directly at any time with the AV1 library.

[Mindows 0]

On 6/14/2025 at 1:30 AM, SamES said:

Can you share a copy of this file with me via PM?

any progress??

[SamES 1056]

5 hours ago, Mindows said:

any progress??

Both of those files play fine on my 2022 model using DirectPlay.

If you have been able to get it to DirectPlay, but that shows only a black screen, then it would appear that AV1 isn't supported.  For example, that's the same result I get on my 2017 model that does not support AV1. The Samsung model specs suggest that it should be supported on 2021 models, but their specs have been known to be unreliable on occasions.  It is also possible (and probable) that AV1 is not fully supported by user apps even though the TV itself supports it (as you tested via USB).

Can you please confirm what firmware version you have?  Are there any updates? 

[Mindows 0]

I have the latest firmware version 2220.9 , no more have been released. All Samsung TVs since 2020 support the AV1 codec. Your 2022 model and my 2023 model have had no problems at all. Something's going on here, and I can tell you it doesn't offer Direct Play.

Why does Jellyfin offer direct play?

[SamES 1056]

So from your earlier logs, I see this

Quote

http://192.168.50.2:8896/emby/videos/420013/main.m3u8?DeviceId=e630b7f3-eaf9-4b83-a54f-3aa8da943d0b&MediaSourceId=mediasource_420013&PlaySessionId=0983517132d34a41b22042dc124fa76b&api_key=x_secret3_x&VideoCodec=h264,hevc,mpeg2video&AudioCodec=ac3,aac,mp3&VideoBitrate=199360000&AudioBitrate=640000&MaxWidth=4096&AudioStreamIndex=1&TranscodingMaxAudioChannels=6&SegmentContainer=ts&MinSegments=1&BreakOnNonKeyFrames=False&SubtitleStreamIndexes=3,4,5&ManifestSubtitles=vtt&h264-videorotation=0&h264-profile=high,main,baseline,constrainedbaseline,high10&h264-level=52&hevc-videorotation=0&mpeg2video-videorotation=0&aac-audiochannels=6&ac3-audiochannels=48000&mp3-audiochannels=6&TranscodeReasons=DirectPlayError

The key is the very last part 'TranscodeReasons=DirectPlayError'. This is a generic error that gets generated by the media player when it can't play the media file. So it looks like it tried to DirectPlay, but failed. Generally, there is nothing we can do about this.  For DirectPlay, it is exactly that.  We give the player the media content 'as-is' and allow it to play.  There aren't any options or settings we can adjust, it either works, or it fails. 

I don't think there is anything more that we can do to make this DirectPlay.

And from you one of your earlier screenshots, this confirms the theory.