LG G5 dropped DTS again, and Emby didn't work...?

[SamES 1057]

@TurkeyManfor the ffmpeg log files, can you please let me know which files played fine and which ones had issues? Do the same files always give issues, or do they occasionally work?

BTW, there is a new Beta server version that would be worth trying in case this issue has already been resolved (4.10.0.3-Beta)

[uniQ168 3]

9 hours ago, SamES said:

@TurkeyManfor the ffmpeg log files, can you please let me know which files played fine and which ones had issues? Do the same files always give issues, or do they occasionally work?

BTW, there is a new Beta server version that would be worth trying in case this issue has already been resolved (4.10.0.3-Beta)

I just tested the new beta with my LG G5 but the problem with freezing on DTS transcoding after exactly 10s still exists.

[SamES 1057]

41 minutes ago, uniQ168 said:

@TurkeyManfor the ffmpeg log files, can you please let me know which files played fine and which ones had issues? Do the same files always give issues, or do they occasionally work?

Can you please give me feedback on this?

[SamES 1057]

If you have a file that this occurs with consistently, could you please send me a PM with a link where I can download the file to test.

[uniQ168 3]

8 hours ago, SamES said:

If you have a file that this occurs with consistently, could you please send me a PM with a link where I can download the file to test.

Sure!

[TurkeyMan 17]

10 hours ago, SamES said:

Can you please give me feedback on this?

It's as I said above; there are 3 films I played in those logs:

If you follow the timestamps;

The first film freezes after a few seconds (Notting Hill)

The second film is DTS-MA and for some reason plays normally (The Fisher King). I just double checked this and noticed that unlike the other 2; this one has a second AC3 audio compatibility track. However; the UI clearly shows the DTS-MA track selected, and stats-for-nerds clearly says Video - direct play, Audio - transcoding. Possibly the transcoded stream didn't strip the AC3 track though, and the TV chose it on its own contraty to Emby's knowledge? 

The third (Amelie) is another DTS HD MA, and freezes after 10 seconds like the first.

This pattern applies to basically every bluray rip ever, since bluray overwhelmingly uses DTS; so that's like 80% of my library

Edited yesterday at 07:49 AM by TurkeyMan

[SamES 1057]

So your sample file plays fine for me . I can't fault it. 

Just curious, how are you starting playback? Are you just selecting the 'Play' button from the Item Details page?

I can't see any issues in the logs, although it possibly looks like the connection is being dropped and it is trying to restart the stream.

I think we discussed this previously. You are playing remotely, correct? If so, that might be the difference in our testing.  Are you able to test with a local server, even using the portable installation method? One option might be to set me up with a user account on your server and I can test remote playback, although I'm not 100% certain what that would prove to us.

Is the TV connected via wifi or cable?  If it's wifi, what wifi channel is it using (I've seen LG TV's perform weirdly on certain wifi channels). Can you test a wired connection?

Does the TV have the latest firmware? Can you check if there are any updates?

You can slo try a full uninstall of the app from the TV, remove power from the TV for a minute to ensure it fully powers off then try reinstalling.  It's a bit of a long shot but is quick and easy to eliminate and has resolved a few issues in the past.

All I can conclude is that we are now on the same server and app versions and the file works fine, so the server, app and file shouldn't be an issue.  This leaves the TV itself, the server and the network connection.

[uniQ168 3]

2 hours ago, SamES said:

So your sample file plays fine for me . I can't fault it. 

Just curious, how are you starting playback? Are you just selecting the 'Play' button from the Item Details page?

I can't see any issues in the logs, although it possibly looks like the connection is being dropped and it is trying to restart the stream.

I think we discussed this previously. You are playing remotely, correct? If so, that might be the difference in our testing.  Are you able to test with a local server, even using the portable installation method? One option might be to set me up with a user account on your server and I can test remote playback, although I'm not 100% certain what that would prove to us.

Is the TV connected via wifi or cable?  If it's wifi, what wifi channel is it using (I've seen LG TV's perform weirdly on certain wifi channels). Can you test a wired connection?

Does the TV have the latest firmware? Can you check if there are any updates?

You can slo try a full uninstall of the app from the TV, remove power from the TV for a minute to ensure it fully powers off then try reinstalling.  It's a bit of a long shot but is quick and easy to eliminate and has resolved a few issues in the past.

All I can conclude is that we are now on the same server and app versions and the file works fine, so the server, app and file shouldn't be an issue.  This leaves the TV itself, the server and the network connection.

That's odd. So, this is my setup:

Emby Server installed on a Synology NAS 1821+ with 32GB RAM. My LG G5 is currently running on the latest available firmware but it didn't work with the previous version either.
I can initiate another test run later and provide the corresponding log files afterward. My LG TV is connected to the internal network via LAN and accesses the NAS hosting the Emby server directly.

All other media files play without any issues; the freeze occurs exactly 10 seconds into playback only when the file contains a DTS audio track that Emby transcodes to AC3 at 384 kbps.

I have already performed a fresh installation of the app, but this did not resolve the issue.

[TurkeyMan 17]

I could give you access to my server to do a remote test in this environment?

My TV is wifi; because those 100m ethernet ports are slower than the wifi, and it's definitely up to date. (actually, my old CX was 100m ethernet, G5 might be better; I should probably plug a cable again)

Which specific model do you have? I wonder if all G5's are identical?

But yeah, to repeat above; plays exactly 10s then freezes only when DTS transcoding... that's very specific, and it's very difficult to imagine how exactly that symptom could manifest from a network problem

Edited 10 hours ago by TurkeyMan

[SamES 1057]

My model is slightly older, but of a similar generation (no DTS)

it could be a model specific issue, but it would be quirky if this is the case and I am really only seeing issues from the two of you. 
 

I would try the cable again. I know it is only 100Mb/s but the reality is that you won’t (and shouldn’t) play anything with bitrates higher than that anyway. I play 80Mbps files on my 2017 Samsung with a 100Mb/s port without any problems and to me that is the upper limit on what anyone should be playing and it’s also way above the supported specs from both LG and Samsung. 
 

I’ll test the remote connection and let you know how I go. 

[TurkeyMan 17]

I previously had a CX which also had no DTS and transcoding was working fine for years on that.

This is absolutely a G5 specific issue; everyone I know has an LG of various eras, and only my 'new' G5 has raised issues.

Edited 8 hours ago by TurkeyMan

[uniQ168 3]

6 hours ago, SamES said:

My model is slightly older, but of a similar generation (no DTS)

it could be a model specific issue, but it would be quirky if this is the case and I am really only seeing issues from the two of you. 
 

I would try the cable again. I know it is only 100Mb/s but the reality is that you won’t (and shouldn’t) play anything with bitrates higher than that anyway. I play 80Mbps files on my 2017 Samsung with a 100Mb/s port without any problems and to me that is the upper limit on what anyone should be playing and it’s also way above the supported specs from both LG and Samsung. 
 

I’ll test the remote connection and let you know how I go. 

Weren't there multiple threads regarding this problem? I recall seeing more about it here. I assume some users are bypassing the issue by manually converting their audio tracks. I’ve also asked a friend with an LG G5 TV to install Emby on his home server and test the DTS transcoding, and he ran into the exact same error 10 seconds in. Because of that, I’m also guessing it's an issue specific to the G5 model.

EDIT: I also tried the new Emby Beta on my NAS but it didn't make any difference on this matter.

Edited 3 hours ago by uniQ168

[TurkeyMan 17]

> it could be a model specific issue, but it would be quirky if this is the case and I am really only seeing issues from the two of you. 

Are there any other G5 users? I was happily using my CX for years, and then I got my G5 and it was instantly broken. I didn't change anything regarding Emby or the server the day I plugged my new TV in, and all the other <G5 users connecting to my server still have no trouble. My friend still has his CX which still works without trouble.

[uniQ168 3]

Here is at least one other thread regarding this problem.