Playback Instability on Legacy Android TV (Android 6.0) Post-Upgrade to Server 4.9+ Beta

[bfhh521 0]

Dear Emby Team and Community,

I am writing to seek assistance regarding a playback issue that has emerged following my recent server upgrade to the 4.9.x beta branch.

System Environment:

• Server Version: 4.9.1.90 (Running on QNAP NAS)

• Client Device: Hisense TV (Legacy Android 6.0 OS)

• Client App: Emby for Android TV v2.0.95g (Third-party/Legacy version)

Important Context Regarding Server Version (Unable to Downgrade):
Before proceeding, I wish to clarify that I am unable to roll back to the stable version. I attempted to downgrade to Server 4.8.11 to resolve this issue; however, this resulted in database corruption and significant metadata loss due to version incompatibility. Consequently, I was forced to return to version 4.9.1.90 to restore my library's integrity. Therefore, I am respectfully requesting a solution or workaround within the 4.9.x environment.

Description of the Issue:
Since moving to the 4.9.x branch, playback on my Hisense TV has ceased to function correctly, exhibiting the following symptoms:

1. Server Side: When media is initiated, the server dashboard reports the session as "Playing" (via Direct Play or Remux).

2. Client Side: The TV display remains stuck on the loading spinner indefinitely.

3. Scope: This behavior is isolated to this specific Hisense unit. My iOS devices and a Xiaomi TV continue to function perfectly with the exact same server and media files.

Regarding the Legacy Client Application:
Kindly note that I am utilizing an older, modified version of the Android TV client (v2.0.95g). This is necessary because the latest official Emby for Android/Android TV applications crash immediately upon launch on this specific Android 6.0 television. Regrettably, I have no alternative but to use this legacy version.

Log Analysis & Observations:
I have analyzed the attached server logs and observed significant network anomalies during the playback attempts by this specific client:

• Extreme Latency: The server appears to keep the HTTP connection open for an extensive period without successfully transmitting data.

  • Log entry: Info VideoService... Response 206 to host2. Time: 379203ms (Approximately 6 minutes).

• Connection Resets: There are multiple exceptions indicating that the connection is being dropped.

  • Log entry: System.Net.Sockets.SocketException (104): Connection reset by peer

• ExoPlayer Behavior: The logs indicate the client (ExoPlayerLib/2.18.7) is requesting the file footer (likely for the Moov atom) and subsequently the header, but the data transfer appears to stall completely.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken:

• Verified that playback is instantaneous (approx. 7ms response) on iOS/Xiaomi clients.

• Attempted to mitigate the issue by manually lowering the bitrate to force transcoding, but the instability persists.

Attachments:
I have attached the relevant server log file: embyserver.txt.

I understand that supporting legacy Android versions presents challenges. However, given that playback was functional prior to the update and my constraints regarding the database version, any insights into recent changes in the 4.9 network/delivery stack that might be affecting legacy clients would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you for your time and for your continued hard work on Emby.

Best regards.

embyserver.txt ffmpeg-transcode-d08b3807-19c4-45e7-98d7-20a97342ab7c_1.txt

[bfhh521 0]

Update: Issue has spontaneously resolved

Dear Emby Team and Community,

I am writing to provide a quick update on this situation.

Quite unexpectedly, the playback issue on my Hisense TV has resolved itself today. The videos are now loading and playing correctly without the infinite loading spinner.

To be transparent, I have not made any specific changes to the server configuration, the network environment, or the client application version since my initial report. I am currently unsure of the specific root cause.

I will continue to monitor the performance on this device. Should the instability return, I will capture new logs and update this thread.

Thank you again for your attention and support.

Best regards.

[Luke 42077]

Hi, thanks for following up !