Audio goes out of sync/Video starts severely stuttering

[markdj 49]

Hi, 

I'm not sure if this is a real Kodi or Emby issue, but the Kodi log tells me if has to do with Emby (as far as I can tell) so that's why I'm posting it here.

But the video starts stuttering shortly after starting a series or movie, and later it starts to stutter so severely that there's no choice but to stop the video entirely. Could someone maybe please take a look at this? This log contains some stutter around the 21:07 mark. I'll try to post a log later when it gets to the extreme part. I think Emby is trying to communicate with the server and things take a turn there?

https://paste.kodi.tv/qibizinoza.kodi

[visproduction 328]

Guessing original media is too heavy for your server settings to handle everything at once.  EAC3 8 channels 4K, 60 fps and multiple .ass subs.  Try online test videos in 4K and see if they work. Try adjusting your transcoding and direct play settings.

lines 613 to 639

Quote

2026-03-08 21:02:20.263 T:22442    info <general>: Creating audio stream (codec id: 86018, channels: 2, sample rate: 48000, no pass-through)
2026-03-08 21:02:20.266 T:21743    info <general>: CActiveAESink::OpenSink - initialize sink
2026-03-08 21:02:20.266 T:21743    info <general>: Trying to open: samplerate: 48000, channelMask: 12, encoding: 4
2026-03-08 21:02:20.359 T:21743    info <general>: Minimum size we need for stream: 12320 Bytes
2026-03-08 21:02:20.359 T:21743    info <general>: Audiotrack buffer params are: period time = 32.083 ms, period size = 12320 bytes, num periods = 4
2026-03-08 21:02:20.359 T:21743    info <general>: Created Audiotrackbuffer with playing time of 128.333333 ms min buffer size: 49280 bytes
2026-03-08 21:02:20.550 T:21743    info <general>: CAESinkAUDIOTRACK::Initializing with: m_sampleRate: 48000 format: AE_FMT_FLOAT (AE) method: PCM stream-type: PCM-STREAM min_buffer_size: 49280 m_frames: 1540 m_frameSize: 8 channels: 2
2026-03-08 21:02:20.662 T:21834    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.player: [ onAVChange ]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.025 T:21725    info <general>: Instancing CRendererMediaCodecSurface
2026-03-08 21:02:21.025 T:21725    info <general>: CRendererMediaCodecSurface::Configure
2026-03-08 21:02:21.061 T:21834    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.player: [ onAVChange ]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.061 T:21834    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.player: --> [ onAVStarted ]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.072 T:21834    info <general>: EMBY.helper.playerops: [ GetPlayerInfo ]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.072 T:21834    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.player: [ Queue playing item ]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.114 T:21834    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.player: --< [ onAVStarted ]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.178 T:21725    info <general>: Loading skin file: VideoFullScreen.xml, load type: KEEP_IN_MEMORY
2026-03-08 21:02:21.191 T:21725    info <general>: [WHITELIST] Searching the whitelist for: width: 3840, height: 2160, fps: 25.000, 3D: false
2026-03-08 21:02:21.195 T:21725    info <general>: Display resolution ADJUST : 3840x2160 @ 59.940060 - Full Screen (16) (weight: 0.000)
2026-03-08 21:02:21.261 T:21834    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.player: [ onAVChange ]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.650 T:21860    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.websocket: [ UserDataChanged ] [{'PlayedPercentage': 44.54740288424935, 'PlaybackPositionTicks': 15903160000, 'PlayCount': 3, 'IsFavorite': False, 'LastPlayedDate': '2026-03-08T20:02:22.0000000Z', 'Played': False, 'ItemId': '318068'}]
2026-03-08 21:02:21.746 T:21860    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.websocket: UserDataChanged skip by ItemSkipUpdate / Id: 318068 / ItemSkipUpdate: ['318068', 'KODI318068', '318068']
2026-03-08 21:03:28.005 T:22437 warning <general>: OutputPicture - timeout waiting for buffer
2026-03-08 21:03:38.193 T:22747    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.websocket: THREAD: --->[ Emby server is busy, sync in progress ]
2026-03-08 21:03:48.214 T:22747    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.websocket: THREAD: ---<[ Emby server is busy, sync in progress ]
2026-03-08 21:04:18.039 T:21860    info <general>: EMBY.hooks.websocket: [ LibraryChanged ] {'FoldersAddedTo': [], 'FoldersRemovedFrom': ['100786'], 'ItemsAdded': [], 'ItemsRemoved': ['251000'], 'ItemsUpdated': [], 'CollectionFolders': [], 'IsEmpty': False}
2026-03-08 21:04:18.065 T:22796    info <general>: EMBY.database.library: Worker_is_paused: worker_remove / {'server_starting_9769a5d86cfe4385814e11c87d95a9cf': False, 'database_init_9769a5d86cfe4385814e11c87d95a9cf': False, 'priority': False, 'kodi_rw': False, 'playerbusy': False, 'playing': True, 'server_busy_9769a5d86cfe4385814e11c87d95a9cf': False}
2026-03-08 21:04:18.065 T:22796    info <general>: EMBY.database.library: -->[ open_Worker delay: Worker_is_paused ]
 

 

Edited March 8 by visproduction

[ebr 16304]

You are using Kodi for playback, not our Android/Android TV app?

[markdj 49]

That is correct. I'm using the Emby add-on to sync the library but play everything through Kodi.

[visproduction 328]

Seems obviously Kodi issue to me.

[markdj 49]

I'm not sure because everytime I see a stutter it seems Emby is trying to interact with something. But I can't be sure.

Can't upload any full logs anywhere, because they get absolutely massive, so here's a part where a stutter happened at 15:46.

kodi.log

[Luke 42157]

Are you still having an issue with this?

[markdj 49]

Hi, yes, there's still stutter in the videos, though not as extreme as in the original post.

[markdj 49]

This is a partial log of a stutter just now (at 22:46):

 

"

2026-03-14 22:46:04.358 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000989: http/1.1 POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress. Source Ip: host7, UserAgent: Emby for Kodi Next Gen/11.1.27

2026-03-14 22:46:04.358 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000989: http/1.1 Response 204 to host7. Time: 1ms. POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress.

2026-03-14 22:46:14.366 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:0000098C: http/1.1 POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress. Source Ip: host7, UserAgent: Emby for Kodi Next Gen/11.1.27

2026-03-14 22:46:14.366 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:0000098C: http/1.1 Response 204 to host7. Time: 1ms. POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress.

2026-03-14 22:46:24.380 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000990: http/1.1 POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress. Source Ip: host7, UserAgent: Emby for Kodi Next Gen/11.1.27

2026-03-14 22:46:24.380 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000990: http/1.1 Response 204 to host7. Time: 1ms. POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress.

2026-03-14 22:46:34.389 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000993: http/1.1 POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress. Source Ip: host7, UserAgent: Emby for Kodi Next Gen/11.1.27

2026-03-14 22:46:34.389 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000993: http/1.1 Response 204 to host7. Time: 0ms. POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress.

2026-03-14 22:46:36.471 Info App: ValidatePhysicalRoots completed validating 100787 Series F:\Extracted\Series

2026-03-14 22:46:36.471 Info App: ValidatePhysicalRoots start validating 160140 Series Z:\Series

2026-03-14 22:46:36.988 Info App: ValidatePhysicalRoots completed validating 160140 Series Z:\Series

2026-03-14 22:46:36.988 Info App: ValidatePhysicalRoots start validating 281715 Series F:\Series

2026-03-14 22:46:37.023 Info App: ValidatePhysicalRoots completed validating 281715 Series F:\Series

2026-03-14 22:46:37.023 Info App: ValidatePhysicalRoots start validating 230558 userplaylists C:\Users\mark_\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\data\userplaylists

2026-03-14 22:46:37.028 Info App: ValidatePhysicalRoots completed validating 230558 userplaylists C:\Users\mark_\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\data\userplaylists

2026-03-14 22:46:37.028 Info App: ValidateTopLibraryFolders validating 99825 Movies

2026-03-14 22:46:37.028 Info App: ValidateTopLibraryFolders validating 100789 TV shows

2026-03-14 22:46:37.028 Info App: ValidateTopLibraryFolders validating 104041 Collections

2026-03-14 22:46:37.028 Info App: ValidateTopLibraryFolders validating 127120 Playlists

2026-03-14 22:46:44.397 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000997: http/1.1 POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress. Source Ip: host7, UserAgent: Emby for Kodi Next Gen/11.1.27

2026-03-14 22:46:44.398 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:00000997: http/1.1 Response 204 to host7. Time: 1ms. POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress.

2026-03-14 22:46:54.409 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:0000099A: http/1.1 POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress. Source Ip: host7, UserAgent: Emby for Kodi Next Gen/11.1.27

2026-03-14 22:46:54.410 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:0000099A: http/1.1 Response 204 to host7. Time: 1ms. POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress.

2026-03-14 22:47:04.418 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:0000099E: http/1.1 POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress. Source Ip: host7, UserAgent: Emby for Kodi Next Gen/11.1.27

2026-03-14 22:47:04.418 Info PlaystateService-0HNK075FQ06NV:0000099E: http/1.1 Response 204 to host7. Time: 1ms. POST http://192.168.2.22:8096/Sessions/Playing/Progress.

"

The only thing I see in the Emby Server log where something of activity happens and when the stutter occurs. I also checked the Kodi log file (without debug though, mind you), but there didn't seem to be anything happening there.

Looks like Emby is trying to validate A LOT of things. How can I decrease this, or better yet: fix it?

Edited 17 hours ago by markdj

[markdj 49]

Or maybe a delay until after playback?

Why is it validating so many files in the first place? Is it a code for something or is it actually somehow validating 127 thousand playlists?

I also have a kodi log of a recent movie that I can send by PM if needed.

Edited 1 hour ago by markdj