FFMPEG Syntax Error - Transcode Failure

[Lessaj 467]

Server Version 3.0.5607.2

Linux Mint 17.1

3.13.0-37-generic #64-Ubuntu SMP Mon Sep 22 21:28:38 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

ffmpeg version 2.6.1

 

Hi,

 

I recently added some episodes of Modern Family to catch up on the series and the new episodes that I downloaded are failing with an ffmpeg transcode failure due to a syntax problem. I have figured out where the issue is but I don't know how I can fix it or really why it's doing it. I think this may have happened with some of my other media but I haven't really been using my server too much. For now I'm just watching them in VLC, no problem. Here is what the log says:

 

2015-06-09 20:47:28.9889 Info - App: /var/lib/mediabrowser/ffmpeg/20150331/ffmpeg -fflags +genpts -i file:"/raid/Storage/Shows/Modern Family/Season 3/Modern Family - S03E24 - Baby on Board.mkv" -sn -codec:v:0 libvpx -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5) -vf "scale=min(iw\,1920):trunc(ow/dar/2)*2" -pix_fmt yuv420p -speed 16 -quality good -profile:v 0 -slices 8 -crf 10 -qmin 0 -qmax 50 -maxrate:v 29872000 -bufsize:v (29872000*2) -b:v 29872000 -vsync vfr -map_metadata -1 -threads 5 -codec:a:0 libvorbis -ab 128000 -af "aresample=async=1" -y "/var/lib/mediabrowser/transcoding-temp/c9abfc2c9df9a2e8c1892fba3a2ebd1f.webm"
2015-06-09 20:47:29.1174 Info - App: FFMpeg exited with code 1
2015-06-09 20:47:30.1722 Error - App: Error streaming media. The client has most likely disconnected or transcoding has failed.

 

If I run the ffmpeg command manually I get a syntax error.

 

sudo /var/lib/mediabrowser/ffmpeg/20150331/ffmpeg -fflags +genpts -i file:"/raid/Storage/Shows/Modern Family/Season 3/Modern Family - S03E24 - Baby on Board.mkv" -sn -codec:v:0 libvpx -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5) -vf "scale=min(iw\,1920):trunc(ow/dar/2)*2" -pix_fmt yuv420p -speed 16 -quality good -profile:v 0 -slices 8 -crf 10 -qmin 0 -qmax 50 -maxrate:v 29872000 -b:v 29872000 -vsync vfr -map_metadata -1 -threads 5 -codec:a:0 libvorbis -ab 128000 -af "aresample=async=1" -y "/var/lib/mediabrowser/transcoding-temp/c9abfc2c9df9a2e8c1892fba3a2ebd1f.webm"                                         
bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('

 

Through trial and error I have determined that the syntax error is here:

 

-force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5)

 

If I change this argument to have single quotes around the value, it works fine.

 

What I find interesting is one of the older episodes that I have from a while ago has this exact same argument, as I imagine the ffmpeg command that is built always does but I only tried a couple files, and it works just fine without the quotes as you can see from the log below and I can see the episode playing of course. But when I run the command manually I STILL get a syntax error even if I add the quotes in the same place. I have to also add them around -bufsize:v to be '(987370*2)' (in the case of the episode that does play the ffmpeg command has this argument), then it works. Is this just something with my version of ffmpeg that I need to add quotes to these commands with brackets in them? It's not a very old version at all but it seems that any of the arguments with brackets without some kind of quote is causing issues.

 

2015-06-09 21:27:45.3422 Info - App: /var/lib/mediabrowser/ffmpeg/20150331/ffmpeg -fflags +genpts -i file:"/raid/Storage/Shows/Modern Family/Season 3/Modern Family - S03E01 - Dude Ranch.avi" -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map -0:s -codec:v:0 libvpx -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5) -vf "scale=min(iw\,1280):trunc(ow/dar/2)*2" -pix_fmt yuv420p -speed 16 -quality good -profile:v 0 -slices 8 -crf 10 -qmin 0 -qmax 50 -maxrate:v 987370 -bufsize:v (987370*2) -b:v 987370 -vsync vfr -map_metadata -1 -threads 5 -codec:a:0 libvorbis -ab 128000 -af "aresample=async=1" -y "/var/lib/mediabrowser/transcoding-temp/7919bfb1833a743eebf9250bf694c378.webm"
2015-06-09 21:27:47.8571 Info - App: HttpClientManager POST: http://www.mb3admin.com/admin/service/registration/validate
2015-06-09 21:27:48.3509 Info - App: HttpClientManager GET: http://www.mb3admin.com/admin/service/MB3ServerNotifications.json

 

sudo /var/lib/mediabrowser/ffmpeg/20150331/ffmpeg -fflags +genpts -i file:"/raid/Storage/Shows/Modern Family/Season 3/Modern Family - S03E24 - Baby on Board.mkv" -sn -codec:v:0 libvpx -force_key_frames 'expr:gte(t,n_forced*5)' -vf "scale=min(iw\,1920):trunc(ow/dar/2)*2" -pix_fmt yuv420p -speed 16 -quality good -profile:v 0 -slices 8 -crf 10 -qmin 0 -qmax 50 -maxrate:v 29872000 -b:v 29872000 -vsync vfr -map_metadata -1 -threads 5 -codec:a:0 libvorbis -ab 128000 -af "aresample=async=1" -y "/var/lib/mediabrowser/transcoding-temp/c9abfc2c9df9a2e8c1892fba3a2ebd1f.webm"
ffmpeg version 2.6.1-   http://johnvansickle.com/ffmpeg/    Copyright (c) 2000-2015 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 4.9.2 (Debian 4.9.2-10)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-shared --disable-debug --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libwebp --enable-libspeex --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libfreetype --enable-fontconfig --enable-libxvid --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libtheora --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-gray --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-libass --enable-gnutls --enable-libvidstab --cc=gcc-4.9
  libavutil      54. 20.100 / 54. 20.100
  libavcodec     56. 26.100 / 56. 26.100
  libavformat    56. 25.101 / 56. 25.101
  libavdevice    56.  4.100 / 56.  4.100
  libavfilter     5. 11.102 /  5. 11.102
  libswscale      3.  1.101 /  3.  1.101
  libswresample   1.  1.100 /  1.  1.100
  libpostproc    53.  3.100 / 53.  3.100
Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'file:/raid/Storage/Shows/Modern Family/Season 3/Modern Family - S03E24 - Baby on Board.mkv':
  Metadata:
    encoder         : libebml v1.0.0 + libmatroska v1.0
  Duration: 00:21:35.25, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 5774 kb/s
    Chapter #0:0: start 0.000000, end 121.830000
    Metadata:
      title           : 00:00:00.000
    Chapter #0:1: start 121.830000, end 381.798000
    Metadata:
      title           : 00:02:01.830
    Chapter #0:2: start 381.798000, end 739.614000
    Metadata:
      title           : 00:06:21.798
    Chapter #0:3: start 739.614000, end 1100.558000
    Metadata:
      title           : 00:12:19.614
    Chapter #0:4: start 1100.558000, end 1295.254000
    Metadata:
      title           : 00:18:20.558
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High), yuv420p, 1280x720, SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9, 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 1k tbn, 47.95 tbc (default)
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: dts (DTS), 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 1536 kb/s (default)
[libvpx @ 0x3b047e0] v1.3.0-5725-gde3097a
Output #0, webm, to '/var/lib/mediabrowser/transcoding-temp/c9abfc2c9df9a2e8c1892fba3a2ebd1f.webm':
  Metadata:
    encoder         : Lavf56.25.101
    Chapter #0:0: start 0.000000, end 121.830000
    Chapter #0:1: start 121.830000, end 381.798000
    Chapter #0:2: start 381.798000, end 739.614000
    Chapter #0:3: start 739.614000, end 1100.558000
    Chapter #0:4: start 1100.558000, end 1295.254000
    Stream #0:0: Video: vp8 (libvpx), yuv420p, 1280x720 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=0-50, 29872 kb/s, 23.98 fps, 1k tbn, 23.98 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      encoder         : Lavc56.26.100 libvpx
    Stream #0:1: Audio: vorbis (libvorbis), 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 128 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      encoder         : Lavc56.26.100 libvorbis
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (h264 (native) -> vp8 (libvpx))
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (dts (dca) -> vorbis (libvorbis))
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
frame=  106 fps= 64 q=0.0 Lsize=    2051kB time=00:00:04.86 bitrate=3455.1kbits/s    
video:2003kB audio:39kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:6kB muxing overhead: 0.468025%

/var/lib/mediabrowser/ffmpeg/20150331/ffmpeg -version
ffmpeg version 2.6.1-   http://johnvansickle.com/ffmpeg/    Copyright (c) 2000-2015 the FFmpeg developers
built with gcc 4.9.2 (Debian 4.9.2-10)
configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-shared --disable-debug --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libwebp --enable-libspeex --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libfreetype --enable-fontconfig --enable-libxvid --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libtheora --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-gray --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-libass --enable-gnutls --enable-libvidstab --cc=gcc-4.9
libavutil      54. 20.100 / 54. 20.100
libavcodec     56. 26.100 / 56. 26.100
libavformat    56. 25.101 / 56. 25.101
libavdevice    56.  4.100 / 56.  4.100
libavfilter     5. 11.102 /  5. 11.102
libswscale      3.  1.101 /  3.  1.101
libswresample   1.  1.100 /  1.  1.100
libpostproc    53.  3.100 / 53.  3.100

 

[Luke 42077]

Interesting. I will have to do some testing. Thanks for the info!

[Jackrats 4]

I believe this is simply the issue where FIFOs are leaked when ffmpeg/ffprobe are run. The command that is displayed in the debug does actually get run without a syntax error -- you're simply looking at a difference in quoting between however it's being quoted to run within Emby and how it is displayed in the debug output. I'm willing to bet if you look in /proc/$PIDOFEMBY/fd you will see hundreds and hundreds of leaked FIFO FD's.

 

Upgrading to 3.0.5607 will stop this.

[Lessaj 467]

I believe this is simply the issue where FIFOs are leaked when ffmpeg/ffprobe are run. The command that is displayed in the debug does actually get run without a syntax error -- you're simply looking at a difference in quoting between however it's being quoted to run within Emby and how it is displayed in the debug output. I'm willing to bet if you look in /proc/$PIDOFEMBY/fd you will see hundreds and hundreds of leaked FIFO FD's.

 

Upgrading to 3.0.5607 will stop this.

I will have to check that but I'm already running 3.0.5607.2. I know there is a server upgrade available so I will work on that tonight and see if that makes a difference.

[Lessaj 467]

Okay I just updated to 3.0.5621.4 and I'm able to play those episodes now. Not able to seek, but they are playing. Looking at the NFO it doesn't look like it's able to pick up the file info, I see that entry in other episodes where I can seek. Lots of video and audio info, but nothing in this one with that information.

[lamero 1]

I have the same problem with 3.0.5724.3 version on DEBIAN.

Edited September 3, 2015 by lamero