MKV Files Play Audio But Video Fails

[bebaldin 1]

I am running Emby Server 3.0.5972.0 on a dedicated Windows box. When serving to my Amazon Fire TV, I can play the first video of a season ripped in MKV format (HEVC) and it works perfectly. When the next episode starts, the video drops out and the audio continues to play normally. I have to stop the playback, go back to the episode list, and restart the episode from the beginning to get the picture back.

 

If I happen to catch the Start Now button at the end of the first episode, the next one starts normally with full video and audio and everything plays normally until the next episode where the issue occurs again.

 

I have recently been changing my content over from MPEGs to MKVs primarily to save storage space but also because the large MPEGs have a tendency to freeze the picture occasionally. I have also tried MP4s which work normally but I am not happy with the quality of the picture. The MKVs look by far the best for their file size, and are direct play which helps out on my 'server' which isn't the most powerful machine in the world. 

 

Any ideas?

[Luke 42077]

Hi, welcome. Can you provide the emby server and transcoding logs?

 

http://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/739-how-to-report-a-problem/

 

Thanks!

[bebaldin 1]

Sure thing. Here is the latest log:

server-63602860502.txt

[ebr 16169]

Can you please do the following with the Fire TV app:

 

1) Turn on the "Debug Options" in settings

2) Play one of your episodes that will have more after it and skip to near the end and let it automatically go to the next one and create the problem.

3) Then move near the end of that one and hit the "Start Now" button and, as soon as it starts playing, back out

4) Go directly to the home screen and send the log (there will be a button on the settings row)

 

Thanks!

[bebaldin 1]

Can you please do the following with the Fire TV app:

 

1) Turn on the "Debug Options" in settings

2) Play one of your episodes that will have more after it and skip to near the end and let it automatically go to the next one and create the problem.

3) Then move near the end of that one and hit the "Start Now" button and, as soon as it starts playing, back out

4) Go directly to the home screen and send the log (there will be a button on the settings row)

 

Thanks!

Just sent the logs over. Thank you!

[ebr 16169]

Is it possible for you to provide me with a sample of one or two of these videos.  I can't see any reason why it would be behaving as you describe.  It is properly using VLC in both instances.  Thx.

[bebaldin 1]

Is it possible for you to provide me with a sample of one or two of these videos.  I can't see any reason why it would be behaving as you describe.  It is properly using VLC in both instances.  Thx.

What is the best way to get them to you?

[Abobader 3464]

What is the best way to get them to you?

 

Good day,

 

You mean how to split video for sample matters or how to upload it, if it for uploading just use the attachment for zipping file format.

 

My best

[ebr 16169]

Or you could dropbox it and PM me a link.  Whatever works for you.  Thanks.

[bebaldin 1]

Will send over PM in a minute. Thanks.

Edited July 2, 2016 by bebaldin

[ebr 16169]

Well, I can't reproduce the issue unfortunately.  Playback continues as normal for me.

[bebaldin 1]

Has to be something specific to the MKV format. Other formats seem to work as expected. I really don't want to have to re-encode my entire library again.

 

I tried adding files to a playlist to see if there would be any difference - there wasn't. As long as I advance it with the button it all works fine but let it go to the next file automatically and the picture blanks every time. I removed and re-added both the application in Amazon Fire and the server program on Windows. I have also deleted and completely rebuilt the library files. Nothing seems to work.

 

The only two things I can think of to try is to run the tests on a second Amazon Fire that I just bought for the bedroom. Don't have anything set up yet on it but I will try it and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I will try moving the server from a WLAN connection to a wired gigabit connection in my electronics closet. I can't see that working since I have no problem with wireless serving other formats, but I am out of ideas besides those. 

[bebaldin 1]

Tried it on the new Fire in the bedroom - and it works. Even stranger - my connection in the bedroom is also wireless but while it uses the same access point it is of a lower connection speed. In fact - the feed here is a little choppy using the same files so I may be close to the bandwidth limit there. 

[ebr 16169]

I assure you it has nothing to do with the mkv container.  I thought it might be related to the HEVC codec (which doesn't have full support everywhere yet) but, based on your log and my tests, I don't think that is it either.

[bebaldin 1]

Maybe you could just add a setting in Emby to 'click' the start now button as soon as it appears automatically. 

[bebaldin 1]

OK - I have some more information. Overnight I remastered some files using H.265/HEVC and upped the the rate to 1.05 - 5 VBR and changed audio to 448kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (was AAC before). Playing these files shows Trans/I - presumably this is audio transcode only - but the odd thing is that now the files advance to the next video as expected. I can't explain it.