Play Back Consentingly "loading" ffmpeg High CPU

[KevinH 0]

I have been using Emby on a Windows 2012 Server for a few years now. No real issues. Since build 3.4.1.0 or 3.4.0.0 (not sure), when I do play back on my Roku Ultras I get the black screen with "Loading" every few minutes.

 

Doesn't matter which Roku I use. It happens most the time but not all the time.

 

I've noticed on the SAME video file when it happens ffmpeg runs at 60% CPU. When it does not happen ffmpeg runs at under 30%. This is on the same file, on the same Roku and within minutes of each other.

 

Nothing else has changed in my setup except Emby updates and Windows updates.

 

Using Process Monitor, Process Explorer and various POSH commands, I do not see anything competing for resources when it works and when it does not. No network bottle necks.

 

Problem can be reproduced with anti-virus off and it will work with anti-virus on.

 

Video file type or location doesn't matter. Time of day doesn't matter. End point doesn't matter.

 

I have tried updating the ffmpeg binaries and re-installing. No luck.

 

I have attached the logs from working and not working. And screen-shots of ffmpeg CPU usage. (sorry to zip it up but there's two directories worth of files.)

 

I appreciate any guidance. 

Emby Issue.zip

[Luke 42080]

Hi, it's normal that ffmpeg will want to go as fast as it possibly can and this can consume a lot of CPU. I don' t see any obvious problem in these log files.

 

What you can try in the Roku app is reducing the in-app quality setting. It could be that the stuttering is bitrate related and not cpu related. Thanks.

[KevinH 0]

I forgot to mention that part. I did do some searches and tried all the different things. Even using Blue Neon or whatever. If I kicked it down to 30 or 20 mbps, it does the same thing. Same file sometimes it works sometimes it does not. Except when it does work I don't see ffmpeg at all. When it doesn't work ffmpeg 60+% CPU.

 

Like I said, this was working ALL the time with the same files I'm testing with. Nothing has changed except Emby version and Windows Updates. Is there something in the server side code that may have changed when or how transcoding works? Is this .NET? Maybe a Windows .NET update...

 

I could throw more horsepower at the server side but it doesn't seem like that's the root cause. 

 

Thanks

 

-Kevin

[Luke 42080]

Could something else be running on your server consuming resources and impacting transcoding?

[KevinH 0]

Using Process Monitor, Process Explorer and various POSH commands, I do not see anything competing for resources when it works and when it does not. No network bottle necks.

 

Problem can be reproduced with anti-virus off and it will work with anti-virus on.

 

Any enhanced logging or debugging I can enable?

 

Thanks

 

-Kevin

[ebr 16185]

What about something else happening on the network?

[KevinH 0]

Not that I see via the logs. My network is over-kill. Full Cat6, all eGig. The Server has 3 eGig NICs teamed on a switch trunk with LACP. The Switch is an HP ProCurve 48 port eGig Smart Switch. All IPv6 disabled. Plus everything was working less than month or so ago.

 

As a test, I busted out my old rig. Kodi with Emby Plug-In on Raspberry PI. Not apples to apples because it is direct connect. But that config works like a champ.

 

Really looks like server side code, Roku Emby client code or Roku firmware. I just don't know of any tools to debug further. 

 

Thanks

 

-Kevn

[ebr 16185]

And the Rokus are hard wired to that network?

[KevinH 0]

Yep. I have one outside that is wireless and it used to work as well. 3 wired and wireless. 

[Luke 42080]

Can you try dropping the in app quality setting to 1 Mbps? Thanks.

[KevinH 0]

No loading issue. Expected playback degradation. ffmpeg running at ~63%.

 

What does that tell us? One of the software components can no longer handle the higher bitrates?

 

Thanks

 

-Kevin

[Luke 42080]

Well if you look through the Roku forum you'll see there have been several occasions where Roku system updates introduced playback problems. It's always possible that happened here.

[KevinH 0]

Ok. I'll take look there. I'm going to try some different hardware and Emby versions as well. 

 

Is there any data I can gather so you can reach out to Roku? I assume since you have software on their "store" you have some relationship with them. I realize they'll want proof.

 

-Kevin

[speechles 2055]

So it is only with transcoding when there is an issue?

 

 

There was a change in the server, where you can customize the crap out of the transcoding. Before this would lock h264 encoding preset to the "very fast". Now this uses "auto", maybe on your setup auto isn't smart. If your CRF is already 23, try 25. 

 

I never change the thread count from auto or change hardware transcoding from none. Never seen an issue on my roku ultra over 100mbit ethernet, My server and storage are not on the same machine.

 

Since it only happens when transcoding it has to be something going on with ffmpeg. Download the latest zeranoe ffpmeg binaries and have emby make use of those.

Edited June 9, 2018 by speechles

[KevinH 0]

Yeah, I tried all that. Basically could not get good quality playback and not get the issue.

 

I did end up throwing some horsepower at this issue. I moved from a Intel Xeon Processor E3110 6M Cache, 3.00 GHz, Dual Core

 

To a Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2 3.10 GHz,  8M Cache, Turbo, Quad Core/4T

 

That is an incremental increase but it allowed me to stream with auto detect bitrate to 3 different Rokus at the same time. 3 different HD videos with 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. 

 

I'm using 3.4.1.0. It looks like there is an increased resource requirement after 3.4.0.0.

 

########

 

While we're chatting. How about a feature request for Emby Premiere. 

 

I switched from Direct TV to YouTube TV. I really like it but...the YouTube TV Cloud DVR sucks! I'd love to use Emby to record TV from YouTube TV and playback on my Roku.

 

Maybe that can get on a list somewhere.

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

-Kevin

[Luke 42080]

 

 

I'd love to use Emby to record TV from YouTube TV

 

I don't see this ever happening because it is unlikely that Youtube will open up the content for other apps to utilize. If they ever do then of course we'll look at it. 

[speechles 2055]

There is this:

https://channelstore.roku.com/details/195316/youtube-tv

 

About the best you could do, is have a link to the youtubeTV app, within a row as a tile, which would use the external control api with launch/appID. So you could 1-click into youtubeTV directly from emby at some point, sure. This would save you a few clicks of the homescreen (... and the time it takes to navigate that homescreen to find the youtubeTV app and launch it) when leaving emby to use youtubeTV.

 

It could also be possible to deep-link to the youtubeTV app if you knew what parameters/fields youtube was using to pass variables through to its app this way once it started. Each app can have its own parameter/fields and its like naming your children at birth, so its hard to guess the names. Once you did know the names and got this working, it would be clumsy at best, since once emby passes control to the youtubeTV app and it starts to tune into your channel from that point on you must use the youtubeTV app to navigate. Clumsy since all emby can do is get you there, not control or learn from the experience.

Edited June 10, 2018 by speechles