Roku app has become slow

[Ninko 78]

Hi,

Has anyone else noticed their Emby app on Roku has become much slower to load things recently, possibly after a recent update to the app?

Thanks

[Luke 42077]

Hi there, please attach the emby server log from when this happened:

Thanks.

[Ninko 78]

I've noticed it mainly when going into a playlist and also when starting any playback (Retrieving...).

Thanks

embyserver.txt

[Luke 42077]

Hi, is it a large playlist?

[Ninko 78]

Fairly, but it never used to be a problem.

And as I say, starting playback on any item is much slower then it used to be.

Thanks

[speechles 2055]

Which version of Emby server? Are other apps slow to begin playback the same?

The weird part now.. We never changed anything in the playback area of the Roku app. Anything slowing down that part would be coming from something in the environment around the Roku since the code is identical now and then as far as the player is concerned. What might be happening is that transcoding is occuring and that might take longer to happen than it did before.

Can you supply any ffmpeg logs so that we might see what could be happening? The server logs just show the requests to begin playback. They do not show the actual throughput on playback progress like ffmpeg logs will.

[ebr 16169]

Please see if the beta app performs any differently.

[speechles 2055]

Spoiler

021-03-28 02:19:06.222 Info Server: http/1.1 Response 500 to 192.168.1.1. Time: 245ms. http://<snipped-url-and-port>/Items/46559/Images/Primary?maxWidth=349&tag=c43362548637cd75c6a36832a7b15d1c&quality=90
2021-03-28 02:19:06.229 Info Server: http/1.1 Response 200 to 192.168.1.1. Time: 177ms. http://<snipped-url-and-port>/Items/98113/Images/Primary?maxHeight=335&maxWidth=596&tag=19b4d60909c52b59b6e1d1c4e9d4a462&quality=90
2021-03-28 02:19:06.365 Error Server: Error processing request
    *** Error Report ***
    Version: 4.5.4.0
    Command line: /volume1/@appstore/EmbyServer/system/EmbyServer.dll -programdata /volume1/Emby -ffdetect /var/packages/EmbyServer/target/bin/ffdetect -ffmpeg /var/packages/EmbyServer/target/bin/ffmpeg -ffprobe /var/packages/EmbyServer/target/bin/ffprobe -nolocalportconfig -ignore_vaapi_enabled_flag -updatepackage emby-server-synology_{version}_x86_64.spk -noautorunwebapp
    Operating system: Linux version 4.4.59+ (root@build3) (gcc version 4.9.3 20150311 (prerelease) (crosstool-NG 1.20.0) ) #25426 SMP PREEMPT Mon Dec 14 18:48:50 CST 2020
    Framework: .NET Core 3.1.8
    OS/Process: x64/x64
    Runtime: volume1/@appstore/EmbyServer/system/System.Private.CoreLib.dll
    Processor count: 4
    Data path: /volume1/Emby
    Application path: /volume1/@appstore/EmbyServer/system
    System.InvalidOperationException: System.InvalidOperationException: Operation is not valid due to the current state of the object.
       at Emby.Server.Implementations.Library.LibraryManager.ConvertImageToLocal(BaseItem item, ItemImageInfo image, Int32 imageIndex, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
       at Emby.Drawing.ImageProcessor.ProcessImage(ImageProcessingOptions options, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
       at MediaBrowser.Api.Images.ImageService.GetImage(ImageRequest request, Int64 itemId, BaseItem item, Boolean isHeadRequest)
       at Emby.Server.Implementations.Services.ServiceController.GetTaskResult(Task task)
       at Emby.Server.Implementations.Services.ServiceHandler.ProcessRequestAsync(HttpListenerHost appHost, IRequest httpReq, IResponse httpRes, RestPath restPath, String responseContentType, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
       at Emby.Server.Implementations.HttpServer.HttpListenerHost.RequestHandler(IRequest httpReq, ReadOnlyMemory`1 urlString, ReadOnlyMemory`1 localPath, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    Source: Emby.Server.Implementations
    TargetSite: Void MoveNext()

There are errors like this in your log but they look related to displaying images. That could be slowing down your fetches to begin playback. Since those are fail just prior to playback requests. It could be the images do not exist. It must wait for the timeout. Once that timeout happens lets begin playback of your item. That wait until timeout is what could be the slowdown. Once those images do exist and ffmpeg can process them everything moves more smoothly.

Edited March 28, 2021 by speechles

[speechles 2055]

Also.. It might be you had an error and it is trying to recover playback and you seeing the slowdown but it is really the app went into playback recovery. You can tell if this is happening by checking the stats for nerds inside the Roku app. Press DOWN on the Roku remote as an item plays. Use the cog/gear and press it to open the playback settings. Inside playback settings can turn on/off the stats for nerds. The transcoding reason (if this is not direct play) will give a transcoding reason. That reason should say "Direct play error" if this is what is happening. If this is what is happening the problem is likely permissions on your server for the Emby user under linux.

[Ninko 78]

But this only started happening since the last Roku app update, I've not changed anything and it was fine before.

[Luke 42077]

5 minutes ago, Ninko said:

But this only started happening since the last Roku app update, I've not changed anything and it was fine before.

Hi, were you able to try the beta Roku app and compare?

[Ninko 78]

12 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi, were you able to try the beta Roku app and compare?

I haven't yet no.

Is it easy to go back to the stable version after?

[ebr 16169]

1 minute ago, Ninko said:

Is it easy to go back to the stable version after?

Hi.  Yes, the beta will actually be a separate app on your Roku so you can run either one whenever you wish.

[Ninko 78]

Ok, just tested it, no it doesn't appear to be any quicker then the current stable release.

Like I say, I've not changed anything and it was much quicker to start playback before the last update.

[Luke 42077]

So it only happens when opening a playlist?

[Ninko 78]

No, it's also very slow to start video playback, all video playback.

[ebr 16169]

Exactly where does it become "slow"?  Navigating the UI at all or only from the time  you press "play" to when playback starts?

[Ninko 78]

Navigating the UI seems sluggish to what it did before, but it's mainly the time it takes to press play and actually have video start.

[ebr 16169]

3 minutes ago, Ninko said:

but it's mainly the time it takes to press play and actually have video start.

Can you please reproduce that and then immediately send a log from the app and also provide the server and any ffmpeg logs that are generated at that time?

Thanks.

[Ninko 78]

How do I send a log from the app?

[Ninko 78]

I have sent the app log at 00:13 BST.

I have attached the Emby server log.

No ffmpeg logs are created during this time.

embyserver.txt

[quackpipe 11]

Not sure if it’s related but I’ve been getting very jittery playback on my roku TV the past week or so. 

[ebr 16169]

14 hours ago, Ninko said:

I have sent the app log at 00:13 BST.

I have attached the Emby server log.

No ffmpeg logs are created during this time.

embyserver.txt 11.46 MB · 2 downloads

I don't really see any issues in these logs.  You were resuming, so it had to seek at the beginning.

Also, this was with the release app, not the beta.  Are you sure you tested the beta?

[Ninko 78]

It's just as slow when starting from the beginning of a program.

Because the beta app was not better I just switched back to the release version, so yes I'm sure I've tested it.

I'm assuming I'm the only one seeing this problem then?