Error - Conversion failed. Transcoder crashed or failed to start. PMS 1.10.1.4602

General Discussions
1

Hi,

I have a problem when watching TV shows. Randomly, a message saying “Error - Conversion failed. Transcoder crashed or failed to start.”

This message is in French though but means the same.

It curiously appeared since version 1.8.4.

I’m using Plex since few months and never had this problem. Pretty annoying.

I have, I think, a machine powerful enough:

Windows 10 64 bits Pro latest version
i7 6700K 4Ghz
16Gb RAM DDR4
EVO 960 500GB Samsung M.2 SSD
ASUS GeForce 1060 6GB
Asus Z170-A motherboard
All my videos are on my 3TB HDD 7200RPM

I have tried many things without success.

Here’s what I already tried:

  • Hit “Analyse” on Plex web;
  • Give full access to anyone to this folder :"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Cache\Transcode";
  • Updated to version 1.9.0;
  • Try the same TV show on another device like my Galaxy S8 with latest Plex App and same problem happens;

The video that I have tried on this example was: How I Met Your Mother - s02e05.mkv

This problem happens on my Roku Ultra and on my phone Galaxy S8 with both latest version.

I’ve attached Plex’s Logs that has been downloaded as soon as the crash happened so approx. 17:53.

Regards

2

@nbaprofo said:
Hi,

I have a problem when watching TV shows. Randomly, a message saying “Error - Conversion failed. Transcoder crashed or failed to start.”

This message is in French though but means the same.

It curiously appeared since version 1.8.4.

I’m using Plex since few months and never had this problem. Pretty annoying.

I have, I think, a machine powerful enough:

Windows 10 64 bits Pro latest version
i7 6700K 4Ghz
16Gb RAM DDR4
EVO 960 500GB Samsung M.2 SSD
ASUS GeForce 1060 6GB
Asus Z170-A motherboard
All my videos are on my 3TB HDD 7200RPM

I have tried many things without success.

Here’s what I already tried:

  • Hit “Analyse” on Plex web;
  • Give full access to anyone to this folder :"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Cache\Transcode";
  • Updated to version 1.9.0;
  • Try the same TV show on another device like my Galaxy S8 with latest Plex App and same problem happens;

The video that I have tried on this example was: How I Met Your Mother - s02e05.mkv

This problem happens on my Roku Ultra and on my phone Galaxy S8 with both latest version.

I’ve attached Plex’s Logs that has been downloaded as soon as the crash happened so approx. 17:53.

Regards

I can see these errors in the log

Sep 14, 2017 17:53:08.594 [8948] ERROR - [Transcoder] [segment @ 058919a0] Failed to open segment list 'http://127.0.0.1:32400/video/:/transcode/session/a060ea240607abf27aaa5469bc00e0bb/4a0fb39b-2fb8-4abe-b77c-7440ad1c47c3/seglist'

Sep 14, 2017 17:53:08.601 [1932] ERROR - [Transcoder] av_interleaved_write_frame(): Unknown error

Sep 14, 2017 17:53:08.642 [3112] ERROR - [Transcoder] Error writing trailer of chunk-%05d: Invalid argument

There is no mention of any disk space issues in the log - but do check that there is enough space within the drive holding
C:\Users\Francis\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Cache\Transcode\Sessions

Could you see if the same error occurs with a clip produced from the file How I Met Your Mother - s02e05.mkv
Suggest trying a 5-minute clip produced using mkvtoolnix - see https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201035968-Generating-Sample-Files-from-Media

If it does happen with the small sample, please upload somewhere and share a link and provide the logs for the error when the shorter clip is used. I can then refer it to the development team

When the error occurs, could you see what files get created below C:\Users\Francis\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Cache\Transcode\Sessions - perhaps take a copy and zip the copy and provide with the 5-minute clip and logs

3

Hi,

Thank you for the fast reply.

For the HDD, there are 400Go free so no problem there.

Here’s what my tests gave me:

The problem persists even with this 5 minutes clip made from MkvToolNix.

Here’s the transcoder files as requested. I get them just before the crash occurred. I’ve noticed that when the crash was happening, the session folder that was created when the stream started disappeared so I had to be quick to copy it at the right time.

I’ve attached the 5 minutes clip I’ve tested with and the transcoder session files in that .rar.

I’ve also attached Plex Logs.

Regards

4

Thanks - will look tomorrow - getting late here

5

Just to give you an update. I have been trying to break it without success. Tried to have same selections as in your case, with 2nd audio stream selected and the french subs. Also tried with extended characters in the file path as that is handled differently. I have been trying it with Plex on a roku 3 - not getting any transcoder crashes

I have tried on versions 1.8.4 of Plex Media Server and 1.9.0

Just comparing now the x264 transcode options - as there is some difference between yours and my test.
Do you have any non-default settings for transoding / plex app?

6

No all default settings. :\

7

No errors logs from session files?
The crash can happen at random time.
Sometimes, it happens just after I click Play. When it loads it crashes.

8

@sa2000 May I get any help from development team?

Thanks

9

@nbaprofo said:
No errors logs from session files?
The crash can happen at random time.
Sometimes, it happens just after I click Play. When it loads it crashes.

So this 5 minute clip that I have plays ok sometimes? I thought it was a solid problem occurring each time

@nbaprofo said:
@sa2000 May I get any help from development team?

I will be raising it with the development team
But wanted first to see how to reproduce the error

10

Yes, sometimes the problem isn’t happening but more than 60% of the time I’d say the problem happens.

Also, I get another problem that maybe you know of.
When I play a TV Show, I go to settings and change subtitles and language then I hit back to return to the TV Show.
But sometimes, the language I chose and subtitles didn’t apply. I can see that they are checked but not applied.
For example, if by default the TV Show if in French, I want to change it to English, the English audio is checked but when watching the video it is in French…

Really annoying cause I have to return always in subtitles and language settings and recheck them. And then it’s working…

:\

Thanks

11

@nbaprofo said:
Yes, sometimes the problem isn’t happening but more than 60% of the time I’d say the problem happens.

I have passed the evidence to the development team to look into the transcoder errors

@nbaprofo said:
Also, I get another problem that maybe you know of.
When I play a TV Show, I go to settings and change subtitles and language then I hit back to return to the TV Show.
But sometimes, the language I chose and subtitles didn’t apply. I can see that they are checked but not applied.
For example, if by default the TV Show if in French, I want to change it to English, the English audio is checked but when watching the video it is in French…

Really annoying cause I have to return always in subtitles and language settings and recheck them. And then it’s working…

Does this happen on different plex clients ? eg
Plex for Roku
Plex for Android
Plex Web

Should treat it as different problem and raise it on separare forum topic. I have seen this get reported before but for synced media on Plex for iOS

Would need logs from both the client app and server , media info xml and exactly what you selected and what you got
See
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201869908-Log-Files
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201998867-Investigate-Media-Information-and-Formats

12

I post here to say that the problem persists with another TV Show. I thought that it was happening with only one TV Show but it happened to me yesterday with another one.

I have the latest version of Plex Media Server installed.

The problem happens on Android, Roku, any clients…

Could you help me please?

13

@nbaprofo said:
I post here to say that the problem persists with another TV Show. I thought that it was happening with only one TV Show but it happened to me yesterday with another one.

I have the latest version of Plex Media Server installed.

The problem happens on Android, Roku, any clients…

Could you help me please?

Are you referring to the transcoder error ? or the second issue you mentioned regarding selected subtitles?

If it is the transcoder error that is occurring on other files, it would be a good idea to get a sample and logs of the error using version 1.9.5

14

@nbaprofo said:
Hi,

I have a problem when watching TV shows. Randomly, a message saying “Error - Conversion failed. Transcoder crashed or failed to start.”

This message is in French though but means the same.

It curiously appeared since version 1.8.4.

I’m using Plex since few months and never had this problem. Pretty annoying.

I have, I think, a machine powerful enough:

Windows 10 64 bits Pro latest version
i7 6700K 4Ghz
16Gb RAM DDR4
EVO 960 500GB Samsung M.2 SSD
ASUS GeForce 1060 6GB
Asus Z170-A motherboard
All my videos are on my 3TB HDD 7200RPM

I have tried many things without success.

Here’s what I already tried:

  • Hit “Analyse” on Plex web;
  • Give full access to anyone to this folder :"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server\Cache\Transcode";
  • Updated to version 1.9.0;
  • Try the same TV show on another device like my Galaxy S8 with latest Plex App and same problem happens;

The video that I have tried on this example was: How I Met Your Mother - s02e05.mkv

This problem happens on my Roku Ultra and on my phone Galaxy S8 with both latest version.

I’ve attached Plex’s Logs that has been downloaded as soon as the crash happened so approx. 17:53.

Regards

Please could you tell me if this reported error still occurs when using Plex Media Server Beta release 1.9.5 available for download from https://plex.tv/downloads ?

If it is still happening, could I please have a new sample file and set of logs as before

The development team have asked for confirmation if this error is still occurring

15

@sa2000
Hi,

yes it still occurs.

Let me reproduce the error and send you the logs and sample file.

I have version 1.9.5.4339.

Regards

16

Hi @sa2000 ,

I’ve attached requested logs and sample.

This error happens with a complete different movie to show you that the error not only happens with the file or TV Show.

The error happens at 13:46 approx in the logs.

Regards

http://www.mediafire.com/file/y0jryiipd3ckhda/logs.rar

17

@nbaprofo said:
Hi @sa2000 ,

I’ve attached requested logs and sample.

This error happens with a complete different movie to show you that the error not only happens with the file or TV Show.

The error happens at 13:46 approx in the logs.

Regards

logs

Thanks

I see playback on Roku Ultra started at 13:27:31 for Randonneurs Amateurs starting to playback from time position at 44 minutes 52 seconds of a video of duration 104 minutes 38 seconds. Playback continued until an error arose at 13:46:21 after time position at 63 minutes 36 seconds in the video

As I do need to get the error replicated - As I understand it the errors occur on roku ultra and plex for android on samsung.

So it happens with different videos at different times. Does the issue arise on the roku and android when streaming the 5 minute sample you have just provided?

18

@nbaprofo said:
Hi @sa2000 ,

I’ve attached requested logs and sample.

This error happens with a complete different movie to show you that the error not only happens with the file or TV Show.

The error happens at 13:46 approx in the logs.

Regards

logs

I have some feedback from the development team
Could you please add an internal setting to have verbose transcoder logging in Plex Media Server

Using RegEdit
Locate HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Plex, Inc.\Plex Media Server
Click on Plex Media Server in left side area
Right click and select New \ String Value
Name the new string item TranscoderLogLevel and give it a value of verbose
Click OK and exit it RegEdit

Restart the Plex Media Server to get fresh logs created

And let me have the zipped logs on getting the failure

Of course if you can get the failure on a 5-minute clip that would be best as we can have that passed to the development team as well

19

Hi,

I didn’t had time yet to test it.

I will send send the logs as soon as I get an error.

Thanks.

20

This problem also occurs on LG Smart-TV app…
On latest PMS 1.9.6