Something has changed in my environment so that I cannot use the DVR feature reliably any more. Background: Synology NAS, wired ethernet connection, Roku 3.
At some point, and I’m not sure it has to do with installing 1.7.2, something changed so that ALL recorded programs play back with constant buffering. Every 5 seconds or so. Other members here seemed to have better luck reverting to version 1.6.1 or earlier. Granted, those posts were mostly about the EPG issues, but I tried it anyway. Result? Worse. Buffering and pixelation and rewind to the beginning. Did I need to downgrade the Roku channel as well (if this was even possible)?
Foolishly, I deleted the Roku channel and re-installed it. It updated itself in the process and was now unable to playback anything recorded on 1.6.1. This makes sense now because the file type and container changed with 1.7.x and the PMS and the player were out of sync. Maybe. I’m no guru.
So… for the time being, I deleted all upcoming recording tasks and will use the HDHomeRun DVR for recording OTA shows. I’m not sure what I did to make the DVR unusable, but it is. Coincidentally, I don’t recall any issues with the non-64-bit versions of the PMS for Synology. Could it be that the 64-bit binaries are not as stable? And… do I really have a 64-bit processor. Yes. Just checked. So, I don’t know what’s next. I want it back the way it was when it worked. Maybe 1.5.6 with an older Roku channel version.
Plex has until May of 2018 to get it fixed because my Plex Pass renews then. Can I cancel early?
Yes, you can cancel early, just send a message:
https://www.plex.tv/contact/
If you can give us some logs on the issue, we can look into it.
Goto Settings > Help > Download Logs
Ok. I have a post at the bottom of thread “New DVR v1.7.x Matroska MKV issues” that has logs attached. Thanks for looking at them.
I reverted back to 1.6.1 with similar issues (mkv constainered streams are being corrupted either mpeg2 or 4) Fixed for me but yes this is very much still in beta
Downgraded to 1.6.1 again. Deleted and added the DVR. Something a little funny with the DVR. If I record a show that’s already in progress, I don’t see the recording ‘circle’. It’s as if it’s not recording. More testing required.
Things seem to have stabilized. Recorded today and playback with no buffering issues. I think I’m ok for a while.
What model a Synology NAS are you using?
I’m using a Synology DS1815+ (Intel Atom C2000 series SoC) and PMS 1.7.2. Upgrading from earlier version of PMS I’ve noticed some performance differences but it’s still quite usable. I don’t feel the need to revert or at least not just yet.
I have a DS216+II. It worked great until the upgrade. I did downgrade back to 1.6.1 and aside from EPG issues, the recordings play back without the constant buffering and pixelation issues. However, the guide is still untrustworthy (for me, anyway).
I have to wonder about how Plex operates with newer versions of Synology DSM. Currently I’m running DSM 6.1.1-15101 Update 4. Perhaps some versions of DSM play nice with PMS while others do not.
In addition to a Synology DS1815+ I have a XPEnology box that I consider to be experimental. It’s based on a Core i5 2500K / Asus P8P67 Pro but since its XPEnology upgrading the DSM version is involved and or risky so I currently just leave it at DSM version 6.0.2-8451 Update 9. Its running PMS 1.7.2 and is more stable then the Synology DS1815+ with respect to PMS.
On the DS1815+ PMS will intermittently stop working. No client can connect to Plex. Looking under Package Center PMS can be seen as “Running” despite the fact that nothing can connect to it. Under “Actions” I’ll stop the service then wait and “Start” the service again but this generally doesn’t work. In order to get PMS working again on the DS1815+ I typically have to restart the NAS. This isn’t new behavior for PMS 1.7.2 though.
On the other hand the XPEnology box never does this. PMS is rock solid on it. I also have a Server 2012 Essentials box that runs PMS 1.7.2 rock solid as well. Then again perhaps its something simple like available memory since both the XPEnology box and the Server 2012 Essentials box have more memory then the DS1815+ (2GB). The DS1815+ 2GB of RAM is usually at ~80% utilization without streaming or transcoding anything.
I don’t know who or what’s to blame. After reverting back to 1.6.1, EPG issues still exist, e.g., shows missing, scheduled recordings not showing up. Each morning I refresh the EPG even though it was supposed to run at 1am each night. New episodes for the day still don’t show up, the recording schedule does not that the ‘new’ episode is scheduled; however, if I ‘Discover’ the show, it has the three red ‘record series’ dots on it. I’ll check it tonight when the recording is supposed to start.
Of course, these may be known problems with that release.
But… when shows do record, playback on the Roku channel causes the buffering spinning donut to appear very often. Initially, I thought this went away after downgrading. The same recording viewed through the Plex FireStick channel does not buffer.
There are still too many variables at play here to make a clear diagnosis. I did notice that the ‘Transcode during video recording’ (or whatever it says) on the HDHR Extends was unset. I set these explicitly the day before. My NAS doesn’t have the horsepower to transcode anything even though it says it can.
In summary… the jury is till out. I have to fall back to the HDHR DVR to be guaranteed my stuff records.