Please take a look at this post, and give some feedback:
As far as I can understand, PMS is not reducing the framerate of media to the maximum supported 30 in 1080p on chromecast. My server outputs speed factor of 5+, but the chromecast2 stutters every 1-2 sec when streaming media with higher than 30fps. Is PMS not capable of transcoding the framerate? Or is it just not doing it?
Anyone able to reproduce at least?
1080p high framerate (more than 30, I.e. 50 like in my example) = stutter on chromecast
1080p 30 fps or less, ok on chromecast.
Is fps not transcoded? How can I check?
Well, I dug into the logs, and found it:
Mar 23, 2016 23:06:54 [0x7fabeefff700] INFO - [Transcoder] Input #0, matroska,webm, from ‘/aaaaaa.mkv’:
Metadata:
encoder : no_variable_data
creation_time : 1970-01-01 00:00:00
Duration: 04:29:27.59, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 9957 kb/s
Stream #0:0(eng), 4, 1/1000: Video: h264 (High), yuv420p(tv, bt709/unknown/unknown), 1920x1080 [SAR 319:320 DAR 319:180], SAR 254:255 DAR 4064:2295, 50 fps, 50 tbr, 1k tbn, 100 tbc (default)
Stream #0:1, 8, 1/1000: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 384 kb/s (default)
Mar 23, 2016 23:06:54 [0x7fabedffd700] DEBUG - [Transcoder] Average FPS ~ 50 fps, Frame rate ~ 50 fps.
Mar 23, 2016 23:06:54 [0x7fabf87ff700] DEBUG - [FFMPEG] Duration: 16167
I had the same hardship. I’d change 2.4 Ghz bandwitch from 20 to 20/40 in my wifi router and it does work !!! I have no Stuttering/Buffering Issues !!!
@slnko@windowslive.com said:
I had the same hardship. I’d change 2.4 Ghz bandwitch from 20 to 20/40 in my wifi router and it does work !!! I have no Stuttering/Buffering Issues !!!
I doubt you had the same hardship. I don’t even use wifi, I have all traffic on Ethernet. Do try some 1080p high fps ( over 30 fps, I.e. 50 or 60). If that does not stutter for you I would like to see what your logs say with regards to transcoding.
@Fullmakt said:
@slnko@windowslive.com said:
I had the same hardship. I’d change 2.4 Ghz bandwitch from 20 to 20/40 in my wifi router and it does work !!! I have no Stuttering/Buffering Issues !!!I doubt you had the same hardship. I don’t even use wifi, I have all traffic on Ethernet. Do try some 1080p high fps ( over 30 fps, I.e. 50 or 60). If that does not stutter for you I would like to see what your logs say with regards to transcoding.
It only supports 1080p/30FPS or 720p/60FPS. Total bummer.
@Kyle Verry said:
It only supports 1080p/30FPS or 720p/60FPS. Total bummer.
Yes, which means PMS MUST transcode the fps to a format (1080p/30fps) that Chromecast supports. This is not happening as far as I can see, so I reported that as a bug:
http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/212275/ubuntu-16-04-lts-bug-fps-not-transcoded-according-to-chromecast-spec#latest
Incorrect post removed.
FWIW, I had Plex stuttering issues on DVDs I converted via HandBrake, both on Samsung TV and Roku despite having ample bandwidth. One day I downloaded an MKV that was 1080 and it streamed just fine without stuttering, which convinced me something was different with my converted source files. What I noticed was the following:
Video 1 (plays fine no stuttering)
MKV 704x396 H264 25fps AAC 48k stereo
Video 2 (stutters every few seconds)
MKV 852x480 H264 25fps AAC 48k 6ch
Apparently when I used Handbrake it was making the resolution of my standard DVDs 852x480 and also (this may not matter) it was defaulting to the highest quality audio (6 channel), which I don’t need on my stereo TV, so I looked up some Handbrake settings on the Internet and reconverted to 720x. Now my converted DVDs look and stream fine on Plex.
I am not a Handbrake expert but I have attached the settings that are working for me on Handbrake v0.10.5.0, so perhaps this will help other newbies start on a non-stuttering foundation.
I have traced my chromecast stuttering to the audio streams within a file.
My setup is quick and I have double checked it is all working at full speed. The flex server never really breaks a sweat when the stuttering happens and I have plenty of un interfered wifi bandwidth to my chromescast2.
At first I thought simply adding the fastplay tag (the moov atom) in the .mp4 files at the start fixed the issue. However I quickly discovered the ffmpeg command was only passing through one audio stream. Re passing through all the streams (and still adding the moov atom to the front) gave me the same issues. Note there is only one video stream.
Chromecast to plex still stutters on the original no matter which codec I select in the (iOS) app but when the exact same stream is the only one there it plays perfectly (video also passed through). As mentioned I don’t think this is a bandwidth issue of the wifi.
I’ll look into if it’s a case of simply having multiple audio streams is the issue or if it likes a very particular flavour even when there is only one stream. Any one else looked into this?
Thanks,
Rich.
Can you transcode your entire collection before the streaming process? so it can stream without transcoding? Because since like 1 month ago i’m getting, after 35-40 mins, that the status bar (name and pic and time of video) popping up my screen, if i let it continue it gets worse and worse untill it eventually breaks down. (I stop the movie and continue where i left off and im good for another 35-40 mins.)
The thing is why is it happening now? No hardware changes at all. I have a wire connection to my pc (server) and the pc is quite a good pc i believe. (i5 3.4ghz (3.8 boost i believe)) 8gigs of ram and a 290x.
I have exactly the same problem and a similar setup as Simon9100, a year old fast PC wired to a fast modem with Chromecast just above it. I use the new Chromecast 2 at 5Mz. After about 40-50 mins the bar keeps popping up until Plex just freezes while it seems to be buffering. I have been using Plex for years and never had any problems before. When I use Videostream there are no problems whatsoever, which points to Plex as the culprit. Today I reinstalled Plex entirely, but the problem persists. From the forums it seems many people have the same kind of issues. Maybe I will try to go back and try an older version of Plex, but I’d rather have a solution from Plex support.
Same problem here. @RawRanger @Simon9100 some suggests that problem could be associated whith subtitles. Since I always use subtitles I don’t know if the probem exists without subtitles.
I checked the logs and see messages like this repeating :
VERBOSE - [TranscodeOutputStream] Waiting 100ms for more data…
Hope Plex Team will fix it. Got a temporary workaround using RasPlex on a Raspberry Pi wich works fine
My plex has been working well until recently, but lately it has begun to freeze.
We use plex via our iphones and stream to a chromecast plugged into the tv
Nothing has been changed in terms of hardware, codecs, file types or file quality; even old titles (that used to work faultlessly) that we watch and rewatch now freeze after 20-30 mins.
What has changed and what needs to be done to fix it!
I dont want a workaround or to mess about, I just want it to work like it always used too!!!
Is it really necessary to switch to 2.4 Ghz over 5 Ghz ? Is that info still correct ?
Switching from 2.4 to 5 Ghz made no difference for me @crital. So no. Plus Plex used to work great on 2.4 Ghz. I also use Videostream and Emby to cast to my TV. No problems with either one, so that points to Plex as the problem.
Is there any hope that this will get resolved soon? I’ve tried quite a few workarounds (editing chromecast file, changing transcoding options, turning off secured connections) without any affect! It freezes around 40 minute mark.
I got the same issues with about 30-40 min mark that it freezes…
Aswell i noticed that before i could play 1080p and 720p movies without any problem on my WebOS 2.0. Now i cant anymore… the sound “comes after”…
So basicly… only thing that doesnt work is my Chromecast and my WebOS… It does work better if i cap the casting speed on the material.
And the “server” isnt a bad one either… it’s a i5-2500K @4.0Ghz and 16 GB memory…
The transcoder goes up to 100% for a few sec, then it goes down and stays stable…
Is Plex getting a fix for this issue? I mean what the hell happened?
Wanted to offer my two cents. Been looking into this for a while. Even went through the logs and everything. Then I read this about the AES encryption and noticed a performance increase. I have two internet connection SID’s and descided to try my 5Ghz connection. I found that with the 2.4 Ghz I suffered this buffering issue with the AES encryption turned on, but not when it was turned off. I thought it interesting to note that the 5Ghz connection worked just fine with the AES encryption turned on. Just in case some of you still want good protection with access, switching to the better 5Ghz connection solved the problem for me. Don’t know why, but thought I’d share.
@ryssk: The problem you are encountering is related to a chromecast update pushed out in May, and is discussed in detail here: https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/270507. The issue only occurs if there are multiple audio streams (AAC + AC3), and the workaround for now seems to be to select the AC3 stream when casting. Apparently Emby is also affected so this may not be a Plex issue at all.
If you look in your logs, if you find an error such as:
May 07, 2017 20:19:10.645 [0x70000a92d000] WARN - [Chromecast] Player: Excessive buffering detected; unknown
Then this would confirm you have the known issue above.
Hi guys, for me it’s not hanging anymore (still same error I guess), a new issue appeared …
