Can't get HDHOMERUN CONNECT DUO to work

Live TV & DVR
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1

Server Version#: 1.18.2.2058-e67a4e892 on ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Player Version#: web player and Android player on nvidia shield 2019

Hello,

I just bought a HDhomerun CONNECT duo (firmware 20190621).
Channel detection works OK, downloading the program guide too.

But I can’t watch live stream ; the player says “This live TV session has ended” (more or less, I have the message in french).

I get tons of errors like this in Plex Media Server.log:

Dec 09, 2019 20:43:51.788 [0x7f0671ffb700] ERROR - Unable to find title for item of type 5
Dec 09, 2019 20:43:51.789 [0x7f0671ffb700] ERROR - Unable to find title for item of type 5
Dec 09, 2019 20:43:52.588 [0x7f0672ffd700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1076d00] SPS unavailable in decode_picture_timing
Dec 09, 2019 20:43:52.590 [0x7f0683fff700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1076d00] non-existing PPS 0 referenced
Dec 09, 2019 20:43:52.591 [0x7f06637fe700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1076d00] SPS unavailable in decode_picture_timing
Dec 09, 2019 20:43:52.592 [0x7f0672ffd700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1076d00] non-existing PPS 0 referenced
Dec 09, 2019 20:43:52.594 [0x7f06637fe700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1076d00] decode_slice_header error
Dec 09, 2019 20:43:52.595 [0x7f0683fff700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1076d00] no frame!

Then it ends with:

Dec 09, 2019 20:44:09.432 [0x7f0672ffd700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1299cc0] mmco: unref short failure
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:09.481 [0x7f0683fff700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1299cc0] mmco: unref short failure
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.553 [0x7f06637fe700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x16293c0] reference picture missing during reorder
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.553 [0x7f06627fc700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x16293c0] reference picture missing during reorder
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.553 [0x7f0672ffd700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x16293c0] Missing reference picture, default is 6
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.554 [0x7f06627fc700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x16293c0] Missing reference picture, default is 6
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.554 [0x7f06637fe700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x17949c0] mmco: unref short failure
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.563 [0x7f0672ffd700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [eac3_eae @ 0x12dda40] Sample rate 0 invalid
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.563 [0x7f06637fe700] ERROR - [Transcoder] Error while processing the decoded data for stream #0:1
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:11.637 [0x7f0683fff700] WARN - Transcode runner appears to have died.
Dec 09, 2019 20:44:13.355 [0x7f06617fa700] WARN - Ignoring client [4ocs10ppjv9bshp4gyjqzisv] reporting timeline state stopped: metadata item 95151 no longer exists

I tried to look at the forums, but I couldn’t manage to find something relevant.

Using the hdhomerun app, I can watch TV.

Could someone give me some advice ?

Thank you

2

What path do you have your transcoder directory set to?

Have you done any modifications to the Plex install, Docker, Snap … etc.

3

You appear to have disabled debug logging on the server. So lets start by enabling it and with debug logging enabled, then restarting the server and then repeat the test and then get the server logs zip.

For enabling debug logging, see https://support.plex.tv/articles/201643703-reporting-issues-with-plex-media-server/

After you enable debug logging and saving the changes, then restart the server and wait 5 minutes or so until the server idles, then do the Live TV test on a couple of channels

Collect the server logs after the two tests

See this article for how to download the logs zip
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/

Then post with the zip file attached

4

Transcoder directory is unset.
Plex is installed via .deb, no virtual machines, docker or things like that.

5

I activated debug logging.
Logs are attached.Plex Media Server Logs_2019-12-11_15-30-44.zip (1.1 MB)

6

Thanks for the logs. I would need some stream capture from the channel
I don’t know if the issue is specific to having eac3 audio - the transcoder is logging these errors before crashing out

Dec 11, 2019 15:30:14.856 [0x7fde1cff9700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [h264 @ 0x1030480] Missing reference picture, default is 2147483647
Dec 11, 2019 15:30:14.862 [0x7fde1effd700] ERROR - [Transcoder] [eac3_eae @ 0xa1d140] Sample rate 0 invalid
Dec 11, 2019 15:30:14.863 [0x7fde38ff9700] ERROR - [Transcoder] Error while processing the decoded data for stream #0:1
Dec 11, 2019 15:30:14.868 [0x7fde70ad3700] DEBUG - Jobs: '/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Transcoder' exit code for process 2721 is 1 (failure)

This was for channel 024

So continue to run with debug logging enabled
Repeat the test for channel 24
And after the failure, capture a stream from the channel

Using curl command - I am not sure if you need quotes in Linux round the url - please look it up

The curl command to run to get the channel capture is
curl http://192.168.20.56:5004/auto/v24 > ch24cap.ts

This will capture the stream writing into file ch24cap.ts
Let it run for 5 minutes and then break in on it

Get the server logs as before and upload the ch24cap.ts file to dropbox or google drive etc and share a link for it together with the logs zip

Thanks

7

Thanks for your help.
Here is the archive with stream and logs:

8

Thank you. I have referred it to our transcoder team. Please keep the media file available on the provided google drive link as I have only passed the link to the development team

Does the problem arise whichever audio stream you select ?
and do all channels have eac3 audio and multiple audio streams ?

10

No problem to keep the files.
I tried 5 different TV channels, all have EAC3 audio. Some have only one audio stream, some three.
But in every case I tested (switching TV channels and audio channels), the live TV doesn’t work, nor the DVR.

11

Hi,

I’ve also the same issue (with same message) with my config : Plex installed on my NAS via Docker + HDHomeRun Connect Duo.
TV recordings work, but not live TV in Plex (live TV works with HDHomeRun Android App).

I just tried to set the transcoder directory in Plex config (left empty so far)… and now live TV via Plex works !!!

Regards,

Romain.

12

I tried to set up the transcoder dir to a path where plex has rights, /mnt/data/plex.tmp :

mooky@nas:~$ ls -la /mnt/data/plex.tmp/
total 8
drwxrwxr-x 2 plex  plex     4096 juil. 12 16:28 .
drwxrwxr-x 8 mooky nasusers 4096 sept.  9  2017 ..

Still no live TV.

13

Are you french Romain ? Your name sounds french…
This would be interesting because I am french too, so in that case I must be trying to watch the same streams as you.

14

Note : DVR works now

15

Well seen, I’m french too.

I’ve tested live TV from web browser with TF1HD and M6HD (video quality = Original 1080p HD, audi stream = EAC3 Stereo).

16

Could you please share a screenshot of your transcoder settings ?

Here are mine:

transcoder settings
transcoder settings807×619 559 KB

I try to live stream TF1HD like this:

livestream
livestream485×171 22.1 KB

I tried to disable the subtitles, doesn’t work either.

17

My transcoder settings are pretty close to yours.
The only difference is the checked option for hardware acceleration.

I don’t enable subtitles for live TV.

During live TV streams, Plex dashboard indicates :

  • Vidéo 720p (H.264) => 720p (H264)—Transcoder
  • Audio Français (AC3 5.1) => AAC—Transcoder
18

If your PMS is installed on Windows, try disabling that; there is at least one issue with hw transcoding on Windows with the latest PMS releases.

19

The official french stream through TNT is 1080i MPEG4 (most of them, LCI and France Info are 576i).
It’s interesting that you get 720p and me 1080p.
Do you know the firmware version of your HDHomeRun ?

I tried both with and without hardware acceleration, same result.
And I’m on linux Ubuntu 18.04 btw (with regular apt updates).

20

Some news from the transcoder team ?
If live TV doesn’t work I’d like to return the tuner to its seller…

21

The HDHomeRun firmware version used at home is the latest (20190621 like you).
I’ve forgotten to communicate my Plex server version: I use the latest beta version available (today is 1.18.4.2164).

@darcilicious Since I’ve set transcoder directory in Plex config, my LiveTV works.

Regards,

Romain.

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