Im plagued by relentless Transcoder crashes. I have been able to capture one with relevant data I really hope someone can find the cause.
Im running Server Version 1.13.2.5154 on Windows 2012 Server with 2x Hauppauge WinTV dualHD.
I created a zip file with the media and screen shot. This is just one files, I’ll close the error popup and few seconds later another pops up.
I have tried the ts file you provided and I have not got any crash. I did not play it all the way to the end. Does it actually start playing back ok?
If the problem is easily reproducible when adding this media file MacGyver (1985) - S05E07 - Children of Light.ts into a test library and playing it back - you could try and get logs and may be also try to capture a PlexTranscoder.exe dump
There is a transcoder logging level that can be set in the registry
There are two to try - the trace level but you may find this is too much logging and may stop the transcoder from working - but worth a try. The second level to try if trace cannot be used is verbose. Both of these settings need the server to have verbose logging enabled as well as debug
The trancoder extra logging can be set by using Regedit and adding TranscoderLogLevel as string item below HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Plex, Inc.\Plex Media Server
Try first to get diagnostics with value trace
See https://support.plex.tv/articles/201105343-advanced-hidden-server-settings/
Ensure server setting has verbose and debug - set using plex web
Settings / Server / General / Show Advanced
We could also try to get windows to create a dmp file for the transcoder crash - see regedit info documented on this support article (section Crash Dumps Handled by Windows)
https://support.plex.tv/articles/201455336-crash-logs-plex-media-server/
Best to restart the server before doing any tests to get fresh logs created
When the crash of the transcoder occurs when streaming / transcoding the ts file you provided, capture the server logs
See https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/
and check the windows application event log for the transcoder failure and also then look for dmp file in %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps
Zip the dmp file / and attach with the zipped server logs
If you find using trace value for TranscoderLogLevel causes issues - then try with value verbose instead. Again remembering to ensure server has both verbose and debug enabled.
At the end of tests and providing the diagnostics, you can delete the extra registry keys added and also disable verbose logging on the server
You mentioned Windows Server 2012. Please make sure you run on Windows Server 2012 R2 which fixes some critical tcp / winsock bugs
Thanks for the detailed info on getting logs and dmps. I will try to get everything needed.
My sever is 2012 R2, appologies, should have been clearer.
The transcoder errors seem to happen even when not playing anything. Ive been running a Plex server for a long time and this stuff has only happened since I added the Tuners so I dont know if its related to background analysis or recording. Actually playback has always been fine so this is a bit odd.
It could be media analysis or video preview thumbnailing
Will need to start with some diagnostics as outlined in my earlier post
That makes sense. Some recorded shows don’t have preview thumbnails.
I will try to enable the diagnostics.
I have captured a dmp files and logs from my server.
http://www.nysc.co.uk/downloads/PlexTranscoderCrash2.zip
I had a lot of buffering issues with TrancoderLogLevel set to trace so I dialled it back to verbose.
Hope you can find the issue. Thanks for the help.
I think I may have discovered the problem.
The Transcoder temporary files path was incorrect. I had set a path as drive “D:\PlexTemp” instead of “E.\PlexTemp”
Question is though why didnt the GUI validate it? Or some error that this was the case in the logs? Seems like a relatively simple error to trap.
Ok so getting fewer Transcoder crashes but still getting them. Definitely while analysing recorded TV. Dont get it for playback transcodes.
DMP file for anyone that has the tools to analyse it…
Thank you very much. Did you zip the logs in-situ? I cannot see Plex Media Server.log - when zipping in-situ rather than a copy the current open files are skipped
I need the logs for the crash. The crash dmp file was for 29 June at 22:55;28
The latest server log I have goes to Jun 28, 2018 23:25:18.
please double check - I need matching set andn also the media file kept in case needed by the devs
Sorry for the delay getting back with complete stuff for this problem. Been busy with work etc.
I stopped the server then collected the log folder so should be logs for the dmp file. It does seem to be just the recorded TV (WinTVDualHD) it does it with - in this case its an incomplete recording but it does it with complete also. Weird. Please find zip file with everything here:
http://www.nysc.co.uk/downloads/plextranscodererrors.zip
Many thanks for all your help
Anyone had chance to look at this?
sorry i was away for a while and could not easily test. I have now reproduced the failure with the ts file. It is crashing during video preview thumbnail generation
I am referring the evidence to the development team
further to my earlier reply, i would like to establish if all the crashes are to do with Video Preview Thumbnail generation
The logs I have cover Jul 28, 2018 23:18:16 to Jul 29, 2018 12:28
How many PlexTranscoder.exe crashes show in the windows application event log for that period and what times?
And regarding the crash of the transcoder which was at 12:27, i notice you included a view of the process in task manager - did it hang and you killed it with a dump or did it crash
The video thumbnailing started over 12 hours earlier !
Jul 29, 2018 02:11:55.531 [16908] DEBUG - Activity: registered new activity 2037ab3f-7dab-4811-80fe-ac3e7c4a93d0 - Generating video preview thumbnails
Jul 29, 2018 02:11:56.141 [14652] DEBUG - Activity: updated activity 2037ab3f-7dab-4811-80fe-ac3e7c4a93d0 - completed 4% - Generating video preview thumbnails
Jul 29, 2018 02:11:56.646 [14652] DEBUG - Activity: updated activity 2037ab3f-7dab-4811-80fe-ac3e7c4a93d0 - completed 9% - Generating video preview thumbnails
Jul 29, 2018 02:12:02.273 [4988] DEBUG - Activity: updated activity 2037ab3f-7dab-4811-80fe-ac3e7c4a93d0 - completed 14% - Generating video preview thumbnails
Jul 29, 2018 12:27:53.564 [12800] DEBUG - Activity: updated activity 2037ab3f-7dab-4811-80fe-ac3e7c4a93d0 - completed 17% - Generating video preview thumbnails
Jul 29, 2018 12:27:54.961 [17108] DEBUG - Jobs: 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\PlexTranscoder.exe' exit code for process 4624 is -1073741819 ()
Jul 29, 2018 12:27:54.961 [16908] ERROR - BIF transcoder exited abnormally
Jul 29, 2018 12:27:55.016 [16908] DEBUG - Activity: Ended activity 2037ab3f-7dab-4811-80fe-ac3e7c4a93d0.
Hi thanks again for your time looking into this.
When the crash happens a windows popup appears saying “stopped working”. I create the dump file by right clicking the task manager entry. (I think… Might be from the stopped working box, I can’t remember)
It’s running on a server without a monitor so I have to connect by RDP to check. Usually when I RDP in, there’s a “stopped working” box waiting from me. If I stay connected one will usually popup after a few seconds or minutes.
All the crashes relate to thumbnail generation for recorded TV only. Other media I’ve imported has been fine. I’ve only recently added tuners and previously not had any crashes at all. I don’t get crashes when playing recorded Tv or other media.
Please let me know if there’s anything else you need.
Pete.
I did not get the popup when i reproduced the crash
I suspect the crash was at 02:12 and the pop up was generated but the process stayed in that state until you forced the dump 10 hours or so later
You should be able to configure windows error reporting so you do not get the popups. That would minimize the impact - you will have incomplete thumbnails but no hung processes waiting for you to respond to a dialogue box
That’s a good idea I’ll try that.
Do you know what is causing the process to crash?
No idea at the moment - I have referred it to the development team.
I believe the setting is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\DontShowUI
The impact is minor as it is only affecting generation of preview thumbnails. For the sample you provided it crashed when it got to 17% down the file
With the disabling of the UI for the crash the processes should not hang and would close down immediately
Disabling the crash UI was a good idea and Plex has been very stable.
However Im noticing now that some shows have got thumbnails with the bottom part of the frame corrupted. Presumably the transcoder is still crashing and leaving incomplete preview frames.
would only be able to tell from logs. May be the windows application event log will have exceptions logged for the transcoder
Hi. The development team are looking into this now but have not been able to reproduce the issue. Is it still happening ?
