I just did the same test on my Windows machine and it is working as expected. I started to Optimize a movie, let it go for about a minute, then started playing another movie. The optimize process stopped for a little while to allow the live transcode to work, but then both jobs go back and forth coming on and off. I wonder if your setting is somehow not working. Have you tried turning that setting on then back off and restarting PMS, just to make sure it is sticking. If I turn on the setting, the optimize waits until playback stops before continuing.
Can you get me a new log after toggling the setting and restarting PMS? Start optimizing a file, wait 30 seconds or so, then start plying back a movie. Let the playback go for at least 1 minute and provide me this new log. If the logs still show it not working properly, I will file this with the devs and let them take a look.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
I just did the same test on my Windows machine and it is working as expected. I started to Optimize a movie, let it go for about a minute, then started playing another movie. The optimize process stopped for a little while to allow the live transcode to work, but then both jobs go back and forth coming on and off. I wonder if your setting is somehow not working. Have you tried turning that setting on then back off and restarting PMS, just to make sure it is sticking. If I turn on the setting, the optimize waits until playback stops before continuing.
Can you get me a new log after toggling the setting and restarting PMS? Start optimizing a file, wait 30 seconds or so, then start plying back a movie. Let the playback go for at least 1 minute and provide me this new log. If the logs still show it not working properly, I will file this with the devs and let them take a look.
Remember, my issue isn’t that transcoding stops completely during a stream. It does go back and forth just as you described yours does when the transcoder is working to get ahead and then the background transcodes resume once it’s throttled. However, the issue I’m having is that once the transcode reaches 100% (meaning there is no more transcoding to be done as it’s transcoded the full length of the file), instead of the background trancodes resuming as they should they stay paused because Plex is reporting that the file is still being transcoded when it’s not. It stays in this state until the file has completed.
ONLY WHEN THE TRANSCODER REACHES 100% IS PLEX FALSELY REPORTING THAT TRANSCODING IS TAKING PLACE.
So to be clear, the issue only occurs once the file has been transcoded to 100%. Before that time, everything works as intended. Unfortunately, since my processor is pretty high powered, the transcoder often reaches 100% in just a few minutes and thus no background transcodes can take place for the majority of the stream.
I have toggled the setting yes but I will do it again and confirm if you think that will help. And yes I can get you another fresh log after toggling that but as I stated I don’t think it’s a setting issue since the background transcodes are working until the live transcode reaches 100%.
Was just quickly looking over some live streams and noticed the following:
As you can see in the first SS shows the file get to 100% transcoded and be throttled initially but when I checked back a few minutes later it’s now “transcoding” at 2.2 times speed. This wasn’t actually the case as the CPU was idle with no PlexNewTranscoder process running.
And then again, the 3rd SS shows another file that I watched get to 100% and go right to 7.5x transcoding speed (again not actually transcoding). So looking at SS #2 and SS #3, you’ll see that even though NO transcoding is actually taking place on the server, Plex thinks it is and thus all background transcodes would be paused for 20 and 37 minutes respectively. This is 100% a bug.
@IamSpartacus said:
However, the issue I’m having is that once the transcode reaches 100% (meaning there is no more transcoding to be done as it’s transcoded the full length of the file), instead of the background trancodes resuming as they should they stay paused because Plex is reporting that the file is still being transcoded when it’s not. It stays in this state until the file has completed.
Ok. I did not look at this scenario. Let me test and see.
As far as using PlexPy to judge what is going on, I would stop using that for troubleshooting. I have no idea what PlexPy does and whether it is accurate or not. Let’s just stick to looking at the logs. I’ll get back to you after I do some testing to see what happens on my end when the playback portion finishes transcoding.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
@IamSpartacus said:
However, the issue I’m having is that once the transcode reaches 100% (meaning there is no more transcoding to be done as it’s transcoded the full length of the file), instead of the background trancodes resuming as they should they stay paused because Plex is reporting that the file is still being transcoded when it’s not. It stays in this state until the file has completed.
Ok. I did not look at this scenario. Let me test and see.
As far as using PlexPy to judge what is going on, I would stop using that for troubleshooting. I have no idea what PlexPy does and whether it is accurate or not. Let’s just stick to looking at the logs. I’ll get back to you after I do some testing to see what happens on my end when the playback portion finishes transcoding.
Try specifically transcoding 3-4Mbps mkvs down to something like 720kbps-1.5Mbps.
I only managed to do 1 test. Basically did what you had done.
- Start an optimize processes that needed transcoding
- Ensure optimizing was in progress
- Playback a video through PlexWeb that also needs transcoding
- Fast forward to somewhere neat the end and wait for the transcoding to finish while playback continues
I checked my log and once the transcoding was done, the optimize process picked right back up. It did not need to wait for the playback to stop. In your previous logs, it did show the background processes not starting up so there is something going on with your system that I am not able to reproduce. I am on Windows so maybe there is something with the specific build you are using. I will do a few more tests on my end.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
I only managed to do 1 test. Basically did what you had done.
- Start an optimize processes that needed transcoding
- Ensure optimizing was in progress
- Playback a video through PlexWeb that also needs transcoding
- Fast forward to somewhere neat the end and wait for the transcoding to finish while playback continues
I checked my log and once the transcoding was done, the optimize process picked right back up. It did not need to wait for the playback to stop. In your previous logs, it did show the background processes not starting up so there is something going on with your system that I am not able to reproduce. I am on Windows so maybe there is something with the specific build you are using. I will do a few more tests on my end.
Could I possibly send you a few of the exact files I’m seeing this issue with to see if you can reproduce it on your end?
Sure. Although I don’t think the file has anything to do with the situation.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
Sure. Although I don’t think the file has anything to do with the situation.
It seems to though because some of my files exhibit the behavior and some don’t.
EDIT: I just tested this on a second completely separate PMS (also on Linux), same behavior. I’m going to spin up a Windows box and see if it acts any different.
If that is what you see. Please send it over.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
If that is what you see. Please send it over.
Ok I spun up a new Plex install on Windows and I’m seeing the exact same behavior. Sending you a PM now.
Did you ever get a chance to test with the file I provided?
Now that the Roku appears to keep all stream sessions live even when they are PAUSED, this is getting even worse. Because now if a user plays a file, it gets 100% transcoded but has the bug that shows it’s still transcoding, if the user pauses it the video will be forever transcoding pausing all background transcodes indefinitely until they finish the file. This could be days. This now went from an annoyance to a MAJOR problem.
Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to test yet. I did download your file so I will test it as soon as I can. Hopefully later today.
Ok. I finally was able to test that file you sent me and guess what, I was able to reproduce the problem. I have no idea why my earlier test worked, but your’s doesn’t. I will report this to the devs and see if I can get some answers. Thanks for the file.
@IamSpartacus said:
Now that the Roku appears to keep all stream sessions live even when they are PAUSED, this is getting even worse. Because now if a user plays a file, it gets 100% transcoded but has the bug that shows it’s still transcoding, if the user pauses it the video will be forever transcoding pausing all background transcodes indefinitely until they finish the file. This could be days. This now went from an annoyance to a MAJOR problem.
That’s the reason I’m following this thread myself. I had an issue where a friend paused a film on their iPad and it was stopping me syncing to my own iPad. This is the closest thing I’ve found to that issue.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
Ok. I finally was able to test that file you sent me and guess what, I was able to reproduce the problem. I have no idea why my earlier test worked, but your’s doesn’t. I will report this to the devs and see if I can get some answers. Thanks for the file.
Thanks @MovieFan.Plex. I look forward to seeing a fix for this in the near future.
I just wanted to add that this is not relegated to specific clients. I’ve tried playback on Roku, Android, PlexWeb (Chrome), and Chromecast and they all do the same thing.
As it stands, all mobile syncing and optimizing is not possible for myself or any of my users due to this problem.
Just to give you an update. The devs have identified the issue and a fix has been added. It’s not in the latest PMS just released but should be in the next.
Edit - I type too slow. 0.9.17.3 just got released and should have the fix.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
Just to give you an update. The devs have identified the issue and a fix has been added. It’s not in the latest PMS just released but should be in the next.
Edit - I type too slow. 0.9.17.3 just got released and should have the fix.
Awesome! Thanks so much @MovieFan.Plex. I will test this later today.
