I’m not new to PLEX (and I love it, bought a lifetime PLEXpass) and have had a WinTV-HVR USB device to use the Live TV with DVR feature for about a month now. That also was working just fine–until a few days ago.
Suddenly, this past week I started getting transcoder errors. I was NOT getting any for a month until this past week; it’s a new behavior. I first noticed the transcoder errors when recorded media was unplayable. I thought it must have been due to a rainstorm or something interfering with the antenna signal while I was out on a 12-hour work shift or some other error due to the recording (maybe the lightning caused a brownout) and just deleted the files, wrote it off to bad luck.
Then this morning (7/23/2018) I was trying to watch Live TV and have repeatedly gotten the same type of transcoder error. There is no number or code or other information / feedback to tell me what the transcoder error actually is but the Live TV stream does buffer, start to play and then when it reaches the end of the 60-second buffer, it crashes. I did try changing the buffer to 30 seconds and to 90 seconds (making it shorter and longer) but neither had any effect.
I don’t know what is causing the transcoder error SUDDENLY but have to assume that it is due to some bug in the PLEX software since nothing about my configuration has changed to be
the source of the error and my configuraiton was FINE until the past few days (late last week).
My server tells me I am up to date so I cannot update it. I hope I don’t have to uninstall and do a clean (re)install but what else can I try? Anyone else have this transcoder error starting recently? Anyone have any trick that resolves it?
Got a failed recording so I can post error data now:
Media
Video Resolution 1080p
Duration 3:33
Bitrate 12218 kbps
Width 1920
Height 1080
Aspect Ratio 1.78
Container MPEGTS
Video Frame Rate NTSC
Web Optimized No
Channel Identifier 5.1
Media Grab Begins At 1532350800
Media Grab Device device://tv.plex.grabbers.tunerservice/dvb%23bda%23usb%23vid_2040%26pid_b123%26mi_01%236%26d9e4ad8%260%260001%23 Media Grab Error There was a transcoder error
Media Grab Original Duration 213280
Media Grab Partial Recording 1
Media Grab Post Processed 1
Media Grab Status error
Origin dvr
Video Profile main
Part
Duration 3:33
File Megyn Kelly Today (2017) - 2018-07-23 09 00 00 - Episode 07-23.ts
Size 310.65 MB
Container MPEGTS
Web Optimized No
Packet Length 188
Video Profile main
Codec H264
Bitrate 11642 kbps
Bit Depth 8
Chroma Location left
Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
Closed Captions 1
Frame Rate 29.97 fps
Height 1080
Level 4.0
Profile main
Ref Frames 4
Scan Type progressive
Stream Identifier 256
Width 1920
Display Title Unknown (H.264 Main)
Codec AC3
Channels 5.1
Bitrate 384 kbps
Language English
Audio Channel Layout 5.1(side)
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 257
Display Title English (AC3 5.1(side))
Codec AC3
Channels Stereo
Bitrate 192 kbps
Language Español
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 258
Display Title Español (AC3 Stereo)
Codec EIA_608
Embedded In Video 1
Stream Identifier 256
Display Title Unknown (EIA_608)
I get these when i have a signal issue. I have a amp connected to my antenna that if it is unpowered i lose most of my channels. Any change in the antenna or any amplification?
Thanks for replying @mcrommert - I have no amp on my antenna and there was no change to the antenna that I do have in the past 6weeks or so that I’ve been running PLEX Live TV with DVR.
It’s kind of ironic that this chooses right now to have bugs. I finally convinced a technophobe friend of mine to let me bring my laptop and PLEX account over to demo to her how cool this is (Not!)
Having same issue when recording anything over 30 min. I turned on debug mode, but when I go back to check for logs it is turned back off… Hopefully someone can get a log that can be figured out. I am tired of failed recordings that stop early and say transcoder error. I got Plex to replace Windows Media Center, and it was working great for awhile. I found some logs, but am unsure which ones to post. Will try a couple that were going on when the last recording I tried failed.
Here is a new one from tonight only got 8 minutes of a Forged in Fire that started at 6 PM. The debug log is attached as a text file and the zip of the other logs as well if they help.
Turns out @mcrommert’s mention of an amplified antenna got me to thinking and I experimented a little. I had had (no longer have, but did) an antenna that had a powered amplifier and we’ve had lots of thunderstorms where I am. I have not lost power but perhaps a signal was interrupted or the buffer wiped somewhere.
This morning before I left for my 12-hr work shift, I went back to the mini, unpowered antenna that came with the WinTV HVR USB kit and voila! I was able to record something while I was out. I need to see this happen again tomorrow after I’ve turned everything off for the night and rebooted cold before I’ll believe the problem is resolved but i suspect it is.
Thank you again, @mcrommert for the thoughtful question.
@Biltil I was getting those annoying exclamation points and failed recordings (sometimes it’d record a few minutes, sometimes it recorded everything but had a transcoder failed error after the buffer emptied). My solution, as I just said, was to replace the antenna with one that has NO POWER amp so the signal is not tied into your power circuits at all. Maybe try that?
I get my signal off cable, but have a signal booster I can try to see if it helps any. It maybe our backwoods cable in the middle of nowhere causing it, but I did not have any issues before the last upgrades
Try it without the “signal booster” and see if just rebooting everything (the cable signal, the computer, whatever may be involved) helps you. As soon as I removed the powered amplifier from my configuration, I was able to record again–without changing anything else! (thanks again to @mcrommert 's suggestion).
If you are still having transcoder errors, try recording 2 shows that are on at the same time. Has worked for me. I just have to delete the extra show later. If I try just 1 at a time, I end up with the transcoder errors, even after the windows updates.
I know this is old now but just wanted to make sure the info is captured in the thread
The transcoder errors in the log appear to be the same as those that started when Microsoft released a faulty update for windows 10 on 10th july 2016. They did correct it 6 days later but repetitive runs of windows updates were needed and also at some point the fix could only be applied via specific download from the windows update catalogue
Jul 21, 2018 18:11:29.733 [13736] ERROR - [Transcoder] [stream_segment,ssegment @ 040eedc0] Failed to open segment list 'http://127.0.0.1:32400/video/:/transcode/session/99e244ff-a82c-47f6-9857-a3250c74275e/ea040546-3f90-4e60-adfd-8bebdef7fd74/seglist'
Jul 21, 2018 18:11:29.748 [14984] ERROR - [Transcoder] av_interleaved_write_frame(): Unknown error
Jul 21, 2018 18:11:29.760 [13736] ERROR - [Transcoder] Error writing trailer of media-%05d.ts: Invalid argument
Jul 21, 2018 18:11:29.786 [13320] DEBUG - Jobs: 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\PlexTranscoder.exe' exit code for process 15292 is 1 (failure)
The main forum thread that covered this issue was this
Otherwise it’s a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack 
on 7/23. Attempted to record with debug on to see if this could be figured out. Trying another tonight in 5 minutes.
