Playback Error Could not tune channel. Please check your tuner or antenna

Live TV & DVR
,
1

Server Version#: 1.27.1.5891
Tuner Make/Model: HDHomeRun CONNECT QUATRO

Been using Live TV for a few years using our HDHomeRun but as of last Friday it has stopped working - Scheduled Recordings fail and trying to watch Live TV gives an error “Playback Error Could not tune channel. Please check your tuner or antenna.”

The Plex Tuner Service.Log has entries as follows.

Jun 21, 2022 09:12:27.961 [2148] INFO - [I] web_service_t::process_device_discovery
Jun 21, 2022 09:12:27.961 [2148] INFO - [I] device_reactor_t::get_device_list ()
Jun 21, 2022 09:12:29.977 [2148] INFO - [I] SAT2IP - discover_satip_servers(): no servers found
Jun 21, 2022 09:12:30.409 [5352] WARN - [E] enum_create(): Class not found, CreateClassEnumerator returned S_FALSE
Jun 21, 2022 09:12:30.409 [5352] INFO - [I] DeviceGetListEx_impl: pDL->Count:0
Jun 21, 2022 09:12:30.409 [2148] DEBUG - [I] file_tuner::get_stream_file. File C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\Resources\Tuner\Private\devices\dvb\file\drv_file.ini does not exist

I have tried restarting Plex, deleting the DVR and readding it. Rescanning channels. None of which have worked.

I can connect to the HDHomeRun with the app so it looks like it is working.

Any ideas?

2

The log snippet provided is interesting, but not conclusive. Have you recently added any virus protection, and if so have you tried disabling it to see if it is what is causing the problem? Have you made any changes to the location of the Plex data directory?
Outside of any additional information you could try removing the EPG database files per this post.

A full set of debug level server logs may provide additional insight…

3

The only change I can think of is the server update on Saturday morning. (I’ve been using ESET for years as virus checker.)
Plex Media Server Logs_2022-06-21_14-06-16.zip (3.4 MB)
I’ve attached the logs.

4

In the failed recording I found Plex allocates a tuner from your HDHR, but then the transcoder fails to start with a “System can not find the file specified”. The log portion that I’m looking at is in the dropdown below. Unfortunately I’ve not seen this particular error with my instance, and a quick google didn’t bring back any easy answers.

In Plex Web → Settings->Transcoder do you have anything set for “Transcoder temporary directory”? By default this is blank, but can be used to set the transcode temp directory to another location. Have you ever used this, or has it changed recently?

Try deleting your codecs while you have Plex Server down. Plex will re-download codec as needed.

Recording fail log extract 
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.886 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Grabber: Going to record for 11462 seconds, final URL is http://192.168.1.101:5004/auto/v102
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.887 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MediaRecorderVirtual: setting stop time to 2022-06-21 17:15:00
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.887 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] DVR:Segmenter: Creating a new recorder for http://192.168.1.101:5004/auto/v102.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.888 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Grabber: Waiting for a tuner on device://tv.plex.grabbers.hdhomerun/12511138 (4 available) for at most 11462 seconds.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.888 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Grabber: Allocated a tuner on device://tv.plex.grabbers.hdhomerun/12511138 (3 left)
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.888 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] We're going to try to auto-select an audio stream for account 1.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.888 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Selecting best audio stream for part ID -1 (autoselect: 1 language: en)
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.888 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] We're going to try to auto-select a subtitle.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.888 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Audio Stream: -1, Subtitle Stream: -1
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MDE: Selected protocol hls; container: mpegts
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] ERROR - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Unable to find title for item of type 5
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MDE: analyzing media item -1
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MDE: : no direct play video profile exists for http/mpegts/
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MDE: : no direct play video profile exists for http/mpegts//
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MDE: : codec is unavailable for analysis
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MDE: : codec is unavailable for analysis
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] ERROR - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Unable to find title for item of type 5
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] MDE: : selected media 0 / -1
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Cleaning directory for session 09057866-ff7c-459e-bc1c-4de525be31e9 ()
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Starting a transcode session 09057866-ff7c-459e-bc1c-4de525be31e9 at offset -1.0 (state=3)
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Streaming Resource: Added session 0EE1AD50:09057866-ff7c-459e-bc1c-4de525be31e9
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] TPU: hardware transcoding: enabled, but no hardware decode accelerator found
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.889 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] TPU: hardware transcoding: final decoder: , final encoder: 
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.890 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550/JobRunner] Job running: set "FFMPEG_EXTERNAL_LIBS=\\\\?\\c\:\\plex\\Plex\ Media\ Server\\Codecs\\d53cb63-4323-windows-x86\\" & set "X_PLEX_TOKEN=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" & "C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\Plex Transcoder.exe" -noaccurate_seek -ignore_unknown -scan_all_pmts -1 -rw_timeout 30000000 -reconnect 1 -reconnect_streamed 1 -reconnect_delay_max 30 -fflags +discardcorruptts+fillwallclockdts -probesize 20000000 -i http://192.168.1.101:5004/auto/v102 -map 0:V? -codec:V copy -map 0:a? -codec:a copy -map 0:s? -codec:s copy -break_non_keyframes 1 -segment_format mpegts -f ssegment -individual_header_trailer 0 -segment_time 1 -segment_start_number 0 -segment_time_delta 0.25 -segment_list http://127.0.0.1:32400/video/:/transcode/session/09057866-ff7c-459e-bc1c-4de525be31e9/c7f77f27-1614-4dfe-a4cc-e402f2f72630/manifest?X-Plex-Http-Pipeline=infinite -segment_list_type csv -segment_list_size 5 -segment_list_separate_stream_times 1 -segment_list_unfinished 1 -max_delay 5000000 -map_metadata -1 -map_chapters -1 media-%05d.ts -y -nostats -loglevel quiet -loglevel_plex error -xioerror -progressurl http://127.0.0.1:32400/video/:/transcode/session/09057866-ff7c-459e-bc1c-4de525be31e9/c7f77f27-1614-4dfe-a4cc-e402f2f72630/progress
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [6352] ERROR - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Jobs: failed to start child process C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\Plex Transcoder.exe: CreateProcessW(omitBinary ? NULL : (LPCWSTR)pathify(job->binary).c_str(), (LPWSTR)utf8to16(cmdLine).c_str(), NULL, NULL, TRUE, dwCreationFlags, (LPVOID)env.c_str(), !m_workingDirectory.empty() ? m_workingDirectory.c_str() : NULL, &si, &processInfo): The system cannot find the file specified.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [6352] WARN - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] TranscodeSession: job runner failed to start
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [8424] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Jobs: 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\Plex Transcoder.exe' exit code for process 0 is 195948557 (failed to spawn child)
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Streaming Resource: Terminated session 0EE1AD50:09057866-ff7c-459e-bc1c-4de525be31e9 with reason Conversion failed. The transcoder failed to start up.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [6352] ERROR - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Failed to start session.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [6352] ERROR - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Recorder: Unable to create transcode session or session failed to start.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [6352] DEBUG - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Killing job.
Jun 21, 2022 14:03:58.891 [6352] ERROR - [Grabber/cabb5831a86265db15d506f6856667279e424550] Recorder: Error 16 (Recording failed. Please check your tuner or antenna.) starting the record, shutting things down.
5

Transcoder temp directory was set to c:\temp when I checked the directory its permissions seem to have got in a mess. Retaken ownership; Restarted Plex. No difference I’m afraid.

6

Not been changed recently.

(Cleared it and that didn’t make difference)

7

Try the codec deletion I edited in above as well. If that doesn’t do it I think we need to look at the permissions issue closer. It could be a red herring, but permissions getting messed up and a failure seems likely related. Possibly other directories with permissions issues?

8

Tried deleting codecs and a reboot. I’m afraid it hasn’t made any difference.

9

I will take a look, you might be right.

10

I’ve checked the user directory and taken ownership/reset permissions on everything.

Still no joy I’m afraid.

11

Grrr. If it were my instance, I’d try stopping the Plex Server process, stop your antivirus, start Plex Server, and try to record. I’ve not used eset, but every virus scanner I’ve ever seen frequently updates its virus definition files, and a new definition could be causing issues. Of course turn your virus protection back on after the test if it doesn’t help.

If that doesn’t work, then would you extract server logs again a couple minutes after the record fail and post them? I want to make sure we don’t have layered issues where we’ve resolved a problem only to be able to see the next issue.

12

I’m afraid that didn’t help either. Logs attached.

Plex Media Server Logs_2022-06-21_16-11-50.zip (2.1 MB)

13

Still the same error. The primary information is:

Jobs: failed to start child process C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\Plex Transcoder.exe: CreateProcessW(omitBinary ? NULL : (LPCWSTR)pathify(job->binary).c_str(), (LPWSTR)utf8to16(cmdLine).c_str(), NULL, NULL, TRUE, dwCreationFlags, (LPVOID)env.c_str(), !m_workingDirectory.empty() ? m_workingDirectory.c_str() : NULL, &si, &processInfo): The system cannot find the file specified.

There are some parameters for which we don’t get to see the values unfortunately (like the working directory that is being passed in. I would expect that to be your transcoder temp directory.) Can you verify that “C:\Program Files (x86)\Plex\Plex Media Server\Plex Transcoder.exe” exists?

In addition to eset, by chance do you also use MalwareBytes?

Did the issue start with the upgrade of Plex Server to 1.27.1.5891?

14

Wierd, no it isn’t there.

Screenshot 2022-06-21 193922
Screenshot 2022-06-21 193922822×608 71.6 KB

No I don’t run MalwareBytes.

Yes it seems to have started on Saturday which is when I ran the update.

15

Can I just run the update again?

16

Well, that’s certainly a problem - obviously Plex can’t run the transcoder if the executable is missing. I run on Linux so I can’t do a perfect comparison, but I would think we would see a lot more posts about this if it were a fundamental issue with 1.27.1 on Win - so it looks like either a bad upgrade or something subsequently removed this file.

How to move forward is a bit touchy as there are several approaches. You could try to rollback to an old version, or upgrade to the newest beta that was just released. You could also look in Windows Control Panel → Programs and Features, then find Plex Media Server and see if the repair option is available.

17

Gets odder

Screenshot 2022-06-21 195630
Screenshot 2022-06-21 1956301062×118 11.7 KB

I seem to have two installs

The Repair option doesn’t appear.
Where would I get the newest beta?

18

Is this it?

Screenshot 2022-06-21 200154
Screenshot 2022-06-21 200154840×595 52 KB

19

Can I safely install the earlier version?

20

OK, selected Modify, then Repair on the 5891 version and we seem to be working.

Thanks for your help.

Can I risk uninstalling the 0.5897 version or should I just leave it there?