PLEX audio dropouts and sync issues with seamless branching on 4K TrueHD/Atmos movies

Are you able to produce a sample that has a seamless branch point that reproduces the issue?

Well as I said, I have full MKV of The Martian Extended which it happens in (as others have said).

I presume you are asking me to produce a clip out of this somehow which is around the problem time mentioned previously - “sound drop and then go out of sync in Martian Extended at 00:36:20 when Watney says: “I’m gonna have to science the s##t out of this”.” ?

Not sure how to chop a section out of this and retain the structure. Do you have any recommended method I could use to do this clip of HEVC 4K video? Let me see if I can produce a clip.

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The MKV split method mentioned on this page should do the trick; https://support.plex.tv/articles/201035968-generating-sample-files-from-media/ Thanks!

Managed to use LosslessCut to create this MKV clip of Martian Extended at 00:36:20 when Watney says: “I’m gonna have to science the s##t out of this”…

I have checked this on PLEX from Shield 2017 to LG CX TV and it has exactly the same sound dropout as the full movie. The clip plays in Dolby Atmos to my Denon AVR and there is a silent gap just before the sound goes out of sync.

When I play same clip on PC there is no sound dropout and de-sync of audio after.

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Can also confirm, I’m seeing issues with the extended editions of F9 and Baywatch.
The audio dropouts/de-sync also happens for multipart movies, with each part merged together using mkvmerge. Examples being Lord of the Rings and Zack Snyders Justice League. Files ripped using the latest MakeMKV 1.17.

Experiencing the playback issues using a 2019 Shield Pro.
When I switch over to Infuse 7 Pro on the aTV, all movies mentioned play without issues.

I will test using Plex HTPC later this week.
To be fair, there are not many devices that can do passthrough of TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. The Nvidia Shield is probably the most affordable option. Other than that I am only aware of PC’s (which was dependent on which Plex client you ran, PMP and now Plex HTPC) and more recently the xbox.

Side note, it seems a fix was implemented in Kodi back in October. Could potentially provide some guidance.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/qfq53m/comment/hi6vuf5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Thank you @sixones for picking this up. I have an LG C1 client that I cannot reproduce the issue with but my C1 cannot send the lossless Atmos signal to my receiver, so the point is moot - it’s not possible for the conditions to exist to replicate the issue.

The shield, as others have said, is the cheapest way to get Dolby Atmos/Vision content to a receiver without using a whole HTPC.

I confirmed with the Martian mkv I have and the clip uploaded by @geogan that the issue is still present in both.

This is definitely not a case of “audio drift” as previously mentioned, it’s very defined and stays delayed at those branch points.

Update: I just tested F9, Baywatch, and the merging point of ZSJL using Plex HTPC (Windows 10) with audio passthrough enabled. Unlike the Nvidia Shield, there were no audio dropouts causing a desync of audio.

I cannot confirm for the xbox as the only other device capable of audio passthrough, but this appears to be an issue unique to the Nvidia Shield.

What is the player used in the android client? Is it ExoPlayer, or MPV like HTPC?

Can confirm that this is still happening on the Shield Pro - Plex app version 9.4.1.33413.

Seeking forward seems to be the best route to quickly alleviate the desynced audio, but it crops back up as soon as the playback reaches another branching point (so regions of the film with multiple branch points in a short time span are quite frustrating).

Hoping to confirm with Plex employees are aware of the correct issue and can replicate it and that they don’t need anything further from us?

Following up at the 2 week mark to make sure that there’s nothing left plex employees need from us?

@sixones

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Out of a matter of interest, does anyone here having the issue NOT have an LG TV?

Yes, Philips over here. The issue is totally unrelated to the TV, as in most cases the Shield will be directly connected to the AVR rather the TV anyways.

Yes the issue stems solely from the inability for plex to properly handle seamless branching audio. The same result happened when I moved my TCL Roku TV into my living room.

Thanks. I’ve had issues with LG freezing up my PLEX playback but definitely experiencing this issue here as-well going directly through a soundbar

Bump because I refuse to let this issue die until it’s fixed @sixones

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I think I’ve found something interesting that bears mentioning. . .

While I hate to let plex off the hook for this, I think I have determined that this is an issue with the exoplayer (by Google) embedded in the Plex client rather than a problem with the Plex client or code itself.

Why? Well, I tried jellyfin to work around this issue, and found that the exact same issue at the exact same place occurred in The Martian (and some other movies I have). However, jellyfin allows you to change the embedded player from exoplayer to libVLC. . . and upon trying libVLC, the problem disappears.

So, since both jellyfin and plex use exoplayer, and both are affected (yet jellyfin ceases to be affected when exoplayer is disabled), I believe that indicates Google’s exoplayer is likely the culprit.

So. . . I’ve opened a ticket over at explayer’s github: MKVs from seamless branching blu-rays cause atmos audio drop outs and/or sync loss · Issue #10520 · google/ExoPlayer · GitHub

Kind Plex Folks, please help us bring attention to this issue over at exoplayer/google. Your involvement would surely be invaluable in getting this resolved!

–H

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Don’t let them off the hook. They just launched editions, hence directors cuts, extended editions, etc. (i.e.: seamless branching) living in your library more easily. I’ve seen no mention over the months and months since this issue was brought up that they did anything to solve it. They’re the ones that chose the player after all. If it isn’t up to the task then change the damn thing. Until they do, my local playback will be on my Zidoo without Plex instead of the Shield Pro I have in a bin collecting dust.

Just watched Jurassic World Dominion (Extended Edition) and pretty sure I came across this issue multiple times.

The audio track was with DTS:X, but assuming its still the same issue in discussion here?

I’ve been watching the Harry Potter films recently (4K blu-ray rips, DTS:X) and they can sometimes be awful. Audio will drop and occasionally the video will start to stutter with it.

While Dominion is a seamless branching disc, I’ve not experienced this issue with other seamless branching DTS-HD movies (like Gladiator). I’m actually watching Dominion tonight, so I’ll see for myself.

The Harry Potter 4k movies aren’t seamless (only the extended edition BDs are), and I don’t have the issues you mention with those movies.

Did you use MakeMKV? That’s typically the best (especially with TrueHD audio) for seamless branching discs, but tsMuxeR is sometimes better for DTS-HD movies. You can actually try just demuxing the DTS:X track with tsMuxeR (from a disc backup) then use MKVToolnix to replace the existing track.

Yep MakeMKV and tsMuxeR have been my go to for about 99% of my 4K blu-rays.

I’m gonna keep testing some things out, maybe this isn’t the issue I am getting. I have Plex setup for my parents in their home and they never get drop outs. Only difference in equipment is TV and A/V setup.