Server Version#: 1.13.9.5439
Player Version#: Apple TV 1.33 (10327)
Hi,
First time I post on the forum. I tried to troubleshoot my issue but got to the point where I need help.
My issue is: when I activate hardware transcode on my Synology 918+, I cannot play any of my TV shows (MPEG2Video 1080) on my Apple TV (4th gen) without the following problems:
Plays for up to a minute then hangs and give me a message that my server is not enough powerful to play the file.
Start loading the file with the spinning wheel (?) but never starts playing the file.
If I turn off hardware transcoding, all my files play correctly without problems but the CPU is pegged out at 98%. If I’m recording at the same time, then playing any files becomes difficult and end up with the message that my server cpu is not powerful enough to play the file.
I have tried all sorts of settings combinations on my apple TV and PMS without any success. The only thing that fix my problem is to turn off hardware transcoding. But if I record a TV show and play a file, I get a pegged CPU and the message that my server is not powerful enough. I really thought I bought a beast (synology 918+) but it is very disappointing. I’m surprised that I can’t find anybody with the same issue at this present time.
As I wrote this post, I tested activating hardware transcoding with the following video types and I had NO issues playing them.
mpeg-4 SD
h264 720p
It seems the issue is limited to playing MPEG2Video with hardware transcoding.
Other information:
Synology model:DS918+ connected Via Ethernet on Gigbit switch
Synology OS: DSM 6.2.1-23824 Update 1
PMS Version: latest synology 64bit version from Plex Downloads
Raid Type: Synology Hybrid Raid
Filesystem: Btrfs
Plex Pass Member
Plex Media Server: 1.13.9.5439
TV tuner: HDhomerun Connect Quatro connected Via Ethernet on Gigbit switch
File format: MPEG2VIDEO
When playing, PMS transcode video from MPEG2VIDEO to H264
Not using transcode feature on HDhomerun tuner.
Apple TV model: A1625 (32G) connected Via Ethernet on Gigbit switch (but Apple TV limite to 100 Mbps)
TV.Os: 12.0.1 (16J380)
Notable Settings on Plex Apple TV:
Auto Adjust Quality ON
Home Streaming Maximum
Allow Direct Play OFF
Sounds like you’re running out of space in your transcoder directory.
On your second last picture you have “Transcoder temporary directory” assign it to a directory on a HDD with space. I personally use “Asus RAMdisk” and put my temp directory in a ramdisk.
So I did the grab. Murphy’s law… it actually played… It took about a minute but it eventually started playing. I let it go for a while and it actually didn’t freeze until about 3 minutes when I skipped 10 sec ahead, then it froze for about a minute and started playing again. So for some reason it did better than usual. Eventually it did freeze on its own after 10 min of playing. The grab does include the 10 sec skip.
The show I was trying to play was The Voice (2011) - S15E10 - The Battles Part 4.ts. Murphy’s law is just an expression. Sorry about the confusion.
So the get info file is correct and the Plex grab I sent you should show you what happened when I tried to play The Voice (2011) - S15E10 - The Battles Part 4.ts. Let me know if you need me to redo the test and provide you with another grab. I apologize for the extra text I pulled from the get info file, I understood you wanted the whole thing.
Thanks for the explanation about the HD Homerun Connect Quatro, I understand now that when I select transcode from the Experimental Plex settings for DVR and TV live (see attached picture), the synology is actually doing the transcoding.
That’s funny, I didn’t know there was a show named after that expression!
I know you said I was on my own for the Live TV, but I thought you might find the following interesting. Live TV is working fine when:
no HD HomeRun DVR transcode, no Synology Hardware Transcode
HD HomeRun DVR transcode, no Synology Hw Transcode
But it stutters when I use HD HomeRun DVR transcode and hw Transcode. But the CPU barely breaks 40%. From your explanation, it sounds like the interlaced option is the problem which I have no control on. So it seems hw transcode on DS918+ with HD homerun connect just can’t play nice together.
So the solution with my existing setup is:
Use HD HomeRun DVR transcode and NO Synology hw transcode (since it makes Live TV stutter)
Convert all instances of mpeg2 files to MP4 H264.
The potential problems I might have is my CPU maxing out if I want to record 4 shows (!) or a certain combination of recording and watching tv. Or for other synology tasks. Sounds correct?
Would buying a HD homerun Extend a good option? It would alleviate cpu usage on my synology and I could watch/record 2 shows at the same time. Do you know if the extend converts live TV? (Sorry, another live TV question…)
Btw, I like the Infuse interface, I find it very similar to Plex. I did sign up for a 1 week free trial and it just doesn’t want work with the HD homerun. It just doesnt want to connect to it. I just get an error message. Just for your information. I know this is out of the scope of your support.
Thanks for letting me know the rest of the grab didn’t show any other problems. Good to know.
Hi,
So I got my hands on an HDHomerun Extend which can do 2 tuners transcode to H264 at the same time (that’s what I was told). It didn’t work so well.
I did the following test:
Recording a show (Frontline)
Playing Live TV (the Rookie)
I enabled the HW transcoder on the Synology
The issue: the Live TV keeps pausing every 20 sec or so…
Here is the grab files and a screenshot.
Let me know if you can help me again .
I managed to find settings that works. I’ll test them for a while.
Playing live TV with Synology 918+ hw Transcoder Enabled and Hd Homerun Extend transcode set to High quality, 30 fps (in Plex > Settings > Live TV & DVR Gear icon > High Quality (30 fps limit).
-> Synology CPU around 15%. No buffering. (no playback stuttering)
