Plex on Nvidia Shield TV Pro does not play Music, Error

General Discussions
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Server Version#:4.59.2
Player Version#:8.21.1.27073 (43C4486D)

So, I think I found an issue, which is maybe already known but here we go anyways.
Yesterday I imported all of my music into Plex, to have everything in one place to stream from. Importing went fine, so did the metadata download and stuff. Until I wanted to play some music, that’s when it became, sort of, weird.

I first played a copy a CD of mine, in mp3, which Plex did without an issues. Worked flawless. Then I played a 24bit master WAV file of an album, did it too without any issues.
But then I wanted to play something else and Plex wouldn’t do it. Thing is: This “behavior” happens with 99% of my entire library of music. Regardless of the format, bitrate, size, length, naming. Nothing.
The only Tracks it played, where the aforementioned copied CD, in MP3, the 24bit master WAV version of another Album and also another copied album, this time also in WAV. And a couple single tracks, that randomly worked. Everything else, Plex came up with an Error:
“Error while playing certain entry”. Nothing except these 4 things works. Nothing else, at least not on the shield or on the Android TV itself. On my Mac, Windows PC or LG TV, everything works.

I hope someone has or had the same issue or it’s known otherwise. 'cause this is something that’s really weird.

Anyway, thanks in advance for reading :slight_smile:

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Just installed Nvidia Shield TV Pro today - it woke up my whole Atmos video collection (I’m thrilled). Thought I tested everything. But later, apparently the Shield went into SLEEP mode and after I woke it up, it stopped playing mp3 sound. Video worked fine its sound, but when I started a mp3, I get a visual that its running, I can even see lyrics moving - but no sound.

I saw a 2019 post in the forum that there was a bug with the NV going into sleep mode and then not playing music. I turned the device off and did restarts, no help. Finally I did a FORCE STOP on the PLEX client, and when it restarted - MP3 audio worked… OK where’s the bug - NVIDIA, or PLEX?

Meanwhile, I think I’ll look at the sleep settings and assess the value to keeping them enabled.

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I am getting this same issue. It’s recreated with the music library on firestick and nvidia shield. Plexamp works but seems like I’m getting loading music once in awhile. Tried from client account and then with my main account and its still happening. Only working good with browsers, Please fix. Thank you

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Let me say it like this, It is a good Idea to check all of them but neither helped. Not a restart or a force stop really changed anything. So, can’t tell you what’s the reason behind it is but I guess I will have to look deeper.

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Fun Fact: It only happens on Android TV, precisely on my Sony Android TV and on the Nvidia Shield Pro. It play certain tracks, like a couple WAV albums and a few MP3 tracks. But nothing else, everything else passes with an error. I’m kinda confused.

But seems like I’m not the only one with certain issues when it comes to Music with Plex, at least that’s helpful.

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And as a random thought, that I checked yesterday: It doesn’t matter how large your collection is. Tested it with my whole collection, a single album and also a couple albums, same result. I have pretty much no clue why it’s behaving like it does.

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So, this one will be a bit longer but also quite important, I think.

As mentioned before, I only have issues playing back my music thru Plex on Android TV devices. So today, I thought: Hey, let’s look a little deeper. Tried a lot of different albums, checked in the dashboard if anything get’s transcoded or does not play direct or is strange it in general. There wasn’t anything unusual. Bottom Line: Plex on my Nvidia Shield only plays WAV and occasionally MP3, but VERY random. Really weirdly randomly.
Well, then I thought: Why not re-rip the CD’s that work in WAV in MP3 and see if they work, because at this point there’s nothing more I can really do. Turns out, they don’t. Example: I have ripped Linkin Park’s Living Things in WAV years ago and it worked from the moment I started importing my music into Plex and playing it thru it. Today I ripped it again in the Standard CD quality to MP3 setting, imported it and it didn’t worked because Plex gave me the same error as with any other Entry in my library.
Another One: I had Pet Shop Boys Inner Sanctum ripped in MP3 a year ago, but it only works really randomly as mentioned. Today, I ripped it in WAV and it worked the minute I imported it and started playing it.
So my conclusion was: Well, Plex on the Shield doesn’t like MP3. But Is it the case? Given that 99% of my library is in MP3’s, I think It can’t be the reason it gives me that error, specially given that nobody else here as that kind of issue. At this point I’m really confused because on every single device I have left in my house both versions, MP3 and WAV, of the aforementioned Albums work. Both. And that’s weird.

I only have this error with Android TV Based devices, in this case with my shield. The TV does it too but since I’m not playing any music on it, it’s not really an issues just a “good thing to know” that it’s not only the shield that has issues. Anyway, Is it an “Android on Shield issue” or a “Plex on Android on Shield” issue? Since installing VLC on the shield and playing back aforementioned music from the Server, just works. With every file. Every single on of them. Regardless of MP3 or WAV, or if it has been ripped 2 years ago or yesterday.
So it can only be an issue with Plex, given the Error message that’s being displayed 99% of the time while trying to play music and given that it says “Error while playing the entry” makes me think, it can’t read/reach it to play it but then we are starting the conversation all over it, i.e read this whole thing again.
And by the way, when I play the WAV versions of the albums, my Plex dashboard tells me that it is being played as a Direct Stream to the Shield. When the MP3 versions work from time to time, it only says “MP3 Stereo” and that’s it. So that’s that.

BTW: all of this happens on the latest firmware versions with every device (16.08.2021).

So I do hope somebody reads it and understands, what I’m trying to tell. At least I do hope it because I do think, somethings not right here and If I’m right, maybe, somebody else has it too.

Anyway, Cheers :slight_smile:

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I continue to run some tests; though I don’t typically use PLEX to play my music collection. But I have started the Nvidia a couple of times now and heard no audio from playing an MP3 in Plex. I did a reboot of Nvidia - nada. I then did a FORCE STOP on the PLEX app using the NVIDIA menu, then Opened PLEX again - MP3 w/ Audio playing… Bug? Where? Step up error? Where?

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First of all: Thank you for your reply and tips.

So what do you use to play your music? Last time u replied, I already did this and nothing changed or worked, the same happened this time, no playback of the aforementioned albums or tracks. By now, I do think somethings up between the Plex Client app on the Shield Pro and Android, given that the same error happens on my android tv, with the same albums. Every single error is the same, so it can’t be a hardware error. At least that’s what I think. So android must be the reason, things don’t work here I assume.
At least there are a lot of bugs happening, which wouldn’t surprise me.

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I mostly play my music thru my SONOS (7 nodes), with a Connect attached to my AVR I can direct music into the Home Theater set up, but frankly 90% of the time I’m listening outside or in some other room.

I have loaded the VLC app onto the Shield and given it access to enough of my NAS, I can next use that as a test when PLEX fails to play audio, I can probably find the same track, if it plays, it likely means Android is not an issue and Shield itself is less likely the issue, most likely it’s Plex (or its interface with Shield).

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Good to know.

Did the same, everything works. It is most likely now and issue with Plex or how it interfaces with Android, as you said.

By now, I guess, we need an employee to work on this or at least notice it. I know music is not the main reason to use Plex but it should do the trick when it comes to simple MP3 playback. At that’s what I aspect.

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today’s sequence playing MP3’s via Plex on Shield TV Pro

Play music (MP3) track - fine
Switch to music station - fine
Play Video (briefly)
Switch back to Play music track - no audio
Switch to Play Music station - no audio
Close Plex, Open VLC
Play music track (MP3) from same NAS - fine
Switch back to Plex
Play Music Track - no audio
Go to Nvidia Settings, Force Stop PLEX
Open Plex
Play Music Track - fine
Stop
Set Nvidia to Plex Home Screen
Nvidia apparently went into Sleep mode- TV screen blue
Wake up picture (Nvidia?)
Play music - NO AUDIO
Redo the Force Stop sequence
Play Music - FINE

The Media Server is NOT on the Nvidia (on standalone PC), I may consider trying that at some point.

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I had a similar routine, when testing certain things but music, MP3’s, never played regardless of what I did before or after.
It Is just interesting to see what happens, or in this case does not happen, when u try different things. Seems like that there is still a lot to be “fixed/worked” on, as it seems.

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It doesn’t work for me either. This started within the last month or so (it used to work fine). I can still play video and photos, but if I try to play anything from a music library I just get “An error occurred while playing this item” - works fine on other platforms, but not Android TV (not just the Shield - same experience on MiBox). This must be a bug?

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Yeah, I get the same error as mentioned before.
And also, as u say it, it only happens on AndroidTV. On every single other plattform it works, with every format.

It can only be a bug but on the other hand I’m quite surprised that only so few ppl have this issue.

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So no new updates or anyone having the same issue?

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17

Server Version#:1.24.3.5033 {smb}
Player Version#:8.22.0.27533
Seems like I’m having the same issues. Mines Kinda different in that I can play anything and then it just starts throwing the error up. Doesnt seem to be any consistent thing that I do. Could play 4 tracks of the same album, then I try to play something else and it breaks. Then go back to the original album and I cant play it. Or it just stops half way through an album and it starts to throw up an error. Cant get a handle on it.

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Sorry for the late reply.

I have the same. exact. issue. Like literally the same behavior, thru out listening to music with Plex. It’s weird, only on AndroidTV. I don’t get it why it’s not known or not on their “list” of sorts. I’m just saying it’s a feature they offer, so it should actually work with the bear minimum, which is clearly not in this or all of the cases here. I don’t get it. It’s all over this place.

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19

It’s made the Android TV clients mostly useless for me. I had to switch to Roku. It plays music just fine.

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For music, in the living room: Yes. Cannot play anything with it. On the LG TV App, it works. I don’t get it. I’m using Kodi, works fine with a bit of tuning. Stil for a solution that was meant to be an all in one place thing, this is just sad tbh.

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