I am using an HDHomeRun (hdhomerun_atsc) with Plex to watch live TV. The server is a docker container. I am using the official container on Docker Hub. The HDHomeRun is an older HDHomeRun but it has been working fine. However, starting with version 1.14.1.5488-cc260c476 and also now with 1.15.3.876-ad6e39743 it does not work. Plex comes up with “Cannot tune channel”. As soon as I downgrade the docker image to 1.14.0.5470-9d51fdfaa or earlier, it works just fine. Something seems to have changed or broke between 1.14.0.5470-9d51fdfaa and the subsequent versions.Plex Media Server Logs_2019-04-06_13-18-04.zip (611.7 KB)
Looking at the log file on line 1653 (Plex Media Server.log), it looks like the root cause is that it’s not able to start a transcode session. How do I resolve that?
Any suggestions? Live TV and DVR was one of the main reasons I decided to pay for a Plex Pass.
I had the same issue, albeit with a HDHR Prime. Plex would debug ‘completed 8% - Recording’ and then fail to start the stream. I created a python shim that might help until Plex provides a permanent fix. It goes in place of ‘Plex Transcoder’ (similar to how Plex Remote Transcoder or Plex Unicorn Transcoder works). The gist of it is Plex times out waiting for a response from Plex Transcoder (ffmpeg) -probesize. This script lowers the value so that Plex receives a response sooner and avoids timing out.
If on linux (it sounds like you are), you would rename the existing ‘Plex Transcoder’ to ‘plex_transcoder’, then place the script and name it ‘Plex Transcoder’ in its place, executable.
Thanks for the suggestion. I took the Python script and applied it as a shim before the real transcoder. I was very hopeful but unfortunately the behavior was the same. I tried modifying the probesize downwards even further but that still had no effect.
It appears that the transcoder does not even start. When I monitor the transcode directory in real time, the server creates a directory structure inside there, but it remains completely empty. No *.ts files are ever created in there. The transcoder does work though for instance when I play a movie on a mobile device with the Plex app. I can monitor the directory structure and see that many *.ts files get created inside.
I thought it might have something to do with the hdhomerun library. I replaced /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/libhdhomerun.so with one from a previous Plex version that did work. Still same behavior so I don’t believe it has to do with that, but by no means sure of it.
I took the 1.14.0.5470-9d51fdfaa docker container (which works perfectly) then upgraded the plexmediaserver package with the latest .deb file (bumped it to 1.15.3.876-ad6e39743). The server no longer worked with Live TV. Exact same behavior. I believe this precludes any differences in the docker containers between versions. It looks like it has to do with the plexmediaserver package.
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