Samsung 2018 TV (QN65Q6FN) Video Stutters/Buffering

Plex Players Streaming Devices
22

I’ve done a little more digging with the following files:

Altered.Carbon.S02E01.Phantom.Lady.1080p.NF.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.HDR.HEVC-NTG (1.58GB)
Altered.Carbon.S02E01.Phantom.Lady.1080p.NF.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.x264-NTG (1.36GB)
Altered.Carbon.S02E01.Phantom.Lady.1080p.NF.WEBRip.DDP5.1.x264-NTb (3.52GB)

The first two files stutter from what I can tell, identically. The third file also stutters/breaks up in the same places but slightly differently (more pixellation and less of a freeze). Either way - there’s something about these files that the TV isn’t liking; I get the same results using Emby on my TV.

XML from Altered.Carbon.S02E01.1080p.NF.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.x264-NTG.mkv:

<MediaContainer size="1" allowSync="1" identifier="com.plexapp.plugins.library" librarySectionID="3" librarySectionTitle="TV" librarySectionUUID="ebd49846-5108-4c60-b749-5cac0d0266bb" mediaTagPrefix="/system/bundle/media/flags/" mediaTagVersion="1582543903">
<Video ratingKey="33896" key="/library/metadata/33896" parentRatingKey="33895" grandparentRatingKey="10005" guid="com.plexapp.agents.thetvdb://332331/2/1?lang=en" parentGuid="com.plexapp.agents.thetvdb://332331/2?lang=en" grandparentGuid="com.plexapp.agents.thetvdb://332331?lang=en" type="episode" title="Phantom Lady" grandparentKey="/library/metadata/10005" parentKey="/library/metadata/33895" librarySectionTitle="TV" librarySectionID="3" librarySectionKey="/library/sections/3" grandparentTitle="Altered Carbon" parentTitle="Season 2" contentRating="TV-MA" summary="" index="1" parentIndex="2" viewOffset="955000" lastViewedAt="1582935830" year="2020" thumb="/library/metadata/33896/thumb/1582832242" art="/library/metadata/10005/art/1582802249" grandparentThumb="/library/metadata/10005/thumb/1582802249" grandparentArt="/library/metadata/10005/art/1582802249" grandparentTheme="/library/metadata/10005/theme/1582802249" duration="2707205" originallyAvailableAt="2020-02-27" addedAt="1582802229" updatedAt="1582832242" chapterSource="media">
<Media id="53136" duration="2707205" bitrate="4338" width="1920" height="1080" aspectRatio="1.78" audioChannels="6" audioCodec="eac3" videoCodec="h264" videoResolution="1080" container="mkv" videoFrameRate="24p" videoProfile="main">
<Part accessible="1" exists="1" id="55719" key="/library/parts/55719/1582794417/file.mkv" duration="2707205" file="/Media/TV/Altered Carbon/Season 02/Altered.Carbon.S02E01.1080p.NF.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.x264-NTG.mkv" size="1467928142" container="mkv" videoProfile="main">
<Stream id="153739" streamType="1" default="1" codec="h264" index="0" bitrate="4338" bitDepth="8" chromaLocation="left" chromaSubsampling="4:2:0" codedHeight="1088" codedWidth="1920" frameRate="23.976" hasScalingMatrix="0" height="1080" level="40" profile="main" refFrames="3" scanType="progressive" width="1920" displayTitle="1080p (H.264)"/>
<Stream id="153740" streamType="2" selected="1" default="1" codec="eac3" index="1" channels="6" language="English" languageCode="eng" audioChannelLayout="5.1(side)" samplingRate="48000" title="English" displayTitle="English (EAC3 5.1)"/>
<Stream id="153741" streamType="3" default="1" forced="1" codec="srt" index="2" language="English" languageCode="eng" title="Forced" displayTitle="English Forced (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153742" streamType="3" selected="1" codec="srt" index="3" language="English" languageCode="eng" displayTitle="English (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153743" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="4" language="English" languageCode="eng" title="SDH" displayTitle="English (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153744" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="5" language="العربية" languageCode="ara" displayTitle="العربية (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153745" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="6" language="Česky" languageCode="cze" displayTitle="Česky (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153746" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="7" language="Dansk" languageCode="dan" displayTitle="Dansk (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153747" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="8" language="Deutsch" languageCode="ger" displayTitle="Deutsch (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153748" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="9" language="Ελληνικά" languageCode="gre" displayTitle="Ελληνικά (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153749" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="10" language="Español" languageCode="spa" displayTitle="Español (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153750" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="11" language="Español" languageCode="spa" title="European" displayTitle="Español (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153751" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="12" language="Suomi" languageCode="fin" displayTitle="Suomi (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153752" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="13" language="Français" languageCode="fre" displayTitle="Français (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153753" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="14" language="עברית" languageCode="heb" displayTitle="עברית (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153754" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="15" language="Magyar" languageCode="hun" displayTitle="Magyar (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153755" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="16" language="Bahasa Indonesia" languageCode="ind" displayTitle="Bahasa Indonesia (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153756" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="17" language="Italiano" languageCode="ita" displayTitle="Italiano (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153757" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="18" language="日本語" languageCode="jpn" displayTitle="日本語 (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153758" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="19" language="한국어" languageCode="kor" displayTitle="한국어 (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153759" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="20" language="Norsk bokmål" languageCode="■■■" displayTitle="Norsk bokmål (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153760" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="21" language="Nederlands" languageCode="dut" displayTitle="Nederlands (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153761" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="22" language="polski" languageCode="pol" displayTitle="polski (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153762" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="23" language="Português" languageCode="por" displayTitle="Português (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153763" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="24" language="Português" languageCode="por" title="Brazilian" displayTitle="Português (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153764" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="25" language="Română" languageCode="rum" displayTitle="Română (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153765" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="26" language="русский язык" languageCode="rus" displayTitle="русский язык (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153766" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="27" language="Svenska" languageCode="swe" displayTitle="Svenska (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153767" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="28" language="ไทย" languageCode="tha" displayTitle="ไทย (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153768" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="29" language="Türkçe" languageCode="tur" displayTitle="Türkçe (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153769" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="30" language="Tiếng Việt" languageCode="vie" displayTitle="Tiếng Việt (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153770" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="31" language="中文" languageCode="chi" title="Simplified" displayTitle="中文 (SRT)"/>
<Stream id="153771" streamType="3" codec="srt" index="32" language="中文" languageCode="chi" title="Traditional" displayTitle="中文 (SRT)"/>
</Part>
</Media>
<Writer id="9968" filter="writer=9968" tag="Laeta Kalogridis"/>
<Chapter id="68317" filter="thumb=68317" tag="Intro start" index="1" startTimeOffset="6235" endTimeOffset="106484"/>
<Chapter id="68316" filter="thumb=68316" tag="Intro end" index="2" startTimeOffset="106484" endTimeOffset="2707205"/>
<Extras size="0"> </Extras>
</Video>
</MediaContainer>

I’ll see about cutting a sample of it shortly.

23

Attached. This skips at the beginning, but also if you were to jump to around 1m 45/50s and just watch for the last 20 seconds or so, it’ll stutter multiple times (just like the original file):

EDIT: Couldn’t attach as it kept terminating at 15% so here’s a link to a 7z file with a 70MB mkv clip: https://we.tl/t-D5F5HyxCbB

24

Follow up. Yesterday I also tested Altered.Carbon.S02E01.2160p.NF.WEBRip.DDP5.1.x265-NTb (6.09GB) again with similar issues - pixellation/artifacting in the video at the exact same parts as all the other versions.

After finding this thread, today I tried disabling Direct Play on my TV (leaving Direct Stream enabled), and it now appears to have solved the issue, but why?

This is now what the local server is showing when playing back the above file:

image

Could it be that with Direct Play on, it’s attempting to Direct Play the EAC3 5.1 but that isn’t actually supported by the TV and it’s causing glitching? (also keeping in mine that Emby is glitching too). EDIT: Actually I find it hard to believe that the TV doesn’t support EAC3/Dolby Digital Plus.

As of yet, I’ve not tried playing the file back from a USB device plugged directly into the Smart Hub.

My remote server has enough CPU grunt to handle this without issue (and support the users I share with). My local server (Intel Core i5 4460) I’m a touch more concerned about as to whether it’ll stream without buffering for an entire movie.

1 Like
25

same issue here.
Samsung UN65KS8500
Direct Play : Stuttering
Direct Stream: Good
Only occurs in NF video files.
sample file : Spenser.Confidential.2020.1080p.NF.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.x264-NTG.mkv
H.264 / EAC3.1
fix please.

1 Like
26

I’ve also experienced this when using the Samsung TV Plex apps. In my experience doing what @lalala123456 suggested and disabling “Allow Direct Play” will remux the container (without transcoding the video) and usually allows for smooth playback

It’s really weird that it only affects certain files, at very specific and reproducible locations, and is resolved with an on-the-fly container remux. I really don’t know what to make of it. Especially since I’ll have no problem direct-playing a 50+mbps remux but immediately after will have problems direct-playing an unimpressive 2mbps file (which then plays back flawlessly with “Allow direct play” disabled)

I’ve also noticed the same problematic files have the same micro-buffering issues on the Xbox platform so it’s not an issue exclusive to Samsung TV’s

1 Like
27

I have the same issue with Plex on my Samsung TV. I followed the suggestion of @lalala123456 which allowed smooth playback for me as well. Hopefully this bug can get fixed in a timely manner. :frowning:

Edit: Just for informational purposes, I had issues with the same file for Altered Carbon S02E01.
My TV is a Samsung QLED Smart TV (2018) [QN49Q6FNAFXZA]

2 Likes
28

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