Problems with ST50 and MKV playback

Hi there,

I'm very new to this, but have a 2012 ST50 and have Serviio up and running.
For MKV files, I've tried all of the different Panasonic profiles, but either get no sound, the background sound track for audio - or the video is stretched vertically to fill the whole screen.
Which profile is best suited for my television?
I've tried turning transcoding on and off - no change.
Thanks for your help - other than this problem I love the software!

[DenyAll]

Welcome aboard.

Try the existing Panasonic Viera G/GT/DT/UT/VT (2011/2012) and stream an AVI file to your TV. If the AVI file doesn't play try the existing Panasonic Viera E/S/ST/VT (2011). These profiles are exactly the same except for their support for AVI files.

Once you work out your AVI support, we can work on MKV's. Not all MKV's are created equally - to help with the problem you are having we need details for the MKV file. Post the MediaInfo details for the troublesome file (see viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4510) and tell us which profile you are using.

You may have to manually modify the profile to fix your problem - forum members can guide you on this, but also read http://www.serviio.org/index.php?option ... icle&id=24 in the interim.

Thanks! Should I leave transcoding on or off for those 2 profiles?

[DenyAll]

On

Ok, tried both profiles with transcoding set both ways - 4 different scenarios:

GT Profile:
Transcoding On: aspect ratio was incorrect, but sound was on
Transcoding Off: aspect ratio was correct, but sound was not on

ST Profile:
Transcoding On or Off: aspect ratio was correct, but sound was not on

I've attached a text document with the file info.

[DenyAll]

Based on your tests, it appears your ST50 does not support DTS audio, so it needs to be transcoded (interestingly, other ST50 users have reported it is supported - maybe a regional/sub-model issue?). Problem is when transcoding you are losing your aspect ratio. See my post here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=12655&p=77185#p77109 (and later viewtopic.php?f=13&t=12655&p=77185#p77185) for why this is occuring.

You can fix this by editing your profile (edit profiles.xml file located in your serviio\config folder). Edit the Panasonic Viera G/GT/DT/UT/VT (2011/2012) profile and replace the existing code:

  Code:

<Video targetContainer="mpegts" targetACodec="ac3" aBitrate="384" forceInheritance="true">
   <!-- Some models support DTS natively, so the folowing line can be removed for those -->
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="dca" /> <!-- ST50 supports DTS, remove this line -->
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="flac" />
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="vorbis" />
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="truehd" />
   <Matches container="mp4" vCodec="h264" aCodec="lpcm" />
   <Matches container="mp4" vCodec="h264" aCodec="aac" />
   <Matches container="3gp" vCodec="h264" />
</Video>

with

  Code:

<Video targetContainer="mpegts" targetVCodec="mpeg2video" DAR="16:9" targetACodec="ac3" aBitrate="384" forceInheritance="true">
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="dca" />
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="flac" />
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="vorbis" />
   <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" aCodec="truehd" />
</Video>
<Video targetContainer="mpegts" targetACodec="ac3" aBitrate="384" forceInheritance="true">
   <Matches container="mp4" vCodec="h264" aCodec="lpcm" />
   <Matches container="mp4" vCodec="h264" aCodec="aac" />
   <Matches container="3gp" vCodec="h264" />
</Video>

What this is doing is - when matching an MKV file with DTS, flac, vorbis or truehd audio, it is telling Serviio to transcode both the audio and the video, retaining the aspect ratio. Previously only the audio was being transcoded - the video was simply being copied (remuxed into an m2ts container), and the aspect ratio was being lost. Note I haven't included the MP4 or 3gp files in the top section of the new code - if you find these types of files are also causing a problem with aspect ratio, move those lines into the top section of the code.

Note that whenever you edit profiles.xml you must restart your PC (or if you know how, the serviio service - not just the console).

ST Profile:
Transcoding On or Off: aspect ratio was correct, but sound was not on

Hmmm.. the ST profile is the same as the GT profile except how it handles AVI files (the ST profile inherits the GT profile) so it should handle MKV files the same as the GT profile. Are you sure you pressed Save after re-enabling transcoding (it is acting like transcoding is off in both cases). To tell whether you should use the ST or GT profile test both using an AVI file (a divx file for example). The changes I gave you above will work with either profile.

Awesome - thank you very much.
All MKV files now playback with sound and correct aspect ratio - they appear as MPEG2-TS files on the TV.
The original playback starts with black bars surrounding the entire picture, but once you hit aspect format on the remote, it becomes letterbox.
I had to make the change for MP4 files as well - now playing correctly as well.

Thanks again for taking the time to help me - have a much better understanding of the application and the coding now.
By the way - I'm in Canada, so not sure if there are differences in the model across countries.

Question: When Serviio moves to a new release, will I need to reapply the profile code changes?

[DenyAll]

Yes, on a new release you will need to re-apply these changes. When upgrading, Serviio will make a backup of the old profiles.xml that you can then use to copy across your changes (I normally comment any changes I make with my user name - that way it makes them easier to find).

Sorry to be a pain, but I'm now finding some files (MKV and MP4) are stuttering on playback.
I'm running 2 ST50s - one hard wired to the router and the other on wifi via a range extender.
The wired tv has problems with a few files - starts getting choppy on sound and video - then video becomes normal and sound drops completely.
The wifi tv just gets choppy on video and audio for all files.

I'm running i7 8 core 860 @2.80GHz - shouldn't be an issue of horsepower (console is set for optimal cores) - though CPU usage is consistently over 90% when streaming to the wired TV.

Any ideas as to what is causing this?
Didn't come across that problem before the profile update.

Thanks!

Realized there were 2 instances of ffmpeg running - that was causing the main drain on the CPU.
Stopped them both and then restarted a movie - CPU usage remained around 60%.
No subtitle options enabled.

[DenyAll]

Yes, unfortunately if both TV's are watching an MKV or MP4 they will each fire up an instance of ffmpeg. Two instances of ffmpeg, both doing video transcoding, will tax most processors.

The only ways around this are:

• Firstly, ensure that "Number of CPU cores to use" is set to the maximum you have (Serviio Console, Delivery, Transcoding tab);
• Avoid starting movies on the two TVs at the same time (the ffmpeg process doesn't run the whole time you are playing the movie - only for as long as it takes to transcode it);
• Avoid transcoding - play the movie natively. For your ST50's it means selecting movies that are MKV but have AC3 audio as their first audio track. You can use tools like Handbrake and/or XMedia Recode to permanently encode your existing MKV's and MP4's to this format. You can set these tools to simply copy the video and transcode only the audio (or swap audio track order if AC3 is already present) so you won't have any degradation of the video stream.

Then there is also an issue with wireless. Wireless can often not provide enough bandwidth for HD video - particularly if other devices are sharing the wireless at the time (wireless bandwidth is shared between devices). Haven't played with range extenders - would think they would make it worse by adding additional latency. Use cable or ethernet over powerline if available, otherwise its a matter of living with it (we could limit the bandwidth used but this then applies to both TV's.... we could I suppose create a seperate profile for the wireless TV, but you'd only go down this path if you absolutely had to).

Thanks Deny - I should have been clear - i was trying this on one tv at a time, but the ffmpeg instances were still active.
Once i shut them down and retried, the CPU usage dropped down to about 60%.
I've changed the console from optimal to 8 cores.
I turned transcoding off and I end back with the same aspect ratio and sound issues I had before I applied the profile changes you suggested.
Any other possible fixes?

Also a few questions:
1) How long does it normally take to transcode a movie? Can i stop the process at that point to free up CPU use?
2) Wireless to that tv seems to stream things like HD Netflix without any issues at all - crystal clear and no choppiness - likely the same issue as wired tv but more pronounced because it is wireless?

My wired system is pulled apart at the moment for some reno work, but will give your suggestions a try in the next week.

Thanks again!

[DenyAll]

i was trying this on one tv at a time, but the ffmpeg instances were still active.

An ffmpeg session will remain active until another one from the same renderer (TV) is required. For you to have had two active, must have been a glitch - keep an eye on it and let zip know if happens often.

1) How long does it normally take to transcode a movie? Can i stop the process at that point to free up CPU use?

Depends on the movies, the power of the CPU etc. It will vary from system to system - time it for yours with all 8 cores now engaged (just watch the ffmpeg process while streaming a movie).
You should not stop it once commenced as this stuff up Serviio's register of what is happening. See if setting to use 8 cores makes a difference.

2) Wireless to that tv seems to stream things like HD Netflix without any issues at all - crystal clear and no choppiness

Different protocols in play, different systems in use within the TV. Netflix is optimised for the web and its inherently unreliable connections, DLNA isn't.

Ok - renos are finally complete and system is back up.
I changed the core setting to 8, but still having the same issue.
Aspect and sound are good, but the video stutters at points and sound drops completely.
I've attached the file info.

Prior to profile change, I did not have similar issues, so don't think this is network or PC driven.
This is occurring on the wired television.
Any help, as always, would be greatly appreciated!

[DenyAll]

Prior to profile change, I did not have similar issues, so don't think this is network or PC driven.

Prior to the profile change, video wasn't being transcoded. It is now, so I suspect it may still be the PC. However, I would have thought your i7 would have no problem transcoding the movie...

It could be lots of things though - your PC may run another task (eg. virus detection) which causes stuttering, your drive buffer may become full, your router may get busy with other traffic, your temporary file may become fragmented, etc etc.

The issue is you don't really have a choice - you need to transcode the audio (as your TV doesn't support DTS and this video has no other audio type) and as soon as you do, you lose aspect ratio unless you also transcode the video. You could permanently transcode the audio using a tool like Handbrake and keep it as a MKV file. If you go down this path (its quick and relatively easy once you get the hang of it) ensure you set the tool to copy (not transcode) all existing video and audio tracks - this will ensure no loss of quality - and create a new new audio track (transcoded to AC3) from the DTS track, ensuring it is track 1. This will enable you to play the file natively via Serviio, with AC3 audio, whilst retaining DTS for any devices that support it.

Thanks - I'll never used Handbrake - just installed it and will give it a try.
So would I need to create another audio track that is ac3 (just make the selections on the interface for Codec=AC3)?
If so, what should the setting for Mixdown?

[DenyAll]

I'm not an expert on Handbrake but try - on the Audio tab, press "Add Track" to create a new track. For:

• Track 1: Set Audio Codec to "AC3 (ffmpeg)" and Mixdown to "Dolby Prologic II"
• Track 2: Set Audio Codec to "DTS Passthru" - this will simply copy the track.

btw, I tend to use XMedia Recode (probably should have pointed you at that ) - also free - but imho simpler to use and better suited to this task. Same deal:

• Set Profile to Custom, Format to Matroska Video
• On video tab: set Mode to Copy
• On Audio tab: highlight source audio and press add button (right pointing triangle between source and destination panes). Set Mode to Copy for track 2, and set Mode to Convert for Track 1: AC-3, channels to 5.1 (or whatever the highest you have) and bit rate to 384 minimum (640 if space isn't a problem and you have a sensitive ear).
• Work thru the other tabs.
• Press Add Job and then Encode.

Good luck.

Tried XMedia and it works like a charm!
Faster and less CPU drain when just working the audio side.
Files are playing with no issue now.
Thanks again DenyAll - huge help!

HI Deny,

What codec should I be setting the subtitles to in XMedia when I encode the new file?
I tried SRT, but they are not appearing on the TV (though they do appear when I run the movie on my computer).

Thanks!

[DenyAll]

Sorry don't use subtitles much (and my devices don't support embedded subtitles within MKV's).

I would think SRT would be fine. I have my doubts though that the ST50 supports embedded subtitles over DLNA - have you any files this works on? I read a few web posts that suggests its supported from USB playback only. Try extracting them (Serviio Console, Delivery, Subtitles tab, enable "Enable Extraction of Subtitles").