2024-12-02 -- ffmpeg.exe --- 100 percent CPU

Serviio server comes up OK.

Transcoding is turned off.

Started three DLNA clients all watching the same MKV file.
Everything waq good. CPU used by all of this less than 12 percent (total windows 2016 workload).

Started Serviio's MediaBrowser.

Played a FLAC audio file. CPU went up to 13 percent (running on save system as Serviioi installewd on).
Stopped the FLAC playback. CPU went down to 12 percnt.

Played a MKV bluray rip (DTS sound). CPU want to 100 percent (six cores), all consumption in ffmpeg.exe.
Stopped the video... CPU still 100 percent.

Ended MediaBrowser, CPU still at 100 percent.
Our 2016 server hosting Serviio ran at 100 percent for almost 24 hours before we discovered it.
Did a task manager termination of ffmpeg.exe, CPU want back to normal (12 percent).

Tried this with other DLNA clients running... everything was fine, cancelling ffmpeg.exe had no effect on running clients.
Serviio's CPU consumption serving the three DLNA clients (Sony UBP x700) was arounbd .3 percent (very good).
This ffmpeg.exe problem is serious. I can watch these same videos using VLC and the CPU usage is around 1 to 2 percent.
Why does Serviio's MediaBrowser have to use ffmpeg.exe? If VLC does not need it, why does MediasBrowser need it.

Repeated these tests after a reboot. Made no difference.

Mediabrowser cannot be used in this state.

It does not occurr with every video type, must be something yoiu force transcoding on.

The very least you can do is kill iot when the browser is stopped on the hosting computer.
If you have some off-the-wall reason for using ffmpeg.exe, at least make it an option so the rest of us can turn it off.

[atc98092]

First, you've posted all your questions in the wrong section, so I've moved them all.

It's completely normal for CPU utilization to reach 100% when video transcoding is functional. And using MediaBrowser will use transcoding even when it's turned off in the Console. The player used in MediaBrowser requires literally everything to be transcoded. FFMPEG will continue running well past stopping playback. There's really no function to tell Serviio it's no longer needed and can be closed.

Than what I really need is a way to either turn off transcoding in the MediaBrowser, or a way for MediaBrowser to use another player (Possibly VLC) to play its selections.

I can play all my media types with VLC without the need for any transcoding.

I tried a actual test using MediaBrowser to play a movie that went to 100 percent CPU. Then I killed it and the ffmpeg.exe execuition, the CPU want back to normal. I tried the same molvie with VLC, it played just finme with about 2 percent CPU.

FFmpeg must not neccessarily be used for transcoding, it depends on the source and on the settings you use regarding audio in the serviio console.
However, ffmpeg is used to create an HLS http stream out of the movie container you are playing back, which the MEdiabrowser plays back.
Btw. depending on your source and you TVs ability to playback media, transcoding might have to be done when when playing back with DLNA otherwise black picture.

If you dont need http streaming and also dont need previews, but prefer a bare listing, why dont you use just smb to access the folders containing the media? Even if you would use serviio to serve a TV with DLNA you still could access all files by smb directly - using VLC.

The reason ffmpeg is running even when you close the player is serviio thinks you might continue watching at a later time, so it decides to do the whole movie.

[atc98092]

VLC is capable of connecting directly to Serviio as well, so for devices that cannot access a network share (SMB or otherwise) VLC is an option. Of course, VLC is a fantastic media player but it has a terrible user interface. I use VLC on Windows as well as some Android devices, and overall the UI is just terrible. But it plays everything, which is more important than the UI.

MediaBrowser requires all files to be transcoded, so there is no way to disable transcoding when using MB. And there's no way to use a different player within MB, so one must accept the CPU load when using MediaBrowser. But I would strongly recommend that MB only be used when you are not on the home network. As long as the player device is connected to the same network, use some other player other than a web interface using MB. As mentioned, VLC is available for computers (regardless of OS), and almost any streaming player (Roku, Shield, Fire TV, other Android based device) has some sort of player that supported either DLNA or SMB access.