mp4 video plays but no sound

I have Serviio PRO v 2.4, and access it through Roku Streaming sticks. My video library has over 1200 movies & TV episodes. They have all been RIPed using WINx-DVD Ripper Platinum using default .MP4 settings/codecs.

I am having an issue with playing two .MP4 files. The video is fine but there is no sound. This occurs when I attempt to play them on my Roku using the "roku media player" profile or using my laptop using the "Generic dlna" profile. If I play the mp4 file without using Serviio by accessing it using my PC and windows media player, it is fine- video and audio.

I do note that when the file properties are viewed using the Roku, the files that do not play properly are identified as "vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts" whereas the other files are simply .MP4

I have tried configuring Serviio for Transcoding using various settings (I have not needed transcoding previously and am not familiar with it). This had no impact on playback.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how to get the problem videos to play properly using Serviio?

[atc98092]

MP4 is a container, and the container alone will not ensure it will play on a Roku. The major issue with Roku is the limited number of video and audio codecs that it will play. In theory, am MP4 file should be using codecs that a Roku can play, but not always. The fact RMP is reporting the file as a MPEG file means that the profile is transcoding the file.

Serviio includes multiple profiles for Roku devices. I am the author of those profiles. So my first question is, what model of Roku are you using? Serviio by default selects the original file Zip included with Serviio, but it transcodes files that don't always need it. If your Roku is less then 10 years old, then you need to manually select the best profile for your Roku. The major difference between the player and TV profiles is that the TV profiles will transcode DTS audio which the TVs will not play, while the player profiles will send DTS to an outboard AVR for decoding. More than likely you should be using the "Roku 4K Media Player w/MPEG2" unless you have the 1080 only Express, in which case you should be using the "Roku 1080 Media Player (2016+)".

If changing the profile still does not play the file, provide us with the file contents. See the link in my sig to see how to pull that info.

Dan Thanks for your help on this and on past issues I have posted.

I have two Roku streaming sticks- "3830R Streaming Stick PLUS" (newer) and "3810X Streaming Stick +".
Both initially set up using the "roku media player" profile.
They both behave identically, no Audio using this profile, and identify the file format as "vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts"

I switched the the profile for both to "Roku 4K Media Player w/MPEG2"
Now the problem file will not play at all on either. File Not Playable: "the codec used to compress the audio is not supported"
They now identify the file format in Roku as "vnd.apple.mpegurl".
I have turned Transcoding on in Serviio and back off. The behavior is the same.

BTW, I have also tried the " Roku 4K Media Player (2016+)" profile, which results in the same "File Not Playable" error

I have followed your instructions and have ffmpeg.exe and mediainfo.exe output on the problem file and another which if fine. Should I provide it in this forum thread?

I did compare the output from ffmpeg.exe and mediainfo.exe for working and non-working files. The only differences I see in both outputs is the file name, duration, and bit-rates for audio and video.

[atc98092]

Yes, please post the codecs listed here. From the error message you get that points even more at an unsupported audio codec in your files. It's unusual, but it happens occasionally. When I created the Roku profiles I could only test against the files I have, and never encountered this specific error with an MP4 file.

Dan,

For the MP4 file with no Audio on Roku devices..
Here is the ffmpeg output.

  Code:

ffmpeg version 5.1.2 Copyright (c) 2000-2022 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 8.2.1 (GCC) 20180830
  configuration: --enable-static --disable-shared --disable-ffplay --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libass --enable-librtmp --enable-fontconfig --enable-libfreetype --enable-zlib --enable-libx264 --enable-libspeex --enable-libaom --disable-encoder=libaom_av1 --extra-libs='-lrtmp -lpolarssl -lws2_32 -lwinmm -lexpat -lfreetype -lfribidi -lz' --arch=x86_64 --enable-runtime-cpudetect --target-os=mingw64 --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --enable-gpl --pkg-config=pkg-config --bindir='/jenkins/workspace/FFmpeg - Win64/target'
  libavutil      57. 28.100 / 57. 28.100
  libavcodec     59. 37.100 / 59. 37.100
  libavformat    59. 27.100 / 59. 27.100
  libavdevice    59.  7.100 / 59.  7.100
  libavfilter     8. 44.100 /  8. 44.100
  libswscale      6.  7.100 /  6.  7.100
  libswresample   4.  7.100 /  4.  7.100
  libpostproc    56.  6.100 / 56.  6.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'M:\TV_Shows\Kung Fu (tt0068093)\Season_3\S03E10_Besieged_Part1.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : isom
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
    encoder         : WinXDVD-"Digiarty DVD Engine v2017"
    title           : KUNG_FU_Besieged_Part1
  Duration: 00:48:50.50, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1329 kb/s
  Stream #0:0[0x1](und): Video: h264 (Baseline) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(progressive), 636x480 [SAR 160:159 DAR 4:3], 1200 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 30k tbn (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
  Stream #0:1[0x2](und): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 122 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandler
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]

And the MediaInfo:

  Code:

General
Complete name                            : M:\TV_Shows\Kung Fu (tt0068093)\Season_3\S03E10_Besieged_Part1.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41)
File size                                : 464 MiB
Duration                                 : 48 min 50 s
Overall bit rate                         : 1 329 kb/s
Frame rate                               : 29.970 FPS
Title                                    : KUNG_FU_Besieged_Part1
Writing application                      : WinXDVD-"Digiarty DVD Engine 2017"

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : Baseline@L3
Format settings                          : 1 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : No
Format settings, Reference frames        : 1 frame
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 48 min 50 s
Bit rate                                 : 1 200 kb/s
Width                                    : 636 pixels
Height                                   : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 4:3
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.131
Stream size                              : 419 MiB (90%)
Codec configuration box                  : avcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 48 min 50 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 123 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 44.1 kHz
Frame rate                               : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 42.8 MiB (9%)
Default                                  : Yes
Alternate group                          : 1