Latest beta v2019.03.24.2249 no {{{hw transcoding}}}

Channels DVR Server Troubleshooting
#1

ffmpeg -init_hw_device vaapi=intel:{{{/dev/dri/renderD128}}}

2019/03/25 00:27:19 [TNR] Opened connection to 1323AADB for ch706
2019/03/25 00:27:19 [HLS] Starting transcoder for channel 706 from 192.168.1.2 (encoder=h264_vaapi, resolution=1080, deinterlacer=hardware, bitrate=10000)
[AVHWDeviceContext @ 0x3311080] No VA display found for device: {{{/dev/dri/renderD128}}}.
Device creation failed: -22.
Failed to set value 'vaapi=intel:{{{/dev/dri/renderD128}}}' for option 'init_hw_device': Invalid argument
Error parsing global options: Invalid argument
2019/03/25 00:27:32 [WRN] Buffer for 1323AADB ch706 is more than 50% full (clients=1, len=16777684)
2019/03/25 00:27:39 [WRN] Buffer for 1323AADB ch706 is more than 75% full (clients=1, len=25165868)
2019/03/25 00:27:44 [WRN] Buffer for 1323AADB ch706 is more than 95% full (clients=1, len=31877468)
2019/03/25 00:27:45 [WRN] Buffer for 1323AADB ch706 is more than 99% full (clients=1, len=33219788)
2019/03/25 00:30:13 [HLS] Stopping transcoder session ch706-dANY-ip192.168.1.2 @ 0s
2019/03/25 00:30:13 [TNR] Closed connection to 1323AADB for ch706

I changed the latest symlink to point to the previos version 2019.03.23.0112 and got it working again.

#2

Fix uploading now, ready in ~10min

#3

Not sure if it's related, but I can't get remote streaming (Safari - web) to work with Hardware transcoding enabled running the 3/26 beta. It just starts spinning (loading) and says transcoder running, but video doesn't ever begin. Switching over to Software transcoding works. (Mac Mini running DVR).

#4

SAME HERE, It just starts spinning no video, it looks like tis trying to load but just spins.

#5

@timeport are you also running the DVR on a Mac? Does software mode work?

#6

I did a test with 2019.03.26.0218 here and it's working from my Mac mini in hardware mode, so I need more details.

Are you watching live or recoding? Via the app or web browser? Does it say Transcoder Running under the web player? Are there errors on the Log tab?

#7

Channels DVR Beta v2019.03.26.0218
Just wanted to say it (both Live TV and Recordings) works streaming locally to my IpadPro Safari brower using hardware transcoding on my Synology NAS. Don't know why remote streaming wouldn't work but I'm not setup to test remotely yet.

#8

I've had instances where streaming to the web browser it looks like it should be playing (because the play/pause icon is a pause) and if I tap into the timeline a couple seconds or wait until it buffers enough and skip forward it will start playing.

#9

Just did some more testing, streaming live via web browser (Safari). Selected an OTA channel, and after ~5-6 seconds it started playing (this is at home on same network). I stopped that playback and tried another OTA channel, waited around 45 seconds and it never started playing, although it said Transcoder running (image attached). I went back to the first channel and it did the same thing, hung at transcoder running. I next tried a cable channel (AVC / MP4) and it played right way (I think this just remuxed, not transcoded).

There isn't anything in the logs about the transcoding,... but I'm seeing some permissions errors on the hard drive I"m using which I didn't notice before (recently moved this external hard drive to a new Mac mini). I need to figure that part out, but would that explain the transcoding error?

13%20PM

#10

I sometimes see this. When you get this, try clicking a few seconds in on the progress bar and see if it starts playing. Or if you wait until over thirty seconds have transcoded you can also skip ahead and it should start playing.

Looks like this, notice pause bars makes it look like it is already playing, but current playback position is still at 0:00 and transcoder output is at 3:47
Clipboard01

#11 
Environment Details
Channels DVR Version: 2019.03.26.0218
Hardware Details:
OS Apple iMac14,2
Darwin *10.14.3 (kernel: 18.2.0)*
CPU 4 cores / Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4670 CPU @ 3.40GHz
RAM 8.00 GB

Remove Live TV is transcoding but not playing through the Web Player Safari or Chrome via hardware transcoding. top -o cpu does report ffmpeg is running and transcoding is running. Just no live video.

Live TV with Hardware Transcoding does not work for the iOS app either.

Live TV with Software Transcoding works for the iOS app either.

Software encoding work just fine for live tv.

Previously recorded shows works fine for both software and hardware transcoding.

I did notice a significant jump in CPU resources with a recoded show vs a live show, so I don't know if hardware transcoding is working for previously recored shows. I was under the assumption that Hardware Transcoding takes less CPU resources.

Live TV with hardware typically runs about 15-30% cpu load and about 60-80% on software.

With prerecorded shows I am seeing CPU loads over 100% with hardware transcoding selected. And over 200% with software transcoding enabled.

#12

Thanks, fix for Mac live hardware encoding is coming in a few hours

#13

New build is ready.

#14

FWIW, I have a 2018 Mac Mini as my server. Last night I tried to watch an episode of Big Bang Theory from my hotel room and it was unwatchable even at 480p / 1mbp. Today I upgraded to the latest build and was able to watch from the same hotel at 720p / 4mbp and it was flawless the whole time.

I haven't tried anything higher settings yet, but there is clear improvement in today's build.

#15

I can confirm hardware transcoding is working in the new build.

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