M3U Channels on Shield Freeze (while live) but records fine

Hello, I am testing the direct M3U file beta with a DVR server and client on the same Nvidia Shield. This same file has worked well through Telly for months. I'm also using TVE feeds.

The behavior I am seeing is that a custom channel will start playing in the client app for a period of time and then freeze. The log shows that the channel closed. This does not happen with TVE channels.

However, if I record the same channel and then watch it, it plays fine without any freeze. Any ideas? This happens every time. This device is a Shield Pro (2017).

Thanks in advance.

Please describe your storage situation? Adopted storage? Flash drive, SSD, spinner, network storage, etc?

This sounds like your storage can't keep up with the r/w operations, I had the same issue with a flash drive as primary storage. While you are watching live, it is also recording, since you chose to, and also the timeshift, and simultaneously playing back.

Worked fine once I migrated back to a SSD.

Submit diagnostics after the freeze

Thanks for the responses. I sent in the logs via email.

I am using a flash drive on the Shield. I don't have an external ssd to test here (I'm at my second home for the holidays). However, since I can watch a TVE channel live indefinitely, I wonder if perhaps that rules out the storage as a potential cause? I'm assuming that storage access would be comparable (live M3U channel vs live TVE channel).

I do have the newer (2019) Shield Pro back at my main home so I could eventually test this up there too (to see if there is anything related to the older Shield version) . I don't intend to run the server on the Shield there normally as I have always-on machines and many TB's of network storage available. Everything works so well I don't plan any changes there except maybe eliminating Telly.

Ok. I have reread this several times, and thought of a possible test of the flash drive being too slow theory and does storage even have anything to do with it, without having to destroy your current setup, or drive to your other house, and possibly be the workaround you need to not even care anymore because it works. I'm assuming you have a router. I'm also assuming that your router has a usb port, and the router supports hooking up external storage. Connect a 2nd flash drive, or whatever to the router. In the router UI set it up as network storage, and in the Shield's settings menu, add it as network storage. Go into the dvr web ui and that storage will now show up as a drive you can use for channels.

Hopefully this will be a useable workaround without altering the setup drastically.

There must have been a weird issue with my system or the stream source. I tested it with a network storage instead of the thumb drive and everything worked. Then I went back to using the USB stick and it's working fine now.

When I'm back home, I'm going to sideload something to benchmark my Shield and stick then try the same thing with an external SSD as you suggested.

Thanks for the help.

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You got me curious so I sideloaded A1 SD Bench and got these results with a Samsung 850 EVO in a USB3 Type-A enclosure:

I expected more, but it's an $8 OG USB3 enclosure.