New Issue with PlayOn TV recordings

Channels DVR Server Troubleshooting
#1

Occasionally, when using PlayOn, I select to record in 1080p rather than the normal 720p. I am now finding that the 1080p videos download fine and show up in Channels, but they have no Video (Audio Only). The same Shows (Videos), when set to record in 720p work fine. The logs only show:

“Generating video index for file-3825 failed: No Keyframes were found in the stream“

But this error shows for both 1080p and 720p so I don’t think it is the issue.

This has happened using several different PlayOn Streaming Sources.

I am on Version 2023.11.09.2207.

To add additional info: I was able to play the downloaded 1080p PlayOn Video with VLC, but with Windows Media Player - I get Audio only.

PlayOn Desktop version and Channels DVR
#2

I have not experienced this yet PlayOn recordings are much less reliable than they used to be. Complain to there rather responsive support.

#3

Actually, when I downloaded from the PlayOn app directly to my Ipad, it played with no issues. So, it must be something happening when it is transferred to the Channels server.

#4

Interesting, If you still have the recording, submit diagnostics and email channels support.

#5

The PlayOn 1080p recordings use variable frame rate HEVC for video.

Because WMP didn't decode the VFR HEVC and VLC did.

Use MediaInfo on one of the recordings that won't play back in Channels and post the text output

#6

A post was split to a new topic: PlayOn Desktop version and Channels DVR

#7

OK. Here is the Output.

General
Complete name                            : C:\Users\cbosc\Desktop\Bosch Legacy - S2E10 - A Step Ahead.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom (isom/iso2/mp41)
File size                                : 1.00 GiB
Duration                                 : 53 min 21 s
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 2 690 kb/s
Frame rate                               : 23.940 FPS
Collection                               : Bosch: Legacy
Season                                   : 2
Part                                     : 10
Track name                               : s02e10 - A Step Ahead
Performer                                : Bosch: Legacy
Performer/Sorted by                      : Bosch: Legacy
ContentType                              : TV Show
Writing application                      : Lavf58.33.100
Cover                                    : Yes
Comment                                  : Bosch ensures the Lexi Parks case reaches its just conclusion. Chandler considers a big career change with the help of an old acquaintance. Maddie wrestles with the fallout of her first officer-involved shooting. Mo faces a serious ultimatum with the FBI.
AdDuration                               : 80200
AirDate                                  : 2023-11-10T16:00:00
Browsepath                               : Amazon Prime Video | Watchlist | TV Shows | Bosch: Legacy - S2
Date                                     : 2023-11-10T16:00:00
HasChapters                              : 1
MaxAudioJump                             : 0.00
MaxSourceFps                             : 23.96
MaxVideoJump                             : 0.00
MinSourceFps                             : 23.30
PLVF                                     : 1
Path                                     : https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CHPMK3RM/ref=atv_dp_pb_core?autoplay=1&t=0
Properties                               : 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
ProviderName                             : Amazon Prime Video
RecordingTimestamp                       : 2023-11-10T01:00:01
SourceFps                                : 23.96
Sourceid                                 : https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CHPMK3RM/ref=atv_dp_pb_core?autoplay=1&t=0
SubsLanguages                            : eng,spa
SubsTrack_eng                            : (Binary)
SubsTrack_spa                            : (Binary)
Thumbnailurl                             : https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/fceb0b6c8e942d997994b5a21dde6c455436a6e916b4024e159e18b954aa36d2._UY500_UX667_RI_TTW_.jpg
TotalAudioJumps                          : 0
TotalVideoJumps                          : 0
Title/Sort                               : s02e10 - A Step Ahead

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : HEVC
Format/Info                              : High Efficiency Video Coding
Format profile                           : [email protected]@Main
Codec ID                                 : hvc1
Codec ID/Info                            : High Efficiency Video Coding
Duration                                 : 53 min 20 s
Bit rate                                 : 2 492 kb/s
Width                                    : 1 920 pixels
Height                                   : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 23.940 FPS
Minimum frame rate                       : 0.551 FPS
Maximum frame rate                       : 111.111 FPS
Original frame rate                      : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.050
Stream size                              : 951 MiB (93%)
Color range                              : Limited
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709
Menus                                    : 5
Codec configuration box                  : hvcC

Audio
ID                                       : 4
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 53 min 21 s
Duration_LastFrame                       : -4 ms
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 192 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                              : 72.5 MiB (7%)
Default                                  : Yes
Alternate group                          : 1
Menus                                    : 5

Text #1
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : Timed Text
Muxing mode                              : sbtl
Codec ID                                 : tx3g
Duration                                 : 51 min 36 s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 72 b/s
Frame rate                               : 0.541 FPS
Stream size                              : 27.3 KiB (0%)
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No
Alternate group                          : 3
Count of events                          : 842
Menus                                    : 5

Text #2
ID                                       : 3
Format                                   : Timed Text
Muxing mode                              : sbtl
Codec ID                                 : tx3g
Duration                                 : 52 min 59 s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 63 b/s
Frame rate                               : 0.380 FPS
Stream size                              : 24.3 KiB (0%)
Language                                 : Spanish
Default                                  : No
Forced                                   : No
Alternate group                          : 3
Count of events                          : 609
Menus                                    : 5

Menu #1
ID                                       : 5
Format                                   : Timed Text
Codec ID                                 : text
Duration                                 : 53 min 21 s
Language                                 : English
Menu For                                 : 1,2,3,4
00:00:00.000                             : Video
00:14:43.953                             : Advertisement
00:15:16.111                             : Video
00:25:24.523                             : Advertisement
00:25:56.369                             : Video
00:37:27.120                             : Advertisement
00:37:43.316                             : Video

Menu #2
00:00:00.000                             : Video
00:14:43.953                             : Advertisement
00:15:16.111                             : Video
00:25:24.523                             : Advertisement
00:25:56.369                             : Video
00:37:27.120                             : Advertisement
00:37:43.316                             : Video
#8

That's VFR (variable frame rate) HEVC video. It should play in Channels.
What happens when you try to play it in the Channels web UI player.
It will transcode from the server, but should play.

#9

I tried it the web UI and it starts transcoding, but will not play. The logs show:

Error while decoding stream #0:0: Invalid data found when processing input.

More log data:


hevc @ 0x97c9c80] PPS id out of range: 0
2023/11/11 16:11:29.987430 [HLS] ffmpeg: file3824-ip192.168.5.90:  [hevc @ 0x97c9c80] Error parsing NAL unit #1.
2023/11/11 16:11:29.987485 [HLS] ffmpeg: file3824-ip192.168.5.90:  [hevc @ 0x90e77c0] PPS id out of range: 0
2023/11/11 16:11:29.987496 [HLS] ffmpeg: file3824-ip192.168.5.90:  [hevc @ 0x90e77c0] Error parsing NAL unit #1.
2023/11/11 16:11:29.987530 [HLS] ffmpeg: file3824-ip192.168.5.90:  Error while decoding stream #0:0: Invalid data found when processing input
2023/11/11 16:11:29.987621 [HLS] ffmpeg: file3824-ip192.168.5.90:  [hevc @ 0x97b87c0] PPS id out of range: 0
#10

Looks like you need to wait on the developers.
What does Options > View Details look like on that one in Channels?

#11

Yes. It has worked fine in the past, but I have not used 1080p downloads lately. Here is the options output.
Thanks for checking it out.


PlayOn/TV/Bosch Legacy/Bosch Legacy - S2E10 - A Step Ahead.mp4
×Close
Duration
54 min

Bit Rate
2,690,441 bits/sec

File Size
1,076,717,998 bytes

File ID
3822

Streaming Index
Out of date

Track #0: H.265 / HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)
1920x1080   16:9   yuv420p     23.94fps

Track #1: MOV text
eng  

Track #2: MOV text
spa  

Track #3: AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
stereo   und   189.974kbps  

Track #4: binary data
eng  

Track #5: PNG (Portable Network Graphics) image
0x0         unknown fps
#12

Yes, I did let Support know about the issue. Eric is looking into it.

#13

I experienced the same fate today with a 1080 HD PlayOn recording. It plays in VLC. Editing in Avidemux failed.

On Sunday, Nov. 5, our local PBS had problems with closed captions (missing in CDVR recordings). I used PlayOn to record HD the episodes that were missing CC. They worked fine and still do.

I run the Stable version of CDVR. With yesterday’s release, CDVR updated overnight. My older PlayOn recording still work. Only today’s HD recording failed. So back to 720.

#14

We still don't know why this is happening, but it does appear this fixes it:

ffmpeg -i 'recording.mp4' -c copy -strict -2 -bsf:v hevc_mp4toannexb 'recording-fixed.mp4'

and then replacing the original with the fixed version.

#15

Yes. I guess I will stick to 720p, as well. PlayOn will checkup a little short, since the 1080p videos are triple the points.

#16

I have no Problem playing in other DVR Web servers. Must be something with your FFMPEG.

#17

I am going to give it a try on Plex, when I get back to my server.

#18

Yes, Something must have changed with the FFMEG. As @Blue indicated, it worked fine at the beginning of November. I hope they find a solution. For me not having the 1080p option, deprecates the value of PlayOn.

#19

I tested the PlayOn 1080p in Plex (IOS and Web browser) and it played with no issues.

#20

Is there a fix for this as yet, or can someone better explain the "fix". I had 38 PlayOn videos download before I realized the problem, but I cannot view any of them.