Nick JR. De-interlacing issue

Channels DVR Server TV Everywhere
#21

Think browser playback is doing it own de-interlacing or processing. The video looks supper smooth, and locking any details most of the time.

MTV web stream, no issues at all. In Channels, it is extremally noticeable.

CC web stream, slight issue, most ghosting than interlacing issues, during program only. In Channels, very noticeable, mostly when the program is playing, only a few commercials/adds have issues.

BET, NO issues on web stream or in Channels.

Paramount, NO issues on web stream or in Channels.

TVLAND, for both, no issues during program initially, brief issues during adds, but the web looked like it was heavily over interlacing, instead of fine scan lines, was larger thick horizontal blocks. Then later, after add break, the program, Mike & Molly, now has the bad interlacing issue in Channels. Does NOT on web stream.

VH1 web stream, no issues. In Channels, extremely noticeable.

NickJR, do not know where to stream it on line, but in Channels, it always has the issue even during adds. (Paw Patrol pretty much is the only thing they air it seems, 99% of the time i look at that channel, that is what is airing, lol)

Most channels, there is rarely issues with the commercials/adds. They love to repeat the Top Gun Maverick add, that is nice and crisp HD and no issues. Other adds, are lover rez and soft. I gather they are dynamically changing video rez and/or bitrate with add breaks.

Some stations, its only the adds or certain adds that randomly have issues. Just now on TV land and Shine Alrright on Ansterdam add has the bad interlacing issues, but the next add, doe snot.

May be a issue with dynamic source content the station is using perhaps. The local player on users device can't correct and enable de-interlacing? Or the station web encoder is not adjusting and is sending the video data through progressive for interlaced source files? I have no idea how they do things. These are just my observations.

Loaded these online network streams both in Chrome and FF, with same results.

I guess the network rep you are apparently communicating with, may have tuned to station stream only for a few short moments, at a time it was not having the issue, like during certain adds. The video file I provided proves there is an issue with NickJR, however, I can not also provide web stream capture, with out the url to view in browser as i have with the other networks.

EDIT: When i play Nick JR via the Channels DVR admin Web GUI, in the smaller window player mode, the issue is barely noticeable, very hard to see it. Full screen, it extremely noticeable. Probably due to the video window size being much smaller i guess. However, maybe something in how the video is stretched when being upscaled/up-sized, whatever is done when video is full screened that could be part of the issues. The network rep may also have not viewed the web stream full screen perhaps.

#22

Of all those Paramont staions, the only one i care most about would be CC. As that is the station that airs new South Park episodes (hasn't been any in quite some time), and the occasionally comedian recorded shows, like Jeff Dunham, Gabriel Iglesias etc. Though i can find those shows online elsewhere to download or stream.

Nick JR, i tune into moslty when have kids over, relative, or neighbors etc and need something to occupy their time...or, if am just really bored and feel like some kids shows to cheer me up or something. But it is the one that seem to be 100% doing it consistanlty.

#23

Very nice analysis, thank you for sharing the details.

It will be very interesting to get to the bottom of it.

Love Fluffy! :smiley:

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#24

I know it’s not exactly what you are looking for to stream nick jr but you could test by taking the channels player out out the equation. Fire up VLC and use:

http://xxx.xxx.x.xx:8089/devices/ANY/channels/6028/stream.mpg?format=ts

#25

Though i mentioned that before, but already done that. And it does it to. Also, that is the same as watching it in channels. Need the url Channels is streaming it from.
I have .m3u exported and using it as a tuner for Emby as well. In Emby, it still shows the interlacing issues, but not as noticeable, as it seems to be also doing some client side deinterlacing as the picture is much softer, but can still see the lines.

Not sure if this has any bearing on things, but MediaInfo shows that the video stream for nickjr is Variable bit rate and also variable frame rate. VLC shows 48000 for frame rate.

media info
media info1780×1322 33.9 KB

vlc
vlc640×1308 259 KB

#26

Depends on VLC settings for handling poorly de-interlaced material.
I recorded a one hour Paw Patrol and it's really bad.
Appears their encoder settings are off (maybe set to not exceed some bitrate).
Any fast motion areas are not being deinterlaced properly, I can see it in my VideoRedo editor.

PAW Patrol S06E17 2019-11-13 Pups Save the Bears Pups Save a Farmerless Farm 2022-12-24-1600-remuxed
PAW Patrol S06E17 2019-11-13 Pups Save the Bears Pups Save a Farmerless Farm 2022-12-24-1600-remuxed1920×1080 138 KB

PAW Patrol S06E17 2019-11-13 Pups Save the Bears Pups Save a Farmerless Farm 2022-12-24-1600-remuxed (02)
PAW Patrol S06E17 2019-11-13 Pups Save the Bears Pups Save a Farmerless Farm 2022-12-24-1600-remuxed (02)1920×1080 172 KB

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Episode screenshots for interlaced content
#27

I rarely use VLC, so I am not versed in its settings. I personally hate VLC. I use MPV. And it shows the same issue.

#28

I think it's caused by the way Channels DVR is rewriting timestamps.
This will fix that issue.
ffmpeg -i "recordedfilename.mpg" -c copy "recordedfilename.ts"

#29

I tried that, but that doesn’t fix the deinterlacing issues. Even re-and coding the file with various different Deinterlacing settings in handbrake does not fix the video.

#30

Yah, the motion blur/interlaced look is due to the encoder settings they use that limits the bitrate to 3500 Kbps. And 29.97 FPS isn't the best way to display fast motion.

Strange thing with my recording is Channels DVR says 1 continuity error in the recorded stream and the tools I use say 1,615 continuity errors in the recording.

#31

Watching this thread closely, cuz NickJr didn't used to have this issue.

#32

NickJR is a prime culprit. Paw patrol is how I noticed this to begin with. No problem with Peppa Pig but problems with some ads for peppa pig including in network ads for other peppa pig episodes.

I've noticed this as well with MTV.

I sent their tech support a short segment from channels from MTV, reencoded. They said they could not duplicate this issue. I haven't had time to work on this but wonder if the problem consistently presents on the websites at full screen. The channel I have the program with the most is NickJR and as mentioned several times I can't check on their website.

#33

Yup. "Can't reproduce the issue". Typical. I don't expect it to be fixed any time soon, if ever.

#34

I have looked a bit as far as i can. And using the Inspector option in browser, also, IDM sees the video stream when u use the web GUI, that url is the same a .m3u with ip to the DVR server, which makes sense as the client player(web browser) is requesting the stream from the DVR server.

Its the Channels DVR server that is internally connecting to the TVE stream.
However, raw TVE urls are not shown in the server logs.
I can only guess that there may be multiple steps involved for authorizing, then loading TVE streams done by the server. SO maybe having that raw url may not even be usefull?
Still, would be nice if the devs had an option to have more verbose (detailed) logs enabled, that would give the full url when TVE streams are loaded.

Edit: The Paw Patrol clips NickJR has on their website play fine with no issues. That is not TVE stream, but the only other thing i can notice.

#35

I created a thread a little while ago to try and bring this issue to the developers' attention:

I just tagged them directly in that thread. If they still remain silent, there must be a reason. :thinking:

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#36

Just cause the public Live TV page is showing 404, does not mean that the backend auth system that I think Channels uses does not function still. The actual TVE stream may still be online, just not public facing on a web page. I see in that page source code thing about the auth adobe things, that i recognize from Channels logs. So, the scripts and backend things may still be functional, just no public facing live tv player page. (there for sure used to be one at that URL though)

Odd though, in the few users who posted here, who have contacted Paramont, none of you ask them how to watch NickJr online? They won't give you a URL or instructions? Maybe it mobile app only? What/how are they checking on their end and saying they don't see an issue? If it is a provider stream, like to Philo, YYTV, etc, that is not the TVE stream that Channels uses.

#37

I haven't said anything about Nick Jr in my emails because I don't want to get sidelined into a conversation about how and where I am getting the stream. Since it's a problem on their other networks too, I just focused on MTV (where there is public facing access) knowing that whatever is causing it is causing it on all of the networks.

#38

I viewed the MTV TVE stream on their site. For 20 min or so. Saw no issues.

#39

It's weird. It totally depends on program. Sometimes it's fine and sometimes it's not. Sometimes the ads are fine and sometimes not.

1 Like
#41

I had a similar problem with the Paramount network across all their Tv Everywhere apps. I submitted a ticket with them and the problem was fixed eventually. Many Viacom streams are interlaced but recognized as progressive for some reason. It would be nice if Channels would let us force these streams to be interpreted as interlaced.