No Audio on new recordings

[BJ_Safdie]

My channels server was in storage for nearly two years, so I feel I am starting over again, relearning how to use Channels. I have things working, mostly. However, I just discovered that new recordings do not have an audio track. All of my old recordings play with audio as expected, but since I set my server back up, new recordings are silent. If I play one of the recordings and go to playback options, nothing is under "Audio Language," whereas old recordings show an entry for "English."

I feel like a complete n00b. I do not know how to even start diagnosing what may be wrong.

I would appreciate any guidance on how to get this working.

[racameron]

@BJ_Safdie

I do not know how to even start diagnosing what may be wrong.

A first step would be to share the hardware that handles the recording: which model/processor/hardware, what is your input source, what does your network topology look like.

[BJ_Safdie]

Server
Dell XPS Desktop

• Windows 11
• Core I7
• 32 GB RAM
• 2 TB hard drive storage in the chassis, 8 TB USB WD Black drive for DVR storage
• NVidia RTX 3060 GPU
• Killer Gigabit Ethernet
• RealTek Audio
• RJ45 connection to router

Tuner
HDHomeRun Flex 4K (4 tuners) with hard-wired connections to the antenna (coax) and router (RJ54)
Antenna: RCA Yagi ANT751R

Network:
Router: NetGear Orbi RBR50
All server connections are wired.
Clients connect via WiFi

Aside from moving cross-country and upgrading the PC OS from Windows 10 to 11, the hardware and connections are the same as they were two years ago when things worked well. Oh, and I did update the Channels software when I brought the server back online.

And, it is a dedicated entertainment machine. The only other software running on it is Plex, MCEBuddy, and Docker for some M3Us and Guide data..

[tmm1]

Check for tuner firmware updates

[BJ_Safdie]

LOL, I tried to be complete and still missed something I changed.

Yes, I updated the HDHomeRun firmware immediately after I brought it back online. It is running the latest version, 20231214.

And, if I watch Live TV via Channels or an HDHomeRun app, I get audio. This only seems to affect recording.

[chDVRuser]

@BJ_Safdie

If I play one of the recordings and go to playback options, nothing is under "Audio Language," whereas old recordings show an entry for "English."

What client device are you using to playback?

Does it work playing the recording back from the Channels DVR web player or VLC?

Is it a recording from a HDHomeRun ATSC 3.0 channel, a HDHomeRun ATSC 1.0 channel, a TVE channel, a custom M3U source, etc.?

[BJ_Safdie]

I have tried the Web Player and the Channels app installed on Chromecast with Google TV.

VLC plays the file but still has no audio.

Wow. It does seem related to the ATSC version! ATSC 3,0 channels play live with no problem. Can I change a setting or option to allow Channels to record audio from ATSV 3.0 channels, or do I need to remove them from my lineup? Or is there a way to tell Channels to omit them as sources for recording?

BTW, I had excluded those ATSC 3.0 channels marked with a "DRM" tag from my lineup in Sources.

Bummer. I can only get my local PBS channel on ATSC 3.0.

[chDVRuser]

So what was the source for the recordings that don't have audio?
HDHR ATSC 1.0 channel
HDHR ATSC 3.0 channel
TVE channel
Custom M3U channel

What does MediaInfo show for the video and audio tracks on one of them?

General
ID                                       : 0 (0x0)
Complete name                            : \\DS1019PLUS\ChDVRhdhr\TV\Frontline\Frontline S42E07 Boeings Fatal Flaw 2024-03-12-2200.mpg
Format                                   : MPEG-TS
File size                                : 1.81 GiB
Duration                                 : 59 min 59 s
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 4 317 kb/s
Frame rate                               : 59.940 FPS
Movie name                               : FRON 3916
Law rating                               : TV-PG
FileExtension_Invalid                    : ts m2t m2s m4t m4s tmf ts tp trp ty

Video
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : [email protected]
Format settings                          : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames        : 4 frames
Codec ID                                 : 27
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 3 510 kb/s
Maximum bit rate                         : 3 718 kb/s
Width                                    : 1 280 pixels
Height                                   : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Active Format Description                : Full frame 16:9 image
Frame rate                               : 59.940 (60000/1001) FPS
Standard                                 : Component
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.064
Stream size                              : 1.48 GiB (82%)
Color range                              : Limited
EBP_AcquisitionTime                      : 2024-03-13 04:59:28.317993164 UTC
EBP_Distance                             : 2.000
EBP_Mode                                 : Explicit

Audio #1
ID                                       : 4195 (0x1063)
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : AC-3
Format/Info                              : Audio Coding 3
Commercial name                          : Dolby Digital
Codec ID                                 : 129
Duration                                 : 59 min 59 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 384 kb/s
Maximum bit rate                         : 411 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 6 channels
Channel layout                           : L R C LFE Ls Rs
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 31.250 FPS (1536 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Delay relative to video                  : -2 s 78 ms
Stream size                              : 165 MiB (9%)
Language                                 : English
Service kind                             : Complete Main

Audio #2
ID                                       : 4196 (0x1064)
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : AC-3
Format/Info                              : Audio Coding 3
Commercial name                          : Dolby Digital
Format settings                          : Dolby Surround
Codec ID                                 : 129
Duration                                 : 59 min 59 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 192 kb/s
Maximum bit rate                         : 214 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 31.250 FPS (1536 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Delay relative to video                  : -2 s 78 ms
Stream size                              : 82.4 MiB (4%)
Language                                 : Spanish
Service kind                             : Complete Main

Text #1
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-CC1
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-608
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Start time (commands)                    : 17 h 10 min
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)
Language                                 : English

Text #2
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-CC3
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-608
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Start time (commands)                    : 17 h 10 min
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)

Text #3
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-1
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-708
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)
Language                                 : English

Text #4
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-2
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-708
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)

Text #5
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-3
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-708
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)

Text #6
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-4
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-708
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)

Text #7
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-5
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-708
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)

Text #8
ID                                       : 4193 (0x1061)-6
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : EIA-708
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 59 min 58 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)

Menu
ID                                       : 4192 (0x1060)
Menu ID                                  : 452 (0x1C4)
Format                                   : AVC / AC-3 / AC-3
Duration                                 : 59 min 59 s
List                                     : 4193 (0x1061) (AVC) / 4195 (0x1063) (AC-3, English) / 4196 (0x1064) (AC-3, Spanish)
Title                                    : FRON 3916
Language                                 :  / English / Spanish
Law rating                               : TV-PG

Or bring up the details of the recording in the Channels DVR web UI
Options > View Details

Or open it in VLC and choose Tools > Codec Information

[speedingcheetah]

If your recordings are from ATSC 3.0 OTA stations, they most likely using AC4 audio, which, no software player supports at this time. (that i can find).

I record ATSC3.0 all the time, and for recordings i want to watch/save out side of Channels, I remux the files and convert the AC4 audio to AC3 using ffmpeg that is bundled with the Channels DVR server.

AC4 audio from recording file on PC? (ATSC 3.0) Convert to AC3

The new ATSC 3.0 standard is HEVC and AC4 audio. The .mpg that Channels outputs, I have tried on my PC, Win 11, MPV, and VLC. The video plays fine, but the AC4 audio track does not register in either player. Those of you who have had ATSC 3.0 for a while, what is you solution to playback the recordings on PC? Do i have, say use ffmpeg or whatever, to convert the AC4 to AC3, and re-mux? Edit: MKVToolnix does not even see the AC4 audio track. Nor does Handbrake. I try with ffmpeg, but get …

[Edwin_Perez]

@speedingcheetah

If your recordings are from ATSC 3.0 OTA stations, they most likely using AC4 audio, which, no software player supports at this time. (that i can find).

JUST FYI
FireTV 4K/max and FireTVCube using HDHomeRun APP fully support AC4.

If you specifically want built in AC4 support the current list is:
Roku Ultra 4800X
Roku TVs (modern)
LG TVs 2019+
Fire TV Edition TVs (modern)
Fire TV Cube (3rd gen)
Fire TV Stick 4K (new 2023 model)
Fire TV Stick 4K Max (new 2023 model)
Mecool KM2 Plus
Mi 4K stick (latest)
Many Android phones and tablets.

(also some HiSense and TCL TVs running Android have AC4 support but it is broken).

Edit - Added 2023 Fire TV products

[speedingcheetah]

Those are standalone devices, not software video player on PC/MAC/Linux....

VLC, MPV, WMP, Quicktime, do not support AC4... which is what most people try to play the recording files with outside of Channels.

And last i tried, Plex/Emby/JellyFin does not recognize or support AC4 audio, no matter what client device you use.

[Edwin_Perez]

@speedingcheetah

Those are standalone devices, not software video player on PC/MAC/Linux....

VLC, MPV, WMP, Quicktime, do not support AC4... which is what most people try to play the recording files with outside of Channels.

True that is why I would like to see Channels DVR do digital passthrough but their player does not support it.

Right now I am watching college basketball and the sound and picture is great watching ATSC 3.O with HDHR app.