Some videos won't play on Onn TV 4K Pro streaming box

Channels Android TV Troubleshooting
#1

I'm having a very strange problem with an Onn TV 4K Pro streaming box where some videos won't play in either Channels or in Plex. When I attempt to play these videos, the video goes to start but just remains at a spinning circle and never plays, both in Channels and in Plex. However, these problematic videos play fine using VLC on the same Onn TV 4K Pro streaming box. I have not run into this issue with any 4K videos or SD videos.

The videos in question are all HD and were ripped from Blu-Rays using MakeMKV with no additional reencoding. The problem is happening on two separate Onn TV 4K Pro streaming boxes. These same videos play fine in both Channels and Plex on an Nvidia Shield, Apple TV, and FireTV Cube streaming boxes. All devices are wired and on the same network. I have tested the Onn TV 4K Pro streaming boxes both wired and wireless.

I am trying to find some correlation between the videos that play vs. the ones that don't and so far, I haven't been able to find anything. As a troubleshooting step, I removed all audio tracks from one of the problematic videos using MKVToolNix and the video still wouldn't play, so I don't think its an issue with the audio. I took a look at the video information in MediaInfo for both the working and non-working videos and all seem to be AVC H.264 videos.

I realize this most likely isn't a Channels DVR issue and most likely an issue with the Onn TV 4K Pro streaming box, but I am posting here to see if others are seeing the same issue with the Onn TV 4K Pro streaming box or can give me clues as to what is going on. I did check the server side logs, and I am not really seeing anything. I am pasting below the video information from MediaInfo for both three working and three non-working videos to see if anyone can see any correlation or point me in the right direction:

Working

Working Video 1

General
Unique ID                   : <Redacted>
Complete name               : <Redacted>
Format                      : Matroska
Format version              : Version 2
File size                   : 3.51 GiB
Duration                    : 22 min 58 s
Overall bit rate mode       : Variable
Overall bit rate            : 21.9 Mb/s
Frame rate                  : 23.976 FPS
Movie name                  : <Redacted>
Encoded date                : 2024-01-03 21:53:54 UTC
Writing application         : MakeMKV v1.17.5 linux(x64-release)
Writing library             : libmakemkv v1.17.5 (1.3.10/1.5.2) x86_64-linux-gnu
Cover                       : Yes
Attachments                 : cover.jpg

Video
ID                          : 1
ID in the original source m : 4113 (0x1011)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4
Format settings             : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, Reference  : 2 frames
Format settings, Slice coun : 4 slices per frame
Codec ID                    : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                    : 22 min 57 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 17.8 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate mode             : Constant
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.358
Time code of first frame    : 00:59:58:00
Stream size                 : 2.86 GiB (81%)
Language                    : English
Default                     : No
Forced                      : No
Original source medium      : Blu-ray

Working Video 2

General
Unique ID                   : <Redacted>
Complete name               : <Redacted>
Format                      : Matroska
Format version              : Version 2
File size                   : 9.08 GiB
Duration                    : 42 min 49 s
Overall bit rate mode       : Variable
Overall bit rate            : 30.4 Mb/s
Frame rate                  : 23.976 FPS
Movie name                  : <Redacted>
Encoded date                : 2021-01-29 15:14:09 UTC
Writing application         : MakeMKV v1.15.4 win(x64-release)
Writing library             : libmakemkv v1.15.4 (1.3.10/1.5.2) win(x64-release)
Cover                       : Yes
Attachments                 : cover.jpg

Video
ID                          : 1
ID in the original source m : 4113 (0x1011)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : [email protected]
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, Reference  : 4 frames
Format settings, Slice coun : 4 slices per frame
Codec ID                    : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                    : 42 min 49 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 24.8 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate            : 38.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate mode             : Constant
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.498
Time code of first frame    : 00:01:38:00
Stream size                 : 7.41 GiB (82%)
Language                    : English
Default                     : No
Forced                      : No
Original source medium      : Blu-ray

Working Video 3

General
Unique ID                   : <Redacted>
Complete name               : <Redacted>
Format                      : Matroska
Format version              : Version 2
File size                   : 2.67 GiB
Duration                    : 25 min 11 s
Overall bit rate mode       : Variable
Overall bit rate            : 15.1 Mb/s
Frame rate                  : 23.976 FPS
Movie name                  : <Redacted>
Encoded date                : 2020-08-11 01:17:35 UTC
Writing application         : MakeMKV v1.15.2 win(x64-release)
Writing library             : libmakemkv v1.15.2 (1.3.10/1.5.2) win(x64-release)
Cover                       : Yes
Attachments                 : cover.jpg

Video
ID                          : 1
ID in the original source m : 4113 (0x1011)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4
Format settings             : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, Reference  : 2 frames
Format settings, GOP        : M=1, N=10
Format settings, Slice coun : 4 slices per frame
Codec ID                    : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                    : 25 min 10 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 14.9 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate mode             : Constant
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.299
Time code of first frame    : 00:59:58:00
Stream size                 : 2.62 GiB (98%)
Language                    : English
Default                     : No
Forced                      : No
Original source medium      : Blu-ray

Not Working

Non-Working Video 1

General
Unique ID                   : <Redacted>
Complete name               : <Redacted>
Format                      : Matroska
Format version              : Version 2
File size                   : 9.94 GiB
Duration                    : 1 h 0 min
Overall bit rate mode       : Variable
Overall bit rate            : 23.5 Mb/s
Frame rate                  : 29.970 FPS
Movie name                  : <Redacted>
Encoded date                : 2022-01-04 03:04:45 UTC
Writing application         : MakeMKV v1.16.5 win(x64-release)
Writing library             : libmakemkv v1.16.5 (1.3.10/1.5.2) win(x64-release)
Cover                       : Yes
Attachments                 : cover.jpg

Video
ID                          : 1
ID in the original source m : 4113 (0x1011)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : [email protected]
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, Reference  : 4 frames
Format settings, Slice coun : 4 slices per frame
Codec ID                    : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                    : 1 h 0 min
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 22.9 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate            : 37.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate mode             : Constant
Frame rate                  : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : MBAFF
Scan type, store method     : Interleaved fields
Scan order                  : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.368
Time code of first frame    : 01:00:00;00
Stream size                 : 9.67 GiB (97%)
Language                    : English
Default                     : No
Forced                      : No
Original source medium      : Blu-ray

Non-working video 2

General
Unique ID                   : <Redacted>
Complete name               : <Redacted>
Format                      : Matroska
Format version              : Version 2
File size                   : 757 MiB
Duration                    : 5 min 5 s
Overall bit rate mode       : Variable
Overall bit rate            : 20.8 Mb/s
Frame rate                  : 59.940 FPS
Encoded date                : 2020-01-04 21:05:09 UTC
Writing application         : MakeMKV v1.14.7 win(x64-release)
Writing library             : libmakemkv v1.14.7 (1.3.5/1.4.7) win(x64-release)

Video
ID                          : 1
ID in the original source m : 4113 (0x1011)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : [email protected]
Format settings             : CABAC / 3 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, Reference  : 3 frames
Format settings, GOP        : M=3, N=15
Format settings, Slice coun : 4 slices per frame
Codec ID                    : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                    : 5 min 5 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 19.3 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate            : 33.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate mode             : Variable
Frame rate                  : 59.940 (60000/1001) FPS
Original frame rate         : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Standard                    : NTSC
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Interlaced
Scan type, store method     : Separated fields
Scan order                  : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.155
Stream size                 : 701 MiB (93%)
Language                    : English
Default                     : No
Forced                      : No
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
Original source medium      : Blu-ray

Non-working Video 3

General
Unique ID                   : <Redacted>
Complete name               : <Redacted>
Format                      : Matroska
Format version              : Version 2
File size                   : 5.06 GiB
Duration                    : 26 min 13 s
Overall bit rate mode       : Variable
Overall bit rate            : 27.6 Mb/s
Frame rate                  : 59.940 FPS
Movie name                  : <Redacted>
Encoded date                : 2020-01-02 20:24:28 UTC
Writing application         : MakeMKV v1.14.7 win(x64-release)
Writing library             : libmakemkv v1.14.7 (1.3.5/1.4.7) win(x64-release)

Video
ID                          : 1
ID in the original source m : 4113 (0x1011)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : [email protected]
Format settings             : CABAC / 3 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, Reference  : 3 frames
Format settings, GOP        : M=3, N=15
Format settings, Slice coun : 4 slices per frame
Codec ID                    : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                    : 26 min 13 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 27.4 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate            : 35.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate mode             : Variable
Frame rate                  : 59.940 (60000/1001) FPS
Original frame rate         : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Standard                    : NTSC
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Interlaced
Scan type, store method     : Separated fields
Scan order                  : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.221
Stream size                 : 5.03 GiB (99%)
Language                    : English
Default                     : No
Forced                      : No
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
Original source medium      : Blu-ray
#2

A few things I forgot to mention:

  1. These videos also play fine from both the Plex and Channels Web player running in Edge on Windows 11, although they do show that they are being at least partially transcoded.

  2. When I attempt to play these videos on the Onn TV 4K Pro streaming box, Channels DVR does show it as playing under Settings > Status > Activity. However, when attempting to play through Plex, Plex doesn't show it playing on the server side under Dashboard > Activity.

  3. I did both Clear data and Clear cache for the Channels app on the Onn TV 4K Pro streaming box, but it didn't resolve the problem.

#3

Try creating them or transcoding them to a different format

#4

That's not really a solution for me. I always want original quality without transcoding to something else, plus that takes time and effort that honestly, I don't want to deal with. Ripping and maintaining all of this content is enough of a chore. I don't want to introduce another time-consuming step to the process. Plus this is obviously a problem with the Onn TV 4K Pro box since it works on other devices, so I'd rather get to the root of the problem and fix that than starting to transcode a lot of my library.

#5

Quick update. I forced the Channels DVR server to transcode on the Onn TV 4K Pro box by configuring the Channels app setting Playback > Streaming Quality > Home Streaming on the box to 8Mbps. After doing this, the problematic videos started to play. I confirmed in the Status page of Channels DVR that it was transcoding. I also changed a similar setting in the Plex app and it also worked around the problem and caused the problematic videos to play.

Obviously, there is something in the original video encoding that the Onn TV 4K Pro box doesn't like. Somebody in another forum pointed out that all of the "bad" videos are interlaced/telecined, while all the good videos are progressive. Maybe this encoding option is causing problems on the Onn TV 4K Pro box?

1 Like
#6

Did you try changing the deinterlacer settings in the onn app? Settings,playback,advanced,deinterlacer

#7

Sorry I'm not sure I understand. What Onn app? If you meant in the settings of the Onn device, I don't see any such setting. If you meant in the Channels app on the Onn device, I also don't see a deinterlacer setting under Settings > Playback > Advanced. I do see a deinterlacer option on the server side settings under Advanced, but wouldn't that just affect when the video is being transcoded? I already know it works when the video is transcoded, but I am trying to avoid the video being transcoded when playing on the local network. The setting is currently set to Hardware.

#8

I mean in the channels app. In Apple clients it’s under advanced in settings. It’s possible it isn’t a setting in android but I thought I’ve seen it somewhere in settings on my shield tv.

#9

I just checked my Apple TV device, and I do see the deinterlacing setting in there, but the same setting doesn't seem to exist on Android TV devices. It doesn't exist on both the Nvidia Shield or the Onn TV 4K Pro box.

#10

Under advanced settings on the server there are the following choices:
Transcoder: Hardware or Software
Deinterlacer: Blend or Linear

For my Chromecast with Google TV, I use Hardware and Blend. You might want to experiment with the various combinations.

Also go over what experimental features you have enabled and try enabling or disabling the ones that are related such as "Use HEVC for transcoding."

#11

I don't think any of that is relevant or will help because my problem is that the issue occurs when I am NOT transcoding and just directly playing the content. I have 4K content that sometimes goes over 120Mbps when not transcoding, and it plays fine. Once I start to transcode the bad video files, then it works. So it's not a matter of the transcoder settings, but the way the video is encoded (probably interlaced) that the Onn TV 4K pro box doesn't like. Once I transcode, it changes the format and it plays fine.

#12

I have run into a new problem though with my workaround of using the transcoder. Once I enable the transcoder, streaming channels from sources like Pluto stop working. I get a Connection Lost: The connection to Channels DVR Server had a problem. Press play to try again. (Transcode). So using the transcoder isn't turning out to be the best workaround...

#13

The setting is just where I said. This is the shield app. I guess it doesn’t mention interlacer though. Try changing this setting. Try again without transcoding.

IMG_2663
IMG_26631920×2560 284 KB

1 Like
#14

Yeah, I have that setting too on my Nvidia Shield, but that is not the deinterlacer setting that you mentioned (which the Apple TV does have).

#15

That setting did give me an idea though. I turned off transcoding then switched that setting to Software. The bad videos now play, but it's very choppy (expected since it's using the Software decoder). In fact, all content is now playing chopping, and 4K content is unwatchable because it is so choppy, again expected because its using the Software decoder.

When I switch to the Hybrid decoder, there's a new twist - the bad videos "play", but the video is all garbage but mostly green in color. The audio though is good. "Good" videos play without this issue, although they are still choppy.

Since the problem only manifests when the Hardware decoder is enabled, it really makes me believe that my theory that there is something wrong with the Hardware decoder on the Onn TV 4K box is correct.

Edit: Just saw you suggested doing the same test.

#16

I do have an interesting update. I also had an older Onn TV 4K (non-Pro) device laying around. I assumed it would have the same issue, but I decided to test anyways. To my surprise, the non-Pro version worked with the "bad" videos and didn't have the issue, either in Plex or Channels! I checked versions between the two, and the Android TV OS version, the Android TV OS security patch level, Kernel version, and Android TV OS build are all the same. App versions were also the same between the two devices. In my case, this really seems to be pointing to something wrong with the hardware decoder on the Pro model. Next, I am going to compare hardware components between the two devices to see what's different.

#17

Onn 4K:
CPU: Quad-core Cortex-A35 (Amlogic S905Y4)
GPU: Mali-G31 MP2
RAM: 2GB

Onn 4K Pro:
CPU: Quad-core Cortex-A55 (Amlogic S905X4)
GPU: Mali-G31 MP2
RAM: 3GB

Different CPUs, but same GPU. I was almost expecting different GPUs with the hardware decoding issues I am seeing. Pro version also has more RAM which usually means LESS issues, not more issues.

The mystery deepens...

#18

Are there not any client-side logs that might help reveal what is going on?

#19

Pretty sure this is the same issue, even though yours are 1080p versus 4K:

Obviously channels should time out with some sort of error that tells you what's going on but it doesn't.

As you said all of these play fine in VLC.

FYI I did get one of the videos to play by running fix video timestamps on it.