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

Channels Android TV Troubleshooting
#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?

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#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.

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#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.

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#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.

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#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...

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#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.

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#20

Any updates on this issue?
I had a Onn 4K Pro but returned it because of this problem where it would not play HD streams from my provider with Hardware (Spinning circle) but would play with Software BUT choppy with many dropped frames.
The only real difference is my old On 4k is Android 12 and the Pro and a newer Onn 4k is Google TV Android 12
Thanks for any updates.
.
UPDATE:
Hmmm, I just tried my newer Onn 4K Google TV Android 12 WITH Hardware and it is playing, some dropped frames but not bad and not like when I last tried it about 2 or 3 days ago.
I wonder if there has been some kind of update / fix??
When viewing "Stats" it says it's using "Video Driver: Software/Hybrid", but I have Hardware selected
and there is no such thing as Software/Hybrid in the Channels settings

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#21

Onn 4K Pro just pushed out a 1GB update. Probably unrelated...

#22

Good, where did you see this??
They usually don't give many details, if any, on what has been changed / fixed.
But I'd like to read about it.
Thanks

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#23

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/1l22j5c/onn_4k_pro_update/

#24

See my new post

Onn 4K Pro Google TV, new Android 14, Hardware now works