This has been happening for quite a while. After tuning to a channel, often times after playing for 10-15 seconds the channel will stutter and the time bar will pop up for a second and then the channel will resume. Sometimes this happens after a longer period of time, i.e. a minute to several minutes. This happens a lot, but I've gotten accustomed to it but it's annoying.
This happens on my HD Prime cable sources as well as my HD Duo antenna source.
Which playback device?
Nvidia Shield 2017
Does it only happen with live content, and not with recorded stuff?
I always figured this is usually since you are tuning into live content, there is no way to build a big 'buffer' because the content is coming in from the HDHR in realtime. You only ever have a second or two ahead in the video, and after conversion of framerates / deinterlacing / whatever else is happening to play the content on your TV, that buffer will run out. You can see in the playback stats how far ahead of a buffer you have, and I would guess that when you see this occur it is dropping from 1-2 seconds down closer to 0.
This is different from when you watch recordings (or any files like with Plex or some other media server), your client might download a 30 sec ahead buffer at 50 or 100 Mbps for a 10 Mbps bitrate file.
With realtime broadcast content, the same isn't possible without time travelling into the future 30 seconds.
My workaround is that after I tune to a channel, I hit back on the remote after a couple of seconds. That rewind gives me a couple seconds of buffer. My wife no longer gets mad at me for doing it, so it isn't too disruptive.
I've asked in the past about a configurable buffer time when tuning to a channel - so we could choose between the fast tuning of channels we currently get, with potential buffer issues, versus delaying playing the content for a time we can set as a buffer builds up.
You can see this with things like Hulu Live TV and even some cable providers, when you tune to a channel it takes a couple of seconds to start playing.
Yes Nate, I think you're exactly right. This describes what is happening. I've also done the pause to build buffer and that resolves it.
As you suggest, a configurable buffer would really be useful.
I have this same issue on a Hisense TV with Google/Android TV built in but it doesn't occur on my Apple TV. The same solution mentioned by @NateTheBrewer also resolves my issue.
As far as this, since this problem doesn't occur with the HD Homerun software it should be solvable one way or another.
I can only guess that since the developers focus much more on the Apple TV side rather than the Android side that this hasn't been noticed/resolved.
Barring one client waiting longer before playing back streamed content versus another, my guess would be different platforms have different native format support for playing back certain video and audio codecs. So on one client, a transcode or media conversion has to happen either server or client side, and in others it doesn’t? Kind of like a stacking tolerance situation for buffering the real-time stream?
I dunno I have never used the HDHomerun apps because my server is remote.
I will say that I've been using Channels long enough to remember when this didn't happen much if at all. Now it happens almost constantly when tuning to a channel, in the Android client anyhow.
Diagnostics after it happens
Just did at 5:04pm... WPXI 11.1
Submitted video and other.
Is there any difference with Settings > Playback > Advanced > Surround Sound: Off
No, still did it with surround sound turned off.
Okay new beta apk going out with a possible fix.
Will run with it for a day or two before reporting back.
Okay, this seems to have almost completely resolved the problem. I'm no longer seeing the pause/stutter right after tuning into a channel which is a huge improvement. Terrific.
I have, however, seen it happen occasionally while watching the football games today.
It just happened a few mins ago around 8 38pm while watching the AFC Championship game. Generated video and other diagnostics.
Funny I had the same Glitch when watching in ATSC 3.0 around the same time the screen went Blank using HDHomeRun APP. I think it was a broadcast glitch.
It's happened more than just then. I'd say I'm seeing it at least once every 45-60 minutes tonight.
Mine does this on Apple TV as well. After it’s done it the stats say buffer pause 1,2,3 etc
Also same as the others skipping back once when you start watching solves the issue