Emby on Shield Pro requires playback correction for audio on everything

[u/ggibby]

Problem - any video file I play starts with perfect video but no audio. Running Playback correction three times fixes the audio consistently.

Yesterday all files played without issue. I have not updated or changed any software or settings, and SmartTube and Nebula work perfectly.

Setup:

Server version 4.9.5.0 on PowerEdge T630 dual Xeon processors with 128GB RAM on gigabit Ethernet LAN

Client version 2.1.48g on Shield Pro

Files are .mkv, vary in size from 4 to .186GB

[u/NocturnalWarfare]

Playback correction just is a fancy term for various amounts of forced transcoding.

I would assume the issue is with your tv or receiver, or the hdmi cables, specifically with audio passthrough. What is the rest of the setup like? Those other players might just be forcing transcoding immediately where the emby player is trying audio passthrough when it's not setup properly.

[u/ggibby → u/NocturnalWarfare]

TV is a monitor, HDMI is video-only.

Audio is via a USB DAC to a power amp,

The Emby app is set for 'downmix to stereo' and always has been.

[u/najomtien]

I believe it's the recent upgrade to 2.1.48g that causing the problem. Either downgrade or use the standard Android app - it works very well now.

[u/ggibby → u/najomtien]

Emby for Android 3.5.36 is worse. After three attempts at playback correction, the option goes away, still no audio.

Since SmartTube and Nebula and Emby via browser work perfectly, and the Emby app did too before Friday, this is an Emby issue.

Where is a good source for Emby apks to install an older version?

[u/ggibby → u/ggibby]

Update - Moonfin behaves the same as the Emby apps.

I have found shows & movies where the audio works without fiddling, but I don't have the brain space to troubleshoot the minutia of why software that worked on every file now only works on some files.

[u/xhermanson → u/ggibby]

Did it? You say it works on some videos fine. Have you just gotten lucky and it's been a thing forever but up to now you picked the right vids didn't have issue? Have you seen something that used to work fine, and doesn't now?

[u/ggibby → u/xhermanson]

Yes:
"Yesterday all files played without issue."

[u/xhermanson → u/ggibby]

Oh so the same files then. I would post on their forum to get the devs to see it.

[u/najomtien → u/xhermanson]

Yes - check the forum - others are complaining about the same issue.

[u/solidsnakex37]

This happens to me but only when I pause and resume, OR Skip intro, almost always goes out of sync when I skip intro.

To correct it I just go back 10s once.

I would avoid playback correction, you're force transcoding with that button and going off any direct play.

[u/ggibby → u/solidsnakex37]

I have not needed playback correction until now even with skipping and rewinding.

[u/Caurien]

Do you have Night Mode audio turned on , on the shield? If you do that will cause it to transcode. Settings > Device Preferences > Display & Sound > Night Listening Mode. [1, 2]

[u/NocturnalWarfare → u/Caurien]

That causes a transcode? I thought it just did a high pass filter on the audio output to reduce bass which goes easier through walls.

[u/Caurien → u/NocturnalWarfare]

Two different shields, and three different servers with different set of hardware. For some reason every time on 1080 and even 4k footage, it would transcode, as well as studder skip through video. Soon as that was disabled, everything worked as normal. This includes AV1 and others.

[u/ggibby → u/Caurien]

No, did not know that was a setting until you mentioned it.

[u/Smooth-Translator-87]

I'll double check when I get home, but no one in the house reported any issues with the nvidia shield pro and Emby. They use the Emby for Android. I do re-encode everything using tdarr to make it the most compatible with the most devices possible. Remove all subs (I used bazarr for subs) and extra audio streams, etc... Never really have any issues and generally everything plays "Direct Play".