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+--- Thread: SOLVED: Spotty File Playback (/t-solved-spotty-file-playback)
Spotty File Playback - AshleysRose - 2025-03-28
I'm having issues playing back some files through Jellyfin. The Client doesn't seem to matter (Android, Chrome Browser, Google TV).
This is the General log:
https://hastebin.com/share/ofoyaxokez.swift
This is the Log of a failed playback video:
https://hastebin.com/share/wumutokaku.ruby
The Log of a file that worked correctly:
https://hastebin.com/share/upoteficeg.ruby
Both are containered in .MKV. IF I play them through VLC, on any Windows machine, they play without issue.
I attempted to try to use the Direct Stream and Direct Play settings, but they don't seem to be visible in my Web UI under Transcoding, as attached.
RE: Spotty File Playback - TheDreadPirate - 2025-03-30
Your videos are MPEG2 and interlaced. AFAIK, browsers don't support, at a minimum, interlaced video. And I am also pretty sure most don't support MPEG2 anymore either. That is why the one that worked transcoded.
For the one that isn't working, it seems like jellyfin either doesn't have access to the video or you have some weird setup with symlinks or hardlinks or something.
Also, what hardware are you running this on? I noticed this is an Arm64 system?
RE: Spotty File Playback - AshleysRose - 2025-03-30
(2025-03-30, 03:20 PM)TheDreadPirate Wrote: Your videos are MPEG2 and interlaced. AFAIK, browsers don't support, at a minimum, interlaced video. And I am also pretty sure most don't support MPEG2 anymore either. That is why the one that worked transcoded.
For the one that isn't working, it seems like jellyfin either doesn't have access to the video or you have some weird setup with symlinks or hardlinks or something.
Also, what hardware are you running this on? I noticed this is an Arm64 system?
Is there a recommended format/container for Jellyfin (MP$/H.264/265)? Checking the permissions on each of the root folders, all groups have full access. Drilling down into some individual files, they also have full access.
I did a bit of poking and SSHing for symlinks and hardlinks (Still not fully across it). I've attached what I believe to be a check for links in the folder, but it appears to show different information for some files? From checking, Hardlinks appear to be preferred, though I don't see a simple way to convert files to hardlinks?
The Arm64 is most likely the Asustor NAS server it's running from, which is Jelly fin in a Docker container.
RE: Spotty File Playback - TheDreadPirate - 2025-03-31
The recommendation is having the capacity to transcode when needed. But when that isn't possible, H264 8-bit, AAC stereo, and SRT subs are the recommendation.
I don't know enough about how Asustor handles permissions to provide guidance on that. But that is probably source of most, if not all, of your problems.
RE: Spotty File Playback - AshleysRose - 2025-04-02
Thanks for advising. I'd been tossing up a new setup, after things had been breaking down.
I think I'll gobble along with what I've got and get a new statem in the works
RE: Spotty File Playback - TheDreadPirate - 2025-04-02
If you need hardware selection advise feel free to post in the off-topic section of the forum. Either in the self hosting or the general discussion sub-forums.