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+--- Thread: Transcode issues with Intel N150 (/t-transcode-issues-with-intel-n150)
Transcode issues with Intel N150 - CauliflowerBrain - 2026-02-11
Hey all,
I've been hosting a jellyfin server via docker on a GMTEK mini-pc which runs an Intel N150® CPU with onboard iGPU. Looking for some help/advice from more experienced people.
Recently I've had a few more people using the server and requesting more media via jellyseerr which requires transcoding so I've enabled hardware acceleration and currently it seems to be working with QSV for normal streams (with the CPU usage sitting at a couple %). I've verified the hw acceleration is working via jellyfin logs and also using intel_gpu_top on the mini-pc which shows gpu usage (attached). Logs below:
My issue is that when I run even just a single transcoded file (even on the same network), CPU usage skyrockets to using the max amount of available CPU threads (4 available) and then even one additional stream basically forces the mini-pc to crash/become unconnectable for a while.
Everything I've read about an N100/N150 with hw acceleration is that it should be able to support multiple transcodes and the overall cpu usage should be drastically layer over software transcoding. This just doesn't seem the case and I'm not sure why. I've attached my decode settings and can share whatever else would be useful.
Any help you can provide would be amazing
{"Protocol":0,"Id":"54b68646c65d76ac4abd78f698f4b4f1","Path":"/data/media/tv/Pantheon (2022)/Pantheon.S02E01.The.Gods.Have.Not.Died.in.Vain.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb.mkv","EncoderPath":null,"EncoderProtocol":null,"Type":0,"Container":"mkv","Size":3272748608,"Name":"Pantheon.S02E01.The.Gods.Have.Not.Died.in.Vain.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb","IsRemote":false,"ETag":"811251ce48ca6809c3796d2760ab6e31","RunTimeTicks":25222500000,"ReadAtNativeFramerate":false,"IgnoreDts":false,"IgnoreIndex":false,"GenPtsInput":false,"SupportsTranscoding":true,"SupportsDirectStream":true,"SupportsDirectPlay":true,"IsInfiniteStream":false,"UseMostCompatibleTranscodingProfile":false,"RequiresOpening":false,"OpenToken":null,"RequiresClosing":false,"LiveStreamId":null,"BufferMs":null,"RequiresLooping":false,"SupportsProbing":true,"VideoType":0,"IsoType":null,"Video3DFormat":null,"MediaStreams":[{"Codec":"h264","CodecTag":null,"Language":null,"ColorRange":null,"ColorSpace":"bt709","ColorTransfer":"bt709","ColorPrimaries":"bt709","DvVersionMajor":null,"DvVersionMinor":null,"DvProfile":null,"DvLevel":null,"RpuPresentFlag":null,"ElPresentFlag":null,"BlPresentFlag":null,"DvBlSignalCompatibilityId":null,"Rotation":null,"Comment":null,"TimeBase":"1/1000","CodecTimeBase":null,"Title":null,"Hdr10PlusPresentFlag":null,"VideoRange":1,"VideoRangeType":1,"VideoDoViTitle":null,"AudioSpatialFormat":0,"LocalizedUndefined":null,"LocalizedDefault":null,"LocalizedForced":null,"LocalizedExternal":null,"LocalizedHearingImpaired":null,"DisplayTitle":"1080p H264 SDR","NalLengthSize":"4","IsInterlaced":false,"IsAVC":true,"ChannelLayout":null,"BitRate":10380409,"BitDepth":8,"RefFrames":1,"PacketLength":null,"Channels":null,"SampleRate":null,"IsDefault":true,"IsForced":false,"IsHearingImpaired":false,"Height":1080,"Width":1920,"AverageFrameRate":24,"RealFrameRate":24,"ReferenceFrameRate":24,"Profile":"High","Type":1,"AspectRatio":"16:9","Index":0,"Score":null,"IsExternal":false,"DeliveryMethod":null,"DeliveryUrl":null,"IsExternalUrl":null,"IsTextSubtitleStream":false,"SupportsExternalStream":false,"Path":null,"PixelFormat":"yuv420p","Level":40,"IsAnamorphic":false},{"Codec":"eac3","CodecTag":null,"Language":"eng","ColorRange":null,"ColorSpace":null,"ColorTransfer":null,"ColorPrimaries":null,"DvVersionMajor":null,"DvVersionMinor":null,"DvProfile":null,"DvLevel":null,"RpuPresentFlag":null,"ElPresentFlag":null,"BlPresentFlag":null,"DvBlSignalCompatibilityId":null,"Rotation":null,"Comment":null,"TimeBase":"1/1000","CodecTimeBase":null,"Title":null,"Hdr10PlusPresentFlag":null,"VideoRange":0,"VideoRangeType":0,"VideoDoViTitle":null,"AudioSpatialFormat":0,"LocalizedUndefined":null,"LocalizedDefault":"Default","LocalizedForced":null,"LocalizedExternal":"External","LocalizedHearingImpaired":null,"DisplayTitle":"English - Dolby Digital\u002B - 5.1 - Default","NalLengthSize":null,"IsInterlaced":false,"IsAVC":false,"ChannelLayout":"5.1","BitRate":640000,"BitDepth":null,"RefFrames":null,"PacketLength":null,"Channels":6,"SampleRate":48000,"IsDefault":true,"IsForced":false,"IsHearingImpaired":false,"Height":null,"Width":null,"AverageFrameRate":null,"RealFrameRate":null,"ReferenceFrameRate":null,"Profile":null,"Type":0,"AspectRatio":null,"Index":1,"Score":null,"IsExternal":false,"DeliveryMethod":null,"DeliveryUrl":null,"IsExternalUrl":null,"IsTextSubtitleStream":false,"SupportsExternalStream":false,"Path":null,"PixelFormat":null,"Level":0,"IsAnamorphic":null},{"Codec":"subrip","CodecTag":null,"Language":"eng","ColorRange":null,"ColorSpace":null,"ColorTransfer":null,"ColorPrimaries":null,"DvVersionMajor":null,"DvVersionMinor":null,"DvProfile":null,"DvLevel":null,"RpuPresentFlag":null,"ElPresentFlag":null,"BlPresentFlag":null,"DvBlSignalCompatibilityId":null,"Rotation":null,"Comment":null,"TimeBase":"1/1000","CodecTimeBase":null,"Title":"Forced","Hdr10PlusPresentFlag":null,"VideoRange":0,"VideoRangeType":0,"VideoDoViTitle":null,"AudioSpatialFormat":0,"LocalizedUndefined":"Undefined","LocalizedDefault":"Default","LocalizedForced":"Forced","LocalizedExternal":"External","LocalizedHearingImpaired":"Hearing Impaired","DisplayTitle":"Forced - English - Default - SUBRIP","NalLengthSize":null,"IsInterlaced":false,"IsAVC":false,"ChannelLayout":null,"BitRate":null,"BitDepth":null,"RefFrames":null,"PacketLength":null,"Channels":null,"SampleRate":null,"IsDefault":true,"IsForced":true,"IsHearingImpaired":false,"Height":0,"Width":0,"AverageFrameRate":null,"RealFrameRate":null,"ReferenceFrameRate":null,"Profile":null,"Type":2,"AspectRatio":null,"Index":2,"Score":null,"IsExternal":false,"DeliveryMethod":null,"DeliveryUrl":null,"IsExternalUrl":null,"IsTextSubtitleStream":true,"SupportsExternalStream":true,"Path":null,"PixelFormat":null,"Level":0,"IsAnamorphic":null},{"Codec":"subrip","CodecTag":null,"Language":"eng","ColorRange":null,"ColorSpace":null,"ColorTransfer":null,"ColorPrimaries":null,"DvVersionMajor":null,"DvVersionMinor":null,"DvProfile":null,"DvLevel":null,"RpuPresentFlag":null,"ElPresentFlag":null,"BlPresentFlag":null,"DvBlSignalCompatibilityId":null,"Rotation":null,"Comment":null,"TimeBase":"1/1000","CodecTimeBase":null,"Title":null,"Hdr10PlusPresentFlag":null,"VideoRange":0,"VideoRangeType":0,"VideoDoViTitle":null,"AudioSpatialFormat":0,"LocalizedUndefined":"Undefined","LocalizedDefault":"Default","LocalizedForced":"Forced","LocalizedExternal":"External","LocalizedHearingImpaired":"Hearing Impaired","DisplayTitle":"English - SUBRIP","NalLengthSize":null,"IsInterlaced":false,"IsAVC":false,"ChannelLayout":null,"BitRate":null,"BitDepth":null,"RefFrames":null,"PacketLength":null,"Channels":null,"SampleRate":null,"IsDefault":false,"IsForced":false,"IsHearingImpaired":false,"Height":0,"Width":0,"AverageFrameRate":null,"RealFrameRate":null,"ReferenceFrameRate":null,"Profile":null,"Type":2,"AspectRatio":null,"Index":3,"Score":null,"IsExternal":false,"DeliveryMethod":null,"DeliveryUrl":null,"IsExternalUrl":null,"IsTextSubtitleStream":true,"SupportsExternalStream":true,"Path":null,"PixelFormat":null,"Level":0,"IsAnamorphic":null}],"MediaAttachments":[],"Formats":[],"Bitrate":11020409,"FallbackMaxStreamingBitrate":null,"Timestamp":null,"RequiredHttpHeaders":{},"TranscodingUrl":null,"TranscodingSubProtocol":0,"TranscodingContainer":null,"AnalyzeDurationMs":null,"DefaultAudioStreamIndex":null,"DefaultSubtitleStreamIndex":null,"HasSegments":true}
/usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/ffmpeg -analyzeduration 200M -probesize 1G -f matroska -init_hw_device vaapi=va
dev/dri/renderD128,driver=iHD -init_hw_device qsv=qs@va -filter_hw_device qs -hwaccel qsv -hwaccel_output_format qsv -noautorotate -c:v h264_qsv -i file:"/data/media/tv/Pantheon (2022)/Pantheon.S02E01.The.Gods.Have.Not.Died.in.Vain.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb.mkv" -noautoscale -map_metadata -1 -map_chapters -1 -threads 3 -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map -0:s -codec:v:0 h264_qsv -preset fast -mbbrc 1 -b:v 292000 -maxrate 292001 -rc_init_occupancy 584000 -bufsize 1168000 -profile:v:0 high -level 40 -g:v:0 72 -keyint_min:v:0 72 -vf "setparams=color_primaries=bt709:color_trc=bt709:colorspace=bt709,vpp_qsv=w=960:h=540:format=nv12" -codec:a:0 libfdk_aac -ab 128000 -af "pan=stereo|c0=c2+0.30*c0+0.30*c4|c1=c2+0.30*c1+0.30*c5" -copyts -avoid_negative_ts disabled -max_muxing_queue_size 2048 -f hls -max_delay 5000000 -hls_time 3 -hls_segment_type fmp4 -hls_fmp4_init_filename "987062323c7407b7496a83cb7db6426f-1.mp4" -start_number 0 -hls_segment_filename "/cache/transcodes/987062323c7407b7496a83cb7db6426f%d.mp4" -hls_playlist_type vod -hls_list_size 0 -hls_segment_options movflags=+frag_discont -y "/cache/transcodes/987062323c7407b7496a83cb7db6426f.m3u8"ffmpeg version 7.1.3-Jellyfin Copyright © 2000-2025 the FFmpeg developers
built with gcc 14 (Debian 14.2.0-19)
configuration: --prefix=/usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg --target-os=linux --extra-version=Jellyfin --disable-doc --disable-ffplay --disable-static --disable-libxcb --disable-sdl2 --disable-xlib --enable-lto=auto --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-shared --enable-gmp --enable-gnutls --enable-chromaprint --enable-opencl --enable-libdrm --enable-libxml2 --enable-libass --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-libfontconfig --enable-libharfbuzz --enable-libbluray --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopus --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libopenmpt --enable-libdav1d --enable-libsvtav1 --enable-libwebp --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libzvbi --enable-libzimg --enable-libfdk-aac --arch=amd64 --enable-libshaderc --enable-libplacebo --enable-vulkan --enable-vaapi --enable-amf --enable-libvpl --enable-ffnvcodec --enable-cuda --enable-cuda-llvm --enable-cuvid --enable-nvdec --enable-nvenc
libavutil 59. 39.100 / 59. 39.100
libavcodec 61. 19.101 / 61. 19.101
libavformat 61. 7.100 / 61. 7.100
libavdevice 61. 3.100 / 61. 3.100
libavfilter 10. 4.100 / 10. 4.100
libswscale 8. 3.100 / 8. 3.100
libswresample 5. 3.100 / 5. 3.100
libpostproc 58. 3.100 / 58. 3.100
libva info: VA-API version 1.22.0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/lib/dri/iHD_drv_video.so
libva info: Found init function __vaDriverInit_1_22
libva info: va_openDriver() returns 0
libva info: VA-API version 1.22.0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/lib/dri/iHD_drv_video.so
libva info: Found init function __vaDriverInit_1_22
libva info: va_openDriver() returns 0
Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'file
data/media/tv/Pantheon (2022)/Pantheon.S02E01.The.Gods.Have.Not.Died.in.Vain.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb.mkv':Metadata:
encoder : libebml v1.4.4 + libmatroska v1.7.1
Duration: 00:42:02.25, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 10380 kb/s
Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (High), yuv420p(tv, bt709, progressive), 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 24 fps, 24 tbr, 1k tbn (default)
Metadata:
BPS : 9738236
DURATION : 00:42:02.250000000
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES: 60534
NUMBER_OF_BYTES : 3070283421
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP: mkvmerge v79.0 ('Funeral Pyres') 64-bit
_STATISTICS_TAGS: BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES
Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: eac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 640 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
BPS : 640000
DURATION : 00:42:02.240000000
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES: 78820
NUMBER_OF_BYTES : 201779200
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP: mkvmerge v79.0 ('Funeral Pyres') 64-bit
_STATISTICS_TAGS: BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES
Stream #0:2(eng): Subtitle: subrip (srt) (default) (forced)
Metadata:
title : Forced
BPS : 11
DURATION : 00:00:04.171000000
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES: 1
NUMBER_OF_BYTES : 6
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP: mkvmerge v79.0 ('Funeral Pyres') 64-bit
_STATISTICS_TAGS: BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES
Stream #0:3(eng): Subtitle: subrip (srt)
Metadata:
BPS : 71
DURATION : 00:40:58.915000000
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES: 581
NUMBER_OF_BYTES : 22118
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP: mkvmerge v79.0 ('Funeral Pyres') 64-bit
_STATISTICS_TAGS: BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES
Stream mapping:
Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (h264 (h264_qsv) -> h264 (h264_qsv))
Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (eac3 (native) -> aac (libfdk_aac))
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
[hls @ 0x77e22fac7580] Opening '/cache/transcodes/987062323c7407b7496a83cb7db6426f-1.mp4' for writing
Output #0, hls, to '/cache/transcodes/987062323c7407b7496a83cb7db6426f.m3u8':
Metadata:
encoder : Lavf61.7.100
Stream #0:0: Video: h264, qsv(tv, bt709, progressive), 960x540 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=2-31, 292 kb/s, 24 fps, 12288 tbn (default)
Metadata:
encoder : Lavc61.19.101 h264_qsv
Side data:
cpb: bitrate max/min/avg: 292001/0/292000 buffer size: 1168000 vbv_delay: N/A
Stream #0:1: Audio: aac, 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 128 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
encoder : Lavc61.19.101 libfdk_aac
Side data:
cpb: bitrate max/min/avg: 128000/128000/128000 buffer size: 0 vbv_delay: N/A
RE: Transcode issues with Intel N150 - Rastin - 2026-02-13
Since no one responded and i myself have no idea i ran your question through an AI and this is what it came up with maybe it will help.
Short version: your video is hardware-accelerated, but your audio is not, and on a 4-thread CPU like the Intel N150 that alone can saturate the box — especially when multiple streams stack.
Let’s break it down.
✅ What’s Working
From your ffmpeg command:
-hwaccel qsv
-c:v h264_qsv
-vf vpp_qsv=...
And from the logs:
Video: h264, qsv(...)
encoder: h264_qsv
That confirms:
Decode → QSV
Scale (vpp_qsv) → QSV
Encode → QSV
So video is fully hardware accelerated. Good.
Your GPU showing activity in intel_gpu_top confirms this.
🚨 What’s Killing Your CPU
This line:
-codec:a:0 libfdk_aac
That is pure software AAC encoding.
Your source audio:
eac3 5.1 640kbps
Your output:
aac stereo 128kbps
And you’re also doing:
-af "pan=stereo|c0=...|c1=..."
So each stream is:
Decoding EAC3 in software
Mixing 5.1 → stereo in software
Encoding AAC in software
On a 4-thread N150, that alone can peg CPU cores.
💡 Why This Matches Your Symptoms
You said:
CPU usage skyrockets to max threads with just one stream
That makes sense because:
QSV handles video
CPU is doing:
Audio decode
Downmix
AAC encode
HLS muxing
Network handling
And when you add a second stream? You’ve doubled audio encoding load — and those small E-cores can’t keep up.
⚠️ Important: 292 kbps Video Bitrate
This also stands out:
-b:v 292000
That’s extremely low for 540p. That means Jellyfin is transcoding due to bitrate limits, likely for remote streaming.
If this is happening on your local network, something is forcing bitrate throttling.
Check:
Client quality setting
Remote bitrate limit
Reverse proxy limits
Whether Jellyfin thinks it’s remote
If local clients direct play, your CPU problem largely disappears.
🎯 The Most Likely Root Cause
It’s almost certainly:
Audio transcoding + downmixing eating your CPU
On small Intel CPUs, audio encoding is often the real bottleneck — not video.
🔧 Things You Should Try (In Order)
1️⃣ Disable Audio Transcoding Temporarily (Test)
In Jellyfin dashboard:
Playback → Transcoding
Set:
Allow audio transcoding → off
Test one stream.
If CPU drops massively → confirmed.
2️⃣ Allow Direct Play of EAC3
Most modern clients can direct play EAC3.
If users are using:
Android TV
Apple TV
Firestick
Web browsers with modern codecs
You likely don’t need audio transcoding.
Check why it’s being forced.
3️⃣ Remove 5.1 → Stereo Downmix (Huge CPU Saver)
That pan filter:
-af "pan=stereo|..."
Is expensive.
If clients can accept 5.1 AAC, don’t downmix.
4️⃣ Try Native AAC Instead of libfdk_aac
libfdk_aac is high quality but heavier.
Switching to native ffmpeg AAC reduces CPU load.
Jellyfin usually chooses automatically, but you can force:
Dashboard → Playback → Transcoding
Disable "Enable enhanced AAC encoder"
Test again.
5️⃣ Check Subtitle Burn-In
You have SRT subtitles.
If subtitles are being burned into video:
That forces full video software pipeline.
Even with QSV decode.
But in your log I see:
-map -0:s
So subtitles are NOT being burned. Good.
📊 What an N100/N150 Should Actually Handle
Realistic expectations:
With QSV working:
3–5 simultaneous 1080p → 1080p
4–6 simultaneous 1080p → 720p
Tons of direct play
But:
Multiple audio transcodes
Multiple downmix filters
HLS segmentation
Docker overhead
That changes things.
🐳 Important Docker Check
Make sure you’re running with:
--device /dev/dri
dev/driAnd NOT limiting CPU cores via Docker.
Run:
docker inspect <container>
Check:
CPUQuota
CpusetCpus
If Docker only exposes 2 cores, that explains everything.
🧠 One More Subtle Thing
You’re using:
-threads 3
On a 4-thread CPU.
That means ffmpeg is grabbing almost all threads for one stream.
When a second stream starts:
Context switching explodes
System becomes unresponsive
You can limit threads per transcode in Jellyfin:
Dashboard → Playback → Transcoding → Max simultaneous video transcodes
Try setting it to 1 or 2.
🔥 What I Would Do If This Were My Box
On an N150:
Ensure local users direct play
Disable audio transcoding unless absolutely required
Disable enhanced AAC encoder
Set max transcodes to 2
Keep remote bitrate reasonable (4–6 Mbps minimum)
That alone would stabilize the system.
🚀 If You Want Deeper Debug
Run during a transcode:
htop
Check:
Which process is pegging CPU?
Is it ffmpeg?
Are all cores 100%?
Then run:
intel_gpu_top
If GPU usage is low but CPU high → audio bottleneck confirmed.
💬 A Couple Questions (Important)
Are the heavy streams local or remote?
What clients are people using?
Does CPU spike even if you disable downmix?
How much RAM does the mini-pc have?
Those answers will narrow this instantly.
You’re actually very close — your hardware acceleration is working.
This smells like audio transcoding + thread saturation, not broken QSV.
Reply with those answers and I’ll help you tune it properly.
RE: Transcode issues with Intel N150 - CauliflowerBrain - 2026-02-15
@Rastin, thanks for responding. Some good and some bad advice in there (as typical of AI) but I'm giving it a shot and seeing if there is anything that is going to work. I don't think it's making a massive difference so far but I'll keep trying.
If anyone else comes across this post and has any thoughts please feel free to send them over