Playback error: h264 file with AC3 audio will not playback on swiftfin

[linuxnoob0009]

i have jellyfin installed in docker on a nuc - streaming to an apple tv running swiftfin. works very well - for the most part. I am trying to play h264 files, audio is a52 (aka AC3) and the file just won't play. If I transcode the audio to AAC it plays no problem. Also if I enable experimental>force direct play in Swiftfin it plays, but now i am stuck with the commentary track. 

The file plays fine direct from the drive in VLC. Also plays fine when I access jellyfin through the browser from another computer.

I have decode enabled on the server for the 10-bit formats (v9 and hevc 10 bit).

Here is the log: 
https://pastebin.com/YGeNn31Z 

Any ideas? I am pulling my hair out over this.

Also, this is the docker compose code i created the jellyfin container with:
jellyfin:
image: jellyfin/jellyfin
environment:
- PUID=1000
- PGID=1000
group_add:
- "993"
network_mode: 'host'
volumes:
- /docker/jellyfinconfig
- /docker/jellyfincache
- /mnt/mediadrivemediadrive
devices:
- /dev/dri/renderD128dev/dri/renderD128

[linuxnoob0009]

if all else fails, can i maybe transcode sound to aac on playback?

[TheDreadPirate]

What model Apple TV? AFAICT, the newer models can play any Dolby audio format. And the log you shared says it is simple stereo AC3. The commentary track is also stereo AC3, so why that would place with the experimental feature is definitely a head scratcher.

Just to make sure you have the correct log, Millennium - 01x01 - Pilot.mp4 is the file in question, correct?

---

if all else fails, can i maybe transcode sound to aac on playback?

Yes.  Transcoding on the fly is a core feature of Jellyfin.  Both audio and video.  The ffmpeg log you shared indicates it was transcoding the audio to AAC.

[kandykarter]

I have a similar problem, tvOS swiftfin won't play HEVC files at all, won't play anything with AC3 (Not sure if just 5.1 or stereo also). Transcoding works on other clients, but doesn't seem like it works in Swiftfin. Unfortunately the AppleTV in the mix isn't mine but one of my users', so my ability to troubleshoot is limited.

[TheDreadPirate]

I have a similar problem, tvOS swiftfin won't play HEVC files at all, won't play anything with AC3 (Not sure if just 5.1 or stereo also). Transcoding works on other clients, but doesn't seem like it works in Swiftfin. Unfortunately the AppleTV in the mix isn't mine but one of my users', so my ability to troubleshoot is limited.

I'd need your jellyfin server log and an example movie/show name from the log so I can see what the client/server is trying to do.

[linuxnoob0009]

What model Apple TV?  AFAICT, the newer models can play any Dolby audio format.  And the log you shared says it is simple stereo AC3.  The commentary track is also stereo AC3, so why that would place with the experimental feature is definitely a head scratcher.

Just to make sure you have the correct log, Millennium - 01x01 - Pilot.mp4 is the file in question, correct?

---

if all else fails, can i maybe transcode sound to aac on playback?

Yes.  Transcoding on the fly is a core feature of Jellyfin.  Both audio and video.  The ffmpeg log you shared indicates it was transcoding the audio to AAC.

Hello - thanks for replying. Yes, that is the file in question and I believe I have a 4th gen Apple TV.

The weird thing is - I have another file, also AC3 and h264 which plays fine on the Apple TV:
https://pastebin.com/RsqWRwb9.

It seems to me that something goes wrong in the Transcode of the Millennium episode - and this applies for the rest of the season too. But what? I'm guessing it's in the audio transcode. because as i mentioned in the first post i tried transcoding an episode in xmedia recode where I copied the video track and converted the audio track to aac (i think it also changed the container to mkv) and this played fine on the apple tv.

Here are my transcode settings:
Hardware Acceleration:
X Intel Quicksync (QSV)
Enable transcoding for:
X VP9 (10 bit)
X HEVC (10 bit)

X Prefer OS Native DXVA or VA-API Hardware decoders

X Enable Hardware encoding
X Allow encoding in HEVC format

Everything else is standard values, I believe. No tone mapping.

In the other general settings I have:
X Enable DTS (DCA)
Since I have the Apple TV hooked up to a DTS compatible soundbar with HDMI.

When trying to play on the Apple TV, the server tn the dashboard says:
Direct playing
The source file is entirely compatible with this client and the session is receiving the file without modifications.

This is with out experimental>force direct play.
But as said, when I turn on direct play it kind of works (except I can't pick the audio track to not hear the commentary)

[linuxnoob0009]

New development: Installing Jellyfin mobile (not swiftfin) on a iPhone and the file plays with no issue.

[JamesOberegg]

Having the same issue with an AppleTV user.
I don't allow video transcodes, only audio.

Code:

[2024-10-09 14:11:52.503 +02:00] [INF] Playback stopped reported by app "Jellyfin tvOS" "1.0.1" playing "Albtraumhafte Super-Verwandlung! Freezers Kampfkraft ist 1.000.000.". Stopped at "850000" ms
[2024-10-09 14:11:52.549 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:52.555 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:52.560 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:55.916 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:55.919 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:12:04.219 +02:00] [INF] Playback stopped reported by app "Jellyfin tvOS" "1.0.1" playing "Killer Joe". Stopped at "4387000" ms

[TheDreadPirate]

Try remuxing one of the files and test the new file. This will copy the existing video/audio into a new container. Since there is no encoding it should take a few seconds to complete.

Code:

/usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/ffmpeg -fflags +genpts+igndts -i "/MEDIADRIVE/SERIES/Millennium/Season 1/Millennium - 01x01 - Pilot.mp4" -map 0 -codec copy -max_muxing_queue_size 2048 -max_interleave_delta 0 -avoid_negative_ts disabled newFile.mp4

Then try playing the new file.

[linuxnoob0009]

Try remuxing one of the files and test the new file.  This will copy the existing video/audio into a new container.  Since there is no encoding it should take a few seconds to complete.

Code:

/usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/ffmpeg -fflags +genpts+igndts -i "/MEDIADRIVE/SERIES/Millennium/Season 1/Millennium - 01x01 - Pilot.mp4" -map 0 -codec copy -max_muxing_queue_size 2048 -max_interleave_delta 0 -avoid_negative_ts disabled newFile.mp4

Then try playing the new file.

Hello again! 

I did this and the file actually plays!

....However - the timecode just stays at 0:00 the whole time. I can't search / forward or rewind when playing. And I cannot switch between the audio tracks. Luckily it played with the standard track and not the commentary. This is very mysterious.... does this make any sense at all?

I also made a .mkv-version, leaving the video and converting the audio to aac, using ffmpeg and this one works normally (except that it only has one audio track - i guess i messed up the CLI command)

---

Having the same issue with an AppleTV user.
I don't allow video transcodes, only audio.

Code:

[2024-10-09 14:11:52.503 +02:00] [INF] Playback stopped reported by app "Jellyfin tvOS" "1.0.1" playing "Albtraumhafte Super-Verwandlung! Freezers Kampfkraft ist 1.000.000.". Stopped at "850000" ms
[2024-10-09 14:11:52.549 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:52.555 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:52.560 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:55.916 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:11:55.919 +02:00] [INF] User policy for "readacted username". EnablePlaybackRemuxing: True EnableVideoPlaybackTranscoding: False EnableAudioPlaybackTranscoding: True
[2024-10-09 14:12:04.219 +02:00] [INF] Playback stopped reported by app "Jellyfin tvOS" "1.0.1" playing "Killer Joe". Stopped at "4387000" ms

Hello, thanks for answering. I'd like to test this as well. How do I set this change? Can I do it in the server browser GUI?