Audio transcoding issue with HE-AAC 5.1 on Android TV with AV receiver – causes slow

[Armand]

Hello Jellyfin team,
I’m encountering a consistent issue with audio playback when using Jellyfin on Android TV, specifically when an AV receiver is involved.

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🧩 Setup:

• Server: Jellyfin running in Docker on a hosted seedbox (HostingByDesign), using the official Jellyfin Docker image
  
• FFmpeg: The image uses
  /usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/ffmpeg
  , which appears non-functional in my environment (transcoding fails silently)
  
• Client device: SFR Android TV box
  
• Audio output:
  • ✅ Works perfectly on a regular stereo TV (no receiver)
    
  • ❌ Fails when connected to a Yamaha AV Receiver (HTR-6240) via HDMI
    

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🎧 Problem Description:
When playing a video with HE-AAC 5.1 audio, everything works fine on a stereo TV (I assume it's direct-play). However, on a TV connected to a 5.1 AV receiver, playback slows down dramatically and the sound becomes completely distorted — as if the audio isn't being transcoded properly.
I suspect the following:

• The AV receiver cannot handle HE-AAC 5.1 directly
  
• The client requests transcoding from the server
  
• The server is unable to transcode due to FFmpeg issues (invalid path or missing binaries)
  
• As a result, the stream becomes unplayable on that setup
  

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🔍 Additional Notes:

• FFmpeg path in the Jellyfin admin interface is set to
  /usr/lib/jellyfin-ffmpeg/ffmpeg
  and not editable in the Docker image.
  
• System-wide FFmpeg exists at
  /usr/bin/ffmpeg
  , but I cannot configure Jellyfin to use it due to Docker and permission restrictions.
  
• I'm unable to access Docker directly (limited hosting environment), so I cannot modify the container or mount volumes to override FFmpeg.
  

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🙏 Request:
Is this a known issue with HE-AAC 5.1 transcoding on Android TV when used with an AV receiver?
Can the Docker image:

• Be made more flexible regarding FFmpeg path?
  
• Include a fallback or compatibility fix for transcoding HE-AAC audio properly in such scenarios?
  

Or alternatively: is there a recommended workaround (short of re-encoding every file manually)?

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Thank you very much for your support and for this great project 🙌
Let me know if I can provide logs or run any tests.
Best regards