Streaming recording to Windows PC not working, but live TV is fine - any ideas?

[asteele]

Howdy All,

This used to work just fine, but for reasons unknown for many months now - I am no longer able to stream a U4 recording to my Windows 10 PC.

I can stream live TV just fine, but if I try to stream a recording it tries to work - but the audio is way out of sync with the video, and the video playing jumps around every couple of seconds with irregular video updating. VLC tolerates it for maybe 20 seconds and then stops. Impossible to pause ffwd or rwd playback during this time too.

I am using Chrome web browser to initially connect, to http://beyonwizu4/#
I am then using VLC media player to open the ts file - works fine for TV streaming, just recordings it fails with.


I don't know if a software update on my Windows PC has broken something, or if I accidentally stuffed a setting on my U4.
Maybe it happened after a U4 update - I just don't know.


Does anyone please have any clues or tests for my to try to narrow it down?


I am running U4 software version 17.5-20190207.


Thank you and regards,

Antony.

[MrQuade]

There have been some other reports of streaming recordings via the web interface being a bit flakey, but I'm not sure exactly when it started or what might have been a cause.

A very quick test on my U4 from my PC using Chrome/VLC seemed to work ok, but that wasn't for any length of time. It sounds like the problem you are seeing happens straight away?

I personally think that you'd be better off playing the recordings straight off the U4's network share than streaming via the web interface if you had the choice. You get the ability to seek through the recording, and the playback will be under the full control of your PC.

[asteele]

Thank you MrQuade!

I had forgotten to consider using the network share, which sometimes appears accessible from my PC - and sometimes not.

It's frustrating that watching recordings through the web interface used to work perfectly well, and I used to use it a lot.
Unfortunately I can't pin down exactly when it stopped for me, and I should have investigated it right away at the time rather than ignoring it for months.

Yes, the playback problem I see happens right away.
I click on the stream button for a recording, and Chrome downloads a .ts file - which I then double click on and it launches VLC.
Maybe the first few frames from the recording are shown, but literally within 2 or 3 seconds the display freezes or jumps and is way out of step with the audio. Display is very quickly corrupted and audio chopped almost from the very start, and eventually confuses VLC enough to stop altogether. Audio is so far out of wack I can't put a time on it - but its minutes or more out, not a second or two - pretty much from the start.

It's odd that I have no problem in watching live TV in this exact manner though - you would have thought that Live TV would have been harder work than streaming a recording.


Are there settings on my U4 that I should inspect which affect the network share my PC can see?
I'd like to check that they are correct, as maybe that will ensure the file share is always seen rather than just occasionally.


thanks again!

Antony.

[prl]

Are there any differences in how VLC handles MPEG2 and MPEG4 recordings?

[MrQuade]

Yes, the playback problem I see happens right away.
I click on the stream button for a recording, and Chrome downloads a .ts file - which I then double click on and it launches VLC.

It downloads the file first? That's different to what I get. Mine starts streaming immediately without having to download the whole thing. Consequently, I lose access to the video's timeline navigation controls.

Going back though, do you know where the .ts file is being saved? If it is being saved on your PC, and VLC is then playing it back from there, then it rules out a networking problem, since VLC is just playing a video off your harddisk. It would point to a problem either with VLC, the files themselves or maybe even something else in Windows or your PC's hardware. Hard to say.

I had forgotten to consider using the network share, which sometimes appears accessible from my PC - and sometimes not.

Are there settings on my U4 that I should inspect which affect the network share my PC can see?
I'd like to check that they are correct, as maybe that will ensure the file share is always seen rather than just occasionally.

That's usually a sign that there are multiple SMB master browsers on your network, and your U4 is occasionally being discovered by a different master to the one that your PC is talking to (the master browser maintains a list of all the shared drives on your network when using SMB, or "Windows Networking")

It's sometimes possible to force a single device on your network to be the master via settings. Typically, you might set a NAS or a router, or some other always-on device to be the master, and that way the role doesn't get flip flopped and passed around the place all the time as devices are switched on and off.

If you don't have a convenient device like that, then you can simply bookmark the Wiz so that it is pinned in the navigation bar in Explorer. Tht way, you don't need to rely on the Windows Explorer network browser. (even if the Windows network browser can't see the U4, the share is still available)

The U4's share should still be accessible by typing "\\beyonwizu4\movie\" into the explorer address bar.

Now THAT is assuming your network's DNS is working properly. If you ping the Wiz by its name "ping beyonwizu4", then it is likely that DNS is working properly.

[asteele]

When I say it downloads the file first, I am referring to the very small .ts file which is what VLC is using to get the stream.

Maybe it is a browser setting, but with me I have to click on the tiny .ts file that is instantly downloaded in order for VLC to know how to do it’s thing.

The .ts file that VLC needs to start the stream is downloaded to my pc and in the downloads folder. I haven’t checked where VLC downloads the rest of the stream too, but I guess VLC has its own “cache” folder.


This works fine with live tv being streamed into VLC.


Thanks for the SMB info - can’t wait to get back home and have more of a fiddle.



Completely off topic, but I read somewhere you saying that the U4 software isn’t being developed anymore.
Isn’t the U4 the main Beyonwiz device?

I know a newer model is released, but that’s for a different customer segment than the U4 “power user” isn’t it?

[prl]

Completely off topic, but I read somewhere you saying that the U4 software isn’t being developed anymore.

That's only partly true. The chip manufacturer for the SoC (System-on-a-Chip) that runs the U4 has ceased production of the chip (so no more U4s can be produced) and has ceased development of the proprietary SDK that the firmware uses to access the chip's I/O devices (including its A/V devices).

The rest of the U4 firmware is open source and its development has not been discontinued.

Isn’t the U4 the main Beyonwiz device?

Since it's no longer being manufactured or offered for sale, probably not.

I know a newer model is released, but that’s for a different customer segment than the U4 “power user” isn’t it?

The V2 lacks some features of the U4 - no HDMI in, no internal disk, 2 built-in tuners rather than 3, but it's a faster CPU and, like the U4 is 4K/UHD capable, and, again like the U4, can have USB tuners added to take its total number of tuners up to 4. More details here.

I have no idea how Beyonwiz views its market segmentation.

[MrQuade]

When I say it downloads the file first, I am referring to the very small .ts file which is what VLC is using to get the stream.

Maybe it is a browser setting, but with me I have to click on the tiny .ts file that is instantly downloaded in order for VLC to know how to do it’s thing.

Normally that is a .m3u file, but I get what you mean.

You can configure Chrome to launch the registered application immediately rather than just downloading it if you want (you still end up with the downloaded file though which is vaguely annoying).

Completely off topic, but I read somewhere you saying that the U4 software isn’t being developed anymore.
Isn’t the U4 the main Beyonwiz device?

I know a newer model is released, but that’s for a different customer segment than the U4 “power user” isn’t it?

The U4 hardware isn't being manufactured any more due to lack of chip supplier parts.
The main interface to all the Beyonwiz T, U and V units is still being developed, and is common to all units. This work is undertaken by the community volunteers you see in these forums .
The ongoing software development of all the low level drivers and hardware specific code is (as I understand) no longer being supported by the chip manufacturers, so getting any more fixes for the black-magic hardware issues may be a bit problematic going forward.

The V2 is the only unit that is currently manufactured and will likely be the only one to get any long-term hardware manufacturer support seeing as it is using a shiny new chipset.

[asteele]

Thank you both for all your help - so very much appreciated!

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Antony,
I appear to get the same issues as you when I stream via OWIF, but I'm using PotPlayer. Playing from the Wiz's 'Movie' share has no such issue.
I did a test and edited the downloaded .m3u8 file and changed the streaming port from 8001 to 80 and it worked much better and I can also seek, i.e.
from: http://beyonwizu4:8001/file?file=/media ... ording}.ts
to: http://beyonwizu4:80/file?file=/media/h ... ording}.ts
I don't know if there's an OWIF setting for this.

As to accessing the Wiz -
When my Wiz disappears from Windows File Explorer, I click on Network to open it in the right pane and then right-click the pane and choose 'Refresh'.
Another quick way to access the Wiz is to enter the IP address/name of the Wiz in the File Explorer address bar, e.g. \\beyonwizu4
You can also right-click the Wiz once discovered, and 'Pin to Quick access'.

[asteele]

Great info - and more for me to play with this evening too - thank you!

[asteele]

Antony,
I appear to get the same issues as you when I stream via OWIF, but I'm using PotPlayer. Playing from the Wiz's 'Movie' share has no such issue.
I did a test and edited the downloaded .m3u8 file and changed the streaming port from 8001 to 80 and it worked much better and I can also seek, i.e.
from: http://beyonwizu4:8001/file?file=/media ... ording}.ts
to: http://beyonwizu4:80/file?file=/media/h ... ording}.ts
I don't know if there's an OWIF setting for this.

Thanks Geoff - so kind for all of you kind folks to give me such valuable suggestions!

I also tried editing the downloaded .m3u8 file and changed the streaming port from 8001 to 80, and I then opened that in VNC and it worked absolutely perfectly. I jumped all over the recording forward and back and it just kept playing instantly and I couldn't break it.

So, there is a massive difference in making it stream from port 80 rather than 8001 for a recording.

It would be good if I could change a OWIF setting somewhere to make sure that all the .m3u8 files use port 80 going forward.

Curiously, if I choose to view live tv, then then .m3u8 file it creates uses port 8001 - but this plays perfectly fine.

recording: http://beyonwizu4:8001/file?file=/media ... 0Five-0.ts
live tv: http://beyonwizu4:8001/1:0:1:782:327A:3 ... 0000:0:0:0:

Interesting different format of the "filename" for the livetv.

I have also mapped a file share to the movie directory, and that is also working fine too.


Thanks again everyone.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Some tests.
T2 no transcoding ability, plays fine when streamed. Uses port 80 -

Code: Select all

#EXTM3U 
#EXTVLCOPT--http-reconnect=true 
#EXTINF:3838,Lego Jurassic World: Isla Nublar
http://beyonwizt2:80/file?file=/media/hdd/movie/20191003%201521%20-%209Go%21%20Perth%20-%20Lego%20Jurassic%20World_%20Isla%20Nublar.ts

U4, has transcoding ability.
Chose normal (non-transcoded) stream, plays crap. Uses port 8001 -

Code: Select all

#EXTM3U 
#EXTVLCOPT--http-reconnect=true 
#EXTINF:8099,The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story
#EXTVLCOPT:program=1122
http://beyonwizu4:8001/file?file=/media/hdd/movie/20191002%202033%20-%209HD%20Perth%20-%20The%20Show%20Must%20Go%20On_%20The%20Queen%20%2B%20Adam%20Lambert%20Story.ts

If I change the port to '80' in the .m3u8 file then the recording streams fine.

Chose transcoded stream, won't play at all. Uses port 8001, it adds '?bitrate=1000000?width=768?height=576?aspectratio=2?interlaced=0' to URL -

Code: Select all

#EXTM3U 
#EXTVLCOPT--http-reconnect=true 
#EXTINF:8099,The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story
#EXTVLCOPT:program=1122
http://beyonwizu4:8001/file?file=/media/hdd/movie/20191002%202033%20-%209HD%20Perth%20-%20The%20Show%20Must%20Go%20On_%20The%20Queen%20%2B%20Adam%20Lambert%20Story.ts?bitrate=1000000?width=768?height=576?aspectratio=2?interlaced=0

T4, has transcoding ability.
Chose stream (non-transcoded), initially plays fine, then goes to crap within a minute or so, no seeking abaility. Uses port 8001 -

Code: Select all

#EXTM3U 
#EXTVLCOPT--http-reconnect=true 
#EXTINF:5399,Whiskey Cavalier
#EXTVLCOPT:program=805
http://beyonwizt4:8001/file?file=/media/hdd/movie/20191002%202245%20-%20SBS%20ONE%20HD%20-%20Whiskey%20Cavalier.ts

If I change the port to '80' in the .m3u8 file then the recording streams fine.

Chose transcoded stream, plays fine. Uses port 8001, it adds '?bitrate=1000000?width=768?height=576?aspectratio=2?interlaced=0' to URL -

Code: Select all

#EXTM3U 
#EXTVLCOPT--http-reconnect=true 
#EXTINF:5399,Whiskey Cavalier
#EXTVLCOPT:program=805
http://beyonwizt4:8001/file?file=/media/hdd/movie/20191002%202245%20-%20SBS%20ONE%20HD%20-%20Whiskey%20Cavalier.ts?bitrate=1000000?width=768?height=576?aspectratio=2?interlaced=0

Can't skip.


I'm guessing there's some system model device file or similar specifying transcoding ability that OWIF uses to build the URL, and it's getting it wrong.
It used to work.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Curiously, if I choose to view live tv, then then .m3u8 file it creates uses port 8001 - but this plays perfectly fine.

recording: http://beyonwizu4:8001/file?file=/media ... 0Five-0.ts
live tv: http://beyonwizu4:8001/1:0:1:782:327A:3 ... 0000:0:0:0:

The 'http' protocol file streaming using 8001 appears to be Kangaroo Edward.

Interesting different format of the "filename" for the livetv.

The '1:0:1:782:327A:3273:EEEE0000:0:0:0:' is a service reference - it's how the Wiz identifies (in this case) WIN's (ONID 3273, TSID 327A) BOLD service (LCN 81, SID 782).
Refer FreeTV Service Information Register for NSW/ACT - https://www.freetv.com.au/wp-content/up ... W-ACT_.pdf

[raymondjpg]

Are there settings on my U4 that I should inspect which affect the network share my PC can see?
I'd like to check that they are correct, as maybe that will ensure the file share is always seen rather than just occasionally.

That's usually a sign that there are multiple SMB master browsers on your network, and your U4 is occasionally being discovered by a different master to the one that your PC is talking to (the master browser maintains a list of all the shared drives on your network when using SMB, or "Windows Networking")

In this case with Windows 10 I doubt that the master browser comes into play, unless SMB1 has specifically been enabled. It has been reported that simply *renaming* a recalcitrant disappearing network resource can result in its reappearance in Windows 10 file explorer. I can confirm that since renaming the T2 on my LAN I have had no recurrence of its disappearance in my Windows 10 PCs. That might just be coincidence, but the original reappearance looks to have been directly linked to the renaming.

I haven't had the same issue with my U4, but I'd imagine that the same would apply.

Renaming the T/U/V series is somewhere in the network mount management area. I don't recall precisely where. After renaming and rebooting, I just went back in and restored its original name, and rebooted.

[pdh54]

I have the exact same problem streaming via Openwebif on Chrome on a Mac computer. It originally worked fine - both live TV and recordings streamed perfectly using Chrome/VLC. For me the problem seemed to start straight after updating to the latest software on my U4 (17.5.20190207) so I assumed that was the problem and it would eventually be fixed by an update. I can stream recordings OK directly over my wireless network via Finder, or via the iPad app

[Gully]

I have the exact same problem streaming via Openwebif on Chrome on a Mac computer. It originally worked fine - both live TV and recordings streamed perfectly using Chrome/VLC. For me the problem seemed to start straight after updating to the latest software on my U4 (17.5.20190207) so I assumed that was the problem and it would eventually be fixed by an update. I can stream recordings OK directly over my wireless network via Finder, or via the iPad app

Hi

Not sure whether it will fix your problem but that isn't the latest firmware. 19.3.20191106 is.

You need to download it to USB and install it.

viewtopic.php?f=45&t=13755

[Grumpy_Geoff]

I have a simple fix for file streaming in OpenWebif - I added the below to the settings file.

Code: Select all

config.OpenWebif.streamport=80

With that settings hack, non-transcoded playback now works as expected.
I based this hack on the latest fix to OpenWebif -
https://github.com/E2OpenPlugins/e2open ... 26246c88a0
Whilst I don't pretend to know exactly what this is doing, the idea I get from that fix is that the _existing_ code uses -

Code: Select all

		if fileExists("/dev/bcm_enc0"):
			try:
				transcoder_port = int(config.plugins.transcodingsetup.port.value)
			except StandardError:
			...

		elif fileExists("/dev/encoder0") or fileExists("/proc/stb/encoder/0/apply"):
			portNumber = config.OpenWebif.streamport.value

We don't have /dev/bcm_enc0, but do have /dev/encoder0, so then it'll use settings value from config.OpenWebif.streamport if defined.
With my hack, transcoded playback doesn't work though. I think no great loss for internal streaming.