Android miniclient; fuzzy/corrupt video when remote transcoding

[redondo_se]

Update 9/21/2016: Solution: Checked the box "Animations Disabled?". More explanation below.

Hi,

I finally got around to trying out the Android miniclient on my Nexus 6P (still on marshmallow) connecting to my V7 server. Playback works great on my local lan when no transcoding occurs. However, I only get fuzzy video and corrupted overlays when trying to play remotely over LTE with server transcoding. Audio works fine.

It happens for both OTA mpeg2 and HDPVR H264. I've tried all combinations of both players, streaming mode, and "use native resolution". Nothing has any affect. I do see different transcoding parameters being used by "SageTVTranscoder" when I change the streaming mode.

I'm attaching screenshots from my phone.

Thanks,
Sean

[NetworkGuy]

Hi,

Just wondering what remote you are using with the Nexus Player and how you have mapped the keys for the mini-client?

Thanks,
John

[redondo_se]

Hi John,

I'm using my Nexus 6P phone, not a nexus player.

Thanks,
Sean.

[stuckless]

I don't know of an easy way to test this... I certainly can't use my LTE data for testing ... I only have 500mb a month

I guess the first step would be to be see if the issue is what SageTV is producing (in terms of the video).

Until you play a video, is the UI ok? Or is the UI appearing messed up right from the start?

This almost looks like a GL viewport sizing issue... I think the screen dimensions on the Nexus 6p is quite large. I wonder is sagetv is sending me some screen resizing command that I'm not handling correctly.

Do you have issues on local lan using the 6p, or just over LTE?

[redondo_se]

Hi Stuckless,

The UI is fine before I start playing a video over LTE.

When I'm connected by WiFi at my house, the UI and video both work fine. I can tell that the server is not doing any transcoding by the absence of "SageTVTranscoder.exe" running.

I've always noticed that with the windows placeshifter client that if you connect in the local lan you don't have to log in with a placeshifter user and password. If you connect externally then you have to log in. The same holds true for the android client.

Is there a way to force sage server to do the log in and transcoding when connecting from the local lan? I suspect if I can do this the results would be the same, i.e. fuzzy video and corrupted UI.

I noticed that the output video is mpeg4, from the SageTVTranscoder parameters. I wonder if the results would be different with H264.

Thanks,
Sean

[redondo_se]

I just connected by using an ssh tunnel through a microsoft azure VM and I get the same results as connecting over LTE from outside my network, i.e. fuzzy/corrupt video. So that rules out the LTE connection as the cause of the issue.

(nexus 6p on home wifi) --ssh--> (azure VM) --port forward--> (home sage server)

Thanks,
Sean

[Korny]

To get remote video working for me I disabled native resolution and tmobile's bing on. Not sure which one was causing my issue on my nexus 6

[redondo_se]

So the only option I didn't try to tweak was the "Animations Disabled?" checkbox. The help text for that option led me to believe that it wasn't applicable to me:

"Enable this if Animations are disabled in SageTV. This is fix some rendering issues when Animations are disabled."

I interpreted that as only being applicable if you had animations disabled elsewhere, i.e. in the SageTV server, which I don't.

Checking that box fixed the problem for me and I can now stream over LTE.

Korny, I have t-mobile and it's working fine with bingeon enabled. It also works without disabling native resolution.

My only lingering problem is trying to resume a show from the last watched position usually results in a black screen. The only way to get it to play is to set it to watched, then unwatched so it starts over at the beginning.

Thanks,
Sean

[dmelnyk]

Hi Folks:

Sorry to jump in, but this was the first thread I found that talks about the problem I am having with Samsung Galaxy S5 and a Tab A. Screen shots look just like what I get, although on the S5 I do get video with a "haze" over it - like every other pixel is white. The "animations disabled" is this a setting at the Sage TV server? or is this something particular fo the Nexus 6? Anybody got remote video working on the S5 or Tab A?(The UI works fine on both - just the video craps out)

Best regards, Dave Melnyk

[redondo_se]

Originally Posted by dmelnyk

Hi Folks:

The "animations disabled" is this a setting at the Sage TV server? or is this something particular fo the Nexus 6?

Best regards, Dave Melnyk

It's a setting in the android miniclient software. Click the gear icon in the miniclient main screen before you connect to your sage server.

[gprichardson1]

I hadn't used the mini client in a long while (since betas) and just installed it from the Market. On my local LAN it works fine, however if I'm on an outside network I get the same problems as the OP/Sean as you can see from my attached screenshot. The UI still works fine; playback is the problem.

I went into the settings and disabled the animation, and it got rid of that problem, but now when I play back a video I just get a black screen. So by fixing one problem I've apparently run into another problem. Or maybe it's the same problem showing itself in different ways.

I've tried playback from several outside networks so I don't think it's a restriction on the remote networks.

Is there anything on the server, or even the Nexus 7, I can look at that might clue me in on what's going on?

-Gary

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by gprichardson1

I hadn't used the mini client in a long while (since betas) and just installed it from the Market. On my local LAN it works fine, however if I'm on an outside network I get the same problems as the OP/Sean as you can see from my attached screenshot. The UI still works fine; playback is the problem.

I went into the settings and disabled the animation, and it got rid of that problem, but now when I play back a video I just get a black screen. So by fixing one problem I've apparently run into another problem. Or maybe it's the same problem showing itself in different ways.

I've tried playback from several outside networks so I don't think it's a restriction on the remote networks.

Is there anything on the server, or even the Nexus 7, I can look at that might clue me in on what's going on?

-Gary

I assume that when something something other the Android MiniCient (ie, HD300, or placeshifter), that it all works well?

[gprichardson1]

Yessir, everything on my home LAN works - HD200, HD300, SageClient on my Windows 7 laptop. Even my Nexus 7 on the LAN works. It's just when I get outside of my LAN that playback goes haywire.

Just for the heck of it I just installed the mini client on my LG G3 phone and it exhibits the same problem as the Nexus tablet when trying playback remotely.

UPDATE: I had forgotten to turn animation off on my LG G3. Once I did that I was able to play back recordings on my phone. So I guess that means there's something funky between the Nexus 7 and the mini client.

-Gary