FTV Stick 4K interlaced video playback leads to media player crash #94
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The same situation with my FTV Stick 4k. After the video crashed, i cant do anything until a device restart. My Version is Fire OS 6.2.6.4 (NS6264/1995) |
@everyone: Please don't flood this thread the same way as the original ticket. That one was locked after getting like 100 replies in 1 day. xD Please be careful and only add meaningful notes to the discussion! We already know that this issue is huge and affects everyone, so we don't need 100x "me too" posts again. We already have that in the original thread. Please also remember that this is a vendor firmware (BIOS) issue and that Amazon can't fix it themselves... it must be fixed by the decoder-chip vendor, who are the only ones with the BIOS source code! Any timeframe for a fix depends completely on the chip vendor... The vendor's "fix" for the original issue did make some channels work, but still crashes badly on other channels, so they will need to do another BIOS code update...! Please be patient and let's do our best to help Amazon and the chip vendor figure out what's wrong!@leone007 Thanks a lot for starting the ticket. I was just going to do it! Here's the sample I was playing in my crash example video (the one you linked to):
Here's more information about my crash video: #81 (comment) I bought my stick in late May or early June of this year. And here's my OS version (it installed the OS update on June 22nd, and then two "System components" updates): I can confirm that your new samples crash on my FireTV Stick 4K too! I just saw something interesting when I ran And to get the interlacing info with ffprobe, I must run this command: Then simply looking at one of the frames, to see what the video data is: I then ffprobed the 3 samples you provided as well:
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Yep, im on: Fire OS 6.2.6.4 (NS6264/1995) Pretty much any interlaced video is causing the player to lock up, rendering the entire device unusable until its rebooted. |
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@VideoPlayerCode some working testfiles, I have no problem watching these streams nor playing these files. I'll try to do your UPDATED frame: |
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@leone007 Thanks, since they work, that seems to confirm that we can safely ignore the SPS and I have updated my post to add info about another error I discovered: Two of our four test original test files contained illegal data. They were marked as H264 Level 4.1, which only allows up to 4 reference frames at 1080p. But they instead contained 5 frames. That breaks the spec. I still think the hardware is powerful enough that it should be able to decode that violation. The spec is just meant to guide hardware decoder makers to how much data they should expect to need to decode at once. But since this hardware is capable of 4K decoding, I doubt that an extra H264 reference frame will be too much for its memory to handle. ;-) And, only 2 of the 4 bad files had that violation so it's probably not related. Still, I updated my post with those details... @rinoshs I am very interested in knowing what these all of these test files do to your internal testing units. :-) |
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also here is some mediainfo w/ advanced debug working samples: and these are the bad ones and It appears that the good ones have unknown color space (and won't even show up in Mediainfo) Whereas the bad ones have BT.709 Dunno if it makes a difference though. :( EDIT: So does the 2 bad samples provided by me (Eurosport and Eurosport 2) I think we need more WORKING samples to see what is going on with BT.709 color space and interlaced video. Like this one, with unknown color space. I've yet to see a sample with BT.709 color space that is actually working. Another bad one with BT.709. We need someone with tvheadend 4.3+ (I'm on 4.2.8) to see if a native BT.709 stream works transcoded to different color space (I believe color space option exist in 4.3+ versions w/ transcoding, but correct me if I'm wrong) OR since I'm not an ffmpeg magician could someone, like @VideoPlayerCode :) transcode our BT.709 samples to a different color space, and upload them for testing? UPDATE: So all I have found is how to make a video BT.709 color space, but so far handbrake only produced progressive videos, so that isn't good for testing.
This ffmpeg parameter needed to add as extra options during encoding, all I have to figure out is to leave the interlaced format untouched. |
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@leone007 Great work and very interesting theory! Here's a Reddit comment which seems to tell us how to make interlaced videos with Handbrake: https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/61u76d/preferred_handbrake_settings/dfmzn38/ It says:
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Problem with this approach guys is that re-encoding may well fix whatever the underlying problem is, regardless of whether its related to the colourspace....so im not sure its going to prove much. Im interested to hear any feedback from the Amazon/Chipset devs and to hear their findings. |
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Using this as extra parameter (don't laugh!)
or
this is what I get, progressive, but BT.709 |
Well this is the exact reason why I don't want to fix BT.709 videos, but want to "ruin" already working videos. IF I can produce a freezing interlaced BT.709 video from a currently working one, that can prove that my theory is working. |
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@leone007 I found another thread which says ":tff or :bff". And it also says that x264 encodes as Progressive with some flags that tell the decoder that it is actually interlaced: So try the ffprobe tricks on your final video and see if it has Edit: I guess your output is not interlaced. The "Encoding settings" line says |
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@leone007 I see. |
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EDIT: back in the days when I fought with plex, when I wanted plex to direct stream my HDHomerun content, I came across a comment, that says as soon as plex starts to transcode (due to bandwidth conservation reasons) you'll lose the chance to get the 1080i stream through, and it will be transcoded to 1080p 25 fps, since ffmpeg cannot transcode to interlaced. I'm not sure it is right, but I managed to lift the bandwidth limitations, so I circumvent the transcoding, and used it to direct stream 1080i. |
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I found some more streams who crashed my FTV 4k tele5.ts eurosport.ts sixx.ts pro7.ts |
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@y2000j all files are BT.709. Can you post samples that are actually working for you? |
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@VideoPlayerCode - as a sidenote - closing down the previous thread resulted the loss of people who could have provided valuable samples, like @iandarbey , who has 1996, with every stream working. |
So far this is what we got: all working samples have unknown color space (and color range), all FTVS4K breaking samples have BT.709 color space (and color range = tv). |
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I have 3 Fire 4k. First one I did a factory reset and cannot get past Second crashes on some streams and needs reboot when crashes (NS6264/1995) Third has has got the NS6264/1996 update, still crashes on the same streams but restarting the app will get other videos playing again, no need to reboot the stick. Video always starts with green screen after crash just like it did before we got these updates. This stick is I think Us version from ebay.co.uk as it has us power plug. |
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On 1996..... The Eurosport clip won’t start. Is there a difference between interlaced content in UK / ROI vs rest of Europe? Can confirm the stick does not need rebooting. Force close the app (kodi in my case) and go back in and play a “working” video, flash of green screen and then plays normally. Side note; it doesn’t seem to like switching channels particularly noticeable on switching from 1440 x 1080i (soarview) to FTA sat (1920 x 1080i) |
Yeah this is what I’m suspecting, can you clarify what version of tvheadend you are running mate? And kodi version? Should point out I got the 1996 update this morning, which made zero difference, apart from the not rebooting thing, which is a slight improvement. |
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TVheadend version 4.2.8. The news channel sample from the previous thread works fine by the way. So it’s obviously struggling with particular types of interlaced content now. |
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Now i received the Update to version NS6264/1996. The app crashes at the same streams or videos like before. The only andvantage is, that you have no need to restart the whole FTV 4K Stick after a stream crashes the app. After restarting the application, all the working channels or videos starting normaly. Hopefully the stream and video crashes can finally be fixed. It would be a pity if that problem cant be fixed. It's really a pity that we did not get any response or attention from the Amazon/Chipset developers. The interlaced Video Playback problem for the FTV4k Stick is still annoying. |
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It'd be good if Amazon could reproduce or at least acknowledge this issue. |
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Okay I have received the 1996 update too. As others have mentioned, the crash is the same. The only difference is that after a crash (which will freeze and then close your media player), you can open the media player again. And trying to play something will lead to a black screen with audio and then a green flash and finally the image reappears. So, 1996 adds ”live re-initialization/reset” of crashed hardware decoder. A good change. We no longer have to manually reboot the whole system! I hope the cause of the crashes will be found. It’s interesting that leone sees the same colorspace in all crashing files and others in non-crashing files. @y2000j: Well it’s only been 3 days. And amazon @rinoshs acknowledged the situation in the previous thread and asked us to make a new ticket. So we need to be respectful and patient. Although I do hope that Amazon pressures the hardware chip maker for a faster fix this time. :-/ |
Yeah I really hope so too...Ive had the device since xmas and barely used it because of this. I'll probably wait it out, but where would we stand on getting a refund due to this issue? |
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Having issues with BBC one and two HD...... SD playing fine. BBC one HD crashing after 10-15 seconds. UTV and channel 4 still working fine, soarview still working fine. |
I'm in the UK too and I am finding similar results with the SD channels, the SD channels seem to be more MPEG2 based which this latest fix seems to have improved. The HD Freeview channels i.e. BBC 1 HD, BBC 2 HD, ITV HD, 4 HD and 5 HD are interlaced H264 I am lead to believe and this fix hasn't changed anything about interlaced H264 |
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I’m on FTA satellite so not the exact same streams. Might explain ITV and Channel 4 being ok for me but not for you. |
Possibly, I can't get any HD UK TV to play reliably but all SD content seems to work correctly since the fix. On another note @leone007 have you managed to pin point the parameters that make the video crash? It looked like you guys were making great progress getting to the bottom of the issue? Out of interest can one of you who is much more knowledgeable on the subject than myself confirm this is definitely fixable via software / firmware? My worry is that this is actually a hardware issue that I am waiting on a fix that will never appear and I would be better looking at a different solution. Thanks |
I would guess the update is pushed in stages, based on serial number or some other criteria. |
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My stick should have updated itself yesterday at version 6.2.7.3 and I did some test streams and all seem worked correctly. I have to do longer test to be sure it's completly reliable |
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Has anyone checked on @humiboy ? Has he arranged a parade? |
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No i still not have receive the update in germany. But i am so happy that comes really and fix our issues after so long time waiting. |
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But why official latest software is Fire OS 6.2.7.1 (3590963076)? |
Possibly because the update hasn't been pushed to everyone yet. |
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Can anyone confirm 1080i content (ideally from Freeview/freesat) is working now? |
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I tried both the BBC and channel 4 channels yesterday and both worked fine. Some of the BBC channels crashed almost immediately on start previously. Freesat channels. I don't have Freeview. |
Good stuff, I’d had the crashing issue on both freeview and freesat, still no update available for me which is irritating though. |
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Could someone confirm if this latest updated for the 4K is indeed 6.2.7.3 ? My stick appeared to update but is still showing 6.2.7.1. Thanks |
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Yes, build version 6.2.7.3 is the first one that has the fix. It will take a few weeks till all devices receive the update - the slow ramp-up is required to identify regressions (independently of this issue, but in the whole system update) before updating all devices. Thank you for your patience. |
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@zsmatyas Thanks for the detailed information! Is there a changelog of the v6.2.7.3 available? I guess there will be some other things being changed/fixed ,too. Kind Regards, Krawei |
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Can someone confirm my experience I did received an update for the FTV 4K yersteday, yet when checking the version it still shows 6.2.7.1 Location: France |
If its still showing 6.2.7.1 then you haven't got the update that fixes this issue mate. |
Weird, because a lot of person ran into this issue Notify that 6.2.7.3 will be installed Not saying it's bad, I'm just confused |
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Yes .1 is still listed as current as .3 hasn't finished rolling out yet
…On Thu, 20 Aug 2020, 19:31 MetalESTR, ***@***.***> wrote:
Can someone confirm my experience
I did received an update for the FTV 4K yersteday, yet when checking the
version it still shows 6.2.7.1
I still have some crash, yet this time only the app crash, not the entire
hardware so maybe it wasn't the expected 6.2.7.3 update I received, just
some hotfix for 7.1. Maybe these crash are app related rather than hardware
this time.
Someone to answer me ?
Location: France
App: TiviMate
If its still showing 6.2.7.1 then you haven't got the update that fixes
this issue mate.
You probably just got a supplemental update yesterday.
Weird, because a lot of person ran into this issue
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgyebCco8BXK2Bv5yGF4AaABCQ
Notify that 6.2.7.3 will be installed
Update installs
FTV reports 6.2.7.1 as current version
Not saying it's bad, I'm just confused
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Oh then that explains why a lot of users ran into this as well |
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Well one of my sticks got the update, and it's working great for me so far with 1080i Freeview content from the UK. |
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So I can confirm my 4K firestick got the "intermediate" update that continued to display version 6.2.7.1 then the following day it's upgraded to 6.2.7.3. I can confirm the issue is resolved, I can now watch 1080i Freeview / DVB-T2 channels from my TVHeadend setup without crashing. |
Yeah mine did this, it said 'downloading 6.2.7.3'..but it seemed to download suspiciously quickly, when it rebooted it still said 6.2.7.1...I clicked 'check for updates' again and again it downloaded 6.2.7.3, but this time much slower...upon reboot this time it confirmed I was on 6.2.7.3. |
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I have received Fire OS 6.2.7.3 in Germany too and can confirm no more crashing. IPTV Appz works very good too without crash. Thx for this Update |
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Finally updated to 6.2.7.3 (NS6273) and I confirm the fix to be working. No more crash in Tivimate Also the code-based account link when doing a factory reset is a nice addition |
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Is everyone in the UK seeing this resolving their issues? The reason i ask is because mine was streaming perfectly using hardware transcoding using the channels app and my hdhomerun quatro. However since the 6.2.7.3 I am getting awful glitching on all 7 of my FTV 4K sticks. Certain types of programs are worse such as news but it can happen on any channel. This is a YouTube video of the glitch: As I said it worked beautifully before now since the update it has broken the viewing experience. This is not just localised to the channels app either as it also glitches on the hdhomerun app. It doesn't react in quite the same way instead of the frames going crazy it just freezes on hdhomerun then continues to play once it's happy again. Am I the only 1 seeing these issues? I know it is not signal related as its worked perfectly for over 12 months without a single glitch. As a test last night I also captured a few minutes of the 10 o'clock news via a Google chrome ip capture. The video was perfect not a single glitch. At the same time I played the feed through my first 4k and recorded the screen with my phone and it glitched a lot! Both devices received the same steamfrom the same hdhomerun so the issue is definitely related to the FTV. |
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I can also confirm I have updated to 6.2.7.3, I am in the UK using TVHeadend with a Satelite and Freeview HD feed and both and streaming flawlessly. Thanks for the heads up, I can finally move from the SD channels on my TFV stick |
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I am also broken by this Amazon firmware update. I happened to have a fire tv 4k stick still on 6.2.7.1 which played using the great 'Channels' software ITV HD fine. Updated it to 6.2.7.3 as part of diagnosing playback issues on an already updated Fire TV 4k stick, and all my HD channels, for some programs only, now have severe corruption. This now makes 'Channels' software useless using the hardware decoding. Switched back to Software which works but lags at times which is very annoying. Not a happy chappy as the wife is not amused! Completely broken and needing an urgent fix ... |
Yeah good luck with that. TBH the only people with issues seem to be using the channels app, maybe thats where the problem is considering its fixed for everyone else? |
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Since I had no issue since this update, I'll close this issue within a week. It was fun with you guys, thanks to @zsmatyas and this community for solving this pain-in-the-back deinterlacing problem. |
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I suspect whatever workaround they were using to do hardware decoding with
the old firmware has been modified and nolonger works. Needs an update to
the channels app rather than a problem with ftvos
…On Thu, 17 Sep 2020, 15:02 gb160, ***@***.***> wrote:
Not a happy chappy as the wife is not amused! Completely broken and
needing an urgent fix ...
Yeah good luck with that.
TBH the only people with issues seem to be using the channels app, maybe
thats where the problem is considering its fixed for everyone else?
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Could well be the case. For anyone following, I am following up this issue with Channels support here: https://community.getchannels.com/t/all-uk-hd-streams-jumping-and-stuttering-since-6-2-7-3-firmware/23695/24 |
and others
Following the latest update (6.2.6.4) interlaced videos can crash FTV Stick 4K's media player, which won't be able to play any more content until a complete device restart.
video of the issue
samples that will crash the MP:
1, 2, 3
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