Playback becomes unstable or frames disappear only in certain scenarios.
Playback becomes unstable or frames disappear only in certain scenarios.
Server details: i5-7500 processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, SSD for TrueNAS and applications, plus a single HDD for media storage. Issue: Jellyfin Media player plays videos choppy with dropped frames only when using Direct mode on Windows PC. Works perfectly on Linux machines and during transcoding. When accessing the TrueNAS share through Windows file manager and clicking play, everything functions smoothly on Windows, indicating the issue lies within the Jellyfin player itself. It appears to have started after installing Windows 11. Initially assumed poor Wi-Fi signal caused the problem, switched to Ethernet but it didn’t resolve it (connection improved as expected, yet the issue persisted). Tried reinstalling the Jellyfin client without success. Possible adjustments: check player settings, ensure correct network path, verify media file formats, confirm CPU usage stays low during playback. These are 480p DVD rips—file size and type seem fine, so not the main concern.
Yes, the conversion resolves the issue. After a few minutes or so, switching back to direct play works temporarily, then you need to repeat the process.
I meant to permanently re-encode the file, not just transcode it in Jellyfin.
Have you verified your client configurations? I switched to enabling transcoding so it handles conversion on the device side rather than the server. You can also watch a video on another device and view the dashboard to see details about the active device. Often I aimed for direct play, so I explored converters or re-encoding tools like Handbrake and found a suitable workaround. In the end, I opted for the server to allocate more resources, which allowed me to wait a few seconds.
You can't perform transcoding on the client side (though it's possible, but not recommended), because the main goal is achieved by the server handling the codec, HDR, and bitrate settings. The client only decides if it supports those features before initiating the handshake with the server to deliver optimal quality within the available constraints.
I wouldn't agree with that, because my setup includes a jellyfin server with 8 gigabytes of RAM and four cores, connected to a networked drive, all running inside a virtual environment. If I skip those settings, I'd have to wait for the buffer to fill up, and I realize you need a compatible client—like an Android TV or Linux package. Also, it performed better when I turned those features on.
You're free to disagree, but you can't do the transcoding on your device. Official Jellyfin clients are essentially electron apps, and no other Jellyfin app includes ffmpeg. Plus, your Android TV performs much worse at transcoding compared to the CPU you have. Your problem likely stems from insufficient hardware or mismatched transcoding settings, which might explain the issues you're facing.