Subtitles can provoke transcoding. I’m not sure if it’s when they’re embedded or not but may be a starting point.
It’s transcoding because Jellyfin decided it needs to transcode for some reason, frustratingly. I’ve converted to formats/codecs I know the TV supports, and yet Jellyfin still transcodes, with a message about the TV not supporting the codec (yet if I play the file on the TV from a thumb drive, it works fine with the crappy built-in media player). I’m using the Jellyfin client on the TV because it’s easy to install without a Samsung account, and I don’t think I can get Kodi on it (besides my experience with Kodi is not great, it’s sluggish on real hardware, I can only imagine how bad it would be on an underpowered garbage TVnid a client exists).
From a bigger picture perspective, I think Jellyfin as a client will be better for my family. It’s a simpler interface with less to get them in trouble.
I’ll need transcoding for other/non-local devices anyway, so I still have to address the issue (annoying iPad for example).
If you have any advice about troubleshooting why it’s transcoding, I’m all ears. This is the first I’ve gotten Jellyfin to work after multiple attempts over the years, across multiple servers and clients, so my experience with it is limited. I’m just glad it works at all - it’s the first I’ve gotten to work other than Plex.
Thanks - at least now I know it shouldn’t be transcoding.
Atherel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 days ago
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 3 days ago
I’ve seen that error, so I re-encode without subs. Now it says it’s transcosing because the device doesn’t support the code, which I know isn’t correct.
Thanks!
Damage@feddit.it 3 days ago
Well TBH my familiarity with Jellyfin is rather limited, I installed it, it works, I don’t mess with it.
The only problems I’ve had is when some friends had trouble logging in, which was solved with a cache and cookies cleanup. At least the only problems I know of: turns out my friends don’t complain when it doesn’t work.
I know that Jellyfin CAN serve without transcoding (you can disable it on a per-user basis IIRC), but as to why it decides you can’t, I have no idea. Have you tried filing a bug report? Sometimes it’s a bug, sometimes they give you a solution. Sometimes both.
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 3 days ago
I’ve encountered some unexpected transcodes or playback failures that seem to stem from app compatibility problems. Most TV/streaming stick apps for Jellyfin are maintained by only 1-2 volunteers so you can get some funky bugs given the enormous number of possible combinations of codecs, server settings, client hardware configurations and client versions even for just a single TV/streaming device platform
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 3 days ago
I was surprised to find a Jellyfin client for Samsung Tizen tv’s at all (despite it being a major brand) - I hadn’t considered this may be a client issue. I’ll take a look, thanks!