PVR IPTV Simple Client VS Tvheadend HTSP Client (HTSP Streaming Skipping)

nunya business

Hi Guys!,

I must say that I am throughly impressed with all of the good work completed around this project. You are all masters of your craft and I appreciate ya!

Got a simple question.

Here's the situation:
-Got Raspberry Pi 3 running "HTS Tvheadend 4.2.3-33~ga255d8283" (running new Raspbian "stretch" lite stuff)

-Got an Gen 1 Amazon Fire Stick Running Kodi 17.4 (and I am actually running 5GHz connection for good speed and connection.)

I have activated PVR IPTV Simple Client on the Kodi Stick with the following settings:

[General] Remote Path http://user:pass@192.168.1.XXX:9981/playlist Cache m3u at local Storage: On Numbering Channels Starts at: 1 [EPG Settings] Remote Path http://user:pass@192.168.1.XXX:9981/xmltv Cache XMLTV at local storage: On EPG Time Shift (Hours): 0.00 Apply Time Shift To All Channels: Off [Channel Logos] N/A

+*THIS WORKS COMPLETELY FINE, NO SKIPPING OR ANYTHING! Awesome guys!*+

Only problem is, it won't let me record on my RPi3 and I bought a sweet 128GB microSD to have that capability...

I tried to disable PVR IPTV Simple Client and enable Tvheadend HTSP CLient with the following settings:


[Connection Settings]
Tvheadend hostname or IP Address: 129.168.1.XXX
HTTP Port: 9981
HTSP Port: 9982
Username: user
Password: pass
Connection Timeout(sec): 10
Response Timeout(sec):5

[Streaming Profile]
Profile to use (empty = default): {empty}
Use Predictive tuning to speedup channel switches: Off

[Time Settings]
*All Default*

[Advanced Settings]
Asynchronous EPG Transfer: On

After I switched to the Tvheadend HTSP Client the video becomes very choppy and has massive audio delay. (It's technically unwatchable.)

Is there anyway I can fix this? Anyway to use a different Kodi Client that will let me record on the RPi 3 (Tvheadend Backend)?

P.S. Does this have anything to do with the fact that I'm a cheapo and didn't pay for the mpeg2 license for the RPi3?

Robert Cameron

Sounds like you might be having a mismatch of streaming profiles. Are you doing any transcoding in any profiles, and do have have the MPEG2 license activated for your Pi, because it sounds like you're having issues similar software decoding issues.

nunya business

Nope no Transcoding that I know of. Also, I have just the standard stream profiles...

Should I transcode? Or Should I buy the MPEG-2 License? TVHE is the only thing I plan to run on the system.

I guess I'm asking if people use the HTSP client on Kodi and don't have the skipping issue that I currently have with or without the MPEG-2 License...

Robert Cameron

I have several Kodi instances running on a variety of Pi Zero Ws, Pi 2s And Pi 3s. All have an MPEG2 license as my streams are all MPEG2 for each Pi and don't have the issues you are describing. Whether you need a license or not depends upon whether your streams are MPEG2 encoded or not, or whether you transcode or not,

nunya business

Copy that Rob, I'll try to buy the license and see what happens! :)

nunya business

But really quickly, If it's streaming fine on the IPTV Simple Client just fine would it be the Mpeg-2 license?

Robert Cameron

There are different profiles for basic http streaming/access and HTSP. Your default profile for http streaming may have transcoding, and the HTSP profile may not,

However, the MPEG license probably has little to do with this. I misread your original post and didn't realize the issues with stuttering were on the Fire TV.

Remember that the Fire sticks are not that powerful, and if any of your streams are indeed MPEG2, then the fire stick will definitely have problem decoding that.

nunya business

Ahhh gotcha brother.

So PVR IPTV works pretty smooth but this HTSP client does not...

Is there a way to tell how PVR IPTV Simple Client is getting it's video, I suspect it is from a different profile and therefore it is just passing through no problem?

nunya business

Ok I did a little bit more research and it looks as if the problem is Kodi is using a HECK of a lot of CPU power to try and interpret the signal from the htsp side.

Also here is my m3u list that is generated that PVR IPTV Simple Client is looking at! [This is the client that plays flawlessly!]

#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="8fbb82220b7ece8f644a15f19fabff1f",WEFS-FL http://192.168.1.XXX:9981/stream/channelid/578993039?ticket=480CCAB9FE2F3FEDF04BC47BC4837385D19B865D&profile=pass

So it looks like the profile "pass" is playing just fine but it looks like the "htsp" profile is throwing Kodi for a loop.

Anyway to force the Tvheadend HSTP Client (the one on Kodi) to play the "pass" profile? p.s. I already tried to type in "Profile to use (empty = default): {empty}" box "pass" but I get a "Streaming profile pass is not available" Kodi error.

Help brother!

mpmc

nunya business wrote:
> Ok I did a little bit more research and it looks as if the problem is Kodi is using a HECK of a lot of CPU power to try and interpret the signal from the htsp side.
>
> Also here is my m3u list that is generated that PVR IPTV Simple Client is looking at! [This is the client that plays flawlessly!]
>
> [...]
>
> So it looks like the profile "pass" is playing just fine but it looks like the "htsp" profile is throwing Kodi for a loop.
>
> Anyway to force the Tvheadend HSTP Client (the one on Kodi) to play the "pass" profile? p.s. I already tried to type in "Profile to use (empty = default): {empty}" box "pass" but I get a "Streaming profile pass is not available" Kodi error.
>

> Help brother!

Do you have icons set for your channels? There's a weird bug where Kodi tends to stall trying to grab icons from tvh's web server and it doesn't have permission.

nunya business

I don't think so. I never set that up...

mpmc

nunya business wrote:

> I don't think so. I never set that up...

Have you setup a user/pass for tvh? Have you tried with an anon account?

nunya business

Just tried using anon user with no success...

Plus think I'm starting to figure this out... I believe the syslog entries from RPi 3 tells it all...



#### USING PVR IPTV SIMPLE CLIENT (WORKS FINE!)####

Sep  1 18:01:10 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: mpegts: 201.028MHz in ATSC-T Network - tuning on Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0
Sep  1 18:01:10 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0020: "HTTP" subscribing on channel "NBC (WESH-DT)", weight: 100, adapter: "Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0", network: "ATSC-T Network", mux: "201.028MHz", service: "WESH-DT", profile="pass", hostname="192.168.1.25", client="Kodi/17.4 (Linux; Android 5.1.1; AFTM Build/LVY48F) Android/5.1.1 Sys_CPU/armv7l App_Bitness/32 Version/17.4-Git:20170822-7fc6da0"
Sep  1 18:01:11 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0020: "HTTP" unsubscribing from "NBC (WESH-DT)", hostname="192.168.1.25", client="Kodi/17.4 (Linux; Android 5.1.1; AFTM Build/LVY48F) Android/5.1.1 Sys_CPU/armv7l App_Bitness/32 Version/17.4-Git:20170822-7fc6da0"
Sep  1 18:01:11 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: http: 192.168.1.25: using ticket 3F4C454DD0D6B81B51571489DBB50D4EE7B831D5 for /stream/channelid/1408150913
Sep  1 18:01:11 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: mpegts: 201.028MHz in ATSC-T Network - tuning on Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0
Sep  1 18:01:11 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0021: "HTTP" subscribing on channel "NBC (WESH-DT)", weight: 100, adapter: "Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0", network: "ATSC-T Network", mux: "201.028MHz", service: "WESH-DT", profile="pass", hostname="192.168.1.25", client="Kodi/17.4 (Linux; Android 5.1.1; AFTM Build/LVY48F) Android/5.1.1 Sys_CPU/armv7l App_Bitness/32 Version/17.4-Git:20170822-7fc6da0"
Sep  1 18:03:25 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0021: "HTTP" unsubscribing from "NBC (WESH-DT)", hostname="192.168.1.25", client="Kodi/17.4 (Linux; Android 5.1.1; AFTM Build/LVY48F) Android/5.1.1 Sys_CPU/armv7l App_Bitness/32 Version/17.4-Git:20170822-7fc6da0"

##### USING Tvheadend HTSP Client (CHOPPY AS BALLS!)#####

Sep  1 18:03:56 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: Got connection from 192.168.1.25
Sep  1 18:03:56 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: 192.168.1.25: Welcomed client software: Kodi Media Center (HTSPv25)
Sep  1 18:03:56 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: 192.168.1.25 [ Kodi Media Center ]: Identified as user 'tvh1'
Sep  1 18:03:56 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: 192.168.1.25 [ tvh1 | Kodi Media Center ]: Privileges updated
Sep  1 18:04:13 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: mpegts: 201.028MHz in ATSC-T Network - tuning on Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0
Sep  1 18:04:15 raspberrypi kernel: [ 1497.190247] xc5000: Firmware dvb-fe-xc5000-1.6.114.fw loaded and running.
Sep  1 18:04:15 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0022: "192.168.1.25 [ tvh1 | Kodi Media Center ]" subscribing on channel "NBC (WESH-DT)", weight: 150, adapter: "Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0", network: "ATSC-T Network", mux: "201.028MHz", service: "WESH-DT", profile="htsp", hostname="192.168.1.25", username="tvh1", client="Kodi Media Center"
Sep  1 18:04:34 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0022: "192.168.1.25 [ tvh1 | Kodi Media Center ]" unsubscribing from "NBC (WESH-DT)", hostname="192.168.1.25", username="tvh1", client="Kodi Media Center"
Sep  1 18:05:12 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: 192.168.1.25 [ tvh1 | Kodi Media Center ]: Disconnected
Sep  1 18:05:13 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: Got connection from 192.168.1.25
Sep  1 18:05:13 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: 192.168.1.25: Welcomed client software: Kodi Media Center (HTSPv25)
Sep  1 18:05:13 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: 192.168.1.25 [ Kodi Media Center ]: Identified as user 'tvh1'
Sep  1 18:05:13 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: htsp: 192.168.1.25 [ tvh1 | Kodi Media Center ]: Privileges updated
Sep  1 18:05:28 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: mpegts: 201.028MHz in ATSC-T Network - tuning on Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0
Sep  1 18:05:30 raspberrypi kernel: [ 1572.850999] xc5000: Firmware dvb-fe-xc5000-1.6.114.fw loaded and running.
Sep  1 18:16:53 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0027: "192.168.1.25 [  | Kodi Media Center ]" subscribing on channel "NBC (WESH-DT)", weight: 150, adapter: "Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0", network: "ATSC-T Network", mux: "201.028MHz", service: "WESH-DT", profile="htsp", hostname="192.168.1.25", username="192.168.1.25", client="Kodi Media Center"
Sep  1 18:17:16 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: TS: ATSC-T Network/201.028MHz/WESH-DT Transport error indicator (total 1)

Big differences being highlighted...

Sep 1 18:01:11 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0021: "HTTP" subscribing on channel "NBC (WESH-DT)", +*weight: 100*+, adapter: "Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0", network: "ATSC-T Network", mux: "201.028MHz", service: "WESH-DT", +*profile="pass"*+, hostname="192.168.1.25", client="Kodi/17.4 (Linux; Android 5.1.1; AFTM Build/LVY48F) Android/5.1.1 Sys_CPU/armv7l App_Bitness/32 Version/17.4-Git:20170822-7fc6da0"

Sep 1 18:16:53 raspberrypi tvheadend[434]: subscription: 0027: "192.168.1.25 [ | Kodi Media Center ]" subscribing on channel "NBC (WESH-DT)", +*weight: 150*+, adapter: "Auvitek AU8522 QAM/8VSB Frontend #0 : ATSC-T #0", network: "ATSC-T Network", mux: "201.028MHz", service: "WESH-DT", +*profile="htsp"*+, hostname="192.168.1.25", username="192.168.1.25", client="Kodi Media Center"

So is there a way to force the "pass" stream profile with the HTSP Client Packaged In Kodi?

Also, getting an error with the HTSP that i'm not geeting with the PVR IPTV Simple Client... Interesting...

mpmc

Can you stream htsp and http & then log the status->stream pane.

Are you using this over wifi by any chance?

Robert Cameron

You can't really stream the pass profile to Kodi. The HTSP server responds to Kodi that the profile is not supported. However, you can achieve a similar setup using a different stream profile.

My solution was to create a new transcoding stream profile. I called it "Kodi" in my setup. It's using the "Matroska (MKV)/built in" container, then under the "Transcoding" options, all codecs are set to "Copy codec type", channels is set to "copy layout", language is "use original", source codec is "any", and any numeric field is set to 0. This just repackages the TS into an MKV container that is suitable for Kodi and HTSP. Then I made this profile the default for streaming, and left the profile tab empty of the HTSP client settings in Kodi so it would use this profile by default.

What this essentially does is create a HTSP compatible pass profile, and Kodi seems happy with it. Recordings are still done with the "pass" profile, but this may change in 18 if the Kodi client requires HTSP for its Recordings, too; it doesn't right now. If so, this may break playback of older recordings. Tvheadend may require a change to allow streaming profiles to be applied to playback of recordings, which it currently does not do nor allow; recordings only get a streaming profile applied at record, and it is immutable.

K Shea

Robert Cameron wrote:

> You can't really stream the pass profile to Kodi. The HTSP server responds to Kodi that the profile is not supported.

Is this something specific to the "PVR IPTV Simple Client"? Because it's definitely not a problem with Tvheadend 4.2.3 and Kodi 17.4 when using the "Tvheadend HTSP client" in Kodi. The pass profile is the ONLY profile I use and neither old (Isengard) nor new (Krypton) versions of Kodi seem to have any problem with it, for either recording or live TV. This is with DVB-S2 satellite channels, so if this really is a limitation I'm guessing it must be something in the "PVR IPTV Simple Client" that's causing it.

nunya business

To My Brother Mark Clarkstone!,

The info you requested...

http://i.imgur.com/P5GKQai.png

Looks like very similar stats to me just different "weights", "BER", "Uncorrected"...

Also I am hardlined with CAT 7 Shielded STP from the RPi 3 to the Router and I have Kodi on a Amazon Fire Stick Gen 1, so I can only get it wirelessly. Once again IPTV Simple Client works fine, just not the HTSP Client that comes packaged with Kodi. I am on 5Ghz so I don't know if that's dicking with it...

#######################################################################################

To My Brother Robert Cameron!,

Copy that, I'm trying to do what you said but remember I am on a Raspberry Pi 3 with the .hts server. Therefore I think I can only use 4.2.3-33~ga255d8283 with no errors... From the screenshot below it doesn't look like I can transcode at all...

http://i.imgur.com/qgRbe53.png

http://i.imgur.com/PVuEbd7.png

#######################################################################################

To My Brother K Shea!,

I'm on 17.4 Kodi and I'm using 4.2.3-33~ga255d8283 on the Raspberry Pi 3 hooked into a ASUS RT-1900. PVR IPTV Simple Client works great but the TVHeadEnd HTSP Client is tripping balls. Is it because you are using a different version of the server software on something besides a Raspberry Pi 3 that you can get the stream profile to work? I am pulling in ATSC-T for the data and I do know that is MPEG-2. I did not purchase the MPEG-2 license for the RPi 3 but I think this is something else as PVR IPTV Simple Client is working just fine as it is using the "pass" method. (See above log for differences.) Something seems to be dicking with the TVHeadEnd HTSP Client. How did you get yours to work flawlessly?

########################################################################################

Help Brothers!!!

mpmc

Random question, have you tried without any wireless between the server and client for htsp?

K Shea

I an running Tvheadend 4.2 (and before that, 4.0) on a desktop computer, which I need to use because it has tuner cards installed that require PCIe slots. The operating system is Ubuntu Server 16.04 (I used 14.04 with 4.0). I have no idea if that is why the pass profile works (as I said previously, pass is the only profile I use). I will say that although I have attempted to use a Raspberry Pi for several applications, in about half the cases I wound up running the software on a dedicated desktop machine (even if a relatively low-powered one) or a virtual machine, because things just don't always work well on devices running an ARM-based processor. It's usually not that the don't work at all, it's that they have these stupid little issues that just seem to go away when you switch to a standard Intel architecture CPU. If you have an old computer lying around that you can put Ubuntu Server (or Debian if you prefer) on, I'd try that; you may find that things that little things that wouldn't work before suddenly start working. The Pi is great for some applications, but for others it just kind of falls flat, and I personally would not run anything video-intensive on a Pi, but that's just me.

Robert Cameron

Attached is the stream profile that I use for HTSP streaming to my clients. I have no problem streaming over 2.4GHz wireless to Pi2 clients HD MPEG2 streams. If you're having issues with HTSP streaming, you may have other issues that are unrelated to Tvheadend.

Also keep in mind that FireTV Sticks are not very powerful, especially with HD MPEG2, and especially when you add in deinterlacing. (Many North American feeds are interlaced, and judging from the ATSC-T tuner in your screenshots, this may be another source of your problems.)