Tvheadend stream on OpenMediaVault stutters/freezes

Xemoggy

I’m having an issue with TVHeadend running on OpenMediaVault (OMV). When watching the stream (IPTV / web interface / clients such as VLC or Kodi), the video stutters, lags, and freezes intermittently, even though the antenna signal is stable. This happens even when CPU and RAM usage are not high. Sometimes the audio continues playing while the video is frozen, and this issue occurs on all channels.

Signal source: DVB-T2. TVHeadend is installed in Docker using an image via Portainer. The TV tuner I am using (as shown in the picture) uses the Sony CXD2837ER chipset. I added a custom copper heatsink to it, so it stays quite cool.

Viewing clients are VLC and Kodi. I have tried re-scanning channels, restarting TVHeadend and OMV, changing streaming profiles, and installing TVHeadend natively outside Docker, but the problem still persists. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions. Thank you.

ukn_unknown

Start first with dmesg ; does it show any i2c errors? My experience with those tuners is very bad 🙁 . I have better experience with xbox tuner.

Xemoggy

ukn_unknown It seems that everything related to I2C is not causing any issues. I suspect that the problem may be related to the TVHeadend version. This TV tuner was given to me by a friend; he used it on a TV box running Linux and it worked perfectly. The Linux version he used has not been updated since 2016.
I also read a comment on a forum describing a similar issue. The person said that he used an HDHomeRun on an Intel NUC in 2017 without any problems, but after moving it to an old laptop and a Raspberry Pi, the stream started to stutter and freeze just like what I am experiencing. The logs showed “Continuity counter error”. His comment was posted in 2022.
I tried using older versions of TVHeadend, but the problem is that when I downgrade to stable-4.2.1 (2017), TVHeadend no longer detects my TV tuner. When I upgrade slightly to release-4.2 (2020), the tuner is detected again, but the stream still stutters and freezes, and the logs show continuity counter errors. I suspect this might be because I am using a newer driver, which is incompatible with stable-4.2.1 (2017), but I am not completely sure.
Do you have any advice for me? I think I may need to test another version from before 2020. One important detail I should mention is that when watching on the VLC client on my phone, the issue still exists but occurs much less frequently, with only occasional brief stutters. The playback is much smoother compared to the PC. On the PC, the stream plays smoothly for about 3–4 minutes, then starts to stutter and eventually freezes completely, making it unwatchable.

chewitt

Continuity errors on RPi boards are typically the result of insufficient bandwidth or current supply on the USB ports, e.g. older models (RPi 0/1/2/3) have Ethernet internally wired to USB so the bus is shared, and USB 2.0 ports are limited to 600mA unless max_usb_current=1 is defined in config.txt to boost port(s) to 1300mA (total, not per-port). Some tuners are also just power hungry and might need an external USB hub that can deliver more current to run stable. RPi4/5 boards moved to PCIe connected Ethernet and added USB3.0 ports that can handle more current so issues are seen less with them and Intel NUC or desktop PC's unless people have multi-tuner setups where a collection of USB tuner devices are contending for bandwidth and/or power on the USB bus (again).

NB: kernel driver issues are also a possibility so I would always start with a distro that runs a current/recent kernel, and if you want support on the Tvheadend portion, install a current Tvheadend release. Even if you manage to successfully triage and isolate an issue on a 4.2 version the auto-response to any bug report will be "Please update to a current Tvheadend release and replicate the problem" because 4.2 hasn't been maintained for years and is no longer supported.

daonguyen minhnhat

I use Orangepizero 2 with 3 x USB DVB Astrometa with usb hub with separate power.
I have not encountered the error as you mentioned with Tvheadend 4.3-2323g73a6bd00d
You can enable Force Old Status.

Before i also used docker to run tvheadend with this astrometa usb, set up scan with Sony CXD2837ER DVB-T/T2/C demodulator in docker environment often error, sometimes works sometimes doesn't. Then i installed tvheadend with Ubuntu, no longer run tvheadend in docker environment then it is more stable, you can try

Xemoggy

daonguyen minhnhat It’s truly amazing. I don’t know why, but after enabling Force old status, all issues related to Continuity counter errors completely disappeared. The video is smooth with no stuttering or lag at all. I even pushed the bitrate up to 5k and it still works perfectly. Thanks a lot bro

Xemoggy

My issue has been resolved on version 4.3-2579_ge60aa936c after enabling Force Old Status. Thank you for the support