Mezzmo Starts Multiple FFMPEG.exe Programs and Slows Computer to a Crawl

[Draxman]

I am having problems (pre-)transcoding video files for my Panasonic TV. The main problem is multiple occurrences of FFMPEG.EXE that don't stop when I stop the server. I have also had the following issues:

[1]I open Mezzmo on my TV and it seems to want to transcode most my video files at once
[2]It creates a temporary folder today with a transcoded file and then creates a new temp file tomorrow and starts transcoding the same video again
[3]I added a wireless repeater and now I need new transcoded files
[4]I look at the pre-transcoded file for my videos - it is there in the morning but gone in the afternoon or when I want to view it.

I purchased Mezzmo but I can rarely get it to work properly. It is like a wild beast with many heads that keep replicating. I just want to control what videos I want to transcode now from my library. I guess I have to stop the transcoding process when I want to watch them on my TV. Any tips or hints would be helpful. "On the fly" transcoding is not possible even with my I7 processor and new Panasonic Plasma TV!

[DjCalvin]

I am having the same problem. It started after I did the upgrade this weekend.
I can watch 1 thing.. then the computer is unusable until I stop the server (which then finally kills ffmpeg) or kill ffmpeg manually.
Is there a link to the previous version? it was working perfectly before. (it just seems as if it can
t end the ffmpeg process after transcoding a video)

[Paul]

I am having problems (pre-)transcoding video files for my Panasonic TV. The main problem is multiple occurrences of FFMPEG.EXE that don't stop when I stop the server. I have also had the following issues:

[1]I open Mezzmo on my TV and it seems to want to transcode most my video files at once
[2]It creates a temporary folder today with a transcoded file and then creates a new temp file tomorrow and starts transcoding the same video again
[3]I added a wireless repeater and now I need new transcoded files
[4]I look at the pre-transcoded file for my videos - it is there in the morning but gone in the afternoon or when I want to view it.

I purchased Mezzmo but I can rarely get it to work properly. It is like a wild beast with many heads that keep replicating. I just want to control what videos I want to transcode now from my library. I guess I have to stop the transcoding process when I want to watch them on my TV. Any tips or hints would be helpful. "On the fly" transcoding is not possible even with my I7 processor and new Panasonic Plasma TV!

Hi Draxman,

Your Panasonic TV may be Video Preview mode when listing video files, and this may be causing the transcoding of many files issue that you mention. When your Viera has Video Preview mode turned on, it starts playing the video file that you have selected when you are browsing a list of video files on your TV. So, your TV is streaming the video file from Mezzmo server to display the preview and this can result in many files being transcoded on-the-fly if some of the files you scroll through and select are not compatible with your TV. We recommend you turn off Video Preview mode so this does not happen. To do this on your TV, press the Options button on your remote control when listing video files and change the Video settings (Video Preview = off).

Also, make sure you are using the Panasonic Viera or Panasonic Viera (2011 models) device profile for your TV. Check this in the Media Devices dialog in Mezzmo.

Let us know how you go.

[Draxman]

Hi Draxman,

Your Panasonic TV may be Video Preview mode when listing video files, and this may be causing the transcoding of many files issue that you mention. When your Viera has Video Preview mode turned on, it starts playing the video file that you have selected when you are browsing a list of video files on your TV. So, your TV is streaming the video file from Mezzmo server to display the preview and this can result in many files being transcoded on-the-fly if some of the files you scroll through and select are not compatible with your TV. We recommend you turn off Video Preview mode so this does not happen. To do this on your TV, press the Options button on your remote control when listing video files and change the Video settings (Video Preview = off).

Also, make sure you are using the Panasonic Viera or Panasonic Viera (2011 models) device profile for your TV. Check this in the Media Devices dialog in Mezzmo.

Let us know how you go.

Thanks Paul. Unfortunately my Panasonic TCP55GT50 does not have an option for turning off video preview. I searched the manual and tried options via the remote but N/A. If Mezzmo is not (pre-) transcoding video files then no new occurrences of ffmpeg.exe will start. My temp folder so far seems static. I have pre-transcoded about a dozen mkv videos and all have remained. I selected each video individually and setup pre-transcoding options. The playback is still a concern. It is "laggy" and will display messages like "can't read file" and/or "please wait". If I keep waiting the video will play for 3 to 5 seconds, pause, and then startagain. I can view Youtube videos and Netflix movies without a glitch through the same wireless network and of course same TV. And or the record, music and photos display flawlessly.

[Paul]

Hi Draxman,

That's a pity your model does not have this option to turn off video preview. I would suggest pre-transcoding your videos in Mezzmo before streaming them to your TV so that when you are browsing the list of videos on your TV, it does not cause many files to be transcoded on your PC by Mezzmo (since your TV is requesting the video each time you scroll over it). Once your video files are pre-transcoded, then there will be no more excessive transcoding (i.e. multiple "ffmpeg.exe" processes) and your PC will not be as overloaded.

With regards your "laggy" (or stuttering) videos, please send us a set of logs and we'll see what is the bottleneck when streaming. Turn on logging (see http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread...nostic-logging) and restart your Mezzmo server. Connect to Mezzmo server using your TV and reproduce the lagging problem you mention. Once it starts lagging, then stop your Mezzmo server and exit Mezzmo. Zip up all logs and send them to us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com.

[Draxman]

Thanks again Paul,
I followed your advice and was successful. To summarize for others
1. I put my videos in a separate folder for pre-transcoding
2. I manually select each video and set the the transcoding options for the device - the device and settings are set/bolded by Mezzmo
3. When all videos are complete (usually overnight) I now go to my TV for viewing.
4. I can select any video and it starts within a few seconds with no stuttering or lag.
5. This is all done wirelessly i.e. PC to Router, Router to repeater (Access Point), AP to TV.

As a request for enhancements I would like to see the number of ffmpreg.exe app occurences controlled in the options.

[Paul]

Hi Draxman,

Great that you are up and running now.

You can see how many 'ffmpeg.exe' processes are running by going to the Transcoding pane in Mezzmo. If you see any audio or video files listed there with a 'transcoding' or 'paused' status, then they have a corresponding 'ffmpeg.exe' process associated with them. You can right-click on them and click 'Stop Transcoding' to remove them and their corresponding 'ffmpeg.exe'.