Streamer reboots while fast forwarding/rewinding ATSC 1.0 1080i OTA content

[wmichael3]

Hey, this may be something similar to what has already been reported: the Streamer reboots itself when fast forwarding/rewinding 1080i ATSC 1.0 streams sent via the Flex 4K tuner and the Android Emby app.

CCwGTV, with the identical content and app and settings, does not.  Although one of the TVs is 4K and the other is not, it still occurs if I set the Streamer on the 4K TV to 1080. Usually happens after a lot of 30 second skips, forward or backward.  But sometimes just one or two does it. Does not happen without skipping. Does not happen with cable TV, but where I live all cable is 720p. (Thanks Comcast!) Hey, is this a backdoor method to prevent skipping commercials? Ingenious!  

Signal quality is at 93%, so an occasional broadcast glitch is possible.  Gemini (Thinking) says there is a bug on the Streamer due to the new MediaTek chip processing MPEG-2 1080i streams and that this bug was first reported at the end of 2024 but I understand the issue is unresolved: the chip becomes overloaded and any glitch in the stream will cause a panic and reboot. It is specific to interlaced streams.

All versions are current as of this date of posting.

Gemini says the answer is to get my signal quality to 100%, like by using an LTE filter, or wait, and wait, and wait for Google. 

Like in Casablanca.

Really only posting this for the benefit of others, to record/confirm the bug, and see if there is a fix in the timeline. Pretty sure it is "not me" and not Emby.  No grease without wheel squeaking. "Squeak!"

Thanks!

[branches78]

Hello, have you reported the issue at the Emby forum as well?

[wmichael3]

It isn't an Emby problem. It a problem with the Streamer and interlaced streams.

[branches78]

How do you know if you are using only the Emby app?, have you tested a different app that supports the tuner?

Does it happen with the HDHomeRun app?

[kcruzgonzalez]

Hi @wmichael3,

Thank you for posting in the community. I can understand that your Google TV Streamer is rebooting when you attempt to fast forward or rewind 1080i OTA content, which is particularly frustrating since your older Chromecast devices handle the exact same files without issue. I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused, especially when you are just trying to enjoy your recorded broadcasts without the interruptions of a full system crash. Don't worry, I'm here to help, and I'm confident we can work together to gather the right data to address this.

To help me narrow this down and document this for our team, could you please answer the following questions?

• What is the current OS build version on your Google TV streamer? (You can find this in Settings > System > About > Android TV OS build).
• In the Emby app settings, are you using "Hardware Acceleration" or "Software Decoding"?
• Does this reboot occur if you try playing the same 1080i content through a different app, such as VLC or the HDHomeRun app?
• Are you using any specific audio settings like "Spatial Audio" or "Surround Sound" (manual/auto) that might be adding to the processing load during skips?

Let me know that information so I can continue helping you.

Regards,

Kevin

[wmichael3]

Thanks for your reply.

• The Streamer is on Android 14,  UTTK250729.004.
• Hardware acceleration (on the Emby server)  is turned on, but is irrelevant. If Emby transcodes the content it also deinterlaces it and then it eliminates the problem; the content is "Direct Played" - sent to the Streamer's own ExoPlayer with a remux to the correct container format - that is all. I can force transcoding by lowering the bandwidth to fix the problem and have asked the Emby team if there is anyway to force deinterlacing without compromising picture quality and have not yet heard back.
• The content plays fine on everything. It is only the FF/RW (skips) that causes the reboot, only for interlaced content, only on the Streamer. I can send progressive (720p) content to it all day and fast forward through a HEVC 4K DV movie without issue.  I do not have another DVR solution to try and I'm not going to pay for the HD HomeRun DVR app just to test this. I could, theoretically copy a 3Gb .ts file to the Streamer, install VLC and try to play it locally but I'm convinced it is the Streamer and am not going to go to that level of work. I'm also not sure that is a fair test. Does VLC use the ExoPlayer?  Dunno.
• Remember, it reboots the Streamer. That is a system level crash caused by the ExoPlayer. No standard app without special privileges should be able to crash an OS unless the OS has a bug.

Here is what Gemini says (I always assume Gemini has the richest content from Google itself):

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Yes, the Google TV Streamer (4K) has documented difficulties with interlaced streams. While it is a more powerful device than its predecessors, many users have reported that it lacks proper hardware deinterlacing support at the system level.

Why It’s a Problem

When you play interlaced content (like 1080i or 576i) on a modern progressive-scan screen, the device must "deinterlace" the image to combine the alternating lines into a smooth, full frame.

• Visual Artifacts: Because the Google TV Streamer often fails to trigger this process, viewers see "combing" (horizontal lines or jagged edges) during fast-moving scenes, such as sports.

• Performance Issues: Some users experience "slow-motion" playback, stuttering, or frame rate mismatches (e.g., a 50Hz stream being forced into a 60Hz output without proper cadence).

• Regression from Older Models: This is particularly frustrating for users because the older Chromecast with Google TV (4K) handled these streams much better.

Who Is Most Affected?

This issue primarily impacts users who watch "Live TV" through apps that don't use their own internal software decoders, such as:

• OTA (Over-The-Air) TV: Users using an HDHomeRun or similar tuner to watch broadcast television.

• IPTV Apps: Popular apps like TiviMate or Plex often rely on the Android system's internal player (ExoPlayer), which is where the deinterlacing bug resides.

• European/International Users: In regions like the UK and Europe, many HD channels are still broadcast in 1080i, making this a daily annoyance.

Is There a Fix?

• The Android 14 Bug: The issue appears to be tied to a regression in Android TV 14. Some other devices that updated to this version started showing similar symptoms.

  Google's Response: Google has acknowledged the issue in their support forums and "Issue Tracker," stating that they are working on a solution. Some firmware updates have attempted to address it, but as of mid-2025, many users still report it is not fully resolved.

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