FLAC files only streaming at 192kbps?

[donaldfagen1980]

Hi I'm trying to stream my FLAC files from the latest Subsonic software on my PC to my iPhone 4.

I have 320kbps music that streams at 320kbps no problem. However, my FLAC files only stream at 192kbps.

I even changed the settings on my Subsonic admin account that I use to 320kbps. Also I changed my iPhone Subsonic client to 320kbps max. It still only streams at 192kbps.

Please help me stream at 320kbps or better from my PC to iPhone. Thanks!

[donaldfagen1980]

Anyone, please?

[Skywatcher]

What settings do you have for Transcoding flac (Under Settings -> Transcoding).

Are you by any chance forcing 192K on ffmpeg arguments?

[manwithaplan]

Yes, this seems that it is a problem....with the default transcoding that comes with Subsonic, all FLAC files are being down-sampled to 192kbps...here is the transcoding line, but again,this is just the default available on every install:

ffmpeg -i %s -map 0:0 -b:a %bk -v 0 -f mp3 -

This happens to both "normal rez" FLAC files of 44.1 kHz/16 bit as well as "high rez" FLAC files that are for instance 192kHz/24 bit files. For now, I have just disabled transcoding of FLAC files for the iSub iOS 'players', but depending on people's data rates with their mobile provider, this could be sub-optimal. FWIW, I prefer no transcoding at all for FLAC, and my T-Mobile plan is unlimited data so I don't really care and I don't have skips, so generally I like it. But nonetheless, transcoding to mp3 from flac is a basic requirement of course for most situations/people, so we need it to NOT down-rez to 192kbps, but instead allow for instance 320kbps. Maybe there is just something I don't understand about default ffmpeg mp3 transcoding, but nowhere in the above default string does it say to truncate at 192kbps. So it's almost like Sindre has something hard-coded in SS that is doing that regardless.

Here is the log snippet though when transcoding from flac to mp3 to illustrate (notice the 192K in there):

Code: Select all

[2015-05-03 09:49:31,239] INFO PlayQueueInputStream - james listening to "Soundtrack From Twin Peaks/09 Dance Of The Dream Man.flac"
[2015-05-03 09:49:31,240] INFO TranscodeInputStream - Starting transcoder: [/Library/Application Support/Subsonic/transcode/ffmpeg] [-i] [/Volumes/Media/Music/Angelo Badalamenti/Soundtrack From Twin Peaks/09 Dance Of The Dream Man.flac] [-map] [0:0] [-b:a] [192k] [-v] [0] [-f] [mp3] [-]

Sindre, your thoughts please? Thanks as always.

[vsteel]

I have found that the %b variable won't allow anything but 192Khz no matter the setting. I have also found that flac streaming has issues. The really odd part is that it works find local or in my LAN, it is the WAN where I have issues. Though I have found that Jamstash does a good job of playing remotely. I have adjusted my transcoder to the following with good results. This is the highest VBR (variable bit rate) setting. Change the number after the -V to adjust the settings.

name = flac
convert from = flac
convert to = mp3
step 1 = flac --silent --decode --stdout %s
step 2 = lame --silent -V0 -

I hope this helps. But yes, flac streaming on the native interface is broken.

[manwithaplan]

When you say FLAC streaming on the native interface is broken, do you mean in the normal web interface??? FLAC will NEVER work natively (without transcoding) in the web player on the 'normal' interface, it never has. If you are talking about transcoding to mp3, it works just fine, though again limited to 192kbps. Just trying to make sure I understand your post properly. Your advice on that transcoding string is interesting. I have tried it on my Mac, and it doesn't seem to work, though I think I may have to mess with the syntax a bit - I seem to recall that the double hyphens need to be single hyphens on a Mac server, where Unix and Windows use the double hyphens...I'll check into that and retry.

But again I will point out that I have simply been disabling transcoding for FLAC for my mobile players like iSub without issue...it works just fine on even a decent cell connection - and in the case of my TMobile, I've got unlimited data so why the heck not stream in full native FLAC quality?? Especially when one has over 300 albums that are high rez FLAC, like 24bit/192kHz recordings....I just streamed a Mozart high rez FLAC album to iSub without transcoding, over a T-Mobile cell connection, and the indicated stream rate on the iSub client on the iPhone was 4600 kbps, native FLAC audio output. Not bad. Some 24bit/192kHz albums reach much higher, not unusual to see 6400 kbps or thereabouts.

[vsteel]

When you say FLAC streaming on the native interface is broken, do you mean in the normal web interface??? FLAC will NEVER work natively (without transcoding) in the web player on the 'normal' interface, it never has. If you are talking about transcoding to mp3, it works just fine, though again limited to 192kbps. Just trying to make sure I understand your post properly. Your advice on that transcoding string is interesting. I have tried it on my Mac, and it doesn't seem to work, though I think I may have to mess with the syntax a bit - I seem to recall that the double hyphens need to be single hyphens on a Mac server, where Unix and Windows use the double hyphens...I'll check into that and retry.

Let me clarify a little. I should have said when transcoding flac to MP3, the standard built in Subsonic interface won't play the files. I can get MP3 and other things to stream and transcode fine, just not flac. I can get Jamstash to interface with the server just fine and my flac files will transcode and play just fine. It is only in the Subsonic player I have issues with. I have been using Subsonic for several version and it worked fine until the last release. Now I can't get the flac to transcode even when I am using the default 192Khz.

I am using Linux as my server and one of my players. I also use windows 7 as one of my players. (players = platforms I run the web interfaces on.)

[manwithaplan]

Gotcha, makes sense. But by the way, I have no problem at all transcoding flac to mp3 in the standard web player in 5.2.1...in fact, I've got several different servers running in my network, and they all behave properly with regards to this. Some of my Subsonic servers for testing were built brand new on 5.2.1 directly, but my main Subsonic server has been in existence for years, dating way back to early 2011 or something. Most recently, it was upgraded from 4.7 straight to 5.2.1, FWIW. But none of these servers has a problem with flac to mp3 transcoding, except that it is limited to 192k of course. I suspect you have a different issue that you may want to pursue outside of this thread. I will continue to try your transcoding string though need to modify it for Mac OSX I think. Thanks for suggesting that, I'll try anything at this point.

[vsteel]

Have you tried outside of your network? I have noticed that flac -> mp3 works for my LAN but not my WAN. It used to work (I have been a long time user as well.) but now it doesn't. When I am outside of my network everything else works, I can stream other formats or MP3, just not flac -> mp3. Though again Jamstash will work just fine outside of my network.

[manwithaplan]

Oh yes, absolutely, and it works fine from ANYWHERE. I've streamed to my web browser from an airplane at 28,000 feet in the air in fact! I stream to my browser from hotels all over the place, I travel for a living, it's no problem at all. No idea why you would not be able to stream in the browser with normal flac to mp3 transcoding, from anywhere, it should not matter. Transcoding is totally a separate, server-side function, that has nothing to do with network connectivity to the server, so it makes no sense to me why you are broken on this function.