High CPU usage even with Direct3D or Intel

[ManicsMan]

Hello,

I am not sure if I require any other settings but enabling Direct3D transcoding still results in very high CPU usage (around 50%) when the NextPVR backend is serving media to a client web browser. Changing this to Intel is even worse (around 65%). The hardware I am using is equipped with Gemini Lake CPU which supports hardware assisted encoding. This CPU usage appears to very excessive. Is this normal? I have attached logs.

Also, NextPVR back end is NOT running as a service because I am aware that Windows services do not have direct access to the GPU.

Thanks in advance.

[sub]

I am not sure if I require any other settings but enabling Direct3D transcoding still results in very high CPU usage (around 50%) when the NextPVR backend is serving media to a client web browser. Changing this to Intel is even worse (around 65%). The hardware I am using is equipped with Gemini Lake CPU which supports hardware assisted encoding. This CPU usage appears to very excessive. Is this normal? I have attached logs.

If you look in the task manager, is it nrecord.exe or ffmpeg.exe using it?

[ManicsMan]

I am not sure if I require any other settings but enabling Direct3D transcoding still results in very high CPU usage (around 50%) when the NextPVR backend is serving media to a client web browser. Changing this to Intel is even worse (around 65%). The hardware I am using is equipped with Gemini Lake CPU which supports hardware assisted encoding. This CPU usage appears to very excessive. Is this normal? I have attached logs.

If you look in the task manager, is it nrecord.exe or ffmpeg.exe using it?

Hello. It is ffmpeg.

[sub]

I’m not really sure what to suggest, the logs look like it is asking ffmpeg to use hardware acceleration.

[mvallevand]

It's not a file that fmpeg likes though which could explain the issues.

2021-11-21 14:41:49.293 [DEBUG][20] [FFMPEG]: [h264_qsv @ 039ba340] Warning during encoding: incompatible video parameters (5)

Do you have to use the browser client? You won't have this CPU use with one of the many direct play clients.

If you really want to use the browser and all you channels are h264 and it is a format the browser likes you could tweak the NextPVR settings to pass through video. Otherwise Plex, Emby and Jellyfin offer "smarter" transcoding rules for the browser but that sometimes they determine h264 will still need to be transcoded

Martin

[ManicsMan]

It's not a file that fmpeg likes though which could explain the issues.

2021-11-21 14:41:49.293 [DEBUG][20] [FFMPEG]: [h264_qsv @ 039ba340] Warning during encoding: incompatible video parameters (5)

Do you have to use the browser client?  You won't have this CPU use with one of the many direct play clients.

If you really want to use the browser and all you channels are h264 and it is a format the browser likes you could tweak the NextPVR settings to pass through video.  Otherwise Plex, Emby and Jellyfin offer "smarter" transcoding rules for the browser but that sometimes they determine h264 will still need to be transcoded

Martin

The video is generated by NextPVR itself, because it is transcoding TV  from NextPVR backend to web client. They are bog standard h264 video streams. I have the same issue with Jellyfin too. DXVAChecker confirms that H264 encoding is supported by the Intel 600 GPU that is part of the Gemini Lake SoC. Furthermore, I tried a transport stream file that is pointed from an m3u8 playlist and have the same issue.

With Jellyfin, the encoding of all formats results in high CPU usage too but I think Jellyfin runs in a container and accesses the GPU using Intels API, but I am not sure. However, it should also be light on CPU usage.

One thing about my system that is not representative of most home systems is that I am using Windows 10 Enterprise. It is used in a home environment but a handful of software packages will not run or run with limited capabilities as they will treat a machine installed with Windows Enterprise (or Windows Server) as being used in a business environment. I know ffmpeg are very strict about their software being used in a business environment but it seems rather over the top for it to check the OS version and disabling features accordingly. I just cannot understand what else could prevent my system from using hardware encoding (decoding is not an issue).

When I have some time, I'll install Windows Home on a spare hard drive and observe the CPU usage. If there are any other ideas as to what the issue is, I'll be grateful for them.

[mvallevand]

NextPVR doesn't generate streams it captues them as broadcast.  There is a "world" of differences between broadcasters and stream types.  They are being transcoded because the ac3 audio is not bog standard for html5.  I already gave you your options.

Martin

[ManicsMan]

NextPVR doesn't generate streams it captues them as broadcast.  There is a "world" of differences between broadcasters and stream types.  They are being transcoded because the ac3 audio is not bog standard for html5.  I already gave you your options.

Martin

OK understood but with standard TS files having the same problems, it just doesn't make sense. The captured streams are H264, by the way. Nothing special. As I said, Jellyfin is also an issue on my system.

The only thing I can think of is the use of Windows Enterprise. I know you have given me options but I shall rephrase that to "if anybody has any other idea or options, they will be most welcome, particularly from those with Gemini Lake systems."

[sub]

Have you tried viewing in NextPVR.exe? How is the CPU when you view there?

[sub]

Regarding the amount CPU while transcoding, what CPU is in your machine?