Upgraded to Mediax version of UIDROID on S21 Ultra, now "unsupported video"

[DSperber]

Happened to be working with TV apps of all kinds on my Win10 system today. Upgraded to v7.0.1 of NextPVR Windows client, in support of my SD Flex-4K network tuner. I am running NextPVR server on this Win10 system, including DVR software and EPG guide (through my Schedules Direct subscription which happens to also be used as the EPG Guide data source for my other "production" desktop Win7 Windows Media Center world supporting both OTA ATSC 1.0 via Hauppauge Quad-HD tuner and Ceton cablecard-enabled tuner for Spectrum DRM cable).

Verified that latest (20250315 UI) HDHR client app on Win10 works fine, and it does. Verified that latest (20250315) HDHR client app on my Samsung S21 Ultra phone works fine, and it does.

Then since I haven't run UIDROID on my phone for a long time, I decided to be sure I had the latest version. This forum says it is the new one using MediaX and the version I had installed several years back was for EXOPLAYER. So I downloaded the latest APK and used ADBLINK2 to side-load it onto my phone.

Then I tried to use it. The program launched properly, and even showed the TV Guide correctly. My channels are only the selected local ATSC 1.0 ones that I have interest in, as well as the three non-DRM ATSC 3.0 channels when those version exist.

However when I went to actually play an ATSC 1.0 channel I got sound but no video. Instead I got an error message "unsupported video". Simultaneously the normally green NextPVR icon (in the Windows notification area) went red! I then terminated UIDROID on the phone, and the red NextPVR icon turned back to green for just a brief period, before going gray!!

And now when I try to launch either HDHR or UIDROID on the phone it can't find the "server". I have to re-boot the Win10 system in order to get the NextPVR server working properly again, and showing a green icon.


==> What is this issue with "unsupported video"? Clearly this is then somehow causing havoc with NextPVR server, bringing it down (first to red, and then to gray out-of-service).

I still have the old EXOPLAYER APK. Should I reinstall that version, just to see if it will work?

[mvallevand]

The icon should go red during playback, that means it is recording which includes Live TV.

Unsupported video could simply be your Android device doesn't support mpeg2-video but without logs there are no problems. Many devices including phones don't support it.

Martin

[DSperber]

I don't follow. Do you want to see something from my phone (like a log somewhere?) which will allow you to determine what is happening?

Should I revert back to the EXOPLAYER verison of the APK, which I believe did work? Same MPEG-2 video from ATSC 1.0 channels. I forget how to produce the list of supported video codecs on the phone, but I'd like to check it if you can tell me how to get it.

The phone is at Android 14. Is that relevant?

There is no DVR recording going on. The machine was simply freshly booted, and eventually the NextPVR icon went green. I then started UIDROID on the phone and the NextPVR icon went red. I didn't cause that.

How should we diagnose what's happening?

[DSperber]

NOTE: I just ran VLC for Android, and it sees the Flex-4K tuners via HDHR, and presents the same channel list as the other apps do.

And I just SUCCESSFULLY played the very channel (2.1) which HDHR app playes also, but UIDROID could not play.

So that tells me MPEG-2 support is on the phone. The issue is something with UIDROID.

[mvallevand]

Sure you can try but Samsung phones typically don't support mpeg2 video so I would be surprised if it works. You could try the silicon dust app too.

VLC and Kodi can software decode on Android

An atsc 3 stream with hevc and no DRM hould play except touch support in uidroid is very weak it is designed for an Android player not a phone or tablet.

If you start playing Live TV the icon will go red as I posted Live TV is considered recording, if it doesn't go green after a period of time when you stop play I need the logs.

Martin

[DSperber]

Also, when I now launch UIDROID on the phone it complains "cannot connect to server".

Whatever was done by UIDROID, this also now prevents HDHR from finding the server. Didn't stop VLC from playing the TV channels.

If I reboot the Win10 machine (thus reinitializing NextPVR server) all will be well again.

[mvallevand]

Without logs there are no problems.

Martin

[DSperber]

Well, I cannot reinstall the older EXOPLAYER version of the APK. ADBLINK2 complained about a newer version currently installed. Is there a command-line version of ADBLINK2 that can be performed with an override parameter to force the back-level APK to be installed?

Anyway, I'm fine with pursuing the current MediaX version, and figuring out what's going on. Please tell me what logs you would like me to send you... from phone? From PC?

Again, VLC has no problem playing both ATSC 1.0 channels (MPEG-2) yielding both video and audio. It also can play ATSC 3.0 channels (HEVC) but with no audio (AC4 support must be missing from my phone).

And HDHR app has no problem playing ATSC 1.0 channels (MPEG2) again with both audio and video. And it also plays ATSC 3.0 channels (HEVC), with audio which I assume is actually coming back from their cloud-assisted decoding of AC4.

So UIDROID should certainly have no problem with ATSC 1.0 or ATSC 3.0 channels for video. AC4 audio is questionable I supposed, but I'm not concerned right now. I'm concerned as to why ordinary ATSC 1.0 channels produce sound but "unsupported video" from UIDROID.

What log file from where do you want me to collect for you?

[mvallevand]

Kodi and VLC software decode so not worth comparing although you could use Kodi with NextPVR

Let's start with the zipped NextPVR logs from the settings page maybe streaming is failing.

Martin

[DSperber]

Here is the zip file of "logs" produced from NextPVR web client -> Settings. It probably will reflect a whole series of things I have done, so I hope you can ferret out just what's relevant to your interest.