AAC+ Encoder having issues

eddr

Member
How can I debug the AAC+ encoding? One a day or sometimes more, the encoder has problems and so the stream is restarted (see attachment).

Also is there anyway to clear the broadcasting title via the api which happens when radioboss stops playing?
 

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According to the error message, the problem is with the connection to the server, not with the encoder.
 
Hmm I?m not convinced - we have two connections to the same server, the mp3 encoder didn?t go down at the same time. This issue only ever happens with the AAC encoder.

Also we have recently changed to icecast to shoutcast and the issue still happens.

Is there a log I can check? Or enable logging?
 
eddr said:
we have two connections to the same server, the mp3 encoder didn?t go down at the same time. This issue only ever happens with the AAC encoder
The cause can be different bitrates or how the server handles MP3 and AAC (e.g different packet or buffer sizes sizes or something else).

eddr said:
Is there a log I can check? Or enable logging?
There are no logs for encoders. Encoder errors are listed in RadioBOSS as "Encoder failure" - the error message contains the word "Encoder" when something's wrong with the encoder. In your case the error message clearly indicates network problems.

How often this happen? Do you use AAC or AAC+ and what bitrate?
 
Hello,

Sorry for the delay - been busy! We have since moved main streaming server, this issue happened on the previous shoutcast server and also happens on icecast. It's not a connection issue I'm 99%.

You CAN enable logging for ffmpeg which I did using an env. variable however the log doesn't give up much other than it just... ends without any error or anything, so wonder if ffmpeg is crashing?

And the error does have the word 'Encoder' in it! Check the screenshot again :) We are using AAC+ @ 128kbps.  I've noticed the included ffmpeg version is pretty old now (3.0) can I simply replace the exe?

Thanks
 
eddr said:
I've noticed the included ffmpeg version is pretty old now (3.0) can I simply replace the exe?
Yes, I think this will work. You can also configure your own ffmpeg instance using the Custom Encoders feature in RadioBOSS: https://manual.djsoft.net/radioboss/en/broadcast.htm (scroll down to "Custom encoders" section).
 
Hello,

I tried this and didn't have much luck :( It looks like the ffmpeg version included with RadioBOSS could be a cut down version or really old? The file size was very different.

Nonetheless - I am convinced that ffmpeg is crashing or terminating unexpectedly - it only happens on AAC.  I did find this link which matches the ffmpeg version and maybe it was/is an issue: https://trac.ffmpeg.org/ticket/5225?cversion=0&cnum_hist=1

Would you be able to provide the official way to upgrade the included ffmpeg?
 
If drop-in replacement of ffmpeg.exe did not work, the only way would be to use the Custom Encoders if you need newer ffmpeg version.

The ffmpeg.exe shipped with RadioBOSS will be updated, but this will only happen with the next update and it's not scheduled yet.
 
Would you be able to ask the developer(s) how the current ffmpeg 3.0 version was built? It's a significantly cut down version of 3.0 it looks like - a normal build is ~30mb but the one included is only a few mb.

Drop-in replacement does not work and I have tried many different versions - I get 'Encoder closed (output 1) error so I don't think its compatible.
 
RadioBOSS uses a custom ffmpeg build that differs in size because some features were removed and some were added, this also explains why drop-in replacement did not work.

You can use your version of ffmpeg with the Custom Encoders feature: https://manual.djsoft.net/radioboss/en/broadcast.htm. The command line will look like this, please also see the screenshot attached:
Code:
C:\path\to\ffmpeg.exe -loglevel -8 -f s16le -ac {Channels} -ar {SampleRate} -i - -f adts -c:a aac -b:a {Bitrate}k -cutoff 20000 -

It works with the latest ffmpeg 4.2.2 download from https://www.ffmpeg.org
It appears that it does not support HE-AAC, but as you stream at 128kbps, you don't really need it.
 

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Hello,

Thanks for this - I've been able to sort this issue with a ffmpeg replacement which includes the HE AAC.
 
I'm glad the problem is solved. We'll update ffmpeg distribution in the next RadioBOSS update.
 
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