Audio and playback issues on older 2D videos? Used to work but not after update

nok

I think since 1.1.6 I have noticed that a few older 2D videos (raw footage recorded with a cell phone, not sure if it matters) don't autoplay when opened and you have to select play again. Then, while playing the video is fine but the audio sounds absolutely cursed with static and actually painful to listen to, like a Merzbow album basically. But I wonder why they used to play fine in older versions of Skybox? The videos are private so I can't share them with you lol but I'd be happy to hear you were able to fix this issue and I wonder if anyone else has it?

Lucy

nok
Hello,

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Could you please share with us the Info level logs?

You just need to click SKYBOX's Global Settings, change the Logging Levels to "Info", reproduce the issue, then click the BUG icon in the upper-right corner of Global Settings, and send us a bug report attached with logs(tick the "upload logs" box). Thanks!

nok

Lucy I just uploaded the logs from the headset, using the email address associated with my account here. Thanks, hope it helps to get it resolved.

KhanZain

It sounds like you're encountering a compatibility issue with the latest version of Skybox VR player (1.1.6). From your description, it seems like the problem might be related to the codec or format of the videos you're trying to play.

Autoplay Issue: The fact that some older 2D videos don't autoplay anymore might indicate a change in how the app detects and handles video files. This could be due to changes in file format support or autoplay settings in the new version.
Audio Distortion: The sudden appearance of static and distorted audio could be due to changes in audio codec handling or processing in the newer version. This could result in previously playable videos now experiencing audio issues.

To address these problems:

Check Compatibility: Make sure that the videos you're trying to play are in formats supported by Skybox VR. While the videos might have played fine in older versions, the newer version may be more strict about codec compatibility.
Conversion: If your videos are in an unsupported format, consider converting them to a format that Skybox VR supports. This could involve using video conversion software like HandBrake to transcode the videos into a compatible format.
Report the Issue: If you believe this is a bug with Skybox VR, consider reporting it to the developers. They may be able to provide a fix in a future update. You can check Skybox VR's website or community forums for information on how to report bugs.
Seek Community Feedback: Since you're experiencing this issue, it's possible that others are as well. Check online forums or communities related to Skybox VR to see if others have encountered similar problems. You might find workarounds or solutions from other users who have faced the same issue.

By checking compatibility, considering conversion, reporting the issue, and seeking community feedback, you should be able to address the autoplay and audio distortion problems you're experiencing with Skybox VR.

nok

KhanZain Hey thanks you seem pretty knowledgeable. Can you recommend a lossless way to repack or re-encode or otherwise update the files? In my experience that's not possible with Handbrake, but it's been several years since I've used it, so I'm happy to be corrected.

nok

I used MKVToolNix to repack the mp4 and avi files as mkv, but it did not solve the audio problem. On my pc all files play normally and if I roll back Skybox to 1.1.5 they also all still play normally. Any ideas?

Lucy

nok
Hello,

We understand the video is private and you are unwilling to share with us the video for testing. Is it okay for you to share with us the video/audio codec information?

nok

I was able to check on this today. I also did test a transcoding of the video I created withHandbrake and the new encoding played normally in Skybox, so that will probably be the easiest and quickest solution. But I also was able to get you some detailed info on the problem files, which might be helpful in fixing the issue as well.

I am using PotPlayer for this info. I was able to determine that all the videos with a problem were recorded with an old Canon Powershot camera. Interestingly, when I play the videos on my pc in PotPlayer they play normally, but if I turn on the "OSD playback info" the audio codec "output" info says "0x0000, Unknown Hz, Unknown Channels, Unknown-bit, kbps". There is more detailed info in the "playback and file info" menu, though. Here are the entries for two different videos:

[Used Filter List]
(1) Built-in AVI Source
(2) Built-in Video Codec/Transform
(3) Enhanced Video Renderer(Custom Present)
(4) DirectSound Audio Renderer

[Video Information]
Codec: MJPG - Built-in FFmpeg Decoder(mjpeg, Thread Frame)
Input type: MJPG(24 bits)
Input size: 320 × 240(1.33:1)
Output type: YV12(12 bits)
Output size: 320 × 240(1.33:1)
Frame rate: 59.94
BitRate: 10230.6 kbps

[Audio Information]
Codec: PCM(0x1)
Sample rate: 11024 -> 11024 samples/sec
Bits per sample: 8 -> 8 bits/sample
Channels: 1 -> 1 channels
Bitrate: 88 kbps

General
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
Format settings : BitmapInfoHeader / PcmWaveformat
File size : 73.9 MiB
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Overall bit rate : 10.3 Mb/s
Frame rate : 59.940 FPS
Mastered date : 2012-10-05 07:42:06
Writing application : CanonMVI06

Video
ID : 0
Format : JPEG
Codec ID : MJPG
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Bit rate : 10.2 Mb/s
Width : 320 pixels
Height : 240 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 59.940 (60000/1001) FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:2
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.222
Stream size : 73.2 MiB (99%)

Audio
ID : 1
Format : PCM
Format settings : Unsigned
Codec ID : 1
Duration : 1 min 0 s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 88.2 kb/s
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 11.024 kHz
Bit depth : 8 bits
Stream size : 646 KiB (1%)
Alignment : Aligned on interleaves
Interleave, duration : 1001 ms (60.00 video frames)
Interleave, preload duration : 1000 ms

A second video with the same problem:

[Used Filter List]
(1) Built-in AVI Source
(2) Built-in Video Codec/Transform
(3) Enhanced Video Renderer(Custom Present)
(4) DirectSound Audio Renderer

[Video Information]
Codec: MJPG - Built-in FFmpeg Decoder(mjpeg, Thread Frame)
Input type: MJPG(24 bits)
Input size: 640 × 480(1.33:1)
Output type: YV12(12 bits)
Output size: 640 × 480(1.33:1)
Frame rate: 30
BitRate: 14905.7 kbps

[Audio Information]
Codec: PCM(0x1)
Sample rate: 11024 -> 11024 samples/sec
Bits per sample: 8 -> 8 bits/sample
Channels: 1 -> 1 channels
Bitrate: 88 kbps

General
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
Format settings : BitmapInfoHeader / PcmWaveformat
File size : 882 MiB
Duration : 8 min 13 s
Overall bit rate : 15.0 Mb/s
Frame rate : 30.000 FPS
Mastered date : 2009-05-25 07:30:01
Writing application : CanonMVI06

Video
ID : 0
Format : JPEG
Codec ID : MJPG
Duration : 8 min 13 s
Bit rate : 14.9 Mb/s
Width : 640 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 30.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:2
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 1.617
Stream size : 877 MiB (99%)

Audio
ID : 1
Format : PCM
Format settings : Unsigned
Codec ID : 1
Duration : 8 min 13 s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 88.2 kb/s
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 11.024 kHz
Bit depth : 8 bits
Stream size : 5.19 MiB (0%)
Alignment : Aligned on interleaves
Interleave, duration : 999 ms (29.97 video frames)
Interleave, preload duration : 1000 ms