Playback stuttering issue on iOS (AV1)

I have recently been getting playback issues when trying to watch a show that is encoded in AV1 - I have noticed it on some other AV1 titles as well.
It appears that at certain points, which are very repeatable, IE In a clip I have recorded showing the issue (I am a new user so I cannot upload it) I am able to get it to freeze at this point almost 75% of the time. This is happening across multiple files, and it occurs whether I stream it from my Jellyfin server or download the file and play it directly.
I have noticed on the web players, other media player, etc this issue does not occur. I have also tested the infuse app on the AppleTV and this does not occur.
iOS 17.3.1 iPhone 15 Pro - Infuse 7.7.4

If you are able to upload one of the problematic video files so we can test here that may help us better understand what is going on.

I have dropped a file showing the error along with one of the problematic files - please let me know if you need anything else.

I tested your sample here, and was not able to replicate any playback issues on an iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 17.4.1.

Can you try updating your iOS version to see if this maybe helps?

Infuse uses HW decoding for AV1 videos on iPhone 15 Pro. This is a fairly new feature for Apple, and it’s possible they could have fixed some bugs in newer versions of iOS.

Strange - I have gone ahead and updated the iOS to 17.4.1, tried clearing cache, re-installing the application, rebooting the phone, but still get the issue with infuse, but not with other apps using the HW decoding for some reason.
I also went to visit family this weekend and tried it on my dad’s iPhone 15 pro running 17.4.1 and it had the same issue - mine and his phone were bought at the same time so it could possibly be a chip or something was updated for future batches, but still seems weird.

Is there any built in logging or a feature I can enable for that to provide more information?

Sorry if I’m unsolicitedly resurrecting an older post, but I am facing the same issue on an iPad Pro M4! The same AV1 files play smoothly on the Apple TV 4K and Mac OS though. Would be great to have a solution.

I also have the same problem on M4 iPad (iPadOS 17.5.1). Only 2 frames were visible in more than 10s. The same AV1 file plays smoothly on iPhone 13 mini. If needed I can upload the problematic video file. (Tested with Infuse, 7.8.1, 7.7.8)

I can definitely attest that AV1 playback has issues with infuse specifically on the av1 hardware-decode devices. My main device is an iPad M4 and most av1 files seem to have a hard time getting started. The audio will start, but the video lags behind. then after a couple seconds the audio rewinds and starts again and that process keeps repeating. Eventually sometimes it can fix itself, but I have found if I scrub to the middle of the video it can fix itself much quicker, then at that point I can scrub back to the start and it will continue to play fine. Once I actually get the files playing I haven’t seen any other issues. I suspect a buffering problem specific to those few devices (iphone 16 and 15, ipad pro m4).

You are right. I was able to get smooth playback after few minutes using the scrubbing method. When smooth playback starts PIP button disappears.

Edit: Smooth scrubbing preview can be achieved before smooth playback.

In addition to the trouble with AV1 starting playback, I have noticed that AV1 files do not play back smoothly when the device is in low-power mode (i.e. low battery). This is again only the AV1 hardware-decode devices. Exiting from low-power mode returns AV1 files to normal (smooth) playback.

Adding that I experience similar playback issues w/ AV1 videos as well on an M4 iPad Pro, and it seems to be isolated to Infuse. I may get a couple seconds of video, but then it stops progressing or turns black, while the audio continues to play. When I use a different app, say VLC, the same video plays back with no issue whatsoever.

If you give them time your files will finally sync and play normal. It’s not ideal but it’s just the way it is right now. I know of no other app for iPad that has AV1 acceleration at all.
True many other apps will play the files, but it would be using software decoding and you will likely notice your iPad getting hot and your battery running down more quickly.

Thanks @Jimmdean for the rundown. I thought maybe VLC might be using HW decoding since the M4 isn’t technically the first iOS chip to have it, but I base that off of nothing but expectations.

I overlooked it at the time, but now I see what @rasic was saying about the pip button - when my files finally sync up and play correctly that button disappears. This could all have something to do with how files are processed for pip on IOS - maybe pip and av1 hardware decoding just don’t mesh well right now . @james is there any way to turn off pip entirely in infuse for ios so the app doesn’t even try to use it?

I am having the similar issue, the video starts showing the first few frames, then freezes while the audio keep playing. And its only happening on my iPad Pro with M4 chip!! , my iPhone 14 Pro, 2 ATV 4K (first gen and last one), and my MBP with M1 Pro all run AV1 smoothly with no issues.

@Jimmdean solution works, but its very frustrating experince that a device as capable as iPad Pro with M4 have these issues, while other ones dont. Hopefully its something can be fixed with a software update in the near futre.