Choppy video on MacOS Tahoe

[tpm]

This is just my "is this just me?" moment.

I upgraded an M4 Mac Mini and an M3 MacBook Air to Tahoe this morning, and on both computers, the HDHomeRun app shows choppy video now. I'd guess in the 15fps range. Video was fine prior to the upgrade (on the MacBook Air at least; I hadn't tested on the Mini before). This happens on both 720p and 1080i ATSC 1.0 MPEG2 channels.

I've doublechecked, I'm on the current HDHR app as well as the HDHR firmware.

Has anyone else tested this out yet on Tahoe?

Edit: I also tested live TV in Plex on the same HDHR device, and playback is smooth there.

[jph1589]

I have a Mac Mini m4 that I insstalled a month ago. This morning I put on Tahoe 26.0 and I have no problems with the video on the HDHomerun App.

[nickk]

Problem confirmed on a M1 Mac Mini after updating to Tahoe... investigating...

[hdhr1963]

Confirmed on mac mini m4 and macbook air m4 after upgrading to Tahoe. VLC works smoothly on both boxes. HDHR and hdhomerun app are current.

[ERamseth]

Also seeing this on an M2 MacBook Air.

Incidentally, I found that if you have a webpage open behind the HDHR window with some animated feature (for me it was https://www.cinepolisusa.com/ which has a scrolling banner) then the video plays smooth. Makes me think the HDHR app is for some reason not triggering some part of the decoding pipeline to run at a higher clock rate or something.

[ERamseth]

Just an update here that this trick doesn't work in "full screen" but it seems to still work when maximizing the window by double clicking the title bar.

[zipperhead46163]

I have same problem. Apple M4 Pro Tahoe 26.1. HDHomeRun App Video is choppy. VLC player on same turner same channel NOT choppy. What is the fix here? Does the app have a bug?

[zipperhead46163]

I did some more digging and went in to my MacBook Pro Display settings. Under “settings, displays, presets” and it seems to make a difference. Not sure why VLC is not choppy with default settings but you might give that a try. I went to “Apple Display (P3-600 nits) and while it’s not totally smooth it seems better with no decrease in video quality. Also try adjusting the refresh rate. It seems counterintuitive but for me a lower refresh rate seems smoother.

[nickk]

It is a known issue that started with the MacOS Tahoe release.

We are working on a new app release.

[hdhr1963]

Tahoe 26.0.1 improved nothing.

[hdhr1963]

Updated to 20251020. The app still reports "Version 20251006 (UI)" but from the cli - "mas list" reports:

949582631 HDHomeRun (20251020)

So far, the macbook air M4 seems ok - but the app has been simply and silently ending when started. When it does start and stay running, video seems normal.

On the macmini M4 - similar ending at start sometimes. Video - the constant frame drop is gone, but - now seeing a janky frame every 3-4 secs.

Both macs remain at 26.0.1.

[nickk]

Best would be if you can find the crash log generated by MacOS...

[hdhr1963]

Happy to provide any log(s) - just tell me where to find them. I'm not much of a mac guy.

Addendum to my Wed Oct 22, 2025 12:44 am post.

Same jerky thing happening on the macbook air m4. BUT - what I've now noticed after letting things run for a bit - the janky frames seem to subside after a minute or so. Almost like it's syncing video and audio maybe. Also, the version has now been updated in the app - 20251021c (UI) I think.

Many thanks to all that have worked to get this much improvement.

[jasonl]

Open the Console app and select Crash Reports in the left column, and you should see the crashes listed to the right. Select the appropriate one, then just copy and paste everything at the bottom and email it to support at silicondust dot com along with a link to this thread so we know what it is.

[hdhr1963]

Crash report emailed: crash_report_99840C18-4530-4F6D-88D1-0A4ACC7366D8.txt

Thanks.