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+---- Thread: Android HDR to SD conversion ? (/showthread.php?tid=307948)
HDR to SD conversion ? - Earwig - 2017-02-23
Does/Will Kodi support this function ?
When playing HDR content on a non HDR screen, you get a washed out appearance. In some cases, nearly a total lack of color. MadVR when used with MPC-HC has settings that converts this back to a nice bright color palette.
Does Kodi support this in any way ? Will it support it in the future ?
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - Earwig - 2017-03-08
No love for this ?
Anyway to add MPC and MadVR as an external player then ? Or is that a total no go ?
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - Earwig - 2017-10-08
Still nothing on this ?
Is it possible to add this player to Kodi as an External player ?
https://mpv.io/installation/
It appears to do some form of Tone Mapping.
I would assume I try and folloiw this thread ?
http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Use_external_players_on_Android
It's been several months now and I kinda though that with the advent of all this HDR stuff, this might have been a really good feature to add ? Maybe it's just me that wants it :-(
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - iMak - 2017-10-08
Any progress? I also notice a washed out color when playing HDR contents on a Full HD TV.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - fritsch - 2017-10-08
(2017-10-08, 06:33)iMak Wrote: Any progress? I also notice a washed out color when playing HDR contents on a Full HD TV.
If you have Surface rendering enabled, there is absolutely nothing we can do. If you disable surface rendering it goes through our shaders, check if there is something different.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - iMak - 2017-10-08
(2017-10-08, 10:31)fritsch Wrote:Thanks. I will give it a try.(2017-10-08, 06:33)iMak Wrote: Any progress? I also notice a washed out color when playing HDR contents on a Full HD TV.
If you have Surface rendering enabled, there is absolutely nothing we can do. If you disable surface rendering it goes through our shaders, check if there is something different.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - wrxtasy - 2017-10-08
HINT - AMLogic S905X or S912 box running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton with a Linux/Nougat Kernel has the type of HDR > non HDR support you are looking for with Auto everything working properly.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - Earwig - 2017-10-08
Played around with Surface Rendering. It was off anyway, and in any state it's exactly the same. Very washed out picture devoid of any color.
(2017-10-08, 20:51)wrxtasy Wrote: HINT - AMLogic S905X or S912 box running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton with a Linux/Nougat Kernel has the type of HDR > non HDR support you are looking for with Auto everything working properly.
I have had cheap boxes in the past and never liked them. Always found them to be sluggish and the U.I extremely poor. Also remotes never seem to work very well with them. Add the fact that I would have zero idea how to install anything using Linux and it kinda makes this something that I don't feel will work for me :-(
Unless you can point me in the direction of something that is set up out of the box to work ? I don't mind trying that out I guess.
In any case thanks for trying to help :-)
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - iMak - 2017-10-09
(2017-10-08, 10:31)fritsch Wrote:I disabled Surface rendering but got the same result, a washed out image.(2017-10-08, 06:33)iMak Wrote: Any progress? I also notice a washed out color when playing HDR contents on a Full HD TV.
If you have Surface rendering enabled, there is absolutely nothing we can do. If you disable surface rendering it goes through our shaders, check if there is something different.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - wrxtasy - 2017-10-10
(2017-10-08, 21:41)Earwig Wrote: Played around with Surface Rendering. It was off anyway, and in any state it's exactly the same. Very washed out picture devoid of any color.
(2017-10-08, 20:51)wrxtasy Wrote: HINT - AMLogic S905X or S912 box running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton with a Linux/Nougat Kernel has the type of HDR > non HDR support you are looking for with Auto everything working properly.
I have had cheap boxes in the past and never liked them. Always found them to be sluggish and the U.I extremely poor. Also remotes never seem to work very well with them. Add the fact that I would have zero idea how to install anything using Linux and it kinda makes this something that I don't feel will work for me :-(
Unless you can point me in the direction of something that is set up out of the box to work ? I don't mind trying that out I guess.
In any case thanks for trying to help :-)
Your problem has been cheap dodgy Android Firmware - and its a known fact even today with any Android Krypton Box you care to mention, they are simply not as good for local storage mixed 1080p / 4K HDR Kodi video playback vs say a well sorted AMLogic S905X / S912 running OSMC or LibreELEC Kodi Krypton. HDR > SDR viewed on a non HDR 8/10bit display does not look washed out with these combos.
AMLogic devices like the S912's running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton combined with a USB Wireless dongle Plug N Play MINIX A2 lite remote - "just work", like this one HERE
Such a device is in now way slow, in fact its nice and snappy and would surprise many people, consider how much it costs.
The Vero 4K running OSMC Kodi Krypton is also another such device. That one is Plug N Play - ready to go out of the box. No DIY needed.
What I'm saying is you need devices with properly bug busted Firmware and Software for stress free working Kodi Krypton 1080p / 4K HDR local storage video playback. Demanding Kodi Krypton 1080p / 4K HDR usage and Android devices simply do not play well together.
The NVIDIA Shield does not stand up to demanding Kodi usage either - yet, due to numerous bugs and Android OS limitations. Its a great, all rounder, easy to use media consumption platform tho - that is its target market.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - Earwig - 2017-10-10
Awesome answer, thanks so much for taking the time to respond.
I am certainly going to take a look into this in a bit more detail, as it sounds exactly what I am after.
If I was to get one of these boxes, where would be the best place to get one. I have found a few on eBay for about £60 which doesn't seem bad at all.
Also with regards to the software, would I need to root it ? To allow me to install the other parts ?
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - wrxtasy - 2017-10-10
If you are into DIY and want to possibly end up with a wee ripper of a LibreELEC Box (with extras), follow the breadcrumb links:
LibreELEC on Mecool M8S PRO L 4K TV Box Amlogic S912 Bluetooth 4.1 + HS
Ignore the AMLogic S912 warning on the LibreELEC page. S912's work nicely now with LibreELEC Kodi - they did not till recent fixes were patched in by @kszaq.
The only limitation we have struck with AML S9xx boxes running LibreELEC is 16bit PCM Audio output if you are ever a FLAC lossless 24bit audio connoisseur.
Everything else works for both Audio and Video.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - Earwig - 2017-10-11
Thanks, I am really going to have a look into this.
Out of interest though, How is these able to do HDR TO SDR tonemapping, when my Sheild cannot ? Especially when using what appears to be the same software ?
On the sound front, I think I will be ok with that. I pass everything through to my Reciever so as long as it supports things such as True HD, Atmos and DTS-HD I am good to go.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - Tinwarble - 2017-10-11
(2017-10-11, 01:02)Earwig Wrote: Out of interest though, How is these able to do HDR TO SDR tonemapping, when my Sheild cannot ? Especially when using what appears to be the same software ?
Because they are not the same software, with LibreELEC or OSMC they basically become the OS and when using them you no longer have access to Android or your apps.
RE: HDR to SD conversion ? - wrxtasy - 2017-10-11
(2017-10-11, 01:02)Earwig Wrote: Thanks, I am really going to have a look into this.Developer hat on...
Out of interest though, How is these able to do HDR TO SDR tonemapping, when my Shield cannot ?
It seems that the NVIDIA Linux Kernel developers simply are either incompetent or lazy or lack resources and do not test properly when updating Firmware and introducing new features like Auto Resolution switching and you then end up with incorrect colorspace mapping problems.
Seriously leaving it up to end users to discover problems like those does not leave any device userbase full of confidence. And this is from a multibillion dollar multinational graphics card company not some bunch of Linux guys distributing software for free.
Apple are no better with their new Apple TV 4K either that has that device forcing everything be mapped to 4K HDR 60Hz, and for SDR content that produces disastrous results unless you like fiddling manually in settings all the time when changing source video content.
The LibreELEC and OSMC developers have direct control over the custom Linux Kernel used and also custom patch Kodi Krypton to support that custom Kernel.
Bug fixes, updates and actual proper Firmware & Kodi testing moves at a far quicker pace all done by guys who are passionate about what they produce.
As an example, just look at these three Linux testbuild development threads for LibreELEC Kodi and OSMC Kodi:
https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=166
https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=52
Now where is the equivalent, structured testing process for Android Kodi ?
I'm not trying to denigrate the Android Kodi developers here, it's just reality there are far fewer of them vs Linux Kodi
Android Kodi has to try and cover a large and varied army of Hardware setups as well. Linux based Kodi distributions are far more narrowly focussed.