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2016-06-08, 04:47
(This post was last modified: 2016-06-08, 05:39 by wrxtasy.)
Chromebox if the OP was only decoding 8bit 1080p with HD Audio. Software decoding HEVC only. Far more modern Kernel for adding all sorts of USB dongles.
ODROID C2 once you step into hardware HEVC decoding, especially 10bit HEVC and 4K. Beware Bluray Rips containing VC-1 will not work well. Actually the Chromebox cannot hardware decode this VC-1 combo either.
Yes HDMI CEC on the C2 is definitely handy as is the ability to custom program any spare IR remote control lying about the house to use the inbuilt IR receiver.
Both devices running either OpenELEC or LibreELEC.
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2016-06-09, 16:05
(This post was last modified: 2016-06-09, 16:07 by hdmkv.)
No, RPi can't pass TrueHD or DTS-MA as is. It decodes the usual 6 or 8 channels in those tracks, and passes as lossless multichannel PCM to your AVR. That is probably 95% the same. You just lose some metadata (describing how things like dynamic range compression and dialog normalization should be handled) by sending already decoded audio to your AVR.
And, like you noted, you lose ATMOS and X completely.
[H]i-[d]eft [M]edia [K]een [V]ideosaurus
My HT
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Yes I know it doesn't bitstream. I mean it does decode those signals which is same end result to me.
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nickr
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Yes rpi decodes them all except dts:x and atmos.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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2016-06-10, 13:49
(This post was last modified: 2016-06-10, 13:50 by ZwartePiet.)
Level match the 640Kbps and HD-Audio streams and perform a blind listening test. I'd be surprised if more than a handful could consistently tell the difference. It's analogous to 320Kbps MP3 and FLAC audio. There is a point where increasing bit-rate just doesn't provide any material benefit.
IMO, the only reason to keep the lossless file is if you want to encode it in the future (e.g. via Handbrake). Otherwise, I'd remux each movie to strip out the HD-Audio and reclaim the 1 to 1.5GB of precious disk space.
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2016-06-13, 16:40
(This post was last modified: 2016-06-13, 18:38 by scottns.)
Well after much screwing around I've decided to stick with my current PC but run Kodibuntu instead of Windows. Seems to be working very well and goes into and out of hibernate reliably which is something Windows never did right.
The video card I have in it is an AMD 5400 series card. Everything works but I noticed now the video quality is not quite as good as it was under Windows. There is probably better AMD Windows driver support? Anyways the card is old and I think it's time for an upgrade. What would you recommend as a replacement? I've always preferred Nvidia cards and it looks like Kodibuntu has better driver support for them. Not interested in gaming (I have a game PC already). Just looking for Kodi use, desktop (low-profile) card.