Raspberry Pi - Quality on Larger Files
#1
Hey guys, just a quick question for you Rasp Pi users... how is it for big files on a big screen?

I've looked around online, and few people I've seen comment about it, were people with smaller files on smaller screens. I know from using Win7x64 and a PC, when I comb through the forums, quite often I see the 'fix' for issues usually ends up being to get a better video card, better CPU etc... which is why I wonder about the Raspberry Pi 3 verB. Pretty limited hardware wise, but also runs a totally different OS so, not sure what to expect.

My main computer (signature) holds all the files. I have a small Dell desktop PC in the living room which runs great as a player. I was debating adding another KODI box on another TV and was debating another used DELL or maybe a Raspberry Pi.

So, running small SD files on a small 10" screen apparently works fine, but what if I was trying to play a 4GB HVEC/x265 DTS5.1 file on a 40" TV? Would the Raspberry Pi work? or would I get major eye strain watching it stutter and jitter constantly?

Thanks
System 1: HK1 RBox - Android 11, S905X4 Quad-Core, 4GB DDR3 - CoreElec KODI 20.3
System 2: Beelink GT1 Ultimate - Android 7.1, S912 Octa-Core 1.5 GHz, 3GB DDR4 - CoreElec KODI 18
Storage: WD MyCloud EX2 Ultra NAS - 2x4TB WD Blue (WD40EZRZ)
Display: 55" TCL 55R615-CA 4K TV
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#2
I project my Blu-ray rips onto an 8 ft wide screen viewed from 12 ft away. They look great.

You've probably already searched the forums and seen that the pi does not hardware decode H.265. It can decode some H.265 files but it depends on how they were encoded.
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#3
Did not know that about H.265... mostly been on Google looking for reviews and such of the RaspPi with KODI, but again, not much mention of what's tested, just here's a video of me watching a movie, and no file info. I'm sure my old 300MB AVI files will run fine, but for some newer stuff, that's what I'm concerned with.

I don't have many H.265 files, still sticking with H.264 mostly. I find that with H.265, many work fine... but ever so often I get one that doesn't seem to work very well. On the main computer when a scene is panning, it's smooth and continuous then has a split second stutter ever so often. Same scene on the living room computer is just one slow constant stutter, drives me nuts... yet I'll have another H.265 file and runs smooth on both systems. Must be related to how it's encoded.
System 1: HK1 RBox - Android 11, S905X4 Quad-Core, 4GB DDR3 - CoreElec KODI 20.3
System 2: Beelink GT1 Ultimate - Android 7.1, S912 Octa-Core 1.5 GHz, 3GB DDR4 - CoreElec KODI 18
Storage: WD MyCloud EX2 Ultra NAS - 2x4TB WD Blue (WD40EZRZ)
Display: 55" TCL 55R615-CA 4K TV
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#4
I have 3 RPI Model Bs and a RPI 2 Model B and the video playback quality is superb.
HTPCs: 2 x Chromecast with Google TV
Audio: Pioneer VSX-819HK & S-HS 100 5.1 Speakers
Server: HP Compaq Pro 6300, 4GB RAM, 8.75TB, Bodhi Linux 5.x, NFS, MySQL
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#5
I don't know where you get the idea that the rpi is 'limited hardware wise' when it comes to playing media. In short it's not.
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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#6
File size is related to the resolution of the source video and the type of compression used.
Picture quality is related to the resolution of the source material and the type of compression used along with viewing distance to the screen.

Assuming the video source material is 1080p and compressed using is h.264, a decrypted BD rip will weigh in at around 20GB +/- some GB.
Such 'quality' rips can be recompressed down to as small as 1GB or less.
At an optimal sitting distance to the screen, viewing the 20GB rip on a 50" panel will look great while viewing the 1GB rip may also look good (depending on the video sceens).
With viewing the same 20GB file on a 110" screen at optimal distance, it will still look great but you would be sitting much further back.
The temptation would be to sit closer and when doing that viewing the 1GB file on 110" screen you may start to notice way too many compression artifacts on this screen.

Generally speaking, the more compression that is applied, the more noticable artifacts can become (and smoke or and dark sceens can suffer with more than other sceens).
That's where it all gets rather complicated as compression techniques can uses complex rules to squash different sceens at differing rates.
And some compression techniques are said to be better than others for a given file size.
Furthermore, the end result also depends on how the compression is applied (what/how you set the miriad parameters for the codec).
(In part that's why i don't reencode my BD rips along with the fact that HDD are not that expensive.)

Compounding all of this is the fact that some BD films are rather poorly mastered and some are filled with horrid artifacts (though i'm not sure if it's compression or decryption/unscrambling related).
Some BD's are simply poorly done upscaled versions of DVD's.
Some BD's are brilliant.
See BD picture quality rankings for a look at the mess that is PQ on BD.
So the quality of the source material itself is variable (crap in crap out is a phrase that comes to mind).

Then if one talks about projection, not all projectors are the same (just like not all flat panel TV's are the same).
Some produce brilliant picture quality while others produce good quality for the same input material, some are just bad.
It all depends on the hardware within the panel or projector (and assuming you feed it great 1080p quality signal).
But it is still true to say that what you notice depends on how far you sit from the screen and in part how good your eyesight is.

Looking at the viewing charts within a viewing distance article and/or the optimum viewing distance wiki is just a start...
When looking to buy, trusting your eyes when viewing equipment in a similar environment to your home is even more important and the only way to go.

Asking how some unknown big file looks on a unspecified big screen projected by unspecified equipment is too much like asking how long a piece of string is Smile

Looking at the RPi in isolation is for similar reasons not they way to consider it..
You need to consider where you get your source material from, how it's encoded and what you are viewing it on (video path and all assocuiated processing).

Me. i rip my own BD's and don't recompress and i don't stream (i don't have the bandwidth and i am data cap limited).
I use a RPi which outputs 1080p and has rather good hardware which copes flawlessly with BD and older DVD rips (note that i have VC1 and MPEG2 licenses installed).
I don't watch live broadcast TV with my RPi but one day i'll set it up again.
I have my equipment connected as RPi3 -> Pioneer AMP -> Pioneer 50" Panel.
It all works well though 50" TV has become very small by todays standard.
About the only downside is that RPi3 can't passthough DTS HD MA and other lossless formats like DD HD (so my RPi converts to 5.1 PCM).
Oh, and it sometimes looses connection to my blutooth remote (so i need to force a resync).
Picture quality wise, i'm more than happy with my setup (old eyes and all) Tongue

The search for a rollup screen and quality projector should begin at some stage (i'm not in a hurry) Smile
And with spending $$ on a quality projector, i may need to relocate the RPi and use something better (or not) with it, guess i'll find out when i buy it.

But even if i had a magic box with perfect PQ, buying a crap projector will not result in a even good PQ dispite what the magic box sends.
It simply doesn't work that way Wink
I'm a XBMC novice :)
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#7
(2016-09-30, 05:00)nickr Wrote: I don't know where you get the idea that the rpi is 'limited hardware wise' when it comes to playing media. In short it's not.

So, I can easily swap out and upgrade the CPU, add some more ram, and stick in a new video card like I can with my PC?

No... hardware wise it is what it is when it comes to that stuff. Regardless if it's for video or whatever... once it starts getting to slow to handle stuff, you swap it out instead of upgrading it like a regular PC was my point.
System 1: HK1 RBox - Android 11, S905X4 Quad-Core, 4GB DDR3 - CoreElec KODI 20.3
System 2: Beelink GT1 Ultimate - Android 7.1, S912 Octa-Core 1.5 GHz, 3GB DDR4 - CoreElec KODI 18
Storage: WD MyCloud EX2 Ultra NAS - 2x4TB WD Blue (WD40EZRZ)
Display: 55" TCL 55R615-CA 4K TV
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#8
@skylarking
Thanks, very informative :-}
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#9
I just watched a 44 gig bluray 1080p/x264 without any problems. Does that answer your question?

Rpi3, Arch Linux alarm, .mkv was on my NFS server.

Your screen size is irrelevant. As stated before, H/x265 doesn't work properly but generally everything else does.
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#10
(2016-09-30, 14:13)THRobinson Wrote:
(2016-09-30, 05:00)nickr Wrote: I don't know where you get the idea that the rpi is 'limited hardware wise' when it comes to playing media. In short it's not.

So, I can easily swap out and upgrade the CPU, add some more ram, and stick in a new video card like I can with my PC?

No... hardware wise it is what it is when it comes to that stuff. Regardless if it's for video or whatever... once it starts getting to slow to handle stuff, you swap it out instead of upgrading it like a regular PC was my point.
All I said was that the RPi is not a limited option for playback of video. In fact it is one of the more accomplished machines anywhere for video playback, providing you aren't after 4k or using HEVC codec.

So it goes to the upper limit of bluray, you won't need more ram or more gpu, and plays MVC 3D natively in kodi (and there is not many machines you can say that about!). It is also perhaps the best supported hardware in team kodi.

Besides if you don't like it, you spent $35 on it and can repurpose it to turn your sprinklers on, or provide an internet connected control for your aircon, or be a decent music player, or a million and one other things.
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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