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(2015-09-14, 19:56)Caramba69 Wrote: [ -> ]
(2015-09-14, 15:48)hdmkv Wrote: [ -> ]It is. You only lose the embedded metadata to get ATMOS and DTS:X. So, if you have a 5.1 or 7.1 set-up and don't plan to upgrade to a 5.1.x, 7.1.x or 9.1.2 (like me Smile), you're fine with RPi2 doing the HD audio decoding to multichannel PCM.

That's true, but I still prefer to see on my AV receiver exactly what kind of audio stream is played.

That's why i am not interested in RPi2.
I've expensive AVR for a reason and i want to see my formats:Smile
Good thing we have options, and to each their own Smile.
Question

When you guys are in kodi and launching a movie with wrapper.
When movie is finished, how do you return to kodi?
using the "back" button on my remote, sometimes (not always) causes kodi to crash
Hmm, I never saw the Kodi crashing issue w/my Q5.
Kodi does crash for me once in a while but it bounces right back up when it does. I don't think I have ever seen it crash while trying to come back after using the external player wrapper.
Its especially with series, it could be my server doing it
not sure

i cant remember happening with movies
The new firmware fixes some problems but not all and creates at least one new problem.

Fixed bugs:

- The video stutter/audio sync issue on H.264 HD seems a lot better. I haven't watched enough stuff to feel confident in saying it is 100% fixed but I can say it is a definite improvement.

- H.265 no longer seems to have an audio sync issue and it does not seem to crash the player as it did before.

- It appears the intermittent hanging on initial boot may have been fixed. I need more time using the unit to say it is 100% fixed. At least it hasn't happened to me yet with the update.

Existing bugs that are not fixed:

- Severe stutter/strobing on some 480i with 3:2 pulldown. This seems to happen with the external player and with the internal Kodi player. This is actually worse than before. Prior to the update, the internal player worked fine. I have some test files I plan to share to illustrate this problem.

- 1080p24 mode seems to downgrade all 24fps content (regardless of resolution) to 720p 50Hz inside the player but it outputs 1080p24 to the display. This includes 4K content as well. I have confirmed the loss of resolution using a custom 4K test pattern I created which I will make available. I will also create a custom 1080p test pattern to help confirm that everything is actually being downscaled to 720 inside the player. If everything is being downscaled to 720p, it basically makes 1080p24 mode useless for 90% of my library.

- Annoying 'External player active - Click "OK" when playback has ended' Pop up when watching anything using the external wrapper. I am told this is a feature and not a bug but since it is intrusive and there is no way to disable this behavior, I still consider it a bug that I would like to see fixed.

New Bug:

- If the Q5 output is set to either 2160p 24Hz or 2160p 30Hz, upon reboot, it will automatically default down to 720p. This is really annoying for people who purchased this box for the ability to play 4K. It means after every reboot, you have to go back and reset the output resolution to 4K. Personally, what I would like to see is an option to have the output of the Q5 automatically switch based on the content it is playing. If a 480i file is being played, automatically switch the output to 480i, same with 1080p24, same with 2160p. If this is possible, it would be ideal.


At this point, I am starting to think this box may never live up to it's full potential. It definitely has the potential to be the best player on the market and do everything correctly but as it ages and new products become available, it looks less and less likely. I am not completely giving up yet but I am seriously looking at the OpenHour Gecko which appears to do everything the Q5 can do: http://www.cloudmedia.com/products/open-...hour-gecko I have owned OpenHour products in the past so I am not under any false illusions that it will be a perfect player either. Still on my quest to find the perfect player that can play Full 3D, 4K H.265, 1080p24, SD, and bitstream lossless audio. I want all of this without annoying bugs that destroy the picture and sound. The quest continues.
Quote:I am not completely giving up yet but I am seriously looking at the OpenHour Gecko which appears to do everything the Q5 can do
OpenHour Gecko won't be any better than HiMedia's M3 as it's a rebranded M3 basically. HiMedia and chip-maker HiSilicon are part of the same company, so you're likely to see better support on HiMedia before OpenHour.

Quote:If the Q5 output is set to either 2160p 24Hz or 2160p 30Hz, upon reboot, it will automatically default down to 720p. This is really annoying for people who purchased this box for the ability to play 4K. It means after every reboot, you have to go back and reset the output resolution to 4K.
Thanks... I'll note this in my 3D player comparison chart.
Unfortunately, I think you are right hdmkv. I guess I am just hoping OpenHour *may* have better support and *may* be able to help push HiSilicon for fixes. I think it is only a matter of time before someone does it right without all the major bugs. Until then, I think I can limp along with the Q5.
I have some good news and bad news.

First, the good news...After creating and analyzing the 1080p24 test patterns, I have verified the 1080p24 setting does not actually lower the resolution of 1080p24 files to 720p even though when the "TV Mode" button is pressed while playing a 1080p24 file, the Q5 reports it is outputting "TV 720p 50Hz FramePacking" to the display. In reality, the output is 1080p24 actual resolution. The incorrectly displayed resolution is still a bug and should be fixed but it isn't critical.

Now the bad news...23.976 FPS 4K files *ARE* automatically down-sampled to 1080p24 if the 1080p24 setting is enabled. This is a real shame as it means customers who want to use the Q5 for 4K must either disable the 1080p24 option prior to playing a 23.976 FPS 4K file or re-select one of the 4K TV Mode settings manually after starting to play said file type. The Q5 definitely has some 4K bugs that I think have been overlooked because there isn't very much 4K material available yet and there aren't that many people trying to watch it yet. Hopefully, HiMedia will eventually get around to fixing these. I have uploaded the test files I used to verify the behavior of the Q5 and I invite others to confirm my findings.


1080p Test Patterns H264 23_976fps.mkv.zip - Three 1080p test patterns each displayed for 20 seconds. All three patterns have a green/black border on the outer two pixels. First is horizontal black/white stripes every other pixel, next is vertical black/white stripes every other pixel, and finally is black/white checkerboard every other pixel. If you can see the stripes and the checkerboard pattern crisply without flickering (of course you are going to have to get right next to your display to see this), your display is capable of at least 1080p resolution and you are getting at least 1080p from the Q5. In addition, if you see the green/black border, your display has zero overscan which is desirable. If you see only gray on your display, either your display is not capable of 1080p or your display is destroying the resolution coming from the Q5 by using some setting like noise reduction or the resolution from the Q5 is lower than 1080p . There are a number of reasons this may be happening. The file is at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3-obtC...sp=sharing

4K Test Patterns H265 23_976fps.mkv.zip - Same as the above patterns except in 4K. Six patterns here. The first three patterns (vertical, horizontal & checkerboard) have a black/white border on the outer two pixels. The last three patterns (also vertical, horizontal & checkerboard) have a green/black border on the outer two pixels. No reason for the separate green vs. white border except that I had the idea to add green after I created the first set of patterns. The file is at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3-obtC...sp=sharing

I am getting some other test files together and will be sharing them shortly. I plan to demonstrate judder/stutter with 480i 3:2 pulldown as well as a 3D ISO of the above test patterns so we can verify we are getting full 1080p out of 3D ISO files. I have no reason to think we aren't however, trust but verify is always a good position. Wink
Test Clip - Stutter, Judder, interlace 480i 29_97fps MPEG-2 AC-3 DVD Rip MKV 5min.mkv.zip - Demonstrates stutter/judder on 480i 3:2 pulldown content. I have lots of stuff that does this. Mostly old sitcoms in 29.97 FPS. The problem occurs only with the external player. I originally thought I saw it with the internal Kodi DVD player too but it doesn't seem to be happening. I have tried every setting I can think of and nothing seems to fix it. I can upload additional samples if desired. File is at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3-obtC...sp=sharing
Poor mpeg2 (and also VC1, especially 1080i) support on HiMedia is something I encountered first hand as well. Look forward to your "3D ISO of the above test patterns so we can verify we are getting full 1080p out of 3D ISO files". I don't have any 4K yet, but not surprised Q5 isn't supporting it ideally. I'm guessing 4K will be better on H8 (or Zidoo's X6 Pro), but what's unknown is how well, and whether 23.976 is supported properly.
BigPines, hope you don't mind me testing your video cllip, just wanted to see what you were talking about. Maybe I don't know what to look for, but that clip played fine for me. I downloaded it from my Tronsmart Orion R68, extracted the mkv file and played it using MX player pro. It played perfectly for me, and the video quality was very good for a 480i clip. I left the black bars on the sides. Next I played it using Kodi 16 latest nightly, again played perfectly for me. Interestingly, Kodi played it full screen with no black bars on the sides.
Ah, so the stuttering is an MPEG2 issue then? I don't seem to have the problem on 480i 23.976 FPS MPEG2. Not even all 3:2 pulldown seems to have the problem. I suppose I could transcode to H.265 to avoid the issue. Maybe that is what I should do anyway to save room on my hard drive. I haven't tried 1080i/1080p MPEG2 or VC-1 yet but I'll try them. They may be good candidates for transcoding to H.265 as well if HiMedia doesn't fix the issue.
Thanks clarkss12. I welcome your input. The stutter I am referring to is very obvious and very annoying. If you had the problem, I'm sure you would have noticed it. I believe the problem to be specific to HiMedia's custom external player on the Q5 so I am not surprised it played well on your Tronsmart Orion R68. Odd that Kodi played it full screen though since it is a 4:3 clip. The Tronsmart Orion R68 is an interesting box. Can it do lossless audio, Atmos, and 3D ISO? The hardware specs are impressive. If it could do everything, I would go to it in a heartbeat. I'm really hooked on Kodi now so I guess I should add that whatever I end up with must allow me to use the Kodi UI.
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