Win Intel HTPCs/NUCs & Kodi-native 3D MVC Playback - Printable Version +- Kodi Community Forum (https://forum.kodi.tv) +-- Forum: Discussions (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=222) +--- Forum: Hardware (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=112) +--- Thread: Win Intel HTPCs/NUCs & Kodi-native 3D MVC Playback (/showthread.php?tid=266316) Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
|
RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - hdmkv - 2016-04-06 Moved my review of DN2820 here from the dev thread, which is a bit of a mess up to point when it was merged (and now doesn't belong there anyway)... Intel NUC DN2820FYKH 3D MVC Review, by hdmkv on March 19, 2016 (updated April 21) Please refer to this master stickied thread on relevant Kodi 3D-capable media players and HTPC options. Verdict: A; based on afedchin's March 25 April 20 Kodi 17 MVC Windows build
Overview: 3D MVC natively via Intel/Windows has been a game-changer for 3D fans! We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Kodi developer @afedchin. Thank you sir! Getting a snappy all-in-one, integrated Kodi box with great PQ, full HD audio bitstreaming and perfect framerates has been elusive. Raspberry Pi2 almost was that box, but incapable of bitstreaming HD audio, and not quite as fast as we'd like. The recently released Pi3 is faster, but still can't bitstream HD audio. Kodi dev @afedchin came to the rescue with a solution under Intel hardware/graphics and Windows! While OpenELEC may have been ideal, using the Launcher4Kodi app gives your 3D MVC HTPC that OpenELEC-like set-top box feel to boot. So, this is about as awesome an all-in-one Kodi box we've got until Intel NUC's with HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2 and HDR support arrive, likely with Kaby Lake in late 2016, succesor to Skylake. Or, if nVidia listens to many of us asking for 3D MVC and finally adds that capability to its Shield TV (not holding my breath for it however). I didn't evaluate any 4K on this NUC, because as for present state-of-things, Shield TV and HiMedia Q10 Pro are both better suited for that. My NUC Build Details ($133) & Home Theater Set-Up:
Photo Gallery: watch gallery
Performance: This NUC (even under Windows 10) is as snappy as the ASUS Chromebox I used to have (both Celeron HTPC's). My NUC/Windows install is minimal, with only Kodi, Launcher4Kodi, CCleaner and Google Chrome installed. Nothing else, other than background Windows processes, running or installed. Kodi is very fluid, responsibe, without any lags. A/V Tests:
Audio lip sync error (with audio .5 secs behind video) is occasionally an issue for some, myself included. But, it's hard to replicate, and seems random. It affects only 3D ISO's, with MVC MKV's of the same w/o issues. Also, a quick FF or skip back gets A/V back in sync. Only reason I've awarded this NUC an 'A-', as otherwise it would be a solid 'A'. Other than lip-sync error, no issues with playback (video and audio) like stutters, or even microstutters, judders, or any such artifacts. I watched a pendelum test clip, FPS test clips, and rolling credit sequences to assess. Update April 21: No more lip-sync errors. Use April 20 build and make settings as instructed in post #1. Extras:
Support: A+. This thread and afedchin's developmental thread. PQ Shootout: This is very subjective, but having just compared HiMedia Q10 (with Imprex engine 2.0 enabled), RPi3 and the Intel NUC in this review, my 2D and 3D PQ assessments are as follows:
Wrap-Up: My Intel NUC with Windows 10 (for this review), or any compatible Intel h/w and @afedchin's MVC Kodi 17 build, is now what I'd consider the #1 all-in-one media player for the dedicated home theater enthusiast! While I still like HiMedia Q10 Pro for 3D + first-rate 4K, and nVidia Shield as that versatile all-in-one (just sans-3D), the PQ on my new Intel NUC bests them both. The only slightly nagging issue with this NUC is lip-sync error with some 3D ISO's. Also, while not quite a full 4K solution for now, this does everything else great in one box! Intel's PQ is great, even compared to HiMedia's Imprex Engine 2.0! Not by a huge margin (maybe splitting hairs), but Intel's PQ is so natural, sharp, detailed, and vibrant (even with PQ enhancements disabled in Intel's graphics' properties). Bottom line is for 3D MVC (ISO and MKV), and all the other functionality we home theater enthusiasts demand, an Intel NUC or compatible HTPC w/afedchin's Kodi build (which will hopefully go mainline soon) is the best bang for the buck (as my buddy movie78 PM'd me to exclaim!). Once we get full-range 4K with upcoming Intel NUC's, and DD+ issue is resolved, we'll truly have that A+ 'holy grail' all-in-one box! So close, that I and I'm sure other enthusiasts reading this can taste it! Exciting times indeed! RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - hdmkv - 2016-04-07 Beelink BT3 Intel Atom X5-Z8300 3D MVC Review, by hdmkv on April 6, 2016 (updated April 8) Verdict: A-; based on afedchin's March 25 Kodi 17 MVC Windows build
Overview: Beelink's BT3 relies on Intel's Atom X5-Z8300 chip. It comes with Windows 10 32-bit preinstalled, 2GB RAM, gigabit LAN, 40GB user disk partition, with 20GB OS-partitioned. My thanks to Everbuying for sending me a review sample. Photo Gallery: watch gallery
Performance: Beelink's BT3 is fairly snappy, but don't expect i3 (or even Celeron N2820) level performance. For Kodi use, along with Chrome browser, virus scanner, CCleaner and Windows processes running, it does the job well. Boot-up takes about 32 seconds from pressing power button to Windows desktop (not bad, but for comparison my Dell Micro 3050 is 23 seconds; it also has a faster Celeron however). Also, BT3 relies on 32-bit Windows, but for Kodi not an issue as it too is 32-bit. BT3 feels a bit more like a set-top box or media player as its form factor is like the many other Amazon Fire TV-like Android boxes on the market. Install Launcher4Kodi and boot straight into Kodi. As I've been using Windows 10 far more for home theater use than I ever did since Windows 7 days, the more I'm warming up to it. Why deal with Android's shortcomings when you can have full 3D, HD audio (lossless PCM in this case), plus HD Netflix/Amazon? Get an air-mouse for times you're in Windows 10 and use tablet mode with tiles so you get more of that media player feel. Set-Up:
A/V Tests: As noted already, BT3 does NOT bitstream TrueHD/ATMOS and DTS-MA/X. It does decode these formats to lossless multichannel. Also, @wesk05 had suggested I check if BT3/X5-Z8300 does correct channel mapping for below, and I'm happy to confirm, yes to all, and LPCM output sounds great...
Extras:
Wrap-Up: Who is the Beelink BT3 for? Those of us who don't need HD audio bitstreaming (are are fine with lossless multichannel output), but do need full 3D MVC. Also those of us who don't want to fuss with assembling own HTPC's or even a NUC's, but want a box with everything included, ready to use after just a little set-up effort. And, the benfit of not bitstreaming HD audio means no lip-sync error as with other budget Intel h/w options (namely N2820). RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - wesk05 - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 00:00)hdmkv Wrote: Also, @wesk05 had suggested I check if BT3/X5-Z8300 does correct channel mapping for below, and I'm happy to confirm, yes to all, and LPCM output sounds great...Good to know that there is no channel mapping error for 7.1 PCM. What happens if you select WASAPI Audio device for passthrough? RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - hdmkv - 2016-04-07 Problems ... audio starts to stutter and overall Kodi behavior gets wacky (for lack of better description). Also, I get no audio w/HD audio formats. RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - wesk05 - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 01:24)hdmkv Wrote: Problems ... audio starts to stutter and overall Kodi behavior gets wacky (for lack of better description).That's interesting... I don't think I had such problems on Minix Z64 which is Bay Trail Z3735F. RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - hdmkv - 2016-04-07 What happens if you use WASAPI on Minix Z64? RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - dukester - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 01:54)hdmkv Wrote: What happens if you use WASAPI on Minix Z64? can you try to manually "force" install these audio drivers ? they worked to get HD audio working on baytrail devices. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5N7WLDVGPWMSnptZ1o2V2tLS0U/view?pref=2&pli=1 RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - hdmkv - 2016-04-07 That'd be sweet, assuming it works and w/o lip-sync error. Presently setting up D34010WYK NUC for testing, but will re-test Beelink BT3 w/driver you linked to tomorrow. RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - movie78 - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 02:13)hdmkv Wrote: That'd be sweet, assuming it works and w/o lip-sync error. Presently setting up D34010WYK NUC for testing, but will re-test Beelink BT3 w/driver you linked to tomorrow. Waiting for your review on the D34010WYK. I might bite base on your findings. RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - wesk05 - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 01:54)hdmkv Wrote: What happens if you use WASAPI on Minix Z64?It works fine. No HD audio. I have deselected DTS-HD/Dolby Digital Plus/TrueHD capable receiver. Is it just me or is there no 8 channel decode option for DTS-HD on 3/25 build? (2016-04-07, 02:05)dukester Wrote: can you try to manually "force" install these audio drivers ? they worked to get HD audio working on baytrail devices.That driver is for Windows 64-bit. I can only install Windows 32-bit on Minix Z64 (like many other Bay Trail devices). RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - hdmkv - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 02:48)movie78 Wrote: Waiting for your review on the D34010WYK. I might bite base on your findings.Just spent 3+ hours w/D34010WYK and I am NOT recommending it, and not doing a review for it... here's why:
RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - movie78 - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-06, 20:07)dukester Wrote: Its hard to believe its a hardware limitation when the cpu usage doesnt seem to be very high with those 2820 nucs, another thing to try would be increase the memory dedicated to the GPU to something higher like 512 or even 1024 in the bios, might not do anything but it cant hurt, and yet another thing to do would be to find the Min and Max freq for the CPU and set the MIN freq alot higher and closer to the max freq, this wont let the CPU slow down so much on idle, it will use a bit more power but should still be ok, this might help also. April 1st Build Test Intel DN2820 So i increase the Dedicated Video Memory as suggested by @dukester from 64MB to 512MB, I have 8GB RAM but the Bios only allow me 512MB Max. Dedicated Video Memory upgrade requirement. 2GB RAM = 64GB Dedicated Video Memory 4GB RAM = 512MB Dedicated Video Memory 8GB RAM = 1024MB or more Dedicated Video Memory 3D ISO Audio Sync = Better 2D MKV/ISO Audio = Good (just a little bit off) The Audio-sync is a little bit improve after Dedicated Video Memory upgrade. RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - wesk05 - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 04:17)hdmkv Wrote: - Tried default graphics driver, and then one from Intel's website. Issue persisted. What was odd is Intel's Driver utility showing nothing available for this NUC, a first for me. I found this graphics driver : Intel® HD Graphics Driver for Windows® 10 for D34010WY/D54250WY The version is 15.40.13.4331. Is this what is installed by default? RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - hdmkv - 2016-04-07 15.40.13.4331 is what I have installed. Do you have D34010WYK, and is it working w/o issues I'm having w/it? I know @woronczak reported it working fine, so I'd love to know what he did. RE: Intel-specific HTPC/NUC Selection w/reliable MVC 3D ISO - wesk05 - 2016-04-07 (2016-04-07, 04:31)hdmkv Wrote: 15.40.13.4331 is what I have installed. Do you have D34010WYK, and is it working w/o issues I'm having w/it? I know @woronczak reported it working fine, so I'd love to know what he did.No, I don't have it. I have fewer devices than you or movie78 I did look at the Gigabyte BRIX s today, but was able to control myself and didn't buy it |