[noggin]

2160/50p and 2160/59.94p output over HDMI 2.0 will be needed for broadcast UHD TV services - like the test transmissions being broadcast on a number of satellites in Europe. Of course whether you will be able to watch full-time services on an HTPC is a different matter as most UHD stuff is likely to be Pay-TV. (The 50/59.4Hz refresh rate is better for sport and entertainment than 23.976/25Hz used for movie, drama and most documentary content)

2160/23.976p will be the dominant standard for movies, and that can be output over HDMI 1.4b.

[hdmkv]

Does any of these Intel NUC boxes have HDMI 2.0 for 4k @ 60 hz?

Which one of these Intel NUC boxes is the most suitable for my purpose? I have noticed they have i3, i5 and i7 editions.

Upcoming Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK ($650 barebones) and Kaby Lake (late 2016) will. i3 is ample for Kodi use and online streaming (Netflix HD, Amazon HD, etc.). For gaming, more powerful the better.

[raidflex]

I'd add to your list:
- HiMedia Q10 Pro available now, or upcoming Q5 Pro. Can do HDR 10-bit and Dolby Vision
- Kaby Lake Intel h/w, if you're willing to wait until year's end. 10-bit, yes. HDR, no

Where is it confirmed that Intel Kaby Lake will not have HDR support?

Edit: I am trying to find a box that supports 4k 60Hz HDR and 4:4:4 if possible, since my Samsung JS8500 currently does support these features.

[Mufimufin]

I do not plan to use this box for games.

That version you have mentioned should be released this month, right? See http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/n...tions.html .

I guess that I will wait until this will be actual and update this thread about which Intel box I should buy (8-9/2016).

[wesk05]

Edit: I am trying to find a box that supports 4k 60Hz HDR and 4:4:4 if possible, since my Samsung JS8500 currently does support these features.

This combination is impossible with HDMI 2.0a. It is out of spec.

[wrxtasy]

Simply question Mufimufin,

Why would someone want to run a Plex Server AND Kodi on the one device if they are not transcoding and serving media to other clients ?

Especially when Kodi itself has a built in UPNp server included:
http://kodi.wiki/view/UPnP/Server

Seems like an overly complicated setup to me.
Most user just run a 24/7 NAS on a local Home Network and use any suitable Kodi client hardware. A far more flexible setup.

BTW and IMHO: Future proofing Hardware is useless, when HDR and various standards are not even settled yet along with the inability (if ever) to home Rip UHD Blurays. Kodi Hardware will be both cheaper and more capable when the future actually arrives than paying through the nose for expensive bleeding edge buggy Hardware.

[noggin]

Edit: I am trying to find a box that supports 4k 60Hz HDR and 4:4:4 if possible, since my Samsung JS8500 currently does support these features.

You won't. That combo isn't in the HDMI 2.0 spec : http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/hdmi_2_...q.aspx#146

At 2160/50p or 60p you can have 4:4:4 or 4:2:0 at 8 bit, 4:2:0 at 10 bit or 16 bit, or 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 at 12 bit. You have to drop to 2160/30p or lower to get 4:4:4 at higher bit depths than 8 bit (and thus HDR at 4:4:4).

HDMI 2.0a added HDR support to the standard (for HDR standards that need HDMI signalling - some can be tunnelled through existing HDMI 1.4a and HDMI 2.0 connections) but AIUI it was only a minor spec change, and didn't include any change to the bit depth.

So you can have HDR 2160/60p or 50p at 4:2:0 or 4:2:2, and you can have HDR 2160/30p or lower at 4:4:4.

However - it's unlikely there will be any 4:4:4 HDR 2160/60p or 50p video, so the point is probably moot unless you want to play games with HDR?

[wrxtasy]

C'Mon Noggin, you know you need to have the latest and greatest 4:4:4 decoding as its been mentioned in a bunch of Kodi hardware tests, so is a must have feature and must be something damn something special.

It really does not matter if 4K HDR 4:4:4 is as Rare as Rocking Horse Poo!.

[noggin]

C'Mon Noggin, you know you need to have the latest and greatest 4:4:4 decoding as its been mentioned in a bunch of Kodi hardware tests, so is a must have feature and must be something damn something special.

I've heard a couple of times that Kodi (used to?) render all video as 4:2:0 on many platforms. I have a reasonable library of 4:2:2 stuff which I'd be very pleased to be able to watch in full quality :-)

It really does not matter if 4K HDR 4:4:4 is as Rare as Rocking Horse Poo!.

HDR of any type (4:2:2, 4:2:0 or 4:4:4) is hardly widespread at the moment... I'm probably one of a few Kodi-peeps who has seen broadcast quality HDR demos on an expensive Sony HDR OLED high-NIT monitor, with footage (4:2:2 I think) shot on a Sony F65. It's STUNNINGLY good... (And a picture so bright you need shades)

I remember seeing my first HD pictures in 1989 (on a broadcast quality HD CRT), and my reaction to seeing high quality HDR (on a broadcast quality OLED) was very similar. Jaw dropping.

[raidflex]

I would be happy with 4:2:2, just trying to find a box that supports the majority of my TV's 4k functionality. I was originally going to wait for Intel Kaby Lake but I still can't find a definitive answer on HDR support.

Sent from my SM-G935V

[hdmkv]

Forget where I read it, maybe it was AnandTech, that Intel's Skylake-refresh 'Skull Canyon' and Kaby Lake will support 4:2:2. In any case, HDR can be added via a firmware update as it's apparently part of EDID extensions. We'll hopefully know more by Fall/Autumn.

But, I recall @wesk05 posting somewhere that Kodi is far from being able to support HDR. HiMedia Q10 Pro can do 4K and 4:2:0, with HDR. But, not 4:2:2, at least in MPEG2. If anyone has a HEVC 4:2:2 sample, I'll test it. And, hopefully Shield will support as well, when they add HDR support via firmware.

[noggin]

Forget where I read it, maybe it was AnandTech, that Intel's Skylake-refresh 'Skull Canyon' and Kaby Lake will support 4:2:2. In any case, HDR can be added via a firmware update as it's apparently part of EDID extensions. We'll hopefully know more by Fall/Autumn.

But, I recall @wesk05 posting somewhere that Kodi is far from being able to support HDR. HiMedia Q10 Pro can do 4K and 4:2:0, with HDR. But, not 4:2:2, at least in MPEG2. If anyone has a HEVC 4:2:2 sample, I'll test it. And, hopefully Shield will support as well, when they add HDR support via firmware.

4:2:2 and 4:4:4 only really make sense as output formats for gaming (and possibly photo viewing). There are no proposals for consumer video to be distributed in 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 AFAIK - that will still be 4:2:0 whether it is SDR or HDR.

I have MPEG2 and H264 4:2:2 HD content (as it is used for broadcast) - as well as ProRes and DNXHD stuff in 4:2:2 (and 4:4:4). I could probably master a 4:2:2 HEVC clip if people are interested (and if ffmpeg + x265 supports 4:2:2)

[wesk05]

But, I recall @wesk05 posting somewhere that Kodi is far from being able to support HDR. HiMedia Q10 Pro can do 4K and 4:2:0, with HDR.

Yeah, I haven't seen any of the devs talk about HDR support in Kodi. Now that @Koying has the Q10 Pro, we may see some action from him. What happens when you play the HDR10 demo clips in Kodi 17/SPMC 16.3 on the Q10 Pro? Since it looks like @OlivierQC is the only one with an HDR10 TV and Q10 Pro, he may be the one who can test this.

Since Dolby Vision is proprietary, it may take longer. Chances are that it may never be supported in unlicensed video players. Personally, I think Dolby Vision is a non-starter for Chinese boxes. Dolby Vision is now limited to VUDU & Netflix. The Chinese boxes are never going to get VUDU or Netflix HDR.

[Soli]

As messy as HDR is, it's going to get messier. HDMI 2.1 on the horizon with dynamic HDR metadata. I welcome Philips to the table. http://www.ip.philips.com/data/downloada..._paper.pdf (Kinda good in theory but how are TV's going to accurately know their own limits? That remains to be seen) They make crappy TV's but then again they all do. And the HDMI committee should have been fired.

I don't know how Q10 Pro does HDR, or if it's even accurate. Kodi doesn't support more than RGB888 + there are lots of unanswered questions AND hardware yet to be released. Maybe in 2018 we'll know more...

[Mufimufin]

Simply question Mufimufin,

Why would someone want to run a Plex Server AND Kodi on the one device if they are not transcoding and serving media to other clients ?

Especially when Kodi itself has a built in UPNp server included:
http://kodi.wiki/view/UPnP/Server

Seems like an overly complicated setup to me.
Most user just run a 24/7 NAS on a local Home Network and use any suitable Kodi client hardware. A far more flexible setup.

BTW and IMHO: Future proofing Hardware is useless, when HDR and various standards are not even settled yet along with the inability (if ever) to home Rip UHD Blurays. Kodi Hardware will be both cheaper and more capable when the future actually arrives than paying through the nose for expensive bleeding edge buggy Hardware.

I have simple answer - because I use this setup at home and I have Plex Server on my NAS and use old laptop as player with Kodi and PlexBMC. I also use my computer to play a video (stil no transcoding in terms of quality being decreased) from time to time (also with Kodi and PlexBMC combination). Kodi is better because of automatic subtitles download from various locations, otherwise there will be no need for it and Plex itself will do the job.

This new place I am planning new hardware for will only have one device, because I guess that there is no need to have 2 machines (Server+HTPC) these days, because if something is capable to play 4K it should also be capable to host the content. I originally wanted to synchronize watched content between these two locations (plex servers) but that is not possible because Plex Server does not offer such option.

I was thinking about whether I will need Plex Server at this new place and the whole thing could not be replaced by Kodi + Owncloud to synchronize the content between both places. I will however not have 4K capable hardware at home for now and the content will have to be different anyway (1080p at home and 4k content at this new place).

In short my plan is to combine NAS + HTPC into one quiet computer capable of 24/7 runtime and install some Linux image like http://flawless-server.com/ + Kodi and these Intel NUC boxes looks that they could do the job. Btw. I will probably start to use that transcoding Plex Server offers soon once our child will be older to watch fairy tales :-).

Are there any hard drive limitations in connection with those Intel NUC boxes? I believe that I can connect one internal hard drive (e.g. 3 Tb) and can still connect some external hard drive if that will not be enough? I am only thinking about this kind of limitations because 4K content will probably consume lots of space on my hard drive. That is the only possible limitation I can think of which could require me to buy/build some NAS and have 2 separate devices (HTPC in form of Intel NUC box and NAS) at that new place like I have now at home.

Perhaps my thinking is completely wrong and Intel NUC boxes are not supposed to run 24/7 (cooling, electricity consumption) and HTPC+Server combo will in the end save me money? If that will be the case I will probably start looking for some new NAS box/custom build to host http://flawless-server.com and my content at that new place.