2019-02-11, 15:57
(2019-02-10, 20:17)brazen1 Wrote: Warner, I have great respect for you and your technical expertise but I feel like I've intruded on sacred ground or something? I'm going to make an attempt to reply and please don't find my words offensive.
You have a user asking if v.18 will handle HDR10. The reply was no. I'm a v.18.1 (and a former v.18 user not that it makes any difference) and I can play it with my antiquated hardware and it looks very good considering. Coming from someone who actually uses it, I thought it helpful and provided settings with a brief description of my environment. Somehow, you've taken my input regarding it nothing more than an attempt to make DSP users jealous with no ammo. And all this time I thought it was ok to compare notes from time to time even if it contradicts another's results. I simply stated an honest testimonial. I understand now this isn't a good idea here. It won't happen again.
You made it a point to state v.18 is too unstable and has problems especially with external players noting matching refresh rates and postage stamping off the top of your head. That you will probably sit on 17.1 for a couple years longer since v.18 offers nothing new or appealing to you. v.18 did have these problems during alpha, beta, and RC stages. Eventually they were addressed along with many other bugs. I know. I reported them because they affected me. I don't have the exact nightly version that addressed them but I can safely say the bugs are no longer present in the final release or the new 18.1 nightlies. I understand this contradicts your findings but these are mine. You also stated v.18 has more bug reports than v.17. I don't find that surprising. Every build for a decade or longer was only working with 1080p SDR at best leading up to a v.17 pinnacle. Along comes 2160p HDR, a pretty huge advancement for the world let alone what v.18 had to adjust to vs what v.17 had to adjust to. Of course dealing with a new higher resolution and HDR is going to create more bugs to work out. v.17 didn't have to deal with anything like this.
I don't get one-off results because I only use one specific skin. Any skin in the official KODI repo works perfectly. I tested all of them searching for an appropriate new skin for myself since my former skin was problematic and was not going to be addressed any longer. Those that aren't in the official repo (I tested about 10 of the most popular), all failed at the time I tested except for silvo's one lone skin that isn't in the repository. Why only it's ok, I don't know and I don't care anymore. So, v.18 isn't broken imo. The skins were and may still be. If v.18 wants to adjust to the broken skins, have at it but common sense tells me it should be the other way around. I posted all of this in detail in another thread at the time, even reaching out with some PM's but it always fell on deaf ears and I assumed no one must be being affected but me. Now that v.18 is here, I see I wasn't alone. My suggestion is always test official releases using Estuary since the devs do.
I was just arguing the other side. I know everything seems to be working fine for you, but that doesn't mean upgrading to v18 would immediately work well for everyone.
(2019-02-10, 20:17)brazen1 Wrote: To gawk at KODI's solution is disrespectful. To pick it apart and compare to madVR challenges casual users into shying away from even using KODI convinced it will be problematic with horrible results or worse... that KODI isn't compatible with UHD HDR at all by telling them "no" because it doesn't passthrough. Many of these folks are just searching for a way to play UHD HDR and they don't have computer science degrees nor the ambition to seek every last ounce of quality and performance. They just want to know if they can watch UHD on their TV somehow and ran across KODI while searching around.
I don't know why criticizing Kodi's HDR -> SDR processing is disrespectful. I think the image you posted looks great, but I was saying the color science isn't 100% accurate. This requires someone with a specialized background. Many HDR test scenes have been unearthed in the past year at AVS Forum that could be used to test the accuracy of Kodi's conversion. I know it wouldn't pass some of those tests based on the method used. It is just color science.
(2019-02-10, 20:17)brazen1 Wrote: Plopping a non-delivering unwatchable new build after years of careful development with all platforms considered just for the sake of dishing something out whether it works or not? No, of course not yet you're convinced that's what has occurred. Don't know what to tell you. I tried. All I've managed is to be made to look like an ass. Maybe a couple pics will help back up what I write. These are both v.18.1 VideoPlayer with nothing additional and O/S HDR is turned off as it always is. I think the 2nd screenshot looks pretty decent but if you still find it far from looking ok, then it is what it is. You don't need to tell me madVR rendered players look better again. That's why I use them. Ashlar, I can't guarantee you will get the same results for your friend. I can only provide my own experience and hope it helps and encourages you.
Again, I was just arguing the other side. v18 has changed a lot on Windows in terms of having a new 64-bit build and that has introduced some new issues. Maybe it is more stable; maybe it is less stable. Stability could be more important to DSPlayer users more than any new unappreciated features.