[qwerty0987654321]

I have a juddering playback when playing following h264x1080i sample

From trying out different combination of options, it appears to be due to disabled interlacing when hw accelerated codec is in use.
It happens for both mediacodec and mediacodec (surface) decoders.
When I switch to SW decoding and pick deinterlace(HALF) in video osd, playback becomes more or less ok.

Details:
Frame rate switching is enabled and TV switches to 60Hz when sample (29.970FPS) is played.

mediainfo output

coded info during playback:
Video Decoder amc-h264 HWDecoder
Pixel Format Surface
Deinterlace method: hardware
Video Stream: 1.920x1,080 px, 1.78 AR, 59,940 FPS
...

debug log

PS:

I've been considering to replace Libreelec8 on braswell + chromecast with shield tv since it could function as both (cord-cutting),
but now I'm in doubt since shield is rather capricious about files it plays. I have a lot of 1080i content
so shield isn't really replacement to intel box due to this deinterlacing issue .

Could it be fixed or should I just return shield back while it's still possible?

[wrxtasy]

Answers in this thread:
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=308496

A whole bunch of Android Kodi Krypton devices are having issues with PVR Clients and de-interlacing problems.

Those of us using LibreELEC Krypton on AMLogic S905's / Intel / RPi's are having no such issues. (as you have found)

I would also suggest trying SPMC (Kodi Jarvis) as well.

[qwerty0987654321]

Answers in this thread:
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=308496

A whole bunch of Android Kodi Krypton devices are having issues with PVR Clients and de-interlacing problems.

I've seen that thread but it seems that it describes audio out of sync issue when playing interlaced content.
While I'm having problem with picture itself, it looks like ghosting or overlapped frames (not sure how to describe it better)
here is how it looks captured by my phone camera
although it looks ~2 times worse in real life.

Video ODS shows that deinterlacing is off despite decoder info (Deinterlace method: hardware) shown during playback,
I tend to believe that deinterlacing is off since ghosting is the same as with SW decoding without deinterlacing.

I would also suggest trying SPMC (Kodi Jarvis) as well.

I've tried it and notsoshitty build(s) as well before posting here, unfortunately nothing helps.

Looks like it's time to return expensive + useless device since it can't even play pretty much standard 1080 bluray content,
and wait till intel fixes hd-audio passthrough issues with DP->HDMI chip used on Apollo/Kaby-Lake boxes.

[wrxtasy]

When a $28 AMLogic S905 Nexbox A95X 1G/8G running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton can virtually play anything you throw at it pretty reliably these days then I see no need for unreliable Android devices when you want to use Kodi only. Use Android for Android Apps only.

For Interlaced OTA TV Usage on Android - the Live Channels App on Android TV devices is now a better option. Android Kodi Krypton is busted so far as interlaced video content support is concerned.

Last thing I would try is turning Mediacodec (Surface) hardware acceleration OFF. Use Mediacodec only. You have likely already tried that.

[qwerty0987654321]

When a $28 AMLogic S905 Nexbox A95X 1G/8G running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton can virtually play anything you throw at it pretty reliably these days then

There isn't such device in a local shop, so I could try and return if is it doesn't work but,
I've tried Minix Neo U1 + Libreelec, it indeed decoded practically any video (even corrupted one) but it had various issues with passthrough depending on selected output type, so it has been returned in just 2 days.

Last thing I would try is turning Mediacodec (Surface) hardware acceleration OFF. Use Mediacodec only. You have likely already tried that.

I've tried both variants with the same bad outcome, only sw decoding + sw deinterlacing works but shield is not powerful enough to decode high bitrate 1080 content.
Anyways, I've reported bug to nvidia and returned my shield today, so I don't care much about issue anymore.
If it's fixed some day in future I might consider trying it out as then I could replace my old laptop and chromecast with one device.

For now I'm sticking with Braswell + Librelec which has uptime more than 2 months and plays almost anything (-4K).

[AshG]

Anyways, I've reported bug to nvidia and returned my shield today, so I don't care much about issue anymore.

Shame... I've had the shield for about 3 weeks now, had one issue (to which wrxtasy linked to) the build that was provided fixed it... i can play 1080 no problem. I've found it to be the most stable device i have used so for (i have 2 RPI2's - and in the past have tried windows, Ubuntu and even apple TV way back when it was supported).

[wrxtasy]

I've put a Note in the START HERE Hardware Sticky - to warn ALL Android Kodi Krypton PVR Client users about these deinterlacing issues.

For Shield owners - does SPMC (Jarvis) still give reliable hardware decoding and hardware deinterlacing with Android Nougat Firmware ?

[qwerty0987654321]

Shame... I've had the shield for about 3 weeks now,

I've had mine for 2 weeks updated to the latest firmware, it deserves to say that hd audio passthrough implemented perfectly, it played any kind I could through at it (modulo atmos as my receiver doesn't supports it), but unfortunately video decoder turned out to be rather capricious to content (it were not only interlaced videos), while my old braswell and AMLogic S905 decoded the same videos without (noticeable) issues.

had one issue (to which wrxtasy linked to) the build that was provided fixed it... i can play 1080 no problem.

shield played some interlaced content fine but not all of it (i.e significant part of my bluray library).
Could you try to play sample linked in the first post, is it played on your shield fine?
If yes, at what refresh rate it's played?
(I've found out that disabling refresh rate switching and fixing it at 24Hz makes above sample watchable,
so experience might depend on what refresh rates your TV supports)

[qwerty0987654321]

For Shield owners - does SPMC (Jarvis) still give reliable hardware decoding and hardware deinterlacing with Android Nougat Firmware ?

Not in my case, SPMC decoded exactly as kodi 17 did, maybe it's not kodi's but firmware's issue.

[wrxtasy]

Well you could always use the Android TV App - Live Channels, BUT because the Shield has no Dolby Audio licence - AC3 TV Channels then are passthrough Audio only to a TV - otherwise looks like you get Audio Silence.

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic...ls-update/

I still find it incredible that nVIDIA sold the Shield without a Dolby Audio Licence - users with legacy equiptment - are getting bitten in the Ass badly !

[Tinwarble]

Well you could always use the Android TV App - Live Channels, BUT because the Shield has no Dolby Audio licence - AC3 TV Channels then are passthrough Audio only to a TV - otherwise looks like you get Audio Silence.

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic...ls-update/

I still find it incredible that nVIDIA sold the Shield without a Dolby Audio Licence - users with legacy equiptment - are getting bitten in the Ass badly !

Which is with the "Network Turner" feature that is still in beta and is probably more of an issue with it rather than the fact that the Shield has no AC3 decoder since, on one of my systems that shows the same issue, the same AC3 audio streams play fine with the HDHomeRun app.

[wrxtasy]

Which is with the "Network Tuner" feature that is still in beta and is probably more of an issue with it rather than the fact that the Shield has no AC3 decoder since, on one of my systems that shows the same issue, the same AC3 audio streams play fine with the HDHomeRun app.

Is this with PCM Audio only (no Auto) selected in Android Audio settings ?

It is possible that the HDHomeRun App has free internal AC3 to PCM decoder libraries included like Kodi is packaging.

How then does the Dolby Audio - Xiaomi Mi Box decode 5.1 AC3 to 2.0 PCM when using the Live Channels - TvHeadend App ?
This is also using a Network connected backend server.

As you said Software is still Beta so improvements and bug fixes may hopefully come.

[qwerty0987654321]

Well you could always use the Android TV App - Live Channels, ...

On first glance looks irrelevant to topic.
but for poor folks who are stuck with Shield, could you describe how Live Channels could be configured
to play files from (local/nas) directory.

PS:
I primarily use kodi as jukebox to play collection of music videos in random order (with gain correction),
is it possible with Live Channels?
(So far kodi was the best app for the task,
I used to use dune base 3d which played practically anything but interface was so horrible that
it is collecting dust in cellar for several years now, so now I'm less tolerant to devices that don't
do job well especially to devices as expensive as Shield, it's really hard to justify buy
when an alternative less expensive intel box just plays anything (modulo hdmi2.0)).

[Tinwarble]

Is this with PCM Audio only (no Auto) selected in Android Audio settings ?

It is possible that the HDHomeRun App has free internal AC3 to PCM decoder libraries included like Kodi is packaging.

How then does the Dolby Audio - Xiaomi Mi Box decode 5.1 AC3 to 2.0 PCM when using the Live Channels - TvHeadend App ?
This is also using a Network connected backend server.

As you said Software is still Beta so improvements and bug fixes may hopefully come.

Doesn't matter, whether the setting is Auto, Never or Always I still get the same message that everyone else with the issue gets.

I'm not sure what the HDHR app does with the audio other than it display "5.1", nor do I know what the TVHeadEnd app does, though I'm pretty sure that it can transcode on the server side.

However, that does not mean anything since even with a direct connection (antenna directly to the TV) I still get audio. Don't forget that ALL TV's are still designed to except OTA directly.

On first glance looks irrelevant to topic.
but for poor folks who are stuck with Shield, could you describe how Live Channels could be configured
to play files from (local/nas) directory.

No, Live Channels can't play local files (well it can if you recorded it with the Live Channels app) and we did go a little off-topic.

But to get back on topic, I think that you're seeing issues playing back some of your files because they are MBAFF (Macroblock-Adaptive Frame/Field Coding), going from the sample file you uploaded.

[wrxtasy]

I'm not sure what the HDHR app does with the audio other than it display "5.1", nor do I know what the TVHeadEnd app does, though I'm pretty sure that it can transcode on the server side.

However, that does not mean anything since even with a direct connection (antenna directly to the TV) I still get audio. Don't forget that ALL TV's are still designed to except OTA directly.

Yes I agree but I can tell you my 9 year old Sony TV cannot accept 5.1 AC3 passthrough Audio from an external media player. (It does not accept H264 OTA TV either - bloody cost cutting! ). It has to be fed 2.0 PCM Audio only. This is where Live Channels - Shield users are coming unstuck at the moment.

@qwerty0987654321 - you can use the Android TV Live Channels App with the TvHeadend Beta App to view OTA TV streams from a backend TvHeadend server. The way the Live Channels - TvHeadend Android TV App is progressing - I'm sure we will see, scheduling, recording and playback added soon.