[fab2020]

When I play a 4k video file, the android played installed in my Sony TV downscales the video to 1080p.
I've verified this by connecting a keyboard and pressing Z.

Other video apps, like YouTube, Disney, Apple TV, Netflix, all play 4k content in 4k (for YouTube and Netflix, there are debug OSD that show the resolution).

Any idea how to fix it?

[fab2020]

Can't edit -- I mean Kodi plays 4k downscaled to 1080p

[Dangelus]

To receive meaningful assistance you will need to provide a full debug log.

The instructions are here... debug log (wiki)

If you are using the Basic Method, then ensure the following is applied...
1.Enable debugging in Settings>System Settings>Logging,
2.Restart Kodi
3.Replicate the problem.
4.Upload the log to Kodi Paste Site manually or use the Kodi Logfile Uploader. (wiki) With either method post the link to the log back here.

If you are using the Advanced Method ensure you have correctly created and applied the advancedsettings.xml file (wiki)

In both instances, you should see the word DEBUG throughout the log.

Note: Full logs only. No partial or redacted logs
Do NOT post your logs directly into the forum. Use the Kodi Paste Site. Post the link to your pasted log in the forum

[Hitcher]

Are you sure it's 1080p when playing the video and not just the GUI?

[crawfish]

When I play a 4k video file, the android played installed in my Sony TV downscales the video to 1080p.
I've verified this by connecting a keyboard and pressing Z.

Other video apps, like YouTube, Disney, Apple TV, Netflix, all play 4k content in 4k (for YouTube and Netflix, there are debug OSD that show the resolution).

Any idea how to fix it?

See this thread for a thorough discussion:

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=365064

You didn't say which Sony TV, but the tl;dr for that thread is that for Google TV on the Sony A80J, Kodi does display 4K video as 4K but downscales 4K images, and you can't go by Kodi's info/debug screens to tell you what's happening.

[fab2020]

When I play a 4k video file, the android played installed in my Sony TV downscales the video to 1080p.
I've verified this by connecting a keyboard and pressing Z.

Other video apps, like YouTube, Disney, Apple TV, Netflix, all play 4k content in 4k (for YouTube and Netflix, there are debug OSD that show the resolution).

Any idea how to fix it?

See this thread for a thorough discussion:

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=365064

You didn't say which Sony TV, but the tl;dr for that thread is that for Google TV on the Sony A80J, Kodi does display 4K video as 4K but downscales 4K images, and you can't go by Kodi's info/debug screens to tell you what's happening.

The TV is a 2019 Sony Bravia XBR-55X950G running kernel version 4.9.125, Build BRAVIA_UR2_4K)UC-user 9 PTT1.190515.001.S104 650551
Kodi is the latest available on google play (19.3 - https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...n_US&gl=US)

When I press Z, while playing a 4k video, the On Screen overlay info shows that the source has been downsampled to 1080p

[crawfish]

The TV is a 2019 Sony Bravia XBR-55X950G running kernel version 4.9.125, Build BRAVIA_UR2_4K)UC-user 9 PTT1.190515.001.S104 650551
Kodi is the latest available on google play (19.3 - https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...n_US&gl=US)

When I press Z, while playing a 4k video, the On Screen overlay info shows that the source has been downsampled to 1080p

Again, that thread explains that you can't go by the Kodi screens, and it describes other ways to determine what's happening.

[Mind Keeper]

sorry guys - my english isn't perfect.

i follow this thread, but i can't see any solution to the base problem. i wan't to try again and please can you give a simple answer if kodi can't use the 4K solution like: kodi can't do this or if kodi can this please explain it step by step how to set kodi up to 4k? so here my question:

i also have a sony bravia tv modell year 2023. i also installed kodi on the sony bravia tv. sony use google tv aka android as operating system.
In kodi we all have a system information which cpu is used, how much memory with have and what gpu is found.
In kodi we all have the configuration of audio, video and other stuff, also we can set the resolution

my kodi with windows 11 operating system can change to any solution my graphics card offer and my monitor can use. if my monitor has a resolution by 2k my graphic card sets the limit to 2k and so i can use kodi with a max solution of 2k.
with my sony tv i have a 4k solution but kodi tells me the max solution is 1080p and this is the only solution i can decide to use.

so what is to do, that kodi can use the native 4k solution of the sony 4k monitor. is there any stuff to to in android or in a driver or is there no chance to get a higher resolution.

as anyone in the thread told kodi can play movies with more than 1080p resolution also it can play movies by lower resolutions like 720p oder 540p. but i think kodi do so in 1080p and not in 4k as the tv can use and other applications like netflix or youtube as android app do in google tv aka android. so it must be a configuration problem in kodi or i can't find the hint to tell kodi it can use 4k resolutions?

so what?

[Sholander]

sorry guys - my english isn't perfect.

i follow this thread, but i can't see any solution to the base problem. i wan't to try again and please can you give a simple answer if kodi can't use the 4K solution like: kodi can't do this or if kodi can this please explain it step by step how to set kodi up to 4k? so here my question:

i also have a sony bravia tv modell year 2023. i also installed kodi on the sony bravia tv. sony use google tv aka android as operating system.
In kodi we all have a system information which cpu is used, how much memory with have and what gpu is found.
In kodi we all have the configuration of audio, video and other stuff, also we can set the resolution


as anyone in the thread told kodi can play movies with more than 1080p resolution also it can play movies by lower resolutions like 720p oder 540p. but i think kodi do so in 1080p and not in 4k as the tv can use and other applications like netflix or youtube as android app do in google tv aka android. so it must be a configuration problem in kodi or i can't find the hint to tell kodi it can use 4k resolutions?

so what?

Yes this is confusing to many, not only to you. Kodi uses 2 "rendering layers", one for UI (and pictures/photos) and the other for video. First layer is used for Kodi UI and is limited to 1080p on Android TV. Second layer is used for video/movies and can render in UHD/4K resolution.
So, simply said, although you see in Kodi UI only 1080 resolution, when you play a UHD/4K video Kodi will display it in proper 4K resolution.

[mx77_2]

sorry guys - my english isn't perfect.

i follow this thread, but i can't see any solution to the base problem. i wan't to try again and please can you give a simple answer if kodi can't use the 4K solution like: kodi can't do this or if kodi can this please explain it step by step how to set kodi up to 4k? so here my question:

i also have a sony bravia tv modell year 2023. i also installed kodi on the sony bravia tv. sony use google tv aka android as operating system.
In kodi we all have a system information which cpu is used, how much memory with have and what gpu is found.
In kodi we all have the configuration of audio, video and other stuff, also we can set the resolution


as anyone in the thread told kodi can play movies with more than 1080p resolution also it can play movies by lower resolutions like 720p oder 540p. but i think kodi do so in 1080p and not in 4k as the tv can use and other applications like netflix or youtube as android app do in google tv aka android. so it must be a configuration problem in kodi or i can't find the hint to tell kodi it can use 4k resolutions?

so what?

Yes this is confusing to many, not only to you. Kodi uses 2 "rendering layers", one for UI (and pictures/photos) and the other for video. First layer is used for Kodi UI and is limited to 1080p on Android TV. Second layer is used for video/movies and can render in UHD/4K resolution.
So, simply said, although you see in Kodi UI only 1080 resolution, when you play a UHD/4K video Kodi will display it in proper 4K resolution.

Except that it won't play in proper 4k resolution on Sony televisions. This has been discussed many times and there is always someone making claims about videos playing in real 4k resolution, while that is not the case. No matter what the info on tv osd says or what the Kodi log says, videos via Kodi application look really bad and aren't proper 4k. And this is not a problem in Kodi application, but on Sony's side.

[crawfish]

Except that it won't play in proper 4k resolution on Sony televisions. This has been discussed many times and there is always someone making claims about videos playing in real 4k resolution, while that is not the case. No matter what the info on tv osd says or what the Kodi log says, videos via Kodi application look really bad and aren't proper 4k. And this is not a problem in Kodi application, but on Sony's side.

False. See my posts earlier in this thread and the one it links to. There are links to test files you can play to visually determine if scaling has taken place, and the difference between these 4K test files being played at 4K vs being scaled down and then back up is dramatic and unmistakable. My Sony A80J running Kodi unequivocally plays 4K files as 4K with no intermediate scaling, and it looks the same as playing them from Android HDMI devices like CCwGTV and Onn 4K (2023) and PC devices like my N100. If you have an external device like an N100 mini PC, you can cap its output at 1080p and play the test files to see the effects of scaling and prove that it doesn't happen when the TV Kodi app is playing them.

[Koder123]

sorry guys - my english isn't perfect.

i follow this thread, but i can't see any solution to the base problem. i wan't to try again and please can you give a simple answer if kodi can't use the 4K solution like: kodi can't do this or if kodi can this please explain it step by step how to set kodi up to 4k? so here my question:

i also have a sony bravia tv modell year 2023. i also installed kodi on the sony bravia tv. sony use google tv aka android as operating system.
In kodi we all have a system information which cpu is used, how much memory with have and what gpu is found.
In kodi we all have the configuration of audio, video and other stuff, also we can set the resolution


as anyone in the thread told kodi can play movies with more than 1080p resolution also it can play movies by lower resolutions like 720p oder 540p. but i think kodi do so in 1080p and not in 4k as the tv can use and other applications like netflix or youtube as android app do in google tv aka android. so it must be a configuration problem in kodi or i can't find the hint to tell kodi it can use 4k resolutions?

so what?

Yes this is confusing to many, not only to you. Kodi uses 2 "rendering layers", one for UI (and pictures/photos) and the other for video. First layer is used for Kodi UI and is limited to 1080p on Android TV. Second layer is used for video/movies and can render in UHD/4K resolution.
So, simply said, although you see in Kodi UI only 1080 resolution, when you play a UHD/4K video Kodi will display it in proper 4K resolution.

Except that it won't play in proper 4k resolution on Sony televisions. This has been discussed many times and there is always someone making claims about videos playing in real 4k resolution, while that is not the case. No matter what the info on tv osd says or what the Kodi log says, videos via Kodi application look really bad and aren't proper 4k. And this is not a problem in Kodi application, but on Sony's side.

"there is always someone making claims about videos playing in real 4k resolution" just like you claiming opposite "it is not playing "real 4k""

So basically what you are saying is "Kodi is playing 4K but it's not "real 4K" because Sony itself makes some tricks" and this is confirmed by you alone and only by visually ? (yes I read your other posts)

I guess video actually playing 4K _resolution_ and/or looking crappy are two different things where latter is caused by various image processing settings which are also specific to an app/HDR/input port combinations.

So I am not sure what your claim is: 1) it is not outputting 4K resolution at all 2) it is outputting 4K resolution but image is crap (processed) 3) Both ?

[kinggo]

Except that it won't play in proper 4k resolution on Sony televisions. This has been discussed many times and there is always someone making claims about videos playing in real 4k resolution, while that is not the case. No matter what the info on tv osd says or what the Kodi log says, videos via Kodi application look really bad and aren't proper 4k. And this is not a problem in Kodi application, but on Sony's side.

except that it is not the case at all. And if ppl would stop crying over 1080p GUI resolution, which is the same for all apps and AFAIK is a limitation of Android TV, then we would not have to discuss this over and over again.
And for GUI, don't see what's the problem also. If we can accept that most ota channels and videos we have are still 1080p and we are fine with upscaling results of those, then where is the problem with GUI which is far simpler than videos and has many static elements. I guess that with for 4k screens ppl have suddenly developed an ability to see on a molecular level.
And if it is not a KODI problem, then why bringing it up here. And if it is a SONY problem, then why does their TVs practically always wins these blind shootouts? Or do you think that they use different processing between tuners / HDMI / apps?

[mx77_2]

I did not bring it up here, I replied to this thread started by someone else. What is wrong with saying that this is a Sony issue, not a Kodi issue? How does that not belong here? Jeesus...

Also, I am very well aware of how the gui resolution is one thing and the video stream another. What I do not know though, if Sony has changed something in their newer models, but on these older ones nothing can save the picture quality. I don't remember what I wrote to another thread, but I have tried every possible setting and nothing helps. I ended up buying a Magnetar blu-ray player, so I can now use external subtitles with my movies and don't have to use Kodi anymore. Now if there was a way to use Sony media player as an external player, the convenience might get me to rip all of the discs again, as that one does play 4k files without scaling back and forth.

[Zuikkis]

Sony has different settings for different sources. Kodi uses a separate setting than for example Netflix app. So you need to walk through everything and make sure everything is right, otherwise it will look different.

But it does play 4K.