Got HDMI cable. Dreams shattered =( - EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Only thing you can do with this piece of wire is play baseline-h264/MP4 and view a photo slideshow and even that works only when it wants. Where's the cyanogen's promise of full UI output to HDMI (his ROM doesnt even *support* HDMI, lol)? Why advertise watching videos on your big TV if you can't play anything (AVI/MKV/etc) besides crappy baseline mp4 even though they all play perfectly fine on-screen using vPlayer/RockPlayer... the only good thing I can say about this cable is it was just $5, shipping included
Supports HDMI:
Stock Video Player
Stock Gallery (slideshow only)
Youtube
NHL
Jetflicks (uses stock video player?)
...

So is this with all ROMs? It seems from what I've been reading the HDMI is pretty much useless, is this correct? I was thinking of picking up a cable just to test it out but what's the point if I can't play other types of videos?
And where might I ask did you get your cable from?

frifox said:
Only thing you can do with this piece of wire is play baseline-h264/MP4 and view a photo slideshow and even that works only when it wants. Where's the cyanogen's promise of full UI output to HDMI (his ROM doesnt even *support* HDMI, lol)? Why advertise watching videos on your big TV if you can't play anything (AVI/MKV/etc) besides crappy baseline mp4 even though they all play perfectly fine on-screen using vPlayer/RockPlayer... the only good thing I can say about this cable is it was just $5, shipping included
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyanogen doesn't claim that CM supports HDMI output, but that it's a future goal, as is full WiMax support. Learn to read. The biggest problem facing jeagoss (the guy who's doing the dev work on HDMI) is that the EVO's GPU sucks, and overheats whenever he gets mirroring to work.
As for other ROMs? Well, like you saw, just the stock ones have selective video output. The CM team is/will be/has been working on HDMI, it's only a matter of time until they get mirroring and/or a wide selection of video output via HDMI.

With rumbaed post like the OP's is probably the reason cm team hasn't put a rush on it. Why is their name even coming up in this post unless you were asking info about his rom, which the OP clearly was not.

I have a feeling wewon't be seeing a release until the Evo has a successor. They are going to have their hands full with all the new, more powerful phones. We aren't that far away from the next big Sprint launch if there is one.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I bought an HDMI cable and I threw it in the trash. Useless.

QuiQNeZZ said:
And where might I ask did you get your cable from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/Micro-HDMI-Ca...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1294603887&sr=1-1
there is another a bit shorter one but equally cheap:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UH0Z9Q/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A1AELTLVGJRO4D
drmacinyasha said:
The CM team is/will be/has been working on HDMI, it's only a matter of time until they get mirroring and/or a wide selection of video output via HDMI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
until CM or maybe some other ROM gets full UI mirroring and/or any-video-format playback on HDMI my cable will be just sitting there collecting dust... until then, i have my fingers crossed that this happens sooner than later

frifox said:
until CM or maybe some other ROM gets full UI mirroring and/or any-video-format playback on HDMI my cable will be just sitting there collecting dust... until then, i have my fingers crossed that this happens sooner than later
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another ROM won't get it because nobody else is working on it. Everyone else is either satisfied with it not working, or the limited output that Sense has. Jeagoss is pretty much the only person working on this right now, and he just got out of the hospital from what I hear, which is why there hasn't been any updates in a while on the subject.
Besides, like I said before, the EVO's GPU is crap, and the last time Jeagoss got mirroring to work, the phone literally COOKED. If you want an example, plug in your phone, turn on wifi, GPS, bluetooth, WiMax, maximum screen brightness, and run Wardrive while connected to WiMax for about say... 30-60 minutes. You'll feel what "cooking" is like.

Myn's 2.2 RLS5 ROM
I'm using the Sense based Myn's ROM. I have my EVO connected now via a cheap Ebay HDMI cable (like $5 or $6) on my 47" LCD watching videos I downloaded and the video and audio are perfect. In fact the video is even better than basic cable signals coming in through my HDMI connected Tivo.
CM ROMs have never yet been able to support 4G or HDMI. They are in the works so hopefully soon. If you check the Android Development section there is a new Alpha WiMax mod available but is very unstable.
MIUI ROMs are nice but they too do not support 4G or HDMI.

I got a cable for $3 from monoprice
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

So what type of video files are you watching and what app are you using to watch them? I thought you could only use the stock video player which doesn't support Avi files
luderbeck1 said:
I'm using the Sense based Myn's ROM. I have my EVO connected now via a cheap Ebay HDMI cable (like $5 or $6) on my 47" LCD watching videos I downloaded and the video and audio are perfect. In fact the video is even better than basic cable signals coming in through my HDMI connected Tivo.
CM ROMs have never yet been able to support 4G or HDMI. They are in the works so hopefully soon. If you check the Android Development section there is a new Alpha WiMax mod available but is very unstable.
MIUI ROMs are nice but they too do not support 4G or HDMI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

You need to use a site that plays the media using the stock HTC media player, and HDMI out will work. Mediamp4.com streams using the stock media player. Depending on the quality of the upload and your internet speed, some of the movies look really good with the HDMI out. It's a matter of finding which sites work with the stock media player and which don't. I'm sure there are plenty more out there.
P.S. Xshare.com works with HDMI out. Nothing shows off how cool your phone is like streaming porn and HDMI-ing that out to the fellas. lol

I believe Youtube videos, the stock media player and the streaming player all output vie the hdmi. It's actually kind of neat at parties to play music videos and watching full length movies that are being streamed from sites like iphonemoviez.

edited OP with a list of known apps that utilize HDMI on our phones. so far i know and have tested 3 (stock video player, gallery's slideshow, and youtube)... are there any apps/functions that can make use of HDMI out?

frifox said:
edited OP with a list of known apps that utilize HDMI on our phones. so far i know and have tested 3 (stock video player, gallery's slideshow, and youtube)... are there any apps/functions that can make use of HDMI out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updated the OP? Well, there's something you don't see everyday. I had forgotten to mention that the YouTube app works, too. I think that's it, though. I can tell you the Slingplayer app doesn't work. I still love my SlingBox, but I wish the HDMI would work. That would be awesome at work! lol

RockPlayer plays avi and many other files while allowing hdmi output. I think it might be the app you are looking for.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

RTC88 said:
RockPlayer plays avi and many other files while allowing hdmi output. I think it might be the app you are looking for.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... when playing using Hardware Decoder (aka, stock video player's engine). does it do HDMI when using Software Decoder?

I watch NHL games via hdmi out and the NHL app on 4g.
Not HD, but on par with SD.

Nice, ill test, verify, and add it to the list once I get back home... D
driving like a maniac while posting on xda atm, lol

For everyone that wants to play movies with HDMI out go to the market and check out a app called jetflicks the app is 1.99 and you do have to pay 50 a year but its worth the money . You get alot of great shows just go check it out !

Related

[Video demo] Connectivity - USB OTG, MHL, RDP, bluetooth keyboard/mouse/gamepad!

Thought this might interest owners and potential owners:
Incidentally, tried Splashtop after the video over 3G whilst out and about today - amazing! Watched a video with sound - playback was smooth. Hardly any lag via 3G in a reasonable coverage area. Also installed an antivirus to my laptop and did some other useful stuff while I was having a coffee at Bunnings - RDP on a 1280x800 screen is awesome.
I should be receiving a USB DAC in the coming week too, so will update as to whether that works or not...
UPDATE: USB DACs do NOT work with the USB OTG feature (as expected). Shame, because the cheapy one I got today sounds amazing compared to my laptop and desktops sound cards! The one I have is a HiFiMAN Express available from here for only $40. Not really for audiophiles, but for those who can appreciate better quality at a fraction of the price these are very good (I think Gizmodo linked to an audiophile review of them where he said they were 70% as good as the sound put out my a $400 sound card, not bad for what the HiFiMAN costs).
NZtechfreak said:
Thought this might interest owners and potential owners:
Incidentally, tried Splashtop after the video over 3G whilst out and about today - amazing! Watched a video with sound - playback was smooth. Hardly any lag via 3G in a reasonable coverage area. Also installed an antivirus to my laptop and did some other useful stuff while I was having a coffee at Bunnings - RDP on a 1280x800 screen is awesome.
I should be receiving a USB DAC in the coming week too, so will update as to whether that works or not...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry,
can you tell me what is the model of the gamepad you use?
Thanks.
Thank you very much for this post. This pretty much seals the deal for me. I will be grabbing one soon.
After watching your video, it looks like I need to find me a nice 20"-23" LED HDMI monitor to go with my Note.
Thank you for this awesome video.
Disappointed to the fact that USB hubs don't work, specially because someone in the forum answered me to this same question saying "yes"
In fact my question was if a SB keyboard and a USB mouse can work together using a USB hub.
Could you please confirm this case?
Thnks!
Pere said:
Thank you for this awesome video.
Disappointed to the fact that USB hubs don't work, specially because someone in the forum answered me to this same question saying "yes"
In fact my question was if a SB keyboard and a USB mouse can work together using a USB hub.
Could you please confirm this case?
Thnks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there, sorry if it wasn't clear in the video - the hub itself works fine, its just that using the hubs external power source to power portable HDDs that the Note can't supply enough power to on its own doesn't work (it does in the SGSII). I presume that KB and Mouse would work together with a hub, but unfortunately I can't confirm as I don't own models that are compatible with the Note (or the SGSII).
If anyone in Auckland has some that are compatible I'd love to try this out for people.
NZtechfreak said:
Hey there, sorry if it wasn't clear in the video - the hub itself works fine, its just that using the hubs external power source to power portable HDDs that the Note can't supply enough power to on its own doesn't work (it does in the SGSII). I presume that KB and Mouse would work together with a hub, but unfortunately I can't confirm as I don't own models that are compatible with the Note (or the SGSII).
If anyone in Auckland has some that are compatible I'd love to try this out for people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that Keyboard and Mouse together work well on SGS2 using powered USB hubs, however its very unstable and sometimes freezes the phone. Hope it becomes better with ICS.
Do you mean that external HDD's can be powered by SGS2? I never thought its possible, seems I need to test that again as my HDD is NTFS formatted so wasn't recognized the last time I tried.
Prankey said:
I can confirm that Keyboard and Mouse together work well on SGS2 using powered USB hubs, however its very unstable and sometimes freezes the phone. Hope it becomes better with ICS.
Do you mean that external HDD's can be powered by SGS2? I never thought its possible, seems I need to test that again as my HDD is NTFS formatted so wasn't recognized the last time I tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the SGSII can't supply external HDDs - I was saying that they do work with the SGSII when connected to a hub that has it's own power supply (that doesn't seem to work in the Note however...).
I don't own a hub but I was able to use a 120 gb external 2.5" USB hdd on the note with external power.
The hdd came with a y cable for additional power supply. I just used the note charger to supply power.
I had to format the hdd with fat32 of course. Win7 wouldn't do it, not with GUI and not on command line.
A app did it http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm.
Another thing was to make 1080p movies playable from the fat32 hdd. I used mkvtoolnix to split the movie into 4gb files.
https://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/
With diceplayer I was able to play them without any problems.
What resolution does your laptop run at? When I installed splashtop (phone version), I get set to 1024x720 resolution (looks crappy), while my home PC is 1600x1200. I wonder if splashtop HD would allow me to use the native resolution of my PC (1600x1200)? Any way to install HD apps on the Note?
I set my laptop to run at the same resolution as Splashtop when I'm not at home (otherwise it runs in 1080p).
Don't worry, Splashtop are working on a release version for HD phones (probably just an update to the phone Splashtop) and it'll be available soon - I've been in contact with them recently.
NZtechfreak said:
I set my laptop to run at the same resolution as Splashtop when I'm not at home (otherwise it runs in 1080p).
Don't worry, Splashtop are working on a release version for HD phones (probably just an update to the phone Splashtop) and it'll be available soon - I've been in contact with them recently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, Ill hold off on purchasing. Do you know if there is a way to install HD apps on the Note when the market states they are incompatible?
VTEChump said:
Thanks for the info, Ill hold off on purchasing. Do you know if there is a way to install HD apps on the Note when the market states they are incompatible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I'm aware of as yet, some talented dev here needs to work it out for us!
UPDATE: USB DACs do NOT work with the USB OTG feature (as expected). Shame, because the cheapy one I got today sounds amazing compared to my laptop and desktops sound cards! The one I have is a HiFiMAN Express available from here for only $40. Not really for audiophiles, but for those who can appreciate better quality at a fraction of the price these are very good (I think Gizmodo linked to an audiophile review of them where he said they were 70% as good as the sound put out my a $400 sound card, not bad for what the HiFiMAN costs).
Thanks for this thread. Very good information.
But I think it's a bit annoying that it's not 'real' upscaled HD, but just the resolution of the Note (1280x800) being outputted to the screen.
I think Splashtop technically looks very good. But I don't like the security - it seems there is not any encryption in the software, not even the passwords!
What bandwidth does Splashtop require over a 3G connection to be stable? And how intelligent is the streamer to figure out which quality to stream in, in order to get the optimal dynamic stream without lag/pauses ?
drelle said:
Thanks for this thread. Very good information.
But I think it's a bit annoying that it's not 'real' upscaled HD, but just the resolution of the Note (1280x800) being outputted to the screen.
I think Splashtop technically looks very good. But I don't like the security - it seems there is not any encryption in the software, not even the passwords!
What bandwidth does Splashtop require over a 3G connection to be stable? And how intelligent is the streamer to figure out which quality to stream in, in order to get the optimal dynamic stream without lag/pauses ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what bandwidth it requires over 3G for stability, I was in a reasonable reception area at the times I've used it over 3G - may have been the amount of bandwidth on offer but the experience was really great with minimal lag (bad upload for my PC at home is the rate limiting step here).
Must be some other Splashtop users here who can chime in?
Great video.
Does an ordinary usb keyboard work directly on the Note?
oronte said:
Great video.
Does an ordinary usb keyboard work directly on the Note?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
And if keyboard layout is other than the English version, all the special signs (%&Ç@#) works correctly?
VTEChump said:
. Do you know if there is a way to install HD apps on the Note when the market states they are incompatible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, just use an older version of Market - pull it from an old ROM. And freeze "market updater" in Tibu.
/system/app/Vending.apk
oronte said:
Great video.
Does an ordinary usb keyboard work directly on the Note?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they do, tried one today. Some USB mice also work, will try and connect both with the hub when I get home and see how that goes.
Will also revisit HDD connectivity too, as I have a second note Rooted with CF Root - possible that the drives weren't working because of Netchips kernel (in the same way that WiFi tether was broken).
Great video
Iwas surfing around for a page that ensures this device has definitely tv-out feature. I could not be sure for it, cause at most of the pages promoting galaxy note, it is not being said exactly..
Anyway, found here, and watched your video. now I want a galaxy note even 10 times more..
Thanks man, great job..

what resolution via hdmi to tv/comp.screen?

hello!
what resolution can I expect to get when connecting to an external display? Tegra 3 itself shouldn't have any problems with 1080p via MHL should it? But the question is if it will work. Maybe not with stock rom and sense but will it even be possible for a dev to make a rom further on where you can get anything else than mirroring at 720p?
this is the first phone that I think is powerful enough to replace my desktop computer (I don't do much more than internet and watching movies). But 720 doesn't give much work area.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/12/htc-media-link-hd-display-mirroring-box/
This article states "...the Media Link HD does 1080p over 802.11n to any HDMI-equipped TV, instead of just 720p, and promises to mirror games as well as videos, photos and music..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geCZhmB-f1s&feature=related
This youtube video shows it off from about 50s into the video.
Yea I saw that on engadget, and i've probably seen every hands on video on youtube, it's awesome! But I think the media link will be expensive and I'd rather use an MHL adapter for a desktop solution. I wonder how the media link will work for say browsing.
Nvidias own tegra 3 specs says 1920x1080 via hdmi, but on wikipedia it says up to 2560×1600, though not output specified.
ah ok sorry I miss understood
http://www.htcaccessorystore.com/uk/p_htc_phone.aspx?i=229814
Seems to be £80 for the Media Link and £28 for the cable so a fair difference but worth it imo not to have the wire across the room but then the cable is more portable...
I guess for browsing it will just mirror what's on the screen. Would be cool if you could use the phone as a track pad / keyboard, with the browser window on the TV...
2 more weeks and we should know more...
i've looked in the TF prime forum where someone asked the same question but with a prime instead of one x but noone could give a straight answer.
maybe that's something to contact nvidia for, making them provide a driver for devs that can bypass the device screen and only output to external with different resolution. I don't know how ICS really works but seeing it's for both phones and tablets now the scaling must work differently right? Acer made a demo tablet called iconia tab A700 and it has 1080.
I'll have to wait 6 weeks for mine.
I might get the media link for my tv later. The trackpad idea would be really cool, then you'd only need a bt keyboard. I think asus had a concept demo where you had a laptop dock and put the phone where a trackpad normally is. But I wonder if you'd notice the input lag compared to a normal track pad.
mertzi said:
Yea I saw that on engadget, and i've probably seen every hands on video on youtube, it's awesome! But I think the media link will be expensive and I'd rather use an MHL adapter for a desktop solution. I wonder how the media link will work for say browsing.
Nvidias own tegra 3 specs says 1920x1080 via hdmi, but on wikipedia it says up to 2560×1600, though not output specified.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats correct t3 is capable of outputting more than 1080p via hdmi, there was a video demonstration showing that
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
What features would be available over normal DLNA? Mirroring or anything like that? Or do we have to have the media link thing?

MHL and videos

I got my MHL adapter yesterday. Of course I had to try it out immediately, but I couldn't get videos (youtube and galaray videos) on my TV, I only hear the sound coming through my TV, games work fine and everything else does work fine and yes I plugged it into a usb to wall adapter (running leaked ICS rom)
Pete1612 said:
I got my MHL adapter yesterday. Of course I had to try it out immediately, but I couldn't get videos (youtube and galaray videos) on my TV, I only hear the sound coming through my TV, games work fine and everything else does work fine and yes I plugged it into a usb to wall adapter (running leaked ICS rom)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to make sure it is not the leaked version that is the problem, I would backup and try flashing stock.
Pete1612 said:
I got my MHL adapter yesterday. Of course I had to try it out immediately, but I couldn't get videos (youtube and galaray videos) on my TV, I only hear the sound coming through my TV, games work fine and everything else does work fine and yes I plugged it into a usb to wall adapter (running leaked ICS rom)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would almost guarantee you that its cuz of the ics leak rom. No I don't have proof and I guess there's no way to be 100% sure but the leak has issues with autorotation which could also contribute to your problem, amongst other things. I also remember reading some issues with video on youtube specifically. Far from stable atm.
Lancer187 said:
Just to make sure it is not the leaked version that is the problem, I would backup and try flashing stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Or just another rom that's confirmed working with mhl, presumably all of them.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA

tdt tv (to use our note 2 or any other android deviceas a tv

i saw this on the web ,is a micro us adapter to use any touch screen android device as a tv
here is the page http://www.elgato.com/elgato/int/mainmenu/products/tuner/EyeTV-Micro.en.html
and here a sample video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VxUspHzk-A
Looks awesome, I dont think is available in the US. The app says its not available in your country
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium HD app
get a slingbox
zorritokris said:
i saw this on the web ,is a micro us adapter to use any touch screen android device as a tv
here is the page http://www.elgato.com/elgato/int/mainmenu/products/tuner/EyeTV-Micro.en.html
and here a sample video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VxUspHzk-A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you good to go.
Only problem I can see is that this is basically like the old rabbit ears that you used to see on every TV. With that In mind I'm certain that you will get mediocre reception and that would only be on the channels that come over the air.
It is a cool concept tho.

[Q] XBMC on Amazon Fire TV - Playback quality issues

Hi all,
I got my Amazon Fire TV a few days ago, and have sideloaded XBMC for media playback. Although I was ideally looking to do that via USB, until there's a root method for the latest UK firmware, streaming will have to do, I guess.
However, the issue I am having is with playback quality. I do not know if this is down to XBMC/Kodi or AFTV, but videos are not as smooth and lovely as they are when played directly via my TV's USB port. Even my TV is not as good as my previous device, which was a Sony DVR. It had the MOST wonderful video playback, with beautiful colours, perfect balance and no noise. It failed, so I started using my TV's USB port. Video quality is not as good - it's slightly grainer, a bit overexposed.
I got Amazon Fire TV because I was expecting something better than what my almost 4 year old Samsung TV can do. All those extra bells and whistles are fine, but playback quality is THE most crucial thing for me. I am not an expert, and I do not know if Sony and Samsung have some state-of-the art upscaling, but I'm baffled that a quad-core device with a dedicated GPU is worse than both of them. Playback via XBMC is just a huge let-down.
Am I doing something wrong? Is it supposed to be like this? Am I expecting too much? Are there any settings I can try?
I'd love to hear what you all think!
Lisali said:
Hi all,
I got my Amazon Fire TV a few days ago, and have sideloaded XBMC for media playback. Although I was ideally looking to do that via USB, until there's a root method for the latest UK firmware, streaming will have to do, I guess.
However, the issue I am having is with playback quality. I do not know if this is down to XBMC/Kodi or AFTV, but videos are not as smooth and lovely as they are when played directly via my TV's USB port. Even my TV is not as good as my previous device, which was a Sony DVR. It had the MOST wonderful video playback, with beautiful colours, perfect balance and no noise. It failed, so I started using my TV's USB port. Video quality is not as good - it's slightly grainer, a bit overexposed.
I got Amazon Fire TV because I was expecting something better than what my almost 4 year old Samsung TV can do. All those extra bells and whistles are fine, but playback quality is THE most crucial thing for me. I am not an expert, and I do not know if Sony and Samsung have some state-of-the art upscaling, but I'm baffled that a quad-core device with a dedicated GPU is worse than both of them. Playback via XBMC is just a huge let-down.
Am I doing something wrong? Is it supposed to be like this? Am I expecting too much? Are there any settings I can try?
I'd love to hear what you all think!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having no idea what you are trying to play, what it's resolution is, what it's codec is, etc, makes it hard for anyone to say. My AFTV (rooted) with Kodi plays videos great. Everything is looking like it should, whether it's old doctor who episodes in divx, latest 720p TV releases, or 1080p movies. Previously I was watching stuff via a computer connected by a dvi- 15p vga connection. Both connections at 1080p on the TV.
And yes it is possible that your TV has a hardware upscaler that does a better job then software. If you usb tv thingy is connecting at a lower resolution then your AFTV then upscaler could play a factor. There is a post about how to change the resolution of what your AFTV connects at.
nyder said:
Having no idea what you are trying to play, what it's resolution is, what it's codec is, etc, makes it hard for anyone to say. My AFTV (rooted) with Kodi plays videos great. Everything is looking like it should, whether it's old doctor who episodes in divx, latest 720p TV releases, or 1080p movies. Previously I was watching stuff via a computer connected by a dvi- 15p vga connection. Both connections at 1080p on the TV.
And yes it is possible that your TV has a hardware upscaler that does a better job then software. If you usb tv thingy is connecting at a lower resolution then your AFTV then upscaler could play a factor. There is a post about how to change the resolution of what your AFTV connects at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi nyder,
Thanks so much for your response!
I play a variety of files, but mostly mp4 in SD and MKV in 720p. 720p an above looks OK - not as good as the TV's USB or Sony, but the biggest difference is with SD mp4 files. They look noticeably worse - oversaturated, overexposed, blocky, with artefacts.
Thanks for the tip about changing the AFTV resolution. I tried that, but it did not help. Hmm...What can I do now? Shall I try something else or look for another device?
Thank you!
Lisali said:
Hi nyder,
Thanks so much for your response!
I play a variety of files, but mostly mp4 in SD and MKV in 720p. 720p an above looks OK - not as good as the TV's USB or Sony, but the biggest difference is with SD mp4 files. They look noticeably worse - oversaturated, overexposed, blocky, with artefacts.
Thanks for the tip about changing the AFTV resolution. I tried that, but it did not help. Hmm...What can I do now? Shall I try something else or look for another device?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am new to UK fire tv but I have to say I have tried a few 1080p dd5.1 H264 and so far all looks very nice streaming localy
using xbmc-13.2-Gotham-armeabi-v7a kicked off from newest plex app
madusmacus said:
I am new to UK fire tv but I have to say I have tried a few 1080p dd5.1 H264 and so far all looks very nice streaming localy
using xbmc-13.2-Gotham-armeabi-v7a kicked off from newest plex app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you enjoying your device?
Yes - that seems to be the case. 1080p will look fine, but SD files look awful.
Lisali said:
How are you enjoying your device?
Yes - that seems to be the case. 1080p will look fine, but SD files look awful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Took me a few days to get past all the "you cant root this version" nonsense its OK now :¬)
I have firedtv and I used llama to make the old Plex app launch the new Plex app (sideloaded) and
I use air buddy to launch xbms as it detects its sideloaded and gives you a laod button :¬)
Its definatly a mark up from my old jailbroken ATV 2 - (RIP) - :¬)
Only bad thing its for me DD5.1 definatly does NOT WORK over HDMI (Netflix and amazon prime)
Fixed by buying optical cables - it its a real pain duplicating cables - grrr
XBMC of course works over either HDMI or OPTICAL
I am guessing this problem is UK version or a new firmware NERF they have done to ruin peoples life for a laugh and then buy optical cables from amazon :¬):¬):¬).
madusmacus said:
Took me a few days to get past all the "you cant root this version" nonsense its OK now :¬)
I have firedtv and I used llama to make the old Plex app launch the new Plex app (sideloaded) and
I use air buddy to launch xbms as it detects its sideloaded and gives you a laod button :¬)
Its definatly a mark up from my old jailbroken ATV 2 - (RIP) - :¬)
Only bad thing its for me DD5.1 definatly does NOT WORK over HDMI (Netflix and amazon prime)
Fixed by buying optical cables - it its a real pain duplicating cables - grrr
XBMC of course works over either HDMI or OPTICAL
I am guessing this problem is UK version or a new firmware NERF they have done to ruin peoples life for a laugh and then buy optical cables from amazon :¬):¬):¬).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to hear you're enjoying it. I really wanted to use it for USB playback. As the computer is in the same room, I do not want it being on all the time, so I'm a bit annoyed that it can't be rooted to allow for USB playback. I tried XBMC, but SD playback quality is just abysmal, so I'm not sure what to do at this point.
I did not know that 5.1 does not work over HDMI - that's odd, I'll have to try that. Thanks for the heads up!
[/COLOR]
Lisali said:
Good to hear you're enjoying it. I really wanted to use it for USB playback. As the computer is in the same room, I do not want it being on all the time, so I'm a bit annoyed that it can't be rooted to allow for USB playback. I tried XBMC, but SD playback quality is just abysmal, so I'm not sure what to do at this point.
I did not know that 5.1 does not work over HDMI - that's odd, I'll have to try that. Thanks for the heads up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to try "MX Player"(free) for SD or PLEX (but that involves and external server)
I might just be it does not like my HDMI tv or AUDIO
I obviously can be done because XMBC works flawlessly
I am using Amazon HDMI cables too :¬)
:¬( lowest I have gone so far is 720
I was having issues with some of the services I was trying to use on my FTV. Playback would be jerky here and there. I went ahead and disabled mediacodec and everything plays nice and smooth now.
Maybe try that incase it changes the quality as well?
Hello Lisali
the same issue goes for me too.
I am rather disappointed with the picture quality of AFTV. In most of the time, I play 1080p net-downloaded movies and TV shows such as Band of brothers, Dark knight, and etc. The pictures are too blocky and grainy.
I thought it was some kind of limitation of the mobile chip(?) cause I tried MX player for playback which resulted in the same picture quality, but it seems not everybody are having the same issue.
I wonder what the problem is.
Amazon Fire TV intentionally downgrading video playback quality
wonhorang said:
Hello Lisali
the same issue goes for me too.
I am rather disappointed with the picture quality of AFTV. In most of the time, I play 1080p net-downloaded movies and TV shows such as Band of brothers, Dark knight, and etc. The pictures are too blocky and grainy.
I thought it was some kind of limitation of the mobile chip(?) cause I tried MX player for playback which resulted in the same picture quality, but it seems not everybody are having the same issue.
I wonder what the problem is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - I see, the MX player did not help?
After some thinking, I think this is intentional on Amazon's part. Here's why: The main point of Amazon Fire TV is to promote Amazon services - Prime, App Store, music. When you look at Amazon Prime, you get a lot of content for free, but mostly in SD. Want HD? Pay more. If Amazon started upscaling their SD content, there would be no reason for people to pay to watch HD stuff.
This is quite devious, I must say. SD content = crappy. HD content = better. Pay even more for HD, Amazon makes more money. Devious - yes. Honest and honourable - no.
I and some others use SPMC and it works a lot better than xbmc
Regards
dbaseii said:
I and some others use SPMC and it works a lot better than xbmc
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - thanks for the response. That sounds good, but how is it at upscaling SD content? If this is a hardware limitation in Amazon Fire TV box, it may not be much better than Kodi. I will give it a go, thanks!
Looking at system info in SPMC it does use all 4 processors.
Other people have used the Ouya version with success.
---------- Post added at 04:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 PM ----------
Any of you guys in the UK. Head over to Amazon Fire TV UK group on fb.
if it is so, how come there are guys who are satisfied with the playback quality?
from the reply, i see other guys satisfied with their amazon TV's razor sharp picture quality.
wonhorang said:
if it is so, how come there are guys who are satisfied with the playback quality?
from the reply, i see other guys satisfied with their amazon TV's razor sharp picture quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They may be playing 1080p content, or are happy with the quality they get. I am not. Amazon Fire TV is NOT razor sharp.
Lisali said:
They may be playing 1080p content, or are happy with the quality they get. I am not. Amazon Fire TV is NOT razor sharp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have gone through a few android boxes including the Minix Neo X8-H. I thought that was a great box. But tha AFTV is better. Handles even the most demanding skins and excellent picture quality. As I said in a previous post I'm using SPMC.
Lisali said:
Hi - I see, the MX player did not help?
After some thinking, I think this is intentional on Amazon's part. Here's why: The main point of Amazon Fire TV is to promote Amazon services - Prime, App Store, music. When you look at Amazon Prime, you get a lot of content for free, but mostly in SD. Want HD? Pay more. If Amazon started upscaling their SD content, there would be no reason for people to pay to watch HD stuff.
This is quite devious, I must say. SD content = crappy. HD content = better. Pay even more for HD, Amazon makes more money. Devious - yes. Honest and honourable - no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you in the UK as well? I ask as you mention Amazon Prime content being in SD, I only watch HD with my prime membership and i dont pay any extra. Granted i don't even think about looking at anything that would be in SD but everything i am interested in is always available in HD.
My experience is that SD looks like crap on any HD TV no matter how you slice it. Upscaling helps but you can still see the difference very easily
nujackk said:
Are you in the UK as well? I ask as you mention Amazon Prime content being in SD, I only watch HD with my prime membership and i dont pay any extra. Granted i don't even think about looking at anything that would be in SD but everything i am interested in is always available in HD.
My experience is that SD looks like crap on any HD TV no matter how you slice it. Upscaling helps but you can still see the difference very easily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - yes, I'm in the UK. Some Prime content is in HD, but not all of it is. A lot of movies, especially older ones, are SD only. Some of them are included in prime as SD, but you have to pay extra for HD. I also watch a lot of my own content, which is not always in HD, and the box seems to degrade, instead of upscale those. It's just odd that my 5 year old TV's built-in USB playback function is so much better at this than Amazon Fire TV, which is a beast of a machine. When it comes to how much better it is, I'd say 20-30% for HD and 50-60% for SD content.
Lisali said:
They may be playing 1080p content, or are happy with the quality they get. I am not. Amazon Fire TV is NOT razor sharp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely false. I play US TV shows (typically downscaled HD broadcasts to SD or even 640 x 360) and full HD movies ([email protected]) and I see no real image quality difference compared to my Windows 8.1 HTPC also running XBMC. I usually disable any post-processing in XBMC, in the Windows video driver (if applicable) and on the TV itself.
The claim that Amazon is on purpose degrading the video is also BS IMHO.

Categories

Resources