Display 4.3 stretched no black bars other resolutions have black bars on top and bottom squashed.

Please bear with me but first a Bit of background:

My files all are fine. I have been using < 2007 media players and files display correctly, mpg's, mv's, mkv x264 and what have you without any settings changes. PC's Windows or Linux if I download and install Kodi it has settings to display the files correctly if it doesn't, which I never understood why it never works out of the box. So the problem seems to be with embedded Kodi having settings removed and not the hardware.

I have tried in the past 2020 and now again LibreElec and Batocera which come with embeded Kodi but no settings exist to display my videos correctly. The Kodi versions are irrelevent for in an example below with Armbian and a Kodi install it is actually older than LibreElec and Batocera.

OrangePI PC Libreelec default install with Kodi 20.2 > no changes made and no settings will make any difference but see Armbian with post install below.

Installed Current LibreElec 11xx and also tried it years ago with same result. When playing a 4.3 video for example it is stretched full screen and when playing other larger resolutions they are squashed with black bars top and bottom.

I also tried the settings for the black bars and 4.3 displays method but no change.

I tried Batocera also pre installed with Kodi and same result.

I tried: How to switch to HDMI output? but it makes no difference I also searched for 'xrandr' in the file system but nothing found.

I installed Armbian and then Kodi - 19.4 from it's repo.

Same result, however, under settings it I has a 'Monitor' setting and a couple of differences on the same screen. I don't know what I did but it worked. All resolutions display correctly on Armbian with Kodi install so I know it can work and it's not the OrangePI PC.

I went back to LibreElect but those settings do not exist. It seems that pre-installed Kodi on LibreElec and Batocrea have settings removed. I say removed for when I tried LebreElec years ago I think around 2020 with Kodi 17/18 it was the same so I abandoned the project.

I have also included a screenshot of the settings mismatch between LibreElec and Armbian stand alone Kodi install.

Any Ideas?

I forgot to add that If I cycle through the modes using 'z' key on the keyboard the following happens:

LibreElec > Starts at Normal but nothing changes no matter what setting is set.

Armbian with Kodi added > Starts at Normal and Resolutions change as you cycle as it should.

I'm not even going to pretend I know what any of that means, but I think I can debunk it all.

Quote from chewitt

The major software-stack difference is that Armbian runs Kodi through a Window manager (Desktop Environment) while LE (10/11/12) runs Kodi direct on hardware (no Window manager, no Desktop).

If you note from my post I tried batocera as well which is a gaming version that has Kodi as a window with the same display issues as LE, so that should not make any difference nor does it explain the missing settings.

Quote from chewitt

The distros are probably running different kernels too; which may be a factor in things.

Irrelevant, for as I stated that Kodi versions make no difference. A I also noted that I tried LE with Kodi 17 or 18 back in 2020 or so and same result. So that's 5 different Kernels and both times LE cannot display correctly.

Quote from chewitt

I'm not really sure what the issue is, but I'd make a semi-educated guess it's something to do with the underlying Linux DRM layer than handles rendering/output to HDMI more than an actual Kodi problem.

Without having a clue I may agree not on your statement but the fact that those settings are not there, as can be compared in the screenshot I provided.

What I can't comprehend is why I seem to be the only one with this issue? It's not as though I'm saying it doesn't work for I have provided 3 different comparisons with one that actually can work so it's not the hardware, it has to be LE. Why does LE have missing settings and why am I the only one, surely there must be other OrangePi PC users, or do they like me back in 2020 just abandon LE as not viable?

Quote from chewitt

Stats show roughly 250 "OrangePi PC" users (including + and 2+ variants) so the gene pool for problems isn't large and I'd wager the majority of users will be running their mediacentre at HD (720p/1080p) not VGA resolutions;

It would be less than 250 It's just OrangePI PC. Is there any way of contacting them and asking on their help/setup, that would be the best way to resolve this, even if it just yes min works I use LE version XXXX.

What do you mean by 'not VGA resolution. As stated changes make no difference and if you look at the comparison of Armbian working the screen resolution is the same. So I have no idea as to what you are referring to. Remember Armbian works on the same OrangePI PC.

Quote from chewitt

and things where display is out of whack often depend upon a specific monitor/TV and (often) its bad/broken EDID data; which is something to check. Also check cables and if possible ports on the TV.

It's not hardware. Setup is exactly the same. Take out SD card with LE and insert SD card with Armbian and Kodi.

EDID data no idea but if you referring to the TV. It's not.

Quote from chewitt

Also share Kodi debug and dmesg logs so we can look for errors. Also ignore "missing settings" because that's a quirk of running Kodi GBM and is not the cause of the problem (I'm pretty confident on that).

Is there a quick way of getting those logs, do I have to tell Kodi to make them or do just FTP into it and copy the logs. What directory would they be in.

I can't ignore the missing settings for based on your logic then the Kernel has had switches or patches altered which inturn has had an effect on Kodi. From my ignorance for example if switch X is not on in the kernel when Kodi is started it notes switch X is not on so it does not display that setting. Usually greyed out, only in this case no settings at all meaning that the developers have also removed them from the GUI. This then is not a problem that can be resolved in the forum, nor something I can fix.

Quote from chewitt

I'll say again that the issue is likely nothing to do with Kodi and more likely to be something in the kernel DRM layer .. and I note that Batocera's lead maintainer is also one of the maintainers for Lakka which (being a fork of our codebase) inherits kernel sources and patches from LE, with (an educated guess) that the same content gets used with Batocera and the same kernel/patches result in the same kernel/DRM problems.

Ok, so in saying the Kernel being the common denominator with LE and Batocera and possibly Lakka this would mean that LE's developers alter the kernel obviously. So as I said above 'This then is not a problem that can be resolved in the forum, nor something I can fix.'

So if yours and my assumptions are rightish, then why am I still the only one? I guess I'm left with two paths unless somebody else has answer.

Path 1- Try and contact some other OrangePI PC user and see what they have.

Path 2- File a bug report for LE is technically broken on OrangePI PC and has been for years since I first tried it.

If in doubt start again. There must have been some kind of glitch/corruption. I downloaded LE again, Updated the Etcher program (hadn't updated in years), and tried another SD Card and I can change the settings Actually, the 'Resolution' settings take effect and so far seem to stick, so I have set it to 1280x720p and displays files correctly. (knock on wood)

What is strange is that the Armbian with Kodi 'Resolution' at 1024x768p doesn't need to be at 1280x720p to display correctly, maybe the 'Monitor' setting overrides it. Who cares, it works now.

Thanks Chewitt whilst we may have gone in circles your comment on broken EDID data which I don't know what it is made me think about data corruption.

Thanks again.