Installation of LibreElec 8.1.2 on Intel NUC7I5BNK

    Quote from osxanalyst

    So I bought the same NUC and followed your directions. However, I'm having stuttering issues with 10 bit 4K video. I am stunned. All four cores are maxed out almost as if its not using the hardware to decode. Is there a setting or something I should check? VAAPI is enabled.

    edit: I found the modded build and it works great.

    Could you please share which modded build it is and a link.

    Thanks.

    I have a mute NUC6CAYH. Will try this & report back.

    Thx.

    T

    Quote from CvH

    still broken, afaik Intel is currently not interested in fixing this :thumbdown:

    It´s true, i was at some "communication" on Intel disc.forum - and they say just - Linux it´s not supported OS... Or better - we do not officially validate Linux Operating Systems on NUC... :(

    Quote from CvH

    It isn't a nuc problem, it is a platform problem (all J3455/J4205 are affected) - but well if Intel decides to do nothing not much we can do :(

    Respectfully, it is a NUC problem in the sense that the newer models are essentially Windoze only devices. Intel has worked with Microsoft to give them full hardware support. Linux support in terms of device drivers is poor. I have open bugs regarding 5th & 7th gen NUC's very poor HDMI/Sound issue. These bugs go completely ignored. Despite claiming Linux is a supported OS on their marketing intel support simply refuse to assist.

    I made the expensive mistake of buying a NUC6CAYH to use as a Linux based HTPC.

    Hi there,

    It’s been a while that I was here. A few BIOS (version 0051 is the latest now) updates and LibreElec versions later I still have two major problems with audio pass-through. The wireless problem is less important because I use I cable to connect my mediacenter and the problem is only a one-time problem. The problems with audio pass-trough however are more serious and are there since version 8.0.1.

    I fiddled a lot with my installation and since 8.0.1 I had some updates installed until version 8.1.1. Also some firmware tweaks resided on the system that are no longer necessary in version 8.1.1. So I started with a fresh install of LibreElec version 8.1.1.

    1. Wireless related crash after fresh install.

    After a fresh installation Kodi crashes when I click for the first time on the detected wireless network in LibreElec → Connections. When I go to 'LibreElec → Connections' after the crash & restart and I click on the detected wireless network the menu with the ‘connect’ option appears. When I enter the wireless key everything works as expected, no more crashes. This problem is there since version 8.0.1.

    2. Audio stream problems (suspected pass-through related)

    Unless the WiFi bug, the problems described below are much more important an annoying.

    Problem description

    To clarify the problem I included some relevant screenshots below this post. When I start a movie which contains one AC3 5.1 stream and one or more DTS 5.1 streams the AC3 stream gives no sound. When I choose the DTS or DTS-HD stream I have sound but only in stereo, unless the fact that the DTS streams are 5.1 streams. I have Sonos and Sonos does not support DTS so it does not even supposed to play these DTS streams. When I choose the AC3 5.1 stream in the same movie I only get sound when I switch off pass-through for this stream. The incoming signal on my Sonos playbar however is then in stereo and not Dolby Digital 5.1. In all cases I have GUI sounds.

    It is getting stranger. When I play a movie which contains one AC3 5.1 stream I have sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 format. When I have a movie with two or more AC3 streams, for example AC3 2.0 en 5.1 then I have sound on the 2.0 stream (stereo) but not on the 5.1 stream. The 5.1 stream only gives sound when I switch off pass-through for this stream. The incoming signal on my Sonos playbar however is then again in stereo and not Dolby Digital 5.1.

    Then another strange problem. After a fresh installation the audio output en throughput device where on HDMI#0. After one reboot the audio output en throughput device where from then on Displayport#0.

    When the audio output and throughput device were on HDMI#0 then in Settings → System → Audio the options ‘AC3 capable receiver’, ‘DTS capable receiver’, DTS-HD capable receiver’ en ‘TrueHD capable reciever’ were visible. When the audio output and throughput device were on Displayport#0 then in Settings → System → Audio the options ‘AC3 capable receiver’, ‘DTS capable receiver’ are visible. The options DTS-HD capable receiver’ and ‘TrueHD capable receiver’ were no longer visible.

    Both problems are there since version 8.0.1.

    What with the HDMI 2.0 firmware update from Intel. Could this be part of the solution? I tried to install it but it needs a HDMI 2.0 device, preferably a TV, attached to the NUC. Don’t have a HDMI 2.0 capable device to attach to NUC. So for now I can not test this. I managed to do the update to 1.66. Unfortunately this did not solve my problems with passthrough.

    What about the discussions in this, this and this link ? How to install a patched version? How to install the Milhouse build, they are not the regular IMG files. Do I have to compile myself?  Sorry, as per this link I know.

    The symptoms above are they part of the pass-through / hdmi firmware problems discussed earlier in this thread and post? I'm having more and more regrets buying this intel NUC7I5BNK.


    Greetings,

    Erik

    Quote from ehoitinga

    It is getting stranger. When I play a movie which contains one AC3 5.1 stream I have sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 format. When I have a movie with two or more AC3 streams, for example AC3 2.0 en 5.1 then I have sound on the 2.0 stream (stereo) but not on the 5.1 stream. The 5.1 stream only gives sound when I switch off pass-through for this stream. The incoming signal on my Sonos playbar however is then again in stereo and not Dolby Digital 5.1.

    OK. Did some further testing. I stumbled upon a movie with just one AC3 stream in it and it won't play until I switch off pass-through. So the above is no longer true. As expected the stream plays in stereo in stead of the expected Dolby Digital 5.1.

    I really have no idea what's going on here. I don't know if it's part of the Intel pass-through problems or not. What I do know is that I did not have these problems in 8.0.2.

    I will try to get back to 8.0.2 official and will also try the Fritsch mod.

    Keep you posted.

    Erik

    Quote from ehoitinga

    I really have no idea what's going on here. I don't know if it's part of the Intel pass-through problems or not. What I do know is that I did not have these problems in 8.0.2.

    OK. I got back to version 8.02 using the update function in LibreElec. The same problems as described earlier. I really don't know anymore. It wasn't the BIOS update (bios51.bin bios52.bin) because I also had the same problems using the BIOS version bios46.bin.

    I'll try the the Fritsch mod. If this doesn't I will really considering ditching the NUC and look for some hardware that works. :(

    Erik

    Edited once, last by ehoitinga (September 24, 2017 at 6:06 PM).

    OK. I tried the the Fritsch mod. With this version I have no sound at all. Not AC3, not DTS and not DTS-HD. Even turning on and off pass-through did not give me sound. I only have GUI sounds.

    Erik

    Edited once, last by ehoitinga (September 23, 2017 at 10:32 AM).

    Hi Again,

    There is something that came to my mind. Can it be my Ligawo HDMI matrix (see my network topology below) that is buggy? Lately I had some problems with the image disappearing on my TV. I had to reset the Ligawo to get the image back on my TV.

    I have no other means of connecting my devices 'cause Sonos playbar has only Toslink input and my NUC has no Toslink output. It is also possible to connect the NUC and the STB via HDMI to the TV and get the sound back from the TV to the Sonos playbar with Toslink. This is the common solution Sonos advises.

    But... Very, very few TV's do pass-through from HDMI to Toslink, at least my TV does not. With this solution I'm stuck with stereo sound which is a no go.

    I'll try to find another HDMI matrix and see if this is the problem. I'll keep you posted.

    Erik

    Edited once, last by ehoitinga (September 23, 2017 at 10:33 AM).

    Is this just a cosmetic issue or does it change something about the pass-through problems. What about the pincfg. What is the pincfg stuff and where can I find it for the NUC7I5BNK?

    I tried to run the alsa-info.sh script but it gives me errors:

    Edited once, last by ehoitinga (September 22, 2017 at 2:47 PM).