Posts by Boulder08

Hmm, if using PGS subs is a workaround, I could still go for S912. I have no problems using them, it's easy to create those and remux if needed.

Quote from Tim_Taylor

I don´t believe it.

My OLED TV is working fine - no subtitle stutter

I would try another S912 box if it was possible to return it free of charge, but that's not an option as I don't think they are sold locally.

Nevertheless, did anyone make any visual comparison regarding the image quality between S905X and S912 on HDR sources?

I got an S912 box (Mecool M8S Pro L), which had the video jerk slightly every time a subtitle appeared on the screen (embedded srt subs in an mkv container). The S905X (Sidiwen X11) does not have this issue, it seems to make the jerk the first time a subtitle appears but the next ones do not cause it. The TV doesn't have anything to do with these issues, it's probably some driver issue.

Will the 8-bit processing path of S905X affect the "thing" about HDR much - i.e. vivid colours and superior contrast compared to SDR? I've been thinking about getting me a Sony XE9005 which has a true 10-bit display panel but I'd rather wait if the output devices are not up to it. S912 is not an option because of the "stuttering video with subtitles" issue.

I have a Sidiwen X11 box (S905X, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM).The device tree gxl_p212_2g.dtb fails to show the internal memory of the box (apparently NAND) and if I replace it on the SD card with the gxl_p212_2g_nand.dtb (renaming, of course), the box does not boot. Which device tree should I try in addition to these two, or is it just that there is not a suitable one for the box?

One other strange thing: if I SSH to the box, the command xrandr is not recognized. Is this also due to the device tree?

Quote from dodo95

Boulder08 Custom EDID [LibreELEC.wiki]

Thanks, will check that out

If I boot my box without having the A/V receiver or TV on (the signal goes to the receiver and from there to the TV), it seems that LE changes the GUI resolution to 720p even though I have set it to 1080p as I have a FullHD capable TV. I have to do some searching to see how to force the output to 1080p upon startup, but just thought that I'd report this behaviour. If you need any logs etc., just let me know.

Quote from adamg

What this forum needs is a proper FAQ thread or Wiki page

I agree 100%.

The more I read the "Pick the right Kodi box" thread at the Kodi forums, the more confused I get The information is scattered all over the thread.. and some bad advice like recommending the S912 boxes while they still have issues with subtitles causing jerky video.

Just some simple things like two cases of settings:

1) I have a Sxxxx box and a 4K TV that supports HDR, what settings are recommended if I playback both HDR and SDR video?

2) I have a Sxxxx box and a FullHD TV that does not support HDR, what settings are recommended if I playback both HDR and SDR video? Are there any special cases in which I should change the settings?

Then the Netflix etc. things, how to set things up in a step-by-step manner.

For example, I personally cannot answer those top two questions and I'm tech savvy

Quote from MichelLoyen

The issue can be resolved by disabling the subtitles.

It's resolved if you disable H/W decoding, but with UHD sources, that is a no-no I think. From what I've understood, this is more likely a problem with the S912 drivers themselves and there's not that much that the Kodi devs can do about it.

On my S912 box, the video would jerk slightly every time a subtitle appeared on the screen so it was very noticable. I didn't test any BD sources, I did my tests with a Matroska file with srt subs embedded in it.

Does the S912 still have issues with stuttering when subtitles are displayed and H/W decoding is enabled? S905X has the behaviour the first time a subtitle appears on the screen while watching a video, the subsequent subtitles do not cause it.

Quote from The Coolest

Boulder08

10bit H.264 is not supported by the VPU, so it's decoded in software.

Does it also mean that upscaling is done in software?

Just checked with debug log enabled: if using software decoding (a 10-bit x264 encoded file), frames are being dropped like crazy even though the CPU usage is not at 100%. With hardware decoding (a 10-bit x265 encoded file), no drops and no choice for upscaling options. It seems that optimized Lanczos3 is used then because if I use the Set as default for all media option, that upscaling is applied to that x264 encoded video as well.

The upscaling options - are they HW accelerated on the S905X? I was just wondering because I have some serious stuttering playing back a 10-bit x264 encoded file (resolution 960x720) even when using bilinear scaling. Nearest neighbour seems to work but of course, the result is not pretty. Out of interest, is there a way to disable upscaling but output the video as it is and let my TV do the thing?

I just got me a M8S Pro L (S912), installed LE 8.2.2.2 and tested it briefly yesterday. I noticed that there's small stuttering every now and then with HEVC sources and hardware decoding enabled. With HW decoding disabled, everything runs smoothly. Is this perfectly normal - i.e. should I actually get me an S905X box to replace my Chromebox?

EDIT: the issue is most likely due to the "subtitle stutter" discussed elsewhere. However, I'm unable to gather whether the issue can be fixed for S912 or not.