My apologies if this has been posted and discussed thousands of times already, but after Googling and searching my head off I decided to just bite the bullet and post.
Basically, I'm due an upgrade and my new choice of phone would depend heavily on which is the best for video playback - mostly HD and MKV.
I've seen that the LG Optimus 2X does not support MKV natively, but that the Samsung Galaxy SII does, and with better framerates (and a nicer screen). My question is this: how well does it play MKVs?
Could I just throw any MKV at it and it'll play it?
Does it need to be a particular resolution (720p/1080p)?
Will it accept ASS/SSA styled subtitles embedded in the MKV?
How about multiple audio tracks?
Essentially, my ultimate goal is for my phone to be able to play my entire video library as-is, without transcoding or remuxing.
Any tidbits or spec sheets would be so so helpful, and thanks in advance for any replies!
The video player had absolutely no trouble with any of the files we threw at it – starting with .WMV, through .AVI (DivX and XviD) and .MP4 to .MKV (H.264). Resolution wasn’t a problem either – the Samsung Galaxy S II played FullHD files. Large files of over 2GB worked as well.
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Click to collapse
from http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9100_galaxy_s_ii-review-588p4.php
I also so a vid of it somewhere, can't remember where.
Many thanks for your reply!
That seems fantastic so far - it seems the support is there. Would it be fair to assume that since it supports Full HD and MKV natively, anything else (like styled subtitles or alternate audio tracks) will come with third-party development? Or am I just being naive?
I believe it supports textfile subs (.sub, .srt) as long as you give them the same name as the actual movie.
As for embedded subs support, I don't know. But it's not a big problem if there's no support right? You can easily extract them from the mkv.
Found the video I mentioned. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4d-wWCf4CQ&
Video-related preview starts at 6:05, but the rest is awesome as well. As for the other things you're asking about, I've no idea. But I think I heard about other android phones using subtitle phones, so at least that should be possible.
phonearena show some hd 1080p video playback in this video
youtube.com/watch?v=y4d-wWCf4CQ
he mentions the galaxy s2 runs mkv for breakfest
The phonearena video shows it playing 1080p MKV flawlessly, it shouldn't be a problem. My SGSI plays 720p MKV perfect. It will have subtitle support for external subs, and the embedded MKV type, since it will use the same video player as the SGSI, which supports these subtitles.
Xero Xenith said:
Basically, I'm due an upgrade and my new choice of phone would depend heavily on which is the best for video playback - mostly HD and MKV.
Could I just throw any MKV at it and it'll play it?
Does it need to be a particular resolution (720p/1080p)?
Will it accept ASS/SSA styled subtitles embedded in the MKV?
How about multiple audio tracks?
Essentially, my ultimate goal is for my phone to be able to play my entire video library as-is, without transcoding or remuxing.
Any tidbits or spec sheets would be so so helpful, and thanks in advance for any replies!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, you have similar needs as mine and I have done imo pretty extensive testing on my Galaxy S regarding the playback of mkv.
The best video player for SGS is mvideoplayer and I suspect for SGS2 as well. The reason? It accepts ass/ssa subtitles embedded. However, it only displays it as text. To be specific, the list is as below:
SubRip(.srt)
Sub Station Alpha(.ssa)
Advanced Sub Station Alpha(.ass)
MPL2(.mpl/.txt)
MicroDVD(.sub/.txt)
SubViewer2.0(.sub)
PowerDivX(.psb/.txt)
TMPlayer(.txt)
SAMI(.smi/.sami)
As for multiple audio tracks, default videoplayer or mvideoplayer doesn't allow for switching but software decoding for rockplayer allows for it, the downside is the video is no longer hardware accelerated and only external srt subtitles are readable on the app rockplayer.
As for what type of codecs within mkv is supported by SGS, well, video encoding is very very complicated, it is like balancing between different parameters, too much of that and it is not playable, reduce the resolution and it works. I can't simply say oh, H264, [email protected] Level 5.0 works at 720p resolution. Yes, some of them do but not all can. Thus, there's no 'spec' list to give because it is too varied.
Bottomline is: drag and try to play it, most of the time it should be playable. Audio codec support is the next headache. Ff I remember correctly, SGS could downsample AC3 6 channels to dual channel but can't do the same for AAC. vorbis aka ogg doesn't work, have not tried flac but I don't think it does.
One last thing, for most 'recent' mkvs using mkvmerge 4.4.0 and above, there is a need to remux it using mkvmerge to set the compression to none for both video and audio stream under extra options because apparently it is set by default to something else by the encoders. I discovered that only after googling online and wondering why in the world would those videos be unplayable when they should be. Mediainfo would give you all the information you need regarding a mkv video.
I am planning on getting a SGS 2 the moment it is released in Singapore and compare it with my current SGS. Hope that answers your questions, anymore?
Wait a minute, the default player also does subs, if your doesn't then its an out of date version of the default player...
NZtechfreak said:
Wait a minute, the default player also does subs, if your doesn't then its an out of date version of the default player...
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Click to collapse
only external but not embedded, and limited to srt?
Thanks again for your answers - this is very reassuring
Lobaba said:
Hi, you have similar needs as mine and I have done imo pretty extensive testing on my Galaxy S regarding the playback of mkv.
The best video player for SGS is mvideoplayer and I suspect for SGS2 as well. The reason? It accepts ass/ssa subtitles embedded. However, it only displays it as text. To be specific, the list is as below:
--snip--
I am planning on getting a SGS 2 the moment it is released in Singapore and compare it with my current SGS. Hope that answers your questions, anymore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant! This was a very informative answer If you get it before the end of May, would you be able to report how well some video files play if I send them to you? (I'll send small samples - mostly one minute, which is fair use under the DMCA.)
No worries if you can't, but it would be a big help
i have no problems with that, only problem is whether they will launch during may...
Lobaba said:
only external but not embedded, and limited to srt?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The video player in the original SGS on 2.2.1 firmwares, or at least all that I have tried, will also play embedded MKV subtitles in the files I've tried it on...
Xero Xenith said:
Thanks again for your answers - this is very reassuring
Brilliant! This was a very informative answer If you get it before the end of May, would you be able to report how well some video files play if I send them to you? (I'll send small samples - mostly one minute, which is fair use under the DMCA.)
No worries if you can't, but it would be a big help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you send me your files also, I will be doing a review for the Clove Blog and this is an important aspect to me also, would be nice to give concrete answers on a variety of codecs.
Lobaba said:
i have no problems with that, only problem is whether they will launch during may...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries if you can't, but thanks so much Really appreciate it!
NZtechfreak said:
Can you send me your files also, I will be doing a review for the Clove Blog and this is an important aspect to me also, would be nice to give concrete answers on a variety of codecs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem - I'll start organising them now
UPDATE: Full thread for this here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1054962
EDIT: I have put these six tests together in line with what I said above. All are just short samples (one minute in most cases) and as such qualify for free use under the DMCA.
The aim is to have a test for a player's flexibility and capability when it comes to MKV, which is an irritatingly versatile format. As such, I have tried to make this as comprehensive as possible. However, I am no expert (just a guy with a lot of video to play), and so would appreciate any comments
The download links supplied for the first three are not my own. For the remaining three tests (IV-VI) please obtain this file:
http://www.mediafire.com/?965488edub8dzgc
Full details on all files used can be obtained here:
http://pastebin.com/GDtMQqkz
TEST I. Extreme (40Mbit/s) video quality in MKV. Codec: AVC; Res: 1920*1072
"Bird_42_MBit_ABR_(+-1.5 MBit).mkv"
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1D4BX1U9
Test passes if: video plays without stutter. File has no audio
IMPORTANT NOTE: This video is faster than most memory cards can handle. It may be best to run it off the internal memory, if there's space. In any case, if this test passes, it's outstanding!
TEST II. Very high (20Mbit/s) video quality in MKV. Codec: VC-1; Res: 1920*1080
"hddvd_demo_1080p.mkv"
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/530/HD-DVD_Demo_1080p_VC-1_DDPlus_5.1.html
Test passes if: video plays without stutter. (First few seconds in particular!)
TEST III. High (10Mbit/s) video quality in MKV with unstyled subs. Codec: AVC; Res: 1920*1080
"iguana.monsi.1080p.bd9.sample.mkv"
http://www.mediafire.com/?okmdmnymonz
Test passes if: video plays with subtitles on the screen. (May have to select subtitles with the menu.)
TEST IV. Medium (3.4Mbit/s) video quality in MKV with styled and unstyled subs. Codec: AVC; Res: 704*480
"Suzumiya_Haruhi_no_Yuuutsu_-_C4_-_Special_Ending_-__Hitsuji__e569a2b7_.mkv"
Test passes if: video plays with STYLED subtitles on the screen. (Styled means "coloured and positioned on the top and bottom") (May have to select subtitles with the menu.)
TEST V. Unusual combination of Xvid video and styled subtitles, including foreign languages. Codec: Xvid; Res: 640*346
"Matrix.Reloaded.Trailer-640x346-XviD-1.0beta2-HE_AAC_subtitled.mkv"
Test passes if: Video plays with styled (just coloured) English subtitles, AND can play with Japanese and Arabic subtitles. (May have to select subtitles with the menu.)
TEST VI. Dual audio in an MKV. Codec: AVC; Res: 1280*526. Audio codec: English: AAC, Hindi: MP3
"SAMPLE Harry Potter 4[Eng-Hindi]Dual.Audio BRRIP 720p-=[champ_is_here]=-.mkv"
Test passes if: Video plays with English audio, and can switch to Hindi audio.
I'd really appreciate it if you could run these through the SGSII
Many thanks for your replies!
Shamelessly bumping this thread as the tests above are very good and I'd love to get some results.
Could you also list what profile the h264 videos are?
DesktopMan said:
Shamelessly bumping this thread as the tests above are very good and I'd love to get some results.
Could you also list what profile the h264 videos are?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the kind words
The full info is available in the link above the tests (obtained from mediainfo on Linux). But I will list them again here:
Bird_42_MBit_ABR_(+-1.5 MBit).mkv : [email protected]
iguana.monsi.1080p.bd9.sample.mkv : [email protected]
Harry Potter 4 [...] .mkv : [email protected]
Suzumiya_Haruhi [...] .mkv : [email protected]
hddvd_demo_1080p.mkv : [email protected] (not H.264)
Matrix.Reloaded.Trailer [...] .mkv : Advanced [email protected] (not H.264)
Hmm... I hope it supports "High" profile
EDIT: Made a new topic as this is a bit outside the scope of the original title:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13290953#post13290953
I mirrored all the samples and put them in a table: http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/
Wow, nice! If you have no objection, I'll put that link in my new thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13290953#post13290953
Many thanks, that mirror is amazing
Xero Xenith said:
Wow, nice! If you have no objection, I'll put that link in my new thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13290953#post13290953
Many thanks, that mirror is amazing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel free. Usually it's very fast, so either it has a bad day or people are downloading a lot
Related
Hello Everyone,
After much testing/researching, I have finally found the best solution to encode .MKV files to .MP4 for flawless playback on the HD2 using MediaCoder. I have tried many of the other methods and settings provided by others on this forum and many of them were good, but simply took too long or sometimes caused choppy playback on the HD2.
UPDATE 9/6/10
Thanks to everyone who has helped out with new settings and testing out encoding methods in this thread and the entire forum. I have recently had major issues with encoding certain videos in H.264 resulting in audio sync issues, frames, and artifacts. Doing some more testing and help from forum members, I will be updating the settings to what I have been using recently and having absolutely no issues with even on 1080P files. Just remember to use Windows Media Player, it provides the best playback for these encodes!
MediaCoder Settings:
Format: H.264 ( If Possible use CUDA Encoder, much faster!)
Mode: Average bitrate @ 1500Kbps
Audio encoder: FAAC
Audio Format: LC-AAC
Audio container: AAC
Audio mode: Average bitrate @128Kbps
Container: MP4
Resize: 800x480
Effects: Filter by Encoder
Aspect ratio: Keep Display AR
With these settings I have tested 12 different files ranging from 500MB-1.8GB in size(720p quality) and the largest took 34 minutes on my dual core CPU (intel i5). First tried playing the files with HTC Album player and CorePlayer and the results weren't very good and they included a lot of choppiness. After reading some others success with WMP, I decided to give it a shot and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it played the .MP4 files beautifully and without a single hiccup.
Some of you may already have solutions for encoding videos for playback on the HD2, but I have found these settings to be perfect for anyone who wants to encode HD .MKV files.
I want to thank everyone who has contributed to finding the best method of converting/encoding files for playback, but I can honestly say these settings will give you amazing quality and smooth playback, even in the most intense action scenes. Give it a try!
Smack it up, flip it, rub it down,
Sticky this to be seen all around
Very nice find!
Wow, tried many of different settings and this one has worked the best for me so far! Sticky this!
Great find. This is now stuck
Great find. One question though, I have been using XenonMKV to package my MKV files to MP4 and it never takes longer than 10 minutes to do and the videos work flawlessly on my XBOX 360. Haven't tried it on an HD2 since I haven't got one yet. Do the MKV files have to be re-encoded to work on the HD2 or can they simply be repackaged into an MP4 as XenonMKV does?
htpw16 said:
Great find. One question though, I have been using XenonMKV to package my MKV files to MP4 and it never takes longer than 10 minutes to do and the videos work flawlessly on my XBOX 360. Haven't tried it on an HD2 since I haven't got one yet. Do the MKV files have to be re-encoded to work on the HD2 or can they simply be repackaged into an MP4 as XenonMKV does?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
one reason ud wana change them up is to lower the resolution and bitrate since you dont need it so high on the smaller screen and it uses less battery
I will try it but I don't even convert mkv I just hit up coreplayer but I will keep this in mind
i dont have the option for 800x450 does that just depend on the original aspect of the video? its lost so should be 16x9
domineus said:
I will try it but I don't even convert mkv I just hit up coreplayer but I will keep this in mind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here I dont see the use of it (at least for me)
lbhocky19 said:
i dont have the option for 800x450 does that just depend on the original aspect of the video? its lost so should be 16x9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably meant to say "16:9" which is the aspect ratio. Also, check for 800x400, it should be there.
Depending on your encoder, you might want to see about removing the black bars that are so prevalent on TV shows crammed onto DVDs. The black bars not only take up precious screen space, but they cause the decoder to render them, which is CPU-intensive. Also they cost you in battery life since black is the most expensive color rendering for our screens.
I've tried these settings 3 times on .avi and .mkv amd I either get an unreadable file or sound but no video. the HD2 WILL NOT play ANy of my .avi files and it lso doesn't play some .mp4.
I have tried .mkv files and yes, some of them fail when I try to play them. I kept the same settings from the first post and only changed: Aspect Ratio = Keep Pixel AR.
Which MediaCoder version do you use?
Thank you,
Mike
medrison said:
Which MediaCoder version do you use?
Thank you,
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use MediaCoder 0.7.3.4625 x64. For some of you having trouble playing .MP4 files, what player are you using to open them with? I have found WMP to give me no trouble playing any .MP4 file I threw at it.
htpw16 said:
Great find. One question though, I have been using XenonMKV to package my MKV files to MP4 and it never takes longer than 10 minutes to do and the videos work flawlessly on my XBOX 360. Haven't tried it on an HD2 since I haven't got one yet. Do the MKV files have to be re-encoded to work on the HD2 or can they simply be repackaged into an MP4 as XenonMKV does?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Re-encoding the MKV files seems to be the better choice for size and smoothness of playback. At the native bitrate of 3000+Kbps playback is choppy for me even when using WMP. Not only will lowering the bitrate provide smoother playback, but it will lower the file size. The videos I encode are around 500MB average, and when encoding is finished they are no larger than 250MB, which helps a lot since I only have a 16GB memory card.
Using MediaCoder 0.7.3.4625 x64. On my PC I have no problems playing the .MP4. The only issue I get is when I transfer the file to the phone, and try playing it on the phone. I hear audio but no video, but after changing the Aspect Ratio that seem to have fixed my issue.
N1M1TZ said:
Using MediaCoder 0.7.3.4625 x64. On my PC I have no problems playing the .MP4. The only issue I get is when I transfer the file to the phone, and try playing it on the phone. I hear audio but no video, but after changing the Aspect Ratio that seem to have fixed my issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear things are working fine for you. If you don't mind me asking, how's the playback, and what player are you using?
Gentlemen, let me introduce to you AnyVideoConverter - this little baby is free and does the job just fine!
Tried it out w/ some anime. Select file, and hit convert to mp4 - perfect sync!
http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/
godsafk said:
Re-encoding the MKV files seems to be the better choice for size and smoothness of playback. At the native bitrate of 3000+Kbps playback is choppy for me even when using WMP. Not only will lowering the bitrate provide smoother playback, but it will lower the file size. The videos I encode are around 500MB average, and when encoding is finished they are no larger than 250MB, which helps a lot since I only have a 16GB memory card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait....250MB...I end up with 1Gb/movie with your settings.
May I ask if you are sure you wanted 800/450 px and not 800/480?
Thank you,
Mike
I just picked up my gtablet yesterday and have been spending my time installing tnt lite and installing several apps. I bought it because when I go on trips I wanted something that could browse the net, and play videos. I installed RockPlayer and put a 720p mkv file onto the machine, however playback is very choppy and its almost like the device cannot handle it. I know that several people have gotten 1080p to work good, and I am wondering if there is a setting that needs to be enabled to make 720p work better? I did some digging and saw that someone said to edit a line in the build.prop file (set the media.stagefright.enable from true to false), but I cannot edit my build.prop file. And I am not entirely sure that this will fix the problem. Are 720p videos playable on this machine?
What profile did you render the movies in? Try changing the MKV extension to AVI... Sometimes some renderers treat containers differently even though they are using the same codecs.
just tried to rename the extension from .mkv to .avi and still same choppiness and eventually the videos stops playing all together. I am not sure what rendering is, but the file is encoded AAC 2.0 H264
h264 is not the issue, it's what profile its encoded in
I have this in my FAQ section (in my sig). h264 is supported, but the Tegra 2 cannot handle h264 encoded in high profile. It can handle main profile.
This is confusing to people. So, what I would recommend is to download the excellent "mediainfo" tool (http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en) and it will show you how your videos are encoded.
As for container support, I think MP4 plays a little better than MKV, but Rockplayer (in the Market) seems to be able to handle MKV and using hardware acceleration. Again, as long as it's h264 main profile.
This is not just an issue with the GTab - all the Tegra 2 devices will have this issue as its a limitation of the chipset, or so I've read. Vega, Folio, even the mysterious Adam will probably have this same limitation.
Reference on h264 and main / high profile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC
Thank you for clarifying. I am wondering can I convert the video to the main profile and then get it to work?
Maximus1000 said:
Thank you for clarifying. I am wondering can I convert the video to the main profile and then get it to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's the tricky part. I haven't been able to figure that out yet, although granted I haven't put much time into it. I think these "profiles" depend on how you encode and which tool you use.
If you try the Tron Legacy trailers, they are 1080p but main profile. A good example of how nice videos can look on it, when encoded the right way.
I have to play around more with something like ffmpeg to see if I can pin this down. Another reason for transcoding is to keep the sizes down, since we have the 4GB FAT32 file size limitation to deal with. Yuk.
I've incoded a 1080p high profile to main. sound was in and out then tryed a few things and lost sound. Video played great anyways.
I guess it depends on the encode. I dl a 720p music video off of youtube, mp4 avc [email protected] (according to mediainfo) and it plays just fine.
japhule said:
I guess it depends on the encode. I dl a 720p music video off of youtube, mp4 avc [email protected] (according to mediainfo) and it plays just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be a lower screen resolution that full 720p (not all 720p's are alike).
I also read today that Tegra 2 720p should work in high profile, but 1080p definitely does not. But, Android itself might be limiting even 720p, so it's a crap shoot.
Just out of curiosity why do you guys want those big files on here anyway? Is it to output to a TV? I wouldn't think you would need such a high quality file to watch stuff on the G tab.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b2 using Tapatalk
Sprdtyf350 said:
Just out of curiosity why do you guys want those big files on here anyway? Is it to output to a TV? I wouldn't think you would need such a high quality file to watch stuff on the G tab.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not about storing large files on the gtab...its more about having video portability. I keep my movies and videos on a server that I stream from my living room and bedroom. It would be ideal if I can play files on any device without having to reencode the video.
I did test 1080p files from YouTube and they did not play (high profile).
Ok, makes sense. I do the same thing using upnplay and my server. Thought you were wanting them on the tablet.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b2 using Tapatalk
Sprdtyf350 said:
Just out of curiosity why do you guys want those big files on here anyway? Is it to output to a TV? I wouldn't think you would need such a high quality file to watch stuff on the G tab.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A two hour 720p movie runs ~4GB, so it's close to the limit in FAT32. And you could easily go over the limit when encoding, which would require you to break the file up. Annoying.
The problem here is that none of the vendors want to agree on a replacement file system for portable devices (wow, no surprise there). MS wants exFAT, the open source community would prefer EXT3/4, and I assume Apple would prefer HFS+.
Sprdtyf350 said:
Just out of curiosity why do you guys want those big files on here anyway? Is it to output to a TV? I wouldn't think you would need such a high quality file to watch stuff on the G tab.
Sent from my VEGAn-TAB-v1.0.0b2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't speak for everybody else, but for me I'd want to just use the video files I broadcatch from the NNTP groups. Ideally, I wouldn't want to have to reencode video to watch it, just access it directly from my media server. Standard definition avis work okay, but eventually these will not be offered and of course the HD versions look way better. Over the years it's been harder to come by a regular source of SD resolution TV Series feeds. The 720P encoded files quality are noticeable versus SD even on this smaller screen. Ideally we would get high profile 720P MKV at least to work as it seems this is what the guys doing NNTP TV Series seem to be encoding in.
What I would see happening is that a video player on the GTablet will access the files off the media server and stream, not play files directly off the local Internal SD. Regardless of where the file resides, it looks like it needs to be refined to play these files more fluidly.
I'm not saying this will be the only nor primary method of viewing video files, but having the flexibility and option is always nice. Especially when all the tvs are watching something else. ;P
dkhilo said:
Can't speak for everybody else, but for me I'd want to just use the video files I broadcatch from the NNTP groups. Ideally, I wouldn't want to have to reencode video to watch it, just access it directly from my media server. Standard definition avis work okay, but eventually these will not be offered and of course the HD versions look way better. Over the years it's been harder to come by a regular source of SD resolution TV Series feeds. The 720P encoded files quality are noticeable versus SD even on this smaller screen. Ideally we would get high profile 720P MKV at least to work as it seems this is what the guys doing NNTP TV Series seem to be encoding in.
What I would see happening is that a video player on the GTablet will access the files off the media server and stream, not play files directly off the local Internal SD. Regardless of where the file resides, it looks like it needs to be refined to play these files more fluidly.
I'm not saying this will be the only nor primary method of viewing video files, but having the flexibility and option is always nice. Especially when all the tvs are watching something else. ;P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First rule of Usenet.....
roebeet said:
First rule of Usenet.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay I'm doing the Madagascar penguin "you didn't see anything gesture" now. LOL.
Sent from my GTablet-TnT-Lite using Tapatalk
japhule said:
It's not about storing large files on the gtab...its more about having video portability. I keep my movies and videos on a server that I stream from my living room and bedroom. It would be ideal if I can play files on any device without having to reencode the video.
I did test 1080p files from YouTube and they did not play (high profile).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please share how you are thinking about doing that using movies/pictures/videos on Windows Media Center share or NFS mount.
I tried very same thing as some of my movies still in vob format or mpeg2 (home recordings of kids), tv recordings using microsoft format or streaming pics, and nothing seems to work. I was able to use upnpplay (android program in the market place) to browse my stuff on the shared drive, but can't play mpeg2, vob or other format.
does anyone know what's the best way to do this?
G Tab supports H.264 1080p main and high profiles
Detailed specs on what Audio and Video formats G Tablet supports are listed in the manual downloadable from the Viewsonic web site.
But in a few words - it does support up to 1080p, both baseline, high, and main profiles for H.264 with certain limitations for each, and MPEG4 simple profile.
rob_z11 said:
Can you please share how you are thinking about doing that using movies/pictures/videos on Windows Media Center share or NFS mount.
I tried very same thing as some of my movies still in vob format or mpeg2 (home recordings of kids), tv recordings using microsoft format or streaming pics, and nothing seems to work. I was able to use upnpplay (android program in the market place) to browse my stuff on the shared drive, but can't play mpeg2, vob or other format.
does anyone know what's the best way to do this?
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Click to collapse
My entire system is redundant. I have my windows 7 share as well as my htpc/nas running tversity, orb and audiogalaxy (music only). Everything is shared in every way. First I try just streaming the file through Windows 7 dlna, which generally works fine. I too use Upnplay. If something doesn't work (very rare) I move to looking for it through Tversity which attempts to detect the dlna device and scale it so it works. I've never needed to use Orb on the GTab since I really got everything up and running, Orb is for when I actually am on the road and want to watch sth. from my home network. PlayOn may actually work as well - it has a free mode which allows you to use it to share files on the local network using VLC codecs.
Video Playback
I'd like to add to this conversation with, I hope, clarification of how to get higher definition video playback working on the GTab.
I've tried four video files that are 720P or 1080P. None of them works well in Movies, DoubleTwist, Rockplayer, or VitalPlayer.
G Tablet, TnT 4.21, OE kernel. Market fix. Various apps.
Videos all playing from /SDCARD
Here is some more information about those videos, using Mediainfo:
Touring Car race:
720P MPEG-4 50FPS AVC ([email protected]) (CABAC / 3 ref frames)
AAC Stereo
Big Buck Bunny:
http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/index.php/download/
1080P OpenDML AVI 12Mbps 24FPS MPEG-4 Visual ([email protected])
AC-3 audio
Audi R8:
720P AVC Matroska 800Kbps 29.970FPS AVC ([email protected]) (CABAC / 2 ref frames)
AC-3 audio
Donington LG demo:
1080P BDAV M2TS 35.5Mbps 29.970fps AVC ([email protected]) (CABAC /3 ref frames)
AC-3 audio
Are all of these simply too much for me to get away with playing on the GTab? I've played most, if not all of these, using a Broadcom 70012 Crystal HD decoder card on a Dell Mini 9 (Atom N270) with few problems.
Thanks for the help.
I've been using an iPhone for god knows how long just becuase of Air Video - there are no alternatives for Android. The Galaxy S II is looking absolutely perfect, but there's just one more thing I absolutely must confirm before I make the purchase.
I'm a huge anime watcher. I watch anime on the go all the time. The iPhone 4 uses Air Video and does that perfectly. Since there's no alternative for Android the Galaxy S II must be able to watch it without conversion for me to replace my iPhone with it.
My anime are almost always 720p, MKV encoded with h.264, softsubs. That's generally the industry standard for anime distribution. Will the Galaxy S II play these files without conversion. If it's a yes, then I'm ordering right now.
If someone here actually has one and watches anime, it would be much appreciated if you can download an episode and try it out on your device. Telling me your results would be much appreciated!
The most important thing is framerate, audio and subtitle rendering.
Havent watched anime specifically but tested a x264 encoded blu ray 1080p and that worked fine.
Edit: Have u got a sample that i/we could test?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
tjjensen23 said:
Havent watched anime specifically but tested a x264 encoded blu ray 1080p and that worked fine.
Edit: Have u got a sample that i/we could test?
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I would love to post a link here, but as a new member, I can't post images or links.
EDIT: I sent a link to you via. PM. It would be great if you can test it. Don't worry, it's not licensed outside of Japan. Not illegal.
And I'm in Melbourne too! Where did you get your S II from?
Got mine on lauch from handtec
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
I can confirm 720p (and 1080p as well most likely) MKV files (yes, anime. Tried it with released from gg, commie, UTW) with .ass/.srt softsubs play perfectly. The more advanced aspects of .ass subs don't work but it's no big deal - Styling, transition effects, etc.
I'm using mVideoPlayer instead of the stock one as the stock can't read .ass softsubs.
If I had this two years ago when i used to go on anime binges it would've been perfect. Didn't like waiting 30 mins for each ep to convert to 480x272 mp4s.
Should play them, make sure the subs file name is the same as the video (up to the file extension obviously). If the subs don't play try converting them to .srt subs and try again!
1920x1080 mkv's play fine, full speed. This is the only phone that's been able to play my 'Bad Apple PV' test mkv at full speed without the video/sound getting out of sync after 20 seconds.
However subtitles did not work in any of the players I tried (default, mobo & rock). Will look for another player later.
NZtechfreak said:
Should play them, make sure the subs file name is the same as the video (up to the file extension obviously). If the subs don't play try converting them to .srt subs and try again!
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These MKV's don't have a separate subs file. They're built into the mkv as a separate data stream.
For those looking for an alternative to Air Video, I've been using Plex. It has a companion program that runs on your comp (just like air video) that converts pretty much any video format to stream to your android device. Only problem is that it's not quite as easy to set up to stream over 3g/4g as air video is. But if you know how to port-forward your router, it's pretty easy from there. Hope this helps some ppl!
Uvaavu said:
1920x1080 mkv's play fine, full speed. This is the only phone that's been able to play my 'Bad Apple PV' test mkv at full speed without the video/sound getting out of sync after 20 seconds.
However subtitles did not work in any of the players I tried (default, mobo & rock). Will look for another player later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try mVideoPlayer.
Sticks02 said:
I can confirm 720p (and 1080p as well most likely) MKV files (yes, anime. Tried it with released from gg, commie, UTW) with .ass/.srt softsubs play perfectly. The more advanced aspects of .ass subs don't work but it's no big deal - Styling, transition effects, etc.
I'm using mVideoPlayer instead of the stock one as the stock can't read .ass softsubs.
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This post confirmed it. Thank you very much. Placing the order now.
Sticks02 said:
If I had this two years ago when i used to go on anime binges it would've been perfect. Didn't like waiting 30 mins for each ep to convert to 480x272 mp4s.
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Why are you not watching anime anymore? There are so many good things this season.
The S2 can play HD content no problem, it's the media player you should be looking at. If one doesn't read subs in MKV containers then just move on to the next media player and check. Yeah anyway, no problems.
As for why i'm not watching any, i'm too busy. I work/study 50+ hours a week now, I try to squeeze something in during the commutes though.
Enjoy your new beast phone.
theproskater said:
For those looking for an alternative to Air Video, I've been using Plex.
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It doesn't support subtitles, so it's of no use for people who watch anime. xD
Uvaavu said:
These MKV's don't have a separate subs file. They're built into the mkv as a separate data stream.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, not sure why I was thinking of external subs. I have some 720p MKVs and their subs, of the kind you mention, do play in the default player for me...
...and to answer a question above: Yes! Seeking within 1080p content works just fine.
ImperialX said:
I would love to post a link here, but as a new member, I can't post images or links.
EDIT: I sent a link to you via. PM. It would be great if you can test it. Don't worry, it's not licensed outside of Japan. Not illegal.
And I'm in Melbourne too! Where did you get your S II from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tested and verified that it works 100% playback, subtitles and skipping through (used mvideoplayer)
tjjensen23 said:
tested and verified that it works 100% playback, subtitles and skipping through (used mvideoplayer)
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Thank you so much. Buying now from handtec.
I have the default player, moboplayer, mvideoplayer, and Rockplayer installed, each will do a little something the others won't. Interesting there is now enough CPU and RAM grunt for software decoding to manage things that were like slideshows on other phones.
whats the largest size file you can put onto the gs2?
tried to copy a 4.4 gb mkv to the phone and says its to large of a file,
do i have to create a partition in a different format?
if so whats the best method?
any help much appreciated.
On the subject of video, has anyone use DLNA to connect to a Twonky server? My G2X would connect but not play video. I'm hoping it's because the G2X couldn't support MKV which is what all me stuff's encoded in. Thx.
I have a 3gb 1080p anime movie I use for testing. Lots of things happening on screen. I dont watch anime at all, but subtitles was included in the movie and displayed fine.
1 was a subtitled Dragon ball z/gt(dont know really) but played fine with subtitles. the other was a soul blade(i think) that played smoothly also.
Hello all,
I have copied an .mpg file (which has been created from miniDV camcorder 1440 X 1080 50i 25mbps) into microSD card.
i tried to play it with many video player with no luck.
I found one player (Rockplayer lite) which work BUT with problem.
At the horizontal pannings there is a deinterlacing issue, (horizontal lines) which is no normal. Except of this problem, the video plays smoothly.There is a setting called Software Decoding/ Hardware decoding.
If I select hardware decoding I take an waring message: The file cannot be played with system player , so the video does not even start!
Do you know if there is a video player which support Hardware decoding?
Thanks in advance
Horizontal lines in interlaced video are normal. Player has to have special deinterlacing algorithms to suppress that.
I have also tried moboplayer with no luck
friend1 said:
Do you know if there is a video player which support Hardware decoding?
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There is no decoding-hardware for MPEG1/2 in Exynos (nor in any other recent SoC for mobile-phones), so hardware-decoding is not possible.
You need a software-decoder that does deinterlacing as well, but I´m not sure if the CPU is powerful enough to do this in HD-resolutions, but it could be possible, as MPEG2 isn´t that demanding.
But it definitely will need a lot of energy, so to save power it is probably best to convert the video in format with hardware-support, and do the deinterlacing on your computer as well. If you just plan to watch it on your phone, you could simply throw away one field. Each field still has a high of 540 pixels, which is way over the 480 pixels of the display, so you won´t see any quality-advantage having both fields available to display on your phone, it would just burn more battery.
thanks for the reply. I have hundreds of family videos in .mpg (converted from miniDV) which play smoothly with PC or any Media Player.
So, I don't think it worth converting all these videos for watching them to phone.
P.S. I think it's time to get a new camcorder using card for instant drag 'n drop playback.
LightspeedGalaxy said:
There is no decoding-hardware for MPEG1/2 in Exynos (nor in any other recent SoC for mobile-phones), so hardware-decoding is not possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure of that? You may try this: open a player (i.e. moboplayer) take a screenshot (home+power) of a video file i.e. mkv. You 'll see that the entire picture will be black (blank) because of hardware acceleration. If you select from the settings of moboplayer, software decoding and take again a screenshot , you 'll notice that the picture is OK (furthermore you'll also notice that there is a stuttering in video playback).
I believe that this is a proof that the phone can handle a hardware decoding.
friend1 said:
So, I don't think it worth converting all these videos for watching them to phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, you won´t have all your videos on the phone anyway, so you can do a conversation if you need it.
P.S. I think it's time to get a new camcorder using card for instant drag 'n drop playback.
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Click to collapse
Well, I have to disappoint you again. New camcorders which use cards to store the videos usually use AVCHD. The media-framework currently doesn´t support the TS-container which is used (in different variants) for example on BD, for DVB-broadcasting and AVCHD as well.
There is currently no way on Android to use hardware-acceleration if the container is not supported.
So you will have to use software-decoding as well, which certainly can not be fast enough when using MPEG4-AVC in HD-resolutions.
So, there will be no instant drag-and-drop either, but at least we can hope for some firmware-update to include support for AVCHD, and of course you can always remux AVCHD-files in one of the supported containers, like mp4 or mkv, because the codecs are already supported.
friend1 said:
I believe that this is a proof that the phone can handle a hardware decoding.
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Click to collapse
Of course there is a DSP in the SoC to accelerate decoding of several media-formats.
But the video-processor decodes several types of MPEG4, it certainly can´t decode MPEG1/2.
Assuming that you want enjoy MPG files on Galaxy S II, S III, S IV, you'll need to get some help from 3rd-party video player app like mxplayer or 3rd-party video converter software like Brorsoft's Video Converter to convert MPG files to H.264 or MPEG-4 encoded MP4 videos for Samsung Galaxy.
Nice find on digging out this thread. And four years later, that was a quick response. :facepalm:
Sent from my GT-I9100
I have a problem watching videos on my SGS2. When I put a .mkv video on the SD card and watch it I cant fast forward the video. If I reboot the phone and try to open the .mkv movie it wont work. What is the problem?
Specs for the file? Same for all mkvs? Does it work on other, non-stock players?
B3311 said:
Specs for the file? Same for all mkvs? Does it work on other, non-stock players?
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It works on few players. But not all. But I still cant fast forward and when i reboot the phone the movie wont work.
Specs? How do you mean? It's a mkv movie if its what youre asking.
Resoluti0n, framerate, audio etc.
Reason I ask is that all my own mkvs play flawlessly but I ripped them from DVD and encoded them myself.
A friend gave me aTV series on mkv, probably from a, er, doubtful source, and those files stutter like buggery on stock, play fine on mobo.
Badly or incorectly encoded media can exibit such behaviour .
B3311 said:
Resoluti0n, framerate, audio etc.
Reason I ask is that all my own mkvs play flawlessly but I ripped them from DVD and encoded them myself.
A friend gave me aTV series on mkv, probably from a, er, doubtful source, and those files stutter like buggery on stock, play fine on mobo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea how to get the resolution, framerate of the video. But I know the audio of the .mkv.
Maybe I should try to convert it and see if it works. But I dont know if it will be 1080p if i convert it. Will try and see.
Also try these players,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1217776&highlight=Best+Player
Regards.
I also had a Tv series with mkvs that would not FF (also on GT P1000), but if i ran them through mkvtoolnix everything was fine again. So it's not a codec problem but a faulty container. All you have to do is to disable header compression on all streams in mkvtoolnix. It's very fast ... less than 20 sec/ GB.
ibahungrig said:
I have no idea how to get the resolution, framerate of the video. But I know the audio of the .mkv.
Maybe I should try to convert it and see if it works. But I dont know if it will be 1080p if i convert it. Will try and see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gspot will give you all the info.
Convert anyway - worth a try, and 1080 is a waste of space and CPU on the SGS2.
mdalacu said:
I also had a Tv series with mkvs that would not FF (also on GT P1000), but if i ran them through mkvtoolnix everything was fine again. So it's not a codec problem but a faulty container. All you have to do is to disable header compression on all streams in mkvtoolnix. It's very fast ... less than 20 sec/ GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help. I downloaded mkvtoolnix but I cant find an option how to disable header compression.
Extra options (Tab in the vertical middle of the form) - Compression - None.
Do it for video, audio and subtitle stream.
You can extract subtitle and watch it with Mobo player (HW +SW decoding) otherwise embedded subtitles only works with mVideoPlayer (only HW decoding).
mdalacu said:
Extra options (Tab in the vertical middle of the form) - Compression - None.
Do it for video, audio and subtitle stream.
You can extract subtitle and watch it with Mobo player (HW +SW decoding) otherwise embedded subtitles only works with mVideoPlayer (only HW decoding).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that out aswell but didnt work. Can it be because the file is over 4gb which is the max capacity SGS2 can have? The file is 4.9gb. Is there any way I can divide it into two parts or something to get around this problem?
I divided the file with the program you told me about. Thanks for your help all. The problem was the file, it was over 4 gb.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1244464