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Working video codecs

  • J

    Hello everyone,

    I've been searching the forum for an answer, but couldn't find a final one. So I'm aware, this has been discussed before.
    What I want to achieve is to know, which video format can definitely be played on UBPorts devices using the standard media player, so I can convert my stuff into this format.
    Hardly any .mp4 file works on my devices. But I found one or two, which do work. But the codec information of working and non working files seem the same to me.

    I thought, that .ogg and .ogv files should work, but at least .ogv files also don't.

    Here's some codec information about videos that work, videos that don't work and self recorded videos:

    MP4 (working):
    Stream 0
    Codec: H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10) (avc1)
    Typ: Video
    Videoauflösung: 400x400
    Pufferabmessungen: 400x418
    Bildwiederholrate: 23.976020
    Decodiertes Format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV
    Ausrichtung: Oben links
    Grundfarben: ITU-R BT.709
    Farbübertragungsfunktion: ITU-R BT.709
    Farbraum: ITU-R BT.709 Bereich
    Farbsättigungslage: Links
    Stream 1
    Codec: MPEG AAC Audio (mp4a)
    Typ: Audio
    Kanäle: Stereo
    Abtastrate: 48000 Hz
    Bits pro Sample: 32
    AAC Erweiterung: SBR

    MP4 (not working):
    Stream 0
    Codec: H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10) (avc1)
    Typ: Video
    Videoauflösung: 400x400
    Pufferabmessungen: 400x418
    Bildwiederholrate: 25
    Decodiertes Format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV
    Ausrichtung: Oben links
    Farbsättigungslage: Links
    Stream 1
    Codec: MPEG AAC Audio (mp4a)
    Typ: Audio
    Kanäle: Stereo
    Abtastrate: 48000 Hz
    Bits pro Sample: 32

    MP4 (self recorded (Meizu Pro 5), working):
    Stream 0
    Codec: H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10) (avc1)
    Typ: Video
    Videoauflösung: 1280x720
    Pufferabmessungen: 1280x720
    Bildwiederholrate: 16.641802
    Decodiertes Format:
    Ausrichtung: Oben links
    Farbsättigungslage: Links
    Stream 1
    Codec: MPEG AAC Audio (mp4a)
    Typ: Audio
    Kanäle: Stereo
    Abtastrate: 48000 Hz
    Bits pro Sample: 32

    OGV file (not working):
    Stream 0
    Codec: Xiph.org's Theora Video (theo)
    Typ: Video
    Videoauflösung: 400x400
    Pufferabmessungen: 400x400
    Bildwiederholrate: 23.976016
    Decodiertes Format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV
    Ausrichtung: Oben links
    Stream 1
    Codec: Vorbis Audio (vorb)
    Typ: Audio
    Kanäle: Stereo
    Abtastrate: 44100 Hz
    Bits pro Sample: 32
    Bitrate: 128 kB/s
    ENCODER: VLC media player

    Does these information help anybody to tell me, what exactly the difference between the working and the non working videos is?

    Thank you!

    0 AppLee 1 Reply
  • AppLee

    @jojumaxx
    Hi,

    First I supposed you had a Nexus5.
    The problem with Nexus5 is not the codec, but the GPU, so hadware decoding is not possible.
    Video decoding has to be done by the CPU and this one is struggling if the bitrate is too high.

    I don't know if it applies to the Meizu Pro 5, but my guess is that codecs are not the problem...
    In my experience with Raspberry Pi, for the same video if you can lower the compression rate (bigger file) it helps 🙂

    0 stanwood 1 Reply
  • stanwood

    @AppLee New upcoming Halium 7.1 port for Nexus 5 should fix video playback. I don’t know when it will be released (WIP since last February)

    1 AppLee 1 Reply
  • AppLee

    @stanwood I know, but it seems from their log that OP is using a Meizu Pro 5, not a Nexus5 🙂
    If it's (really) the same kind of problem, I don't know if a new port is in progress for the Meizu...

    1
  • J

    Yes, I have a Meizu Pro 5.

    Since some videos ARE, in fact, working, there IS a codec that works with its specs, right?
    I just like to determine these specifics somehow...

    Or is it really kind of gambling, if a video will play or not?

    Shouldn't the OGG codecs like .ogv work for sure, since they're open source or doesn't it have to do anything with that?
    I thought that codec problem is related to the fact of proprietary stuff, but OGG isn't...

    By the way, the videos are tiny, about 5MB since I'm testing only

    0
  • dobey

    Codecs with accelerated decoding/encoding that should work, are the ones supported by the device hardware (for Android based devices).

    Open codecs should generally work, as the plug-ins should be installed, but may not be hardware accelerated. Also, OGG/OGV aren't codecs, but containers, though if they are Vorbis/Theora codec they should work.

    0
  • J

    I just realized that every video file I encode with Handbrake does work on my Meizu Pro 5. I reencoded all .mp4 files which didn't play before and after reencoding with Handbrake each of these Videos were playable. Even a movie (1,5 GB size) does work without a problem.
    Strange to me is, that the codec specs (given by VLC) are the same before and after. So I can't trace down what the problem exactly is.
    But knowing that, I have at least a way to make my videos playable on my device.

    I also encoded one video to .ogv (theora + ogg) but that still was not playable. I really wonder, what the problem here is and why .ogv doesn't work though it's open source...

    1
  • P

    Hello, since OTA 13 is available, I would like to know if Nexus 5 hardware decoding is now supported ? Thank you !
    PS : I didn't want to open a new thread as the main title of this one is about video, sorry in advanced.

    0 AppLee 1 Reply
  • AppLee

    @prog-amateur
    Hi, sadly OTA13 will not help.

    Halium7 port for the Nexus5 might help but this port still needs some work.
    I don't have a real status, but if you're willing, you can help:
    https://forums.ubports.com/topic/3777/call-for-testing-nexus-5-hammerhead-owners

    1
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