Working video codecs

[jojumaxx]

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!

[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

[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)

[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...

[jojumaxx]

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

[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.

[jojumaxx]

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...

[prog-amateur]

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.

[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