AnimeSuki Forums

shud · 2006-01-17, 22:25

I have the latest XBMC build and I still can't stream releases that are done in h.264+AAC or anything.

What's the deal? Everything else works. XBMC can freaking play a DVD over the network that's inside a RAR file.

Is there any way I can mess with XBMC's codecs?

Nicholi · 2006-01-18, 01:23

Not everything in the world is required to play H.264 video. There are literally no standalone players you can purchase which play it as far as I know. You expect too much of XBMC, however I'm sure if you wait awhile or become more active in their forum/communities/etc and raise awareness to playing H.264 they will likely add support for it.

Edit: My mistake, I did think it was a little weird that XBMC hadn't already added H.264 support. After looking at their webpage they at least mention that they can both support H.264/AVC and AAC. Link'zor.

Perhaps the file you are attempting to play is not compliant to spec standards. Is it in AVI or MKV?

TheFluff · 2006-01-18, 05:18

http://www.cccp-project.net/wiki/ind...uff_on_a_TV.3F
http://cccp-project.net/wiki/index.php?title=MPlayer

You might want to read those two. Basically you have to use a CVS version of XBMC and edit xbmc/system/players/mplayer/codecs.conf to include the AVC1 and X264 fourCC's.

Zero1 · 2006-01-19, 05:32

lol H.264 in AVI = fail. I wish people would just stick to MKV or MP4.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFluff

http://www.cccp-project.net/wiki/ind...uff_on_a_TV.3F
http://cccp-project.net/wiki/index.php?title=MPlayer

You might want to read those two. Basically you have to use a CVS version of XBMC and edit xbmc/system/players/mplayer/codecs.conf to include the AVC1 and X264 fourCC's.

Yep, and if that doesn't work, there are also VSSH, H264 and DAVC fourcc's. See? That's like 5 different ways of describing a file that conforms to the same (or should do) standard. The "official" fourcc is AVC1 though, that is what MP4 uses, and I assume MKV will also use that.

Darkje · 2006-01-19, 14:24

I'm using the january 6 XBMC release by EKB and it plays h.264+AAC decently but not perfect.

Most issues that I have are frames dropped and slowdowns. I have a feeling the problem is the xbox's CPU just getting overloaded by decoding (Remember the xbox only has a celeron 733 with 64 meg ram, from what I read, you need a 1ghz pc to decently decode it).

I'm hoping that optimizations can be done to the codecs used in XBMC so that in a few months it will work flawlessly.

Why are the encoders going over to H.264 anyway? There is a minimal size difference (10-30 megs from what I see), and the real life quality is not noticably better.

I know it's technically better but I can't see a difference between an xvid encoded and an h.264 encoded anime.

Note that I'm not talking about a difference on a small computer screen or a tv, I'm projecting in 720p (1280x768) on a 110" screen (XBMC + Infocus projector). So any flaws in the stream would show up more clearly compared to a pc screen.

Anyway, that's just my experience...

Zero1 · 2006-01-19, 15:27

It depends on who is encoding, and how complex the video is, among other things like the quality of the source also. As a rule I tend to aim for the next size down for H.264, ie a 233MB XviD will now be encoded at 172 for H.264 (to fit 26 eps to a DVD) and 175MB XviD to 140 or 114MB H.264. Should I be on a very clean, CG source I would consider 86MB too, but at that size you begin to sacrifice audio quality very quickly.

As for quality difference, you won't tend to notice a difference if the difference in bitrate between the XviD and H.264 file is only something like 10-15%, most likely the H.264 would look slightly better if encoded properly and the encoder didn't skimp on the quality related settings.

I don't know just how good your projector is, but I would tend to think that a good quality CRT will give you a higher quality image, yes what you are getting is a large image, but in my experiences projectors lack contrast and clarity. It's not all about having the biggest viewing area, though it does help

If you are interested in H.264, or even just curious as to why people are switching to it, you should check out this thread. There is quite some reading, but it's worth taking a look at.

http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=26498

Eeknay · 2006-01-19, 16:47

@Darkje; I also have a projector and the difference between h264 and xvid is like night and day, just like on a decent CRT/LCD screen. However Zero1 is correct in that ymmv depending on encoder, source, and settings.

2006-01-17, 22:25	Link #1
shud Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005	Playing h.264 avi files in XBMC I have the latest XBMC build and I still can't stream releases that are done in h.264+AAC or anything. What's the deal? Everything else works. XBMC can freaking play a DVD over the network that's inside a RAR file. Is there any way I can mess with XBMC's codecs?

2006-01-18, 05:18	Link #3
TheFluff Excessively jovial fellow Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: ISDB-T Age: 37	http://www.cccp-project.net/wiki/ind...uff_on_a_TV.3F http://cccp-project.net/wiki/index.php?title=MPlayer You might want to read those two. Basically you have to use a CVS version of XBMC and edit xbmc/system/players/mplayer/codecs.conf to include the AVC1 and X264 fourCC's. __________________ \| ffmpegsource 17:43:13 <~deculture> Also, TheFluff, you are so fucking slowpoke.jpg that people think we dropped the DVD's. 17:43:16 <~deculture> nice job, fag! 01:04:41 < Plorkyeran> it was annoying to typeset so it should be annoying to read

2006-01-18, 01:23	Link #2
Nicholi King of Hosers Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 41	Not everything in the world is required to play H.264 video. There are literally no standalone players you can purchase which play it as far as I know. You expect too much of XBMC, however I'm sure if you wait awhile or become more active in their forum/communities/etc and raise awareness to playing H.264 they will likely add support for it. Edit: My mistake, I did think it was a little weird that XBMC hadn't already added H.264 support. After looking at their webpage they at least mention that they can both support H.264/AVC and AAC. Link'zor. Perhaps the file you are attempting to play is not compliant to spec standards. Is it in AVI or MKV?

2006-01-19, 14:24	Link #5
Darkje Rare Spawn Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Belgium, land of the waffle	I'm using the january 6 XBMC release by EKB and it plays h.264+AAC decently but not perfect. Most issues that I have are frames dropped and slowdowns. I have a feeling the problem is the xbox's CPU just getting overloaded by decoding (Remember the xbox only has a celeron 733 with 64 meg ram, from what I read, you need a 1ghz pc to decently decode it). I'm hoping that optimizations can be done to the codecs used in XBMC so that in a few months it will work flawlessly. Why are the encoders going over to H.264 anyway? There is a minimal size difference (10-30 megs from what I see), and the real life quality is not noticably better. I know it's technically better but I can't see a difference between an xvid encoded and an h.264 encoded anime. Note that I'm not talking about a difference on a small computer screen or a tv, I'm projecting in 720p (1280x768) on a 110" screen (XBMC + Infocus projector). So any flaws in the stream would show up more clearly compared to a pc screen. Anyway, that's just my experience...

2006-01-19, 15:27	Link #6
Zero1 Two bit encoder Fansubber Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chesterfield, UK Age: 39	It depends on who is encoding, and how complex the video is, among other things like the quality of the source also. As a rule I tend to aim for the next size down for H.264, ie a 233MB XviD will now be encoded at 172 for H.264 (to fit 26 eps to a DVD) and 175MB XviD to 140 or 114MB H.264. Should I be on a very clean, CG source I would consider 86MB too, but at that size you begin to sacrifice audio quality very quickly. As for quality difference, you won't tend to notice a difference if the difference in bitrate between the XviD and H.264 file is only something like 10-15%, most likely the H.264 would look slightly better if encoded properly and the encoder didn't skimp on the quality related settings. I don't know just how good your projector is, but I would tend to think that a good quality CRT will give you a higher quality image, yes what you are getting is a large image, but in my experiences projectors lack contrast and clarity. It's not all about having the biggest viewing area, though it does help If you are interested in H.264, or even just curious as to why people are switching to it, you should check out this thread. There is quite some reading, but it's worth taking a look at. http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=26498

2006-01-19, 16:47	Link #7
Eeknay Gendo died for your sins. Fansubber Join Date: Dec 2005	@Darkje; I also have a projector and the difference between h264 and xvid is like night and day, just like on a decent CRT/LCD screen. However Zero1 is correct in that ymmv depending on encoder, source, and settings.