Just remember, this is still under development and it will break again before those responsible for it and it’s supporting infrastructure are able to introduce more stability to the methods they utilize.
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New version released 0.15.1 working again, download the new version either by going to github page or run my prep-script again.
I can confirm. with latest update playback workes fine
Hi all,
I’ve noticed framedrops in 720p content since the update to netflix add-on version 0.15.1, and the required widevine libraries.
[Edit: I’ve just backtracked thtough this thread and seen widevine cannot utilise hw encoding for Netflix streams. I cannot account for the frame drops I’ve seen since the updates. I binge-watched seasons 1 -3 of Breaking Bad, and have only noticed problems post-updates]
During playback the video decoder is shown as
Inputstream.adaptive.h264.decoder (sw)
This explains the very high cpu usage across all 4 cores (often 80% plus on busy scenes, when franmdrops occur).
720p content from YouTube, in contrast, is still using the hw decoder, and as expected has no frame drop issues, and is utilising below 30% on one or two cores, and little usage on the remaining cores.
Before the netflix update, dropped frames were not an issue (to the extent I never checked which decoder was in use, although I did check content was 720p).
None of my changes to Inputstream Addon Settings have succeeded in correcting the problem.
I’ve also noticed that a few random netflix films I’ve just tested are shown in 480p, whereas series such as Breaking Bad and Star Trek TNG are 720p.
The update has fixed the issues I always experienced when attempting to seek within a netflix stream, or resume from midway in a stream (it seems like aquiring a keyframe was the problem. Black screens whilst audio played was the result).
Any ideas on how to force hardware decoding?
Thanks in advance
Unfortunately, you can’t. This has always been the notorious sticking point for netflix, amazon, DRM streaming stuff.
As mentioned before, the vero4k is able to do this. But if Sam altered the boot-configuration to ackomplish HW decoding of widevine content then it would break the opensource part of OSMC. Which is a big NO-NO. So sw-decoding is the only way to go, to keep our favorite OS opensource.
I bet Sam has not the time to make 2 branches. one OpoenSource, and one closed-source for the Netflix and stuff… I’d even pay for it 
FYI - Sam & Team is the only hardware/Software combination I own, where I have regular updates and usually answers to my questions within hours. So I would definitely be Ok to pay extra for a closed source version for Netflix/Amazon prime to run native on the vero4k devices.
I understand the limitation requiring SW decoding, but not the definite degradation in performance since the updates.
I was a programmer for over 2 decades before my illness. I tend to notice changes in software and firmware updates!
@sam_nazarko, is the vero4k+ sufficiently more powerful than the 4k I have to justify upgrading?
Will it cope better with Netflix content? (Not that it’s an option right now, but perhaps I can justify it in the future).
I’ve read that downgrading the Widevine libraries yields some improvement.
Not really at this time.
Sam
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Thanks for the feedback and suggestion Sam.
I got the impression that upgrading the widevine libs was required, from the way Netflix threw up the dialog as soon as I tried to view anything after updating Netflix.
Any pointers on downgrading Widevine? I’m deep in the ‘chemo-fog’ (chemotherapy cycle 6) and feel like I’ve been lobotomized…
There is no easy way to downgrade libwidevine, now that kodi adopted the latest inputstream.helper into their repository.
The only thing that comes to mind is uninstalling netflix addon, stop mediacenter, remove the .kodi/cdmfolder, inputstream.helper addon folder and the data folder. After that download an older version of inputstream helper. install the older version, then install netflix addon again and hope it downloads the older version of libwidwvine.
A lengthy thing to do and NEtflix will probably within a short while require the new libwidevine.
If you wish i can do a trial and then write a piece by piece instruction
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I really appreciate the response, but sadly these days that’s well beyond me (and to think not so long ago I’d have hit guthub and worked all that out myself…)
I guess I’ll have to get a Roku or another device with native support (which, last time i looked, meant choosing which services to sacrifice, as each gadget is backed by a jealous provider, blocking certain streaming services from their device)
I would be inclined not to trust Roku at the moment. The Netflix app (“channel”) on my Streaming Stick+ has recently been modified so that it outputs everything at 60Hz instead of switching to 24 or 50 as appropriate.
Apple TV 4K is quite good for Netflix, but the Amazon Prime Video app is buggy, and it’s limited to 1080p on YouTube. I don’t know what the latest Amazon Fire Stick device is like - might be worth a try.
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Thanks for the feedback, it’s much appreciated.
Sad to see it’s still a lottery, nearly two years after I bought a Roku Express. I won’t touch Apple products…
I’ll have to see if the version of netflix on that outdated, unsupported, device is behaving the way you describe (I’ve noticed frame pulldown judder recently)
The newest Amazon Fire TV devices do support frame rate switching, but only for Prime content as third party app developers haven’t adopted the feature which was introduced last year. I’ve also read that activating frame rate switching tends to produce lip sync issues with Prime content.
No idea whether the new YouTube app can do 4K. Besides that, if you can live with 60p output, it’s a good device for streaming at a relatively low price point. But don’t buy it because of the framerate switching feature!
I recently had a new Fire stick for a couple of days before it got sent back. Hopeless with framerate switching. Via the Prime app it would sometimes switch, but then get stuck. BBC iPlayer was stuck at 60hz, as was Netflix. The Apple TV box is superb for framerate switching, I get 24p on Netflix as well as Prime, and it always switches to 50hz for the BBC iPlayer. I have a slight suspicion that lip-sync in the Prime app might be a little off at times, but that seems to be the app rather than the box.
Other Apple TV 4K limitations:
-
No subtitles on iPlayer, and no 4K/HLG support either.
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It can framerate-switch to 23.976Hz but not to 24Hz, which is occasionally an issue on Netflix.
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It can’t switch resolution on the fly (although you can select any resolution manually, and upscaling quality isn’t too bad).
Other media players I’ve messed with are the Chromecast Ultra, which is okay for Netflix at 50 or 60Hz, but not 24 (but can do Dolby Vision output, which few other devices can - the ATV4K being one); and the Nvidia Shield TV which is a bit of a train-wreck generally, and doesn’t have frame-rate switching in Netflix, or even correct colour-space switching between SDR and HDR.
@retroresolution, forgive me if I’m being insultingly obvious, here, but have you checked whether your TV’s built-in apps might do the job? 
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Cosidering netflix, prime video and iTunes are multi billion dollar companies it’s pretty sad that there isn’t even one device out there that allows you to stream their content and do everything right on the technical side.
Arguably you are better off pirating the content you paid for just so you can play it correctly from a mkv in local storage and not stream it from your personal Netflix, prime or iTunes account and that’s pretty sad.
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Hi,
Thanks for these very useful insights. I’d heard good things about the Nvidia Shield, so it’s handy to have genuine feedback.
No insult detected! The room I’m in most has a decade-old 21" tv, and a pair of pc monitors (a second hand 27" Asus being the best).
There are no smart tv’s here - the tv in the lounge is a 2nd hand 32" lcd so old it uses cfl lighting, not led.
And to think, at one time all my a/v kit was really decent - sony vega 28", top-of-the-line sony dvd player, and sony 5.1 dolby / dts amp.
Such is life - from decent, albeit incredibly tough, I.T. jobs, to cancer and no income!