Plugging the Vero directly into the TV makes 2160p50 available but the file linked in my original post still does not play, but as I said in that first message: I think there is something wrong with that file. The other (working) file however now triggers the right resolution.
However, I think I need a better AVR. Totally unacceptable. 
TV or AVR manual? This in your log means 4k50 can only be handled as 8-bit 420
MaxTMDSClock1 300 MHz
Vendor2: 0xc45dd8
MaxTMDSClock2 0 MHz
but in addition your AVR may just not like 4k50 at all. As @augur42 says, try connecting direct to the TV.
Having said that, downscaling to 1080p50 should not be a problem.
It’s from the AVR manual, but yeah apparently it does not support that high res high frame rate as 4:2:2 or 4:4:4.
But is there a way to force an unsupported format, by e.g. editing some file?
Now I’ve checked, it seems it’s Kodi that doesn’t support 4k50/60 with 420 so refuses to set 4k50 with 8 bits and 420. I have to say that’s sensible because a HDR video played at 4k50 8 bits will be noticeably worse than when it’s played at 1080p50 and 10 bits.
So sorry, you won’t be able to force it.
Too bad, I guess I need new equipment then.
If you don’t want to upgrade just yet an audio extractor might fix your problem. I’ve been using a Hdfury AVR KEY (HDMI 2.0 18Gbps bandwidth only) for the last 6 years, ever since I bought a 4k lg C8 OLED and didn’t want to upgrade my 1080p AV Receiver because the audio was still really good (no atmos as it is rather old).
£125
I’m still using it. At some point I’ll upgrade my receiver, probably when I get a new TV with 4k120 hdmi 2.1 ports and vrr. I was able to watch Gemini Man at 4k60 4:2:2 using this device.
Is there any video content that this device is not capable of handling? If so, are there alternatives that support those?
It can’t handle anything with a hdmi bitrate over 18Gbps or features only present in the hdmi 2.1 spec.
NB, that this list says hdmi 2.0 doesn’t support dynamic hdr when it does is because support was shoehorned in as a hack i.e. dolby vision is sent wrapped in an rgb 4:4:4 stream.
I haven’t tried anything else because my TV also only has hdmi 2.0 ports so 18Gbps is my limit. I have looked into it a bit and the HDFury products designed for hdmi 2.1 and 48Gbps such as the Hdfury Vrroom 8K are a lot more expensive, as in you might as well put the £450 towards a new receiver.
It’s been a while since I looked and it looks like you are in luck, Feintech launched a reasonably priced device in September 2024 (according to amazon.be)
https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/FeinTech-AX310-Extractor-Soundbar-Supports/dp/B0DHXH5H84
€99 is a steal and if you can get it I’d recommend it over the HDFury AVR KEY any day. Set the dip switches to 111 (copy on both hdmi outputs) and it ought to just work.
Fantastic advice Adrian
Thanks. Do you have an AVR in mind which also supports passthrough of all the required formats which is below 1000 €?
Regarding the extractor, how would I set it up? Currently my setup is as follows:
TV (HDMI IN 2 /w eARC) ↔ AVR (HDMI OUT /w ARC) ↔ HDMI IN (1-7) ↔ Vero, Apple TV, Fire TV stick.
As the TV has one port with eARC support, which is port 2, I think I should still connect port 2 of the TV to the AVR, so I can transmit audio from the TV itself to the AVR using ARC. The AVR only supports regular ARC. Also, I still need to be able to use the other devices connected to the AVR. Now, the Vero should be connected to the extractor HDMI IN and the extractor’s HDMI OUT (video) to e.g. port 1 of my TV and the extractor’s HDMI OUT (audio) to one of the HDMI IN ports of the AVR.
But would this work, if I’d watch content on the Vero and select port 1 of my TV and set the AVR to whatever input the extractor is connected to?
What I am trying to figure out is if this setup is only recommended if the Vero is the only device I want to connect to the AVR, meaning the TV is not additionally connected directly to the AVR but instead solely through the extractor. If so, that does not fit my needs as I’m using at least 2 other players besides the Vero.
As I read the extractor’s description I kinda get the feeling that it’s only suitable when connecting the extractor’s HDMI OUT (audio) port to the HDMI OUT (ARC) port of the AVR but not with one of the several HDMI IN ports of the AVR.
On further reading I think that I need the AX211 for my setup.
Or maybe the SW411 is the one I’m looking for.
@grahamh @augur42 I guess I don’t need any new hardware. I don’t know why Onkyo does not enable this by default, but there is something called enhanced HDMI mode on Onkyo receivers. So I enabled that and it seems like the AVR manual was actually correct when stating that these modes are supported:
4K (3840×2160p) 50/60 Hz, 4K SMPTE (4096×2160p) 50/60 Hz : RGB/
YCbCr4:4:4 (8 bit), YCbCr4:2:2 (12 bit), YCbCr4:2:0 (8/10/12 bit)
I found the info about the enhanced mode in a forum and on reddit which eventually led me to this Onkyo document.
So I tested the non-glitchy 4K50fps file and the UI showed 3840 x 2160 @ 50 Hz. Looking into the logs also confirms that the correct resolution + refresh rate is selected:
Matched an exact resolution with an exact refresh rate 3840x2160 @ 50.00 - Full Screen (36)
You’re right the AX211 would be the better choice, but only because the extra functionality of the AX310 wouldn’t be needed with how you’d use it (plug the eARC OUT into one of your AVR hdmi inputs) so you might as well save yourself €10.
Interestingly they also sell the vax01202 for €60 that is functionally identical (18Gbps limit) to the HDFury AVR Key at half the price (isn’t progress grand).
Either of the first two 4k120 options under For Sound Systems with HDMI Input would work, depending on how many devices you might want to connect to your AVR and TV at 4k120 (1 or 4) don’t get either of the 4k60 options as they are limited to 18Gbps, which while fine for the Vero V wouldn’t work with anything 4k120 (e.g. PS5). Technically the VAX01202 might work if you can use Mode 1, but since that relies on the TV being able to passthrough all audio codecs and a lot of TVs don’t it is wise to not hope it works.
As you also have an Apple TV and Fire TV stick you might want to opt for the SW411 since the Apple TV latest gen supports 4k60.
Now, the Vero should be connected to the extractor HDMI IN and the extractor’s HDMI OUT (video) to e.g. port 1 of my TV and the extractor’s HDMI OUT (audio) to one of the HDMI IN ports of the AVR.
Exactly as this. It’s how my audio extractor is set up.
But would this work, if I’d watch content on the Vero and select port 1 of my TV and set the AVR to whatever input the extractor is connected to?
Yes it would, that is what I do.
As for a recommendation on a sub €1,000 AVR, all you need is to ensure that it has 8k ports, called that to differentiate them from the already taken 4k aka 4k60 ports which are hdmi 2.0. So long as the AVR has 8k ports then those ports are hdmi 2.1 and capable of 4k120 etc etc etc. Then it’s just selecting what other features you want, such as are you going for a 5.2.2 atmos, or a 7.1 DTS-HD MA/TrueHD or a 9.2 that can do both
Thanks for taking your time and typing all this. But it seems I got lucky and just needed to enable the enhanced HDMI mode of my Onkyo to enable those higher refresh rates with better chroma subsampling. I don’t need 4K120Hz as I don’t own a PS5/XBOX SX.
It sounds the same as LGs HDMI ULTRA HD Deep Color mode having to be toggled on. I believe it’s a manual thing because if the device on the other end doesn’t understand it you get no picture. Why Onkyo made it a hidden menu stumps me.
Glad you got a solution.
It’s way too early to be talking about a Vero 6, but I’ll throw it out there anyway; maybe the Vero 6 can have a dedicated HDMI audio out built in… I sure a lot of people would love that feature.
Is there any player device that has two separate HDMI out ports, one for video, one for audio?
Yes, but they are pricy.
But that may be for many other reasons and not just because they have a dedicated HDMI audio out jack.
The Zidoo Z3000 Pro 8K would be an example at $680 USD.
The Dune HD Max Vision 4K had it but the Dune HD Max 8K that replaced it does not.
But if you have $1,500 to waste the Dune HD Ultra Vision 4K has a dedicated HDMI audio jack!
A dedicated device like the AX211 can do it for $100 USDs so I can’t imagine Sam and team doing it on the next Vero unless the next chipset has it built in already and it’s just a matter of soldiering on the additional HDMI jack for less than $5.
Like I said, I’m just throwing it out there.
I have a Beelink MINI-S12 Pro Mini PC running Windows 11 Pro which has two hdmi 4k60 ports on it. I know you can install linux on it and people have installed libreelec on it (caveat: they might have had issues). There are a number of mini pc boxes with a similar dual hdmi form factor.
So you can definitely buy hardware, which will be the easy part, configuring the OS/software and getting it to work properly with kodi is an entirely different kettle of fish. I do not think it would be quick/easy. I personally would opt to spend the money on a plug-and-play audio splitter solution than spend the hours trying to MacGyver a solution, I do enough of that working in IT. It’s why I bought a Vero V, I want something that simply works when I turn it on.