RPi4 with OSMC and kodi 19.1 HEVC HW decoder inactive?

Help and Support Raspberry Pi
1

Hey again guys ;>
I started with a question on the August Update thread:

It is about HEVC and RPi4 on new and fresh installed OSMC with Kodi 19.1. If I start x265 content I just see the HW decoder is inactive. I dont know why.

screenshot00005
screenshot000051920×1080 58.9 KB

My settings are like this:

screenshot00003
screenshot000031920×1080 102 KB

screenshot00004
screenshot000041920×1080 88.4 KB

I just saw that if I start UHD x265 content HW decoder is active, but not for 1080p. But I dont have a screen that can show UHD. All I watch is max 1080p at the moment. And there the HW decoder is always shown as inactive.

Here is a debug log where I started three movies:
https://paste.osmc.tv/maqofaqahe.django

I booted the Pi and started three media files with the following info:

  • xxx, HW decoder inactive: HVC1 1920x1080 25fps 16000kbps [V: Alias Data Handler [eng] (hevc main, yuv420p, 1920x1080, 16000 kb/s)]
  • yyy, HW decoder inactive: HVC1 1920x816 23.976fps [V: hevc main, yuv420p, 1920x816 [default]]
  • zzz, HW decoder active: HVC1 3840x2076 23.976fps [V: hevc main 10, yuv420p10le, 3840x2076 [default]]

So is HW decoding for x265/HEVC only available for 4k meterial but not for 1080p or did I miss a setting?

/Edit: just watching x264 content and saw hw decoder is on?! Thought rpi4 doesnt have hw for x264 anymore? Now I am confused :slight_smile:

2

Pi 4 can decode 1080p H264 – but not 4K H264.

3

Thx for the answer, so x264 in 1080p in hardware?
And about h265, why is hw decoder shown as inactive in the above videos?

5

Aha… :slight_smile: phew complicated…
Is there an overview what really is supoorted in HW and SW for x264 and x265? If you read articles about Pi4 you always only read x265 in hw and no resilution mentioned.

6

1080p HEVC is supported on Pi 4.

8

Hm ok one is saying no and another one says yes…

On the webpage from RPi4 (Raspberry Pi 4 Model B specifications – Raspberry Pi) it is listed for specs:

  • H.265 (4kp60 decode), H264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)

So at least this reads like the Pi4 wont decode x265 in 1080p in hardware, but only software. Of course it can play x265 1080p, but only in software.

Otherwise, if it is supported though like you say, my question from above is still why is HW decoding inactive for the x265 1080p files I played? :frowning: