1.2.0 - 24-bit video?

[rhester72]

One of the biggest annoyances with the Nook is that the video player seems to only display 16-bit color...try any H.264 video with subtle 24-bit gradients (particularly gray/low color) and you'll immediately see what I mean (though be aware that once you notice it it's very difficult not to *keep* noticing it in very annoying fashion! .

I'm not sure if this is tied to the TI hardware video accelerator used on the Nook or not, since other players (like RockPlayer) using software playback also exhibit this, as does the player in CM7 nightlies.

I did see in the update notes that 'video playback was improved', but does this apply to color depth?

Rodney

 

[GlueFactoryBJJ]

It could be a limitation of the screen. Also could be a problem with the video file conversions. What software did you use? Try Handbrake, using the ffmpeg converter (h.263) rather than h.264. h.264 playback has been problematic with the Nook, in my experience.

For DVD conversions, use the iPhone/iPod touch setting. On the Picture tab, increase the Width to 720. Keep the Aspect Ratio check box checked.

Go to the Video tab and change from h.264 to mmfpeg (h.263). The Nook hardware acceleration doesn't appear to work on h.264 video files. I haven't noticed any notable video quality/compression differences between the two. (Then again, it could just be my Nook...)

Also on the Video tab, under Quality, I would recommend you click the Target Size (MB) radio button and set it to 1000MB because ~1GB appears to be about the best mix of video quality and file size (even with a 32GB SD card).

Finally, go to the Audio tab and change the bit rate to 80kbps. Still good enough audio and frees up a bit of bandwidth for video quality (based on a particular file size setting).

These settings have worked very well for the ~15 DVD's I've converted and play during trips (keeps the kids occupied... ).

Hope this helps.

Scott

 

[rhester72]

I'm pretty sure the hardware acceleration _only_ applies to H.264...try with RockPlayer and you can see the hardware overlay in action (because the rightmost info button will be missing). If you don't see the overlay with H.263, it's not using acceleration.

I don't think it's an encoding issue, since the content plays back with correct color depth on the PC and iPod Touch.

It *shouldn't* be a display issue, because B&N and XDA both claim 24-bit video support. However, I have noticed that Zeam defaults to 16-bit, because most phones do, and wallpaper gets scaled down to 16-bit as a result. That should not affect the video overlay.

I'm familiar in passing with Handbrake, having been the project lead for a number of years.

I guess a better question is, do you *not* see banding in your encodes? (It really does have to be a very smooth gradient to notice it - the pilot episode for House at almost the exact midpoint when they are in his bosses' office is particularly noticable.)

Rodney

 

[GlueFactoryBJJ]

Hmmm, about all I can say is that I haven't noticed it... and I'm pretty particular about my video.

I'll take another look. I have The Chronicles of Riddick converted and I'll check to see if I notice it in that movie. It can have a lot of gradient issues due to black crushing because of it's material.

The native player is where I notice the issues with compression schemes the most. Basically, playback gets really choppy on the videos I've compressed (as noted above) due to compression if it isn't using hardware acceleration. I had MANY problems with video compressed with h.264 until I changed to the ffmpeg compressor in Handbrake. Once I made that change, things were as smooth as glass.

I do have Rockplayer, so I'll do some comparisons with that and a couple other players this evening to see if I can notice any problems.

Scott

PS. Since you were the project lead, I was wondering if you knew if/when Handbrake is likely to support Blu-ray/high definition? I've tried to convert some BDs, but it won't do it (Handbrake 0.9.5). Thanks!

 

[GlueFactoryBJJ]

Just ran across this and thought it might help! Now I've assumed that the ffmpeg encoder in Handbrake (0.9.5) was doing h.263 encoding, but perhaps it is following these guidelines for h.264 encoding? That would explain why I'm able to get much better video performance with ffmpeg than the h.264 encoder in Handbrake.

How to Watch Videos in High Quality on Your Nook Color ? | Inspired Geek

Scott