Why does video playback suck so bad on Android?

[NeutralNovice]

Ok so I am been beating my brains out trying to get decent video playback on these Android phones. I've gone through three phones already... HTC EVO 4G, EVO Shift 4G, and Thunderbolt.

Every video player app I use... every output settings/video codec I use (Handbrake on Mac)... whether the phone is rooted or not, I still get video playback issues...there is ALWAYS something wrong with video playback.

Rockplayer has been the best so far but even that sucks at times!

With an AVI file... Video and audio is synced but it's so choppy at times...
With an mkv/mp4 file, sometimes it works for one video but for another, with the SAME exact settings, the audio is not synced or the audio is synced but framerate is choppy or I attempt to use a different video player like Mobo or something and it keeps crashing on me.

I just cannot understand why it is so difficult to watch my own videos on these phones and it's incredibly frustrating. I absolutely love the Android platform but it just seems that with every OS I encounter, there always seems to be one major issue I have it it.

Does anyone know how Apple makes it so easy to watch videos so long as it is in a compatible format? Or better yet, their VLC player?

Is anyone experiencing similar problems on phones of other brands? I have stayed with HTC thus far, so maybe it is HTC?


Sorry about my ongoing rant; it is just so frustrating that I cannot even watch a movie that I put on the phone. please someone help me out lol... I don't want to go back to iOS.

 

[r2dtoo]

I have several movies on my phone (HTC Evo 4G) that I converted to mp4, and have had no issues at all with them. I do not use Handbrake, nor do I have a Mac, so I can't help you there. Maybe if you post what settings you are using in Handbrake, someone will be able to help.

Also, I use Act 1 Video Player for my videos. I love it. I have read that VLC is on it's way to Android. That will be awesome once it's here.

 

[takeshi]

I have no issues on my Droid and all my videos were encoded with Handbrake. Your problem is your encoding settings. You need to decrease the bitrate one way or another (or multiple ways).

With an mkv/mp4 file, sometimes it works for one video but for another, with the SAME exact settings, the audio is not synced or the audio is synced but framerate is choppy or I attempt to use a different video player like Mobo or something and it keeps crashing on me.

What settings, exactly? I mean, if you use VBR then you'll definitely see different results from different video files. If you want assistance, we need details to help you.

With an AVI file...

What codec are you using? AVI is just a wrapper format an can contain any of countless codecs.

 

[RUSH]

No problem here.. it's kinda odd for you to experience the same problem on all three devices. What kind of quality video playback are you looking to get. You have to keep in mind that you're using a phone.

 

[NeutralNovice]

I have several movies on my phone (HTC Evo 4G) that I converted to mp4, and have had no issues at all with them. I do not use Handbrake, nor do I have a Mac, so I can't help you there. Maybe if you post what settings you are using in Handbrake, someone will be able to help.

Also, I use Act 1 Video Player for my videos. I love it. I have read that VLC is on it's way to Android. That will be awesome once it's here.

Thanks for your reply. I also have a Windows 7 machine so if you can give me some advice on that, I'd gladly accept! Like what program and settings do you use to rip videos from DVD? Or if you already have a video, what conversion software do you use?

 

[NeutralNovice]

I have no issues on my Droid and all my videos were encoded with Handbrake. Your problem is your encoding settings. You need to decrease the bitrate one way or another (or multiple ways).


What settings, exactly? I mean, if you use VBR then you'll definitely see different results from different video files. If you want assistance, we need details to help you.


What codec are you using? AVI is just a wrapper format an can contain any of countless codecs.

Well, I'll be honest... I'm not too knowledgeable on codecs, encoders, etc. I tried using the iPod & iPad presets... tried H.624 Codec and FFMpeg... I;d get results where the video would seem fine but the audio would not be synced. It's very confusing. I just wish it was as easy as putting a video on an iPod touch or iPhone... but again, I just don't want to go back to that thing lol.

So what exact settings do you use to rip a DVD?

No problem here.. it's kinda odd for you to experience the same problem on all three devices. What kind of quality video playback are you looking to get. You have to keep in mind that you're using a phone.

For video quality, I just want it to be tolerable.. audio synced up, non-choppy playback. Eventually, I'd like to get a 7" Android Tablet (with 3.0) and watch all my movies on there, but for now, the Tbolt will have to do until they come out with one.

Also, I know that I am using a phone, but I still don't understand how I was able to have an easier time putting stuff on my old iPhone 3G S when I had it and that phone, compared to the TBolt is much more underpowered. All I would need to do is convert any video to mp4 format, and it would just work.

 

[NeutralNovice]

Any more help my any chance??

 

[plemelin]

I have had no issues with playback either.

 

[DerickJ]

I'm also having issues playing back 720p HD MP4 videos. I believe the bitrate for them are around the 3,000 or 4,000 range. Is that too high of a bitrate? I just bought the G2X and I'm having either audio sync issues or the video freezes entirely. I'm using the stock video player that comes with the phone. Do I need to re-encode the video to a lower bitrate? What's everyone preferred file format and specs for HD video? any help would be great!