Hardware acceleration and x265 encodes

[rudrax]

x265 encodes are good as videos encoded by this have relatively lower size for the same quality than x264. But the problem is x265 doesn't support hardware acceleration by default. Due to this the media player (mpc-hc and vlc) uses very high CPU (around 20%) all the time. This causes the system to heat which is not good. On x264, while h/w acceleration is on, the CPU uses is just around 2-3% which is fine.

 

So I wanna know, is there any way in which I can play the x265 encodes using hardware acceleration?

[debebee]

http://www.techspot.com/article/1131-hevc-h256-enconding-playback/

[steven36]

No older pcs have Hardware acceleration even skylake have very linted 8 bit support  so unless you have very new hardware it's all about raw cpu power . My older AMD PC uses lesser CPU than my newer Intel .  I watch 10bit 1080p x265  no problem on My AMD PC  Windows or Linux  my monitor is only 1080p so no need to download 4k .Now encoding is a whole different story  .

[rach]

check if your system is supported or not with DXVA Checker

[steven36]

H.265/HEVC Playback Comparison - Skylake vs. Kaby Lake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI-a4WZWwZc

here is a test playing 4k 10 bit  Skylake  is giving like 50% cpu  while kabylake  is giving him 2 or 3 %  anything older than kaby lake dont have Hardware acceleration for 10 bit.

[rudrax]

37 minutes ago, teodz1984 said:

http://www.techspot.com/article/1131-hevc-h256-enconding-playback/

Ah man!

The minimum hardware requirement tag starts from 6th gen intel "skylake" core series. But I have 6th gen intel "skylake" pentium series.

Now I have to say goodbye to x265.

[rudrax]

But here it is said that the Pentium N3700 supports hardware decoding for H.265. May be I need to tweak some setting in the media players or get a new player that does the thing for me.

[steven36]

I been watching x265 for years on PC from 2012  lol most people who watch x265  are on old hardware ..x265  was out along time before skylake  .nothing wrong with x264 If you dont mind downloading big files lol.

[debebee]

 

2 hours ago, steven36 said:

I been watching x265 for years on PC from 2012  lol most people who watch x265  are on old hardware ..x265  was out along time before skylake  .nothing wrong with x264 If you dont mind downloading big files lol.

Software based decoding .. hence the bigger load on the CPU

 

If you have a decent GPU, it may take the load of your processor.. Otherwise, the CPU will take the load of the decoding

[rudrax]

Update: My CPU supports 8-bit x265/HEVC decoding but not 10-bit ones. I have emailed to Intel Support Team requesting to include 10-bit x265/HEVC decoding support (if possible) with their next driver update for Intel HD Graphics 400/405. Let's see how they responds.

[debebee]

http://wp.xin.at/archives/3561

 

 

also 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9152/futureproofing-htpcs-for-the-4k-era-hdmi-hdcp-and-hevc

[debebee]

HEVC decoder Intel GPU handles both the Main and Main10 profiles (10 bits) and is currently limited to Level 5 (100 Mbit/s 4K 30Hz for Main10 profile). Acceleration does not allow to go higher, the Blu-Ray standard 4K can theoretically go up to 60 Hz for some content (as a reminder, the 4K video outputs are also somehow limited to 30 Hz on Braswell cards and do not support HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2).
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=229096&page=2

[rudrax]

51 minutes ago, teodz1984 said:

http://wp.xin.at/archives/3561

 

 

also 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9152/futureproofing-htpcs-for-the-4k-era-hdmi-hdcp-and-hevc

Been through these two links already. 

 

47 minutes ago, teodz1984 said:

HEVC decoder Intel GPU handles both the Main and Main10 profiles (10 bits) and is currently limited to Level 5 (100 Mbit/s 4K 30Hz for Main10 profile). Acceleration does not allow to go higher, the Blu-Ray standard 4K can theoretically go up to 60 Hz for some content (as a reminder, the 4K video outputs are also somehow limited to 30 Hz on Braswell cards and do not support HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2).
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=229096&page=2

I am just trying to play 720p x265/HEVC using H/W acceleration. 4K HEVC is still way too far. 

[steven36]

6 hours ago, rudrax said:

I am just trying to play 720p x265/HEVC

10 bits or 8bits ? how much cpu do you use  with 10bit 720p i use around 20% CPU with 1080p i use around 40%  but ether one plays fine .. It's not really how much cpu it uses no way unless it maxes you out it's the playback that matters as long as you're not getting no dragging  and stuttering also it has too do with what player you're using . I use potplayer on my AMD PC it works good  but on my Intel PC  I get better performance from MPV  and some others . 

 

Linux keeps keeps getting better and better with x265  playback as well it's like last year I was having to use bomi player  because  others i had issues with but  with the latest Radeon drivers and Mesa  all of my players play it fine  in Ubuntu 17.04.

 

720p 8bit  is like the lest demanding videos  you will find in x265  ..No one at all hardly does 480p  in x265 all 480p is mostly x264 . I could even play 480p x264 on a 1st generation Intel Atom lol. 

 

4k x265  blu-ray on the internet  you're looking at 20 to 30gb dl  for each release . you can download a untouched 1080p disc  at those sizes  and sort of defeats the purpose of x265  to begin with  if i wanted too download big files i would just download x264  witch really looks better at bigger file sizes . The biggest benefit of x265 is it looks good at lower bitrates . It dont look that great at higher bitrates  at 8bits .

Quote

 

x264 is still the standard for quality encoding and it has been for a pretty long time. Newer codecs that we develop are more trying to emphasize size rather than quality, given the emerging significance of streaming.

 

If you stream x265  you would benefit more from using  a player too stream it . And the buffer  for 4k streaming is mad  and even with lighting fast internet  it want play great.

 

Quote

 

4K content on Vudu is around 8Mbps and on Netflix around 15Mbps (I don't think I reversed those). You need to be more concerned about your connection to the Internet than anything else as most WiFi and pretty much all wired connections should support the bandwidth necessary

 

I've streamed Netflix on both my 900E and 940D as well as my X800 DVD player... Everything works fine. Buffering issues are NOT the result of the TV or its connection to your home network.

BTW: Buffering is sometimes content-specific. I've gone to YouTube and streamed high quality content on my laptop without issue then tried a low quality video and it's very choppy.

 

 

This is why streaming will never replace offline media for me it dont matter if it's 4k or 720p  you will have issues with buffer regardless of the quality with certain content .

 

Netfilx  only reaches  a small  part of the internet so when you read all the hype on the internet it's just hype there really a small fry compared to 3+ billion users on the internet  .

 

Netflix says it will pass 100 million subscribers this quarter

https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/17/netflix-says-it-will-pass-100-million-subscribers-this-quarter/

I bet you there's much more than a 100 million video pirates  streaming and downloading combined . 

 

 

Here is just one study were they tracked 200 million video pirates

http://www.businessinsider.com/illegal-streaming-is-dominating-online-piracy-2016-8?international=true&r=US&IR=T

 

So no telling how many they really are .

 

[debebee]

Yes, As long as the CPU usage does not choke on Playback you are OK...

Stuttering and choppy playback mean your hardware is having a hard time keeping up...

[mclaren85]

22 hours ago, steven36 said:

No older pcs have Hardware acceleration even skylake have very linted 8 bit support  so unless you have very new hardware it's all about raw cpu power . My older AMD PC uses lesser CPU than my newer Intel .  I watch 10bit 1080p x265  no problem on My AMD PC  Windows or Linux  my monitor is only 1080p so no need to download 4k .Now encoding is a whole different story  .

Hi, where can I find x265 coded movies and which media player shoul I use?

[rudrax]

4 hours ago, teodz1984 said:

Yes, As long as the CPU usage does not choke on Playback you are OK...

Stuttering and choppy playback mean your hardware is having a hard time keeping up...

This idea may be OK on a desktop but for laptop, it is not OK. 20% of constant CPU uses creates a lot of heat and long term use in that state can cause overheating issues. Heating factor for computers is bad anyway.

Now, I am waiting for the response from Intel support. Intel's QuickSync doesn't support HEVC (neither 10-bit nor 8-bit). It is DXVA 2 that at least supports the 8-bit HEVC. Intel should upgrade it's QuickSync capabilities.

2 hours ago, mclaren85 said:

Hi, where can I find x265 coded movies and which media player shoul I use?

x265mkv. 

Use can use common media players like MPC-HC and VLC etc. 

[steven36]

If you're that worried  about your  going too mess you're PC up you're best bet is stick too x264  some sites have smaller encodes  in those too ..  But even really large x264 barley uses any cpu because all PCs with vista or newer  came with DXVA playback  . There not going too optimize older hardware no more than they already have . The last guy on here too talk about x265 decided to just use 8bit 720p but you seem worried you will mess you're PC up so you stay away from it.

 

I don't like Laptops because they have poor cooling  I like Towers. My AMD gateway  runs between 33c and 35c always and  I been watching x265 since 2014 now . But since you fear you will mess you're PC up there is nothing we can do too help you but tell you  too only watch x264 lol..     

[rudrax]

7 minutes ago, steven36 said:

If you're that worried  about your  going too mess you're PC up you're best bet is stick too x264  some sites have smaller encodes  in those too ..  But even really large x264 barley uses any cpu because all PCs with vista or newer  came with DXVA playback  . There not going too optimize older hardware no more than they already have . The last guy on here too talk about x265 decided to just use 8bit 720p but you seem worried you will mess you're PC up so you stay away from it.

 

I don't like Laptops because they have poor cooling  I like Towers. My AMD gateway  runs between 33c and 35c always and  I been watching x265 since 2014 now . But since you fear you will mess you're PC up there is nothing we can do too help you but tell you  too only watch x284 lol..     

You are not talking regarding my concern. So I have to ignore all your post.

My concern is to be able to play 10-bit HEVC movies using hardware acceleration with the kind of hardware I already have. The kind of things you are talking and proposing, I know all that drill, in fact, it's a common sense, jizz! So stop writing unnecessary posts.

[steven36]

22 minutes ago, rudrax said:

You are not talking regarding my concern. So I have to ignore all your post.

My concern is to be able to play 10-bit HEVC movies using hardware acceleration with the kind of hardware I already have. The kind of things you are talking and proposing, I know all that drill, in fact, it's a common sense, jizz! So stop writing unnecessary posts.

I use a old PC and i have no problem playing 10 bit encodes . You are the one who ask for help when Skylake only has 8 bit support for H265 . Intel is just going tell you too buy newer hardware .No one can help you  if  you can't make due with what you got only buying new hardware can

 

Skylake: "only ... decode 8-bit HEVC" --> Kaby Lake: "full HEVC/10-bit decode

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=230991

 

[debebee]

I doubt it if INTEL will release support 10bit HEVC for Braswell ... lucky you if they will..

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Quick_Sync_Video

as you can see it and its sucessor aren't supported.. (note that the pentium is on the lower end of the spectrum)... So you have to move on to the next tick-tock level.. Part their planned obsolescence 

 

 

 

[rudrax]

1 hour ago, steven36 said:

I use a old PC and i have no problem playing 10 bit encodes . You are the one who ask for help when Skylake only has 8 bit support for H265 . Intel is just going tell you too buy newer hardware .No one can help you  if  you can't make due with what you got only buying new hardware can

 

Skylake: "only ... decode 8-bit HEVC" --> Kaby Lake: "full HEVC/10-bit decode

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=230991

 

http://s10.postimg.org/xqqo6b5xl/screenshot_35.png

Buy a new laptop just to watch HEVC movies using hardware decoding, is not an option.

15 minutes ago, teodz1984 said:

I doubt it if INTEL will release support 10bit HEVC for Braswell ... lucky you if they will..

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Quick_Sync_Video

as you can see it and its sucessor aren't supported.. (note that the pentium is on the lower end of the spectrum)... So you have to move on to the next tick-tock level.. Part their planned obsolescence 

 

 

 

I wish to be lucky!

[steven36]

28 minutes ago, rudrax said:

http://s10.postimg.org/xqqo6b5xl/screenshot_35.png

Buy a new laptop just to watch HEVC movies using hardware decoding, is not an option.

I wish to be lucky!

Well good luck,  there's all kinds of info on this already since Skylake  is from 2015 and no one has been able to decode 10bit hevc properly  you will use some cpu even on a i5 skylake.

 

 

Testing 10-bit H.265/HEVC decoding with hardware acceleration on Intel Skylake graphics (HD Graphics 520, HD Graphics 515)

http://wp.xin.at/archives/3561

Does Skylake NUC have 4K 10bit HEVC hardware decoding support?

Quote

The answer is no, the Skylake only has 8bit support and you are absolutely right, encoders are using it to encode even 720p 5.1 video in 10bit HEVC to get those file sizes down. I am mildly livid over Apple's decision to first, have H265 hardware decoding blocks in A8 and above, but refuse to pay the royalties for the patent, which would have retroactively made them pay a near $1 per EVERY iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, 6s/6s Plus (even iPhone 7/7 plus.

It even keeps access to it from any third party apps WILLING to incorporate the cost unlike how Dolby's assertion of their DTS and AC3 was handled which allowed player apps like Infuse 4 Pro to charge a fee to play those audio codecs. VLC interestingly enough being open source freeware had a big problem to overcome, having to PULL that audio support until it was able to (I imagine) leverage APPLE's payment to the Dolby creators to get functionality back on VLC on iOS 9.3.3. Unfortunately it seems the same can't be done on player by player app basis when dealing with H265 be it 8bit or 10Bit. I still can NOT believe they'd release their new MacBook Pro lineup without Kaby Lake 10Bit support. The ONLY new MacBook Pro that has hardware acceleration for 10Bit (Main10) is the new 15" Retina MBP and that is only b/c of its AMD Polaris graphics that supports it.

Don't be fooled by PS4 Pro describing their graphics as using Polaris Architecture, it is NOT Polaris Graphics, barely a GTX 470 and does NOT support hardware H265 and is all being done by the AMD Jaguar CPU which seems to manage a software decode and smooth (enough) playback or 1080p 10Bit HEVC anyway... Basically only the Roku 4 Ultra & Roku Premiere+, Amazon Fire TV 2nd Gen (big fat "no" on Apple TV 4) support Main 10, 10Bit H265 HEVC and then a "handful" of Snapdragon mobile CPUs like 820 & 821 and then some just include 10Bit h265 hardware decoding blocks like the Snapdragon 617.

Then there are a few "hybrid" software/hardware supporting Snapdragons like in a Note 4 which btw, it a beast of a phone, with 4 giant Krait 2.7 cores and runs Adreno 420 graphics yet is being destroyed by Samsung's poorly designed version of Marshmallow. These Octacore designs are already being abandoned b/c most apps can only leverage 1-2 cores and it's not secret 4 big cores are going to mop the floor with any "Big Little" design were you supposedly have 4 "bigger" cores and 4 little cores and switch between them depending on the task being asked to save on power. Sure there is some power savings but the complications in the design basically killed off any effiencies gained.

Meanwhile $850 VERY CAPAPLE phones like Note 4s w/QHD displays, 800 series Snappdragons and Adreno 420 graphics are being BRICKED by Samsung'a recently Android 6.0.1 releases. After the Note 7 chaos called on everyone in Samsung to jump in to attempt to salavage, now they struggle to even get ONE phone (S7) on Nougat 7.0, while much lesser devices like Nexus 6 already are running 7.1.1. Combine that with a rush to get their VR Gear to market, they are spread so thin that beautiful and perfectly ample devices like Note 4 are left with a barely functioning OS and no one there to work on fixing.

Their "solution" is to convince you it's obsolete when I can personally testify it can smoothly run 10Bit h265 1080p HEVC AC3 5.1 as is. I know this sounds like a bit of a tagent but point is there is issue from Apple to Samsung and making sure devices that are capable are being allowed to use their full potential. Others are being cheap and purposefully avoiding patents and leaving hardware dormant and devices like A8 chip will never see the potential given to the user who shelled out $950 thinking there IPhone 7 plus or WORSE, there $1899 could do run any technology current available. What was the hard in giving the ATV 4 ability to play h265? Over $1 and $5 design change? Roku Ultra managed it for $129 as well as the alternative to H265, VP9.

 

https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/does-skylake-nuc-have-4k-10bit-hevc-hardware-decoding-support.11240/#post-121999

 

[debebee]

It's all about marketing of the the 'latest and greatest'  hardware.. (esp the flagships)

if you want to keep up with the latest .. upgrade often... 

or just keep up with older formats that are tried and tested on your hardware... Stay away from exotic videos on the web: For example in some elite subbing groups, they have insane bitrates and codec choices... (ex 1 ripped movie is about 20-25GB because of almost lossless video and audio codecs) or profile levels maxed out so the files can only be played with nothing but exotic PC builds..

[And the group is unamplogeticapologetic.. "We don't care if it doesn't play on your system"]

 

[rudrax]

I have one more update: I recently saw in one of my friends laptop having 5th gen. i3-5005u CPU, the 10-bit HEVC 720p video played using around 6% CPU on the Films & TV app that comes with win 10. But MPC-HC and VLC uses around 25% and 30% CPU respectively. When I try to play the same video in my laptop using Films & TV app, it fails and tells me to contact support. All other video including 8-bit HEVC plays fine in the Films & TV app. Now, this seems to be another twist in the tail.