Are the V2 codecs stale?

[mishmash]

Hi there,
I went to watch a video last night and all I got was the audio of the file and a still picture of the free-to-air broadcast.
I suspect the encoding was beyond the V2's capability.
Is this where it ends for the unit?

Cheers!

If it helps, here's some of the file format info:

Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4
File size : 1.86 GiB
Duration : 55 min 36 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 4 798 kb/s
Writing application : mkvmerge v53.0.0 ('Fool's Gold') 64-bit
Writing library : libebml v1.4.1 + libmatroska v1.6.2

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.2
Format settings : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames : 4 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 55 min 36 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 4 666 kb/s
Maximum bit rate : 12.0 Mb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 50.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.045
Stream size : 1.81 GiB (97%)
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : A_AAC-2
Duration : 55 min 36 s
Bit rate : 128 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 50.9 MiB (3%)
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Format profile : High@L4.2

I think I recall a post from peteru stating the Wizes can't do "high" format profile.
Re-encode it and see how you go.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

On second thoughts, I think that format profile capability applied to the V2's predecessors.
Perhaps the bitrate is too high for the decoder.

[MrQuade]

On second thoughts, I think that format profile capability applied to the V2's predecessors.
Perhaps the bitrate is too high for the decoder.

I think the same applies to the V2. High profile AVC is not well supported.

You sometimes find Anime encoded that way because it tends to encode the colour shading better.

[mishmash]

Thanks for the responses.
I sort of figured the little guy was struggling with the file.
I'll avoid that encoding in future for stuff I want to watch via the Wiz.

[MrQuade]

Thanks for the responses.
I sort of figured the little guy was struggling with the file.
I'll avoid that encoding in future for stuff I want to watch via the Wiz.

These days, with modern playback devices you are better off with HEVC for the better quality/efficiency anyway.

[billyblue]

You sometimes find Anime encoded that way because it tends to encode the colour shading better.

I'm finding similar occasional problems with shows from the UK. Handbrake is our friend...

[mishmash]

These days, with modern playback devices you are better off with HEVC for the better quality/efficiency anyway.

Mr Quade....does the V2 support this wonderful standard?
Pardon my ignorance....

[MrQuade]

Mr Quade....does the V2 support this wonderful standard?
Pardon my ignorance....

Yep. HEVC or h.265 is supported by the V2 (and U4) hardware.
It's the same encoding used on 4K UHD disks.

However low power devices and other technology more than about 5 years old will likely have problems with it.

[peteru]

For just about every consumer level device, the upper limit for AVC is High@4.1. Going to 4.2 is unlikely to work reliably and is not advisable. Level 4.2 requires the decoder to be able to handle double the macroblock rate of Level 4.1. That means building silicon that can do twice as much work! Level 4.2 also gets you higher frame rates, however, the higher frame rates are unlikely to be needed in typical streaming or broadcast scenarios, which these SoCs are made for.

By far the most compatible option is to select High@4.1 H.264 / AVC encoding with AC3 or E-AC3 sound. That ought to work the best on all Beyonwiz models and many other devices. Avoid AAC sound whenever you can. If you end up with AAC that has more than 2 channels, you are better off if you transcode the audio to E-AC3.