I've settled on an N100 box for the following reasons after evaluating Intel/Nvidia/AMD in Windows 11 Pro and also several Android players. I used my Sony A80J OLED TV for my testing and Kodi 21 (Omega) Betas 2 and 3, but my observations also applied to Nexus for Android and even earlier versions WRT Nvidia motion.
Intel, as represented by Beelink N100 mini PC (Intel UHD graphics) running Windows 11 Pro
No anomalies observed so far. In particular, I've yet to see any of the issues I talk about below for Nvidia, AMD, and Android. It's the best Kodi platform I've ever used. In addition, it goes into and out of sleep on demand without any problem.
However, it does have a limitation. If you want 10 bit RGB color, you have to set the desktop to no more than 4K @ 30 Hz resolution. If you set the desktop to 4K @ 60 Hz, you will get 8 bit color at the desktop, and Windows will report "8-bit plus dithering" for the Color Depth in System->Display->Advanced Display when playing 10 bit video in Kodi, even for resolutions that work at 10 bits, like 4K @ 23.976. If you set the desktop to 4K @ 30 Hz or below, Windows will report "10-bit". Setting the desktop to a 10 bit resolution that allows 60Hz, like 1080p60, only affects test videos I have that are 4K @ 60 Hz, as the Kodi supported resolutions whitelist tops out at 4K @ 30 Hz, so those videos play at 30 Hz. Everything below 4K @ 60 Hz plays normally at the correct resolution, refresh rate, and 10 bit color depth. Apparently, the desktop color depth caps the Kodi whitelist, so while you might think videos could play at 4K @ 60 Hz and "8-bit plus dithering", it isn't allowed.
Nvidia, as represented by RTX 3060 Ti, GT 1030
I originally moved to Android in 2018 because video would stutter a frame or two every hour or so with my GT 1030 card. I gave Nvidia another try a couple months ago, and I found nothing has changed even with my current RTX 3060 Ti. It appears the reason is that Nvidia doesn't handle the 23.976 refresh rate properly, which I talked about in more detail earlier in this thread:
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid...pid3182023
AMD, as represented by the Beelink SER5 5560U mini PC running Windows 11 Pro
This is a nice machine, but Beelink seems to have limited the HDMI port in the same way as the N100, i.e. it can't do 4K @ 60 Hz @ 10 bits. It's also more expensive than the N100, and since it doesn't overcome the one limitation of the N100 that matters to me, I don't think it's worth the extra money. Moreover, it imparted a slight green tint to video, and I opened a bug report on it:
https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/issues/24712
To summarize, Kodi chose Pixel Shaders instead of DXVA for the Render Method with no way to override and select DXVA, and Pixel Shaders impart a green tint on all machines I tested, including the N100 and my RTX 3060 Ti main machine. The Pixel Shaders lock-in was due to the AMD driver stating that's all it supports, which apparently is not universal for AMD chips, but the green tint was due to a color space conversion bug in the Pixel Shaders code, which now has a proposed fix. Thanks to @thexai for figuring all this out!
Android, as represented by Chromecast with Google TV (CCwGTV), Onn 4K box (2023), and Fire Cube (3rd gen)
With these Android devices, I didn't observe the motion problem I have with Nvidia or the color problem I have with AMD, but they have their own relatively minor but still annoying problems. When I have Kodi adjust refresh rate, and I start a video that needs it changed, my TV goes black for a couple of seconds, which is normal, but then all of them like to flashbang me with the Kodi home screen for a split second before playback actually starts. As for audio, the Onn and Fire Cube have a glitch that doesn't affect the CCwGTV, in that within a second after I skip forward or back in a video, I'll hear a split second glitch/tick in the audio. Finally, the CCwGTV with the Android 12 update stutters badly on all video in Kodi, but this can be worked around by enabling Developer Options in CCwGTV settings and enabling "Disable HW overlays". Unfortunately, it's turned off when the device is rebooted, so you have to keep on top of it. Also, it seems to lose effectiveness over the course of a few days.
If I were to continue using Android, I'd seriously consider running Kodi on my A80J itself, which I happily did for a couple of years. The only downside I found was that Kodi is unable to switch refresh rates due to the TV being stuck on Android 10, which likely saved me from the aforementioned flashbangs, at the least.
