[firstofthewinterale]

Using Kodi 21 directly on an Android 12 Google TV. The TV supports all versions of HDR. Yes, I am 100% positive... they are all indicated in the TV specs and I've tested and confirmed all versions using actual videos many different times.

Problem: With some hybrid videos (e.g. DoVi/HDR10 or DoVi/HDR10+) Kodi will default to HDR10 or 10+ rather than DoVi. With 10+ I can at least use the workaround of disabling HDR10+ in plater settings. It's obviously a PITA to have to manually disable then later reenable that but at least it works. But with DoVi/HDR10 hybrid videos, I've been unable to even find a workaround and must resort to using an entirely different player that instead defaults to DoVi. BTW, I have tried the settings icon while playing the video and checked the stream in video settings but there is only 1 stream = despite reading elsewhere it can be used to select either DoVi or HDR that has not actually been the case with any of multiple hyrbrid HDR videos I've tried.

Thus, my questions are:
1) Why not implement an HDR priority setting in which users can set their own preference? For example, for me on my TV it would be Dolby Vision then HDR10+ then HDR10.
2) In the meantime, is there a workaround to force Kodi to use DoVi instead of HDR10 in hybrid videos in which it is currently defaulting to HDR?

[Hitcher]

Let's see what's going on with a full debug log.

The instructions are here... debug log (wiki)

If you are using the Basic Method, then ensure the following is applied...
1.Enable debugging in Settings>System Settings>Logging,
2.Restart Kodi
3.Replicate the problem.
4.Upload the log to Kodi Paste Site manually or use the Kodi Logfile Uploader. (wiki) With either method post the link to the log back here.

If you are using the Advanced Method ensure you have correctly created and applied the advancedsettings.xml file (wiki)

In both instances, you should see the word DEBUG throughout the log.

Note: Full logs only. No partial or redacted logs
Do NOT post your logs directly into the forum. Use the Kodi Paste Site. Post the link to your pasted log in the forum

[firstofthewinterale]

Thanks for your offer of help. I have logging disabled therefore I don't have anything to provide at this point. Just out of curiousity, are logs really needed since this seems to be a known issue I've seen reported by many Kodi users here and on other forums? Unfortunately, in everything I've read there has previously never been any solution other than use an external player which defaults to DoVi over HDR. Which I can (and have done) but those players lack some of the other features I like from Kodi.

[Hitcher]

If you knew it's been answered before why ask for help?

[firstofthewinterale]

Because it hasn't been answered before. There have only been previous posts on other topics saying that at that point in time there was no way to prioritize HDR versions within Kodi and therefore, with hybrid files that were defaulting to HDR10 instead of DoVi,  the only option was to use an external player. I was hoping maybe there had been further development since then and that maybe there was now a solution or at least a better workaround other than use an external player. Sorry to bother you. If anyone else has any updated or additional information on this subject, I would sincerely appreciate the help.

[CineBugger35]

Yeah I played video recently that is both HDR10+ and dolby vision but kodi defaulted to HDR10+. Which sucked for me because dolby vision looks much better than HDR10+ on my telly. It will be super helpful if there can be a setting for user to set their order of preference for all videos or choose which hdr version they prefer while playing a hybrid. Please tell us how to do this or please add this feature to next build. Many thanks!

[realcopacetic]

You can submit it as a feature request for the development team to consider for future versions

[quietvoid]

Yeah I played video recently that is both HDR10+ and dolby vision but kodi defaulted to HDR10+. Which sucked for me because dolby vision looks much better than HDR10+ on my telly. It will be super helpful if there can be a setting for user to set their order of preference for all videos or choose which hdr version they prefer while playing a hybrid. Please tell us how to do this or please add this feature to next build. Many thanks!

Do you have a sample file where this happens?
Kodi tries playing Dolby Vision whenever it's present.
The rest is up to the playback device.

[firstofthewinterale]

I don't have anything at the moment but I do know it happens with the recent Franklin TV series (the one about Benjamin Franklin). It has both HDR10+ and DoVi but for some reason Kodi 21 does not default to Dolby Vision. I saw an episode of this at some friends house and they confirmed the same thing happened with all the prior eps they'd watched. I could probably get them to send me the MediaInfo. Other than that, I did some googling to find a sample file that exhibit this behavior and found one in a Github topic:

https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv/issues/13822 (In the sample files section of the OP it's the one titled: Hybrid DV/HDR10+) The only way to make it play DoVi is to go into Kodi player settings and disable HDR10+.

Curiously, I found the opposite problem with a video from the Official Kodi Wiki samples page at https://kodi.wiki/view/Samples - In the 4K (UltraHD) Formats section download #12 - Hybrid HDR10+ with Dolby Vision Sample. It will play (the time counter progresses) but it doesn't actually display anything on-screen. The only way to make it play correctly is by disabling Dolby Vision in Kodi player settings.

I hope these help track down what's going on.

[CineBugger35]

Yeah I played video recently that is both HDR10+ and dolby vision but kodi defaulted to HDR10+. Which sucked for me because dolby vision looks much better than HDR10+ on my telly. It will be super helpful if there can be a setting for user to set their order of preference for all videos or choose which hdr version they prefer while playing a hybrid. Please tell us how to do this or please add this feature to next build. Many thanks!

Do you have a sample file where this happens?
Kodi tries playing Dolby Vision whenever it's present.
The rest is up to the playback device.

Sorry long time for reply... been on travel. Can't make sample of that video cause it was deleted. But I try the sample linked above and yeah same thing happens!

[quietvoid]

The samples work on my devices and they look fine.
I can't help without someone providing a debug log.

[CineBugger35]

I can try for debug log but is hard to get some files off new telly since android 12/13.
BTW does your device/telly do HDR10+? If no then that explain why Kodi don't default to it instead of dolby vision like it is doing for some of us.

[quietvoid]

I can try for debug log but is hard to get some files off new telly since android 12/13.
BTW does your device/telly do HDR10+? If no then that explain why Kodi don't default to it instead of dolby vision like it is doing for some of us.

Yes. On files with both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision it defaults to Dolby Vision.
Kodi always defaults to Dolby Vision, so if it doesn't then it's the TV's fault.

[CineBugger35]

I can try for debug log but is hard to get some files off new telly since android 12/13.
BTW does your device/telly do HDR10+? If no then that explain why Kodi don't default to it instead of dolby vision like it is doing for some of us.

Yes. On files with both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision it defaults to Dolby Vision.
Kodi always defaults to Dolby Vision, so if it doesn't then it's the TV's fault.

Curious... can you please explain? Would not telly play what player app is sending to it? And if it is fault of telly then why will the same sample video default to dolby vision with some other apps but not with Kodi... doesn't this mean it is the software not the hardware?

[quietvoid]

And if it is fault of telly then why will the same sample video default to dolby vision with some other apps but not with Kodi...

Kodi has additional restrictions for Dolby Vision, so it may be that.
I can't tell you more because nobody has shared a debug log.