[jogal]

Next, I tested jogal's provided Omega "Cache Improv" build with the default skin and recommended cache settings + max performance USB mode enabled.

Unfortunately, I still observed a handful of frame drops spread out at random intervals during a 40 minute playback test. Here is the resulting log.

In the log flie played has a bit rare resolution 2880 x 2160:

Stream #0:0: Video: hevc (Main 10), yuv420p10le(tv, bt2020nc/bt2020/smpte2084), 2880x2160 [SAR 1:1 DAR 4:3], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 1k tbn (default)

This video seems edited or somewhat. All 4K videos should be 3840 x 2160 only. In case of cropped videos, which is already stupid in itself, 3840 x 1904 or other height but width always should be 3840 for 4K videos.

Please test with untouched 4K video (3840 x 2160) to rule out problems due hardware video decoder not compatible with non-standard resolutions.

EDIT:
However, the cache modifications are not expected to produce any changes since you had the same problems with cache disabled.

As commented in previous post probably the only way to know what is happening is with adb shell top

[APIPerfi]

Please test with untouched 4K video (3840 x 2160) to rule out problems due hardware video decoder not compatible with non-standard resolutions.

The first time I noticed this issue was when watching an untouched 4k source, so I can confidently say it's not related to cropping.

Here are the adb snapshots I took when observing the issue. I can't personally make sense of the information but maybe there's something there.

Unfortunately I might have to bite the bullet and do a factory reset, but it's hard to believe that it will make a difference (knock on wood it doesn't somehow make things worse).

[Zuikkis]

2880x2160 is correct for the movie in question, Justice League... It's filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio, and plays with black bars on side of the screen (unless you scale it).

From HBO Max description:

"This film is presented in a 4:3 format to preserve the integrity of Zack Snyder's creative vision."

The stream is 2880x2160 in HBO Max as well.

[jogal]

But black bars can be encoded in video or not (whether they are horizontal or vertical). This is the reason ALL UHD Blu-Ray are 3840 x 2160 with no exception.

By definition all videos that require black bars (not part of video) are cropped.
 

xml:
General

Complete name                            : Z:\MKV\2\La Liga de la Justicia de Zack Snyder (2021) [4K].mkv

Format                                   : Matroska

Format version                           : Version 4

File size                                : 31.3 GiB

Duration                                 : 4 h 2 min

Overall bit rate                         : 18.5 Mb/s

Frame rate                               : 23.976 FPS

Encoded date                             : 2021-03-18 13:42:07 UTC

Writing application                      : mkvmerge v43.0.0 ('The Quartermaster') 64-bit

Writing library                          : libebml v1.3.10 + libmatroska v1.5.2



Video

ID                                       : 1

Format                                   : HEVC

Format/Info                              : High Efficiency Video Coding

Format profile                           : Main 10@L5@Main

HDR format                               : SMPTE ST 2086, HDR10 compatible

Codec ID                                 : V_MPEGH/ISO/HEVC

Duration                                 : 4 h 2 min

Bit rate                                 : 17.9 Mb/s

Width                                    : 3 840 pixels

Height                                   : 2 160 pixels

Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9

Frame rate mode                          : Constant

Frame rate                               : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS

Color space                              : YUV

Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0

Bit depth                                : 10 bits

Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.090

Stream size                              : 30.2 GiB (97%)

Default                                  : Yes

Forced                                   : No

Color range                              : Limited

Color primaries                          : BT.2020

Transfer characteristics                 : PQ

Matrix coefficients                      : BT.2020 non-constant

Mastering display color primaries        : Display P3

Mastering display luminance              : min: 0.0001 cd/m2, max: 1000 cd/m2

Maximum Content Light Level              : 597 cd/m2

Maximum Frame-Average Light Level        : 122 cd/m2

This is for Blu-Ray only (no idea what HBO is doing)

And, yes I have this video, Shield and Kodi and works fine.... with cache enabled.

[APIPerfi]

Nevertheless, is there anything else you would recommend I do before factory resetting?

Also, thank you again for your continued help jogal.

[Lunatixz]

I don't believe factory resetting will help... The only two solutions i'd recommend is either rip your collection at lower bitrates or disable TrueHD in Kodi's audio settings.

[APIPerfi]

rip your collection at lower bitrates or disable TrueHD in Kodi's audio settings

In terms of disabling TrueHD, in all these tests I use the DD compatibility track anyways, and as far as ripping my collection in lower quality; I can't conceive that this would be the logical option as my Sony X950G handles the same local files with Kodi 19.3 without any fps drops.

The performance of the NVIDIA Shield should theoretically run laps around my TV.

[Koder123]

What I always suggest here: if possible test with network source a) 1Gbit wired Ethernet b) HTTP/WebDAV as a source for best read performance by using minimal resources (Kodi uses curl underhood) c) No Kodi cache enabled (player still uses internal cache)

[APIPerfi]

Noted, thanks for the input Koder.

As a final test, I'm going to see if Plex exhibits the same fps drops with a remote source direct playing my untouched 4k rips. If it does, then it's safe to assume my Shield is the problem.

Which in that case, may or may not be resolved by a factory reset.

[APIPerfi]

Small update, did a test of a 1hr & 40min untouched 4k rip with an avg bitrate of 80+ Mbps and lossless DTS MA track (no transcoding) from my remote source on Plex; playback was flawless even with a wireless connection.

Obviously I can't say for sure, but I think this means my Shield is more than capable of handling this caliber of content (at least when using Plex). Considering this, I tested the HDD plugged into my shield with Crystal Disk Info and saw no errors or bad sectors pointing towards a failing drive.

The only thing I can think of is potential faulty wires, or something internally that's not playing nice with Kodi.

I just want to give a big thanks to everyone who has kindly taken the time to look into my issue and offer possible insights, I really appreciate it!

[-locha-]

I think your Shield is okay. I also have problems with files >50Mbit/s. But only with Kodi!
If I play the files with a VLC player, everything is fine. So it is very likely a Kodi problem, but I have not received any help to date...

[jogal]

I think your Shield is okay. I also have problems with files >50Mbit/s. But only with Kodi!
If I play the files with a VLC player, everything is fine. So it is very likely a Kodi problem, but I have not received any help to date...

As usually happens this thread has become a wildcard for anyone who has it's own issue and does not want to provide information (just blame kodi).

Meanwhile nothing is tested:

1. Factory reset Shield ---> Not tested yet
   
2. Check for background processes with adb shell top --> Not tested yet
   
3. Check for excessive CPU usage by some kodi thread (adb shell top -H) --> Not tested yet
   
4. Disable service com.google.android.tvrecommendations which is known caused issues in the past --> Not tested yet
   
5. Update Shield firmware to latest 9.2.0 (SHIELD Experience Upgrade 9.1.1 + hotfix) link --> probably not tested
   
6. Provide feedback of special "Cache test build" (only users who has issues with file cache enabled only) --> Not tested by users who can reproduce the issue (test by others is useless)
   
7. Test playback videos from 1Gbps LAN (NFS / SMB)  to discard USB or HDD issues --> Not tested yet
   
8. Test playback regular 4K 3840 x 2160 video in Kodi (not Plex) --> Not tested yet
   

[APIPerfi]

I do agree with you jogal. However, I did test 2,3,6 & 8 for the time being.

See my adb snapshots above if you missed them.

[jogal]

I don't believe factory resetting will help... The only two solutions i'd recommend is either rip your collection at lower bitrates or disable TrueHD in Kodi's audio settings.

No offense, but whenever there was even the slightest glitch with TrueHD there were hundreds of complaints every week.

Does anyone think it's possible that everyone has to disable TrueHD for Kodi to work and no one else has complained?

Kodi works on Shield with 4K Dolby Vision + TrueHD passthrough + Cache enabled (all at same time) at least for 99% of people.

[jogal]

I don't believe factory resetting will help...

 

I've had the most recent Shield TV Pro since the day it released. It has been working pretty much perfectly. Over the past month or so, I'm starting to notice random stutters in video playback. It doesn't always happen and it seems to occur more regularly with HDR content (it affects both standard HDR and Dolby Vision content). At first I thought it was an issue with Plex, but I've now seen the issue with Kodi, Netflix and Disney+. I have other streaming boxes that aren't experiencing this issue. Unfortunately, I don't have another Shield TV to test with.
I'm going to try doing a factory reset, but I was wondering if potentially a recent update might have caused this. Has anyone else started experiencing stuttering in the past several weeks?

EDIT:
Cleaning the fan, as suggested by someone here, unfortunately didn't fix the problem.

EDIT 2:
Another suggestion of enabling Dolby Audio Processing also didn't help, as I got stutters again tonight.

EDIT 3:
I performed a factory reset tonight and it was the first time in a while that I watched a movie without stutters. I'll be watching more over the weekend, so fingers crossed it continues to work. If not, it's time to decommission the Shield TV.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ShieldAndroidTV..._on_video/