[CodyLane]

Attempting to play TV shows distributed by threesixtyp? 

When pausing and clicking on Video, Kodi reports

Video stream - Undetermined (h264, 480x360, 547851bps) [default] (1/1) 

The 4:3 video is stretched to fit my 16:9 TV? 

If I then switch the Video mode from Normal to "Stretch 4:3" - which I'd apparently be forced to do for each show in the TV series? As I can't just set that as the default for all media? 

Anyhow - if I do use the "Stretch 4:3", the video is then abnormally pixelated and blurred or whatever? Since I don't know what I'm talking about - it just looks weird/off? 

If I play the exact same video via VLC Player - VLC doesn't stretch the videos out to 16:9? Black bars are presented as expected? 

So I'm guessing threesixtyp didn't include whatever "information" Kodi requires to know it's supposed to be 4:3? 

Again, I have no clue about any of this technical stuff? 

Stretched to 16:9, it doesn't look terrible? But it does look ganky as heck if I use the "Stretch 4:3" on it? ;) 

Just hoping one of the gurus might be familiar with threesixtyp's offerings and have a fix so the videos play nice with Kodi? I've not had this problem with Kodi playing other 4:3 videos. Kodi just seems to have a problem specifically with threesixtyp videos? 

Oh - and I haven't "played" with any video settings on Kodi - so it's just how Kodi "normally" treats those videos? 

Thanks very much for any help/info/advice!

[izprtxqkft]

it must be incredibly upsetting that your pirated media isn't playing properly


maybe you should buy your own and make a better backup of it so you won't have these issues

[CodyLane]

it must be incredibly upsetting that your pirated media isn't playing properly

Thank you for your kindness - it has been quite difficult for me :( 

I realize that the vast majority of Kodi users are sweet, law abiding, loving corporate netizens like yourself. 

Fwiw - which I'm guessing is very little? - I actually do own the complete DVD sets for both shows I "pirated". I'm just sadly not as technically adept as threesixtyp - who's been kind enough to shrink the shows to fit on a tiny USB drive. Technology these days ;) 

I agree that we should have just stopped with DVDs. Possibly CDs? Nah - for music, definitely stop with vinyl. Ridiculous advances in technology :( 

But thanks again for pointing out what a horrible, despicable pirate I am. I certainly hope I haven't caused any of our upstanding corporate and world leaders any problems? I would hate that so very much :( They are such wonderful people. I wish I could just give them all of my money? 

OH! That's right. Now I'm just being silly :( 

Anyhow - just hoping the Kodi gurus might be fascinated as to how threesixtyp's evil pirated goods somehow skip Kodi's built-in thing that checks for 4:3 and displays with ye olde black bars? 

My good friend, Alison Angel - she shot most of her stuff in 4:3. I enjoy quite a bit of her content on Kodi - the black bars do keep her so very slim! So I know that Kodi normally obeys the 4:3 rules - 

Just seems like an oddity with threesixtyp's loot? 

Thanks again for any help/advice? As for the shaming? Shout out to jepsizofye for putting me in my place! I am so deeply ashamed :( I certainly hope others aren't abusing Kodi :( That would just make it horribly unpopular :(

[Karellen]

Can you provide...
A Debug Log so we can check player settings when you play the video,
and do you have a sample of the video you can upload?
Are you sure its not your tv stretching the image?

@jepsizofye Where is the piracy issue?
We don't really care where the content comes from. That is beyond our control. What we care about is certain addons that are installed in Kodi.

[CodyLane]

Other 4:3 videos are not being stretched to fit - only those encoded by threesixtyp. 

I hope I'm providing the log correctly as follows? 

eqeqevoduc.kodi (paste)

I don't know how to provide you with a sample of the video - as any sample I attempt to create might alter whatever is causing the issue? 

While the complete torrent is very large - each file is less than 200MB - to avoid any possible "issues", I'm changing the domain for the link to the torrent? 

https://thecorporateshillingbay.org/desc...d=60189112

Thank you VERY MUCH - and please let me know if there's a way that I can upload the sample file? 

My router only accepts a max 4TB USB drive - so I was trying to reduce the file size on a few of the series to provide more space - thus the threesixtyp versions. My former 4:3 files for the same TV series had been working fine. Sorry if I keep repeating - just hoping to stress that the issue seems limited to threesixtyp's encoded files. But they do display correctly - 4:3 black boxed - when viewed with VLC player.

[Karellen]

I hope I'm providing the log correctly as follows? 

eqeqevoduc.kodi (paste)

You just need to enable debug mode in settings>system>logging and create that log again. The scaling info is missing without it.

While the complete torrent is very large - each file is less than 200MB - to avoid any possible "issues", I'm changing the domain for the link to the torrent? 

https://thecorporateshillingbay.org/desc...d=60189112

That link does not work. I don't have a torrent client so I won't be able to access it. Lets see what the log shows first.

so I was trying to reduce the file size on a few of the series to provide more space

How did you do that? Did you re-encode it? If you have manipulated it after the download, then it is your copy that we will need.

[izprtxqkft]

You just need to enable debug mode in settings>system>logging and create that log again. The scaling info is missing without it.

2023-10-07 01:31:07.170 T:28973    info <general>: Enabled debug logging due to GUI setting (2)

you're not going to get DEBUG because -

Running on Amazon AFTSSS

[CodyLane]

 

How did you do that? Did you re-encode it? If you have manipulated it after the download, then it is your copy that we will need.

Very sorry for any confusion. I didn't re-encode the files - they're the original threesixtyp encodings. By "saving space", I meant that I've replaced my previous larger files for the same TV shows with threesixtyp's versions smaller versions. 

If it's helpful - attempting to state the "issue" more succinctly?

Watching the exact same file on the exact same device on the exact same TV - VLC Player displays the video correctly, 4:3 boxed - while Kodi simply "stretches" the video to fill the 16:9 screen.

So perhaps Kodi then isn't "scaling" the video at all? I have no clue? Normally, Kodi displays 4:3 videos correctly. My only issues have arisen when attempting to watch the 4:3 videos encoded by threesixtyp. Kodi then stretches only those videos to fit the 16:9 screen. 

Again, I don't understand how any of this works - but if the user above, who apparently switches out his or her username? - is pointing out that my log files might be missing information because of my device type? I am indeed using a firestick. 

I additionally enabled component logging this time - specifically video component logging - and allowed the video to run through the opening credits. Here's the latest log file: 

https://paste.kodi.tv/ahibijaqat.kodi

Again - I'd be more than happy to provide you with one of the video files encoded by threesixtyp? On the previous link I shared, I replaced the thepiratebay dot org domain with the obviously nonexistent thecorporateshilling dot org domain - as I didn't know if posting a link to the piratebay dot org might break forum rules? 

Thanks again SO VERY MUCH for all of your help. And my apologies if I don't respond to any of your questions as quickly as I'd wish - I'm running around a bit this weekend.

[Karellen]

you're not going to get DEBUG because -

Thanks.

Again - I'd be more than happy to provide you with one of the video files encoded by threesixtyp? On the previous link I shared, I replaced the thepiratebay dot org domain

Too cryptic for me, changing the address. As I said, I don't have a torrent client, so I won't be downloading the file from a torrent.
Best that you upload your video file to a file sharing site, and I can download it from there. Google drive if you have it, or one of the free sharing sites.

[CodyLane]

Here's the file: 

https://drive.proton.me/urls/STEAT9NMXG#zwPLGlHwReRJ

[Karellen]

Here's the file: 

Thanks.
The streams seem correctly tagged in the file.
I played the file in VLC and MPC-HC and both displayed as 4:3
I played the file in Kodi and it also displayed correctly for me





If you check those same overlays, is the data the same?

Can you also check the 4:3 setting and ensure it is set to "Normal"... https://kodi.wiki/view/Settings/Player/V..._videos_as

[Hitcher]

Plays just fine on Windows and Shield TV for me so maybe it's a Firestick problem.

[CodyLane]

The 4:3 setting is "normal". 

I don't know how to pull up those overlays?

Oh - and if it's helpful - the videos display the same [incorrectly] both on last year's model Firestick and Firestick 4K. 

I've played plenty of other 4:3 videos and no issues - the problem is limited to threesixtyp encoded 4:3 videos?

[Karellen]

I don't know how to pull up those overlays?

The first one is by pressing z on your keyboard.
The second one is pressing m and then scrolling left to the media tab.
See: https://kodi.wiki/view/Player_process_info

Like hitcher says, maybe its a firestick issue? A shame the Firestick won't output the debug log. I can't spot anything in the streams to force a 16:9 output.
Do you have a Windows pc you can test on?

[CodyLane]

I don't know how to pull up those overlays?

The first one is by pressing z on your keyboard.
The second one is pressing m and then scrolling left to the media tab.
See: https://kodi.wiki/view/Player_process_info

Like hitcher says, maybe its a firestick issue? A shame the Firestick won't output the debug log.
Do you have a Windows pc you can test on?

I was just hoping y'all might find it curious - that perhaps threesixtyp's encoding ran afoul of Kodi in general? ;) 

I can't access the overlays on my firesticks, and those are the only devices I use to run Kodi. 

But possibly instead of being a fire stick issue, it's a quirk with the Android 32 version? I obviously have no clue. 

When I replaced my former 4:3 videos with the threesixtyp versions - suddenly there was an issue. I was just thinking possibly he introduced something squirrelly into the mix? 

But it's still very odd that VLC plays the files with no issues?