yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] yellowjacket1981:
I am having a problem with any media player except the stock one. I want to use a 3rd party media player, so that I don't have to convert my movies to something compatible with the stock media player. the problem is whenever I use a 3rd party media player, I hook the phone to my tv, and the movie plays for a few minutes, then it stops, and loses my place, this is very irritating. This doesn't happen on the the stock media player. Does anyone have any ideas? I have tried at least 6 third party media players, and they all stop every few minutes... For now I am just converting my movies for use with the stock player, but this is time consuming.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] moe.:
it depends on what app you're trying to use. you might want to see if there's an extra codec pack. i know that mobo player has a lot of add-on codec packs. if this is the case and the dev is smart, the codec packs are usually in the market, just like the original program.

also, you may want to try something with soft decoding included, if you're not already.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] yellowjacket1981:
Most of the players had soft decoding, and it isn't a codec pack, the videos play, but suddenly stop. The only one that doesn't do that is the stock one. Has anyone else had this problem? Do you all use the stock player?
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] moe.:
does it only do it when using tv out or does it happen on the device screen, also? what rom/kernel are you using?
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Droidmoder:
Have you. Tried remote for vlc? I think you can play media on the sd card. Not sure haven't tried it but worth a shot if you haven't.

sent from my ice cream sandwhich MT4GS
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] yellowjacket1981:
So it seems to only do it when using the tv out function, which is really cruddy, because I don't want to watch movies on my tiny phone, I want to watch them on the big tv. I am using Bulletproof 1.0, and the stock kernel. I am going to try remote for vlc right now, but I am thinking the problem is something to do with the tv out function.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] moe.:
I understand the frustration. My educated guess would have to be that it has something to do with a kernel conflict. Try a different rom and/or kernel. There are, also, some updates for bulletproof now, too.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] yellowjacket1981:
If I remember correctly this happened on other roms too, but I will try again. I tried the new bulletproof, but I liked the old one better. I haven't tried a different kernel though, so I will start flashing different kernel/rom combos, to see if it makes a difference.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Sorry, I missed this thread. I'm kinda skimming over the boards while i'm doing paperwork and such, so i'm skipping over things and not realizing it. (hate januaries, always so busy)

Anyways, it's a codec issue. You'll only get the problem when outputting to tv - and soft-decoding only solves part of the problem.

What's happening is your file format is too far away from what the hardware can handle easily while it's also trying to feed the video out and keep the screen active on the device.

Even though you check soft-decoding in the app, without proper codecs installed it defaults some or all of the work back to the hardware.

I use Mobo Player, free video app and is hands-down my favorite one on Android. It lets you choose soft-decoding in the settings menu, but they also supply a codec you can find in the market.

I'm using the ARM V7_VFP codec from the same author as Mobo Player, and don't have a problem with it. When I do reflash and forget to install it then it goes back to randomly cutting out while i'm enjoying my movie/show or whatever.

Edit: This Google Market Link will get you to the right codec for our device.

I suppose I should have mentioned something about it in my ROM thread, since I included it in Bulletproof for that reason - but, there's a lot going on here lol.

I should have seen this thread yesterday, but I suppose i'm looking at it the wrong way since I get to skim the forums while i'm getting work done. (as opposed to not being able to browse them at all.)

Anyways, Mobo Player is free, and so is the codec, so all you lose for trying is time - give it a shot and see where it gets ya.

---------- Post added at 02:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 PM ----------

Nah, I haven't made any updates to Bulletproof recently, though i'd like to squeeze one out around work soon.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] moe.:
And another job well done.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] yellowjacket1981:
Thanks, I am flashing bulletproof 1.1 again, and hoping to get things running well. I will keep you updated. I was running bulletproof 1.0, so I think that was what they were talking about , when they said there was an update.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
So, you've motivated me to look a little deeper.

Looks like Wifi-calling is also causing a whole mess of trouble on the device.

It can't do something, and keeps trying, which is part (if not all of) why the system can't keep up with a movie.

I just removed it from my build a little while ago after I couldn't get it to play nice, and I can't describe how much more smoothly my system is running without it (minus a couple of hiccups because it's not there anymore and things are expecting it to be)

I'm going to rebuild a Bulletproof distribution without the wifi-calling and see what kind of data I can dredge up to compare to - but I have a feeling this is the other piece of the puzzle for why it's not working right.

I'm on the same version of wifi-calling that has been around for a while - I think there was an update to it in one of the OTA updates? Can't remember.

I'm pushing the edge of exhaustion, it's been a few days, so i'm probably not gonna get to it tonight, but it's the next thing on my list. Figured i'd mention it here in case anyone wanted to experiment with it in the meanwhile.

I'm not kidding when I say it's literally like a whole new device without wifi calling - I honestly can't believe what a difference it's absence is making.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] yellowjacket1981:
You deserve your rest! I just wanted to report back, that I am still having the same problem. I updated to bulletproof 1.1, and installed the codec that you linked to, still had the problem. The movie will play for a few minutes, and then suddenly stop. I then installed all the codecs for mobo player, and still nothing. I can't remember if this happened on the stock rom or not. My boyfriend is still on the stock rom, so when he come by tonight, I will test a 3rd party media player on his, to see if there is still the same problem. If it works on stock, I may just flash back to stock for now, to save me the trouble of converting a lot of my movies. Thanks for all your help Blue.

Also, I can't wait to see the rom without wifi calling!
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
If you have the android sdk set up on a computer you can plug into, set your phone to usb-debugging/charge only and plug it in and watch the output.

You'll see the wifi calling app (kineto) going nutzo - i've been trying to mak it behave for a while because some people mentioned liking using it (even though it doesn't work so well) but tonight was the last straw with it.

Now that it's gone from my device, I can't tell you how much smoother it's been running. The whole output on my screen going all the way back to before I posted last (so, i've moved past the buffer in the log) and not one error msg.

That was unheard of with the wifi calling app on the device, and it made it look like it was more then one app causing the problem. Got rid of that one, and it solved pretty much the whole thing.

I wasn't having an issue with it crashing out of the movie earlier today - but I just set a friend of mine up with rooting his new MT4GS, so I flashed mine fresh alongside when we did his yesterday (day before?) ...

You might wanna try just axing that real quick before you go flashing all over again - just a thought :)

Finishing up my last call of the night, i'll catch up with you all tomorrow - hope it works out for you.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] yellowjacket1981:
I do have sdk installed and working on my computer, but I am still a newb when it comes to actually using it lol. Just so you know, I had my boyfriend try to run a movie with tv out on my tv, with mobo player, and it crashed too, and he is on stock. The problem is definitely not rom related. I am going to try getting rid of wifi calling and see if that improves anything. I will let you know.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Appreciate the confirmation it's not ROM related - It's one thing for me to say it as the creator of the ROM, another thing for a third party to verify it.

Are you on a windows machine? If so:

In your SDK folder, go to the 'tools' folder. In it you will find a file called "ddms.bat"

Open this, and it will launch a DOS window, which then launches a GUI after a few mins.

Welcome to the dalvik debug monitor window.

Now what you do, is go to settings on your device. In the "Connect to PC" option, set it to "charge only"

Then, back in the settings menu, go to "applications" then "development" and make sure "USB debugging" is checked.

(also might be a good idea to check "stay awake")

Now you can plug the doubleshot into the computer without having it disable your sdcard access, and let it just run like normal.

Plug it into the computer, and you will see it pop up in the list in the dalvik debug monitor.

You can watch what it's doing and see if you have any issues.

It might help you to track down this problem, and see about a resolution. DDMS is one of the primary troubleshooting tools you should be using to figure out what's going on on your device.

Often times I just let one of my doubleshots stay plugged in to ddms while i'm sitting here, and just have the log running while i'm working on the laptop next to the pc. Familiarizing yourself with the device in this fashion will help a lot in terms of development, but even as just a user you will get a huge understanding of what the device is doing.

The first time it injected the A-GPS data while I was connected to DDMS was awesome - little things like that give you a huge understanding of what's going on.

Also, it'll keep running if you reboot the device while it's connected - lets you see what happens when it shuts down but also what happens when it first boots up.

----

Removing wifi calling has been such a great move - trying to fight with it and getting it to play nice is like trying to get water to flow uphill.

I just threw together a flashable Bulletproof zip without it and am getting ready to flash it to my phone, we'll see how this goes but I have a feeling that the wifi calling app is a large part of the remaining problem once the correct codec is installed and you have soft-decoding active.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Okay, something isn't right now.

For a while Moboplayer was working fine with soft decoding and output to television, but now I can't get too far before it fatally crashes out.

I am wracking my brain trying to figure out why it was working for a while but now is not - meantime, the generic player will output to television without crashing...but suffers the odd video issue present with hardware decoding that makes it not so great. Gets artifacts on-screen and doesn't properly display the video on the television smoothly, yet appears fine on the device itself.

There is an answer somewhere - i'm not sure what it is, but it'll be found ... we just need to keep trying.

Either need to figure out why any aftermarket player crashes (I think it has something to do with audio - but that could be misleading since the headphones jack we are using for video output counts as audio - at least in the logs)
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] pimppoet:
Ive had the same issue with mx player,mobo player,v player with just the device itsel. I didnt have the codec packs for mx or mobo player installed at the time tho. I got vplayer working by changing the buffer & disabling hardware decoding. Here are the specs for the video I was playing at the time: Video 724 kbps xvid Audio 5.1 AC3 Resolution 640x272 2.35:1
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Working as in it'll play the whole video through without crashing out?
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] pimppoet:
yea...the apps never force closed only randomly stopped for me intially but. ok so far now with no stops. I havent watched ne other movies since then to really test it out. I also found an

alpha build of vlc player here http://dl.cvpcs.org/android/test/common/VLC-noneon.apk
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Okay, here's what threw me before.

Most of my video is in .avi format, but some of it is in .mp4 format, smattering here and there.

Using Mobo Player with .avi I get skippy playback on output to TV with no soft decoding. (does it eventually crash like below? unsure yet.)

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Using Mobo Player with .avi I get smooth playback with soft decoding until movie randomly stops and throws me back to the menu. (crashes)

----

Using the built-in player to play .avi files, same skipping on TV output as with no soft decoding on Mobo Player. (not sure if it crashes out)

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Using Mobo Player with .mp4 I get good TV output, no artifacts and lagging like hard decoding. (dosn't crash)

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Using Mobo Player with .mp4 and no soft decoding I get the same artifacts as with .avi but not quite as bad it seems. (doesn't crash)

----

Using the stock player to play .mp4 ...inconclusive.

--------

I haven't had time to play with it much, but I did get some testing in.

Seems like playing off-format files is where the problem starts. I've only tested with an .avi and I converted that file to .mp4 for a quick test when I had time to plug it in.

I'll convert the file to both .mp4 in H.264 and also in MPEG-4 to see if there's a difference in TV output, using the same file in different formats will make it a more fair comparison.

The file i'm starting from is an .avi of my favorite mindless movie of all time, Mean Guns.

Edit: i'll post the file details later, this one will just confuse the issue. I still have the dvd I made from tape so i'll source a new file from that.

I copied it from a VHS tape to DVD using a tape-to-DVD machine a few years ago - but if I could find another machine to do that I could make a fresh copy from my VHS tape.

I'll get a more detailed listing of the files and formats I use later on when I get the chance for more in-depth testing, laying it out here has helped a bit.

Here are the supported file formats as listed by the T-Mobile site Here

Codecs

AMR, EFR, FR, H.263, H.264, Streaming, MPEG4

Main display

Type: TFT

Colors: LCD Supplies 262K, OS support 64K

Size: 480 x 800

Dimensions: 3.7 inches
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] pimppoet:
Have u tried the files with the vlc app i posted?
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Haven't had the chance to - but I definitely want to.

Here's what i'm working on: I have a movie that I copied from vhs to dvd through a combination vcr/dvd machine a few years ago. So we're already starting with a lower quality source of a movie i've bought at least 15 copies of.

I have copied straight from the dvd to .avi files so far, and here's what i've made:

1 - .avi with 720x540 resolution, 128kbps sound in mp3 format (divx encoded .avi) also in the default of 29.97fps

2 - .avi with 640x480 resolution, 128kbps sound in mp3 format (divx encoded .avi) also in the default of 29.97fps

3 - .avi with 640x480 resolution, 128kbps sound in mp3 format (divx encoded .avi) changed framerate to 23.97fps

4 - .mp4 (h.264) with 800x480 resolution, 128kbps sound in AAC 2channel format and default framerate of 29.97fps

#4 is currently encoding, as .mp4 takes a lot longer to encode then .avi

I'd like to figure out what the optimal file format and settings are for the best playback, my trial and error for figuring out what works and doesn't has brought me here.

I plan to test these files using the stock player, mobo player, and the vlc suggestion to see what I can turn up, but having a handful of the same file in various formats and resolutions is the next logical step I see to take. I need more information, and this is how i'm going about getting it.

Any thoughts from anyone on anything I could be doing better or different? I just click encode on the next one and let it run while i'm out working, so figure one or two a day for sure - a couple more things I want to type out but I gotta run, so looking forward to hearing others thoughts on this.

Edit:

Also, just real quick - as I was closing down my programs I saw this again.

I ran around collecting source information of what codecs are supported.

Couldn't find anything specific from qualcomm direct, but did find this so far:

http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1953

Hardware Codecs:

AMR, EFR, FR, H.263, H.264, Streaming, MPEG4 (Tmo)

Music Player:

AAC; AAC+; MP3; WMA ; eAAC+; MPEG4; Midi

Ringtones:

MP3; HiFi Ringers; Megatones; AAC; AAC+; eAAC; Midi; WMA; MPEG4

Wallpaper:

JPEG; GIF87A; GIF89A; BMP; PNG; PNG(with transparency)

----

@HTC - http://www.htc.com/us/support/mytouch4gslide-tmobile/help/compatibility

What Video file formats does my device support?

3GP

MP4

AVI

WMV

What Audio file formats does my device support?

MP3

M4A

AMR

AAC/AAC+/eAAC+

WMA

WAV

MIDI

( qualcomm says in regards to the scorpion that it supports encoding, but falls short of saying what and it's burning my curiosity that I haven't found out yet. It would be nice to know conclusively what I have to look for support for in the system or not )
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] raduque:
I encoded a 20-minute sample of a 720p encode of the latest episode of Nikita.

The source is x.264 at (i think) 10 Mbps bitrate.

Video: MPEG4 Video 1280x720 29.97 [Video]

Audio: AAC 48000Hz stereo 1536Kbps [Audio]

Encoded at QP:12 in Handbrake

Video: H.264 Video 1280x720 29.97 [Video]

Audio: AAC 48000Hz stereo 1536Kbps [Audio]

Encoded at RF:20 in Handbrake

Both files played entirely through in Mobo. Slight bit of chop on the MPEG4-encoded video - I think the bitrate is too high. The H.264 file played perfectly.

Bulletproof 1.1

Edit: The source x.264 sample in the MKV container wouldn't play at all.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] xdaznx:
AVI video tearing with Mobo, I downloaded MX player and it was also tearing until I turned on the software decode rather than Hardware decode..... Wonder why? Wasnt even an HD file :confused:
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
One of the questions we're looking for the answer to in this thread.

I basically see 3 questions I want to answer:

1. - What are all the file formats supported by the device out of the box?

1b. - Determine if any codecs are hard-coded into the device, and if so what they are and what level of codec support is implemented.

1c. - Figure out what codecs are software supported and where that software is on the device.

2. - Determine causes of and develop solutions for:

2a. - Broken video output to TV when hardware decoding?

2b. - Video players randomly quitting?

2c. - Any other problems we have overlooked?

3 - Determine the optimal file format and specifications for use on the device.

(I understand 3 is subjective, I suppose we'll let that develop as people determine what optimal means to them. There are multiple right answers to this question.)

Figuring out the optimal video format for the device is kinda something I imagine happening naturally as we answer the other questions.

Trying out the different formats and options just takes time, definitely cut down by people posting the files and formats they tried under what conditions as is already starting.

I've been itching to fix the video problem with bad output to TV on hardware decoding for a while now, and this thread is moving us closer to unraveling that mystery.

what pimppoet posted before about changing the buffer size in the vlc app is worth exploring - if we're just getting ahead of the buffer causing the app to die, that may very well be the answer.

I forget what it tells me right before it crashes in ddms, have to check again. Think it was a bad audio call that I wanted to chase down but not sure.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] xdaznx:
Awesome. I will definitely stay tuned to this thread. Thanks for the detailed post!:D
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] pimppoet:
That was the vplayer app at allowed u to change the buffer size...the vlc app only has a option to set the directory for ur video files.

I tried to watch a movie with tv output using mx player n vlc. During the video playbacks I had about a 75% battery charge....no external power. The video randomly stopped using mx with the software decoding....hardware decoding worked but a slight stutter at times. I then tried the same file using vlc & it played with no problems the rest of the movie. Only issue with vlc Ive found is that it likes to stay running in the background even after u kill...thats the 1 thing I miss about wm n hate about android apps but thats another thread for another day lol.

File info on movie I was watching using Mediainfo

Format : AVI

Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave

File size : 812 MiB

Duration : 1h 24mn

Overall bit rate : 1 336 Kbps

Writing application : Lavf51.12.1

Video

Format : xvid

Duration : 1h 24mn

Bit rate : 1 195 Kbps

Width : 640 pixels

Height : 272 pixels

Display aspect ratio : 2.35:1

Frame rate : 23.976 fps

Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.286

Stream size : 726 MiB (89%)

Audio

Format : MPEG Audio

Format version : Version 1

Format profile : Layer 3

Mode : Joint stereo

Mode extension : MS Stereo

Codec ID : 55

Codec ID/Hint : MP3

Duration : 1h 24mn

Bit rate mode : Constant

Bit rate : 128 Kbps

Channel(s) : 2 channels

Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz

Compression mode : Lossy

Stream size : 77.8 MiB (10%)

Alignment : Aligned on interleaves

Interleave, duration : 24 ms (0.58 video frame)

Interleave, preload duration : 24 ms

Writing library : LAME3.97
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Okay, some quick thoughts while I have a moment:

-Asphalt 6 game intro fine on tv-out

-Shadowgun game intro has same problems with video "artifacts" as videos played with hardware decoding.

*Not sure the forfmatting for either, but I think a clue is there.

Played .avi and couple .mp4 versions of the same file, only one that played through and was fine was the .mp4 in 1280x720 with AAC 2channel audio - tvout with mobo, using hardware decoding.

I'll list proper specs later. This is still with just mobo and stock players. I'll get the other players when I can.

Also, haven't tried any 3gp video yet.
[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
So, I just mentioned this thread in another, and wanted to give a quick orientation for anyone who comes by on where we left off:

Basically, spamming the television through the doubleshot with the same video encoded in a systematic variety of formats, resolutions, and bitrates.

No one was able to come up with a better way to diagnose what the issue here is other then generating as much empirical test data as possible and sifting through it until a pattern emerged that gave us a clue on what is wrong.

This is quite obviously a very time consuming and tedious task, so after getting as far as I did I came to the conclusion that we either all need to tally a list of what's been checked and keep adding to it in parts by everyone...

...or someone with better knowledge of video technologies needs to take control of this project. I'm a bit out of my element with it, so there's only so much I can reason out before it's this data mining to puzzle out the next step to take.

I feel like my time spent on kernels and the s-off issue is worth my time more then encoding video, but i'll help work on this if someone can give us better direction.

Here are two pictures of the dry erase board next to my desk I took before I put something else on it:

http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p521/username824/Video-Board-001A.jpg

http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p521/username824/Video-Board-001B.jpg

If that helps see how I was approaching it ...