Develop Bugs

[Q] Video capture quality on the G2..

All the video samples from the G2 I have seen on Youtube so far have not been impressive. Most disturbing about these videos is the sound quality, it is pretty bad. I have a Nexus One (hacked with Cyanogenmod's 720p recording feature) and it also isn't that great so I'm guessing this is a 'feature' of HTC phones. Compared to the Galaxy S (from Samsung) the HTC phones (G2, N1 and even the EVO) seem to suck in the video / audio department.
In a recent post I read that the audio codec for a HD recording off the G2 is this:
AMR (samr), Mono, 8k, 32 bits per sample
Could this be the problem and can this be changed?

AMR == Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio Codec. Dunno what the "s" in "samr" is all about tho.
I see a comparison with the nokia 8 and there is a definite sound quality difference. (Be sure to watch this in 720p)
Wonder if the sample rate is adjustable by firmware/settings or if it's set in hardware. Strangely wikipedia lists 14 modes, none of which are at the "8k" (rate?) you reported... I see AMR_7.95 tho.
Anyway, my g2 is on the way....
W

cowmixtoo said:
AMR (samr), Mono, 8k, 32 bits per sample
Could this be the problem and can this be changed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, yeah that's pretty bad.. 8k.

ericc191 said:
Wow, yeah that's pretty bad.. 8k.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, my watch can do better..

I just confirmed that my N1 encodes audio in the exact same format.

cowmixtoo said:
I just confirmed that my N1 encodes audio in the exact same format.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Idle thought- I wonder if the codec is set to a low bandwidth to accommodate slower SD card speeds. I think the g2 comes with a class 2, and this thread suggests that there is stuttering when playing back at the HD setting.
This is just idle speculation.

http://vimeo.com/15487989
Done a couple days ago, not so much about the audio, but the video couldnt keep up.

Yup, I noticed a lot of stuttering when playing videos back too.

ericc191 said:
Yup, I noticed a lot of stuttering when playing videos back too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What SD card?

Agreed. Audio isn't stellar and playback has stuttering. In fact, I've already experienced a weird situation where the video wouldn't actually play - just showed a blank screen with the audio playing.
I love this phone, but the video / audio / picture quality on my Sprint Epic is far superior.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

VValdo said:
What SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8GB Class 6 Transcend. It usually transfers up to 7mb/ps, so definitely not the issue.

ericc191 said:
8GB Class 6 Transcend. It usually transfers up to 7mb/ps, so definitely not the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn thought it might be it... well what else causes stuttering? Not buffering enough... or maybe cpu being pulled to do something else..?
Is there any message from logcat when it's stuttering?
Meanwhile, I'm looking at the video camera source to see if there's any way to change the audio bitrate...
Lines ~230:
Code:
for (AudioEncoderCap encoder : EncoderCapabilities.getAudioEncoders()) {
switch (encoder.mCodec) {
case MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AMR_NB:
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("amrnb", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AMR_NB);
break;
case MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AAC:
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("aac", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AAC);
break;
}
}
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.putDefault(MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.DEFAULT);
/*
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("amrwb", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AMR_WB);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("qcelp", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.QCELP);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("evrc", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.EVRC);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("aacplus", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AAC_PLUS);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("eaacplus", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.EAAC_PLUS);
*/
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("1280x720", 6000000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("720x480", 3000000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("800x480", 3000000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("640x480", 1600000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("352x288", 360000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("320x240", 320000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("176x144", 192000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.putDefault(320000);
}
The video bitrate is right there.. how do you change the audio I wonder....? And what's up with the commented-out bits...
Maybe I'll try to get this running... I have no g2 yet to try it on but will soon.
W

One more thought... This is an old issue. If you doubt the potential the video camera COULD have, take a look at this audio comparison linked from the thread. At least on the n1, the microphone is capable of way better sound than the camera app currently offers. The g2 has a faster processor-- it should be able to encode better sound.. AAC? Ogg?
Update: It's not the camera app's fault. It's Android's. There is an open issue for this. It looks like Android itself doesn't support anything better. The good news is this isn't a hardware limitation. As someone suggested, a WebM encoder seems like an obvious thing to add.

VValdo said:
One more thought... This is an old issue. If you doubt the potential the video camera COULD have, take a look at this audio comparison linked from the thread. At least on the n1, the microphone is capable of way better sound than the camera app currently offers. The g2 has a faster processor-- it should be able to encode better sound.. AAC? Ogg?
Update: It's not the camera app's fault. It's Android's. There is an open issue for this. It looks like Android itself doesn't support anything better. The good news is this isn't a hardware limitation. As someone suggested, a WebM encoder seems like an obvious thing to add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's a plus.

VValdo said:
One more thought... This is an old issue. If you doubt the potential the video camera COULD have, take a look at this audio comparison linked from the thread. At least on the n1, the microphone is capable of way better sound than the camera app currently offers. The g2 has a faster processor-- it should be able to encode better sound.. AAC? Ogg?
Update: It's not the camera app's fault. It's Android's. There is an open issue for this. It looks like Android itself doesn't support anything better. The good news is this isn't a hardware limitation. As someone suggested, a WebM encoder seems like an obvious thing to add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow amazing! i really hope we can fix this issue

I just starred the issue (they look at that don't they?)... I recorded some video at a concert last night and while the video wasn't terrible, the sound is absolutely unbearable. Makes the videos pretty much worthless

I keep wondering if it's possible to stuff our own codec in there. I mean, some of the android phones have higher quality audio, right? If so, how do they do it? Why are those codecs commented out in the video camera code for...?
Doesn't cyanogenmod have FLAC support? Couldn't other codecs be added to the phone app, even if they're in java?
You're right, the current audio situation sucks.

4gb limitation for videos

hi guys,
as the nature of my question will tell u i'm not very technical. so in most basic terms: if i rip a movie at 720p, which is almost always around 5gb, can u copy and play it in one x? why bother doing so? coz we finally may have a screen good enough that's worth the effort
thanx in advance.

Umyd said:
hi guys,
as the nature of my question will tell u i'm not very technical. so in most basic terms: if i rip a movie at 720p, which is almost always around 5gb, can u copy and play it in one x? why bother doing so? coz we finally may have a screen good enough that's worth the effort
thanx in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can't copy anything over 4gb because the storage is formatted to the FAT32 standard. Use an application to split the file in half and you'll be able to transfer it across.

Upload it to dropbox and stream it iff u want to save space iff u want to no how to do that let me no
Mod or Die

in order to do that i'll need wifi.
i'm trying to be less bored in my 2hrs+ train journeys.
thats such a pitty. that was the only reason why i'd buy such a phone.
i'll stick with my gs2 for some more years i guess
thanx guys

Umyd said:
in order to do that i'll need wifi.
i'm trying to be less bored in my 2hrs+ train journeys.
thats such a pitty. that was the only reason why i'd buy such a phone.
i'll stick with my gs2 for some more years i guess
thanx guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see a difference as the SD card and internal memory of the SGS2 is also formatted in FAT32.

Will it not be possible to have it formatted with EXT4? There is so many custom ROMs coming out now.
---------- Post added at 10:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 AM ----------
If not that, there probably is an easy way/tool to split MKV into 2 files. I could live with that (but it would be more difficult to use subtitles, for those who need them)

You can use mkvtoolnix to split files.
This is one of the many problems with lacking an external card slot, since in ICS it should be able to take NTFS formatted cards which would alleviate the large file problem and the lack of storage problem (OK, that's mainly only a problem for a minority, I realise that, but that isn't much consolation when you're in that small minority).

Or you could just get the galaxy s3 http://www.beginnerstech.co.uk/samsung-unveil-galaxy-phone-3rd-london/

NZtechfreak said:
You can use mkvtoolnix to split files.
This is one of the many problems with lacking an external card slot, since in ICS it should be able to take NTFS formatted cards which would alleviate the large file problem and the lack of storage problem (OK, that's mainly only a problem for a minority, I realise that, but that isn't much consolation when you're in that small minority).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking more towards apps clashing with NTFS. I know there is basically no difference, I can just copy paste a folder from a FAT32 partition and it will work flawlessly on NTFS, but the app developers might not have optimized whatever it is they need to to fully utilize NTFS, or even supported.

If i were you i would look at your ripping settings, and tweak the quality down so as to sneak in under the 4GB barrier.
I do alot of ripping using handbrake, and my 720p rips are usually around the 2.5GB - 3GB mark, with no discernalbe loss in quality, (dpepending on film length).
I agree that the 4GB limit is an issue, especially when i want to play a 1080p rip i have on my PC, but cant be bothered to re-size for the one X screen.
Lets hope the devs can sort out some ext4 goodness!

ArmedandDangerous said:
I don't see a difference as the SD card and internal memory of the SGS2 is also formatted in FAT32.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the difference is pixel density. when i'm ripping a vid for gs2, it's 480x800, which makes a full length movie (without compromising the quality) around 1.5gb.
and it allows me to carry multiple shows/movies.

NZtechfreak said:
You can use mkvtoolnix to split files.
This is one of the many problems with lacking an external card slot, since in ICS it should be able to take NTFS formatted cards which would alleviate the large file problem and the lack of storage problem (OK, that's mainly only a problem for a minority, I realise that, but that isn't much consolation when you're in that small minority).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanx bud
looks like a good idea

Hereisphilly said:
If i were you i would look at your ripping settings, and tweak the quality down so as to sneak in under the 4GB barrier.
I do alot of ripping using handbrake, and my 720p rips are usually around the 2.5GB - 3GB mark, with no discernalbe loss in quality, (dpepending on film length).
I agree that the 4GB limit is an issue, especially when i want to play a 1080p rip i have on my PC, but cant be bothered to re-size for the one X screen.
Lets hope the devs can sort out some ext4 goodness!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wouldn't give up anything on quality if possible. otherwise i'll just wait for gs3 as snowwhite suggested.
u seem more experienced than me. if the loss of quality is not noticeable (especially when panning), I'd appreciate if u could share your handbrake settings with me

Umyd said:
i wouldn't give up anything on quality if possible. otherwise i'll just wait for gs3 as snowwhite suggested.
u seem more experienced than me. if the loss of quality is not noticeable (especially when panning), I'd appreciate if u could share your handbrake settings with me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe, yeah no problem
I rip the entire bluray with no compression with makeMKV first, into one huge MKV file.
Then in handbrake,
Under picture settings to downscale to 720p select Loose in the anamorphic setting, set the Modulus to 2 and manually set the width to 1280. (also maintain aspect ratio) Cropping should be set to Automatic in order to remove the black bars
High profile preset
MP4 container (which will actually give you a .m4v file extension ending, but its not problem)
x264 codec
Same as source framerate
then select varialbe
Contstant quality setting, with an RF value of anywhere between 19 - 21. for faster films with more action i generally have a lower value as it looks better.
Lower value = higher quality
for blu-rays i go for 20.5
as the scale is logarithmic, lowering the value slightly can massively boost the filesize, while not adding much quality, so its best to play around. but i can assure you, rips @ 3GB are within 90-95% the quality of a 720p film with no compression
for audio i just keep the 7.1 audio stream and i ususally downmix to AAC for greater compatability
Best play around and see what you get
hope this helps!

Umyd said:
the difference is pixel density. when i'm ripping a vid for gs2, it's 480x800, which makes a full length movie (without compromising the quality) around 1.5gb.
and it allows me to carry multiple shows/movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do the same with the HOX, just don't watch it in full screen >.<

Hereisphilly said:
Hehe, yeah no problem
I rip the entire bluray with no compression with makeMKV first, into one huge MKV file.
Then in handbrake,
Under picture settings to downscale to 720p select Loose in the anamorphic setting, set the Modulus to 2 and manually set the width to 1280. (also maintain aspect ratio) Cropping should be set to Automatic in order to remove the black bars
High profile preset
MP4 container (which will actually give you a .m4v file extension ending, but its not problem)
x264 codec
Same as source framerate
then select varialbe
Contstant quality setting, with an RF value of anywhere between 19 - 21. for faster films with more action i generally have a lower value as it looks better.
Lower value = higher quality
for blu-rays i go for 20.5
as the scale is logarithmic, lowering the value slightly can massively boost the filesize, while not adding much quality, so its best to play around. but i can assure you, rips @ 3GB are within 90-95% the quality of a 720p film with no compression
for audio i just keep the 7.1 audio stream and i ususally downmix to AAC for greater compatability
Best play around and see what you get
hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
now, this will solve my prob.
thanx buddy!
and where did your thanx button go? huh, i can click it only once.
anyways, cheers mate, good info.

ArmedandDangerous said:
You can do the same with the HOX, just don't watch it in full screen >.<
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nah, not gonna buy a bugatti and drive it as slow as Ford model T

Umyd said:
now, this will solve my prob.
thanx buddy!
and where did your thanx button go? huh, i can click it only once.
anyways, cheers mate, good info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, just have a play around and see what is best for you
Not sure, i cant click my own thanks button so cant really help!

Am guessing the limitation will either stop video recording or split the files?
Also am assuming that the video recording is not time limited?
Not tested but good to know peoples findings....

twe69 said:
Am guessing the limitation will either stop video recording or split the files?
Also am assuming that the video recording is not time limited?
Not tested but good to know peoples findings....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Recorded videos will also be limited. The internal storage is still formatted in FAT32, and any file larger than 4GB, whatever the source, will hit the limit.

Did anyone find that note 2 makes obvious noise when you are using stock headphone?

It really bothers me when I am using stock headphone to enjoy music or play game or watch movie,especially at quiet environment. It is very obvious to make me not notice it. I dont complain the audio quality or headphone quality. It is just the opposite that I think both of them are better than I thought. But noise ruin them. I searched this issue via google and I find out a lot of people who bought note 2 experience the same problem. Some people find if using headphones that have high Ω （at least >32）can solve this problem.......Omz. Is poweamp able to solve this problem? Help....
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

I think it's an issue with the headphones rather than the device itself tbh. Did you try out some other headphones?

I tried my another headphone AKG K420. Same result.....I think the problem is device itself.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

Alexsandra said:
I tried my another headphone AKG K420. Same result.....I think the problem is device itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What kind of source are you using? I mean are you using FLAC files or mp3 at 128Kbs. To test it, take a music DVD known to be well recorded and rip it into a FLAC file then listen to it.
Files taken from the internet can be misleading. Some people will take their old 128Kbs mp3 and repack them as 320Kbs so the files seems very high quality but there is no difference between the 128 and the 320 since the 320 comes from a 128Kbs

Kremata said:
What kind of source are you using? I mean are you using FLAC files or mp3 at 128Kbs. To test it, take a music DVD known to be well recorded and rip it into a FLAC file then listen to it.
Files taken from the internet can be misleading. Some people will take their old 128Kbs mp3 and repack them as 320Kbs so the files seems very high quality but there is no difference between the 128 and the 320 since the 320 comes from a 128Kbs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a lot of lossless music to play. The problem source is device itself. Even I use any apps that can make sound, I hear noise very clearly with stock headphone.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

Audio enhancements

Hi. Ive installed my galaxy note 8 in my living room, with some good speakers, so i use it for my MP3 320 kb/s and for radio.
What software should i buy to have a better sound output? What do you recommend?
Thanks.

Poweramp is excellent
newtr0n said:
Hi. Ive installed my galaxy note 8 in my living room, with some good speakers, so i use it for my MP3 320 kb/s and for radio.
What software should i buy to have a better sound output? What do you recommend?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried a bunch of players and Poweramp Music Player was the one I kept. You can use the multiband EQ or tone controls to adjust the sound. None of the others offered the wealth of features plus my album art worked properly. Many of the other apps duplicate album listings.

Neutron music player!

newtr0n said:
Hi. Ive installed my galaxy note 8 in my living room, with some good speakers, so i use it for my MP3 320 kb/s and for radio.
What software should i buy to have a better sound output? What do you recommend?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should really be posted in Q&A but to answer your question if you are into high quality recordings than I recommend checking out Neutron Music Player: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neutroncode.mp&hl=en

Look into getting a USB DAC
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4

soloz2 said:
Look into getting a USB DAC
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. USB DAC and check out Viper4Android.

+1on Viper4Android. Best audio mod/app I ever see.

Thanks for your input.
I do have a Nuforce uDAC USB (https://www.nuforce.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4:udac-2&Itemid=186/). I thought i couldnt use it with galaxy note 8. I use it with my laptop.
How do i use it with android?

[Q] Can this play high 720p/10 bit/1080p files smoothly?

One of the main reasons I plan on purchasing this is because of the the so called video playback. I plan on mainly watching movies and anime on this tablet and I was wondering how is the playback for 10 bit/10p mkv files?
I'm also curious to see whether it's safe to watch high resolution mkv files without overheating the tablet since I'll be watching it a lot during the night.
Thanks in advanced.

Yes to everything. All new tablets are capable of playing this format with no issue. You just need an app like BS Player. I play and stream 8gb mkv files all the time
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

timrock said:
Yes to everything. All new tablets are capable of playing this format with no issue. You just need an app like BS Player. I play and stream 8gb mkv files all the time
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also heard that MXPlayer is the best right now? Also does your tablet overheat after watching/streaming all day?

I use Mxplayer all the time. No problems at all. Full screen and yes mxplayer is awesome.
Sent from my Nexus 7 CM10.2 Glitch kernel

commuterbox said:
I use Mxplayer all the time. No problems at all. Full screen and yes mxplayer is awesome.
Sent from my Nexus 7 CM10.2 Glitch kernel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard that that Nexus 7 is prone to heatup when watching HD quality videos? So is it prone to heat if I watch for hours on end? I'll be playing mainly 720p 8 bit stuff.

SCBebop said:
I also heard that MXPlayer is the best right now? Also does your tablet overheat after watching/streaming all day?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend MX Player, I watch 1080p movies all the time with it, however when it comes to big(over 5gb) 1080p mkv files I recommend BS Player.

NekroWolfen said:
I recommend MX Player, I watch 1080p movies all the time with it, however when it comes to big(over 5gb) 1080p mkv files I recommend BS Player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. So when you watch for 5+ hours the tablet doesn't overheat?

+1 to mx player. I haven't found a video file it cannot play. Install the DTS plugin here off of XDA to play files with that sound format. I use it in conjunction with ES file explorer to stream video's over my network and even through wireless 1080p mkv's play flawlessly.

dice player is worth a try.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

I haven't noticed any issue with getting warm playing videos but it sure gets warm when recording 1080p or doing multiple 360° photos.
I'm running a kernel with better thermal throttling. And its not gotten warm like it used to just takes a bit longer if it needs to just to keep cool.
Sent from my nexus 7 2013 via XDA Premium [HD]

SCBebop said:
Good to know. So when you watch for 5+ hours the tablet doesn't overheat?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the only time I've noticed a little warm is when playing high graphics games and when it's charging while using it, the common stuff that usually get it warm. no problems with over heat here on mine.

i have never watched movies for 5+ hours straight on my tablet. i watch a two hour movie or one hour show, and never had heat problems.

Thanks for all your responses everyone. I'm probably going to buy this today.