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General Is there any stable release of XBMC that can play show 1080p for IPAD 4?
- Thread starter yberker
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As always with anything iOS multimedia, my articles contain the answer (in this case, https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1499391/ ).
Basically, the Retina-friendly versions are linked from the thread http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=132356&page=25 . Right now, the latest version seems to be https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30371861/org.xbmc.xbmc-ios_13.0-0alpha1_iphoneos-arm-crashfix.deb . I haven't tested this version; the older version I linked to from my November article, https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30371861/org.xbmc.xbmc-ios_12.0-0~alpha7_iphoneos-arm-gpu2gpu.deb , works just great under iOS 6.1 too and supports the Retina screen of the iPad 3/4.
That is, just install the stock XBMC from mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/ios/*, transfer the DEB file to your iPad, tap on it from inside iFile and select “Installer”.
IMPORTANT: the nightly builds at http://mirrors.xbmc.org/nightlies/darwin/ios/ do NOT support the iPad Retina screen - not even the latest (17/Feb) one (just tested on my iPad).
Basically, the Retina-friendly versions are linked from the thread http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=132356&page=25 . Right now, the latest version seems to be https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30371861/org.xbmc.xbmc-ios_13.0-0alpha1_iphoneos-arm-crashfix.deb . I haven't tested this version; the older version I linked to from my November article, https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30371861/org.xbmc.xbmc-ios_12.0-0~alpha7_iphoneos-arm-gpu2gpu.deb , works just great under iOS 6.1 too and supports the Retina screen of the iPad 3/4.
That is, just install the stock XBMC from mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/ios/*, transfer the DEB file to your iPad, tap on it from inside iFile and select “Installer”.
IMPORTANT: the nightly builds at http://mirrors.xbmc.org/nightlies/darwin/ios/ do NOT support the iPad Retina screen - not even the latest (17/Feb) one (just tested on my iPad).
It does NOT make use of the Retina resolution. I've just double-tested both the stable, official 12 and the 13 nighlties.
Consult my article above for more info if you need test videos to see it indeed doesn't support the Retina screen.
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See above - no hi-res playback.
Unfortunately, 1080p VC-1 (like the one at http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/vc1_1080p_ap_l3_18mbps_ac3_hddvd.mkv ) is pretty much impossible to play back even on an A6(X)-based device.
I've tested the new version (see first link). It doesn't make use of the Retina screen of the iPad 3, while, on exactly the same iPad, https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30371861/org.xbmc.xbmc-ios_12.0-0~alpha7_iphoneos-arm-gpu2gpu.deb (the second link) works just fine (in hi-res).
That is, for the time being, stick with the old version and make sure you don't let Cydia update it to the official 12.0 Eden release. (It'll list the package as outdated.)
BTW, I've also notified the dev of the release of this (no Retina support) bug, see http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=132356&pid=1342626#pid1342626
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Please see my update above.
One locks-up, one dont have H/W acceleration
Hi Menneisyys2,
Thanks for your all contribution about video in IOS platform. All of your posts are very informative about the subject.
Unfortunately i have tried latest release for retina, it works flawlessly without any lockups, but H/W accelerations seems to be not working.
I compared a 1080p mkv with avplayer, and xbmc is clearly stuttering and avplayerHD is much more smooth.
The version you have given link is the first i have tried and in 6.1 , when a video paused it locks up and couldnt continue.
Also an interesing observation, latest xbmc for retina plays 1080p wmv with a very good performance. It is not perfect but better than avplayer i tried.
Hi Menneisyys2,
Thanks for your all contribution about video in IOS platform. All of your posts are very informative about the subject.
Unfortunately i have tried latest release for retina, it works flawlessly without any lockups, but H/W accelerations seems to be not working.
I compared a 1080p mkv with avplayer, and xbmc is clearly stuttering and avplayerHD is much more smooth.
The version you have given link is the first i have tried and in 6.1 , when a video paused it locks up and couldnt continue.
Also an interesing observation, latest xbmc for retina plays 1080p wmv with a very good performance. It is not perfect but better than avplayer i tried.
Thanks
Yes, MKV playback-wise, XBMC has always been a little more stuttery than top AppStore apps using background remuxing for MKV's (or, for that matter, RushPlayer+). Currently, I don't see much point in preferring XBMC to AVPlayerHD unless you need streaming (which AVPlayerHD is pretty incapable of) or SSA / VobSub subs (absolutely no support from AVPlayerHD).
Thanks, will check this out myself and report back. Back in last September, when working on my WMV bible, the (then-current version of) XBMC was somewhat worse than AVPlayerHD, WMV-wise.
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This can easily be done by just removing the http://mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/ios/ source from Cydia. Then, it won't list this XBMC version as one to be updated.
You can always add back the source to install the official XBMC release, should you want it.
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Well, finished testing and found both AVPlayer and AVPlayerHD to be considerably better at playing back my suite of WMV test files (see section "3. Test videos" HERE for download links) than both the official (12 Eden), both the current (21/Feb) 13 Alpha and the Retina-friendly pre-12 of XBMC on both the iPhone 5 and the iPad 3/4.
Pay particular attention to the most advanced, 1080p + WMA Pro test video at http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13100693/ht...All-source-VC1Advanced-WMAPro-Expression4.wmv . On the iPhone 5/ iPad 4, AVPlayer(HD) play it back almost without any stuttering. XBMC is far worse. (On the iPad 3, AVPlayerHD is much more stuttering but still much better than XBMC.)
Are you absolutely sure you have the latest AVPlayer / AVPlayerHD you've compared XBMC to? With the late December re-release of AVPlayer and AVPlayerHD, they've made a different product than before. That is, if you've purchased the player before Sept/2012 (that is, its removal from AppStore), it wasn't updated to the latest version in late December.
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Did you install the official 12 Eden with all its dependencies (that is, the one installed by default if you add their repo and select "XBMC" to install?)
All i did was include the repo http://mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/ios/
and download XBMC from this repo. I suppose this is official one right ?
Its download was around 48.X MB if i remember correctly.
Do you think, i should remove the current and reinstall again ?
Any tips ?
Anything i am missing ?
Try a reinstall. It should work.
Alternatively, now that the icon pack and cURL is also installed, you can just download the latest nightly from http://mirrors.xbmc.org/nightlies/darwin/ios/xbmc-20130221-56a7987-master-ios.deb , transfer it to your iPhone and select "Installer" from iFile after tapping the DEB file.
1080pwmv
I have tried same video for a long time now, and avplayer seems better in total
but both of them lost sound-video sync.
Xbmc seem to be snappier for 5-10 sec first but then it stutters. I ve mistaken for this.(Latest version)
Is there any solution for sync sound video for Avplayer wmv 1080p?
For practically usable 1080p wmv play in IOS i suppose we have to wait A7X.
I have tried same video for a long time now, and avplayer seems better in total
but both of them lost sound-video sync.
Xbmc seem to be snappier for 5-10 sec first but then it stutters. I ve mistaken for this.(Latest version)
Is there any solution for sync sound video for Avplayer wmv 1080p?
For practically usable 1080p wmv play in IOS i suppose we have to wait A7X.
It'd stutter badly. No way of flawless 1080p WMV playback - the CPU (even the A6X) is just too slow.