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Alternatives to AVPlayerHD

0

007p

macrumors 6502a
Mar 7, 2012
987
649
Version 1.641, 2013/04/12
Removed DTS Audio decoding due to patent trouble

Thats annoying :(, guess Dvd rip playback wont be possible now?
 
P

penguintri

macrumors member
Jun 30, 2009
65
11
UK
007p said:
Version 1.641, 2013/04/12
Removed DTS Audio decoding due to patent trouble

Thats annoying :(, guess Dvd rip playback wont be possible now?
Click to expand...

Is DTS a commonly used codec? Don't see it mentioned it anywhere near as much as AC3. Just wondering whether it'll hurt much updating?
 
A

ar3ar2

macrumors newbie
Jan 6, 2013
19
0
penguintri said:
Is DTS a commonly used codec? Don't see it mentioned it anywhere near as much as AC3. Just wondering whether it'll hurt much updating?
Click to expand...

You can make a backup through iTunes though I accidentally updated so I can't give specifics. Make sure you keep the copy in a folder which iTunes doesn't keep synced apps so the next time it syncs it won't overwrite your old copy. Then update on your iPad.
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
DjStiky said:
nPlayer is not available in the Canadian iTunes store. :(
Click to expand...

I've talked to the developers of nPlayer. They said the new, 1.11 version will soon be available. That is, it WILL reappear.

Without DTS support, I need to add :( That is, do the same as with AVPlayerHDif you want to keep the DTS support: BACKUP!

(More info: https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=17139078 )

----------
penguintri said:
Is DTS a commonly used codec? Don't see it mentioned it anywhere near as much as AC3. Just wondering whether it'll hurt much updating?
Click to expand...

Pretty common on DVD's and Blu-ray discs. This is why about half of the "scene" direct-discrip MKV's (only) contain a DTS track.
 
Y

yousifabdullah

Cancelled
Jul 19, 2011
127
3
Hey folks,

I posted this in the GoodPlayer thread and had another look at the app I found, it seems to support DTS as well:

"I found a new app on the App Store called EVGPlayer. It says it supports AC3, MKV and the UI looks nice. Universal app for 0,89€. Has anyone tried it? I believe it's only a matter of time before AC3 support is removed from that app as well, but it may be worth a shot."

I haven't tried it yet and I don't have any content with DTS audio either, so try at your own risk. It's a week-old app, so there may not be much time left before AC3 and DTS support is removed from that app as well.

Peace,
Yousif.
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
yousifabdullah said:
Hey folks,

I posted this in the GoodPlayer thread and had another look at the app I found, it seems to support DTS as well:

"I found a new app on the App Store called EVGPlayer. It says it supports AC3, MKV and the UI looks nice. Universal app for 0,89€. Has anyone tried it? I believe it's only a matter of time before AC3 support is removed from that app as well, but it may be worth a shot."
Click to expand...

Will review it this evening. Hopefully it won't be removed from the AppStore before then.
 
Y

yousifabdullah

Cancelled
Jul 19, 2011
127
3
Menneisyys2 said:
Will review it this evening. Hopefully it won't be removed from the AppStore before then.
Click to expand...

I'm reporting back on EVGPlayer:

It's a solid app with a very nice UI, perhaps the best I've seen on any 3rd party video player for iOS to date. The file manager and HTTP Server are straightforward and easy to use. The app also supports loop and shuffle functions for music playback and integrates with the iOS playback controls in the lock screen and multitasking tray.

For video playback I tried a 720p Blu-ray rip that I have made for my personal use only. It's in MKV format and has AC3 audio so it's a good candidate for both performance and codec testing. The result is: it works! There were no problems during playback and the audio quality was very good.

The verdict: for 0,89€ the app is a must have while it lasts. It works very well, is very solid (didn't crash once during my testing), and supports AC3 as well as DTS codecs. It is however a new app and should be treated as such: many options are missing that can be tweaked in other apps, subtitle support is nowhere to be found, and the app has very simple playback controls.

I am sure that with future updates this app will become a great contender among all other apps in the App Store, however I fear that codec support will suffer very soon so I advise you go buy the app right now and backup in iTunes as soon as you can!

When I get back home I'll also try to see if the app has TV out capability. I used a 4th generation iPad and an iPhone 5 for testing, and I have a Lightning to Digital AV Adapter.
 
Donka

Donka

macrumors 68030
May 3, 2011
2,842
1,439
Scotland
Thanks for the mini review. Purely the fact it is a new app is what is stopping me from buying it. By the time the features I need are added, extended audio support will most likely be removed. :mad:
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
Menneisyys2 said:
Will review it this evening. Hopefully it won't be removed from the AppStore before then.
Click to expand...

Very poor, not recommended. Go for something better; for example, the existing (1.10) version of nPlayer is WAAAAY better in every respect (HW acceleration, subtitle / streaming / container support etc).

Just some specific thoughts:

H.264 decoder: not the fastest (unlike, say, AVPlayerHD, nPlayer etc.)
MKV decoding: software-only; this, along with the not state-of-the-art H.264 decoder, also means playback of even standard-bitrate (about 10 Mbps) videos (e.g., the Monsters one http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/h264_1080p_hp_4.1_10mbps_dts_unstyled_subs_monsters.mkv ) aren't played back flawlessly on not even the latest-gen, fastest devices (iPad 4, iPhone 5), let alone slower ones. On the latter, 1080 MKV playback is plain useless.
MTS / AVI decoding: software-only

Codec support:
DTS, AC3 are both properly supported
So are OGG, mp3 etc.

Subtitle support:
Nope

Container support:

ATSC 1080i60: tolerable (as opposed to DVB, at least it's 16:9), no scrubbing
DVB TS: very poor: 4:3 only, no scrub (no subs)

NOTE: retina support on both iPhones and iPads must be manually enabled!
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
yousifabdullah said:
For video playback I tried a 720p Blu-ray rip that I have made for my personal use only. It's in MKV format and has AC3 audio so it's a good candidate for both performance and codec testing. The result is: it works! There were no problems during playback and the audio quality was very good.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, while 720p may be played back without problems, it'll still put a lot (almost 100%) of load on your CPU, meaning both heatup and, in cases, significantly (even four times) lower battery life. (See my benchmarks at https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1547504/ for some real figures.) This is why I don't recommend this player for 720p playback, let alone 1080p.
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
Donka said:
Thanks for the mini review. Purely the fact it is a new app is what is stopping me from buying it. By the time the features I need are added, extended audio support will most likely be removed. :mad:
Click to expand...

It surely will. In a few days - see the fate of, say, the also-not-recommended Fresh Player.
 
C

cooa99

macrumors regular
Sep 30, 2011
122
2
Please how do I find out what version of AVplayerHD is Installed on my Ipad?.

... I cant see anything on the app to give me such info.

Ps the Ipad is jalbroken if that helps

cheers
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
cooa99 said:
Please how do I find out what version of AVplayerHD is Installed on my Ipad?.

... I cant see anything on the app to give me such info.

Ps the Ipad is jalbroken if that helps

cheers
Click to expand...

Info.plist in the app bundle. For example, that of v1.628 is as follows:

avplayer-ver.jpg
 
C

cooa99

macrumors regular
Sep 30, 2011
122
2
Menneisyys2 said:
Because it's errorenously listed as 1.641 in AppStore - in Info.plist, it's 1.646.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much
So that means the version on my Ipad is the last one before DTS was removed.

backing up
I need to back this up back to my computer. Version on my macbook is 1.628
Is it possible to copy the ipa from my Ipad back to my mac
or do i just sync ipad with mac which will in turn replace 1.628 with my ipad version ?

cheers
 
Y

yousifabdullah

Cancelled
Jul 19, 2011
127
3
Menneisyys2 said:
Very poor, not recommended. Go for something better; for example, the existing (1.10) version of nPlayer is WAAAAY better in every respect (HW acceleration, subtitle / streaming / container support etc).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the expert response. I did not have as much experience to test the application so I wasn't able to determine how good the app truly is. For what it's worth, even with the somewhat poor playback functionality and options, I still rate the app high in my book for the clean and intuitive UI.

It's a shame many of the popular video player apps have such bad UIs, e.g. CineXPlayer, AVPlayerHD, 8player, to name a few. Some of these apps cost good money and likely see much use, so it puzzles me why UI wasn't a top priority for these apps.

Anyway, I tried this new app on my TV using the Lightning to Digital AV Adapter and unfortunately it does not support TV out. The app UI is visible on the TV and the picture is cropped to the resolution of the iPhone or iPad. Too bad, as I was really hoping to use this app over GoodPlayer for AC3 support.
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
cooa99 said:
Thanks very much
So that means the version on my Ipad is the last one before DTS was removed.

backing up
I need to back this up back to my computer. Version on my macbook is 1.628
Is it possible to copy the ipa from my Ipad back to my mac
or do i just sync ipad with mac which will in turn replace 1.628 with my ipad version ?

cheers
Click to expand...

1. 1.628 is the previous one - that version I too have as the previous one (I always back up all my media players because of these removals).

2. backup 1.628 on your Mac immediately. Don't synch your iPad if it already has the new version (you've updated it on your iPad but not on your Mac) - it'll overwrite the older version on the Mac too.

----------
yousifabdullah said:
Anyway, I tried this new app on my TV using the Lightning to Digital AV Adapter and unfortunately it does not support TV out. The app UI is visible on the TV and the picture is cropped to the resolution of the iPhone or iPad. Too bad, as I was really hoping to use this app over GoodPlayer for AC3 support.
Click to expand...

Yup, confirmed on my iPhone5 - no native TV out (unlike with, say, AVPlayerHD or nPlayer; with the latter as of v1.10, the TV out is native until you tap the iPhone icon in the center of the screen during playback), not even with hardware acceleration enabled (which is default) and playing back iOS-native files.
 
Y

yousifabdullah

Cancelled
Jul 19, 2011
127
3
Hei Menneisyys2,

I noticed CineXPlayer has updated its app a few days ago with a new UI and music playback support with Dolby Digital Plus, as well as Live TV. I'm sure you have tried it and talked about it before, it seems the app is solid with MKV and AC3 support on the iPad version (iPhone version doesn't support MKV for some reason).

So you think it's worth 3,59€? They had me at new UI and music playback, as I'm looking for a single app to handle all multimedia needs. Too bad it isn't Universal and lacks parity with the iPhone version.
 
M

Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
yousifabdullah said:
Hei Menneisyys2,

I noticed CineXPlayer has updated its app a few days ago with a new UI and music playback support with Dolby Digital Plus, as well as Live TV. I'm sure you have tried it and talked about it before, it seems the app is solid with MKV and AC3 support on the iPad version (iPhone version doesn't support MKV for some reason).

So you think it's worth 3,59€? They had me at new UI and music playback, as I'm looking for a single app to handle all multimedia needs. Too bad it isn't Universal and lacks parity with the iPhone version.
Click to expand...

I'll definitely review it in the near future. Please be patient.
 
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