Dolby Vision now possible through MP4 Mux.

[RESET_9999]

@RESET_9999 Do I need to follow this? I don't see you mention this in your own guide.

I don't know. I've never changed any of this on mine.

[SamuriHL]

I didn't either. As for updates, you can allow it to update nightlies in the coreelec settings if you desire. They contain bug fixes but could introduce new issues.

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[deadchip12]

I didn't either. As for updates, you can allow it to update nightlies in the coreelec settings if you desire. They contain bug fixes but could introduce new issues.

Sent from my SM-S928U1 using Tapatalk

Do you notice any differences in the latest build compared to the first build 21.0?

[ans40]

I just received the Ugoos AM6B+ and finished setting up CoreELEC. So far so good. Tested a few minutes of an mkv movie file and there seemed to be no playback problem. Will watch a full movie later this week.

Some questions/early impressions:
-from the recommended setting page:

Settings->Services->Caching

Buffer mode - cache settings to all methods: smb, local, remote, etc (default ignores local playback)
Read factor - Set 'Adaptive’ readfactor (default is 4x). This is a multiplier for the bandwidth allocation based on video bitrate. Eg if video bitrate is 50Mbps and multiplier is set to 4x, then Kodi allocates 200Mbps of bandwidth to fill the cache faster. Adaptive is recommended

@RESET_9999 Do I need to follow this? I don't see you mention this in your own guide.

-The remote sucks. Its air mouse is pretty bad, and the remote itself is bare-bones. There's no play/pause/stop button, so it takes a few presses to navigate to the on-screen buttons. Any workaround?

-I'm using CoreELEC 21.0, which I believe is the first version in which DV works properly, downloaded from @RESET_9999's link. When should I update this to a later version? Is there a way to do this directly on the Ugoos (in the Update section) or do I have to reinstall the new CoreELEC version on the usb and repeat the Recovery Button installation method with the Ugoos?

Idk if it makes a difference but I use Jellyfin with "Jellyfin for Kodi" Add-on, and adjusting those settings did resolve high bitrate video stuttering. Playback is 100% smooth now. So if you experience stuttering then I'd start there.

A lot of your questions regarding CoreElec have been discussed on the CoreElec site and forums so you should head over there and look around.

Updating instructions. There are also nightly releases of CE 21 as development progresses that you can download if you want to help test the software or develop functions/fixes yourself but its generally recommended to stick to the stable versions (right now, 21.0) for general use unless you need the fixes offered in the nightlies. My 21.0 has handled everything I've thrown at it so I probably won't be updating until next stable.

[SamuriHL]

I didn't either. As for updates, you can allow it to update nightlies in the coreelec settings if you desire. They contain bug fixes but could introduce new issues.

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Do you notice any differences in the latest build compared to the first build 21.0?

This question makes no sense. Of course there are differences. Lots of bug fixing, some new functionality as far as I've seen, etc. I never started with the "first build of 21". I started directly with nightlies as the guide I followed recommended them because of the bug fixes. No, I'm not regurgitating the changesets of the differences between the first build and all the nightlies since then to show what bugs have been fixed or what might have been added. They are in the changeset release notes for each nightly. What I can say is that everything I need it to do works in the nightlies.

[deadchip12]

As for updates, you can allow it to update nightlies in the coreelec settings if you desire. They contain bug fixes but could introduce new issues.

I can only see stable release updates in the coreelec settings. No nightly.

[SamuriHL]

Right you have to install a nightly manually the first time before you can update to them. If you install the stable build you won't have the nightly option.

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[deadchip12]

.

[sofakng]

Does anybody know how to interpret RESET_1999's grade/master check spreadsheet?

For example, the movie 300 is listed as a movie where the DV can be injected into the bluray but it lists iTunes as the DV source. Does this mean the Framestor hybrid isn't correct?

There also movies in that same table but mention errors (ie. Framestor incorrect L5, MDL mismatch, etc). Should all of these be avoided?

Finally, the first table (list of movies where DV should not be injected) lists a FEL player being required but since the AMB6+ is FEL-capable, are these releases OK to use?

I'm trying to determine the acceptable/correct hybrids that I should consider (and I guess I should ignore all the other hybrids?). I'm also wondering if I should just avoid hybrid releases and only use UHD remuxes without DV injected. (ie. don't use any hybrids)

[RESET_9999]

I'm trying to determine the acceptable/correct hybrids that I should consider (and I guess I should ignore all the other hybrids?). I'm also wondering if I should just avoid hybrid releases and only use UHD remuxes without DV injected. (ie. don't use any hybrids)

Yes, the quality will be wrong and worse than HDR10 if the DV and HDR10 grades are not the same.

Does anybody know how to interpret RESET_1999's grade/master check spreadsheet?

I measure the HDR10 brightness and compare it to the Dovi L1 metadata plot. They must be close enough to work but a small difference is acceptable since the values are calculated differently with madvr or dovi.
what you want to avoid is differences like this example: https://slow.pics/c/5zA3WNM9

For example, the movie 300 is listed as a movie where the DV can be injected into the bluray but it lists iTunes as the DV source. Does this mean the Framestor hybrid isn't correct?

no it just means that I used the P5 iTunes source directly instead of getting my metadata from framestore. In the end, both sources come from iTunes.

There also movies in that same table but mention errors (ie. Framestor incorrect L5, MDL mismatch, etc). Should all of these be avoided?

incorrect L5: technical detail and should not affect quality unless you use a player that use L5 (EG, TV internal player, Windows Energy player)
MDL mismatch: this doesn't matter as long as the actual HDR grade is the same brightness as the dovi release.

Finally, the first table (list of movies where DV should not be injected) lists a FEL player being required but since the AMB6+ is FEL-capable, are these releases OK to use?

no, any player will be wrong if you make a P8 hybrid of those movies. You need to play them as P7 on the ugoos or bake/encode fel to the BL.

[sofakng]

Thank you so much for the help and the information.

Do you recommend avoiding any hybrid release that is not on your spreadsheet?

Are there hybrid groups that are more trustworthy? (for example, anything from Framestor or Wildcast should be OK?)

[RESET_9999]

Well, the only group I would 100% trust is 3L and it's only because I know him personally and I know that he always does all the necessary checks.
Some older framestor releases are wrong and I just checked the Captain America hybrid is still available on BHD even though it's a VERY different grade and the RPU is not even in sync with the BL.
Same for their Black Widow release and others.

You can pm the list of hybrids you're not sure and I can have a look if i can find them.

[sofakng]

Does anybody know if CoreElec (with the AM6B+) supports BD-J with ISO playback?

I know that ripping UHDs to MKV is more convenient (and allows you to use Plex, etc) but it might be nice to have the "full disc experience" ?

Does anybody else do this or is this a waste of time?

[SamuriHL]

There's a Java plugin you have to add. I would say it kind of works but not always.

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[Mrmorrison]

I use the plex ''composite'' addon with Arctic Zephyr skin. You can configure it to work exactly like plex.

Thanks for the information. In the end my choice was Emby over Plex. I like the server interface better. For Kodi there is the Emby Next Gen addon. As a skin I find this to be really beautiful.