VP9/VP9.2 support on Apple TV 4K?

I know the ATV 4K should lack the HW for the VP9 video format, the one used by YouTube especially for 4K HDR videos (in this case I understood it should be VP9.2) to be clear. But I have downloaded few videos from YouTube with youtube-dl, and at least the VP9 (non HDR) videos play in Kodi (although losing quite some frames). In Infuse I get an icon, with no thumbnail. If I try to play a VP9 video it plays but then the screen stays blank (the progress time goes on, though).

I know it isn’t vital, but is VP9 supported or going to be supported? If not, wouldn’t it make the GUI cleaner not to show the icons for VP9 videos anyway?

VP9 is not support by apple hardware.

Yes, I wrote that. Kodi plays VP9 video but via a SW accelerator. Infuse doesn’t. But so wouldn’t it be better to remove the icons of VP9 videos in Infuse? They clutter the GUI for no reason.

Would you be able to send in a sample we can review here?

Sure! I have uploaded the file “Real 4K HDR - Sony Fireworks in HDR.mkv”. That’s in VP9.2 (HDR) format. It shows the icon, it doesn’t show a thumbnail, it plays just showing a black screen. Also I get a supported HEVC HDR videos (one is called something like “LG Chess HDR demo”) not showing the thumbnail, only a grey icon. But the video plays.

And I have attached a picture of the content of that folder. As you can see various videos are not showing the thumbnail. I mean, if you like I can upload a selection of them (one for each format).

PS: Obviously I am using the local metadata for that folder. Otherwise I get many fake matchings.

We’ll take a look. Thanks!

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Hi James,

any news about this issue? Typically if a video doesn’t get a thumbnail it means it can’t be played. Just not showing their (black) icons it would do. Then if you guys can do your typical magic and play all those unsupported videos as well… the better!!

There’s lots of examples on the youtube HDR channel. You can use youtube-dl to snag any of the samples.

Yes, I have got plenty of them already indeed. The problem is that the VP9.2 videos (with HDR) show a blank icon (and don’t play). Surprisingly Infuse plays some SDR VP9 videos, though. And it correctly shows the icon.

Ciao!
i have downloaded from YT a couple of4k videos (New York City 21:9 8k HDR // Relaxation Film - YouTube) with 4k downloader. I have uploaded them on my NAS and I noticed that with infuse (TVoS) the video is not played. the screen stays with the white spinning wheel on black background, but, when I go back, it is like the video was playing.

I tried to read them with VLC (tvOS) and it reads them.

i have attached the VLC codec infos and the 4k downloader screen to let you se what I have choose.

thanks
d

What version of Infuse?

last one. 5.9

Infuse seems to take issue with the 10 bit LE encoded VP9 which is the 513.4 MB. If you DL the one just below it at 466.8 MB it’s a non 10 bit LE encoded and that one will work find on a ATV4K. It plays on a ATV 4 but very choppy.

i see the post is solved. it is not clear to me if you gona solve this or not. the solution can’t be “download the other”. right?

My mistake, I misunderstood your question. I thought you wanted to play specific 4K video files on YouTube. The VP9.2 encoder used by YouTube for HDR doesn’t appear to be supported by Infuse but Infuse will play some of the non HDR content at 4K.

There have been only one or two other mentions of this over the last year that I could find so it may be in the que but I don’t know for sure.

I’ll see what I can dig up. :slight_smile:

Cool!! obviously it is not something very crucial. I simply noticed it and I shared .

thanks
d

Thanks for the report!

Improved support for VP9 is on our list to look into for a future version.

great :slight_smile:

Hi Guys,
I raised a topic in November with this title (VP9 videos not play on infuse) where I said there were some videos that infuse couldn’t play and VLC yes.

James answered this:
“Thanks for the report!
Improved support for VP9 is on our list to look into for a future version.”

now I have infuse 6 pro, we are in April and I have the same issue (attached a screenshot of the video played with VLC the Infuse do not digest)

can you please solve this?

thanks
d

Unfortunately, the Apple TV does not include HW decoding for VP9 videos, and as a result these need to be played with the less-efficient SW decoding option.

As of right now, 1080p VP9 videos will play, but the Apple TV doesn’t seem to have quite enough punch for 4K VP9.