A Budget Home Theater & PC Setup: 4K, HDR, UHD Blu-ray, and More
by Ganesh T S on December 26, 2017 8:30 AM ESTLocal Media Playback
Our typical HTPC testing flow involves playing back files encompassing a range of relevant codecs, containers, resolutions, and frame rates. A note of the efficiency is also made by tracking GPU usage and power consumption of the system at the wall. Over the last year or two, the focus has been on using Kodi and MPC-HC with its built-in LAV filters for benchmarking. Even though we have had non-HDR 4K clips for some time now in our test suite, we have not subject them playback at native resolution. In order to augment our test suite, we have added two files, a 4Kp25 HEVC HDR stream in a MKV container, and a 4Kp60 VP9 Profile 2 HDR stream in a WebM container.
Out of all the options we evaluated, the TCL 55P607's in-built Roku platform is the only one capable of handling Dolby Vision videos. However, when we tried to play back a sample file, the Roku interface stalled in the retrieving stage after the appearance of the Dolby Vision logo.
The TCL 55P607 Roku Media Player App - Unable to Handle Local Dolby Vision Files
Due to the absence of reliable open-source editing and decoding tools for Dolby Vision in the PC space, its testing with local media files will have to wait.
The Roku Media Player app continues to be a disappointment for users with anything other than the standard H.264 / HEVC-based camcorder files. The following recorded clip shows its failure with some interlaced MPEG-2 and H.264 clips in TS containers. VC-1 is also not supported.
On the plus side, we have automatic switching to HDR for local files which have HEVC HDR content. On the othr hand, a VP9 Profile 2 HDR clip did not generate the mode switch.
We tracked the power consumption of the TV while the Roku interface tried playing back the various files in our test suite. It was not much of a surprise to find that Roku fails to play back many of the streams. The graph segments below corresponding to the files that didn't play back are just the display remaining idle in the Roku USB Player interface.
The NVIDIA SATV supports all files in our test suite except the one encoded in VP9 Profile 2. With Kodi, we even see the HEVC HDR file being decoded and sent to the display with the appropriate mode switch.
The NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Supports HDR Playback with Local Files
The power consumption of the SATV was tracked during the playback of each file in our test suite using Kodi 17.6. The segment corresponding to the VP9 Profile 2 file is just the duration for which the audio track was decoded and the Kodi UI remained idle.
Moving on to the PC space, we first compare the DXVAChecker outputs for the three systems. The Zotac EN1080K with its GTX 1080 GPU does not support hardware decoding of VP9 Profile 2 videos. Even if a HDR stream were to be available, the system plays back only the non-HDR versions with the desktop in HDR mode.
The Absence of VP9 10-bit Profile 2 Decoding in the GTX 1080 is the Only Odd Spot (from L to R: ASRock Beebox-S 7200U, Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EN1080K, and the Intel NUC7i7BNHX1)
We found the native Microsoft Movies & TV app to be capable of playing back HDR videos with the desktop in HDR mode. A comparison of playback using two different players in that mode is shown below.
However, the playback of HDR files in non-HDR mode using the Microsoft Movies & TV App results in messed up colors. As such, we don't recommend the Movies & TV app for HDR file playback under all circumstances.
It is possible to use the madVR renderer in conjunction with a suitable player to shift the display to HDR mode independent of the OS setting. It is also supposed to bring the display back to the original state when exiting. We tested it out with MPC-HC and madVR v0.92.10 on the Zotac EN1080K. On the KBL-U systems, using madVR as the renderer resulted in evident dropped frames irrespective of the setting. On the Zotac EN1080K, we found that the latest NVIDIA driver release (which we absolutely had to use for Netflix 4K playback) seemed to have some issues with the restoration of the previous mode. With certain settings, the colors seemed to get crushed significantly after madVR triggered the mode change.
In fact, the only reliable combination in which we could get playback of the files in the appropriate mode was to set the OS toggle for HDR, and allow madVR to pass through the HDR metadata directly to the display (something that the madVR author specifically mentions as unsuitable for purists). We do not have automatic mode switching or even identification of HDR when using Kodi (as of v17.6). With madVR and MPC-HC, it is possible, but the consumer experience may vary.
In our opinion, HDR local media playback is yet to reach a stable state with commonly used software combinations. CyberLink's PowerDVD 17 also supports automatic HDR mode switch for playback of local files on Intel GPU-based systems. We found that it worked well in both of the KBL-U PCs, but, PowerDVD unfortunately refused to play back the VP9 Profile 2 files on those systems.
The power consumption of the three PCs during the playback of each file in our test suite using Kodi 17.6 was recorded. The same was done using the Microsoft Movies & TV app also, but, we found significant power consumption change (up to 10W at the wall) when the control overlay appeared on the screen. As such, we believe that the Microsoft Movies & TV app is not a reliable way to determine media processing efficiency of any system.
A similar graph for the madVR playback case in the Zotac ZBOX EN1080K (with OS HDR toggle set and madVR configured for HDR passthrough in full screen windowed mode) is presented below.
The power consumption numbers were also graphed for the PowerDVD playback case using the two KBL-U systems.
In general, we find that the Zotac system consumes a lot of power, but, it also performs a lot better compared to the KBL-U systems when advanced HTPC requirements like madVR rendering are considered. The HDR ecosystem is just getting started and we are waiting for things to reach a more matured state before doing a detailed analysis of the playback of local HDR files in PCs.
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ddrіver - Saturday, December 30, 2017 - link
Reflex, are you talking about the same "home theater focused websites and forums" that actually contradict whatever you keep saying here?In case you forgot, check the links to avsforum and avforums and let me know what they say about your opinions. =)
ddrіver - Saturday, December 30, 2017 - link
Reflex, you seem unwilling to accept that MENTIONING a product once and not presenting anything about it for the entire article makes that mention useless. If one single mention about an item is what you expect from an article detailing that particular item then it's no wonder your reasoning stinks like a single digit IQ.The receiver presented in the article is "The AVR: Denon X3400H". Period. Every single article on the internet agrees with my opinion that it's not budget. Ganesh was very unprofessional and left that title even after Denon "sponsored" him with a much more expensive model.
Of course you don't have to prove anything. Not since you were "smart" enough to claim things that you went on to contradict yourself.
Galid - Saturday, December 30, 2017 - link
You guys are pushing this to the limits of tolerable. Can't you read the title and how the article begins? Is it written: ''The best most budget friendly home theater setup!!''? Does the article starts with: ''I started to build the best budget friendly home theater piece back in June 2017.''?No and no, it says ''A budget home theater'', not the ''most'' budget. This is a personnal setup exlplained on a tech website that doesn't specialise in audio review.
I have a friend that owns the AVRX3400H recommended by audioholics and I can tell it's screaming good at it's price point. I consider myself a normal person and anything below 1k$ for a receiver TO ME is budget. My friend got this same receiver on sale for 750$, you can get it refurbished by Denon for 480$ and that is an AMAZING deal. Not saying there's no other good cheap AVR, there are tons of good options. Audio is much more compicated than PC component because it relies on personnal tastes(sound isn't perceived the same way for everyone).
Now for Bullwinkle-J-Moose, your option of budget home theater is interesting but, what do you do for anyone who wants to upgrade speakers. That is REALLY common in the real world. You buy a better set of amplified speakers again, if you want definite improvements, you have to spend 2 to 3 times more at least unless you want a sidegrade. If you move into a new appartment or house with room size that doesn't fit anymore. Those JBL are really good for the price in a small room.
That behringer 2496 is good but it's far from amazing. Reliability curses it's entrails with low end components. You can't just say: Much better than a Denon receiver I do believe. You did not even hear the Denon, wawwww this is.... A turbocharged Mazda 3 is much better than a Honda Accord HFP, I believe, never driven one but I BELIEVE! Best ARGUMENT eeeever, you sir won the internet.
I sent my money to Santa Claus because I believe. Have a good year Folks!
Bullwinkle-J-Moose - Saturday, December 30, 2017 - link
"This is a personnal setup exlplained on a tech website that doesn't specialise in audio review.I have a friend that owns the AVRX3400H recommended by audioholics and I can tell it's screaming good at it's price point.
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Well Galid, Lucky for you, I do specialize in Audio Reviews
As I said, I designed and built the first "Modern" 3-Channel Home Theater Speaker system from which all these "Current Standards" are based upon
I was there creating "THE" Standard before Dolby / THX or anyone else came along as an also-ran
I have met with many of top leaders in this field
I could walk into a high end Audio demo and accurately describe the type and order of crossover they were using without any info other than my ears
I have heard the very best of "Budget" speakers going for under $100,000
I created the "Standard" for Modern Home Theater
You won't win an argument by insulting the best by simply claiming that any copy-cat Corp (who would cheapen his creation for mass market appeal by giving it WOW-factor racing stripes and slick advertising) is "THE" Standard, when all they did was to copy the Real Standard to sell a lower quality version to the ignorant masses claiming to be Audioholics
I think you meant Alcoholics
Galid - Saturday, December 30, 2017 - link
Waw, you're god, the really best and you have time to comment more than I do. I would love to have some of your links/websites or your own online store so I can get some useful references. I personally own a pair of Sennheiser HD-800 and Hifiman HE-560 running into a burson conductor SL1793 and I know how a recording should sound. My stereo setup consist of Rega Elex-R and ATC SCM 19 v2.Still that argument: ''Much better than a Denon receiver I do believe'' is worth a ton of gold coming from a pro/best/supergod of audio. Go into any audio forum and everyone will tell you the same if you ask them about a particular set of speakers/amplifier and that answer is? I'll let you guess, we'll see if you're that pro or if you're just so inclined about owning the ultimate ''truth''.
What I can tell is that I liked that Denon AVR with Monitor audio bronze series, in fact I was blown away when he told me the price he paid but that is still personnal.
You still have to provide any useful information other than ''I believe'' and I am the best because I did this and that and I work for NASA etc...
I am co-owner of Totem Acoustics, I have shown my products around the world and met the very best the industry has to offer. My team and I have created some of the best speakers at their respective price points.
I created Walt Disney when he was still in his mother womb.
What have you created? Best budget ''no links provided'' godly audio setup?
You won't win an argument with me when there's no argument to be won, audio is a question of personnal preference. I have met people that preferred a colored low end system than a 100k$ stereo perfectly balanced setup in a perfectly sound treated room. Your ears might like something someone else might find disgusting.
Galid - Saturday, December 30, 2017 - link
BTW there is no ''THE standard'', all I said in my post was that to my ears it was screaming good at it's price point wether audioholics were right or not to recommend it. My friend took it's info from their website and I listened to his setup and I liked it end of the line. Wether I was right or not to like it, it seems it's up to you, I can't like a particular setup if god doesn't allow me to do so.Oh well life is unfair, god has to decide wether I like to hera something if it's not passing through some piece of hardware recommended by him. Personnal preference has disappeared with Bullwinkle-J-Moose. He is the new DRM for audio purchases.
Galid - Saturday, December 30, 2017 - link
If you want to win something I can tell you that yes DRM is pure bullshit, it's the result of piracy. It's been dealing with it in a bad way, yes it can frustrate the consumer. If you want to know, yes I liked the Denon and I believe I have the right to like what I want to do even if there's better solutions out there. Can my friend live with it's DRM locked AVR yes he can, does he have the right to enjoy it yes he can, could he get better, yes he could.What do you think, owning a cellphone and using it is personnal, going on facebook and publishing photos/content is personnal owning a car? Wanna go down the rabbit hole? In 2013, 96% of every new car sold in the United States came with a black box that gathered information about each and every move you make. You think that going on the internet even with the best firewall being the best hacker on the planet and running windows XP, Linux or whatever is personnal? Everything can be dealt with if they really wanted to.
Reflex - Sunday, December 31, 2017 - link
"I have met people that preferred a colored low end system than a 100k$ stereo perfectly balanced setup in a perfectly sound treated room."This is a real issue, what sounds good is not necessarily perfect reproduction, and varies person to person. I am considering that issue on the visual side with my new LG B7A. It is absolutely jaw-droppingly phenomenal looking out of the box with all the LG features enabled. Unfortunately it is not accurate and I am considering having it calibrated. The problem with that is that unlike what people believe, calibration usually reduces the pop and extreme color saturation of TV's since the real world does not look that way.
The question is: Do I want it accurate, or do I want it to blow my mind every time I turn it on? It's a harder question to answer than one would expect. There is nothing wrong with saying "I actually like oversaturated colors" just as there is nothing wrong with someone buying a sound system saying "actually, I like more bass."
Bullwinkle-J-Moose - Sunday, December 31, 2017 - link
"Go into any audio forum and everyone will tell you the same if you ask them about a particular set of speakers/amplifier and that answer is? I'll let you guess, we'll see if you're that pro or if you're just so inclined about owning the ultimate ''truth''."------------------------------------------------------------
An Audio Forum?
OMG....
I'd rather have the Ultimate Truth!
Galid - Sunday, December 31, 2017 - link
There is no thing as ultimate truth in the present world when personnal preference has to be taken into account. I have one proof right now, you seem to hate things so profoundly that someone else seem to like. Do you know the definition of ultimate truth? Something that cannot change, science is an example of ultimate truth not based on what you see or hear but rather on something that can be tested with identical results whoever is testing it with the same tools.That answer you couldn't provide taken from normal users(not gods like you are) on audio forums is that they will tell you: You need to listen and try it to know if it will suit you It is the opposite of what you are trying to tell us that in the audio world there is ultimate truth. Waw, in the end, you are rather a pathetic god, one that believes he owns something that doesn't exist, truth in itself. Truth is not an object, it's not what you think it can't be possessed, it's something that can't be changed by time, personnal tastes or anything that revolves around what I just said.
I'm not denying you have some knowledge but you are pushing the boundaries far too much to be criticizing other's taste. You are exhibiting some very low tolerance levels caused by that knowledge on a subject that needs to take personnal preference into account. If X amplifier you freaking hate because of DRM, overprice but you look on the internet and said amplifier has 90% positive review. That 90% of users totally have the RIGHT to love it even if they don't know there's better out thewre for a cheaper price. If I buy a porsche spyder 918 for 1.7 millions that does 1 to 60mph in 2.3 seconds and freaking love it, I dn'T need people to force feed me about the toyota AE86 modified for 300k$ that does it in 1.8 seconds.
Have a good year