The first UHD Blu-ray drive

[Duggyhow]

Originally Posted by mooch49

MSI Enthuastic Z270 GAMING M3

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Hi Mooch, Triffid is right, u must purchase a motherboard that does 4k at 60hz. The z270 asrock fatal1ty gaming ac/itx board is the cheapest that will do this. Hope u get it going.

[mooch49]

Thanks. I don't think I'll buy another motherboard just for this purpose. I prefer to wait it out. Plus I think the picture quality will be better with dedicated GPU's. Just have to hope Nvidia and AMD make UHD BD a priority sooner rather than later.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[d514]

Originally Posted by UHDburner

What you are saying is that its entirely a matter of software, not hardware, correct? So (assuming I can find a software that does it) would I be able to author a 4k uhd blu ray movie disc with a standard blu ray burner just as well as with a uhd blu ray burner?

Hardware is not the problem. BD50 is included in the UHD specs so you can even use a normal Blu-ray writer. I saw a pre-release presentation video of a UHD Blu-ray that was released a few weeks later on youtube (can't find it right now) and they were playing a burned BD-R on the Samsung player. So technically it's not a problem.

But there is no consumer software for authoring and the professional software is very expensive:
http://www.dvd-logic.com/kite/
11.000 Euro!

[RacingJayson]

Is it possible to have UHD playback support on a PC with AMD's latest CPU's, Ryzen?

[jmone]

I've given up trying to get a DP1.2 --> HDMI 2.0 adaptor to work on my Intel NUC6. I do get the 3840x2160@60 but I don't think it is HDCP2.2

Anyway. Are there any Small Form Factor boards / Barebones out to use as the basis of an HTPC build that met the UHD playback requirements? I've had a look at the Shuttle web site and I don't think their ones do. Also can not see any confirmation if the newer Intel NUC7 support SGX.

Thanks
Nathan

[juu-zo]

Originally Posted by jmone

I've given up trying to get a DP1.2 --> HDMI 2.0 adaptor to work on my Intel NUC6. I do get the 3840x2160@60 but I don't think it is HDCP2.2

Anyway. Are there any Small Form Factor boards / Barebones out to use as the basis of an HTPC build that met the UHD playback requirements? I've had a look at the Shuttle web site and I don't think their ones do. Also can not see any confirmation if the newer Intel NUC7 support SGX.

Thanks
Nathan

I think you will need DP1.4 which you can convert to hdmi2.0 including hdcp2.2. 7th gen intel nucs are capable for uhd playback but I don't know if any ready barebones exists.

[triffid]

Originally Posted by RacingJayson

Is it possible to have UHD playback support on a PC with AMD's latest CPU's, Ryzen?

No. AMD obviously can't use Intel's proprietary SGX technology.

[UHDburner]

Originally Posted by d514

Hardware is not the problem. BD50 is included in the UHD specs so you can even use a normal Blu-ray writer. I saw a pre-release presentation video of a UHD Blu-ray that was released a few weeks later on youtube (can't find it right now) and they were playing a burned BD-R on the Samsung player. So technically it's not a problem.

But there is no consumer software for authoring and the professional software is very expensive:
dvd-logic com kite
11.000 Euro!

Originally Posted by img eL

hardware

Interesting. I wonder if any standard blue ray burner can write on the (multi-layers) 66, 100 and 128GB discs. From my earlier post it appears the 50GB discs are limited to (depending on which source is right) either 82 Mbit/s or 72 Mbps (Low TR option) and 92 Mbps (default TR). I would prefer an output of at least 100Mbps, which means I should use a multi layer. Also 50GB is only about an hour per disc.

It makes sense that the burner software, not hardware, would be the bottleneck. Afterall the difficulty is to handle the high bit stream during playback, but for burning you can take all the time you need. But if that's the case, since TV 4K blu ray player have been available for some time now I wonder why no software have decided to implement the 4K blu ray formats as rendering options. After all it's only H.265 and possibly H.264 (standard and patent-free), which they likely already have. Sure they would need some tweeking, getting the Mbps right, the authoring/menu protocol, maybe some encryption.

A similar question was asked on the cyberlink forum a few months ago and the response was

PowerDirector does support XAVC-S output, but only for video files. To burn them to a disc without the downgrading would require them to be burned to an Ultra HD Blu-ray...which you would need a new Ultra HD Blu-ray player to play.

However, the burning of Ultra HD Blu-rays is not yet available, as the hardware is not yet available for the PC. The hardware for playing studio Ultra HD Blu-rays on a PC is also not available yet, but is supposed to be some time this spring.

I suppose the PC playback hardware he is talking about is the Pioneer, but his comment make it sound like he doesnt think this Pioneer BDR-211UBK will be sufficient to burn 4K blu ray discs.

[triffid]

Originally Posted by juu-zo

I think you will need DP1.4 which you can convert to hdmi2.0 including hdcp2.2. 7th gen intel nucs are capable for uhd playback but I don't know if any ready barebones exists.

I believe you are right, DP 1.2 output is missing HDCP 2.2.

[juu-zo]

I have now played a little with my pc and I have noticed few problems. All uhd blu-rays that I play with pc are overexposed. I have compared normal blu-ray with ps4 and uhh blu-ray with pc. My graphics settings are locked to limited color range but I don't know if PowerDVD somehow overwrites these when starting playing. Another problem is that PowerDVD changes refresh rate always to 60hz even though my graphics settings are locked to 24P. This uhh blu-ray what I'm testing is also mastered with 24hz so I want to watch it with native refresh rate.
Does anybody else noticed these problems? I think these are both powerdvd problems.

[nilsman]

Originally Posted by juu-zo

I have now played a little with my pc and I have noticed few problems. All uhd blu-rays that I play with pc are overexposed. I have compared normal blu-ray with ps4 and uhh blu-ray with pc. My graphics settings are locked to limited color range but I don't know if PowerDVD somehow overwrites these when starting playing. Another problem is that PowerDVD changes refresh rate always to 60hz even though my graphics settings are locked to 24P. This uhh blu-ray what I'm testing is also mastered with 24hz so I want to watch it with native refresh rate.
Does anybody else noticed these problems? I think these are both powerdvd problems.

I posted a few pictures of the difference between PowerDVD UHD and my standalone UHD player a few pages back. You can check it out. That was playback without HDR and the standalone player is better picture quality. I think the difference is partly because PowerDVD/Intel HD Graphics does not really let you control bit depth and chroma subsampling. Another reason in my case is probably that the standalone player is better at handling HDR -> SDR conversion. But I cannot say that for sure until I manage to get PowerDVD to play HDR...

Regarding refresh rate. I got a pop-up in PowerDVD that asked my if PowerDVD should change refresh rate to match the disc during playback. First time I might have clicked no (probably because it was in Japanese). So it never asked again and always played at 60Hz. But the next time i reinstalled PowerDVD I clicked yes and since then it always changes frame rate. It might also be possibly to change this in the settings but I cannot check that right now.

[juu-zo]

Originally Posted by nilsman

I posted a few pictures of the difference between PowerDVD UHD and my standalone UHD player a few pages back. You can check it out. That was playback without HDR and the standalone player is better picture quality. I think the difference is partly because PowerDVD/Intel HD Graphics does not really let you control bit depth and chroma subsampling. Another reason in my case is probably that the standalone player is better at handling HDR -> SDR conversion. But I cannot say that for sure until I manage to get PowerDVD to play HDR...

Yes that might be true but I hope cyberlink makes some progress and updates their software.

Originally Posted by nilsman

Regarding refresh rate. I got a pop-up in PowerDVD that asked my if PowerDVD should change refresh rate to match the disc during playback. First time I might have clicked no (probably because it was in Japanese). So it never asked again and always played at 60Hz. But the next time i reinstalled PowerDVD I clicked yes and since then it always changes frame rate. It might also be possibly to change this in the settings but I cannot check that right now.

I got that popup first time I started to play normal blu-ray and autoframe rate works fine with normal blu-rays but that doesn't work with uhd blu-rays. And I don't know why powerdvd wants always play uhd disks with 60hz frame rate. I posted this issue also in cyberlink forum so I hope somebody answers for me.

[Duggyhow]

Originally Posted by NPoser

I have same motherboard but I don't have issue with HD sound bitstream from it.
May by you will try update firmware for the Megachips MCDP2800 on the motherboard. You can find it on the Intel website in driver section for Intel® NUC Kit NUC6CAY and NUC7i3BN. (I cannot put a direct link on this forum)

Okay, I got my replacement motherboard and got it to playing HDR 4k bluray movies, but no HD sound yet. I know this cause my 4k uhd tv has as HDR pop up screen when HDR content is being played. Will update soon on what happens with that my HD audio. Downloading this new firmware did fix the popping and dropouts in my audio in my mkv files. Many thanks Nposer and others who mentioned this firmware update. Asrock now have it listed on their site as a HDMI firmware update. I had to update to 1.66.

[triffid]

Are you sayinig the replacement mobo's sound was bad again until you installed the firmware? Or you did not try before the installation?

[IITravel01]

I see that ASRock listed a HDCP 2.2 Key Tool kit document to their driver download page.

[Duggyhow]

Originally Posted by jmone

I've given up trying to get a DP1.2 --> HDMI 2.0 adaptor to work on my Intel NUC6. I do get the 3840x2160@60 but I don't think it is HDCP2.2

Anyway. Are there any Small Form Factor boards / Barebones out to use as the basis of an HTPC build that met the UHD playback requirements? I've had a look at the Shuttle web site and I don't think their ones do. Also can not see any confirmation if the newer Intel NUC7 support SGX.

Thanks
Nathan

Hi jmone, the acrock fatal1ty gaming ac/itx is a small form factor board that is compatible with uhd bluray playback. Cheapest board that will do it.

[Duggyhow]

Originally Posted by triffid

Are you sayinig the replacement mobo's sound was bad again until you installed the firmware? Or you did not try before the installation?

That is correct Triffid, the replacement mobo did the same thing. The firmware update wasn't on the asrock site when I shipped the other one off to them and they never mentioned it maybe even being the problem. Not sure why, but the HDMI firmware update worked. Praise the Lord! I just hope I can now get the HD bitstream sound to work on the blurays in Powerdvd. It works fine on my dts-ma mkv movie files. HDR is working fine, though.

[Duggyhow]

Originally Posted by juu-zo

Just got my htpc finished today so now I have more time to play with software.
I already tested that powerdvd 17 seems like working but I can't get sound out with Netflix windows app. But thats another story. Pioneer uhh drive works like it should.

Very nice work Juu-zo!

[triffid]

Originally Posted by Duggyhow

That is correct Triffid, the replacement mobo did the same thing.

Unbelievable.
By the way, ASRock is my favorite brand. Yes, I know, I did not choose ASRock motherboard this time. But only because I hate anything smaller than ATX and there are only the two ITX boards in their portfolio. Their aftersale support is what makes the difference (among few other things). You can find everything on the support page - HDMI, ME and HDCP drivers. And the ME driver is even marked as "UHD BD compatible" to be 100% sure. With other brands, you must guess and try and ask the support... ASRock clearly understands why people are buying this model.

[Duggyhow]

Originally Posted by triffid

Unbelievable.
By the way, ASRock is my favorite brand. Yes, I know, I did not choose ASRock motherboard this time. But only because I hate anything smaller than ATX and there are only the two ITX boards in their portfolio. Their aftersale support is what makes the difference (among few other things). You can find everything on the support page - HDMI, ME and HDCP drivers. And the ME driver is even marked as "UHD BD compatible" to be 100% sure. With other brands, you must guess and try and ask the support... ASRock clearly understands why people are buying this model.

I agree. They helped me, replied quickly, plus didn't charge anything but shipping. The problem I had must have just came up.