[Issue]: AV1 and HEVC not working for Onn 4k pro

[asakahn]

Describe the bug

HEVC and AV1 codecs either show a black screen or an incredibly laggy 1 frame/15sec stream. H264 codec is smooth stream.

A bigger thread of this issue exists on the Moonlight repo. Throwing it here too for extra visibility.
moonlight-stream#1504 (comment)

They mentioned that its possibly the SoC of the device - Amlogic S905X4 processor

Also, Reddit thread:
http://reddit.com/r/MoonlightStreaming/comments/1m66ry0/onn_4k_plus_moonlight_streaming_choppy_and_laggy/

Steps to reproduce

Launch the stream on automatic codec, AV1, or HEVC mode.

Affected games

Everything in general.

Other Moonlight clients

None

Moonlight adjusted settings

No

Moonlight adjusted settings (please complete the following information)

Change Codec settings in Moonlight Artemis

Moonlight default settings

Yes

Gamepad-related connection issue

No

Gamepad-related input issue

No

Gamepad-related streaming issue

No

Android version

Android 14

Device model

Onn 4K Pro

Server PC OS version

Windows 11

Server PC GeForce Experience version

No response

Server PC Nvidia GPU driver version

No response

Server PC antivirus and firewall software

No response

Screenshots

No response

Relevant log output

Additional context

Trying out Moonlight Artemis on my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL provides a smooth stream with automatic codec. So, I don't think it's on my PC side. Seems like it's probably the SoC of the Onn 4K Pro.

[ClassicOldSong]

Amlogic chips are pretty low end and not well documented. They don't provide public available documents so things can get very hard to debug or fix.

[CrypticShampoos]

Just want to add that's not only the codecs, but 4K streaming on H.264 also doesn't work. It throws an error message saying the video decoder failed to initialize.

4K on H.264 worked well before the Android TV 14 update. HEVC and AV1 both work on Steam Link, as does 4K streaming in any codec, but there's always the higher latency.

Looking at ClassicOldSong comment, I guess it'll be hard to sort out.

[PacificSilent]

Hello, after extensive testing, I've achieved smooth 4K 60FPS AV1 streaming on the Xiaomi TV Box S 3rd Gen (Amlogic S905X5) using the v20.3.0-experimental.x release. This works over a standard 5GHz WiFi connection (TP-Link Archer C6, non-WiFi 6).

I think it could also work for the Onn 4k Pro and others as well.

⚙️ Configuration That Works

PC Setup

• GPU: RTX 4080 -> rtx 40 I think it is necessary for AV1 encoding
• CPU: Ryzen 7 7700X
• RAM: 32GB
• Streaming Software: Latest Apollo version
• Settings:
  • Virtual screen enabled
  • No FPS cap
  • VSync disabled
  • No RTSS frame capping

Moonlight Client for Android TV (Custom Build)

• You can use v20.3.0-experimental.x release

Stream Settings:

• Resolution: 4K (3840x2160)
• FPS: 60
• Bitrate: 80 Mbps
• Codec: AV1
• Frame Pacing: Balanced
• HDR: Enabled

🔍 Important Notes

• WiFi Network: Works reliably on 5GHz WiFi (tested with TP-Link Archer C6)
• Compatibility: Likely works with other Amlogic S905X5 devices like the Onn 4K Pro
• Performance: The Amlogic hardware decoder handles 4K AV1 at 60FPS with very low latency

IMPORTANT EDIT: Enable the LFR and Tight Vsync options, otherwise the fps will not synchronize and microstuttering will occur.

[ClassicOldSong]

You can try to find what's the difference between that version and Artemis and send a PR so Artemis can work better with these devices.

[ClassicOldSong]

@PacificSilent Try the latest exp.7 pre-relase

[PacificSilent]

Hello! Thank you for responding. Today I was testing v20.3.0-experimental.7 and it worked perfectly! It runs very smoothly, and the FPS for video transmission, frame rate obtained from the network, and rendered frame rate are all the same, so there are no variations between these three metrics. With my Xiaomi TV Box S 3rd Gen, I was able to reach 100mb bitrate without any problems, with the frame pacing setting on balanced.

EDIT: I had to enable the LFR and Tight Vsync options, otherwise the fps will not synchronize and microstuttering will occur.

Thank you for your work!

[CrypticShampoos]

I tested HEVC and H.264 (I have an RX 6800 XT, so no AV1 encoding) at 4K, and unfortunately, it still didn't work. I know there were no mentions of these codecs in the last few comments, but I thought I'd give it a go.

HEVC only refreshes the image around 1 time every 10 seconds regardless of resolution, and H.264 only reaches up to 1440p, changing it up to 4K makes Artemis crash.

[PacificSilent]

streaming in 4k h264 only works at 30fps
maybe the SoC is capped

[CrypticShampoos]

I hadn't tried at 30fps. You're right, it works.

I used to play on 4K at 60fps before the Android 14 update, but looks like something in the update broke 4K 60fps streaming through Moonlight with h.264

Guess I'll have to start looking for a 7000 series card to use AV1 haha.

[akhudushin]

Couldn't test AV1 (my GTX 1050TI doesn't support this).
But unfortunately HEVC still doesn't work on Xiaomi Box S 3rd Gen (Amlogic S905X5M) with latest Apollo 0.4.7-alpha1 and Artemis 20.3.0-experimental.9 :(

[razhor1221]

Yeah, wonder why Hvenc is not working now 😭

[PacificSilent]

I've been trying thousands of configurations with my Mi Box S 3rd gen for several days to get smooth streaming.

My conclusions: (This could also work for the Onn.)

• h265 works at 4k 30fps, there is a block up to approximately 34fps, if it is higher than that, the connection fails.
• There is no way to make h265 work. I was debugging with adb and couldn't see the error. It always gives a black screen and the image freezes. We have to wait for an update.
• AV1 4K 60fps works well but with a specific version: https://github.com/qiin2333/moonlight-android/releases. Use the latest version; it has given me the best results.

The Moonlight settings on Xiaomi would be:

• Frame pacing set to balanced
• 80mbps bitrate

Important: use Apollo Fork Streaming.

• Limit the speed of captured frames -> disabled
• No RTSS or vsync, free fps, hopefully your PC runs games at over 60fps
• Always use virtual monitor settings (physical monitors must be turned on; strangely, I get an error if they are turned off)
• Use frame generation whenever possible. You may want to try Lossless Scaling (I haven't tested that yet)

Requires a graphics card that can do AV1 encoding

The only other option I see is to play at 1440p at 60fps in h264 for those who don't have the option to play in AV1.

Perhaps see if your TV has any possibility of improving image scaling. Xiaomi TV Box has scaling, but I prefer to disable it so that it doesn't overload (it has happened to me that it restarts on its own).

[ClassicOldSong]

I think you have confirmed that experimental.7 works with your Xiaomi box? Does it stop working on the latest version?