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HEVC HDR MP4/MKV videos on Bolt play back in SDR instead of HDR

Discussion in 'TiVo Bolt DVR/Streamer' started by Mudflapper, Feb 10, 2018.

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  1. Feb 10, 2018 #1 of 8
    Mudflapper

    Mudflapper New Member

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    I've been trying to get my Bolt to play 4K HEVC HDR videos transferred from my Mac via pyTivo. You can download and test one of the videos here, if you like: Exodus – 4K UHD HDR Sample Footage)

    I can't get that video to play back in HDR on my Bolt. Nor any other HDR video.

    I can transfer 4K HEVC videos in MKV or MP4 format to the Bolt and they play back perfectly. However, if they're HDR videos they play back in SDR — image is dim and my Vizio M50-D1 displays a "2160p - Normal" indicator instead of "2160p - HDR10." These same exact files, including the sample file from the link above, play in HDR when I use Plex. It appears that the Bolt simply cannot handle HDR.

    Yes, I can just use Plex to play 4K HDR, however, the Vizio display's ethernet connection doesn't seem to be fast enough to handle any video with a bitrate of more than around 50,000. So, I thought I could get around that by utilizing the Tivo instead.

    Has anyone else experienced this? Any solutions?

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. Feb 10, 2018 #2 of 8
    kpeters59

    kpeters59 Well-Known Member

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    So, you're using Plex on the TV? Have you tried Plex on the TiVo?

    -KP
     
  3. Feb 10, 2018 #3 of 8
    Mudflapper

    Mudflapper New Member

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    Sorry, I forgot to mention that I tried Plex on Tivo as well. Same thing. It plays but it doesn't play in HDR.
     
  4. Feb 11, 2018 #4 of 8
    jcthorne

    jcthorne Well-Known Member

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    pyTivo cannot transfer 4k or HDR recordings to the tivo. It transcodes them down to 1080p.

    You are also correct that Plex for Tivo does not play well with these files either.
     
  5. Feb 11, 2018 #5 of 8
    Mudflapper

    Mudflapper New Member

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    Actually, pytivo transfers 4K recordings just fine. At least in my setup. The Vizio displays a "2160p" indicator only when playing 4K video. I have my Bolt set up for 2160, 1080 and 720 so it's not upscaling, either. So I've got 4K working, I just can't get HDR to work.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2018
  6. Feb 11, 2018 #6 of 8
    fyodor

    fyodor Active Member

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    I had been under the same impression-that pytivo couldn't handle 4K. If you look at the detailed info for the file what does it list as the resolution? Does it have the original file size?

    BTW, you may have more success posting this in the Home Media Features forum-some of the pytivo developers and more involved pytivo users are more likely to see it there.
     
  7. Feb 12, 2018 #7 of 8
    jcthorne

    jcthorne Well-Known Member

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    If you really do have this working, the developers would love to hear what exactly got through. Current versions of pyTivo DO NOT support 4k video direct transfers. Its a feature much asked for and left waiting on details of how to make it work.
     
  8. Feb 12, 2018 #8 of 8
    aaronwt

    aaronwt UHD Addict

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    The Bolt does't support HDR. While TiVo reps have said it's capable of HDR, it has not been implemented on the Bolt yet. Even though the Bolt came out in October 2015.

    When I play back Plex UHD HDR video from my Roku, they will play back in HDR. As well as my Sony UHD BD player. My TiVos choke on just about all of my UHD HDR videos.
     

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