NUC7I3BNH 4k HDR Netflix playback poor

[B_Tank88]

Is this box capable of playing HDR Netflix smoothly? After recently acquiring one and updating it with the HEVC codecs the Netflix playback is poor, very stuttery both in the Windows 10 app and through edge.

During the playback, cpu and GPU usage is fairly high ~60% average, but there is headroom still so I wouldn't expect choppy playback.

HDR option is turned on.

Is this box capable of doing this playback properly?

[Alberto_Sykes]

B_Tank88, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

In reference to your question, yes, the Intel® NUC Kit NUC7i3BNH supports 4K resolution as you can confirm in the link below under "Processor Graphics"

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/95442/intel-core-i3-7100u-processor-3m-cache-2-40-ghz.html

Now, "is this box capable of playing HDR Netflix smoothly", in order to use HDR the monitor/TV, the content and the application need to support 4K too, Netflix's associate account plan also needs to support it as well.

In this case, we can try a BIOS update to the latest version 0083:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29783/BIOS-Update-BNKBL357-86A-?product=95066

And also to install Intel® Graphics driver version 24.20.100.6286, once you get the chance, please let us know the results:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28208/Intel-HD-Graphics-Driver-for-Windows-10-for-NUC7i3BN-NUC7i5BN-NUC7i7BN?product=95066

Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[B_Tank88]

Hi Alberto,

I can confirm my BIOS and Graphics were already up to date from when I can the Intel driver and support assistant from when I first got the box.

Internet connection should not also be the problem because my Xbox One S does not have this problem when streaming Netflix and they are both connected via ethernet cable.

[Alberto_Sykes]

Hi B_Tank88, Thank you very much for providing that information.

We will do further research on this matter, for us to be able to do that, could you please provide the SSU report:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-?product=91600

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[B_Tank88]

Report attached

[Alberto_Sykes]

B_Tank88, Thank you very much for sharing the SSU report.

We will do further research on this matter, as soon as I get any updates I will post all the details on this thread.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Alberto_Sykes]

Hello B_Tank88, I just received an update on this matter.

I just wanted to let you know that we try to replicate the issue in our Intel® lab and it was not reproduced, we were able to play 4K Netflix content with the Intel® NUC without any problems.

So, the issue could be related to hardware in reference to the graphics portion of the Intel® NUC, that is why we suggest as the next step to get in contact directly with your local Intel® Support department in order to replace the unit under warranty:

Chat support:

http://intelsupportchat.force.com/icslivechat/ics_tech_processor_ww_english_Chat,

For phone support, depending on your location, you will see the contact information on the links below:

EMEA contact information: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support/emea-contact.html

APAC contact information: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support/apac-contact.html

LAR contact information: https://www.intel.la/content/www/xl/es/support/contact-support/lar-contact.html

North America: Phone Number 1-916-377-7000, Monday – Friday 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Pacific Time).

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[B_Tank88]

Hi,
Thank you for your reply. I have been in contact with my vendor and the vendor is offering support but mentioned something I should confirm which I agree with.

You don't mention anywhere on your reply about HDR. 4k content is generally OK with HDR disabled in windows.

Please could you confirm you tried Netflix using the app, or Edge browser, with HDR enabled in windows and then see the performance.

If you can confirm this I will contact my vendor again.

[Ronny_G_Intel]

Hi B_Tank88,

We have done some internal testing and we also did some research and there is definitely a performance impact when you enable HDR in Windows, some non-Intel related websites report up to 10% performance hit depending on the processor and GPU. I would say that this is the expected behavior taking into consideration the additional workload when the HDR feature is enabled.

Here is some general information about HDR on Intel Graphics https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/graphics/HDR_Intel_Graphics_TechWhitePaper.pdf

Regards,

Ronny G

[B_Tank88]

Hi Ronny G,

Thanks for your reply.
The key point here in question is Netflix HDR playback. This is the factor with the biggest problems as the video performance is too poor to be watchable, the website performance is not so much of an issue.

Please could you investigate Netflix HDR playback and confirm performance before I get back to my vendor for RMA?

[B_Tank88]

Hi,

Do you have any feedback yet on my last request?

[Ronny_G_Intel]

Hi B_Tank88,

I really apologize for the delay in getting back to you on this one.

I got your case escalated up and somehow it just disappeared from my radar. 

Unfortunately, I don't have anything else to add to what I mentioned already, I can only recommend that if you are unhappy with the product please give us a call so that we can explore other options to mitigate this issue.

Please reach out to our Support Center via Phone, WebTicketing or Chat and provide the following case number as reference: 4819577.

Regards,

Ronny G

[Alberto_Sykes]

Hi B_Tank88, You are very welcome, thank you very much for sharing those updates.

Sure, no problem, we will double-check those details and as soon as I get a confirmation I will post all the information on this thread.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel