Nuc6i3syk can't keep up with 1080p videos

[TONei]

Video resolutions of 720p and lower play just fine. For 1080p videos, however, the Nuc6i3syk can't quite keep up and videos are choppy and unwatchable.

Does anyone know if an external graphics card in a usb/hdmi adapter would solve the problem?

If an adapter would help, any suggestions on a usb/hdmi adapter that is compatible with Linux (Mint 16)?

Thanks!

[TONei]

Wondering why the 1-start rating. What's wrong with the question?

[n_scott_pearson]

LOL! I don't believe that anyone is using the rating system (I certainly don't - nor pay any attention to it; my self-esteem is just fine without it, thank you very much). Anyway, one star is the default if no one provides any ratings. Bottom line, I wouldn't worry about it.

The question is fine. The answer is complicated. First of all, monitors connected via USB are not the fastest; certainly nowhere near fast enough for gaming or video playing, so that isn't the answer. Why your NUC isn't keeping up is the more pressing question - and I have some theories for why it is occurring. First, take a look at the specs of the audio stream included in the videos. The Intel HD Audio driver only supports audio up to 192kHz/16-bit. It specifically does not support the standard 192kHz/24-bit format that most files carry. If this standard format is what is being used in the video file, the audio will need to be down-converted to the 192kHz/16-bit format -- and this is done on the fly in software, not hardware. Run yourself a test: Get a video with no sound and see if the NUC can keep up then. If it can, you will know that the audio down-conversion is a contributor to your problem.

Hope this helps,

...S

[TONei]

Hey Scott,

I've been trying sox, mediainfo and ffmpeg (using linux mint) to get the audio bit depth to see what it is. I see all the other stats like sample rate, etc., but not bit depth. So wondering if you have a command line string you could suggest to:

1. get the bit depth to see what it is

2. if is 24, as you suggested it might be, how do I convert the .mkv video file so the audio bit depth is changed from 24 to 16?

Thank you so much for your help!

Greg

[n_scott_pearson]

Sorry, I am not up on the latest tools for video processing; someone else will need to answer this for us. Before going to all that trouble, see if you can find a video (on YouTube or someplace similar) with no audio track and see how it plays.

...S

[TONei]

I couldn't find a video file with no audio track, but I did find other 1080p videos and about half ran fine, while the other half stutter-stepped as with the first one. I still can't figure out how to determine the actual bit depth for those files, however, to confirm if the run success is due to the 24-bit vs 16-bit difference.

I did find the tech spec for this nuc that has the HDMI spec as:

1.5.1.3

High Definition Multimedia Interface* (HDMI*)

The HDMI port supports standard, enhanced, or high definition video, plus multi-channel digital

audio on a single cable. The port is compatible with all ATSC and DVB HDTV standards and

supports eight full range channels at 24-bit/96 kHz audio of lossless audio formats. The maximum

supported resolution is 3840 x 2160 @ 30 Hz and 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz, 24 bpp (WUXGA). The

HDMI port is compliant with the HDMI 1.4b specification.

It does say 24-bit/96 kHz audio. Where did you see that it was 16 bit?

Thanks for your help, Scott!

Greg

[n_scott_pearson]

This is what the hardware supports. This is not what the Windows driver supports, however. There are multiple discussions in this community that details this issue.

...S

[TONei]

I do now see you said the limitation was in the driver, so I must have overlooked that part. Actually, I'm using Linux Mint v16 and not Windows.

[n_scott_pearson]

Sorry, I cannot answer for the Linux driver. You may have to look at the release notes for this driver to see if the same limitation is being imposed...

...S

[TONei]

inxi -Fxz reports that my driver is snd_hda_intel. Still hunting for the throughput performance but meanwhile came across several articles suggesting that if anything linux drivers tend to have better performance such as in this reddit article https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxmasterrace/comments/6xue9o/ubuntu_audio_better_than_windows_why/

So that makes the video choking issue even more puzzling.

[idata]

Hello tgoneil,

I am following up with your case and see that we have not heard back from you.Please provide me with an System Support Utility report, this report can be generated from our tool, you can refer to the link below so you can download it: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows- https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-Make sure to attach the created report to this thread.Also, to better assist you with your request, I will need to check some information about your computer. Please follow these steps: 1. In the keyboard, press WinLogo key + R. 2. In the Run box please type dxdiag and hit Enter.3. Click on Save All Information (save it in your desktop). 4. Attach the report to this thread. If you need more assistance do not hesitate to reply.Regards,David V

[idata]

Yes, I hope the USB graphics card can solve your problem because I have asked https://iphonesupport.net/i-cloud-customer-support/ iCloud customer service they also said the same thing that to try with an HDMI graphics card which can give you better graphics experience. 1080p should have worked for you with the specs which you have but I don't know why it is not working.