Well, it's a little frustrating that nobody managed to give me an answer on this one, but at the same time I acept that the devs have better things to do, which I'm sure I'll be more grateful for in the long term. Anyway, here are the answers to my own questions, in the hope that they'll clear things up for others:
defiler Wrote:Will CrystalHD decode VC1 video correctly?
Yes, but it depends on the particular encoding. The BCM70012 specs are
here, and the 70015 seems to be basically the same in terms of codec support. The videos I'm having trouble with all have mediainfo containing the following:
Code:
Video
ID : 1
Format : VC-1
Format profile : AP@L3
Codec ID : WVC1
Codec ID/Hint : Microsoft
If you check the Broadcom spec, the card supports AP@L3 for SMPTE encoding only, not for WMV9 (the Microsoft codec). Unfortunately that's *all* of my VC-1 movies, but there's nothing I can find to suggest that other VC-1 encoding formats won't work. Just check them off the Broadcom codec list.
Quote:Will CrystalHD in an AppleTV running Linux decode VC1 correctly?
Yep, subject to the above. If the CrystalHD doesn't handle the particular encoding, you're out of luck.
Quote:Will the 70012 cards do this, or does it need to be a later card?
70015 cards seem to be in the same boat. The Broadcom site's not very clear on this, but Logic Supply list the codecs
here.
Quote:Something of a corollary to the above, does XBMC 10.1 support VC1?
Yep - absolutely. But if you're reliant on the CrystalHD you have to play within the limits of the decoder chip. The ION boards seem to handle these movies fine, and if you have enough CPU grunt you're sorted. The AppleTV has neither. Better warm up HandBrake.
So there you have it. There are some things that the CrystalHD just doesn't do. That leaves you with three choices:
- Live with it.
- Go buy a different XBMC (and possibly change your telly if you're relying on Component Video like me).
- Go and design yourself a video decoder chip that does all the codecs you want.
I hope that's cleared up some confusion. I'm certainly glad to have a resolution, even if it's not the one I'd hoped for.