coreelec:video

Video troubleshooting

This section provides some basic video troubleshooting steps.

Ensure the CoreELEC Device is directly connected to the Video Output Device (TV, Monitor, Projector,…) with a defect-free Certified High Speed HDMI Cable

Team CoreELEC provides no support for daisy chained or defective hardware


Premium High Speed HDMI Cable

Team CoreELEC recommends troubleshooting video display issues with a Certified Premium HS HDMI Cable.

Certified Premium High-Speed HDMI Cables are available with HDMI Type-A and Type-D Connectors and are designed, and tested, to meet BT.2020 and 4K@60Hz HDR specifications. They can be with or without Ethernet.

Never connect or disconnect HDMI cables and equipment while the devices are powered on (refrain from hot plugging cables).

HDMI cables carry a low DC voltage when connected. Connecting or disconnecting an HDMI cable while the device is powered on may damage the cable, or worse, the device's HDMI socket.


Signs & Symptoms of a bad HDMI Cable

Cables and connectors can wear out or endure damage from:

  • heavy use
  • coiling
  • bending
  • carelessly connecting and disconnecting the cable

When video and audio quality begin to suffer, and the cable might be the cause, symptoms might include:

  • “shooting stars” or “sparkles” in the picture
  • fuzzy or blurry picture
  • no picture or intermittent picture
  • no sound or intermittent sound
  • strange colors in picture
  • remotes not working (HDMI-CEC)

Check if:

  • cables and sockets for bent or broken pins
  • the cable connects firmly into the socket (the connector could be a bad fit)
  • the weight of the cable is pulling the connector out of the socket
  • cables are punctured by running them through your fingers and feeling for any cuts or nicks (especially if there are pets around)

Other culprits could be interference from:

  • cordless phones / base stations
  • smart bulbs
  • unshielded power supplies
  • microwaves

HDMI 2.0

HDMI 2.0 includes support for BT.2020 colorimetry with 10 or more bits of color depth.

Video Formats defined in BT.2020 and supported by HDMI 2.0 specifications:

  • 2160p, 10/12 bits, 24/25/30Hz, RGB 4:2:2/4:4:4
  • 2160p, 10/12 bits, 50/60Hz, RGB 4:2:0/4:2:2
8bit 10bit 12bit 16bit
4K@24 RGB
4:4:4
RGB
4:4:4
RGB
4:4:4
4:2:2
RGB
4:4:4
4K@25
4K@30
4K@50 RGB
4:4:4
4:2:0
RGB
4:2:0
RGB
4:2:2
4:2:0
RGB
4:2:0
4K@60

Some devices might work incorrectly with 4K 4:4:4 colour subsampling.

Try the 4:2:2 colour subsampling setting instead.


Television screen resolutions

Abbreviation Full name TV Resolution More information
SD Standard Definition 720 x 480 Link
HD High Definition 1280 x 720 Link
FHD Full High Definition 1920 x 1080 Link
WQHD Wide Quad High Definition 2560 x 1440 Link
4K UHD 4K Ultra High Definition 3840 x 2160 Link
8K UHD 8K Ultra High Definition 7680 x 4320 Link

Test Streams

Demolandia is an audiovisual library containing 4K Dolby, DTS, THX and IMAX Sound System Demos, 4K Video Samples and UHD Demos Screen Test, 3D Video Trailers (side by side & anaglyph), and RGB Videos and Pattern Images for testing Televisions, Projectors and Monitors.

Player Process Info

By use of a USB or Bluetooth keyboard, Kodi can display information about the system and the media currently being played. The information from the OSD of the Audio and Video stream is useful for helping in finding a solution by Team CoreELEC.

Kodi Player Process Info has several modes:

Player Process Info Press o on a keyboard
Display Info Press z on a keyboard
Player Debug Info Press ctrl+⇧Shift+o on a keyboard
Debug Mode Press ctrl+⇧Shift+d on a keyboard

The Kodi Keymap Editor is a GUI for configuring mappings for remotes, keyboard and other inputs supported by Kodi.

The tool can be used to map keyboard shortcuts to a remote controller button.

For more information on Player Process Info, please consult the Kodi Wiki.


dispinfo

dispinfo is a command line tool that collects detailed display information.

While playing a video on the device

  • SSH into the device
  • execute: dispinfo

Post the generated URL when requesting support in the CoreELEC User Support Forums.


Extended Display Identification Data

Display devices can have various levels of EDID implementation and, in some cases, may lack EDID information altogether. Such inconsistencies may cause operational issues, ranging from overscan and resolution problems to not displaying the source content.

This article provides a workaround for such scenarios.