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{{mininav|[[Android]]}}
{{mininav|[[Android]]}}
<section begin="intro" />For most 1080p [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_video high definition video]s, hardware video decoding is necessary for smooth video playback on Android devices. And this article contains a list of SoC's (System on a Chip, which is the CPU, GPU, VPU, etc. also known as "chipsets") for Android platforms that can playback common video codecs smoothly using XBMC. While some devices might be able to smoothly decode [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard-definition_television standard definition] and even some 720p videos using only software video decoding, offloading a large part of video decoding tasks to an integrated VPU (Video Processor Unit) optimized specifically for that job is considered essential for most Android devices to playback high definition videos.<section end="intro" />
<section begin="intro" />For most 1080p [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_video high definition video]s, hardware video decoding is necessary for smooth video playback on Android devices. And this article contains a list of SoC chipset hardware, (SoC stands for "System on a Chip" which contain the CPU plus GPU and VPU circuits combination, and is also known as a "chipset"), as on Android platforms this SoC chipset is what can playback common video codecs smoothly using {{Kodi}}. While some devices might be able to smoothly decode [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard-definition_television standard definition] and even some 720p videos using only software video decoding, offloading a large part of video decoding tasks to an integrated VPU (Video Processor Unit) optimized specifically for that job is considered essential for most Android devices to playback high definition videos.<section end="intro" />


==Basic requirements==
==Basic requirements==
Line 17: Line 17:


==Compatible chipsets==
==Compatible chipsets==
These listed specific hardware SoC chipsets should have at least partial hardware accelerated video decoding support in XBMC on Android, though understand that for some devices you might first need to upgrade the hardware manufacturers firmware image on the device to achieve smooth 1080p playback. Please contact your hardware manufacturer support for an updated system update firmware and apply that upgrade image before installing XBMC.
These listed specific hardware SoC chipsets should have at least partial hardware accelerated video decoding support in {{Kodi}} on Android, though understand that for some devices you might first need to upgrade the hardware manufacturers firmware image on the device to achieve smooth 1080p playback. Please contact your hardware manufacturer support for an updated system update firmware and apply that upgrade image before installing {{Kodi}}.




{{editor note|Please only list devices that are able to play at least one of the three "video decoding" columns in Full HD (1080p). Codecs that are less used are currently not listed here.<ref name="other codecs">Sych as WebM (VP8/VP9), Xiph Theora (VP3/Ogg), On2 TrueMotion VP6, and RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)</ref> }}
{{editor note|Please only list devices that are able to play at least one of the three "video decoding" columns in Full HD (1080p). Codecs that are less used are currently not listed here.<ref name="other codecs">Such as WebM (VP8/VP9), Xiph Theora (VP3/Ogg), On2 TrueMotion VP6, and RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)</ref> }}
{|
{|
| A "|| {{yes}} ||" mark indicates that the chipset should be able to play those codecs at least 1080p.
| A "|| {{yes}} ||" mark indicates that the chipset should be able to play those codecs at least 1080p.
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{| width="100%" class="datatable"
{| width="100%" class="datatable"
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" | Chip<br />manufacturer !! rowspan="2" | SoC chipset !! rowspan="2" | Examples of Android media players using these SoC chipsets with XBMC support !! colspan="3" | Hardware video decoding !! rowspan="2" | Notes
! rowspan="2" | Chip<br />manufacturer !! rowspan="2" | SoC chipset !! rowspan="2" | Examples of Android media players using these SoC chipsets with {{Kodi}} support !! colspan="4" | Hardware video decoding !! rowspan="2" | Notes
|-
|-
! H.264 !! MPEG-2 !! VC-1 / WMV 9
! H.264 !! MPEG-2 !! VC-1 / WMV 9 !! HEVC / H.265
|-
|-
| Allwinner || A31 / A31s / A33 / A80 / A83T || Justop Quadro, Mele A1000G/M8/M9, Measy B4K/U4K, VidOn Box, VidOn.me AV200 || maybe<ref>We have mixed reports about Allwinner support. Until users can reliably confirm hardware video decoding, don't bet on it working.</ref> || {{?}} || {{?}} ||  
| Allwinner || A31 / A31s / A33 || Justop Quadro, Mele A1000G/M8/M9, Measy B4K/U4K, VidOn Box, VidOn.me AV200 || Maybe<ref name="Hardware video decoding support have not been tested for stability in official Kodi">There are mixed reports about reliability of hardware video decoding support in official {{Kodi}} on these SoCs. Until users can reliably confirm hardware video decoding, do not assume that is will work as it you would normally expect.</ref> || {{?}} || {{?}} || {{no}} || <ref name="Hardware video decoding support have not been tested for stability in official Kodi"/>
|-
|-
| Amlogic || AML8726-M1 / AML8726-M3 / AML8726-M6 / AML8726-MX / AML8726-MXS / AML8726-MXL || [[Pivos XIOS|Pivos XIOS DS]], GameStick (by PlayJam), Geniatech ATV1220/ATV520, MyGica TV420/TV500, JynxBox M1/M6, Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2 || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} ||
| Allwinner || A80 / A83T || Tronsmart Draco AW80 || Maybe<ref name="Hardware video decoding support have not been tested for stability in official Kodi"/> || {{?}} || {{?}} || {{no}} || <ref name="Hardware video decoding support have not been tested for stability in official Kodi"/>
|-
|-
| Amlogic || S801 / M802 / S802 / M802 (formerly AML8726-M8) || Geniatech ATV582 / MyGica ATV582, MINIX Neo X8/X8-H, Eny Technology ES8, Tronsmart Vega S89/S89-H, Beelink S82/S82H/M8, XiaoMi Mi Box Pro/Enhanced (third-generation XiaoMi Mi Box) || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} ||  
| Broadcom || BCM 28155 || [[Amazon Fire TV Stick|Amazon Fire TV Stick (2014)]] || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||  
|-
|-
| Amlogic || S805 / M805 / S806 / M806 / S812 || Geniatech ATV585 / MyGica ATV585, Eny Technology MXQ || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} ||  
| Amlogic || AML8726-M1 / AML8726-M3 / AML8726-M6 / AML8726-MX / AML8726-MXS / AML8726-MXL || [[Pivos XIOS|Pivos XIOS DS]], GameStick (by PlayJam), Geniatech ATV1220/ATV520/ATV1610, MyGica ATV420/ATV500/ATV1610, JynxBox M1/M6, Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2 || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} ||  
|-
|-
| MediaTek || MTK6589 / MT6589 / MT6589T / MT6589M || || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} || <ref>Mixed reports about reliability of hardware video decoding.</ref>
| Amlogic || S801 / M802 / S802 / M802 (formerly AML8726-M8) || Geniatech ATV582 / MyGica ATV582, Minix Neo X8/X8-H, Eny Technology ES8, Tronsmart Vega S89/S89-H, Beelink S82/S82H/M8, XiaoMi Mi Box Pro/Enhanced (third-generation XiaoMi Mi Box) || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{no}} ||
|-
|-
| Mstar || MSO9180 / MSO9180D1R / MSO 9810  || Kaiboer Q6/C9-M, MeLE V10, UyeSee T1H || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{?}} ||
| Amlogic || S805 / M805 / S806 / M806 / S812 || Geniatech ATV585/ATV1810 / MyGica ATV585/ATV1810, Minix NEO X6, Ugoos S85, Eny EM6Q-MXQ, Eny M8S, Eny M8C, Sumvision Cyclone X4, Xtreamer Wonder || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{no}}<ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet"/> || <ref name="HEVC (H.265) support in any versions of Kodi should be considered highly experimental at best">HEVC (H.265) support in any versions of Kodi should be considered highly experimental and unstable at best until further notice, do not expect good support for HEVC (H.265) under Kodi in the near future.</ref>
|-
|-
| Nvidia || Tegra 3 || [[OUYA]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}} ||  
| Freescale || i.MX 6 series (i.MX6 / i.MX6S / i.MX6SL / i.MX6D / i.MX6DL / i.MX6Q) ||  || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || <ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet">While this hardware does support hardware video decoding for most common codecs, there is not yet official implementation for its VPU offloading in {{Kodi}} on Android. There is no ETA on when of if {{Kodi}} will add official support for it on Android, so recommendation is not to buy one if you main reason for will will be using {{Kodi}} on Android.</ref>
|-
| MediaTek || MTK6589 / MT6589 / MT6589T / MT6589M ||  || Maybe<ref name="Hardware video decoding support have not been tested for stability in official Kodi"/> || {{?}} || {{?}} || {{no}} || <ref name="Hardware video decoding support have not been tested for stability in official Kodi"/>
|-
| Mstar || MSO9180 / MSO9180D1R / MSO 9810  || Kaiboer Q6/C9-M, MeLE V10, UyeSee T1H || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||
|-
| Nvidia || Tegra 3 || [[OUYA]] || {{yes}} || {{no}} || {{no}} || {{no}} ||  
|-  
|-  
| Nvidia || Tegra 4 / Tegra 4i || ZTE FunBox, Mad Catz M.O.J.O., NanoTech Nuvola NP-1 / NP-C / NP-H1, Google ADT-1 (Android TV Developer Kit), Nvidia Shield || {{Yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} ||
| Nvidia || Tegra 4 / Tegra 4i || ZTE FunBox, Mad Catz M.O.J.O., NanoTech Nuvola NP-1 / NP-C / NP-H1, Google ADT-1 (Android TV Developer Kit), Nvidia Shield || {{Yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||
|-
| Nvidia || Tegra K1 ||  || {{Yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||
|-
|-
| Nvidia || Tegra K1 || || {{Yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} ||
| Qualcomm || Snapdragon 600 || [[Amazon Fire TV|Amazon Fire TV (2014)]] || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||
|-
|-
| Qualcomm || Snapdragon 600 || [[Amazon Fire TV]] (2014) || {{yes}} || {{yes}} || {{?}} ||   
| Qualcomm || Snapdragon S4 || || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||   
|-
|-
| Qualcomm || Snapdragon S4 ||  || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} ||
| Realtek || 1195 (RTD1195) ||  || {{no}}<ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet"/> || {{no}}<ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet"/> || {{no}}<ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet"/> || {{no}}<ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet"/> || <ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet"/>
|-
|-
| Rockchip || RK3066 || Imito MX1/MX2, Minix NeoG4/X5, MK808/802, Ugoos UG802/UG007 || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||  
| Rockchip || RK3066 || Imito MX1/MX2, Minix NeoG4/X5, MK808/802, Ugoos UG802/UG007 || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{no}} || {{no}} ||  
|-
|-
| Rockchip || RK3188 || Jesurun DX05, Minix X7, MK802IV, MK809III, MK902, Ugoos UG007B, Tronsmart T428/MK908, CS968, CR11s, J22, GM282, LT88, T-R42, CS919-II, K-R24, CS918, MK888 || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} || <ref>Some devices might need an updated firmware system update image from the hardware manufacturer for smooth 1080p playback.</ref>
| Rockchip || RK3188 || Jesurun DX05, Minix X7, MK802IV, MK809III, MK902, Ugoos UG007B, Tronsmart T428/MK908, CS968, CR11s, J22, GM282, LT88, T-R42, CS919-II, K-R24, CS918, MK888 || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} || {{no}} || <ref>Some devices might need an updated firmware system update image from the hardware manufacturer for smooth 1080p playback.</ref>
|-
|-
| Rockchip || RK3288 ||  || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} || <ref>H.265 support in future versions of Kodi should be considered highly experimental at best.</ref>
| Rockchip || RK3288 ||  || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{?}} || {{no}}<ref name="SoC hardware support but no official Kodi implementation yet"/> || <ref name="HEVC (H.265) support in any versions of Kodi should be considered highly experimental at best"/>
|-
|-
| Samsung || Exynos 3 Single (formerly Exynos 3110) ||  || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} ||  
| Samsung || Exynos 3 Single (formerly Exynos 3110) ||  || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||  
|-
|-
| Samsung || Exynos 4 Dual/Quad series (formerly Exynos 4210 / 4212 /4412) || ODROID-U3/U2/X2 || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} ||
| Samsung || Exynos 4 Dual/Quad series (formerly Exynos 4210 / 4212 /4412) || ODROID-U3/U2/X2 || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{no}} ||
|-
|-
| Samsung || Exynos 5 Hexa/Octa series (Exynos 5260 / 5410/ 5420 / 5422) || ODROID-XU/XU2, Arndale Octa || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} ||
| Samsung || Exynos 5 Hexa/Octa series (Exynos 5260 / 5410/ 5420 / 5422) || ODROID-XU/XU2, ODROID-XU3/XU3 Lite, Arndale Octa || {{yes}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{yes}}<br />{{smaller|(CPU)}} || {{no}} ||
|-
|-
| Texas Instruments || OMAP4430 / OMAP4440 ||  || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} ||
| Texas Instruments || OMAP4430 / OMAP4440 ||  || {{yes}} || {{?}} || {{?}} || {{no}} ||
|}
|}


== Common codecs currently without hardware decoding in XBMC ==
== Common codecs currently without hardware decoding in {{Kodi}} ==
Videos encoded with these codecs can only be played back in XBMC using software video decoding using CPU, meaning no decoding tasks are offloaded to optimized VPU or GPU hardware. Many videos may still play back just fine, while others might have severe issues.
Videos encoded with these codecs can only be played back in {{Kodi}} using software video decoding using CPU, meaning no decoding tasks are offloaded to optimized VPU or GPU hardware. Many videos may still play back just fine at standard definition resolutions, while others might have severe issues with playback.


As platforms with faster CPUs come out for Android software video decoding using CPU will get better, but do not expect miracles from the average Android box. It still all can depend on how demanding the decoding of that particular video encoding is or how high resolution it uses, and how powerful the CPU is.
As platforms with faster CPUs come out for Android software video decoding using CPU will get better, but do not expect miracles from the average Android box. It still all can depend on how demanding the decoding of that particular video encoding is or how high resolution it uses, and how powerful the CPU is.


* H.265/HEVC
* H.264 MVC - No open source software decoder or hardware decoding for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiview_Video_Coding MVC (Multiview Video Coding)] stereoscopic 3D video decoding currently exist for XBMC on any platform. XBMC relies on FFmpeg for software demuxing and decoding, so XBMC have to wait for FFmpeg to first add software decoding support.
* H.264 Hi10P - No hardware decoders for [[Hi10P]] (High 10 Profile, also known 10-bit H.264) currently exist for any ARM hardware. Most H.264 Hi10P videos will not play smoothly as most ARM CPUs are just not powerful enough to software decode it fast enough.  
* H.264 Hi10P - No hardware decoders for [[Hi10P]] (High 10 Profile, also known 10-bit H.264) currently exist for any ARM hardware. Most H.264 Hi10P videos will not play smoothly as most ARM CPUs are just not powerful enough to software decode it fast enough.  
* H.264 MVC - No open source software decoder or hardware decoding for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiview_Video_Coding MVC (Multiview Video Coding)] stereoscopic 3D video decoding currently exist for {{Kodi}} on any platform. {{Kodi}} relies on FFmpeg for software demuxing and decoding, so {{Kodi}} have to wait for FFmpeg to first add software decoding support of MVC for H.264, and for hardware decoding {{Kodi}} relies on the SoC chipset hardware manufacturer to add support for this to their SDK (Software Developer Kits) and for the media player box manufacturers to implement that into their firmware images.
* H.265 MVC (HEVC MVC) - No open source software decoder or hardware decoding for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiview_Video_Coding MVC (Multiview Video Coding)] stereoscopic 3D video decoding currently exist for {{Kodi}} on any platform. {{Kodi}} relies on FFmpeg for software demuxing and decoding, so {{Kodi}} have to wait for FFmpeg to first add software decoding support of MVC for H.265 (HEVC), and for hardware decoding {{Kodi}} relies on the SoC chipset hardware manufacturer to add support for this to their SDK (Software Developer Kits) and for the media player box manufacturers to implement that into their firmware images.
* RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)
* RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)
* WebM (VP8/VP9)
* WebM (VP8/VP9)
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Here are a few device-specific guides/help areas that the community has provided.  
Here are a few device-specific guides/help areas that the community has provided.  


{{notice|These are community generated pages and should not be seen as an endorsement of any specific type of hardware.}}
{{notice|These are community maintained pages and should not be seen as an endorsement of any specific type of hardware.}}


<!-- This section is auto-generated based on the following criteria. It then lists the page name and the text in the "intro" section, if provided. -->
<!-- This section is auto-generated based on the following criteria. It then lists the page name and the text in the "intro" section, if provided. -->

Revision as of 13:07, 24 November 2014

Home icon grey.png   ▶ Android ▶ Android hardware

For most 1080p high definition videos, hardware video decoding is necessary for smooth video playback on Android devices. And this article contains a list of SoC chipset hardware, (SoC stands for "System on a Chip" which contain the CPU plus GPU and VPU circuits combination, and is also known as a "chipset"), as on Android platforms this SoC chipset is what can playback common video codecs smoothly using Kodi. While some devices might be able to smoothly decode standard definition and even some 720p videos using only software video decoding, offloading a large part of video decoding tasks to an integrated VPU (Video Processor Unit) optimized specifically for that job is considered essential for most Android devices to playback high definition videos.

Basic requirements

Stop hand.png It is highly recommended for users to not make any hardware purchases in anticipation of running Kodi on Android without first researching the device you want to buy. Before you do buy, make sure multiple people have verified that it works! If in doubt, do not buy any hardware!
  • Kodi v17 and later requires Android 5.0 or higher.
  • x86 (Intel) or a NEON-compatible ARM-processor, (for example: Nvidia Tegra 3 and newer are fully supported by Kodi, while Tegra 2 and older are not).
  • The main aim for the Android port of Kodi is to foremost target media-players/set-top-boxes/sticks that connect to a large screen television and uses a standard remote control as its main interface device, (that is the same market as for HTPC).

How do I know what chipset I have?

These are some good websites for looking up the SoC (System on a Chip) chipset used in your Android hardware device:

Also a referense you can compare different SoC (System on a Chip) chipset specifications on system-on-a-chip.findthebest.com

Compatible chipsets

These listed specific hardware SoC chipsets should have at least partial hardware accelerated video decoding support in Kodi on Android, though understand that for some devices you might first need to upgrade the hardware manufacturers firmware image on the device to achieve smooth 1080p playback. Please contact your hardware manufacturer support for an updated system update firmware and apply that upgrade image before installing Kodi.


Editor note: Please only list devices that are able to play at least one of the three "video decoding" columns in Full HD (1080p). Codecs that are less used are currently not listed here.[1]

A " Yes " mark indicates that the chipset should be able to play those codecs at least 1080p.
Chip
manufacturer
SoC chipset Examples of Android media players using these SoC chipsets with Kodi support Hardware video decoding Notes
H.264 MPEG-2 VC-1 / WMV 9 HEVC / H.265
Allwinner A31 / A31s / A33 Justop Quadro, Mele A1000G/M8/M9, Measy B4K/U4K, VidOn Box, VidOn.me AV200 Maybe[2] ? ? No [2]
Allwinner A80 / A83T Tronsmart Draco AW80 Maybe[2] ? ? No [2]
Broadcom BCM 28155 Amazon Fire TV Stick (2014) Yes ? ? No
Amlogic AML8726-M1 / AML8726-M3 / AML8726-M6 / AML8726-MX / AML8726-MXS / AML8726-MXL Pivos XIOS DS, GameStick (by PlayJam), Geniatech ATV1220/ATV520/ATV1610, MyGica ATV420/ATV500/ATV1610, JynxBox M1/M6, Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2 Yes Yes Yes No
Amlogic S801 / M802 / S802 / M802 (formerly AML8726-M8) Geniatech ATV582 / MyGica ATV582, Minix Neo X8/X8-H, Eny Technology ES8, Tronsmart Vega S89/S89-H, Beelink S82/S82H/M8, XiaoMi Mi Box Pro/Enhanced (third-generation XiaoMi Mi Box) Yes Yes Yes No
Amlogic S805 / M805 / S806 / M806 / S812 Geniatech ATV585/ATV1810 / MyGica ATV585/ATV1810, Minix NEO X6, Ugoos S85, Eny EM6Q-MXQ, Eny M8S, Eny M8C, Sumvision Cyclone X4, Xtreamer Wonder Yes Yes Yes No[3] [4]
Freescale i.MX 6 series (i.MX6 / i.MX6S / i.MX6SL / i.MX6D / i.MX6DL / i.MX6Q) No No No No [3]
MediaTek MTK6589 / MT6589 / MT6589T / MT6589M Maybe[2] ? ? No [2]
Mstar MSO9180 / MSO9180D1R / MSO 9810 Kaiboer Q6/C9-M, MeLE V10, UyeSee T1H Yes Yes ? No
Nvidia Tegra 3 OUYA Yes No No No
Nvidia Tegra 4 / Tegra 4i ZTE FunBox, Mad Catz M.O.J.O., NanoTech Nuvola NP-1 / NP-C / NP-H1, Google ADT-1 (Android TV Developer Kit), Nvidia Shield Yes Yes
(CPU)
? No
Nvidia Tegra K1 Yes Yes
(CPU)
? No
Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Amazon Fire TV (2014) Yes Yes ? No
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Yes ? ? No
Realtek 1195 (RTD1195) No[3] No[3] No[3] No[3] [3]
Rockchip RK3066 Imito MX1/MX2, Minix NeoG4/X5, MK808/802, Ugoos UG802/UG007 Yes ? No No
Rockchip RK3188 Jesurun DX05, Minix X7, MK802IV, MK809III, MK902, Ugoos UG007B, Tronsmart T428/MK908, CS968, CR11s, J22, GM282, LT88, T-R42, CS919-II, K-R24, CS918, MK888 Yes Yes
(CPU)
? No [5]
Rockchip RK3288 Yes Yes
(CPU)
? No[3] [4]
Samsung Exynos 3 Single (formerly Exynos 3110) Yes ? ? No
Samsung Exynos 4 Dual/Quad series (formerly Exynos 4210 / 4212 /4412) ODROID-U3/U2/X2 Yes Yes
(CPU)
Yes
(CPU)
No
Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa/Octa series (Exynos 5260 / 5410/ 5420 / 5422) ODROID-XU/XU2, ODROID-XU3/XU3 Lite, Arndale Octa Yes Yes
(CPU)
Yes
(CPU)
No
Texas Instruments OMAP4430 / OMAP4440 Yes ? ? No

Common codecs currently without hardware decoding in Kodi

Videos encoded with these codecs can only be played back in Kodi using software video decoding using CPU, meaning no decoding tasks are offloaded to optimized VPU or GPU hardware. Many videos may still play back just fine at standard definition resolutions, while others might have severe issues with playback.

As platforms with faster CPUs come out for Android software video decoding using CPU will get better, but do not expect miracles from the average Android box. It still all can depend on how demanding the decoding of that particular video encoding is or how high resolution it uses, and how powerful the CPU is.

  • H.264 Hi10P - No hardware decoders for Hi10P (High 10 Profile, also known 10-bit H.264) currently exist for any ARM hardware. Most H.264 Hi10P videos will not play smoothly as most ARM CPUs are just not powerful enough to software decode it fast enough.
  • H.264 MVC - No open source software decoder or hardware decoding for MVC (Multiview Video Coding) stereoscopic 3D video decoding currently exist for Kodi on any platform. Kodi relies on FFmpeg for software demuxing and decoding, so Kodi have to wait for FFmpeg to first add software decoding support of MVC for H.264, and for hardware decoding Kodi relies on the SoC chipset hardware manufacturer to add support for this to their SDK (Software Developer Kits) and for the media player box manufacturers to implement that into their firmware images.
  • H.265 MVC (HEVC MVC) - No open source software decoder or hardware decoding for MVC (Multiview Video Coding) stereoscopic 3D video decoding currently exist for Kodi on any platform. Kodi relies on FFmpeg for software demuxing and decoding, so Kodi have to wait for FFmpeg to first add software decoding support of MVC for H.265 (HEVC), and for hardware decoding Kodi relies on the SoC chipset hardware manufacturer to add support for this to their SDK (Software Developer Kits) and for the media player box manufacturers to implement that into their firmware images.
  • RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)
  • WebM (VP8/VP9)

Notes

  1. Such as WebM (VP8/VP9), Xiph Theora (VP3/Ogg), On2 TrueMotion VP6, and RealVideo/RMVB (RV 8/9/10)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 There are mixed reports about reliability of hardware video decoding support in official Kodi on these SoCs. Until users can reliably confirm hardware video decoding, do not assume that is will work as it you would normally expect.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 While this hardware does support hardware video decoding for most common codecs, there is not yet official implementation for its VPU offloading in Kodi on Android. There is no ETA on when of if Kodi will add official support for it on Android, so recommendation is not to buy one if you main reason for will will be using Kodi on Android.
  4. 4.0 4.1 HEVC (H.265) support in any versions of Kodi should be considered highly experimental and unstable at best until further notice, do not expect good support for HEVC (H.265) under Kodi in the near future.
  5. Some devices might need an updated firmware system update image from the hardware manufacturer for smooth 1080p playback.

Device specific info

Here are a few device-specific guides/help areas that the community has provided.

Emblem-important-yellow.png NOTICE:
These are community maintained pages and should not be seen as an endorsement of any specific type of hardware.