How to watch 4KHDR content from camera with android tv?

by camaronmars

hello so I'm just new in this world.

I just learned recently about what can do an android tv, but I still don't really understand well how it work.

basically, my need are to find a device that can output 4KHDR content that I have on my non 4K compatible laptop (or external drive) to my 4KHDR10 TV.

So i was first looking to build a compatible pc to use as an HTPC, in order to have the horsepower necessary to decode 4KHDR content (that my MacBook Pro don't have).

Then, cheaper solution I see android tv can do that job. But what I really don't understand is the following :

So let's say my content is in 4KHDR, HLG. It's so require HDMI 2.0a to be sent to the tv, what for example XIAOMI BOX 3 seems to support. But there is no hard drive in the mi box! If I send the content from wifi from my computer, it's not possible, the wifi bandwidth is not large enough like HDMI 2.0a is, exactly 18Gbps max (for HDMI 2).

Neither ethernet is, ethernet is 1gbps.

So, android tv is useless for that application ? And also, how should an android tv work in hdr, since for example if you watch netflix, you are loading from internet, so there is no doubt 18gbps signal is not possible, and even if the box would cache the data before for you to start the movie after, there is so small disk space in the box compare to UHD content that that doesn't make sense.

I understand it should be made for ultra compressed content. But does that mean than true 4KHDR10 is not possible with android tv? only compressed 4Khdr? confusing for me because if it's the case, then why would it need hdmi 2.0.

I guess maybe it act with netflix and other 4Khdr streaming service like this : download a part of the movie, showing it, and then erasing that part you just show to fill it with the rest of the movie.

kenkiller

It works fine on an Ethernet connection. Don't worry about the maths, streaming across the network (if you have a good wired one) doesn't max out the bandwidth, even for 4K HDR content.

GravityDead

Pardon me but frankly I didn't read the whole thing but you did mention that you have a 4K HDR TV. in that case then there's a good chance that TV already has enough horsepower to play those video files off a pendrive/harddrive or via Ethernet from router storage/NAS.

My cheap TCL tv can play my 4K HDR movies just fine, either via the pen drive or via Plex/Netflix/Emby.

NedSc

Display signals are a different beast than video files. HDMI needs that bandwidth because it's driving individual pixels, unpacked from the video file. It's a massive difference.

Blu-ray, cable, satellite, all transmit video data in a range that is easily covered by ethernet. Even some 4K HDR content can be handled by USB 2.0.

neo7337

You will never be able to stream uncompressed 4K HDR content over the internet unless you live across the road from the servers. The logistics of supplying that much data would be prohibitively expensive, and arguably a waste of bandwidth. Codec's such as H265 are quite efficient which allow a reasonable new android device to play back 4K content using between 4 and 20 Mbps. H265/HVEC is capable of HDR.