ESS chip-set Information - Std Def

[SeeMoreDigital]

Okay, we've got one of these threads for MediaTek chip-set based players owners. And after reading a recent thread posted by hotluck, in the DivX section of the forum, I thought it might be useful for ESS chip-set based player owners to have the same.

What might be handy, is to create a list of all the known "stand-alone" players manufacturers that incorporate the ESS chip-set. And provide links to their "technical support" web site.

Please note:
The information listed below identifies the known "maximum" capabilities of the chip-set and has been compiled from various sources. It therefore does not necessarily mean that your player will be able to support all of them.

Here is what is known so far: -

ESS VIBRATTO-II CHIP-SET

What it looks like


Chip-set Manufacturers Web Site
http://www.esstech.com/

Chip-set Manufacturers Specification
http://www.esstech.com/products/AVpl...efs/pb6698.pdf

Chip-set Model No's
ES6698F/FD, ES6603SF, ES6629F/FD, ES6688FA/FAD

Basic (Non MPEG-2/DVD) Player Functionality
Supports: - 
Video Decs: MPEG-4 with B-VOP (with or without packed bit-stream)*
Audio Decs: MP3 (MPEG-1/2 Layers 1, 2 and 3), AAC-LC, AC3 (Dolby® Digital), WAV
Containers: .AVI & .MP4 for video (.MP3, .WAV, .WMA & .AAC for audio)

Does not support: -
Video Decs: Qpel, 3-warp-point GMC, N-VOPs
Audio Decs: AAC-HE (should play but without SBR element)
Various: PAR or DAR signalling, encoded within the MPEG-4 bit-stream.

* Based on using the DivX codec. Confirmation with other codecs is required. 

Players/Model Numbers using this Chip-Set
Look here

ESS VIBRATTO I CHIP-SET

What it looks like
TBC

Chip-set Manufacturers Web Site
http://www.esstech.com/

Chip-set Manufacturers Specification
http://www.esstech.com/products/AVpl...efs/pb6018.pdf


Basic (Non MPEG-2/DVD) Player Functionality
Supports: - 
Video Decs: MPEG-4 with B-VOP (with or without packed bit-stream)*
Audio Decs: MP3 (MPEG-1/2 Layers 1, 2 and 3), AAC-LC, AC3 (Dolby® Digital), WAV
Containers: .AVI for video (.MP3, .WAV for audio)

Does not support: -
Video Decs: Qpel, 1 or 3 warp-point GMC
Audio Decs: AAC-LC or AAC-HE 
Various: PAR or DAR signalling, encoded within the MPEG-4 bit-stream.

* Based on using the DivX codec. Confirmation with other codecs is required. 

Players/Model Numbers using this Chip-Set
Look here

ESS VIBRATTO-S CHIP-SET

What it looks like
TBC

Chip-set Manufacturers Web Site
http://www.esstech.com/

Chip-set Manufacturers Specification
http://www.esstech.com/products/AVpl...efs/pb6128.pdf

Players/Model Numbers using this Chip-Set
Look here

ESS CHIP-SET TYPE TO BE CONFIRMED
Players/Model Numbers
Centrum: Gemini 330 | Gemini 332 | Gemini 340
Hiteker: 940

CHIP-SET ISSUES:
Aspect Ratio Signalling Issues
Currently, most (if not all) ESS chip-set based players owners have reported problems displaying 16:9 square pixelled MPEG-4 encodes correctly. And contrary to popular belief, generating MPEG-4 encodes with PAR/DAR signalling (or using tools such as MPEG4 Modifier) will not help either.

N-VOP Issues
There have also been reports that the ESS chip-set has trouble playing back MPEG-4 streams that contain N-VOPs

What you need to do is complain directly to your player manufacturer and request firmware updates!

Recommendations
Quite honestly... If you are considering buying a player (any player) DON'T buy one fitted with an ESS Vibratto chip-set!



Cheers

....and many thanks to Zhnujm for providing so much information

EDITS: -
16 Mar 05: ESS Web site and PDF file links
10 Jun 06: Various

[bond]

good idea to start this thread

are you sure that the chip supports all variants of b-frames? including single/multiple packed/not-packed b-frames?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by bond
good idea to start this thread

are you sure that the chip supports all variants of b-frames? including single/multiple packed/not-packed b-frames?

Thanks bond.

To be honest, there are currently so many B-VOP impementations it's hard to say whether all will work.

DivX 1B-VOP - which is "packed", seems to work
DivX mB-VOP - which is "not packed", needs confirming

XviD 1B-VOP - "packed", seems to work
XviD 1B-VOP - "not packed", needs confirming
XviD 2B-VOP - "packed", needs confirming
XviD 2B-VOP - "not packed", needs confirming

Nero 1B-VOP - "not packed", seems to work

Like I say, we need confirmation regarding this matter... but this situation seems to more or less the same for other chip-sets too!


Cheers

[bond]

DivX5's mB-VOP is actually using 2b-vops max in a row

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by bond
DivX5's mB-VOP is actually using 2b-vops max in a row

From what they have written in their manual their "adaptive" implementation only create 2B-VOP on an "as required basis"



Confusingly, the graphic shows three B-VOP's. However, DigitAl56K later confirmed only a max of 2B-VOP would ever be used.

One thing is clear... DivX don't use packed bit-stream with this implementation!


Cheers

[Hobojobo]

I have got a DVP 632.
The new firmware 0531 promises external subtitle support for divx movies.
Does not not work for me though.
I have tried to play movies with .srt subs. The player does not display them.

Does anybody have some test clips with different codec settings ? (gmc, qpel, b-frames, high bitrate, different resolutions, mp4 container etc.)
So we could find out, what the player actually is able to play.

[gircobain]

Does anyone know the difference between 642/17 and 642/37 models?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Hobojobo
...Does anybody have some test clips with different codec settings ? (gmc, qpel, b-frames, high bitrate, different resolutions, mp4 container etc.)
So we could find out, what the player actually is able to play.

As you should know, none of the Philips players support Qpel or GMC - and thankfully they did not bother wasting their time supporting DivX's GMC implementation.

As some of you may already be aware, my main interest in these players lies in their ability to spin Mpeg4 video within the MP4 container, together with the various capabilities the MP4 container offers. Such as anamorphic signalling, chapter selection and subtitles.

Sadly the test files I posted some months ago have been removed, to make way for other things on my web server but I guess I could upload some new ones!

If you guys would like I could upload an encode with the following spec: -

Video = Mpeg4 @ 510Kbps
Type = NeroDigital with PAR signalling
Subs = NeroDigital Std
Audio = MP3 @ 96Kbps
Container = MP4

Cheers

[InsulinJunkie]

Originally posted by Hobojobo
I have got a DVP 632.
The new firmware 0531 promises external subtitle support for divx movies.
Does not not work for me though.
I have tried to play movies with .srt subs. The player does not display them.

Make sure from the file menu, you select the .SRT file first, and hit OK.
You should get a message to the effect of 'Divx Subtitle file selected'.

THEN select the movie file itself.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Okay... it's long shot time, but....

...Has anybody attempted to play Mpeg4 video streams in the MKV (Matroska) container?


Cheers

[Hobojobo]

Now the subtitles work.
<i>The player can not play italic subs. </i>
Perhaps the next firmware update will solve this..

[Hobojobo]

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital

If you guys would like I could upload an encode with the following spec: -

Video = Mpeg4 @ 510Kbps
Type = NeroDigital with PAR signalling
Subs = NeroDigital Std
Audio = MP3 @ 96Kbps
Container = MP4

Yeah, go ahead. I would do some tests.

[Hobojobo]

@SeeMoreDigital:

My player does not like the file.
It recognizes the file as mp4 video, but refuses to play it.

Have you got some more?

[Hobojobo]

@SeeMoreDigital

As you said, it does not work either.

The next, please.

[Hobojobo]

The third clip does not work either.

Waiting for the 4th.


BTW...
I saw the "DVB-S SkyStar2" in your signature.
I have got the same card + the latest DVBViewer. I like it.
I know, it's a bit off topic...

[Hobojobo]

test encode 04:

it is a progress, sort of.
The player at least starts playback.
I can see a green blur on the TV. The time display is skipping, 00:10,00:25,00:26,00:40. And the audio is playing for 5 sec.


We are getting there..
Next please.

[SeeMoreDigital]

I've managed to find out why my anamorphic Mpeg4 in MP4 encodes don't work correctly with the ESS chipsets...

As mentioned in my opening post, the ESS chip-set can't cope with DAR. However, I've just learnt (in this thread and in this thread) that the Mpeg4 stream does not in actual fact, store DAR information... only PAR!

So, it would be more accurate to say that the ESS chip-set can't spin Mpeg4 streams that have been encoded using most "Custom PAR" settings and any "Pseudo" DAR settings!


Cheers

[Kyn]

Ok, I just bought one of these babies off amazon and it arrived yesterday.. It's a 642/37 and it cost $62 + No tax + Free shipping.

A little background. I've got a fairly extensive collection of Divx/Xvid encodes. About 500 or so, so after reading all of these threads I was pretty skeptical that any of them would just _work_. Well, here's the breakdown (in chronological order of encoding), all encodes are single disc so fairly low bitrate:

1 SMR w/ 96kbit CBR mp3
10 Divx 3.11 ;-) Low-motion w/ 96kbit CBR mp3
450 Divx 5.0.5 - 5.1.1 slow psychovis, GMC, B-frames w/ 128bit VBR mp3
30 XVID 1.01 - 1.02 generated with AutoGK in .ESS mode, w/ 128bit VBR mp3

I particularily didn't expect the GMC'd divx files to work. But they did! Every last encode worked flawlessly. Even the SMR! This thing is beautiful, well worth the $62. The only complaints I have have all been noted before:
1) Letterbox / widescreen movies have a strange wiggle to the bottom scanline.
2) A lot of how good mpeg4 looks has to do with postprocessing (deringing, deblocking).. This thing doesn't do those things.
3) The 3.11 divx is choppy. The motion stays in sync with the sound, but it all has a not-full motion look to it. I've noticed similar problems trying to play them with the modern divx decoder. I really can't remember, this could have been a problem with flaskmpeg or the low-motion codec. Anyways, not a biggie, I sure don't encode these anymore.

Anyways, sorry for the length, just wanted to post my glowing review someplace for somebody to read it and run (click) to amazon and buy themselves one.

Latez,
-Kyn

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi Kyn, welcome to the forum and many thanks for your review

Well I'm pretty amazed that your 642/37 player can spin DivX encodes that contain GMC.

I'm quite astonished that nobody over at DivX has tested this implementation (using the most up to date firmware) and confirmed their findings...

Many thanks for the news.....


Cheers

[Kyn]

Oh, I might add, all of these encodes are from NTSC souces, at either 23.97 or 29.97 frame rate encodes. If anyone is interested in having me test an encode, post or send me a link. Not _too_ big. I'm on ISDN, 10mbish should be ok. I'll post the results.

Thanks,
-Kyn