FINALLY! How I got 720P .MKV/.MP4/.WMV videos to play smooth on my Touchpad inside.

morydees · 01:33 PM

Smooth video in multiple formats on the TouchPad...finally!

UPDATE #5 (9/12): Version 4.0 is out!
UPDATE #4 (9/5): 0.3.7 is not on the HP store yet (soon!) but you can purchase it from them directly (Paypal) and activate your demo that way if you can't wait.
UPDATE #3 (8/30): KalemSoft has released another update, 0.3.7 available as a demo on their site here KalemSoft - Products. Users report 1.5GHz overclocks work fine!
UPDATE #2: Confirmation from multiple users this is working for them! So far so good!
UPDATE #1: 720P Youtube test video added:
HP Touchpad - Smooth 720P Video with KalemSoft Media Player 0.3.6 BETA and 1.7GHz Overclock - YouTube
also works in 1080p and YES we know that's impractical

HP Touchpad 1080P Playback test using KalemSoft 0.3.6 BETA and Overclocked 1.7GHz CPU - YouTube

Original Article:
First off, there's NO GUARANTEE this will work for you but I'm hoping others can try it so we can verify. It's very early and involves a beta program so please report back if you try it, good or bad! I'll answer any questions I can.

Short version:
1.7GHz OC'd/patched Touchpad + beta version 0.3.6 KalemSoft Media Player = smooth 720P .MKV/.MP4/.WMV playback for me.
[edit: Reportedly 1.5GHz overclock is smooth with newest 0.3.7 version. Need stock clock testers to confirm!

Long detailed version:
Once again, I'm running a fully patched HP Touchpad and I'm overclocked using Warthog @ 1.728GHz. Even with all that, I was still unable to get Kalem or any other media player to play 720P without stuttering/sync issues, especially .MKVs. That is until today when I tried the Beta version of Kalem 0.3.6. I was AMAZED to see how well it worked so I threw various different files at it to see what would happen. This is not scientific but it's a start!

TESTING:
-720P .MKV TV show (800mb) - 9.5/10 - Stuttered just for a second on startup, runs perfect now. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues.
-720P .MKV Movie (4gb @ 6Mbps bitrate) - 9.5/10 - Loaded fast. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues. No subtitles.
-720P .MP4 TV show (600mb) - 10/10 played perfectly. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues.
-720P .WMV (850mb) - 10/10 played perfectly. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues.
-1080P .MKV (50mb clip @ 10.1Mbps bitrate) - 10/10 played perfectly. No audio/sync issues.

REQUIRED BEFORE INSTALL:
-Follow ncinerate's awesome Touchpad Beginner's Guide to get your Touchpad running smooth and installed with Preware.

INSTALLATION:
Here is a link to the beta right off Kalem's site. Save the .IPK to your device and use Preware to install it.

New Update 0.4.0: KalemSoft - Products
Old 0.3.6 Link: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
Mirror: com.kalemsoft.ksmplayera_0.3.6_all.ipk - download now for free. File sharing. Software file sharing. Free file hosting. File upload. FileFactory.com
Dead Link: http://www.kalemsoft.com/betas/com.k..._0.3.6_all.ipk
***If this works for you, please support them and purchase the final release when out***

MISC. NOTES:
-I have now tried 1080P, youtube video above. Mind you it's only ONE small test and ideally you wouldn't need to play those huge files on a Touchpad.
-HP Touchpad has a 4GB file size limit because of the FAT32 file system. As such, any video files larger need to be split or streamed somehow.
-Subtitles still do not appear to work or at least I haven't figured out how. Sorry Anime/Foreign film buffs!
-Volume bar in beta Kalem doesn't appear to work. Use the Touchpad volume buttons instead.
-Of the dozen or so .MKV files I've tried, one of them did stutter quite a bit. The bitrate was really high on it so depending on your files this might not cure everything. It certainly works better than 0.3.3+ or other media players though!

morydees · 08/28/2011, 06:15 PM

Also, this is my first real thread on Precentral (you guys have been great so far!) so if I'm doing anything wrong or need to remove any links please let me know and I'll be happy to edit.

Thanks guys!

Mac.World · 08/28/2011, 06:19 PM

I have the $7 paid version of Kalemsoft media player, and haven't run into any issues thus far with the video files I have uploaded to it. I may not have loaded an mkv file yet tough.

Was there aN issue with the paid version I am unaware of?

smackead · 08/28/2011, 06:19 PM

Awesome!!! I will be definitely doing all this when i get my TP!

Love the HD

Cantaffordit · 08/28/2011, 06:22 PM

why are you wanting to play 720p video on a display thY is 1024x768? That makes the CPU work hard for no reason.

morydees · 08/28/2011, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac.World

I have the $7 paid version of Kalemsoft media player, and haven't run into any issues thus far with the video files I have uploaded to it. I may not have loaded an mkv file yet tough.

Was there aN issue with the paid version I am unaware of?

Try it with an HD .MKV file and you'll notice it doesn't work very well. As that's becoming a standard container these days, it's important to have it work well for many of us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cantaffordit

why are you wanting to play 720p video on a display thY is 1024x768? That makes the CPU work hard for no reason.

Because many of us have huge collections of TV shows, movies and other media in 720P format. The time involved to convert or re-rip those using Handbrake or another converter is outrageous.

Also, I was having problems not just playing 720P but certain other standard .MP4s and .WMV files. Those issues are gone in the beta as well, at least for me.

untitled · 08/28/2011, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cantaffordit

why are you wanting to play 720p video on a display thY is 1024x768? That makes the CPU work hard for no reason.

I would imagine he already has the files at that size and doesn't want to convert them.

morydees · 08/28/2011, 06:35 PM

I'm working on getting a quick Youtube video up showing the performance. Just something to put it visually even though the quality wont come across.

tooearly · 08/28/2011, 06:47 PM

Even though the resolution isn't in HD, it still looks better than a DVD rip of any sort.

ceejay · 08/28/2011, 06:55 PM

volume seek bar isn't working for me, can't change the volume

morydees · 08/28/2011, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceejay

volume seek bar isn't working for me, can't change the volume

You're right, can't get mine to adjust either. Beta woes I guess. I'll note it but for the time being just use the built in volume up/down button on the Touchpad.

next_milenium · 08/28/2011, 07:08 PM

strange, installing this made videos to play in IMDB site for me. Previously I couldn't.

lexart · 08/28/2011, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceejay

volume seek bar isn't working for me, can't change the volume

Same here, volume slider is not working. I can see the the Volume slider 'line' but the slider button is not visible. Other then that, 720p .mkv BR rips are working well . . .

morydees · 08/28/2011, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by next_milenium

strange, installing this made videos to play in IMDB site for me. Previously I couldn't.

Wow, that's a very strange and awesome side-effect. Anyone else notice this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by lexart

Same here, volume slider is not working. I can see the the Volume slider 'line' but the slider button is not visible. Other then that, 720p .mkv BR rips are working well . . .

EXCELLENT! I'm glad to see at least one other person confirming it so far. I don't think it'll really work for every single video because bitrates/formats vary so much but it's working much better for me now.

morydees · 08/28/2011, 07:14 PM

Youtube video showing playback and such. Again, quality doesn't come through via my camera but it explains what's going on and shows it playing smooth.

720P Video on HP Touchpad using KalemSoft Beta 0.3.6 - YouTube

mkln · 08/28/2011, 07:21 PM

I can't manage to install it. Preware is just stuck with "Downloading / Installing".
I even tried to remove the old version and reboot.

morydees · 08/28/2011, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkln

I can't manage to install it. Preware is just stuck with "Downloading / Installing".
I even tried to remove the old version and reboot.

After removing the old one, try rebooting the device and then re-installing. You have the 0.3.6 IPK file right?

mkln · 08/28/2011, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morydees

After removing the old one, try rebooting the device and then re-installing. You have the 0.3.6 IPK file right?

that's what I did.

1. tried first time - nothing
2. uninstall previus - try again - nothing
3. reboot - try again - nothing

I downloaded the file from your link

kpopsaranghaex3 · 08/28/2011, 07:32 PM

With a dual core processor, the only reason why the Touchpad struggles is because the non-native video formats are not GPU accelerated. Even so, with pure CPU power alone, it should be able to play 720p HD videos with up to 10kbps bitrate fairly easily.

Also, for the sake of experimenting, can you try out 1080p video playback? I would do it myself, but I'm still waiting for my Touchpad to arrive

Lastly, what bitrate were the videos you tested?

morydees · 08/28/2011, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkln

that's what I did.

1. tried first time - nothing
2. uninstall previus - try again - nothing
3. reboot - try again - nothing

I downloaded the file from your link

Bummer, I'm not sure what's wrong with the beta version for you. Do you by chance have Internalz file browser? You could try installing it through that maybe.

08/28/2011, 06:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
morydees Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 167 Likes Received: 24 Thanks: 32 Thanked 40 Times in 15 Posts	FINALLY! How I got 720P .MKV/.MP4/.WMV videos to play smooth on my Touchpad inside. Smooth video in multiple formats on the TouchPad...finally! UPDATE #5 (9/12): Version 4.0 is out! UPDATE #4 (9/5): 0.3.7 is not on the HP store yet (soon!) but you can purchase it from them directly (Paypal) and activate your demo that way if you can't wait. UPDATE #3 (8/30): KalemSoft has released another update, 0.3.7 available as a demo on their site here KalemSoft - Products. Users report 1.5GHz overclocks work fine! UPDATE #2: Confirmation from multiple users this is working for them! So far so good! UPDATE #1: 720P Youtube test video added: HP Touchpad - Smooth 720P Video with KalemSoft Media Player 0.3.6 BETA and 1.7GHz Overclock - YouTube also works in 1080p and YES we know that's impractical HP Touchpad 1080P Playback test using KalemSoft 0.3.6 BETA and Overclocked 1.7GHz CPU - YouTube Original Article: First off, there's NO GUARANTEE this will work for you but I'm hoping others can try it so we can verify. It's very early and involves a beta program so please report back if you try it, good or bad! I'll answer any questions I can. Short version: 1.7GHz OC'd/patched Touchpad + beta version 0.3.6 KalemSoft Media Player = smooth 720P .MKV/.MP4/.WMV playback for me. [edit: Reportedly 1.5GHz overclock is smooth with newest 0.3.7 version. Need stock clock testers to confirm! Long detailed version: Once again, I'm running a fully patched HP Touchpad and I'm overclocked using Warthog @ 1.728GHz. Even with all that, I was still unable to get Kalem or any other media player to play 720P without stuttering/sync issues, especially .MKVs. That is until today when I tried the Beta version of Kalem 0.3.6. I was AMAZED to see how well it worked so I threw various different files at it to see what would happen. This is not scientific but it's a start! TESTING: -720P .MKV TV show (800mb) - 9.5/10 - Stuttered just for a second on startup, runs perfect now. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues. -720P .MKV Movie (4gb @ 6Mbps bitrate) - 9.5/10 - Loaded fast. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues. No subtitles. -720P .MP4 TV show (600mb) - 10/10 played perfectly. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues. -720P .WMV (850mb) - 10/10 played perfectly. Seeking works, no audio/sync issues. -1080P .MKV (50mb clip @ 10.1Mbps bitrate) - 10/10 played perfectly. No audio/sync issues. REQUIRED BEFORE INSTALL: -Follow ncinerate's awesome Touchpad Beginner's Guide to get your Touchpad running smooth and installed with Preware. INSTALLATION: Here is a link to the beta right off Kalem's site. Save the .IPK to your device and use Preware to install it. New Update 0.4.0: KalemSoft - Products Old 0.3.6 Link: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service Mirror: com.kalemsoft.ksmplayera_0.3.6_all.ipk - download now for free. File sharing. Software file sharing. Free file hosting. File upload. FileFactory.com Dead Link: http://www.kalemsoft.com/betas/com.k..._0.3.6_all.ipk *If this works for you, please support them and purchase the final release when out* MISC. NOTES: -I have now tried 1080P, youtube video above. Mind you it's only ONE small test and ideally you wouldn't need to play those huge files on a Touchpad. -HP Touchpad has a 4GB file size limit because of the FAT32 file system. As such, any video files larger need to be split or streamed somehow. -Subtitles still do not appear to work or at least I haven't figured out how. Sorry Anime/Foreign film buffs! -Volume bar in beta Kalem doesn't appear to work. Use the Touchpad volume buttons instead. -Of the dozen or so .MKV files I've tried, one of them did stutter quite a bit. The bitrate was really high on it so depending on your files this might not cure everything. It certainly works better than 0.3.3+ or other media players though! Last edited by morydees; 09/16/2011 at 01:33 PM.
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08/28/2011, 06:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
morydees Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 167 Likes Received: 24 Thanks: 32 Thanked 40 Times in 15 Posts	Also, this is my first real thread on Precentral (you guys have been great so far!) so if I'm doing anything wrong or need to remove any links please let me know and I'll be happy to edit. Thanks guys!
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 06:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
Mac.World Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 120 Likes Received: 15 Thanks: 7 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	I have the $7 paid version of Kalemsoft media player, and haven't run into any issues thus far with the video files I have uploaded to it. I may not have loaded an mkv file yet tough. Was there aN issue with the paid version I am unaware of?
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 06:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
smackead Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 103 Likes Received: 4 Thanks: 17 Thanked 15 Times in 11 Posts	Awesome!!! I will be definitely doing all this when i get my TP! Love the HD __________________ Preware is AWESOME!!!!
	Liked by DemonHighwayman likes this.

08/28/2011, 06:22 PM	#5 (permalink)
Cantaffordit Moderator Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 15,149 Likes Received: 958 Thanks: 3,804 Thanked 3,910 Times in 2,776 Posts	why are you wanting to play 720p video on a display thY is 1024x768? That makes the CPU work hard for no reason.
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 06:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
morydees Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 167 Likes Received: 24 Thanks: 32 Thanked 40 Times in 15 Posts	I'm working on getting a quick Youtube video up showing the performance. Just something to put it visually even though the quality wont come across.
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 06:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
tooearly Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: In my apartment at school. :D Posts: 924 Likes Received: 31 Thanks: 174 Thanked 148 Times in 83 Posts	Even though the resolution isn't in HD, it still looks better than a DVD rip of any sort. __________________
	Liked by Thanked By: yurix

08/28/2011, 06:55 PM	#10 (permalink)
ceejay Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 120 Likes Received: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts	volume seek bar isn't working for me, can't change the volume
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 07:08 PM	#12 (permalink)
next_milenium Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 333 Likes Received: 29 Thanks: 14 Thanked 27 Times in 19 Posts	strange, installing this made videos to play in IMDB site for me. Previously I couldn't.
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 07:14 PM	#15 (permalink)
morydees Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 167 Likes Received: 24 Thanks: 32 Thanked 40 Times in 15 Posts	Youtube video showing playback and such. Again, quality doesn't come through via my camera but it explains what's going on and shows it playing smooth. 720P Video on HP Touchpad using KalemSoft Beta 0.3.6 - YouTube
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 07:21 PM	#16 (permalink)
mkln Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 36 Likes Received: 1 Thanks: 4 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	I can't manage to install it. Preware is just stuck with "Downloading / Installing". I even tried to remove the old version and reboot.
	Liked by

08/28/2011, 07:32 PM	#19 (permalink)
kpopsaranghaex3 Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	With a dual core processor, the only reason why the Touchpad struggles is because the non-native video formats are not GPU accelerated. Even so, with pure CPU power alone, it should be able to play 720p HD videos with up to 10kbps bitrate fairly easily. Also, for the sake of experimenting, can you try out 1080p video playback? I would do it myself, but I'm still waiting for my Touchpad to arrive Lastly, what bitrate were the videos you tested?
	Liked by