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HDR media player for macOS that can output HDR ?

S

s66

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Original poster
Dec 12, 2016
472
661
I've been looking for a media player that can actually output HDR properly.

- needs to support more file formats than Apple's Quicktime such as mkv and the like
- needs to work on a MP7,1 + VegaII + XDR display

What I have tested so far:

- VLC: no joy, is a darkened image you get
- IINA: no joy, is a darkened image you get - they seem to point to the root cause in "mpv" ?
- Elmedia Player: no joy, is a darkened image you get

- Quicktime: works beautifully in HDR, but only for a limited set of file formats
- Firefox, Chrome and Safari: works on websites like youtube in HDR, but well it's not a media player as such

I tried it full screen, windowed etc: makes no difference. In fact windowed you can show it right next to Quicktime showing the same input properly.

My test material of choice:
Youtube:
It's got very highly visible HDR effects, so it's easy to spot if it's there or not.
The file can be downloaded before Google/Youtube got it as well:
https://mega.nz/file/qdVg0IIK#B0L811GNQkvnEpZsE5558cpTKCaEGzohHwRjF6-3_gs


XDR settings - but those should be irrelevant as Quicktime does show HDR content properly.
View attachment 1689710
I'm trying on macOS 11.0.1 (Big Sur).

So the question:
Is there any media player that's
- reasonably priced
- outputs HDR properly
- can read all the relevant file formats (including mp4, mkv, etc.)

Bonus:
- able to find and download subtitles
- decent user interface
- "just works"
- universal binary (so no rosetta 2 on an M1 based mac)

While I'm testing it right now on a MP7,1 with an XDR display, my real target is a Mac Mini M1 that's due for delivery RSN that will be hooked up to a huge OLED TV - which adds more variables as it should require a HDMI2.0b port and I suspect the the HDMI port on that mac isn't able to do HDR in 4K to start with (TB3 to HDMI cable/adapter might be the way to go there).
 
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Remux those MKV to MP4 and play them in QuickTime. I don't know any other player that can play HDR on a HDR display.
 
A Plex server will allow you to watch HDR either on your Mac or on your TV using their or other clients. Reads almost everything. It is a complicated chain and don't have your configuration to test.

s66 said:
my real target is a Mac Mini M1
Click to expand...

Checking the Plex forums seems to work.
 
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as far as I known, the movist player/ movist pro player is works fine on my MacBook Pro , which connect to a 4k ASUS display using a hdmi cable, or you can wait the infuse Mac version come out, developers in infuse are working on it.
 
Optimus Player works for HDR10 and supports every file format I've thrown at it.

www.optimusplayer.com

Optimus Player

Optimus Player is the best app for playing audiovisual content on the Mac. Major features include color accuracy, AirPlay 2 audio, and dual subtitles.
www.optimusplayer.com www.optimusplayer.com
 
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alcapone said:
Optimus Player works for HDR10 and supports every file format I've thrown at it.

www.optimusplayer.com

Optimus Player

Optimus Player is the best app for playing audiovisual content on the Mac. Major features include color accuracy, AirPlay 2 audio, and dual subtitles.
www.optimusplayer.com www.optimusplayer.com
Click to expand...
How does the CPU/GPU usage compare to Quicktime Player playing a file which is supported by both players? So far I've tried IINA (and its underlying mpv directly) and VLC, and they consume much more resources than QTP and are not colour accurate. Also curious about Movist, BTW.
 
I'm using MPV (open source) binary natively on MacOS 11.1 on a Mac Mini M1 with 27UK850 4K HDR monitor (not XDR). I see the requirements and the bonus points you mentioned - checks all of them except "just works".

I use this setup:
hwdec=videotoolbox
tone-mapping=reinhard
tone-mapping-param=0.7
Click to expand...

While HDR playback is not proper in macos, for the time being this is what I've been using. It's not perfect but I am willing to bet, this will get you enjoyable experience with 90% of the media out there. I've learnt to live with it.

Here is an example, check it out.

MPV Default​

default.png



MPV Tone Mapped​

mpv-hdr-mapped.png
 
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I tried the movist player on my non-hdr monitor playing an hdr movie, and the results were almost perfect!!!
 
Infuse (Beta) for Mac works perfectly even when not used as a media server player. Just open up the file manually.
 
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Sovon Halder said:
“I'm using MPV (open source) binary natively on MacOS 11.1 on a Mac Mini M1 with 27UK850 4K HDR monitor (not XDR). I see the requirements and the bonus points you mentioned - checks all of them except "just works".”
Click to expand...
Thanks for MPV, I was looking for a replacement to IINA for playing MKV file in HDR and MPV is perfect with my BenQ PD2700U display on my Mac Mini M1. I found on this site what to configure the viewing: https://mpv.io/manual/master/#synopsis
Thanks again... ;-)
 
I just purchased Optimus player and it's quite cool, plays HDR well.... however - WindowServer CPU usage jumps to 110-120% when using it, which causes my M1 Pro fans to start spinning after a while. Seriously, that is an achievement, even heavy workflows rarely spin fans, but this player does it after 30 mins of playback.

Worst part - even when you quit the app, WindowServer stays at that percentage. I have to restart my Mac to get it down.

It doesn't happen with any other player. And yes, Optimus is optimized for Apple Silicon.

Edit: just tested Movist and it does the same thing. WindowServer jumps to 150%.... is it HDR? Not sure. It looks spectacular, but the same thing happens - that WindowServer usage just wont drop, even after closing the app.
 
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aevan said:
I just purchased Optimus player and it's quite cool, plays HDR well.... however - WindowServer CPU usage jumps to 110-120% when using it, which causes my M1 Pro fans to start spinning after a while. Seriously, that is an achievement, even heavy workflows rarely spin fans, but this player does it after 30 mins of playback.

Worst part - even when you quit the app, WindowServer stays at that percentage. I have to restart my Mac to get it down.

It doesn't happen with any other player. And yes, Optimus is optimized for Apple Silicon.

Edit: just tested Movist and it does the same thing. WindowServer jumps to 150%.... is it HDR? Not sure. It looks spectacular, but the same thing happens - that WindowServer usage just wont drop, even after closing the app.
Click to expand...
Try this. Go to System Preferences. And make sure to always show the menu bar even in full screen. Let me know if it still does it. There was a weird bug but idk if it's still bugged or not
 
white7561 said:
Try this. Go to System Preferences. And make sure to always show the menu bar even in full screen. Let me know if it still does it. There was a weird bug but idk if it's still bugged or not
Click to expand...

I'll check it out, but I've tried Movist and it seems to drop WindowServer usage when turned off, also when I switch from Hardware (Forced) to Hardware in Video settings, it seems to keep WindowServer low while the app gets more CPU time - which is fine, you quit the app after watching a movie and everything is normal again.
 
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Infuse is now out of beta. One of the most popular video players (based on the number of forum posts). Just open the .mkv file in the Infuse app and your'e on your way.
 
HDFan said:
Infuse is now out of beta. One of the most popular video players (based on the number of forum posts). Just open the .mkv file in the Infuse app and your'e on your way.
Click to expand...

Doesn't Infuse require a subscription?

Edit: Yup, just checked, in order to play HDR content, you need the Pro version which requires a subscription. It's not too expensive, but Movist does the job quite well and is a single $4.99 or $7.99 (depending on version) purchase. Quite happy with it.
 
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aevan said:
I just purchased Optimus player and it's quite cool, plays HDR well.... however - WindowServer CPU usage jumps to 110-120% when using it, which causes my M1 Pro fans to start spinning after a while. Seriously, that is an achievement, even heavy workflows rarely spin fans, but this player does it after 30 mins of playback.

Worst part - even when you quit the app, WindowServer stays at that percentage. I have to restart my Mac to get it down.

It doesn't happen with any other player. And yes, Optimus is optimized for Apple Silicon.

Edit: just tested Movist and it does the same thing. WindowServer jumps to 150%.... is it HDR? Not sure. It looks spectacular, but the same thing happens - that WindowServer usage just wont drop, even after closing the app.
Click to expand...
I believe this is an issue with ProMotion. As a test please disable it and set the refresh rate manually to 2x the video framerate (or just 60). Does it make the issue go away? Also, is your OS fully updated? This issue was apparently fixed, and I couldn't reproduce it on my M1 Max 16" after a quick test. I usually have PM turned off as it seems to give me better battery life. IMO this feature needs more polishing.
 
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topcat001 said:
I believe this is an issue with ProMotion. As a test please disable it and set the refresh rate manually to 2x the video framerate (or just 60). Does it make the issue go away? Also, is your OS fully updated? This issue was apparently fixed, and I couldn't reproduce it on my M1 Max 16" after a quick test. I usually have PM turned off as it seems to give me better battery life. IMO this feature needs more polishing.
Click to expand...
Absolutely no CPU usage problems on my 16" MBP either with the default ProMotion settings. (12.2; Optimus Player v1.4, which is BTW still Intel)
 
I don't know how compressed my screenshot will be on here but I have a screenshot of a shot from Dune in HDR in 4 players, from top left to right:
Movist, Infuse, Optimus, IINA.

I find Optimus less "flashy" there but shows more details because of it? Looks like the most balanced player, on my mbp 14" anyway.
 

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