foolishoptimist
Member
I think it's strange that they're apparently maxing out both the CPU & GPU implementing a codec. Even without all the junk in this thread, that in itself sounds like "you're doing it wrong".
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UHD Blu-ray Game Consoles shipped in 2013
- Thread starter jeff_rigby
- Start date
I think it's strange that they're apparently maxing out both the CPU & GPU implementing a codec. Even without all the junk in this thread, that in itself sounds like "you're doing it wrong".
-ImaginaryInsider
Member
Per Rigby-protocol, Jeff will disappear for a bit, wait until a new group of Juniors comes in, then slowly pop into threads with his techno-babble, rebuild his fanbase and credibility.
Then we will do all this again.
Adam Tyner
Member
Spears' explanation (pre-dating the reveal of the S but hinting in that direction):
Years ago ATI removed MPEG2 decoder HW from one of their GPUs to cut costs and tried to use the GPU for decoding. The CPU outperformed the GPU that year for MPEG2 decoding. Since then, every GPU has had a dedicated HW MPEG-2, AVC and VC-1 decoder as Gavin mentioned. The GPU on the Xbox One also has a HW MJPEG decoder for the video to/from Kinect. Most GPUs don't include HW MJPEG decoding.
HEVC is another beast. All CPUs are taxed on a current gen game console just to decode UHD HEVC at 24p. No HW HEVC decoders on any game console... yet. CABAC is not GPU friendly and is always done on the CPU if you don't have a dedicated HW decoder. Xbox 360 decodes AVC in GPU/CPU since AVC HW decoders did not exist back then.
The Lumagen video processors are all FPGA based. Early DVDO VP50 and 50Pro's were FPGA based. The later DVDO Duo was ASIC based. It took 45-minutes to update the FW over serial on a 50/50Pro and 5-seconds on a Duo.FPGAs are great to work out the kinks or shipping in really low volume like a consumer video processor. But they are expensive.
To save you a Google search (I had to look it up, anyway!), "CABAC" stands for Context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding.
foolishoptimist
Member
Hah, too late, I already had to look it up. I'm not sure that last paragraph was really necessary.
Why are they using the CPU & GPU instead of the dedicated HEVC decoding blocks?
Well there is the Nvidia Shield TV which has proper HEVC decode hardware. Though I guess that doesn't count
Jeff is Pepe Silvia
jeff_rigby
Banned
foolishoptimist said:
Check out the history of HEVC codecs as well as hardware shipping in 2013, the same year the Launch Game consoles shipped. They give an idea of the hardware needed for HEVC and software solutions running on CPUs give an idea of how much optimization and algorithms matter.
Note, a poorly written HEVC codec could max out the CPUs on the XB1. Some of the software codecs in the above cite run on ARM CPUs with less power.
HEVC decoders and encoders were available in time to ship with the Launch consoles. Both Microsoft and Sony hired HEVC software engineers early 2012 and worked with AMD and Cadence (ARM IP) on making Xtensa configurable blocks that could support HEVC. Part speculation but the PS4 supports AMD's True Audio which is a Xtensa DSP and the XB1's 15 special function blocks are all Cadence (XB1 and PS4 are UHD Capable EU letter). The XB1 supports HEVC profile 10 as of June 2015 with a firmware update and supports HEVC encode for Skype and game streaming. The encode has to be to HEVC standards but the video would be 8 bit 1080P or less on the Launch console and 10 bit to include HDR with the XB1 "S".
Hardware codecs are an order of magnitude more efficient and are a must for battery operated platforms which Game Consoles are not...they can afford the extra power a Hybrid -software-hardware accelerated codec would need. Without a doubt the newer consoles will have optimized blocks in the Xtensa DSPs that will make HEVC more efficient just as the Carrizo UVD 6 using Xtensa processors has. Sony and Microsoft Voluntary Power compliance (EU letters) requires they use state of the art hardware and software to reduce the power used.
Adam Tyner
Member
Either:
1) Microsoft's video/graphics engineers are completely incompetent
- or -
2) you don't know what you're talking about
I put my money on the experts who actually do this for a living, not the guy who doesn't even know what Bink is. Also remember that not all video is created equal. Ultra HD Blu-ray is more demanding than Netflix UHD. Netflix UHD is more demanding than a low bitrate 720p clip.
Regardless, even if #1 is true, it sure sounds as if there's no way in hell there'll be a firmware update to rectify this by October if Spears' post reflects where Microsoft is today.
jeff_rigby
Banned
Obviously they have good engineers since the HEVC game encoder can do low latency 1080P or less without using the CPU or GPU on hardware which you claim can't be in the XB1 so it's doubly amazing engineering to do it with nothing.
Microsoft would not use the GCN GPU or X-86 CPU for Netfix HEVC because DRM rules require the Codec be run on a TEE which in both the XB1 and PS4 is an ARM trustzone managed AXI or later bus with protection for the memory areas. Additionally they would want Full screen video with the GPU off.
It's possible that Spears knows nothing of the ARM block functions. Sony for security does all Southbridge programming in Japan and only provides APIs calling routines in Southbridge as it's the Arm Trustzone TEE that additionally provides the trusted boot.
Spears could have heard of or participated in a project to test HEVC on the XB1 to see how a third party app not using the embedded hardware could support HEVC.
Adam Tyner
Member
What hardware am I claiming can't be in the Xbox One?
If the capability so readily exists, why did they write a software decoder that gobbles up all the CPU resources instead? The answer is incredibly obvious: things don't work the way you think they do.
Then ask Spears about it. Ask that guy whose LinkedIn profile you keep posting screenshots of here.
Echoing again, it sure sounds as if there's no way in hell there'll be a firmware update to rectify this by October if Spears' post reflects where Microsoft is today.
jeff_rigby
Banned
most likely a Hardware HEVC encoder which is harder to do than decode.
Already answered, because it was not using the Xtensa DSP accelerator that is up to 100X more efficient than a CPU. This is the DSP in the HSA CPU-GPU-DSP-FPGA support eventually via HSAIL.
Remember the XB1 hardware breakdown where they announced that developers would not have direct access to the Cadence ARM special function blocks only via APIs. This is echoed by Sony for Southbridge ARM hardware. It's because all security for the trusted boot and DRM for media are Via the Trustzone ARM CPU so no code by anyone except special departments at Sony and Microsoft is allowed to run on the ARM CPU.
The firmware update I think is coming in October is all about the routines running in Southbridge. DLNA for Push support has to be always running which is Southbridge, for the Player and Codecs..southbridge, for the native library supporting HTML5 <video>...southbridge which means ooVoo, Vidipath, UHD BLu-ray, Miracast and HDMI 2 could all be coming with this firmware update.
Adam Tyner
Member
I never said anything about a hardware encoder existing or not existing. I haven't said anything about encoding at all. While I obviously agree that encoding is more resource-intensive than decoding, what are you talking about?
First of all, I assume you're attempting to make a connection like "if the Xbox One can encode low-bitrate 1080p video without any trouble, of course it can decode higher bitrate 2160p video!", but that's not especially solid ground for a debate. If the Xbox One could encode extremely high quality UHD video in HEVC in real-time, I would agree that it should very easily be able to decode that video as well. I haven't seen any evidence of that being the case.
It's a moot point anyway, though, since the Xbox One -> Windows 10 streaming you're referencing uses AVC, not HEVC. Link to that effect:
Another one for good measure:
The Xbox One, like the PS4 and even the Wii U, can encode H.264 in hardware. The XB1 has been recording the past 30 seconds of gameplay this way since day one. Since it has a dedicated AVC encoder, it doesn't have to use any CPU or GPU resources.
No, chief, you didn't answer anything. Why would Microsoft go out of their way to write one and only one UHD-capable software decoder and not use the accelerators you describe? That defies all logic. It goes back to what I said earlier:
The most likely answer is that the accelerators are not the magic bullet you think they are, or at least they're not a magic bullet that Microsoft could load into their UHD pistol.
Still, if the team at Microsoft has every scrap of this wrong as of...well, this very minute, what makes you think they'll have a firmware update in a couple of months that'll resolve all of this?
Gamezone
Gold Member
By October people would have bought the Xbox Slim for UHD. You don't think it would be a little weird for MS to release a UHD firmware update for our current consoles at that point?
In jeff's world the Xbone s is justified by "blu-tooth".
jeff_rigby
Banned
And slightly more CPU and GPU power for HDR and HEVC hardware decoder or at least optimized blocks for the Xtensa accelerated software Codec.
Both Microsoft and Sony are required by their agreement with the EU Power board to use state of the art hardware features that reduce the power used. AMD in their APUs from 2014 on is all about reducing the power used 25X by 2020. The XB1 "S" has to incorporate features available in AMD APUs that reduce the power used which in turn can be used either to increase perfomance or the TDP or both. This is why the PS4 NEO is possible at the same TDP the PS4 Launch had and the XB1 Scorpio using HBM2 with Vega can have 2 TF more than the NEO. From Polaris to Vega the savings is primarily in the power saved in going from GDDR5 to HBM2. EDIT: The Scorpio Sales pitch has pictures of a finished Motherboard with 12 memory chips and the assumption is they are using a wider GDDR5 memory. It's too soon for a finished Scorpio MB if it's shipping Nov 2017 and Microsoft can not use GDDR5 if the ARM blocks are still inside the APU.
The EU power board papers mentions replaceable components coming with a power tier which might be in Neo or Scorpio. I don't know the form that will take. Scorpio with HBM will have the APU, Memory and Southbridge in the same package and likely replaceable. It could also be upgradeable with Navi which will have a similar package. AMD should have multiple versions of NAVI with CPU and GPU packages KGD (Known Good Die) on Interposer with 1.2.3 or 4 GPU blocks, 1, 2, 3 or 4 HBM blocks depending on performance and price point. Scorpio could be upgradeable and use an off the shelf Navi package. Sony will probably have a new console to use NAVI.
And there you have my guess; NEO will be much cheaper than Scorpio and available a year before. Scorpio will be more expensive but the user will save money in upgrading to Navi while the Sony customer will have to buy a whole new console to use Navi. Since most of the console guts in Scorpio will be in the one package and likely replaceable, Scorpio should be easily repairable while NEO will need to be sent back to Sony to be repaired.
jeff_rigby
Banned
It's not about the money made in selling the consoles but the money in the media and services. At one point it was calculated that Sony makes $14 off a PS4 sale. Over the life of the console they will make several hundred dollars in services and media rental and sales.
To be the center of the living room and used for services and rental/sales it has to support the coming media formats like UHD Media; UHD IPTV streaming , UHD blu-ray and UHD ATSC 3.0 Antenna TV. A necessary feature is Vidipath as no UHD TV has a UHD tuner. UHD media will be served over the home network from Vidipath servers for Cable TV, Antenna TV and UHD Blu-ray digital bridge. Any of them could optionally have DVR support. The papers I have read have Game consoles mentioned for all of these.
As an example and for full disclosure I'll give an example of my speculation.
Panasonic and Sony PDFs mention Playready ND being used for UHD Blu-ray digital bridge streaming. Microsoft mentions game consoles using Plaryeady ND with Live and DVR functionality. UHD Game consoles have a Hard Disk, TEE and Xtensa processors which can be used for the digital bridge. Sony wants every UHD blu-ray player to support the digital bridge. A platform that supports the digital bridge can also be a media hub for ATSC 3 and convert 4K media to 1080P for HD TVs and phones/tablets.
Sony and Microsoft want their UHD Consoles in the living room being used for everything>>> the XB1 and PS4 will be UHD Media hubs supporting all the above that Sonly wants UHD blu-ray players to support even if they have to write the players for the game consoles and PCs which they have a licence to do.
A Platform that supports VR and UHD BLu-ray has the hardware to support UHD BLu-ray with digital bridge.
Adam Tyner
Member
...but since, from all indications, the launch Xbox One and PS4 cannot support Ultra HD Blu-ray, what is the purpose of this argument in a thread about 2013-era consoles?
wesleyshark
Banned
Makes me wonder how a machine from 2013 would have the hardware capabilities to be updated to handle UHD/HDR. Doesn't make any sense. The One S and Neo are your UHD machines, not the launch boxes. But i don't have a wall of text to support my comment so clearly I'm wrong.
Gamezone
Gold Member
So you think Microsoft should sell a bunch of Xbox One Slim because they support UHD, then say fuck you to everyone who bought it by upgrading the launch consoles to UHD with a firmware upgrade? That's not going to happen. People have already pre-ordered Xbox One Slim because they support UHD. Some people might have sold their old Xbox One because of that.
wesleyshark
Banned
Ditto with the PS4 and incoming Neo. Would be the same knife in the back to the consumer. It's not going to happen.
jeff_rigby
Banned
Adam, there is only one APU that is capable of HEVC decode with the low latency needed for game streaming and that is the AMD Carrizo. So for the near future game streaming will be via AVC. Twitch does not support HEVC yet also. There is no Intel APU that can do this only AMD.
The slide I posted previously and post below is from AMD not Microsoft touting HEVC decode for game streaming in AMD products. The other two slides I posted are from Microsoft stating the XB1 will support both HEVC receive and "push" or decode and encode as a priority for Skype and game streaming.
Adam Tyner
Member
I'm trying to follow your train of thought and not having a whole lot of luck. First you say:
...(nevermind the fact that I hadn't uttered a word about encoding up to that point), so you're saying that an "HEVC game encoder" is in the original Xbox One. There is no HEVC encoder in the original Xbox One. Videos are streamed/recorded using AVC, which is accommodated on hardware.
Then you say the only one capable of HEVC in hardware is Carizzo, which, as you know, is not in the launch XB1, and you agree with me about the use of AVC (although you seem to think the encoding is not performed by a dedicated H.264 encoder).
So your HEVC posts have seemingly nothing to do with the launch Xbox One or PS4. What are you getting at? How does this prove that the launch consoles are capable of playing back Ultra HD Blu-ray discs? The requirements for Skype are worlds removed from what UHD BD demands. How does this refute any of the quotes from Microsoft/Sony employees that I've posted?
Well I mean it helps that APU is an AMD marketing term and that there is no such thing as an Intel APU.
But, as Adam above pointed out, I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here.
You're saying that because Carrizo, a 2015 AMD APU, has hardware decode support for HEVC, that their 2013 custom AMD APU apparently can also do this fine, and your entire proof is a marketing slide without any context? Like that slide is from 2015. In relation to the launch OF Carrizo.
jeff_rigby
Banned
HEVC Hardware decoders were shipping months before the XB1 shipped. Software for HEVC decode was showing in 2012 more than a year before the XB1 launched. Microsoft hired HEVC software engineers in 2012 and likely consulted with Cadence and AMD on the hardware needed that could run on an ARM Trustzone TEE to accelerate a HEVC software codec.
Both the XB1 and PS4 have a block of GPGPU that was mentioned by Eurogamer.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df-hardware-orbis-unmasked-what-to-expect-from-next-gen-console said:
Adam Tyner
Member
...but we have confirmation from someone intimately involved with the project that Microsoft's software decoder is not capable of handling HEVC encodes on the scale of Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, so what's the point? Ito said essentially the same thing about the PS4; nothing about software, of course, but that a dedicated HEVC decoder was required and could be added in a hardware refresh.
...but you said earlier that this technology was already in use for game streaming on the Xbox One, which we know it's not. You're confusing speculation and fact again, and you're contradicting yourself in the process.
You also can't just say "well, the software can decode one HEVC video, so it can decode them all without any trouble at all!" It doesn't work like that.
Even setting HEVC aside for the moment, there's still the matter of the Blu-ray drive itself. Everyone who's publicly commented on this from Microsoft and Sony over the past couple of years have all said, without exception, that a new drive is required.
I truly, genuinely don't see any evidence to support that Ultra HD Blu-ray playback will be added to the launch versions of the PS4/Xbox One in October (or ever, for that matter). The only concrete evidence you have dates back to 2013, nearly three years before the format actually launched.
EchoChamber
Member
This thread is just madness.
Are you also going to point out this article was a speculation leak from "sources" to Digital Foundry, at a time in which both consoles were still being referred to by their rumored codenames, and which some of the details in that article are factually wrong, such as them stating:
This article is not a hard proof of anything.
I mean, if you want to point out on the die:
Where exactly the hardware for the HEVC decoding is you are free to do so. AMD's video encoding/decoding hardware (referred to as VCE and UVD respectfully), were specifically designed to handle AVC/H.264 at the time the PS4/XBO came out. Considering the graphics core of the PS4/XBO are essentially modified Radeon 7970Ms, and considering THOSE cards didn't have hardware HEVC decoding, I don't see how you can think the PS4/XBO does as well in any capacity.
Edit: Also, and I should probably shut this down immediately, you may probably notice that if you count the Graphics Units, there are actually 20 of them on the die, instead of the 18 normally quoted. 2 of them are redundant to help increase production yields. If you aim for 20, but only want 18, one or two can afford to fail while still being a viable product.
There is no magic secret sauce in there, so don't go lookin.
jeff_rigby
Banned
There is no Intel processor or combo CPU-GPU for which AMD has coined the term APU that has a HEVC hardware decoder. Intel Skylake (14nm) has a 8 bit HEVC block but relies on using the GPU for HEVC profile 10.
Points confirmed are:
There is a hardware h.264 and HEVC codec encoder in the XB1 APU.
There is a hardware h.264 encoder provided by AMD in the PS4 APU mentioned by Ito.
There is a h.264 software encoder and decoder as part of the special blocks in the XB1 (ARM/Cadence). The XB1 has provably two h.264 encoders, one provided by AMD and one custom designed by Microsoft to run on the TEE for DRM reasons. Sony should have the same in Southbridge.
Why? To support being a media hub. Mpeg2 (DVD and ATSC 1) will be converted to h.264 and the same for HEVC (speculation) where that media needs to be decoded and converted to 1080P then h.264 encoded for a 1080P TV, Phone or Tablet on the home network.
The XB1 HEVC hardware codec encoder does several things. It confirms the IP both hardware and software was available at Launch to support HEVC encode which is harder than Decode. It shows forward thinking support for HEVC YEARS before it can be used as no other platform would support HEVC game streaming till after Carrizo (2016) and Nvidia dGPU (late 2015). These two points, HEVC encode and a Media Hub design helps confirm the EU letter stating the XB1 and PS4 are UHD Capable and my speculation that the PS4 and XB1 will be media hubs for the home network using Vidipath.
Display port in and DP/HDMI in the above block diagram echo PC block diagrams which have DP 1.3 and HDMI 2 with HDCP support. The DP/HDMI chip just has to support timing and pass through to the TEE where HDCP 2.2 takes place.
Adam Tyner
Member
Not in the launch model, which is what we're talking about here.
I know you're basing that information off of that AMD slide, but you haven't actually shown proof that the Xbox encodes into H.265 for it's streaming.
And this is something that can be tested right now, because it's a feature that's actively live. You can currently stream Xbox One games to the PC right now. All we need is for someone to find a way to determine what is being sent out. If your PC has to decode an HEVC stream, then we know the XBO actually can encode into H.265. If it doesn't, we know it doesn't.
This is something that can actually be tested and debunked.
Edit: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/instantanswers/6d3544e0-fe93-458f-b61e-3fcce74f788b/hardware-requirements-for-game-streaming
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, looks like the XBO is using H.264/AVC for it's game streaming, not H.265/HEVC.
Adam Tyner
Member
We don't even need to go to those lengths. Straight from the horse's mouth:
Edit! Great minds and all.
Jeff agrees that streaming is all AVC at this point, but for some inexplicable and completely unsubstantiated reason, he believes that Microsoft made sure to include a dedicated HEVC encoder/decoder in the launch model well before the codec really took off...and it's so top-secret that the MS employees working on UHD playback weren't (and still aren't!) allowed to know of its existence. It's so masterfully hidden that there's not even any documentation indicating its presence anywhere! Just a marketing slide that doesn't actually indicate that it's being used in practice. In other words, jeff_rigby gonna jeff_rigby.
Congrats. You've just described a TEE at an extremely high level. There is nothing odd or unusual (or limited) about what you've described.
Not to mention, out of all your posts, you have yet to explain how Microsoft and Sony are going to update the HDMI 1.4 ports on their respective launch systems to HDMI 2.0 ports. This is something that simply cannot be done in software.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
foolishoptimist
Member
We don't even need to go to those lengths. Straight from the horse's mouth:
Edit! Great minds and all.
Jeff agrees that streaming is all AVC at this point, but for some inexplicable and completely unsubstantiated reason, he believes that Microsoft made sure to include a dedicated HEVC encoder/decoder in the launch model well before the codec really took off...and it's so top-secret that the MS employees working on UHD playback weren't (and still aren't!) allowed to know of its existence. It's so masterfully hidden that there's not even any documentation indicating its presence anywhere! Just a marketing slide that doesn't actually indicate that it's being used in practice. In other words, jeff_rigby gonna jeff_rigby.
Well it makes no sense to use h.265 for streaming since, we've established, hardware decoders aren't common.
What about the game DVR videos that you save to the hdd? If there were a h.265 encoder, it would make more sense to use it for that as file size is more of a factor, and latency is not an issue.
The ps4 doesn't have a stock, fixed HDMI 1.4 port. It is an updateable port. Remember, both Sony and MS were touting future 4K support prior to launch. But that was before standards were finalized. So, it does depend on their level of forsight, and how far the standards shifted over time.
exmachina64
Banned
Having skimmed some of this thread...
Leave while you still can.
Adam Tyner
Member
The files once uploaded (visible via SmartGlass, xbox.com, etc.) are definitely AVC. Capturing in H.265 locally and then transcoding to H.264 for upload does not sound likely.
The VCE on the Xbox One handles AVC but not HEVC. Jeff is insisting that the Xbox One has had H.265 encoding/decoding capability in-hardware since day one entirely on an AMD marketing slide from 2015 (and I guess something about Skype supporting HEVC). There is no supporting evidence. In fact:
(He actually talks about streaming briefly in that post too.)
foolishoptimist
Member
Fair enough.
jeff_rigby
Banned
So you are denying in print from June 2015 slides from AMD that the XB1 has a HEVC encoder for game streaming because it is too soon to use it and Microsoft is not using it. I'm surprised you didn't claim the AMD slide is about the XB1 "S" coming 14 months later. What does Carrizo use for game streaming? AVC, so it must not have HEVC support either. Proof that AMD lied about Carrizo so they must be wrong about the XB1.
I hope you are not expecting the XB1 "S" to support HEVC to Twitch or HEVC game recording this August when it launches. Will you say this proves the XB1 "S" doesn't support HEVC?
Oh and the slide of the PS4 die shot HAS NO ARM IP on it and it may not have a HEVC encoder. The ARM block is very evident on the XB1 die shot. Sony moved the ARM IP out of the PS4 APU to Southbridge so they could use GDDR5. The VCE in AMD APUs is custom AMD made with MIPS IP not ARM. The UVD in AMD APUs is Trustzone on a ARM bus with Xtensa DSP accelerators. The ARM block in the XB1 is almost entirely Cadence Tensilica Xtensa IP including the Host guest IOMMU.
Can we at least confirm the XB1 design indicates Media Hub support and Vidipath. Or is that slide suspect too?
AMD just released openVX drivers for their APUs and dGPUs several months ago. OpenVX specs for APIs were released in 2014 by Khronos. OpenVX complements compute and OpenCV with calls using accelerators. These accelerators in AMD APUs are the Xtensa DSP blocks for UVD which are in all AMD APUs. Are we to deny they exist because they had no drivers and were not used for that purpose YET.
rayisbeast
Neo Member
Is this misterxmedia?
wesleyshark
Banned
Conjoined twin.
Adam Tyner
Member
Here's a wacky idea: why don't you stop pinning all your hopes and dreams on a few words from a marketing slide?
You invented a grand story from those EU documents based on the two words "UHD Capable". You've invented another grand story -- at odds with both common sense and absolutely every other shred of evidence -- based on "Streaming via HEVC" from an AMD marketing slide.
We've already had a very prominent person from Microsoft from the video/graphics team specifically involved in its HEVC implementation -- someone absolutely, undeniably in a position to know -- say that there is no in-hardware HEVC decoding in the launch Xbox One. I do put far more weight on that than an undescriptive AMD marketing slide that certainly doesn't seem to mean what you think it means.
Maybe next time you could hold out for an entire sentence before weaving a convoluted scenario and a sinister conspiracy around it? Y'know, baby steps.
We have numerous sources talking about the UHD capability of the S -- physical media and streaming. UHD BD requires a dedicated HEVC decoder, the S supports UHD BD, so obviously the S supports HEVC. Game streaming is of zero consequence for this conversation.
It's far more likely that the marketing slide is referring to the S than it is the launch console. The fact that we have to wonder what the slide is referring to (similar to your incredibly vague EU documents) proves that it's not a strong foundation for any claim one way or the other. What makes more sense?
(a) This AMD slide references HEVC streaming from the Xbox One to the PC. (b) It doesn't say that it's not the launch Xbox One, so that must be what it's talking about! (c) The visionaries at Microsoft put a dedicated hardware HEVC encoder/decoder in place years before it would be relevant; hell, it's not even being used now, right at three years later! (d) There's no documentation to support this, though: how else can MS maintain such a closely guarded secret?! (e) Not even the HEVC team at Microsoft can know of its existence, so they had to write a CPU-bound software implementation for an HEVC decoder instead. (f) Since the launch Xbox One can(not) provably stream 1080p gameplay via HEVC to a PC, and since encoding requires more resources than decoding, therefore the launch Xbox One can playback Ultra HD video!
- or -
(a) There's no documentation for hardware-based HEVC decoding/encoding in the launch Xbox One because that capability does not exist. (b) Stacey Spears said there's no dedicated HEVC decoder in the launch Xbox One because he knows what he's talking about. (c) The MS team developed a CPU-bound HEVC decoder because there was no dedicated hardware that they could use instead.