IssueTracker

Here is a log of a case where I had an error in admin_products.py. I edited the file so the variable close WAS defined, and refreshed the page in my browser. As you can see from my logging, the SDK isn't even checking if admin_products.py has changed, despite it finding an error in it! And I've no idea why it is checking admin_settings.py - I haven't browsed to that file since restarting the SDK.

INFO     2012-11-06 05:57:43,855 dev_appserver.py:3099] "POST /admin/products HTTP/1.1" 500 -
INFO     2012-11-06 05:58:21,219 dev_appserver.py:2585] --- File /home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/carebookings/util.py unchanged (old:1352091886 new:1352091886)
INFO     2012-11-06 05:58:21,220 dev_appserver.py:2585] --- File /home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/carebookings/main.py unchanged (old:1351752907 new:1351752907)
INFO     2012-11-06 05:58:21,222 dev_appserver.py:2585] --- File /home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/carebookings/admin_settings.py unchanged (old:1351828350 new:1351828350)
INFO     2012-11-06 05:58:21,223 dev_appserver.py:2585] --- File /home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/carebookings/models.py unchanged (old:1352178442 new:1352178442)
ERROR    2012-11-06 05:58:21,233 main.py:17] global name 'close' is not defined
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/lib/webapp2/webapp2.py", line 1530, in __call__
    rv = self.router.dispatch(request, response)
  File "/home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/lib/webapp2/webapp2.py", line 1278, in default_dispatcher
    return route.handler_adapter(request, response)
  File "/home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/lib/webapp2/webapp2.py", line 1102, in __call__
    return handler.dispatch()
  File "/home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/carebookings/util.py", line 81, in dispatch
    super(BaseHandler, self).dispatch()
  File "/home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/lib/webapp2/webapp2.py", line 572, in dispatch
    return self.handle_exception(e, self.app.debug)
  File "/home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/lib/webapp2/webapp2.py", line 570, in dispatch
    return method(*args, **kwargs)
  File "/home/gregf/Servers/google_appengine/carebookings/admin_products.py", line 105, in post
    self.org.products[pid]=Product(name, colour, limit, close, desc)
NameError: global name 'close' is not defined
INFO     2012-11-06 05:58:21,239 dev_appserver.py:3099] "POST /admin/products HTTP/1.1" 500 -

[Comment deleted]

I reverted to 1.7.1 and then 1.7.2 and changes were detected during a minimal test. I then re-installed 1.7.3 and changes were also detected, so I can't say if the problem is related to a particular version without more extensive testing.

I'll continue to use 1.7.3 until it breaks again, then revert to 1.7.2 and use that till it breaks.

Can you try adding the line:
self._dirty = True

as the first line after the docstring in the AreModuleFilesModified() in google/appengine/tools/dev_appserver.py

We got your feedback, but the chromecast device logs is missing. Please make sure that the 'Send device logs' checkbox is checked in the Chromecast app for you device and please resend the feedback with the same title.

This is caused by the fact that Chromecast plays 25fps/50fps content at 60Hz output video refresh rate (as is evident by the fact that the reporter has the same juddered behavior when he plays 25/50 content on his other devices using 60Hz video mode).

Since 25 is not an exact multiple of 60, the frames are played out at an uneven rate:
2-2-3-2-3-2-2-3-2-3
(each number represents an incoming 25p input video content frame and the value is the amount of HDMI output frames that contain the input frame)
For 50p content played back at the Chromecast 60Hz video mode:
1-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-1-2
So every fifth frame is duplicated, while the rest of the frames play too fast, causing a judder effect.

However, my experience is that only about 5-30% of people actually notice such judder (and many of those don't care). This has still come up many times in the Chromecast Help Forums, for example, however.
The judder is especially noticiable in panning shots and sports content.


Similar issue happens with most movie and North American TV series content as well. Both of those are 24p (or 23.976p), and thus playing them back on a 60hz video mode causes the following frame cadence:
2-3-2-3-2-3-2-3-2-3

This is much less noticiable than the 50p/25p issues since the "pattern" is short, but still an issue (you can google for "chromecast 24p" to find people suffering from this).


To fix this, Chromecast should automatically (or add an API to allow the application "manually" to) switch the HDMI video mode to 50Hz output (e.g. CEA-861 VIC 31) for 25/50fps content and 24Hz/23.976Hz (VIC 32) for 24/23.976fps content. Doing this automatically is the behavior of e.g. Samsung blu-ray players (and others) when using Netflix, when playing e.g. British TV content the video mode switches to 50Hz and when playing back movies it goes to 24Hz (as can be seen in the TV UI as video mode), instead of being fixed to 60Hz like on Chromecast.


I'm also experiencing this issue with all of the TV content here in Finland (which is 25p or in some cases 50p). I've tried on LG 55LH5000, LG 42LH2000 (with all motion interpolation related settings off) and on some other models, but this should affect all TV models. I can provide more info if needed.

Please reboot your Chromecast device, then after 1 min, start the Chromecast app on your mobile device and select your Chromecast device from the list of devices. Make sure that the 'Send device logs' checkbox is checked in the Chromecast app for your device, then use the menu option to submit a feedback report. Please prefix the report feedback title with "Issue 374:" so that we can find it.

OK, done.

Hi from Germany,

I an experiencing the same issue with any other TV I have used so far, because chromecast won't switch to 50Hz and all video material in Europe is 50Hz.

MT

Same problem for me. Chromecast is always running in 60Hz causing judder for 50Hz content.
/Andreas

[Comment deleted]

[Comment deleted]

Same issue here in sweden. Looking on sport gets me dizzy and a bit headache. Chromecast is connected to applicera Yamaha and tv Panasonic. Same issue if i connect direct to tv

Same problem here. I even tried to run Chromecast through the HDMI in on my Xbox One console and forcing 50 Hz output. Yet the judder persisted.

All tv carriers and many content provideres in Europe broadcast in 50 Hz. Thus it's imperative that a viable solution is found.

BR,
Anders

Same issue here (Denmark). Chromecast is basically useless for 25/50Hz and for 24Hz.

I have returned it for a refund.

I didn't notice this behaviour until this evening when I was watching supposedly smooth output from YouTube. The juddering effect on my UK TV (almost the same Samsung model D8000 as above, with Game Mode enabled) is very distracting!

I very much hope this is not a case where 'you get what you pay for' :(

Will this be fixed? Or is that impossible due to hardware limitations? That would be really sad...

Same here. 24p content looks really ugly on Chromecast.

Armchair developer speaking here:

The framerate is a meta-information that comes with the video stream. The Chromecast  firmware should be able to parse this information and then switch the video mode's framerate.

The stick's hardware is probably able to do this (these days it's tough to find SoC video hardware that can't switch to 24/25/50/60 framerates), so it's more a driver/firmware issue.

Please add this feature. Thx.

It would be really nice to see this issue solved in the next FW version.
Regards

I am starting to wonder whether this is hardware limitation. This issue has been know for a while and there has been no statement from Chromecast team whatsoever. It has been discussed several times on user product forum: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/chromecast with no particular outcome.

Just guessing:

I doubt it's a hardware limitation, but it could be a usability "feature" in favour of KISS.

There are TVs that do not support 24p. By using 60p only, the Chromecast never shows a black screen to users who own a TV like that.

This is a feature that has existed in DVD, mediaplayers and set top boxes for ages. Even the chinese Android TV sticks can change refresh rates. That Google could not get it to work would be astonishing. All HDMI tv sets report which resolutions they are capable of. All signs point to laziness from Goggles side.
As mentioned, all European movies, tv shows and especially sport which contain camera panning or moving objects are a pain to watch due to stuttering. Until this is fixed I could never recommend this product.

Same issue confirmed by me watching svtplay (sweden) I bought this device in USA and though it might be a different version of the cromecast HW. Seams not to be the case. Until this is solved the device has limited usage in my home.

Same Issue with my TV (LG 42LM620S) when streaming YouTube or from the Plex Media-Server.

Same problem here in Germany with my Sony KDL 46NX715, for example when streaming from Plex - movies are not watchable. Don't use the chromecast any more until this issue is fixed.....

Samsung UE55ES7090

Chromecast ruckelt bei Kameraschwenks... (ansonsten ruckelt der TV nicht !)

Same issue for me (Germany).
Brought back to the shop after 10 minutes of usage.
Could not believe it.
My prediction: It will NOT be fixed.

I think the best way to raise the awareness at Google is to use the feedback, like described in reply #7. If Google would get like a million feedbacks concerning this issue 374, I'm sure it would get better attention.

This issue is the reason why I will not buy Chromecast or recommend it to anyone. Smooth framerate, and matching of hdmi frequency to video content is a must have for a video player.

Same problem - chromecast and android hdmi output does not switch to the 50p or 24p Video framerate and this produces extreme stuttering. This needs to get fixed!

http://www.minixforum.com/threads/autoframerate-detection-switching-output-hd-audio-passthrough-licenses.158/
...for more info

We appreciate everybody's input on this issue. Our engineers have spent some time investigating the issue and have worked with our hardware partners to consider various solutions. Our conclusion is that the TV is in the best position to handle HDMI refresh rates. Chromecast cannot attempt to handle changes in HDMI refresh rates since it is very hard to accurately identify the incoming frame rate. Also, every time there is a HDMI mode change, it usually leads to flashing or loss of picture for a few seconds. Blu-ray players can handle this issue because discs have extra metadata that would allow players to output at the most suitable rate. This is very hard to pull off with streaming content.

Then why are you not providing a MANUAL setting through Chromecast app, or are we forced to buy an AppleTV, which actually works in 50hz?

[Comment deleted]

unbelievable....

@lnicho:  That's a joke, isn't it?  **head shake**

How can Inicho... say that the TV is in the best position to handle HDMI refresh rate when the Chromecast is only outputting 60hz???

Come on, please provide at MANUAL setting then in the app if you cant fix it other wise. We need this baaaadly in Europe.

They won't read any new comment, I think. This issues status is "closed", so they will ignore this thread from this moment.
They will never fix this issue (or rather offer an manual setting) as the US are the center point of the Universe, and they are not interested in problems around them.

The refresh rate really only needs to be changed when playback is started,
at the point the app will know what refers rate is required. The app needs
a way to tell the Chromecast what to do. The Chromecast doesn't need to
figure out anything.

Plenty of networked media players do this automatically, perhaps Google
engineers could have a look at the many open-source projects that are
available?

I expect that statement be should be enough to get a refund under consumer protection laws but personally I'm disappointed that Google is incapable of finding a solution which means I won't be looking to Google for any future media playback devices.

Google knows the origin of the apps, set the default refresh appropriately. For multinational content providers like Netflix offer a selection option which could be hidden in the settings menu, or just add a switch refresh rate option in the Chromecast app as suggested above.

I understand why Google wants friction free viewing, but for those of us who know what the problem is and its causes and who are bothered enough to complain is there really going to be no fix or workaround.

With the Chromecast references to H2G2-42 and MST3K there must be someone in Google smart enough to find a solution :P

Unbelievable ignorance.
Just a manual setting of the frame rate would satisfy most here.

Quote : Our conclusion is that the TV is in the best position to handle
HDMI refresh rates
That is correct, our TVs are capable of handling all different refresh
rates, but the Chromecast forces all input to 60hz!!!
So please Google give us at least a workaround by means of a manual setting
or whatever.
There is more than only 60Hz in the world :(

2014-11-26 9:46 GMT+01:00 <google-cast-sdk@googlecode.com>:

Approx 30 people have complained about this - how many Chromecasts have been sold? That, regrettably, is the reason this is a 'wontfix.'

A shame, but there you go. Perhaps the next generation of Chromecast hardware will address this. <shrug>

This response does not make much sense.

"It is very hard to accurately identify the incoming frame rate."

Obviously, the video mode's refresh rate should only be changed when the video stream's meta data contain the refresh rate information. Otherwise, using a 60Hz default should be fine.

"Also, every time there is a HDMI mode change, it usually leads to flashing or loss of picture for a few seconds."

Then make the ability for video mode refresh rate change an optional and disable it by default. (That's how my blu ray player does it, too.)

"Our conclusion is that the TV is in the best position to handle HDMI refresh rates."

Yes. But the Chromecast uses 60Hz, only. The TV or the user both cannot override that.

[Comment deleted]

Simple explanation why this is "no issue" for most is basically described here: https://www.change.org/p/hdtv-manufacturers-please-stop-making-smooth-motion-the-default-setting-on-all-hdtvs. As long as hardware manufacturers rely on IFC and similar systems, mass users will not see any difference with Chromecast outputting on 60hz, as any judder (including the natural "film look" of 24p) gets washed away by SDK. The artifacts and unpleasantness of resulting image goes unnoticed by most, unfortunately.

I still, however, do not see a point in not including this setting in dev mode or in SDK for the respective apps to instruct Chromecast (e.g. BBC to output in 50hz etc.).

Sorry for beating the dead horse, but please search for

XBox One 50Hz

with your favourite search engine.

Microsoft's game console was affected by this problem, as well, and it resulted in quite a stink, see <http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/26/xbox-one-juddering-plagues-uk-tv-watchers> as an example.

The guys at Microsoft have been able to fix this with a later firmware update, so I wonder what's stopping the Chromecast team.

[Comment deleted]

[Comment deleted]

We should open an new issue-thread. I don't think, that they read any comments on closed threads (arrogantly).

I develop video software for a living and have done so for the last 15 years. I fully understand the difficulties in reliably parsing the frame rate from streams where the incoming timestamps dictate the rate of video play and the joys of HDMI control.

Europe has a large installed base of TVs made prior to the advent of good video post processing. These TVs will not cope with 60Hz streams and pull out the originating 24Hz/23.97Hz/25Hz content then motion interpolate it to a higher rate as many newer sets do.

It is extremely remiss of you not to provide an option to force the default output rate of the device to 50Hz as nearly every other player in this space has done (albeit it belatedly in some cases). They should also however be providing a force 24Hz option too but many don't giving you an opportunity to beat the rest.

> Blu-ray players can handle this issue because discs have extra metadata that
> would allow players to output at the most suitable rate. This is very hard to
> pull off with streaming content.

If this is a reference to my comment regarding Samsung Blu-ray players doing automatic refresh rate switching, note that I talked about *streaming* content, not discs. They can automatically switch to 24p or 50p when needed.

It could well be the streaming application that sets the refresh rate (rather than the player probing the video stream), though, but IMHO that would probably be "good enough" for Chromecast as well - the ability for the Cast receiver to set a preferred refresh rate via the API, similar to Android "preferredRefreshRate" attribute added to WindowManager.LayoutParams in Android 5.0 Lollipop for presumably exactly this purpose ( http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/WindowManager.LayoutParams.html#preferredRefreshRate ).

I would advise everyone who has this issue to return their chromecast. Maybe that will make google listen. Pretty pathetic.

This is awful, it should be easy to allow the HDMI refresh rate to be changed :S

"We appreciate everybody's input on this issue. Our engineers have spent some time investigating the issue and have worked with our hardware partners to consider various solutions. Our conclusion is that the TV is in the best position to handle HDMI refresh rates. Chromecast cannot attempt to handle changes in HDMI refresh rates since it is very hard to accurately identify the incoming frame rate. Also, every time there is a HDMI mode change, it usually leads to flashing or loss of picture for a few seconds. Blu-ray players can handle this issue because discs have extra metadata that would allow players to output at the most suitable rate. This is very hard to pull off with streaming content."

Huh?
If the metadata is missing, let the user manually override. (With both a system default, and a per-session setting)
If the metadata is there, use it.

Also: Use your Google clout to make sure streams DO CONTAIN this metadata.

Flicker from the TV? Who cares? Switching channels also gives "flicker". I don't care if the image is lost for a few seconds just when the casting starts. It's at least 5000 seconds of shitty vs. nice motion coming up, so I can sacrifice two seconds to get the good version. Makes sense, no?

If you don't take video seriously, what's the point of using your video products?

... and do you really expect anyone in Europe to buy into Android TV?  More beta hardware to go with your beta software... :/

Plees fix

The WONTFIX reply of the Google support is unbelievably ignorant. The majority of flat screen TV sets even can't reverse the 3: 2 pulldown for 24 Hz source material ("inverse telecine"), but doing this correctly for 50 Hz material on 60 Hz I haven't seen yet.

So for 50 Hz source material the Chromecast is absolutely unusable. For 24 Hz source material it is also not acceptable for me. You Americans are used to the 3:2 pulldown for decades on local TV broadcasts, but we in Europe not. It is really an issue, believe me. I will never spend money on VOD content with 3:2 pulldown.

The Amazon Fire TV can at least be switched to 50 Hz manually, but also has no 24 Hz support.

I'm surprised that no-one's yet mentioned the fact that running a TV at 60Hz on a 50Hz power grid results in a much, much brighter backlight. For ages I thought that the LG HDTV I use as a monitor on my PC was just dying, however when I switched the PC's display settings from the default 60Hz to 50Hz the backlight suddenly started behaving properly, and a blank screen no longer looked slate grey instead of black. This also seems true of my other Philips HDTV, which has the Chromecast plugged into it. All other HDMI inputs display black screens as black screens when the content is set to run at 50Hz, whereas the Chromecast output is significantly brighter and more grey. To me, this is more annoying than the frame judder as it makes the entire signal look wrong, not just the occasional frame.

[Comment deleted]

Google, please do fix this. All content in europe is in 50Hz so it's unwatchable on chromecast. Or allow the choice to manually set the refresh rate through the app ...

Waoo!!! This can't bee true! Juste tested my new Chromecast, and it is fixed to 60hz HDMI output?!? All the same problem, as with PS3,PS4 Xbox360, and also now Xbox One has big problems in Europe, with 25fps content. Judder on all devices, and now also Chromecast. Please learn.. that there is other TV/video systems, then USA stuf in ther world. I hope for a fix, before Christmas 2014. Please !!!

this makes me think of TiVo which can automatically check what resolution is optimal for the television .samma technology should be able to use to check the frame rate is optimal for TV

This is pure laziness mixed with arrogance.

If Google chooses to sell hardware in Europe and only one framerate is hardcoded, this would have to be 50fps. Not 60fps. You could even automatically select framerate based on location, easy peasy.

Every television can play 24, 25/50, 30/60 fps perfectly, but you only let chromecast throw 60fps at it. So chromecast converts every thing (24/25/50) to a 60fps stream, because you find it hard work to get the flash out of it during a refresh-rate change. This conversion just kills a smooth framerate and a enjoyable viewing experience.

You are going the easy route and it results in a mediocre experience.

Maybe a stupid question but :

Why not just check the open-source code of xbmx / kodi. They have been able to change the output framerate based on the media's framerate for years now. So why can't Google just use their code to detect the source framerate?

Do anyone know, if there is a website, where they are getting started to sue Google, for selling products in countries, where there can't be used ?

if google are unlikely to offer 50hz as a manual option could someone not bring out 'hacked' firmware which will have the 50hz option in it? - also on another point on my samsung TV it forces 1920x1080p even if i set the chromecast app to 720 again there should be a working manual setting for that too that sets the tv to 720p but that dont seem to work on my TV

"We appreciate everybody's input on this issue. Our engineers have spent some time investigating the issue and have worked with our hardware partners to consider various solutions. Our conclusion is that the TV is in the best position to handle HDMI refresh rates. Chromecast cannot attempt to handle changes in HDMI refresh rates since it is very hard to accurately identify the incoming frame rate. Also, every time there is a HDMI mode change, it usually leads to flashing or loss of picture for a few seconds. Blu-ray players can handle this issue because discs have extra metadata that would allow players to output at the most suitable rate. This is very hard to pull off with streaming content."

This answer is unacceptable.

Whether the tv is in a better position to handle incoming signals is completely irrelevant.

How can you sell a product on the European market which is incompatible with the region's tv standard? Do you really think a car manufacturer could get away with selling cars on the UK market if they insisted on placing the driver's seat to the left? Essentially that's what you are doing here.

You have 3 following options:

1. Update firmware to allow for manual refresh rate override. This is already standard on other Android based devices and Apple TV.
2. Work with streaming service providers to set 24, 50 and 60 Hz automatically, i.e. through flags encoded in the data stream. All newer Samsung devices offer this.
3. If non of the above is possible due to hardware limitations, explicit disclaimers must be included on product packaging and all other forms of product information so consumers are fully aware that your product only supports 60 Hz refresh rate.

 Why the F**k won't you (Google) fix a clear problem?
24hz is a problem for all !
50hz is a problem for EU an other places

Useless. I thought Google to be a inventive company. There is always a way.

You should stop selling this Chromecast not able to stream content properly, and offer a refund for anybody not satisfied. There should be a disclaimer that European content in 25Hz is not supported.

Why is Google not listening to its customers?

The only reason I personally have not tried to return my Chromecast is that I use it to watch movies on Play Store. But it pisses me off every time I try to watch local Norwegian content!

try changing refresh rate to 59hz, its actually 59.93 or something but it depicts the difference in hardware and understanding between PAL and NTSC

#74:
What do you mean?

Chromecast locks the refresh rates at 60 Hz and there's nothing the user can do to change it.

This is indeed a bit disappointing since it can't be that difficult to get a manual option into this tiny little stick, can it?

This is clearly a bug, as this issue is fixable by Play/Pausing the video 2-3 times (you don't have to wait, just play/pause repeatedly). Tested myself and it instantly fixes the problem in Netflix and Hulu.

Found this solution here:
https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/109586-jerky-video-not-buffering-related/


Without the Play/Pause trick it appears as if Chromecast is dropping frames while buffering in the background for the higher quality streams. Usually after 3-5 minutes, this effect disappears. While this is OK for Netflix, in Hulu you get commercials that interrupt the streaming so this happens again and again.

I don't experience this problem in YouTube.

In conclusion I think something could be done about without implementing 50Hz support.

This is another matter. Locking to 60Hz will give crappy movements when you play 25Hz material. There is no way around that. Other than setting the refresh rate to something that can be divided by 25.

That's true, but this trick combined with my LG TV image smooth function completely fixes the problem.

PS4 also outputs at 60Hz, but playback is smooth to the eye from the start.

Or should I say, completely "hides" the problem.

Using frame rate interpolation or similar systems is a work-around not a fix. Frame rate interpolation also introduces other problems such as "soap opera" effect when playing 25 fps film content.

I had same on my sony KDL-32D3000, and fixed that by changing the Film mode setting to "auto 2". This tells the TV to "provide the original film-based content as is. And voila, stutter gone!

BS! If source is 25Hz and Chromecast is locked to 60Hz any magic to fix this degrades the image and flow. It's just like putting on blurry glasses when you have low resolution and imagining yourself it's hi-res.

"I had same on my sony KDL-32D3000, and fixed that by changing the Film mode setting to "auto 2". This tells the TV to "provide the original film-based content as is. And voila, stutter gone!"

This is 60 Hz -> 24 Hz conversion and has nothing to do with CC's incompatibility with 50 Hz sources. No tv can reconstruct the original 25/50 Hz content from a 60 Hz HDMI signal.

No that's true. Even if it looks ok, it isn't because of the internal conversion to 60hz inside CC. Hopefully we get an firmware update on that.

Sad that Google doesn't care about European customers. :( It looks like shit on my tv.

I also find this unbelievable.
Claiming that the TV is responsible for handling the HDMI refresh rate is just nonsense: If the video source does not send the frames at the correct rate, the TV needs to perform magic (i.e. advanced algorithms) to realize this and try to correct for it. How can you consider this to be the "best position"?
The fact that some TV:s succeed in certain cases does not justify letting it be.

At the very least, let us control the frame rate manually.
60, 50 or 23.976 Hz.
Please.

Hi,

I am living in France; I just bought a chromecast, but I will return it very soon;

It is a pitty that I am not be able to change the framerate;

Of course slow pan and some action films are prohibited and very distracting;

Others films are unwatchable.

Please, just let us change change framerate, a least for 50hz (European, Australian...)

Just fix it!
Gunnar SWeden

Unbelievable ignorance and/or technical incompetence. Will never buy this broken crap and tell anyone elso to not buy this either. Will buy an Amazon Fire instead.

Can't believe Google response. As others said, it denotes ignorance about the issue and arrogance. Chinese Android TV boxes do fix this, yet Google says it's not an issue. I'm a video engineer and I am simply astonished. I really hope Android TV in the future doesn't go this route as it currently does, too.

Was going to recommend one to my Brother but now will suggest he goes for a Roku

Very ignorant, Google.  Add the 10 lines of code so we can choose manually the refresh rate please.

The correct fix would be to default the Chromecast to 50Hz in Europe. Given Chromexasts are already built to specific country builds, that shouldn't be too difficult to achieve.

Picture quality for BBC iPlayer and other major content partners in the UK is poor, since they all produce 50Hz-compatible content.

Forcing 50Hz is good for 50Hz content, but makes it worse for 24Hz content! So not a good solution for everyone.

@ #95:

Nope, the correct fix is to read the framerate from the video's metadata and then switch to a suitable 24Hz/50Hz/60Hz video mode based on that.

Like, say, every other video player out there, e.g. Kodi/XBMC.

Then I can see why Google have marked it as a wontfix, since they don't want flickering screens. This isn't what Amazon's Fire TV nor Apple TV does.

That is unfortunate, but understandable. What is not understandable, though, is not having the ability override this and set it manually, either in app or in devel chrome extension. This option might not be used by masses (who prefer flicker free 60Hz with some kind of motion interpolation), but is crucial for the few of us who appreciate true 24p cadence of movies. Or for anyone who is used to watch PAL region content in its natural framerate.

It turns out that Apple TV *does* switch between 60Hz and 50Hz depending on the video type. (This is a controllable setting, as I understand it).

My suggestion would be, then: default at the correct frequency (60Hz for the US, 50Hz for Europe), but add a setting to switch to the native resolution if desired. I don't know enough about HDMI to know whether the TV advertises what is supported: I can understand that 50Hz might not be supported on a US television, for example.

We are continuing to investigate this issue and are looking into ways to resolve this based on user feedback.

That was unexpected but good news none the less.

Finally found an explanation for what I was seeing. Was blaming Blinkbox for their streaming then realised its only a judder problem when casting. I bought 2 of these chrome casts in the UK. If no fix comes soon I'll get Amazonf Fire stick or Roku instead, and no longer recommend Chromecast to friends and family.

One thought on this, if my TV auto detects the 60Hz from the chromecast, why are there frame rate issues? Is the problem actually with the source stream?

The problem with streams comes from the way the video is produced today. Some of it with 24 fps (most movies and modern shows), some with 25p/50 (European PAL region) and some in 30 fps (US live TV for example). Modern TVs can handle all three modes, usually. The bottleneck is here the Cromecast, which attempts to change 25p/50 and 24p signals to 30 fps and output the at fixed 60hz. There is no way to decode the original 25 or 24 fps signal from this. It is a nice fail-safe to display everything at 60hz, as this is the most compatible mode (at least for US TVs), but it should be allowed for users to override this if they chose so. It is important to note that anyone used to watch with motion interpolation ON would be most probably fine with 60hz, as any judder is washed away by this, at the expense of "film look". These motion interpolation algorithms are important marketing feature for TV vendors, which might be the reason behind them saying that Chromecast outputting fixed 60hz is just fine (as reported by Google in the first closure of this topic as "wont fix").

Dear Google,
You should contact Jeff from SageTV (the company) that you bought a couple years ago. SageTV's setop box could do auto switch 24/60/50!
You might all ready own code to fix the problem!

I bought a Amazon Fire TV Stick - GREAT! You can switch frame rates. No judder.
Just forget the chromcast - they will never fix it.

Hard to believe that Google is this ignorant with the entire european market. Chromecast = alpha product :)

Not only the european market, they are ignoring all content that isn't 30fps.
24fps content looks like crap at 60Hz on my TV which is what you get when played using chromecast.
(some people might be used to that, and some TVs might be able to smooth it out a bit but I am not used to it and my TV shows the raw HDMI feed as-is, which looks great with other real video players (everything but chromecast))

For a device that is marketed as a video playing device this is absolutely horrible and shockingly incompetent.

How hard can it be to provide an API call to set the refresh rate?
There is no guessing needed, the video playing application knows the frame rate of the video.

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I am also having the same issue on my Chromecast. Some 24p and 25p videos are almost unwatchable. I really think Google should fix this bug without users having to complain for so many months! I mean for a company that is trying to be a leader in innovation and development a simple problem like this should be a no-brainer. Come on Google, I think your loyal European customers deserve that you take them serious and fix this problem as soon as possible.

Watching Band of Brothers, or anything that involves a certain amount of panning and movement is a real pain with all this studder! I have two Chromecasts myself, and have told several others to get one, but I'll demand money back for mine, and suggest my friends do the same, should this silly problem persist.
Fix. It. Google.
Love, Europe.
 

Android dongles, you can change the settings manually, such as the 24Hz same as on bluray movies

So Fix the issue. How hard can it be?

This really should be fixed. Even an option to set the hdmi mode manually would be much better than the current situation, if Google can't develop some automatic detection. But this is absolutely useless.

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Waiting for fix before buying Chromecast..

Waiting for fix to get more chromecasts :) Was ready to throw the one I had in the bin before this got Acknowledged.

Definitely waiting for a fix... how I never read about this in reviews is beyond me!

Same problem in Denmark. Sent feedback to google as adviced, but Google - this realy needs attention og you want to sell hardware in europe!

Google, can you please give us an update on the progress regarding this issue?

I tell everybody that I know, that Chromecast is not worth buying. Really is a shitty piece of hardware.

Crossing my fingers that they've fixed this in the new Chromecast.

Oh yes, I will buy the new Chromecast, if it has 50hz, as I need it for European streaming services which dont have apps for tv or wdtv or such.

Anyone tested 50 hz issue on the new Chromecast yet?

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Just purchased a Chromecast 2 and looks like the same problem still exists, first noticed it while streaming a 24fps 1080p movie from my Plex server.  Also tested with 25fps 576p content and worse still, hence searching and finding this post.  Back to my WDTV to stream my movies for now then, rubbish interface but at least the movie plays properly!

Well, so it seems I don't need to upgrade my Chromecast :(
I just wonder why nobody seems noticing this issue, except the few people writing here. I read a lot of review (also from european sources) and nobody is writing about 25 fps support. It's like the old 4:3 content inflated to fill a 16:9 screen on a lot of misconfigured tv, almost nobody is noticing the ugly effect and the flattened heads.

We haven't heard from Google since July 6, and now the new Chromecast has the same issue. I would like a comment from Google on that. I don't understand why Google can't let people switch to 50 Hz manually. I am able to do that on my six year old WDTV. Can't this be fixed in a firmware upgrade? Come on, Google!

Come on google. Even an open beta for us suffering this issue would be ok. And btw. this issue is also with 24hz & 23.976 Hz. This is a must when dealing with video, and a bit embarrassing that google haven't thought of this when releasing the original Chromecast..

This is not even fixed in Chromecast 2, I just received mine.
I had forgotten that THIS was the problem problem which rendered my Cromecast unusable. My AV AMP + Projector loses whole image every few minutes.

Come on Google, fix this already !

Received my Chromecast 2 today and I confirm it's just bad to watch movies with it.
I'm a Netflix beta user and it's a pain to watch any movie.
The same movies on my iPad or MBP or Mac Mini connected to my TV are just fine.

I'm returning my Chromecast as Google seems addamment to not fix the issue for so long.

Seriously! Just bought the new Chromecast 2 and can't believe this is an issue.  Been using HTPC's for years and this was a major problem many many years ago when you would have to manually set the graphics card refresh rate for various source material.  Can't believe we are going backwards or is it just Europe doesn't matter, and it's all about the US.  

Just a thought, how do tablets display the 50fps content?  Would they also display generally at 60fps but because of screen size the issue is not as noticeable.  If this is the case, would it be feasible for the app providers to change the stream they host to match the general 60Hz requirement?

This is getting ridiculous. First Google closes the issue as a "won't fix", then reopen the issue 6 months later. Now, another 6 months on, they release a completely new hardware version, and the issue is still present? The Chromecast is awesome, except for this major issue! I would recommend everyone to get one, except this issue keeps me from that. The comments from Google are just sad. It's not hard to read the metadata for a video stream to figure out the best refresh rate to set (XBMC is open source, have a look at how they do it? They solved it years ago). Even if it was, there is no reason not to let the receiver app choose the refresh rate. "But the TV will flash for a second when it switches modes!". Know what? That's OK! It has never been a problem for any other device, like bluray players etc. Come on Google, fix this! It is a device made for playing video, make sure it plays them correctly!

RaspberryPI omxplayer allow for HDMI auto switch. The parsing of the fps is available on every content. To speed-up the lass of picture the EDID send frequency has to be higher as demonstrated by products like  Dr HDMI http://www.drhdmi.eu/

Also people think that US only uses 60hz but actually even ATSC supports 50hz since 1997 and in 2008 made mandatory together with 1080p@60hz with H.264 update.

So the only explanation for 50/60 issues and not overall compatibility is people stuck with analog broadcast.

I have the same issue and it is horrible to watch.
I own both the old and new Chromecast and both have this issue.
(My TV is a brand new Panasonic CX7 model)

Google really needs to fix this. Where do I send this feedback to?

Please fix this issue. It is the only thing ruining this product in europe.The problem is especially relevant when trying to stream sports produced at 50Hz.

A company as big as Google can do what they want

I too have this issue, is the only solution to buy a firestick?

Well, it's changed to defect - medium.

So will be fixed at some point!  Be happy!

Hopefully they will fix it now!

I bought the new Chromecast and with Netflix is very bad experience. The lack of change frame rate output support is very annoying.

Hasn't the status been "defect - medium" the whole time?

Google, can't you tell us what is happening? What are you planning on doing with this issue? Please respond in this thread.

Just adding my voice to this - really need 24p output on the Chromecast. The main reason I got one was to watch films. Very disappointed.

No reasonable explanation has yet been offered as to why this can't be done.

You guys need to implement a solution to this problem. Playing 25/50 Hz content on a 60Hz device is not pretty :-/

I realize that the screen will flash shortly if the refresh rate is changed on the fly and that that might be a concern in relation to less educated users that doesn't understand why.

I propose that -both- a manual override be implemented so that Europeans can choose 50Hz fixed refresh rate, -and- an option for Auto refresh rate that can be activated by more techsavvy users. That feature can be OFF by default if need be.

Please add support for 50hz and 24hz because its really annoying when frames get repeated an un-even number of times making especially panorating really frustrating.

It would be enough placing a manual option in the settings if it was so difficult to find the correct frame rate.

Please just fix this! No use of the CC as for now.

The HDMI interface between TV and Nexus Player is auto negotiated to be 60 Hz. Fine as long as the streamed content being played is either 30 or 60 fps.

In Europe most commonly streamed content is 25 or 50 fps. When such content is being decoded by the nexus player the HDMI port frequency have to be adjusted automatically by the nexus player is self to either 25 fps or 50 fps. 2 sec black out has no impact on the experience as long as the video is not juddering.

That's it. Without it, the product is simple not working as expected.

I just want to mention that since the October OTA update, the nVidia Shield Android TV actually allows you to select the refresh rate:
"23.976/50Hz screen refresh selection" is noted as one of the new features on this page:
http://nvidiashieldzone.com/index.php/shield-android-tv/shield-android-tv-ota-2-0/

Also some reviews are mentioning this:
http://hometheaterreview.com/nvidia-shield-4k-streaming-media-player-reviewed/

So at least nVidia got their act together and provided a solution in their version of Android TV. Now Google "just" has to fix it in their own product...

This is option in the new chromecast app

Really? Where? Have they updated the app now? I looks like the latest version is from september 29...

Looks promising! Does it work well? I'm waiting for the update.

That only looks like 50Hz. I only care about getting 24Hz.

Chromecast now has 50Hz support. Please go to https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chromecast/Mj37qk5emKw to find out more.

I have been plagued by these stuttering issues for absolutely ages now. Playing anything on BBC iPlayer has not been pleasant to watch, and the new All4 app is terrible. However, I can confirm that the new update (1.17.48342), and forcing the 50Hz mode, does restore natural motion. If you switch is back to 60Hz, it's all juddery again. This is all on a 2012 Samsung TV (all motion settings and enhancements off by the way). Now what's odd, my other 2 TVs in the house, both Sony's (one is quite old, the other is new this year), do not seem to have the juddery motion, and changing the 50Hz toggle doesn't seem to make any appreciable difference, whereas on the Samsung it's like night and day! So maybe there is also something to do with the TVs causing problems too?

Thank you! And Thank you again!

This is really good news!!  I made a small test and it works.

Restricting comments on this thread so the resolution is easily visible to all interested.

When will you add option to set 24p output?

yeah, - Now we need 24p.. And autodetect framerate, so you dont have to change this manually when changing video source... It should be simple..

24p is not necessary and will create more problems that it solves:

1. A 24p option would be useless for anyone but the enthusiast. The average CC user has no knowledge about the difference between 24/50/60p sources and how to separate them.
2. Also you would need to support both 24p and 23.976p (to fit a 59.94 Hz NTSC signal) seperately since both formats are widely used.
3. Most newer tv's can autodetect a 24p source from a 60 Hz HDMI signal and perform automatic 3-2 pulldown. Compatible tv's will then display the 24p source at 96 or 120 Hz (depending on the tv brand). E.g. my 2014 Samsung tv can do this.

24p is definately necessary.

I am not fond of 'modern' smart tvs because of the limited support and slow interfaces, so I use a chromecast to stream all my Netflix content to my tv. My TV (Panasonic Vierra Plasma from 2009 which still functions beautifully because it just is a tuner with a screen) supports 24p, but the Chromecast does not. So my TV outputs in 50 or 60hz. 24p content (which Netflix has a lot) simply looks jurky, so it should be the Chromecast autodetecting what is streamed and setting the tv in the right mode then the other way around.

But that's just my opinion :)

24p has been a standard feature of practically every consumer disc player
since the introduction of blu ray. I haven't heard widespread complains or
tech support issues with that feature.

Therefore, it would be a welcome addition to the Chromecast. Please
implement this, it would greatly enhance the usefulness of the device for
this user.

This would be awesome.

Add a auto detect feature and have it disabled by default since what #164 says is true it will only affect us that notices and hates the stutter that happens with the wrong refresh rate. The 50/60hz feature should be auto detect as well since I use both of the equally it's a real hassle to manually change it all the time.

Like I said, 24p is not just 24p. Some sources are 24p while others are 23.976p. 23.976p isees the most widespread use in home entertainment (Bluray+streaming) since this format fits the 59.94 NTSC standard.

Thus if Google were to implement "24p" they would have to add both 24p and 23.976p leaving it the user to select the correct format. Perfectly feasible of course but not exactly user friendly.

Auto detect would be the preferable option and will probably be added in future Chromecast product supporting newer HDMI standard which allow for more sophisticated frame rate control.

How in the h... would adding 24 (and 23.976) add ANY problems for the home users. If done right (with autodetect), the endusers wont even notice it changes. They only "problem" you get are less judder.

Some may not give s... but when you make video equipment and are a big company like Google, you do things like this RIGHT the first time. And not limping along with only 60hz support, while selling to euro customers needing 50hz..

It's kind of pathetic, i bet this would NEVER happen in Panasonic or Sony.. if it did, someone would get fired..

@169:
1. I'm not talking about automatic 24p detection, I'm talking about a manual toggle like the 50 Hz on/off toggle. I'm sure amy users are already confused about the current 50 Hz toggle and another frame rate toggle would only make things more confusing for the average user.

2. Automatic frame rate detection is off the table for current Chromecast products. It's just not possible with the current HDMI version.

3. Regarding Sony, well I guess there may be some lay offs in the Playstation Division since the PS3 and PS4 consoles don't support anything but 60 Hz when it comes to streaming :-) 24 and 50 Hz are only supported in media playback (DVD and Bluray). To be fair, Xbox consoles have the same limitation.

So the PS3 and 4 does support 24p, but the streaming providers app's doesn't.. So is that a Sony fault?

Regarding HDMI version and autodetect, it to my knowledge shouldn't be a limitation of the HDMI version. My raspberry pi 1 does this with Kodi, but maybe, again, it is the app developers who won't implement it.

Anyways, I don't understand why a toggle would confuse ppl. if they don't even know what 24p is what is the problem? Chances are those ppl won't even use the Google home app..

#171:

"So the PS3 and 4 does support 24p, but the streaming providers app's doesn't.. So is that a Sony fault?"

Yes. Sony (and Microsoft) do not allow apps to run at a different frame rate than the OS (menu system).

"Regarding HDMI version and autodetect, it to my knowledge shouldn't be a limitation of the HDMI version. My raspberry pi 1 does this with Kodi, but maybe, again, it is the app developers who won't implement it."

The current HDMI version does not allow apps to dynamically alter the frame rate. at least not in the way Chromecast functions.

"Anyways, I don't understand why a toggle would confuse ppl. if they don't even know what 24p is what is the problem? Chances are those ppl won't even use the Google home app.."

As I said previously you would actually need TWO (2) different toggles, 23.976p and 24p and the user would have to figure out themselves when one or the other applies. Very confusing for anyone but the most knowledgable users.

Bottom line:
24p is not going to happen unless Google changes the way apps run in the current Chromecast eco system. I don't think they will do anything about current products, but there's definitely a chance they will implement automatic frame rate adjustments in future products running HDMI 2.1 or higher.

But to be fair, Microsoft, Sony and Apple do not fare any better. In fact the former two do not even support 50 Hz in apps.

Folks, the 24p feature suggestion is pretty different from the 50 vs. 60 issue.  The latter is mostly a region thing, and so it's a persistent user setting.  I'm not sure that posting comments to this closed bug is going to push anywhere.

24p is something that you wouldn't want to enable for all media, since it's a terrible experience for content that isn't 24p.  It wouldn't be a persistent user setting (aside from perhaps allowing the switch to occur or not), but would need to be an API thing for developers. And that would introduce some pretty disruptive HDMI mode changes when the user starts and stops casting.

Frankly, if you're the type of home theater videophile who cares about 24p video sync, I don't think Chromecast is the ideal device for you.  There are numerous other limitations on the device.  For example, it does not support lossless high-resolution audio formats.  It also only supports 7.1 surround via EAC3, preventing playback of more common 7.1 formats like DTS and TrueHD.  The H.264 video buffer on the device is limited to 30 MB, preventing Blu-Ray quality 1080p video bit rates from being streamable.

I could see a world where Google gets more serious about the premium market (e.g. with the Chromecast Ultra) and tries to appease this audience more, but they haven't demonstrated interest there yet.  Until then, 24p playback in 60p mode with slight motion judder will have to suffice.

I don't think I agree re. 50hz/60hz being a persistent user setting.  I live in the UK, and have a lot of content from the UK in 50hz, but also a lot of content from the US in 60hz.  The framerate should change depending on what I choose to play.

From that point of view I think it makes sense to detect 23.976/24/50/60, and just switch.

Although at some point HDMI 2.1 is going to save us from this mess, by introducing variable frame rates.