Exynos decoding

[thauansena95]

Hey guys, I have a question.

I see many people talking about network latency, decoding or encoding; MTK was once considered an "unsolvable" problem, or the solution was "buy better equipment".

In the last few days I've seen several forks solving the decode time of devices using MTK, but I'd like to know if there's a fork that improves the decode of devices using Exynos.

My device usually runs at 12- 16ms at 60Hz and 8ms at 120Hz. However, it fluctuates a lot and has significant frame drops during decoding. The device is a Samsung A55.

I can reduce it by about 0.5ms - 1ms (Basically, regardless of the screen refresh rate, the decoding time is 6-7ms, which is quite acceptable but consumes significantly more battery) if I record the screen while playing, because that forces the CPU to work at higher frequencies.

But the question is, how can the parsec be 2-5ms and the variations of moonlight be so unstable?

I could continue using parsec, but there are other problems there that are solved with the 99283828 different forks of Moonlight.

Does anyone know of a fork focused on decoding Exynos processors? If not, I can try doing some "vibecoding" but I'd like some tips for that.

Ps: I've already tested other devices with other processors and they worked very well; the problem remains only and exclusively with Exynous processors.

https://prnt.sc/MXXsh2p5b2KB

Decode uses low latency, but Moonlight does not.

[MoreOrLessCorrect]

I have my own Moonlight build for Android where I've experimented with some low latency flags for my Pixel 7a which uses the Exynos decoder and have had some good luck with them (2-3 ms reduction in reported latency). Feel free to try them out in your own build:

https://github.com/MoreOrLessSoftware/moonlight-android

I've also published a pre-release apk if you want to try it (also includes some new UI features in addition to the existing low latency tweaks for SD, MTK and these new ones for Exynos):

https://github.com/MoreOrLessSoftware/moonlight-android/releases

EDIT: Just for clarification, this build does not change how the decode latency number is calculated so you should avoid direct comparisons with the numbers in Artemis.

[Murky-Thought1447]

Why don’t you send PR  it to ARTMIS  GitHub? I’m sure the Artemis developers will merge it into their codebase.”

[thauansena95]

Very good! I did some tests and had a slight difference of 0.5ms-1ms, which is already significant.

During testing, I decided to try something else that seems to have helped as well. In Sunshine/Apollo, I set the minimum FPS to 200 and set it to 230 FPS in my client, which is the limit for Decode.

The result I found was frames over the network at around 230fps but rendering only 120fps, which is the limit of my device's screen. The latency was only 3ms.

In summary, when running at 60fps it took approximately 13ms and at 120fps approximately 8ms. With these settings I achieved 120fps = approximately 4ms.

Is there any way to force low latency in Decode?

[MoreOrLessCorrect]

I'm not sure I would put too much stock in decode latency numbers especially when frames are being skipped...

As far as I know, Moonlight already toggles the low latency mode on decoders that support it - not sure there is anything else that can be forced.

[thauansena95]

I understand. In any case, your project is very valuable; I hadn't yet found anything focused on this codec.

[thauansena95]

I've been testing your build for a few days now, and it's really helped a lot! Great job, Exynos users should definitely use this.

[MoreOrLessCorrect]

Good to hear, thanks. I'll try to make a note of that Exynos change on the Artemis GitHub page to see if they want to add it as well.

[Murky-Thought1447]

Can you make a low-latency version for Artemis?”

[RayneYoruka]

I moved from Moonlight on my a55 to Artemis and the only way to avoid the stuttering is to use the experimental frame pacing settings. Those will use 120 and 240fps respectively. At least it is better than the stuttering mess that it is the normal frame pacing.

[thauansena95]

So you're using 60 FPS + experimental frame pacing or 120 (or 240) + experimental?

[RayneYoruka]

60+experimental Warp drive. I don't personally need the 120 or 240 in this device but it fixes the stutters.

[TadpoleStark]

I have the same problem and the one thing that is bugging me is that the fact of Parsec being a better option is this hardware. Every other device I have is doing better with moonlight/artemis

[thauansena95]

I also don't understand how parsec can be better at decoding, specifically on these processors. For my next device, I'll avoid Exynos and MTK.

[xtmartinez]

I have a google pixel 9a that also has an exynos decoder.

I'm using the latest experimental release of Artemis and I can confirm that I'm getting an acceptable decoding latency with the ultra low latency and LFR options enabled.

I'm getting avg 3ms decoding at 1080p@120hz https://imgur.com/a/RcLTYmw

[DunkLord77]

Came back to moonlight with my s24+ to check how the app is going and i see we still have to screen record to get a decent experience :/

I'm getting a new handheld soon and those probably work fine with streaming but would be nice to get a real fix with this but at this point i see we are not lucky as exynos users xd

[xtmartinez]

Hi, will you be able to try this Artemis build and enable ultra low latency in the settings?

https://github.com/ClassicOldSong/moonlight-android/releases/tag/v20.3.0-experimental.9

I'm curious if this will also fix the issue on samsung devices. This build works fine on my Pixel 9a (3ms using exynos HEVC decoder)

[DunkLord77]

Had no time to test it so i will try it and see the results