On my research on the differences between revision 4 of the XD players and the older models (info not easy to find, btw) I came across the suggestions for video bitrates which attracted my attention.
In this article https://docs.brightsign.biz/display/DOC/Optimizing+Video+Quality
Brightsign writes (without differentiating between 4K and HD):
XTx44, XDx34
XTx44 and XDx34 players support a constant bit rate (CBR) between 70 and 80 Mbps. The second video decoder on the can simultaneously support a video up to 70 to 80 Mbps as well.
If the video is encoded using a variable bit rate (VBR), we recommend an average bitrate of 70 to 80 Mbps, which may include peaks at up to 100Mbps.
For XDx33 they recommend a CBR between 30 and 40 Mbps and for VBR an average bitrate of 25 Mbps, which may include peaks at up to 40Mbps.
For older models they recommend a CBR of 25Mbps maximum and for VBR an average bitrate of 25Mbps may include peaks at up to 40Mbps, with the addition: "The video may experience performance issues at these peaks, so we recommend an average bitrate significantly less than 25Mbps if the video is VBR encoded."
However, in this article https://brightsign.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/218065137-Supported-video-formats-and-codecs
they differentiate between 4K and HD and recommend different settings:
XDx34: 4K CBR 70-80 Mbps, HD Max 25 Mbps
XDx33: 4K CBR 30-40 Mbps, HD Max 25 Mpbs
And, to complete the confustion, in this article https://brightsign.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003401794-Some-video-encoding-advice-on-video-bitrate-
they publish another guideline, including this info:
"Depending on the video file content and the encoder used it is possible to generate a H.265 video which would loop seamlessly with a ABR that peaks at 35Mbps like the below example."
So my questions are:
1. which of these numbers are correct and reliable?
2. do XD234 feature major hardware upgrades, so they can play HD and 4K files with significant higher bitrates than their predecessors?
3. do HD files in H264 and H265 perform the same on the XDx34? Do they allow identical bitrates, so H265 would theoretically (depending on the encoding process) offer better image quality at a given bitrate?
Since we are considering to upgrade our Brightsign lineup (several HD222 and XD233) in case the new models feature higher bitrates it would be great to get reliable information on this.