[BUG] Brief frame stutters/hitches during H.265 playback at speeds ≥1.25x (hardware decoder)
Describe the bug
When playing H.265/HEVC video at a playback speed of 1.25x or higher, the video has brief, intermittent frame freezes/hitches (not a full stop — short stutters that repeat throughout playback). Audio continues normally during these hitches; it's specifically the video frames that momentarily stall.
At normal (1.0x) speed, the same file plays back smoothly with no stutter.
For comparison, MX Player plays the exact same H.265 file at 1.25x+ speed smoothly, with no visible stutter, on the same device.
Steps to reproduce
Open an H.265/HEVC video file in NextPlayer
Set playback speed to 1.25x (or higher)
Let it play for a while
Observe brief, repeated frame stutters/hitches (video briefly freezes for a fraction of a second, then continues) — this is not a single freeze, it happens intermittently throughout playback at the increased speed
Expected behavior
Smooth playback at increased speed, same as at 1.0x and same as MX Player achieves on the same file/device.
Device info
Device: Huawei MatePad 11 (2021), model DBY-W09
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (SM8250)
OS: HarmonyOS 2.0 (Android-based)
Video codec: H.265/HEVC
Additional context
Tried toggling Settings → Decoder → Decoder priority (Prefer device decoders / Device decoders only / Prefer app decoders) — [fill in here which ones you tested and whether it changed anything]
The device's chipset (Snapdragon 865) has solid hardware HEVC decode support, so this doesn't appear to be a hardware capability issue — it seems specific to how playback speed changes are handled with the hardware decoder path.
Tested with H.264 files at the same speed (≥1.25x) and playback is smooth, no stutter — this issue is specific to H.265/HEVC.
NextPlayer version
Latest build (currently installed)
[BUG] Brief frame stutters/hitches during H.265 playback at speeds ≥1.25x (hardware decoder)
Describe the bug
When playing H.265/HEVC video at a playback speed of 1.25x or higher, the video has brief, intermittent frame freezes/hitches (not a full stop — short stutters that repeat throughout playback). Audio continues normally during these hitches; it's specifically the video frames that momentarily stall.
At normal (1.0x) speed, the same file plays back smoothly with no stutter.
For comparison, MX Player plays the exact same H.265 file at 1.25x+ speed smoothly, with no visible stutter, on the same device.
Steps to reproduce
Open an H.265/HEVC video file in NextPlayer
Set playback speed to 1.25x (or higher)
Let it play for a while
Observe brief, repeated frame stutters/hitches (video briefly freezes for a fraction of a second, then continues) — this is not a single freeze, it happens intermittently throughout playback at the increased speed
Expected behavior
Smooth playback at increased speed, same as at 1.0x and same as MX Player achieves on the same file/device.
Device info
Device: Huawei MatePad 11 (2021), model DBY-W09
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (SM8250)
OS: HarmonyOS 2.0 (Android-based)
Video codec: H.265/HEVC
Additional context
Tried toggling Settings → Decoder → Decoder priority (Prefer device decoders / Device decoders only / Prefer app decoders) — [fill in here which ones you tested and whether it changed anything]
The device's chipset (Snapdragon 865) has solid hardware HEVC decode support, so this doesn't appear to be a hardware capability issue — it seems specific to how playback speed changes are handled with the hardware decoder path.
Tested with H.264 files at the same speed (≥1.25x) and playback is smooth, no stutter — this issue is specific to H.265/HEVC.
NextPlayer version
Latest build (currently installed)