HTC Confirms EVO 4G Framerate Cap Tied to Intentional Compromise in Design

An HTC representative has confirmed that the HTC EVO 4G’s 30 frames per second display limit is not the result of software limitations as was originally assumed when the device was launched, but the result of various compromises in hardware design.

Since the HDMI output is limited to either 24 or 30 frames per second, the device itself is limited to those framerates even when the output is not being used as a result of the limitations of the Snapdragon processor having to drive both the device display and the HDMI output itself.  The representative also stated that utilizing the HDMI output  takes a heavy performance toll on the chipset and that no software updates could be developed to fix the “issue”, since the compromise was necessary to support the display and the HDMI output with the chipset.

Several solutions have since popped up to address the framerate issue which require device rooting, but vary in effectiveness as they can cause serious damage to the device if not used properly.

Humberto Saabedra is the Editor-in-Chief of AnimeNews.bizPhoneNews.com and an occasional columnist for Ani.me. He can also be found musing on things at @AnimeNewsdotbiz

11 responses to “HTC Confirms EVO 4G Framerate Cap Tied to Intentional Compromise in Design”

  1. Jeff

    FAIL

    This is one of the biggest reasons I returned my EVO’s.

  2. Nanfy

    As always HTC releasing buggy phones with never a fix in sight. There solution is to buy next years model. Motorola seems to be the best android manufacturer out there because they do support there hardware.

  3. JJ

    @Jeff
    What a dumb reason to return the evo for. That’s not going to affect the phone in any way. No phone out there does 720p over 30fps. Its not a big deal. You guys are a bunch of little kids. That’s like returning the iphone because it didn’t have multitasking. Most people that buy the evo don’t buy it just because of its hd capabilities, and if they did and wanted hd at higher than 35fps then they would still be waiting for a phone.
    Let me return my hd tv because its not upgradeable to go over 1080p. Cmon. Give me a break

  4. Nanfy

    Jeff, you Don’t get it.

    All Android phones are suppose to run there GUI’s are close to 60 fps. This is what Andy Rubin, lead Android engineer at google explicitly said. The EVO has its GUI framerate capped at 30 fps. The phone feels dam slow compared to the HTC incredible which as the same cpu.

  5. Jeff

    I don’t know why you are angry at me. The EVO’s GUI feels sluggish because of the capped frame-rate. Try scrolling quickly down a web page; it looks choppy and unpolished. If there is no software fix, then I consider that a failure.

  6. Nanfy

    That’s exactly what it is. A Failure. HTC still thinks they can get away with buggy software. Android has become the new windows mobile. fragmented and buggy implementations on phones. I wonder what HTC would be selling if Android didn’t exists.

  7. JJ

    Don’t know what you guys are talking about but the droid incredible has an fps rate of 30. Not much different than evo.
    @Jeff
    Don’t know what your talking about the evo being sluggish compared to the incredible. I used both phones and the evo was just as good and sometimes smoother than the incredible.
    All I know is that I love my evo and if you guys wanna go out and pay twice as much with verizon or att over a little fps issue go ahead.

    HTC has proven themselves in their quality for a long time and a little problem like this can be fixed. Don’t know how some of you compare android to windows mobile. All I know is that since switching from tp2 to android on evo I haven’t had to reset my phone once. With tp2 I did it almost every 30 minutes.

  8. Nanfy

    JJ

    HTC incredible runs at60 fps. Just google the comments made by Android lead engineer Andy Rubin. The GUI is SUPPOSE to run on 60 fps. Look at the videos from Android central.net
    Even the Sprint HERO is running near 60 fps.

    Andy Rubin,

    “It is certainly not the goal of the Android team to ship devices locked at 30 FPS. Our target was, is and will be 60 FPS”

    HTC solution instead of fixing it will be “Just buy next years model”

  9. JJ

    @nanfy

    Most benchmark tests rate the droid incredible at around 34-35 and the evo at 28-30. So the difference isn’t that much. Most people won’t be able to tell the difference.
    Just take a look at the link below:
    http://androidandme.com/2010/06/news/high-end-android-gpu-showdown/

    Either way its not that big of a deal. Most people that really use a smartphone will be replacing it within the year anyway.

  10. Nanfy

    JJ

    The link you sent me is for benchmarking video games. I’m talking about the GUI. the user interface of the whole phone. Its suppose to run at 60fps, just like the buttery smooth iphone.

    “replacing within a year” People get 2 year contracts not one. Plus replacing a phone because its buggy with next years “bug free model” is stupid for consumers.

  11. JJ

    I understand that some of the benchmark tests were for gaming but wether its gaming or video fps is fps. For video games the fps is usually more. So this benchmark test is pretty accurate.
    Either way the evo and the incredible both have around the same fps wether the evo has a glitch or not. Unless you can find some other tests to show otherwise. Thats all Im trying to say. Plus I haven’t heard of a lot people complaining about the video on the evo. Like I said before, I tried both phones and they are both really great phones. I just stuck with sprint rather then pay the high prices of verizon. My friend still has the incredible and hes used my evo and he loves the evo and says a lot of times its a little smoother. So say what you say this fps issue is a non issue for me. Oh well.