ulyssescaballes-mpv.config

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Ulysses RS Caballes - MPV Cinema Config

A handcrafted cinema engine for MPV - uniting neural upscaling, HDR tone mapping, and HRTF spatial audio into a single cohesive pipeline. Built for precision. Tuned for immersion.

Build & Capabilities

What This Configuration Delivers

✓ Vulkan (gpu-next) high-quality video rendering pipeline
✓ Advanced GLSL shader stack: CuNNy (CNN upscaling), SSimSuperRes, Adaptive Sharpen, Depth Reality Boost
✓ HDR tone mapping with contrast recovery (BT.2390)
✓ ICC color-managed playback
✓ HRTF-based spatial audio (SOFAlizer + KEMAR)
✓ Modular profiles for anime, realism, sports, and 8K content

Performance Notes

* AMD equivalent is unconfirmed and may not directly match RTX 5090 performance tier.

The CuNNy-8x32-DS shader profile is optimized for Windows 11 environments and may cause performance issues (lag or dropped frames) on Linux systems with AMD GPUs.
Recommended for Linux/AMD setups:
✓ FSRCNNX-x2_16-0-4-1 → lighter, stable, and cross-platform friendly
✓ CuNNy-4x32 or CuNNy-2x32 → reduced demand with good perceptual quality
✓ Hybrid stacks (FSRCNNX + Adaptive Sharpen / Depth Reality Boost) → balance between speed and sharpness
This ensures smoother playback while preserving visual detail and stability.

Overview
Features
Demo Clip
Screenshots
Shader Pipeline
Audio Pipeline
Profiles
Keyboard Function Shortcuts
Menu & Utility Shortcuts
Script Suite
Datasets
Installation
Audio Chain & Usage Note
Common Toggles & Beginner Notes
Optional Add-ons
MPV + YouTube Integration
Philosophy
Repo Hygiene
Final Word
License

Overview

This MPV configuration is engineered for viewers who demand cinematic fidelity, artifact-free rendering, and adaptive precision across all content types - anime, films, sports, and 8K HDR.

Every component is tuned for clarity, depth, and realism. Powered by a custom shader pipeline and Lua automation scripts that adapt dynamically to content while preserving cinematic intent.

Features

✓ Custom GLSL pipeline for super-resolution, sharpening, depth, and film emulation
✓ Vulkan-optimized rendering for high-performance playback
✓ Content-aware profiles (anime, realism, sports, 8K)
✓ Lua automation for dynamic shader control and recovery
✓ Clean, modular and remixable architecture

Demo Clip

Download the 8K MPV Demo Clip

This clip was rendered and played with this configuration, showcasing HEVC Main 10 playback, HDR tone mapping, and full shader fidelity.

Screenshots

Screenshot 1
Debanding and tone mapping - smooth gradients, lifelike contrast.

Screenshot 2
Styled subtitles and shader stack delivering cinematic realism.

Visual Improvements

Shader Pipeline

Debanding (fade‑aware, error diffusion dithering)
Tone Mapping (BT.2390 with contrast recovery)
Resampling - 26-tap separable kernel
Adaptive Sharpen - linear-light, curve height tuned, overshoot control
Depth Reality Boost - perceptual depth cues without halos

Audio Pipeline

SOFAlizer (HRTF Virtualization) - Kemar dataset, customized via [main.lua]
EQ Chain - bass reinforcement, midrange cleanup, treble clarity, and subharmonic depth
Dynamics Control - normalization, compression, limiter for safe playback

Profiles

This configuration includes multiple playback profiles tailored to different content types. Each profile adjusts shaders, scaling, tone mapping, and enhancement strength.

Anime

Line‑art‑safe sharpen, debanding, gentle vibrancy, light grain

Realism

Balanced sharpen, depth boost, filmic grain, natural color

Sports

Motion‑clarity‑oriented sharpen, reduced grain, highlight visibility, clean gradients

8K

Super‑resolution, minimal grain, precision tone mapping, GPU-efficient scaling

Keyboard Function Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function Name	Description
Ctrl + 1	clear_default	Reset to baseline configuration.
Ctrl + 2	anime_hdr	Anime HDR preset.
Ctrl + 3	realism	Realism preset.
Ctrl + 4	sports	Sports preset.
Ctrl + 5	debug	Debugging overlays.

Key	Action
O	Open File
Y	YouTube Search
H	Playback History
K	Keybinds Menu
V	Video Settings
A	Audio Device Selector
S	Subtitle Settings
P	Screenshot Menu
Shift + S	Screenshot / Saved on Desktop

Script Suite

shader-recover.lua
Reloads shaders if an error occurs.
profile-auto.lua
Auto-selects profile based on resolution/framerate.
stats-overlay.lua
Displays GPU load, tone mapping status, and active shaders.
subtitle-style.lua
Cinematic subtitle styling.
sofalizer/main.lua
Customized HRTF virtualization. Main Lua script for loading HRTF datasets and applying spatial audio effects.

Datasets

Download and place datasets in: %APPDATA%\Roaming\mpv\scripts\sofalizer\

HRTF / SOFA Files
✓ Kemar_HRTF_sofa.sofa
KEMAR HRTF dataset (open research license, safe to redistribute with attribution).
✓ SADIE_KEMAR_DFC_256_order_fir_48000.sofa
Official SADIE II Dataset (University of York). For personal/research use only.

AUDIO TEST SAMPLE Files
✓ C2m.wav - Example low-frequency test tone.
✓ C6m.wav - Example high-frequency test tone.
✓ LW8m.wav - Example mid-range audio sample.

Installation

Note: This configuration uses MPV in portable mode.

All settings are loaded from the portable_config folder located alongside mpv.exe.

Requirements:
✓ MPV v0.41+
✓ Vulkan‑capable GPU
✓ Windows 11 (recommended)

Download mpv-x86_64-v3 (Shinchiro builds):
‘mpv-x8664-v3(Shinchiro_builds)’

Open File Explorer
Enable: View → Show → Hidden items
Navigate to %APPDATA%
Create folder named MPV
Extract the MPV Shinchiro build into this folder
Open the installer folder then right-click mpv-install.bat and select Run as administrator
Set default file and link types to MPV
Right-click updater.bat and select Run as administrator then follow the prompts
Download or clone this repository and extract the portable_config folder
Place the “portable_config” folder here:
“C:/Users//AppData/Roaming/MPV/***portable_config***"
Place the HRTF datasets:
✓ KEMAR dataset here:
“%APPDATA%/MPV/portable_config/scripts/sofalizer/Kemar_HRTF_sofa.sofa”
✓ SADIE dataset here:
“%APPDATA%/MPV/portable_config/scripts/sofalizer/SADIE_KEMAR_DFC_256_order_fir_48000.sofa”
⚠️ IMPORTANT ⚠️
Open: “portable_config/scripts/sofalizer/main.lua”
Replace ****** with your actual Windows ***username***. This is required for: ✓ ***KEMAR_HRTF_SOFA*** ✓ ***SADIE_KEMAR*** ✓ ***C2m.wav*** ✓ ***C6m.wav*** ✓ ***LW8m.wav*** to function correctly.

%APPDATA%\MPV\
│
├── mpv.exe
└── portable_config\
    ├── mpv.conf
    ├── input.conf
    ├── profiles.conf
    ├── script-opts\
    ├── scripts\
    │   └── sofalizer\
    │       ├── Kemar_HRTF_sofa.sofa
    │       ├── SADIE_KEMAR_DFC_256_order_fir_48000.sofa
    │       ├── C2m.wav
    │       ├── C6m.wav
    │       ├── LW8m.wav
    │       └── main.lua
    └── shaders\
        ├── CuNNy-8x32-DS.glsl
        ├── SSim\
        ├── Adaptive_sharpen\
        └── Depth_reality_boost\

Ensure MPV is configured to use Vulkan:

gpu-api=vulkan

Launch MPV and let the configuration activate automatically. Double-click any media file to start playback instantly, or play CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs with enhanced audio and video quality. Switch between Enhanced Headset mode [F9], Ultimate Cinema mode [F10], or Music Hall mode [F11] for a fully immersive experience. Sit back and enjoy.

Audio Chain & Usage Note

F9 → Enhanced Headset Mode
F10 → Enhanced Cinema Mode
F11 → Music Mode Plus
F12 → Reset Filters

Common Toggles & Beginner Notes

Option	Setting	Effect
Idle Behavior	`idle=yes`	MPV stays open even with no file loaded (useful for drag‑and‑drop).
	`idle=no`	MPV closes automatically after playback (traditional media player feel).
On‑Screen Controller (OSC)	`osc=no`	Disables the control bar for a cleaner, cinema‑style look.
	`osc=yes`	Enables the familiar UI with playback controls.
Window Border	`border=no`	Removes title bar for a cinema‑style presentation.
	`border=yes`	Restores standard window controls.
Volume Max	`volume-max=130`	Allows boosting volume beyond 100% (use with care to avoid distortion).

Optional Add-ons

Add-on	Purpose/Benefit
Anime4K	Stylized upscaling for animation content
FSRCNNX	Neural network–based upscaling
RAVU	High‑precision scaling
SVP / Motion Interpolation	Smoother playback for sports and fast motion
External LUTs	Custom color grading for cinematic tone

MPV + YouTube Integration

Instructions on how to enable MPV to directly open and play YouTube streams from a web browser (Applicable only to Firefox-based browsers or on any Firefox based variants):

Download and install Firefox web browser or any of its variants, Floorp browser is highly recommended.
Install browser extension: ff2mpv (for Windows) from Firefox Browser Add-ons.
Download: ff2mpv-master.zip
Extract “ff2mpv-master.zip” inside [MPV] folder.
Open “ff2mpv-master” folder, copy “ytdlProtocol.bat” then paste it outside “ff2mpv-master” folder to sit where “mpv.exe” is placed inside [MPV] folder, here:
“C:/Users//AppData/Roaming/MPV/***ytdlProtocol.bat***".
Right click “ytdlProtocol.bat”, then “Run as Administrator” once.
Restart your PC.
Open YouTube on your Firefox browser, select and right-click on any video on the page, scroll down the context menu and click “Play link in MPV”. MPV plays the selected video stream directly from YouTube with maximum audio/video quality playback. Enjoy the experience.

Philosophy

This configuration is guided on three core principles:

Precision

Every shader, parameter, and filter is chosen with intent - no bloat, no placebo settings.

Cinematic Realism

The goal isn’t “sharper” or “brighter,” but truer - emphasizing depth, texture, and natural contrast.

Modularity

✓ Fully remixable
✓ Clearly documented
✓ Entirely optional

Adopt the full pipeline or integrate only the components you need.

Repo Hygiene

Practice	Description
No cache files	Repository excludes temporary or auto‑generated cache files.
No platform clutter	Avoids OS‑specific junk (e.g., `.DS_Store`, `Thumbs.db`).
Clean folder structure	Organized directories for configs, shaders, and scripts.
Human‑readable configs	Config files are concise, documented, and easy to understand.
Commented shader chains	Each GLSL filter is annotated for clarity and maintainability.
Versioned updates	Clear changelogs accompany every update for transparency.
Commit intent	Every commit message documents purpose — no silent changes.

Final Word

*Playback perfection isn’t measured in numbers alone - it’s defined by how it feels.* *This hand‑crafted cinema engine reflects my journey toward that feeling.* *If it helps you step closer to your own, then it has fulfilled its purpose.* **_||||⚓ Ulysses RS Caballes [PopeyeURS]_** *Crafting cinema in pixels, one shader at a time.* *Enjoying the project? Consider giving it a ⭐ - Thank you for your support!* [![GitHub stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/PopeyeURS/ulyssescaballes-mpv.config?style=for-the-badge&color=8A2BE2&label=STARS&labelColor=ADFF2F&logo=github&logoColor=black)](https://github.com/PopeyeURS/ulyssescaballes-mpv.config/stargazers)

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. Feel free to fork, adapt, and share.

See the LICENSE file for details.

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