Official supported file specs?

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:41

I just can't win with my P1 at the moment. There used to be a time I could download (or convert) any video and it would play it. Now, 99% of the time I get "Unsupported format" errors. Even the other day, the P1 would play a WMV file (without audio though!) but now it says, for the same file, "Unsupported format". Why would it play it one day, but not the next?

Anyway, I just want to be able to convert all my videos to the official format that it supports. I've tried MP4, MPEG2, etc, but can't get them to work. So, what can I do? Is there a list somewhere of what video settings to use (eg. bitrate, dimensions, codec), as well as for audio? It would help a LOT.

Thanks.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:57

http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=319

and follow threads under Content, Software etc
http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=4

glow · Post by **glow** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:26

SJ2571 wrote:Even the other day, the P1 would play a WMV file (without audio though!) but now it says, for the same file, "Unsupported format". Why would it play it one day, but not the next?

I've noticed this behaviour with recent P1 firmware (currently running 350).

Depending on what the Wiz has been doing, sometimes files which I know it can play (WMV v9 and mpg MPEG1) are rejected or have wrong aspect ratio or are missing audio. Power on and off through standby usually resumes normal service.

I've also noticed that playing DVD folders is still a bit hit and miss. My son watches the same one most days yet on some days the Wiz will lock up trying to play it. Usually works after a power on off cycle.

The intermittent nature of these faults makes it a little difficult to report and track down.
Seems like codecs get corrupted or are not initialised properly.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:51

Hi SJ2571,

As Glow suggested, sometime media files can trigger issues in the codecs that can make them erratic or fail. Whenever you experience playback issues it is recommended that you restart the Beyonwiz to clear any potential lingering errors.

Regards,
Ian.

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:57

netmask wrote:http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=319

Thanks, but I'm not convinced it's reliable enough. For example, it says .ASF video files play properly, by such files do not play on my P1 at all.

All I want is a "readme" that says, make sure your video is MP4, at WxH resolution, in 32-bit color, at X bitrate, blah blah; so I can punch those settings into Xilisoft Video Converter and let it do the work.

glow wrote:I've noticed this behaviour with recent P1 firmware (currently running 350).

Actually, I did upgrade from 334 to 350 recently, so I switched back but it made no difference to the WMV file.

IanSav wrote:Whenever you experience playback issues it is recommended that you restart the Beyonwiz to clear any potential lingering errors.

My P1 is shut down every night and powered up each morning. Should be enough? But it doesn't help.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:19

Hi SJ2571,

SJ2571 wrote:All I want is a "readme" that says, make sure your video is MP4, at WxH resolution, in 32-bit color, at X bitrate, blah blah; so I can punch those settings into Xilisoft Video Converter and let it do the work.

This is like asking people to document the length of string. It is impossible to provide a generic document that specifies the length of any arbitrary piece of string. Show us the piece of string and we can measure it for you.

Perhaps you should be providing MediaInfo reports for the various files that are giving you grief.

SJ2571 wrote:My P1 is shut down every night and powered up each morning. Should be enough? But it doesn't help.

The restart should happen after any media file fails.

Regards,
Ian.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:40

Here's a medainfo file of a 720p MKV file that plays flawlessly on my P1. I've used the data in this file as a template for when I make mkv files.

General
Unique ID : 231755464185321397922356118756119613469 (0xAE5A7A94463D6BBCA56C8F7ED9A5101D)
Complete name : M:\Movies\Docos\Architecture\The.Once.And.Future.City.Philadelphia.mkv
Format : Matroska
File size : 1.07 GiB
Duration : 45mn 31s
Overall bit rate : 3 378 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2007-11-25 02:57:50
Writing application : mkvmerge v2.1.0 ('Another Place To Fall') built on Aug 19 2007 13:40:07
Writing library : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L5.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 8 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 45mn 31s
Bit rate : 2 991 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.130
Stream size : 953 MiB (87%)
Writing library : x264 core 57 svn-700
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=5 / deblock=1:-2:0 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=7 / brdo=1 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=6 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / wpredb=1 / bime=1 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=24 / scenecut=40(pre) / rc=2pass / bitrate=2991 / ratetol=1.0 / rceq='blurCplx^(1-qComp)' / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / pb_ratio=1.30
Language : English

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension : CM (complete main)
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 45mn 31s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 384 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 125 MiB (11%)

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 13:13

IanSav wrote:This is like asking people to document the length of string

But why? File formats are documented and can be found on the net. Surely following the document file format specs would produce a working video? Computers are computers: they blindly do what they're told. They don't look at a video one morning and say, "nah, I ain't playing that today" (like the P1 is now doing with my WMV). As a programmer, this just doesn't make sense to me. I can't fathom it.

IanSav wrote:Perhaps you should be providing MediaInfo reports for the various files that are giving you grief

Okay, here we go. None of these play on my P1.

The first is the "play once, but never again" WMV file.
The second is an AVI of something I downloaded to compare to my DVD copy.
The third is a TV show about the 80s in ASF format.

I even included a fourth report of something that DOES play, and it's the format I'd like to use for all my videos on the P1.

Fails:

Code: Select all

General
Complete name                    : D:\[Media]\?.wmv
Format                           : Windows Media
File size                        : 7.80 GiB
Duration                         : 1h 59mn
Overall bit rate mode            : Variable
Overall bit rate                 : 9 336 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate         : 10.6 Mbps
Movie name                       : ?
Encoded date                     : UTC 2008-07-06 09:07:41.804
Writing application              : TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress Version. 4.4.2.238

Video
ID                               : 2
Format                           : VC-1
Format profile                   : AP@L3
Codec ID                         : WVC1
Codec ID/Hint                    : Microsoft
Description of the codec         : Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile
Duration                         : 1h 59mn
Bit rate mode                    : Variable
Bit rate                         : 9 125 Kbps
Width                            : 1 920 pixels
Height                           : 816 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 2.35:1
Frame rate                       : 25.000 fps
Chroma subsampling               : 4:2:0
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.233
Stream size                      : 7.62 GiB (98%)

Audio
ID                               : 1
Format                           : WMA
Format profile                   : Pro
Codec ID                         : 162
Codec ID/Info                    : Windows Media Audio
Description of the codec         : Windows Media Audio 10 Professional - 384 kbps, 48 kHz, 5.1 channel 24 bit 1-pass CBR
Duration                         : 1h 59mn
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 384 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 6 channels
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth                        : 24 bits
Stream size                      : 328 MiB (4%)

Fails:

Code: Select all

General
Complete name                    : D:\[Media]\?.avi
Format                           : AVI
Format/Info                      : Audio Video Interleave
File size                        : 1.44 GiB
Duration                         : 1h 12mn
Overall bit rate                 : 2 820 Kbps
Writing application              : Lavf52.39.1
Writing library                  : VirtualDub build 32706/release

Video
ID                               : 0
Format                           : MPEG-4 Visual
Format profile                   : Advanced Simple@L5
Format settings, BVOP            : Yes
Format settings, QPel            : No
Format settings, GMC             : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix          : Default (MPEG)
Muxing mode                      : Packed bitstream
Codec ID                         : XVID
Codec ID/Hint                    : XviD
Duration                         : 1h 12mn
Bit rate                         : 2 586 Kbps
Width                            : 720 pixels
Height                           : 404 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16:9
Frame rate                       : 25.000 fps
Color space                      : YUV
Chroma subsampling               : 4:2:0
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.356
Stream size                      : 1.32 GiB (92%)
Writing library                  : XviD 1.2.1 (UTC 2008-12-04)

Audio
ID                               : 1
Format                           : AC-3
Format/Info                      : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension                   : CM (complete main)
Codec ID                         : 2000
Duration                         : 1h 12mn
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 224 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Channel positions                : Front: L R
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Stream size                      : 117 MiB (8%)
Alignment                        : Aligned on interleaves
Interleave, duration             : 40 ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration     : 512 ms

Fails:

Code: Select all

General
Complete name                    : D:\[Media]\?.asf
Format                           : Windows Media
File size                        : 106 MiB
Duration                         : 39mn 40s
Overall bit rate                 : 375 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate         : 375 Kbps
Encoded date                     : UTC 2003-07-05 18:39:54.797

Video
ID                               : 2
Format                           : MPEG-4 Visual
Codec ID                         : MP43
Codec ID/Info                    : Microsoft MPEG-4 v3 (pre-standard)
Codec ID/Hint                    : Microsoft
Description of the codec         : Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec V3
Duration                         : 39mn 40s
Bit rate                         : 341 Kbps
Width                            : 320 pixels
Height                           : 240 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 4:3
Frame rate                       : 14.265 fps
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.311
Stream size                      : 96.7 MiB (91%)

Audio
ID                               : 1
Format                           : MPEG Audio
Format version                   : Version 2
Format profile                   : Layer 3
Codec ID                         : 55
Codec ID/Hint                    : MP3
Description of the codec         : MPEG Layer-3 - 32 kBit/s, 24,000 Hz, Mono
Duration                         : 39mn 40s
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 32.0 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 1 channel
Sampling rate                    : 24.0 KHz
Bit depth                        :  bit0
Stream size                      : 9.08 MiB (9%)

Works:

Code: Select all

General
Complete name                    : D:\[Media]\?.avi
Format                           : AVI
Format/Info                      : Audio Video Interleave
File size                        : 1.48 GiB
Duration                         : 1h 5mn
Overall bit rate                 : 3 229 Kbps
Writing library                  : VirtualDub build 32817/release

Video
ID                               : 0
Format                           : MPEG-4 Visual
Format profile                   : Advanced Simple@L5
Format settings, BVOP            : Yes
Format settings, QPel            : No
Format settings, GMC             : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix          : Default (H.263)
Muxing mode                      : Packed bitstream
Codec ID                         : XVID
Codec ID/Hint                    : XviD
Duration                         : 1h 5mn
Bit rate                         : 3 092 Kbps
Width                            : 1 440 pixels
Height                           : 810 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16:9
Frame rate                       : 25.000 fps
Color space                      : YUV
Chroma subsampling               : 4:2:0
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.106
Stream size                      : 1.41 GiB (96%)
Writing library                  : XviD 1.1.2 (UTC 2006-11-01)

Audio
ID                               : 1
Format                           : MPEG Audio
Format version                   : Version 1
Format profile                   : Layer 3
Mode                             : Joint stereo
Mode extension                   : MS Stereo
Codec ID                         : 55
Codec ID/Hint                    : MP3
Duration                         : 1h 5mn
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 128 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Sampling rate                    : 48.0 KHz
Stream size                      : 59.9 MiB (4%)
Alignment                        : Split accross interleaves
Interleave, duration             : 40 ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration     : 500 ms

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 14:07

The first one (wmv) appears to be a 1920p file which is not supported by the BW
The second one is packed - Upack it with aviDemux
The third one - I can't offer any suggestion
Odd the last one could give you audio sync problems as it is also a packed AVI.. Unpack it with aviDemux.

My routine now with avi files is to unpack them or reindex them with aviDemux. Most PVR's have problems with packed avi's including the Popcorn C200

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 15:39

Simple advice is not to use Microsoft/Windows specific file formats and codecs. Your best bet is a MKV or MP4 file format with AVC/H.264 video at 720p and AC3 audio.

Use AVIDemux to generate such files - it's free.

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 16:59

Okay, I used AVIdemux to unpack the second one, and then I resaved it as an AVI, and woohoo, it works!

However, some other videos I have also are packed (according to MediaInfo), but they play, so what gives there?

The first and third ones I guess I'll have to re-encode as something else, but that's where the problem lies... every time I try to re-encode, the new video never opens in the P1. So I wanted to know the best format to encode them in. I'll try the MP4 format that peteru recommends, and post back later. Or, is there any way to re-save them without re-encoding the video?

BTW, the fourth one that works, was originally a Beyonwiz recording, that I copied to my PC with WizFX, that I loaded as a TS file into VideoReDo and saved as MPG, then loaded that MPG into VirtualDub and saved as AVI with the Xvid encoder. I might have to put the non-working examples above through the same process, if peteru's MP4 tip doesn't work.

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 17:38

You could use Handbrake to make either a mkv or mp4 file using normal or high profile, but make sure there is only one soundtrack and no chapters inserted.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 18:55

Hi SJ2571,

As others have dealt with the file specifics I will tackle the general questiion.

SJ2571 wrote:But why? File formats are documented and can be found on the net. Surely following the document file format specs would produce a working video? Computers are computers: they blindly do what they're told. They don't look at a video one morning and say, "nah, I ain't playing that today" (like the P1 is now doing with my WMV). As a programmer, this just doesn't make sense to me. I can't fathom it.

The various file formats are mostly documented. Microsoft often offer poor or no documentation for their proprietary formats. Even though the formats can be defined there are often many, many, options that can be invoked when encoding files. Not all these options are implemented on all players and codecs. Some files also require more computational power than others to be played. The Beyonwiz, for example, can not process 1080p video.

The golden rule for creating media files is keep them simple and use options that are commonly implemented and don't require lots of hardware to play.

Regards,
Ian.

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 19:18

Ian, thanks for the background info on encoding in general. I now understand why nobody can just post "set this, then this" in any given app. But, you know, VirtualDub lets the user save and load encoding settings, so if a person saved their settings and then I loaded them, surely VirtualDub would then work for me too?

IanSav wrote:The golden rule for creating media files is keep them simple and use options that are commonly implemented and don't require lots of hardware to play.

Yes, I am aware of that. But even when I tried creating an MPG1 (yes, "1") video at 640x480, the P1 refused to play it. And that's as basic and non-stressful as playback can be for any media player. This is why I'm so frustrated -- nothing seems to work for files that I myself am converting. Maybe I just don't have the right codecs on my PC or something.

Currently I'm using Handbrake to convert a movie to MP4, as netmask suggested. It's damn slow, though. I've got 2 hr 22 min left to go for a 1 hr 45 min movie.

Something tells me it won't be worth the wait; but even it does work, that's far too long to do for all my videos. I need a faster solution, and preferably one that can be batched to do a whole bunch overnight.

Another question: what does "encode at 720p" mean? Does that mean I should ensure the video height is no larger than 720 vertical lines?

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 20:33

The MediaInfo file I posted was a 720p file
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Which profile did you use? I would use Regular + Normal and go with the defaults it sets until you get to know the program - the one caveat is to make sure you only encode one audio track.

With the High profile you have to make sure no second audio file is instigated by Handbrake and delete any chapters or subtitles. It really has to be vanilla for the BW.

Compressing a MPEG2 file down to mkv, mp4 or avi will take awhile depending on your computer's processor.

The other alternative is aviNet to make a xvid file - select quality 3.5 and use the sharp filter will give good results. It is a bit quicker than Handbrake. The file size will come out at about1.4GB

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 21:11

Okay, my Handbrake-encoded file just finished (I restarted it with a smaller resolution to save time) and the P1 says "Unsupported format". I knew it. I used all the default Handbrake settings with "High Profile" selected. No chapters set, and only one audio track used (I removed the second one in the "Audio" tab). Here's the MediaInfo file for what it created. I'm too weary and unmotivated now to bother trying again for a while.

I may look at Avi.NET tomorrow.

Code: Select all

General
Complete name                    : D:\[Media]\1.m4v
Format                           : MPEG-4
Format profile                   : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID                         : mp42
File size                        : 672 MiB
Duration                         : 1h 45mn
Overall bit rate                 : 888 Kbps
Encoded date                     : UTC 2011-02-24 10:20:13
Tagged date                      : UTC 2011-02-24 11:51:39
Writing application              : HandBrake 0.9.5 2011010300

Video
ID                               : 1
Format                           : AVC
Format/Info                      : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                   : High@L2.1
Format settings, CABAC           : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames        : 4 frames
Codec ID                         : avc1
Codec ID/Info                    : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                         : 1h 45mn
Bit rate mode                    : Variable
Bit rate                         : 660 Kbps
Width                            : 640 pixels
Height                           : 272 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 2.35:1
Original display aspect ratio    : 2.35:1
Frame rate mode                  : Variable
Frame rate                       : 23.976 fps
Minimum frame rate               : 7.992 fps
Maximum frame rate               : 23.981 fps
Color space                      : YUV
Chroma subsampling               : 4:2:0
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.158
Stream size                      : 499 MiB (74%)
Writing library                  : x264 core 112
Encoding settings                : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=23 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=50 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=20.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=3 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Encoded date                     : UTC 2011-02-24 10:20:13
Tagged date                      : UTC 2011-02-24 11:51:39
Color primaries                  : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4, SMPTE RP177
Transfer characteristics         : BT.709-5, BT.1361
Matrix coefficients              : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4 709, SMPTE RP177

Audio
ID                               : 2
Format                           : AC-3
Format/Info                      : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension                   : CM (complete main)
Codec ID                         : ac-3
Duration                         : 1h 45mn
Bit rate mode                    : Constant
Bit rate                         : 224 Kbps
Channel(s)                       : 2 channels
Channel positions                : Front: L R
Sampling rate                    : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth                        : 16 bits
Stream size                      : 169 MiB (25%)
Encoded date                     : UTC 2011-02-24 10:20:13
Tagged date                      : UTC 2011-02-24 11:51:38

tonymy01 · Post by **tonymy01** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 21:36

Variable frame rate.... yuk, that would cause most hardware players to cough and die I would expect.

glow · Post by **glow** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 22:40

SJ2571 wrote:Ian, thanks for the background info on encoding in general. I now understand why nobody can just post "set this, then this" in any given app. But, you know, VirtualDub lets the user save and load encoding settings, so if a person saved their settings and then I loaded them, surely VirtualDub would then work for me too?

For encoding Wiz recordings, I use ProjectX to fix up errors, remove ads and extract subtitles.
Then I use Avidemux to make xvid avi files. I published my Avidemux settings script in this thread along with instructions on how to get ProjectX to automatically run Avidemux with the settings script as a post process command.

IanB · Post by **IanB** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 06:59

netmask wrote:
The first one (wmv) appears to be a 1920p file which is not supported by the BW

The second one is packed - Upack it with aviDemux

The third one - I can't offer any suggestion

MPEG Layer-3 - 32 kBit/s, 24,000 Hz, Mono

Only 48000 Hz seems to work, recode the audio track.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 10:16

Pick a standard video resolution, such as 1280x720 and standard frame rate, such as 25 or 50. If you are using MP4 files, make sure they are fully compliant with MPEG-4 Parts 12, 14 and 15. If you can't be certain of compliance, choose the MKV file format instead.

In summary:
HD
File format: MKV
Audio: One stream, AC3, 48kHz
Video: 1280x720p@25 or 50, AVC

SD
File format: MKV
Audio: One stream, AC3, 48kHz
Video: 720x576i@50, MPEG-2

You could convert standard interlaced SD video to 576p and then use the AVC codec (for smaller files), but you need a decent deinterlacer for that. Most gear cannot do interlaced video properly when using AVC - that's why you'd want MPEG-2 for interlaced SD.

Proper video encoding is hard, that's why there is a whole industry that specialise in encoding video.

mick_queensland · Post by **mick_queensland** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 23:01

hi there everyone,

very interesting thread, I have been mucking around, on and off, for ages trying to work out why some video files work and some dont. Its very frustrating and I totally relate to SJ2571.

So, not long ago, I discovered that, my AVI DIVX video files which do not play on the P1 with FW 01.05.346, do however play on the same P1 when played over the network off the HDD in my WinXP PC. So, gurus, how does that work? I tried putting the AVIs on a USB Stick, on two different USB drives. I didnt try copying it to the BW HDD though, so that may be a clue.

It would be really nice if the BW just played the common types of video encoding, but I guess thats the rub, what is common?

Never mind, probably easier to buy a cheap media player and find a spare input on the TV.

Cheers, Mick

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 19:00

mick_queensland wrote:probably easier to buy a cheap media player and find a spare input on the TV

Not a bad idea, actually. My media folder is 760 GB, so it'd be good to free up that space for my PC apps instead of using it as media storage. It means I could also take my media wherever I go, and not have this encoding problem anymore. /Off to check eBay.

Note: I will persevere a bit longer with the encoding, though. I don't want it to beat me!

raymondjpg · Post by **raymondjpg** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:53

netmask wrote:
The first one (wmv) appears to be a 1920p file which is not supported by the BW

This is with a DP-P2 (f/w 0107350) using the file player with a hard-wired (ethernet) connection to a PC, direct HDMI connection to the TV and digital audio via separate connection through an A/V receiver:

1. AVI files encoded with XviD in Virtualdub at 1920x1080 (progressive) resolution play fine.

2. Larger video files encoded this way (say over 1 GB in size) sometimes have difficulty with playing 5.1ch audio on using the skip function - audio dies. Packaging these files in a Matroska container using mkvmerge solves the audio problem. Recent versions of mkvmerge work successfully.

3. AVI files encoded with x264vfw in Virtualdub at 1920x1080 (progressive) will play (just) but are "jerky". Repackaging these files as mkvs, or video files containing video encoded with x264 using MeGUI, at 1920x1080 do not play - typically throwing an "unsupported format" error.

4. mkv files containing video encoded with x264 using MeGUI, at 1280x720 do not play if created with recent versions of mkvmerge.

5. mkv files containing video encoded with x264 using MeGUI, at 1280x720 DO play fine if created with mkvmerge v3.1.0. 5.1ch audio also plays fine in these files when using the skip function.

I have not tried re-encoding 1920x1080 to 1280x720 resolution as AVIs using x264vfw in Virtualdub yet, or re-packaging these as Matroskas using mkvmerge v3.1.0, but I am reasonably optimistic that both should work.

It seems that the 1920x1080 (progressive) limitation applies principally to x264/h264 (not XviD) encoded video, and particularly when packaged as Matroskas.

Also, and particularly gratifying for me, was that x264/h264 video encoded at 1280x720 resolution will play OK if packaged using mkvmerge v3.1.0. Why more recent versions of mkvmerge do not work so well, I do not know.

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netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:14

Also, and particularly gratifying for me, was that x264/h264 video encoded at 1280x720 resolution will play OK if packaged using mkvmerge v3.1.0. Why more recent versions of mkvmerge do not work so well, I do not know.

Recent versions of MKVMerge have compression set to on as default. You have to turn it off for video, audio and subtitles

raymondjpg · Post by **raymondjpg** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 12:32

netmask wrote:
Also, and particularly gratifying for me, was that x264/h264 video encoded at 1280x720 resolution will play OK if packaged using mkvmerge v3.1.0. Why more recent versions of mkvmerge do not work so well, I do not know.
Recent versions of MKVMerge have compression set to on as default. You have to turn it off for video, audio and subtitles

Thank you sir. I will certainly try that!

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 13:20

make sure you turn if off on each file within the collection - there is no global setting. To labour the point as I went through this, is if you only turn it off for the video the file will still be unplayable.

raymondjpg · Post by **raymondjpg** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 13:58

netmask wrote:make sure you turn if off on each file within the collection - there is no global setting. To labour the point as I went through this, is if you only turn it off for the video the file will still be unplayable.

In mkvmerge GUI 4.5.0 there is an option to "Disable header removal compression for audio and video tracks by default" under File|options|mmg tab.

This does set Compression to "none" for both audio and video under "Extra options".

I haven't tried creating an mkv using this global option setting yet, but manually setting compression to "none" for each of the audio and video tracks has certainly had the desired effect and produced a playable mkv file.

The global option to disable compression only appears to apply to audio and video, so if compression needs to be disabled for subtitles I guess that would need to be done manually (for each file).

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 14:36

Yes you are correct - I missed that one on the latest version. If subs are involved you have to set them to none also. Not surprised as there has been a lot of chatter on the Popcorn forum over the change of the default status. For Popcorn users it rendered entire collections unplayable... quite a few cranky poppers directed at the author

Another trap can be if the subs are from Blu Ray they should be converted to standard definition using BDSup2Sub a java base program.

raymondjpg · Post by **raymondjpg** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 15:17

netmask wrote:Yes you are correct - I missed that one on the latest version. If subs are involved you have to set them to none also. Not surprised as there has been a lot of chatter on the Popcorn forum over the change of the default status. For Popcorn users it rendered entire collections unplayable... quite a few cranky poppers directed at the author

Another trap can be if the subs are from Blu Ray they should be converted to standard definition using BDSup2Sub a java base program.

Makes you wonder for what reason the default status was changed. Not for the benefit of Popcorn or BW users apparently.

Maybe the global (audio and video) change default option setting has been introduced as a limited response to the "chatter". Next stop would be to restore no header removal compression as the default!

I will take a look at BDSup2Sub. So far I have been using suprip (when I needed it).

netmask · Post by **netmask** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 15:54

The author did it to conform to the MKV standard, but after so many years the other way around it seemed a strange decision after firmware had been written assuming the opposite - there are a few posts that became quite heated which was unfair considering the program is a freebie. Live and learn...

http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showt ... #pid407277

http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showt ... #pid468928

raymondjpg · Post by **raymondjpg** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 16:25

netmask wrote:The author did it to conform to the MKV standard, but after so many years the other way around it seemed a strange decision after firmware had been written assuming the opposite - there are a few posts that became quite heated which was unfair considering the program is a freebie. Live and learn...

http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showt ... #pid407277

http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showt ... #pid468928

I guess I can understand the conformity to the MKV standard. Now all it needs is for the BW software engineers to embrace the standard in its firmware to really confuse us, unless it can accommodate both compressed and uncompressed headers.

Thanks for the links.

SJ2571 · Post by **SJ2571** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 21:44

FORGET EVERYTHING I POSTED. The videos are ALL fine and supported.

My PC's folder sharing settings were causing the "Unsupported format" errors!
More details here: http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=88966