Can You Stream Your High Definition Content On Your PC To Your HR2X?

[JayPSU]

Please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong forum. I was wondering if there is a way to stream your high definition files from your computer over to your HR2X box? If so, can someone walk me through it or post a link to where it's explained? I think this would REALLY help my wife be able to use these files for her own enjoyment since it's harder for her to figure out how to do it from the computer.

[BattleZone]

Search for "Media Share". There are many threads. You'll need to use a Media Share server other than WMP11, because all video will need to be transcoded into an MPEG2 transport stream, which is the only video format the HR2x's understand for Media Share. I would speculate that MPEG4 streams might eventually be supported, but the general-purpose CPU in the HR doesn't have the horsepower to transcode HD video by itself, so other formats will need to be transcoded on the PC.

[bobnielsen]

You probably should have asked in the Information, Tips and Resources or Plus HD DVR forums, but....

High definition content can be streamed (MPEG2 format), but only bit rates up to about 10 Mbps are supported. It is still labeled as "beta" for good reason.

[JayPSU]

High definition content can be streamed (MPEG2 format), but only bit rates up to about 10 Mbps are supported.

The ones I have are the standard 720p mkv files and mostly tv shows. Will these work?

[jlatham]

This is a good question. Mkv doesn't work with my xbox 360 so it would be nice if the hr did it.

[harsh]

As hard as it is to do on the computer, it is much more involved to do it on the HR2x.

[bobnielsen]

The ones I have are the standard 720p mkv files and mostly tv shows. Will these work?

I suspect that you would have to transcode to mpeg-2 and possibly reduce the bit rate. Since the DVRs have a built-in decoding for mpeg-2 and mpeg-4, I suspect (or at least hope) that mpeg-4 will be supported before long.

I don't know which, if any, media server software supports mkv to mpeg-2 transcoding. It looks like it will take quite a bit of computing power to handle that format.

When transcoding or converting, choose TS instead of PS, if possible (less likelihood of audio issues).

[Bob Coxner]

It's not streaming but you can use a USB media player to transfer your MKV files and then play them directly to the tv. It's much simpler than streaming since you don't have to worry about transcoding or the flaky Media Share. HD is no problem.

Here's a good one:

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=572

Natively supports Video -MPEG1/2/4, WMV9, AVI (MPEG4, Xvid, AVC), H.264, MKV, MOV (MPEG4, H.264), MTS, TP, TS

One place to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-WD-Media-Player/dp/B001JZFQU4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1231685839&sr=8-1

Be sure to read through the reviews (mostly very good) on Amazon.

Another reason to go media server is you can use trick play, something you can't do with streaming (other than pause).

Dell just put this on sale today for $89. http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?k=WD%20TV%E2%84%A2%20HD&c=us&l=en&s=eep&cs=2236&eep_orig_cs=2236&category_id=2999&_nks=true

[harsh]

Are any of these hardware or software solutions going to make watching videos easier than popping them up in a computer based media player? If not, they are all counter to answering the OP's issue.

[Cyclone99]

The ones I have are the standard 720p mkv files and mostly tv shows. Will these work?

Yes, it can be done. I stream 720p mkv tv shows to my HR20 using Mediatomb (http://mediatomb.cc) on linux. It was a little tricky to set up, and fast forward and rewind are not supported, only start, stop, and pause; but it does work.

[loudo]

Yes, I can play HD videos (vacation videos, family events , etc), some 720p and some 1080i, that I have created in MPG2 keeping the bit rates in the 8-9 Mbps range. I have tried some higher rates and some have played but start and stop during play back, and others I just get the error message they are to high a bit rate.

[bonscott87]

Are any of these hardware or software solutions going to make watching videos easier than popping them up in a computer based media player? If not, they are all counter to answering the OP's issue.

Very true. I honestly don't know how much easier it can be to double-click the file on a computer and have it play.

Jay, perhaps you just need to create a shortcut folder on your desktop for your wife's movies so she can just open that folder and then launch the movie of her choice. Using Media Share isn't hard on the client end but it is more involved then just using the computer. This is all assuming she's fine watching it on the computer and doesn't care if she watches on the TV or not.

[Bob Coxner]

Are any of these hardware or software solutions going to make watching videos easier than popping them up in a computer based media player? If not, they are all counter to answering the OP's issue.

I think the media server is easier since it doesn't involve messing with Media Share. If you can transfer a file from your PC to an external USB hard drive, then you have the expertise needed. It's also much better than using an older computer to stream video. Trick play is important to many of us. Being able to use all of the normal DVD player trick play options is a big deal versus the only option of "pause" when streaming from a PC.