Media Share Video Format

navspice · 01-26-08, 10:35 AM

I am new to this site and have tried my best to search to see if I can find this answer prior to posting this and could not.

I just received a software update last night which appears to enable the video support for Media Share. My problem is I can't seem to get any of my video to display. Most are in .avi and .mpg format. The .avi ones have an "x" next to them and do not even try to work. The .mpg ones attempt to play but fail. My .avi's are mainly DIVX format. My question here is what are the file types that will work with this feature?

pdoyle · 01-26-08, 02:32 PM

I have had success this morning with the following formats:
mpg, vob, mp4, mov, & asf

some avi's have worked, others not

flv - not well, if at all

SteveHas · 01-26-08, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdoyle

I have had success this morning with the following formats:
mpg, vob, mp4, mov, & asf

some avi's have worked, others not

flv - not well, if at all

What abolut MPEG4?

Supervolcano · 01-26-08, 05:25 PM

Look into a freeware program called Tversity.
Lots of threads in the forum about this program.

It can transcode almost any video on the fly (if you have the codecs installed for the format your trying to play).

Transcoding means it will turn your avi's into a format that the hr20 is capable of displaying.

bobnielsen · 01-26-08, 05:35 PM

The HR20 will only decode MPEG2. Any other formats need to be transcoded by the server or converted to MPEG2.

bemenaker · 01-26-08, 05:56 PM

Which box are you playing video on? I just got my install today, an hr-21, and I can see pics and play mp3's across my network, but I haven't been able to play video through it.

bobnielsen · 01-26-08, 08:50 PM

Video media share hasn't made its way to the HR21 national release software yet, just the HR20. It is in the latest few CEs, so hopefully will be in the next NR.

coacho · 01-27-08, 05:17 AM

Some of my .avi work and some dont. I can not get MP2 nor MP4 to work. I also had a .mov that did not work.

It seems kind of silly to make this available and then it will not handle any formats. I was hoping this would replace my xbox.

I may have to go back and try Tversity again; I had some problems the last time.

VLaslow · 01-27-08, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by navspice

I am new to this site and have tried my best to search to see if I can find this answer prior to posting this and could not.

I just received a software update last night which appears to enable the video support for Media Share. My problem is I can't seem to get any of my video to display. Most are in .avi and .mpg format. The .avi ones have an "x" next to them and do not even try to work. The .mpg ones attempt to play but fail. My .avi's are mainly DIVX format. My question here is what are the file types that will work with this feature?

What software are you using on your computer?

And, Welcome to DBSTalk.

jmcdolej · 01-27-08, 08:16 AM

Why dont I even have a media share option? I downloaded last weeks CE but not this weeks. ANy ideas?

cnmsales · 01-27-08, 08:46 AM

Cause it has to be networked.

jmcdolej · 01-27-08, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnmsales

Cause it has to be networked.

It is networked. A test shows network and internet connection. What can I do next?

Supervolcano · 01-27-08, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coacho

It seems kind of silly to make this available and then it will not handle any formats.

Notice that Media Share is still BETA?
Maybe this is one of the reasons why.
Give them time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coacho

I may have to go back and try Tversity again; I had some problems the last time.

If you have problems with tversity, look around in the HR20/21 Info Resources forum.

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=115

If you can't find a thread that helps you, start a new one.

Draconis · 01-27-08, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmcdolej

It is networked. A test shows network and internet connection. What can I do next?

Have you enabled media sharing in WMP 11 or installed TVersity? A media server must be present on the network before the HR20 will pick it up.

jmcdolej · 01-27-08, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratara

Have you enabled media sharing in WMP 11 or installed TVersity? A media server must be present on the network before the HR20 will pick it up.

No, and No. Plus I have an HR21 with last weekends, not this weekends, CE. What about photos and MP3s? And can you point me to enabling WMP 11 for media share, or should I just use TVersity? TIA/.

Draconis · 01-27-08, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coacho

It seems kind of silly to make this available and then it will not handle any formats.

Also remember just how may CODEC's are out there (hundreds). I do not see the HR20 ever being able to handle all of them.

A media server program with transcoding capabilities is most likely your best bet.

I have been using a combination of TVersity and the K-Light Mega CODEC pack with good results.

Draconis · 01-27-08, 10:27 AM

Does this help?

If you are running Winodws XP and the PC sees the HR20/21 you will see a "unknown" in the Media Sharing window. If you are running Windows Vista it should identify the unit.

jmcdolej · 01-27-08, 10:40 AM

That helps tremendously

coacho · 01-27-08, 12:04 PM

Thanks Ratara and SuperV.

Draconis · 01-27-08, 12:25 PM

One final note, since TVeristy and the Mega CODEC pack both use FFDSHOW for their video decoding/transcoding the two work well together.

I have been able to play all video formats that I have on my home computer, including .MOV and .FLV.

A word of warning, if you intend to run both TVersity and the Mega CODEC pack you need to make sure that you are using FFDSHOW from the Mega CODEC pack. The Mega CODEC pack uses a higher version of FFDSHOW and you will get compatibility issues if you try using TVersity’s version.

Either do not install TVeristy's CODECS or install the Mega CODEC pack after installing TVersity and allow it to remove/replace FFDSHOW.

cnmsales · 01-27-08, 12:49 PM

also if running tversity you probably want to disable the windows firewall, or at least add an exception.

ragbirch · 01-28-08, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnmsales

also if running tversity you probably want to disable the windows firewall, or at least add an exception.

You mean there is actually someone out there that uses windows firewall?

bemenaker · 01-28-08, 12:34 PM

Coacho, the main format, being .avi, .mov, .mpg, is all just a container for the video. There is still different options as to how you want to encode the video inside that container. This encoding is also compression. The set top box, is not able to decode all the compression forms out there, but it can read the base container. Video files are comprised of both a container format and an encoding format, not too mention a second encoding format for the audio track.

I hope this clears it up for you, as this is an area that is very commonly misunderstood, both here and in the PC world.

ldyoung71 · 01-29-08, 10:55 AM

I've been following this thread and have the same problem.. I can see .avi divx files, but they have an 'x' by them. Now, I get lost when you say to install Tversity on my PC?? Are you saying I just install this on my PC and it will automatically let my .avi files play on the HR20?? No configuration needed or anything else?

**Tom Robertson** · 01-29-08, 02:17 PM

DIRECTV will be adding more codecs over time to play more and more videos natively. I do not know which are supported nor which will become supported, alas.

Cheers,
Tom