Disappointed with the unit: plays almost no mp4

WD Legacy Products WD TV Media Player
21

I didn’t follow friends’ suggestions to buy an AppleTV, since (yet) there’s no other Apple stuff in house, plus it does not have USB ports.

However, expecially due to the fact that in the future an ipad and a macbook will most probably come in, I would much rather have followed that advice: my fault.

22

Hi Avalon_2014

As per Bill_S’s posts, WD released the firmware for this AVI/MP4 player that does not support majority of AVIs and MP4’s.

As per their development/release cycle, releasing a broken firmware requires no testing or quality assurance, where as release an emergancy fix after breaking everybodys stuff requres a lengthy period of time. After two months, it has been “passed this on to support” and they are apparently “fixing it” with no ETA or status updates.

In the mean time, please enjoy your WD Live Brick edition. Feel free to utilize your “brick” how you see fit. Suggestions include a paperweight, a door stop, a play toy for your pet rottweiler, a large novelty drink coaster.

23

Timothy83 wrote:
As per Bill_S’s posts, WD released the firmware for this AVI/MP4 player that does not support majority of AVIs and MP4’s.

I haven’t read the word ‘majority’ anwhere in Bill’s statement and I’m still waiting for anyone to upload AVIs that do not run on 2.02.32.

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Timothy … good suggestions :laughing:

(although as a brick it’s quite light!)

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While WD someone asks me to send mp4 files that do not currently work. WD else write me telling me to return the device to the store to be still in return period. It seems unserious running WD.

I predict a big bump, such malfunctions impossible to create a bad image of lifting

26

I ftp-uploaded to the support site three mp4 files which the unit refuses to play. One took all night long since it was quite large, but that’s it.

My suggestion to anyone who is annoyed with this product is to open a support ticket and then upload files (mp4, mkv, whatsoever) that the unit does not play - hopefully anyone with an open ticket will get same instructions as I have had.

The more we are, the more are the chances that this incredible situation will be fixed, I am really annoyed.

27

If you find a file that won’t play you can download “Format Factory”. It is a free video convert software that can

convert your files to anything that your device will play. It works great and  it’s totally free.

http://www.pcfreetime.com/

Think of it as a temp fix while waitting for the firmware update :slight_smile:

28

Here is another data point…

I bought a new WD TV today ( with the 1.0.40 I think firmware )…I started playing mp4’s and

got tired after 39 successes and one failure.

The failed mp4 had a 5.1 audio track. ( it also crashed my Roku ). It played fine on my mac

with quicktime and vlc.

I downmixed the sound to stereo via handbrake and stuck it back on my NAS and now it plays.

I don’t have a surround sound system on either of my TVs.

I am not using the media library feature either…

Go figure…

Jerry

29

I have mp4’s with 5.1 audio that play fine with the latest Firmware (1.01.30)

(have some with 2CH stereo that won’t play, unless i remux them)

pretty sure once you reconverted (repacked) in handbrake that solved the playback problem.

Also the “Quick Fix” for mp4’s is “Re-Muxing”   (Not converting or encoding … which you will lose quality, and can take a long time … remuxing takes seconds to a few minutes without any quality lose)

For Re-muxing mp4 > mp4 : http://www.videohelp.com/tools/My-MP4Box-GUI

For Re-musing mp4 > mkv : (mkvtoolnix / mkvmerge)  http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MKVtoolnix

either one of these remuxes the file without any quality loss and 99% of the time will fix the playback issue

(if it still won’t play, then the file has other issues… post a mediainfo output for people to examine)

http://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

30

Avalon_2014 wrote:

My suggestion to anyone who is annoyed with this product is to open a support ticket and then upload files (mp4, mkv, whatsoever) that the unit does not play.

So where are those AVIs that alledgedly don’t play?

mpgalloway wrote:
It works great and  it’s totally free.

As are Handbrake, Xmedia Recode, Hybrid, Ripbot 264, MeGUI, Staxrip…

yrrej wrote:

Here is another data point…

 

I bought a new WD TV today ( with the 1.0.40 I think firmware )…I started playing mp4’s and

got tired after 39 successes and one failure.

 

The failed mp4 had a 5.1 audio track. ( it also crashed my Roku ).

The MP4s uploaded to the original thread were 2.0 files so that’s not the reason.

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Techflaws wrote:

So where are those AVIs that alledgedly don’t play?

 

It’s not avi, it’s - for the time being - mp4 and mkv.> I uploaded via ftp some of them to the support site, but it’s a pain (40 KB/s or so).

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Not according to Timothy83.

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WD Technical Support is a real shame. I have written multiple times. In a ftp I get a nonexistent address. I apologize. I return to give another address. Up two sample WDTV does not play mp4 and put them to tell me the name. Again today give me a new direction.

Moreover other technical insists that I return it to the store. I do not know if they are making fun, making time or worse they have no idea how to fix it

A shame. I go back to not purchase any product from WD

34

trilogico wrote:

WD Technical Support is a real shame. I have written multiple times. In a ftp I get a nonexistent address. I apologize. I return to give another address. Up two sample WDTV does not play mp4 and put them to tell me the name. Again today give me a new direction.

 

Moreover other technical insists that I return it to the store. I do not know if they are making fun, making time or worse they have no idea how to fix it

 

A shame. I go back to not purchase any product from WD

If there is an issue with the firmware, technical support will never be able to help you.  All they can do is get some basic information and pass it along to the product people.  If you are having issues getting follow through with support, I can have someone contact you right away.  

1 Like
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Bill_S I have already told in the previous post me what is happening and how the technical service mocks their emails. I think that says it all. a shame

If they can not solve problems firmware not sell devices that meet say things that do not meet

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Bill_S wrote:

 

If there is an issue with the firmware, technical support will never be able to help you.  All they can do is get some basic information and pass it along to the product people.  If you are having issues getting follow through with support, I can have someone contact you right away.  

We all know that tech support cannot do anything with the firmware by themselves: but it’s the only available means to get to WD for frustrated users like us.

BTW I work for a large IT company (in software), to me this look precisely bug(s) in the firmware, I may be wrong, we’ll see.

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If you know that, then you also know that you can’t get upset with support because they don’t have a solution.  That was the reason I posted above.  Moreover, when you contact support with an issue, please be ready to do some basic troubleshooting so we can make sure that there is an issue.  I’m sorry that it’s a pain in the drain, but it is necessary.

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trilogico wrote:

Bill_S I have already told in the previous post me what is happening and how the technical service mocks their emails. I think that says it all. a shame

 

If they can not solve problems firmware not sell devices that meet say things that do not meet

I read the email that was sent to you.  They were not trying to mock you.  However, you did get a dead link.  That wasn’t good.  Unfortunately, things can change, like ftp links, without agents knowing it.  So, I’m sorry that happened to you.  They do want to call you to provide you further support, but they don’t have your phone number.  If you could respond to the last email they sent you with the number, they will set up a call with you.  Otherwise, you can private message me your phone number and I’ll get it to them.

I am sorry for the mixup.

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Bill_S wrote:

If you know that, then you also know that you can’t get upset with support because …

 

Actually I don’t blame WD support: I blame WD itself.

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In the last email I got instructions for installing and removing the mediainfo information files that can not play the new WD TV.

I’ve done it in 5 files and I have sent the information. I note that the five files using the codec '"isom."Do not know if that’s the proble.

I apologize for my anger but I think it is logical. When we spend money on something we want to work