"Ya’ll do know that certain AVI formats are limitted to 1G in size, and others are limitted to 2G in size, right?
Go google this string:
avi “larger than 2”
and you’ll see hundreds of thousands of discussions about that.
That doesn’t mean you can’t CREATE files bigger than that, but the internal file structure won’t be able to be processed by players.
You will probably be better off MUXing those files into an MKV, which supports files bigger than the sum of all HD’s in the world."
Idid the search You suggested, and what I am finding is that the file system on the drive is the limiting factor. Fat16 is limited to 2G, FAT32 limited to 4G and NTFS has a limit, but it is beyond the TB range. Windows has a problem with AVI files larger than 2G unless using directshow, according to Microsoft. Since I have AVIs that are greater than 2g and play fine, I suspect the problem has to do more with the firmware requirements than the container.
As for using MKV on the MINI, I am not sure it is really supported, and if it is, not very well. On the Specification sheet dated September 2009 it is not listed, however on the undated user manual it lists MKV using MPEG4 or MPEG codecs only. The WD TV Live, which you list on your profile supports h.264, x.264, Mpeg 1/2/4, AVC, WM9 and VC-1. These are not the same devices at all.
So far I have not been able to get MKV to work on the MINI, but I am still trying as it does have some better features, however AVI on the MINI appears to be a better option, once the optimum settings are discovered. Unfortunately, since the WD TV MINI no longer appears on the product listing and they have not provided a firmware update since March 2010, (WD TV LIVE NOV 2010, WD Elements play Oct 2010, Live Media Center Dec 2010) I suspect whatever probelms there are with this device are there to stay.
I am very disappointed with the Mini and WD in general. I have purchased many WDC products over the years and I have been very disappointed with the quality and support of their products recently. I have contacted them several times this year regarding other products and have not received a satisfactory resolution to the problems. When I replace my WD TV MINI I don’t think it will be with another WDC product, I think I’m done with them.
