AVI file gets really choppy / other problems with random avi files

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live & Live Plus
1

i did a quick look around and didnt see anyone bringing up the same problem im having, i know that avi files are just a container file and thats why some are fine and others arnt. 

The biggest problem is with some of the AVIs i have right from the start they are either super choppy (aka barely doing anything video wise maybe 1 -2 frames per 5 sec)  or they play a few frames then stop playing video and just show whatever frame they are on, either way the audio plays fine. 

below is the info for one of the files i know for sure has the problem

Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
File size : 351 MiB
Duration : 41mn 54s
Overall bit rate : 1 170 Kbps
Writing application : VirtualDubMod 1.5.10.1 (build 2439/release)
Writing library : VirtualDubMod build 2439/release

Video
ID : 0
Format : MPEG-4 Visual
Format profile : Simple@L3
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 : 41mn 54s
Bit rate : 1 027 Kbps
Width : 576 pixels
Height : 320 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) : 0.223
Stream size : 308 MiB (88%)
Writing library : XviD 1.0.2 (UTC 2004-08-29)

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 : 41mn 54s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 128 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Stream size : 39.0 MiB (11%)
Alignment : Aligned on interleaves
Interleave, duration : 24 ms (0.60 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration : 29 ms

i dont know the exact firmware version, i bought it for my parents and so its at their house, i did update to the latest firmware the day i got it which was  5/13/2010

it also had problems playing an mkv file, but i read on another thread that anything muxed with mkvmerge had some issues so it may just be that (said file was muxed with mkvmerge)

in another threat i also saw someone say that the wd tv live doesnt really care for mpeg-4 files, but they didnt really describe what the problem with them was… if thats all this is, would a simple re-encode to something more suitable fix the problem?

2

Welcome to the forums.

Files produced with mkvmerge are not an issue – I use it all the time (with every file, in fact).

I assume these are files played off a local drive, correct?  If so, you can try this test: encode using Handbrake using the High Profile (only change output type to MKV).  If the subsequent file plays find then at least you know it’s not the Live unit at fault (that’s the gold standard of compatibility).

3

sorry about not replying faster, been kinda busy last few days. yes its a locally attached usb drive. ill work on getting some of the ones i know are problematic reencoded and ill probly stop by my parents house this weekend to test it and reply with the results.

4

Ah, since you last posted we did find an issue with the latest version of mkvmerge – with the default settings of compressed audio track headers there are issues (so turn this off or use an older version).

That may be the problem, or it may be something else.