Can't play MKV files?

[Fisherguy]

I’ve never had a problem playing mkv files before but I have some files that won’t play.
I found this thead:
http://community.wd.com/t/where-can-i-find-older-software-for-hd-media-player-gen1/29962/9

Couldn’t get MKV WD Fix to work, it keeps telling me ‘MKV Toolnix not found’, when I start it up, I click FIND MKV TOOLNIX the mkvmerge.exe file is not shown in the MKVToolNix directory.

Or is there an easier way to do this?

[TonyPh12345]

Really it’s irrelevant. The “Fix” made by that tool is no longer required. All that tool did was remux MKV files which had been muxed with MKV Header Compression. Mind you, that thread is six years old – for a while, the WD players didn’t support Header Compression.

Your player, the Live Hub, had a firmware release that added support for that quite a long time ago (5 years or more).

So your issue is undoubtedly something else. Post the full text output of MEDIAINFO for one of your MKV files that is not working.

[Fisherguy]

Thanks and BTW my firmware is up to date.

Is this the info you need? Have never used this before:

General
Unique ID : 212890141717804199189273421678877297665 (0xA029265E87BA261B9C2863F0CA934C01)
Complete name : C:\Users\willw_000\Desktop\Preacher\Preacher.S01E01.720p.HDTV.x265.HEVC-MRN.mkv
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4 / Version 2
File size : 296 MiB
Duration : 1 h 4 min
Overall bit rate : 646 kb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2016-05-23 06:50:59
Writing application : mkvmerge v9.1.0 (‘Little Earthquakes’) 32bit
Writing library : libebml v1.3.3 + libmatroska v1.4.4

Video
ID : 2
Format : HEVC
Format/Info : High Efficiency Video Coding
Codec ID : V_MPEGH/ISO/HEVC
Duration : 1 h 4 min
Bit rate : 580 kb/s
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.026
Stream size : 266 MiB (90%)
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Audio
ID : 1
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : HE-AAC / LC
Codec ID : A_AAC
Duration : 1 h 4 min
Bit rate : 64.0 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz / 24.0 kHz
Frame rate : 23.438 FPS (1024 spf)
Compression mode : Lossy
Delay relative to video : 31 ms
Stream size : 29.3 MiB (10%)
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Menu
00:00:00.097 : en:00:00:00.097

[TonyPh12345]

The codec used is HEVC, which no WD player supports.

[Fisherguy]

Wonderful…
So in future I guess a person should just avoid MKV files?
It wouldn’t play through my Sony blue ray either…

[TonyPh12345]

It’s not the fact that it’s an MKV… MKV works fine on all WD players. It’s the CODEC used to encode the video and audio (HE-AAC is not supported either as far as I know) that’s the issue.

MKV is just a container format; the video format is separate from that.

[JoeySmyth]

MKV’s with Codec H.264 / AVC will play fine (unless they’re 10-Bit encoded)

For a list of Supported Formats / Containers / Codecs … Start at Page 215 of the User Manual

4779-705046.pdf

[Fisherguy]

Way too complicated, easier to just avoid .mkv files.

Thanks though.

[JoeySmyth]

Me personally, i prefer MKV (90% of my Media is MKV)

@Fisherguy

easier to just avoid .mkv files

maybe not as easy as you think

[Fisherguy]

Why do you prefer mkv? (Specially when there’s a chance your WD won’t play them?)
Mind you, media players are soon to be going the way of the dodo bird anyhow…

[JoeySmyth]

Freely licensed and for all the “Yes Supported” and “Virtually Anything” supported in this Wiki Link

@Fisherguy

media players are soon to be going the way of the dodo bird anyhow…

Well, a PC (or SBC aka. Raspberry Pi 3 which i now use ) can be used as a “Media Player” aka HTPC … so, i can’t see them going the way of the dodo bird anytime soon.

But, i can definitely see WDTV Media Players going the way of the dodo bird … if they haven’t already

Don’t get me wrong, the WDTV’s were great little Media Players for their time … but they’ve become outdated by newer, faster, more powerful, cheaper devices. IMO

[TonyPh12345]

Fisherguy, you’re still confusing the difference between the CONTAINER and the CODEC.

MP4, M4V, MPG, MP4, MOV, AVI … all of those are containers.

If you were to take your video and convert it to MKV, it still wouldn’t play on the WD because it’s the CODEC that’s the problem, not the container.

What you need to do is TRANSCODE your video to a supported set of CODECs. Handbrake will do it.

[JoeySmyth]

@TonyPh12345

What you need to do is TRANSCODE your video to a supported set of CODECs

and if you’re downloading stuff pay attention to the filename or provided mediainfo

in your example Preacher.S01E01.720p.HDTV.x265.HEVC-MRN.mkv

x265 HEVC is the dead giveaway that the file will not be WDTV Compatible … MKV is fine
… the x265 HEVC is Not.

if the file was named for example: Preacher.S01E01.720p.HDTV.x264-MRN.mkv

then the chances of it being WDTV Compatible are Pretty Good

[Fisherguy]

OK, so is HEVC a newer codec? That’s why WD hasn’t come out with new firmware for it cuz basically since my media player is now “legacy” they won’t be doing anymore updates for it? With the new “smart” TV’s who needs hardware to play videos anymore?

You guys know WAY more about this stuff than me, thanks for the education!

[JoeySmyth]

@Fisherguy

With the new “smart” TV’s who needs hardware to play videos anymore?

Me

I have a “Smart TV” which can play a lot of stuff. (mkv, mp4,wmv, avi etc)

But my “other Hardware” can play stuff it can’t. eg. HEVC, 4K, MKV (with MVC), VP9, 10-Bit etc

P.S. I’m going away this weekend … so i’m gonna take my Media Player + Hard Drive full of Movies with me. (it’s a lot easier than packing up the Smart TV and putting on the backseat of my car to take with me)

[Branithar]

If you want to take the time, and don’t want to redownload stuff and hope it works, you can download the free program Handbrake, then select MKV and convert the file to H.264.

[SophiaGill]

If your WDTV Live is not playing mkv or video file at all, the problem is on one or more newer mkv video merged with one the latest version of MKVmerge. When the WDTV Live try to open one of those files, it hang, and can’t play anymore no one files, even if it is power off. The solution to restart the playing function is to press 1 second the reset button when the WDTV is on. Then install (or uninstall from pc MKVmerge version 4.xx), and install a previous version (3.30 for example) open the files that is not playing and save them with another name (for example *.(1), like MKVmerge show). And now try to play this new file, and they and the older MKV are working again. Important, don’t try to preview or play of a non ok mkv file: the WDTV will hang again. Made the same procedure with MKVmerge if the newer files has no audio ouput from TV.