Has anyone sucessfully played a flash (flv) video file?

I just noticed that the latest WD user manual states that flv is a supported video format (the user manual that I downloaded when I purchased my Live Plus did not list flv as a supported format). I know that being able to play a flash video file has been a suggestion in the ideas section of this forum for a long time. Has WD added this ability?

The new user manual says it supports an ‘flv file with H.264 video codec in an flv container’. However, I tried a number of flash video files and none of them work (error message says ‘unsupported format’). Has anyone ever successfully played a flash file? Does anyone know what type of flv file that WD is talking about when they say they support flv?

Aren’t most of the LQ YouTube videos that will play on the WDTV stored as either H.263 or H.264 in an flv container?

RoofingGuy, you are right. I didn’t think of that. What I meant was that I have never been able to play a flash file that was on my computer. Has anyone been able to play a flash file from your hard drive? I will post a MediaInfo output of an flv that doesn’t work.

Here is the MediaInfo output for a flash file that does not work. Maybe the ReFrames value is too high? Could ‘Video-> Muxing mode-> container = unknown’ be the problem?

General
Complete name          : F:\Temp\Videos\Example.flv
Format                        : Flash Video
File size                      : 194 MiB
Duration                      : 43mn 10s
Overall bit rate            : 629 Kbps
aacaot                         : 2.000
audiochannels            : 2.000
audiocodecid              : mp4a
avclevel                      : 30.000
avcprofile                    : 100.000
moovPosition             : 36.000

Video
Format                        : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile             : High@L3.0
Format settings, CABAC           : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames     : 5 frames
Muxing mode                : Container profile=Unknown@3.0
Duration                        : 43mn 10s
Width                            : 720 pixels
Height                           : 400 pixels
Display aspect ratio     : 16:9
Frame rate mode         : Constant
Frame rate                   : 23.976 fps
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling   : 4:2:0
Bit depth                        : 8 bits
Scan type                      : Progressive

Audio
Format                            : AAC
Format/Info                     : Advanced Audio Codec
Format version               : Version 4
Format profile                 : LC
Format settings, SBR    : Yes
Format settings, PS       : No
Duration                          : 43mn 10s
Channel(s)                      : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate                  : 44.1 KHz

I think there’s a disagreement in documentation.

You’re right:  The Live / Live+ documentation DOES say h.264 in FLV is supported.

However, this KB article says beyond doubt that it is *NOT* supported:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2698/

According to THAT document, only the ELEMENTS PLAY supports FLV.

So it looks like an error in the users manual. According to the link that Tony posted, the WD does not support flv files at all. As RoofingGuy noted, why does it play youtube and other internet videos…aren’t most of them flash files?

I put about 10 flv’s on my player ripped from YouTube. One of them worked. The other 9 didn’t. Not even sure why it worked. Didn’t want to fast-forward or reverse properly though.

I have many flv files that play.  they are in this format:

Format                           : Flash Video

File size                        : 225 MiB

Duration                         : 47mn 28s

Overall bit rate                 : 661 Kbps

Video

Format                           : AVC

Format/Info                      : Advanced Video Codec

Format profile                   : Main@L3.1

Format settings, CABAC           : Yes

Format settings, ReFrames        : 6 frames

Codec ID                         : 7

Duration                         : 47mn 27s

Bit rate mode                    : Variable

Maximum bit rate                 : 555 Kbps

Width                            : 640 pixels

Height                           : 360 pixels

Display aspect ratio             : 16:9

Frame rate mode                  : Constant

Frame rate                       : 25.000 fps

Standard                         : Component

Color space                      : YUV

Chroma subsampling               : 4:2:0

Bit depth                        : 8 bits

Scan type                        : Progressive

Audio

Format                           : AAC

Format/Info                      : Advanced Audio Codec

Format profile                   : LC

Codec ID                         : 10

Duration                         : 47mn 28s

Channel(s)                       : 2 channels

Channel positions                : Front: L R

Sampling rate                    : 44.1 KHz

Compression mode                 : Lossy

Format                           : Flash VideoFile size                        : 225 MiBDuration                         : 47mn 28sOverall bit rate                 : 661 Kbps
VideoFormat                           : AVCFormat/Info                      : Advanced Video CodecFormat profile                   : Main@L3.1Format settings, CABAC           : YesFormat settings, ReFrames        : 6 framesCodec ID                         : 7Duration                         : 47mn 27sBit rate mode                    : VariableMaximum bit rate                 : 555 KbpsWidth                            : 640 pixelsHeight                           : 360 pixelsDisplay aspect ratio             : 16:9Frame rate mode                  : ConstantFrame rate                       : 25.000 fpsStandard                         : ComponentColor space                      : YUVChroma subsampling               : 4:2:0Bit depth                        : 8 bitsScan type                        : Progressive
AudioFormat                           : AACFormat/Info                      : Advanced Audio CodecFormat profile                   : LCCodec ID                         : 10Duration                         : 47mn 28sChannel(s)                       : 2 channelsChannel positions                : Front: L RSampling rate                    : 44.1 KHzCompression mode                 : Lossy

Note however that there is a problem fast forwarding, pausing, and rewinding.  I have a ticket open with WD on this and there is another thread about it in this forum.

TonyPh12345 wrote:

I think there’s a disagreement in documentation.

 

You’re right:  The Live / Live+ documentation DOES say h.264 in FLV is supported.

 

However, this KB article says beyond doubt that it is *NOT* supported:

 

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2698/

 

According to THAT document, only the ELEMENTS PLAY supports FLV.

 

WD has recently revised the KB article in the link above. It now states that FLV files ARE supported:

“FLV file extensions are supported (using a video codec of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and an Audio codec of FLV only ) in the latest firmware version for all of the above devices besides the WD TV HD Media Player (Gen 2)”.

Does anyone know what “an Audio codec of FLV” means? Looking at the 2 mediaInfo printouts above, why does swilkey’s flv file play, but mine won’t? Swilkey, if you are still here, what software did you use to make the flv files that do play on the WD?

Scandy wrote:

Does anyone know what “an Audio codec of FLV” means?

I can only guess that is a Typo.   

TonyPh12345 wrote:

 


Scandy wrote:

Does anyone know what “an Audio codec of FLV” means?


I can only guess that is a Typo.   

Oh, great…so they replaced one typo with another typo.  :smiley:

The only video format work for me is MP4.

flv, rmvb, wmv does not for in my WD TV Live Hub :frowning:

Does anyone know any video format works except for mp4 ??

Thank you in advance!

Have you tried the link that TonyPh12345 posted on the previous page?

Supported Formats

Personally, I have tried MPEG2, AVI (MPEG4, AVC), H.264, MKV,  MP4, and VOB. They all work fine for me (except for the known VOB stuttering issue). I still can’t get any FLV files to play though.

I was asked what I used to create my FLV files.  I didn’t.  They were created by our local TV station using a web broadcast method called iview.  I just played them using my WD.

WD informed me that the reason that those files played but didn’t handle properly using fast forward/rewind is that they are actually not supported.

That said, I’ve just successfully used SUPER to convert them into a FLV format that IS properly played by the WD player - I chose FLV, H.264/AVC, AAC LC. 

Thanks for that info swikey!