Most media files are giving me the "Unable to play the selected file" messages?

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live Streaming
1

Hello!

My friend at work recommended that I get a WD SMP because it plays about everything.  However, I’m having a heck of a time.  It seems that 90% of my files (random clips got in email over the years) do not work?  I also am getting the same message when trying to view live TV using the HDHR Prime Cable Card… I can see the channels but not even the basic ones will show?

Since it seems all the mpg and mpeg files will play in this particular folder I don’t think it is a permissions issue or anything like that.  Also, I’m trying to do this from just a regular windows share using the SMP.

I did some searching here and found a program that analyzes the files.  Here is an example of an MP4 file that won’t play:

Format : MPEG-4 Visual
File size : 444 MiB

Video
Format : MPEG-4 Visual
Format settings, BVOP : Yes
Format settings, QPel : No
Format settings, GMC : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix : Default (H.263)
Width : 352 pixels
Height : 240 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 3:2
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy

 And here is a MMV that won’t play.  I see in the manual where it says WMV9 and this one looks like WMV8 but that would be a bit older so I’d think (maybe incorrectly!) that the 8 should work fine if the 9 type works! :slight_smile:

Format : Windows Media
File size : 3.82 MiB
Duration : 43s 553ms
Overall bit rate mode : Constant
Overall bit rate : 735 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 710 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2004-11-26 02:42:18.410

Video
ID : 2
Format : WMV2
Codec ID : WMV2
Codec ID/Info : Windows Media Video 8
Description of the codec : Windows Media Video V8
Duration : 43s 567ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 636 Kbps
Width : 320 pixels
Height : 240 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 30.000 fps
Bit depth : 8 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.276
Stream size : 3.30 MiB (87%)
Language : English (US)

Audio
ID : 1
Format : WMA
Format version : Version 2
Codec ID : 161
Codec ID/Info : Windows Media Audio
Description of the codec : Windows Media Audio 9 - 64 kbps, 44 kHz, stereo (A/V) 1-pass CBR
Duration : 43s 552ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 64.0 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 340 KiB (9%)
Language : English (US)

Here is a MOV that doesn’t play

Format : QuickTime
Format/Info : Original Apple specifications
File size : 38.4 MiB
Duration : 2mn 46s
Overall bit rate : 1 935 Kbps
Movie name/More : EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY KODAK DX6490 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA
Encoded date : UTC 2004-07-09 23:54:27
Tagged date : UTC 2004-07-09 23:54:27
Origin : Digital Camera

Video
ID : 1
Format : H.263
Codec ID : h263
Duration : 2mn 46s
Bit rate : 1 805 Kbps
Width : 320 pixels
Original width : 352 pixels
Height : 240 pixels
Original height : 288 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 20.034 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 1.173
Stream size : 35.8 MiB (93%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2004-07-09 23:54:27
Tagged date : UTC 2004-07-09 23:54:27

Audio
ID : 2
Format : ADPCM
Format profile : U-Law
Codec ID : ulaw
Duration : 2mn 46s
Source duration : 2mn 46s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 128 Kbps
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 16.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 2.54 MiB (7%)
Source stream size : 2.54 MiB (7%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2004-07-09 23:54:27
Tagged date : UTC 2004-07-09 23:54:27

 Then the ones that really baffle me, because other people are watching, are the files from the HDHR Prime Cable Card device.  My router is a D-Link DIR-655, which is in the list of supported/tested routers, so not sure what’s up here?

Anyway, can somebody familiar with the SMP take a look and see if you think the files I posted *should* play or if I might have a problem… and that problem might explain why the HDHR is giving me the same “Unable to play the selected file. Please see the User Manual for a list of supported file formats.”

Seems weird that out of about 100 media files I have I can only find about 5 that work (most are older wmv).

Thanks!

2

FYI, I got the HDHR Prime Cable Card working with the SMP.  I watched a HD show for about 5 minutes and no problems.  I was hunting around in the D-Link DIR-655 and found a setting for “multicast”.  It said if you were having trouble viewing media to try turning this on.  I did and that fixed it :slight_smile:   I’m getting about 120 of the 400 or so channels listed in the “premium” folder.  Looks like only the channels I’m getting on the regular HDHR over a regular cable line (nothing above the basic cable).  But, that’s all it fixed… still not playing the small video clips I posted above.

Thanks!

3

I’m not sure about #1 and #3, but WMV2 is not supported.   Only WMV9 is supported.

If I had to guess on #3, it may because of the ADPCM audio.   ADPCM isn’t supported in a MOV container, only in AVI container.

But since you’re not providing full MEDIAINFO, it’s hard to tell.

1 Like
4

Thank you, Tony!  But, I’m not sure how to provide full MEDIAINFO.  Is there a program that you recommend? I copied and pasted everything there was that the program I was using plucked out of the media file :slight_smile:

Thanks!

5

http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en (free)

Untick the boxes if you don’t want the extras.

1 Like
6

Thank you, Rich!  That is what I used… but missed the boxes on install last night.  All that spam/**bleep** nearly crushed my computer.  LOL I got the extra junk uninstalled and hopefully nothing was left behind :slight_smile: