MP4 files not playing, others not showing up on Player

I have a slew of mp4 files on a portable hard drive. They all work and are all present when viewing them on my computer. But when I attach the drive to the TV Live SMP, In one folder over half the files do not show up, and the rest will not play. Other folders with similar length files also will not play.

Below if the MediaInfo stats for various files:

This video plays no problem

Format                                 : MPEG-4
Format profile                      : Base Media
Codec ID                             : isom
File size                               : 2.06 GiB
Duration                               : 1h 6mn
Overall bit rate mode           : Variable
Overall bit rate                     : 4 464 Kbps
Writing application               : Lavf55.32.101

Video
ID                                         : 1
Format                                 : AVC
Format/Info                          : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                      : High@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC     : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 3 frames
Codec ID                              : avc1
Codec ID/Info                       : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                               : 1h 6mn
Bit rate mode                       : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 4 362 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                 : 5 500 Kbps
Width                                    : 1 280 pixels
Height                                   : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio              : 16:9
Frame rate mode                  : Constant
Frame rate                            : 29.970 fps
Color space                           : YUV
Chroma subsampling            : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                              : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                 : 0.158
Stream size                           : 2.02 GiB (98%)

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : 40
Duration                                 : 1h 6mn
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 93.5 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                         : 96.0 Kbps
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 44.2 MiB (2%)

Text
ID                                       : 1-CC1
Format                                   : EIA-608
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 1h 6mn
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)
Encoded stream size                      : 0.00 Byte (0%)

This video does not play

Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom
File size                                : 5.81 GiB
Duration                                 : 3h 4mn
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 4 499 Kbps
Writing application                      : Lavf55.34.100

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames                : 3 frames
Format settings, GOP                     : M=2, N=75
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 3h 4mn
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 4 364 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                         : 5 500 Kbps
Width                                    : 1 280 pixels
Height                                   : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 29.970 fps
Minimum frame rate                       : 0.244 fps
Maximum frame rate                       : 90 000.000 fps
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.158
Stream size                              : 5.63 GiB (97%)

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : 40
Duration                                 : 3h 4mn
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 128 Kbps
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 170 MiB (3%)

Text
ID                                       : 1-CC1
Format                                   : EIA-608
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 3h 4mn
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)
Encoded stream size                      : 0.00 Byte (0%)

This video does not show up on the TV Live SMP

Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom
File size                                : 6.57 GiB
Duration                                 : 3h 33mn
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 4 408 Kbps
Writing application                      : Lavf55.34.100

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames                : 3 frames
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 3h 33mn
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 4 272 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                         : 5 500 Kbps
Width                                    : 1 280 pixels
Height                                   : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 29.970 fps
Minimum frame rate                       : 0.309 fps
Maximum frame rate                       : 90 000.000 fps
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.155
Stream size                              : 6.36 GiB (97%)

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : 40
Duration                                 : 3h 33mn
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 128 Kbps
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 196 MiB (3%)

Text
ID                                       : 1-CC1
Format                                   : EIA-608
Muxing mode                              : SCTE 128 / DTVCC Transport
Muxing mode, more info                   : Muxed in Video #1
Duration                                 : 3h 33mn
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Stream size                              : 0.00 Byte (0%)
Encoded stream size                      : 0.00 Byte (0%)

The only real difference I see between the one that plays and the ones that don’t - apart from duration - is that the one that plays has a constant framerate while the other two do not. Would this cause them not to play/show up on the Player? Is there anything else that I missed? And wouldremuxing these to something else, like MKV, make them play without losing any quality?

Try this link from another thred.

http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Streaming/Firmware-2-02-32-Not-playing-all-mp4-files/m-p/778481#U778481

Thanks, I will give the old firmware a try and see if that helps. Hopefully it does the trick and I don’t have to fiddle with the video files.

That link has no bearing as to why some files don’t show up.

Yes, there’s a bug where some won’t play, but it doesn’t prevent files from being listed…

Apparently it did. Once I downgraded the firmware as the other thread instructed, all the files appeared on the Player, and they played. Very odd, but it solved my problem. Maybe this is an unknown issue with the latest firmware…

Oh, the issue has to be known by WD considering there are several hundred posts on this site. Assuming WD Tech bothers to read these posts.

I know the mp4 files not playing is a known issue; I meant some mp4s just not showing up.

eday_2010 wrote:

I know the mp4 files not playing is a known issue; I meant some mp4s just not showing up.

Hmmm.   Interesting.    I wonder if you used EXTERNAL metadata files?   (cover art and XML file)

If not, I wonder if the same bug that prevents playback is also preventing metadata extraction so it’s not getting added to the media library.    

No, no external metadata of cover images. Just independent mp4 video files.