Random WAV file playback problems

briggins · October 15, 2015, 1:37am

I’ve searched the web looking for posts about this problem but found none.

I’m using a WDTV Live with FW update 1.01.11. I’ve ripped about 200 GB worth of CD’s, in WAV format using WMP11, to a 1TB Seagate Freeagent portable drive. While listening to the fruits of my labors today, I noticed that some WAV files just wouldn’t play (different tracks in multiple albums). The WDTV would cue up the song, sit there for a few seconds, and then give up and go to the next track, which it would then play fine.

I thought maybe the problem was related to the ripping process so I ripped one of the offending CD’s again using dbPoweramp. The result was even worse; this time, three tracks from the CD wouldn’t play. I assume the wav files are ok because I can play them back in all the other wav players I have on my PC. And some of the WAV files were even ripped on a different CD reader. I even thought it might have something to do with the WDTV media catalog so I deleted that and let the machine re-catalog the disk. No change. Is there a limit on the size of drive supported by the USB connection? I’m wondering if it has something to do with the sector location of the music on the disk? Has anyone else seen this problem?

I was really hoping this device would open up my music collection again, which has been sitting idle for several years. But if I can’t get this resolved I’ll take the unit back to BB and just say to hell with the whole thing. I’ve already returned a Seagate Freeagent HD Theater+ because the UI was awful.

Thanks.

Bruce

briggins · October 15, 2015, 3:10am

To rule out the Seagate drive as the culprit, I copied the offending wav files to a memory stick. Still no go and precisely the same behavior from the WDTV Live. It doesn’t say “The file format is invalid.”, it just gives up on the file after 5 or 6 seconds. Converted to flac, these same files play perfectly. So I’ve conclusively determined that the WDTV Live will usually - but not always - play wav files ripped from a CD, and the choice of ripping S/W seems to be irrelevant. And this behavior is completely unpredictable and non-deterministic.

For those of you with GB’s of wav files on your hard disk, you may want to make sure the WDTV Live can actually play them. I think WD’s got a serious bug here.

Bruce

briggins · October 15, 2015, 3:10am

Ripped the offending CD using my wife’s laptop using dBpoweramp - same problem. So I’ve ruled out the CD drive as the culprit. I also transferred the “bad” wav files to a Sandisk Sansa player - they played perfectly.

This is a wav file bug with the WDTV Live, absolutely no question.

Bruce

richUK · October 15, 2015, 3:10am

You can either continue your testing or just convert your files to FLAC which you say play perfectly. As FLAC also reduces your file size by half you can get more tracks on your drive. It is a waste of space to keep them as WAV

With regard to the wav files. Is it the same tracks on the same CD which fails. How many of your tracks fail. Does it help if you reduce the ripping speed?

briggins · October 15, 2015, 3:10am

Rich,

Thanks for your response. I’ve already made the decision to move to flac. The WDTV live works better with flac than it does with wav’s (besides the fact that it actually plays them, which is always a bonus ). Metadata support makes for a better WDTV Live UI experience. And as you say, the flac is smaller than wav.

As for testing, the problem CD (and I’ve found at least 3 CD’s so far) I’ve been messing with started out with just one problem track. The next time I ripped it, it went to 2. Then 5 or 6, out of 11, spread throughout the CD. I don’t know how to change the ripping speed with WMP11. I probably need to go into the properties of the drive. But the fact that the wav’s play in all S/W-based wav players and even the Sansa H/W tells me that the WDTV Live has issues.

Thanks again.

Bruce