So I have been scratching my head, with 1.01.24, some MP4s just didn’t work. Same as older mp4s, I couldn’t figure out why these new ones were not working. Was it a newer version of Subler? Handbrake? When I took the mp4, and changed extension to m4v, it worked, but now I couldn’t seek. Now m4v will seek, but it causes the files that were not recognized as mp4 in 1.01.24 to not be recognized in this new release. So the work around to change to m4v no longer works. I am guessing that changing the extension triggered a change to how the device plays, and the new release, makes both mp4 and m4v work as mp4 did on previous.
Now the good news is that this pissed me off enough to play with it, and I found what the issue is. Normally when I create an mp4, I use subler or libmp4v2 CLI tools, make my adjustments, then optimze, then copy to my media server. For some reason, it is the optimizing that is causing the problem on WDTVLIVE. So if I use subler or libmp4v2 and create an mp4, then optimize, wdlivetv will not recognize. If I optimize, then make some minor change, like change a NAME on a track, then save, wdlivetv now recognizes it fine. I even went to an older version of libmp4v2 to see if it solves the issue, and it doesn’t. So not sure how my older mp4s still work, since I optimized everything as the last step before.
Either way, editing a trackname, or just doing SAVE in subler as the last action in the mp4, and it works. If you optimize last, it does not. I am guessing this is NOT an issue with libmp4v2, which is at the core of subler, but something going on in the wdlivetv device that needs to be fixed. Since these mp4s work perfect in QT, and PS3, and many other apps and devices.
For added detail, the offending action can be done on command line, with this:
mp4file --optimize myvideo.mp4
Or using optimize in an app like subler, and many others that use libmp4v2 as its core for the optimize function.
Hope that helps.
One last note, the AAC audio drop outs are definitely better, much better, but still exist.