WDTV Live not play MKV or video file at all (solution)

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live & Live Plus
1

If your WDTV Live is not playing mkv or video file at all, the problem is on one or more newer mkv video merged with one the latest version of MKVmerge.

When the WDTV Live try to open one of those files, it hang, and can’t play anymore no one files, even if it is power off.

The solution to restart the playing function is to press 1 second the reset button when the WDTV is on.

Then install (or uninstall from pc MKVmerge version 4.xx), and install a previous version (3.30 for example) open the files that is not playing and save them with another name (for example *.(1), like MKVmerge show).

And now try to play this new file, and they  and the older MKV are working again.

Important, don’t try to preview or play  of a non ok mkv file: the WDTV will hang again.

Made the same procedure with MKVmerge if the newer files has no audio ouput from TV.

Thanks to mkelley

2

vgkit wrote:

If your WDTV Live is not playing mkv or video file at all, the problem is on one or more newer mkv video merged with one the latest version of MKVmerge.

When the WDTV Live try to open one of those files, it hang, and can’t play anymore no one files, even if it is power off.

The solution to restart the playing function is to press 1 second the reset button when the WDTV is on.

Then install (or uninstall from pc MKVmerge version 4.xx), and install a previous version (3.30 for example) open the files that is not playing and save them with another name (for example *.(1), like MKVmerge show).

And now try to play this new file, and they  and the older MKV are working again.

Important, don’t try to preview or play  of a non ok mkv file: the WDTV will hang again.

Made the same procedure with MKVmerge if the newer files has no audio ouput from TV.

 

Thanks to mkelley

 

or turn off the video and audio compression  in any version of MKVmerge after Version 4.0.0

3

Thank you!

This problem was driving me nuts the last few days.

4

HI,

I tried your advice, but my WD mive doesnt play at all video files anymore.

Yesterday it worked fine.

I think i bring it back to the store

5

Welcome to the forums.

If you play a “bad” file then afterwards it will not play any other files until you reset it (use the paperclip and unplug from power for at least 10 minutes).  After that it should be okay again (unless you try another bad file).

6

Hi Mike,

Thanks, it helped.

However i thing WD should bring an update of the firmware, do you agree?

Dirk

7

It’s on the way (I’m guessing either this coming week or next) for the Live (the Plus beta firmware came out last week and did fix this).

8

It’s about time that they did and pronto! According to this information release from Matrovska http://www.matroska.org/news/compressed-headers.html compressed headers has been in the mkv specs since 2005 and they advise:

“If you encounter problems with such files don’t hesitate to contact the people who make the software to tell them they don’t support a key feature of Matroska.”

There is a link here to a utility http://www.matroska.org/downloads/mkclean.html that will supposedly fix the files made with MKVMERGE 4.1.0 or newer until WD gets around to doing what they should have done to begin with.

9

Actually, you can simply use any version of MKVMerge to tix the files – if you use version 4.0 or earlier all you have to do is load the file in and remux.  If you use any later version, you will need to highlight the audio and video tracks and turn off header compression.  Neither takes more than a minute to do even the largest file (so it’s no big deal, really).

10

Correzpond wrote:

According to this information release from Matrovska http://www.matroska.org/news/compressed-headers.html compressed headers has been in the mkv specs since 2005

…yeah, but even THEY didn’t do it until July 2010…  This issue was not encountered before then…

11

Perhaps. I smiled when I read your earlier comment on this topic  “…  He’s a naughty fellow, he knows it, and he’s having fun pissing people off”.

12

Hi I have a similar problem. I have been able to play a mkv file yesterday and today I can not play a second film which is also mkv. Then it begins to load and freezes there. Should I download a program and convert all my mkv files now so I can play them with my wd live television box? I do not hope this is the solution to my problem…

13

I have the same problem described, It was difficult for me to understand the solution because I am a beginner
in the Multimedia community :slight_smile: , but after the search I have passed this problem, of course this thread was the key to the solution and that’s why I want to put the solution Step by Step to those who are like me —> Beginners.

Description of the problem:

When the WDTV Live try to open MKV file it hang and can’t play anymore no one files.

(If you have played the video before using the WD TV Live but you can’t play it now then I guess you have to try Step 1 Only , Otherwise I think you have a different problem)

Solution:

Step 1 :

As suggested in the main post :

“When the WDTV Live try to open one of those files, it hang, and can’t play anymore no one files, even if it is power off. The solution to restart the playing function is to press 1 second the reset button when the WDTV is on.”

But for me it was enough to turn off the power (using the remote) then removing the power plug and insert it again.

Step 2:

Download “mkvtoolnix-unicode-4.3.0-setup.exe” file and install it.

I have download it from “free-codecs.com” see the link: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/MKVtoolnix.htm

this version have fixed the bug, I have tried it and its worked fine with me.

Step 3:

Launch the “mkvmerge GUI” (This shortcut should appear after installation, it will ask you during installation if you want to place a shortcut make sure to check it, otherwise go to you programes list and run it)

Step 4:

Click “Add” and choose the movie that have the problem (The MKV file) then press “open”.

You will see at the bottom that the “Output filename” is containing an additional “(1)” you can change it to any name you want.

Then under “Tracks, chapters and tags” you see a list of your videos/sounds/text that are attached to the movie you have just added.

Click on the first one then go to “Extra options” tab and click it, from the “Compression” list choose “none” that’s it.

Do the same for every line in the “Tracks, chapters and tags” list.

Step 5:

Click “Start muxing” button. and wait until finish.

I hope this help

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4 Likes
14

Just FYI, WD has new firmware coming shortly that fixes it.   It will be Beta for a while (the Live Plus received it last week, the Live will probably get it soon because the two share the same code base.) but this will circumvent the need to re-code the files.

Before you embark on a time-consuming process of changing all your files, you might decide to wait for the new firmware from WD.   But keep an eye out; when they release betas, they REMOVE them after a few hundred downloads.

15

Thanks for the guide Concord3_16 Ill try that when i come home from work. But i heard about a new firmware comming up soon. So ill hope that is the final solution. But thanks…

16

Thanks bro. Instead of ‘there are many responses posted’ you broke it down perfectly. Thanks for the fix.

17

Hi Concord,

thx for the outstanding guide!! according to the level of details you have demonstrated, I am not sure you should call yourself a beginner… :smiley:

Thx again,

Ori

18

mkelley wrote:

Actually, you can simply use any version of MKVMerge to tix the files – if you use version 4.0 or earlier all you have to do is load the file in and remux.  If you use any later version, you will need to highlight the audio and video tracks and turn off header compression.  Neither takes more than a minute to do even the largest file (so it’s no big deal, really).

Excuse me, but I wouldn’t define this solution as “simply”. If one would have to do this EVERY TIME before watching a show, this would be very discouraging and annoying.

By the way I’m still waiting for a fix. I own a “generation 1” WDTV, first version, not Live, and at this point I doubt an update will ever come out. This page http://www.wdc.com/en/products/wdtv/ hasn’t been updated since 1 year ago, almost, will be any luck an update will come out?

19

You just “doubt” it?  WD themselves have been saying for almost 6 months that the Gen1 has been deemed End-Of-Life and there will be no further upgrades.

That’s why it’s listed in the “Legacy” section.  You can’t look it up by browsing the other media players.

20

Lightman wrote:

 

Excuse me, but I wouldn’t define this solution as “simply”. If one would have to do this EVERY TIME before watching a show, this would be very discouraging and annoying.

 

It’s a “simply” because, in the first place, this only affects folks who download illegally.  There are NO commercial sources of such files (because commercial sources are authored correctly) and folks who own the materials themselves can make them properly in the first place.

If you download illegally then you take the time to remux (which only takes a few seconds).  It’s that simple.