Samsung TV - playing files over wifi

Top post at http://forums.cnet.com/7723-7589_102-378511/samsung-owners-start-here/?tag=contentBody;threadListing

New one specifically about those pesky router firewalls at http://forums.cnet.com/7726-7589_102-5412417.html?tag=posts;msg5412417

But I'm left to guess if this is a network issue or an encoding issue. Let's me put this on a line all its own.

-> What encoding plays on USB does not mean it will play over a network connection. !!!!!

That fact has caused a lot of folk grief. Again, this is not a PC so the decoding is limited.
Bob

Hello,

Thank you for your answer. I should have added that I can play mp4 without any problem whatsoever, and I can access my MKV files but it just won't play them, and only when I change the extension that the files just disappear.
Everything I've found online is that changing your file to a .avi is the solution, I can't find anybody who's had this issue before, everybody seems to agree that the .avi extension thingy works, so I'm even more frustrated.

I would doubt that it's a router issue since it plays every other file, but I tried to play my MKV .avi file after shutting down the firewall but the problem persists.

I see you have the firewall and more out of the way but again. I repeat...

Encoding matters. MKV is NOT AN ENCODING. It's a CONTAINER. Renaming it might or might not work. You've tried it and see the results.

Take a MKV that works and look at its encoding (I use various tools like VLC PLAYER or MEDIA INFO.)
Now transcode the MKV to that encoding and it should play.
Bob

Thank you for your reply.

I transcoded a Matroska Video MKV file into a .mpg using mkv2vob and it does seem to work now, but I wonder if there's another (easier) solution? Cause that means that I will have to have a copy of all my blu-ray files in another format... a blu-ray file is already huge (12gb minimum), so that means that each film will take 24gbs of space (+ the long hour it takes to transcode) sounds like a bit of a hassle, doesn't it?
And I've tried the .avi solution with all my MKV's from different sources and in different sizes and none worked, I find it hard to believe that it's not something else that's causing it? My friend who has the same kind of tv has never had any problems streaming from his PC (he is not using a NAS like me though).

Thank you again for your time,
N.

USB playback decoding does differ from over the network. I don't want to repeat that discussion. One is not the other and if you press Samsung on this they point you to the manual which lists the encodings they support.

Since MKV is a container you can put MPEG in there as well (but may have little size effect.)

You say MP4 worked so why not try more of those?

And a tip. I use HANDBRAKE a bit but there are far too many transcoders for me to know the one you like.

And a nod to media players. I use a few and my favorite is still ... laptop ...
Bob

Hello,

I know that USB playback differs from WIFI playback, I meant that my friend was still streaming over the wifi (dlna) but directly from his PC. I have a Mac so it's a bit more complicated cause all dlna applications I've tested were not successful.
MP4 works when it's not HD. So I have to transcode every time, creating two different files. I guess there's nothing I can do. I will send my friend one of my files and see if he can stream it to his tv over the wifi. If he can, then I really don't know I can't.
I will try Handbrake! mkv2vob is nice and free but it doesn't seem to do well when transcoding more than one video...

Thank you,
N.

The server doesn't fail, the file just disappears. I don't know if that's failing.
Can I just ask you one thing: when you use Handbrake to convert an MKV file into a MP4, what is your Constant Quality?
I tried 1, checked the "larger size file" box, h264 for Otto e Mezzo (2 hours and 15 minutes) in 720p and the file weight 35gbs instead of 8 for the original file....

I've never used Handbrake before, I used to use Miro Video Converter but it won't include subtitles and half of my films are foreign so...
I'm trying QP 15 now but it looks like it's going to be pretty similar size wise....


Thank you!

I use the defaults so I don't know.

-> Use a working title to get details from. I suggest MEDIA INFO if you don't have anything to inspect the encoding with.

As to titles that vanish, yup. That's proper and should be in the manual. Titles that it can't decode are not displayed. And that's not etched in stone. Titles it can't play may display.

Why this is, is a long story of how we got here in video encoding.
Bob