I am having an issue streaming an mp4 file from my QNAS over my home
network. It is something I don't understand at all so I can't be sure even
my question will make sense!

My Roku-Express-4K-plus-2021-QSG-US streams it fine but my Panasonic
DMR-PWT550 just says "Can't Play" which is not very helpful.

The Panasonic is supposed to be able to play mp4 with a bit rate up to 100Mbps/resolution up to 3840x2160. The mp4 appears to have a bit rate of
16051 kbps which I think is 16.051 Mbps. Resolution is 1920x1080.

Are there different types of mp4 that might cause the issue or anybody
have any other thoughts?

The file is 27.4 GB so I could try sticking it on a thumbdrive and see
what the Panasonic thinks of it.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
You can't tell which way the train went by looking at the tracks

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On 3 Sep 2022 at 12:28:13 BST, "Jeff Gaines" wrote:

I am having an issue streaming an mp4 file from my QNAS over my home
network. It is something I don't understand at all so I can't be sure even
my question will make sense!

My Roku-Express-4K-plus-2021-QSG-US streams it fine but my Panasonic DMR-PWT550 just says "Can't Play" which is not very helpful.

The Panasonic is supposed to be able to play mp4 with a bit rate up to 100Mbps/resolution up to 3840x2160. The mp4 appears to have a bit rate of 16051 kbps which I think is 16.051 Mbps. Resolution is 1920x1080.

Are there different types of mp4 that might cause the issue or anybody
have any other thoughts?

The file is 27.4 GB so I could try sticking it on a thumbdrive and see
what the Panasonic thinks of it.

I'd guess the file size has got something to do with it. I occasionally find that my smart TV won't play a file for reasons it keeps to itself. I find re-encoding into something bland makes it playable.
--
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

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On 03/09/2022 in message <tevime$2sn7q$1@dont-email.me> RJH wrote:

The file is 27.4 GB so I could try sticking it on a thumbdrive and see
what the Panasonic thinks of it.

I'd guess the file size has got something to do with it. I occasionally
find
that my smart TV won't play a file for reasons it keeps to itself. I find >re-encoding into something bland makes it playable.

Many thanks :-)

My TV is supposed to be smart so I tried it, won't play anything! So TV
plays nothing, DVD player plays most things except this, Roku plays
everything. I also tried VLC streaming over the network, it plays it but
it brought the whole network to its knees.

Not sure what else I can try unless there's a media serve that will encode
the stream before sending it. I installed Plex but it won't play without
some sort of account. Windows Media Player is making a good job of things.

I think it's safe to say it's an issue with the DVD player. I an currently re-encoding it on my big iron (dual Xeon, 64 GB RAM) and it looks as it it might be ready by Christmas...

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day.
Tomorrow, isn't looking good either.

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Jeff Gaines wrote:

I am having an issue streaming an mp4 file from my QNAS over my home network.

When you say streaming, what protocol are you using? A "proper" streaming one such as DLNA or RTSP, or just hoping for "fast enough" access using a file access protocol such as SMB or HTTP to work?

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On 03/09/2022 in message <jnha3pF4d62U1@mid.individual.net> Andy Burns
wrote:

Jeff Gaines wrote:

I am having an issue streaming an mp4 file from my QNAS over my home >>network.

When you say streaming, what protocol are you using? A "proper" streaming >one such as DLNA or RTSP, or just hoping for "fast enough" access using a >file access protocol such as SMB or HTTP to work?

It's DLNA, the QNAS delivers it and the various "smart" boxes pick it up
as a DLNA server. I don't think it is a speed issue, the DVD player just doesn't seem to recognise the file format.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it

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On 03/09/2022 17:30, Jeff Gaines wrote:

On 03/09/2022 in message <jnha3pF4d62U1@mid.individual.net> Andy Burns
wrote:

Jeff Gaines wrote:

I am having an issue streaming an mp4 file from my QNAS over my home
network.

When you say streaming, what protocol are you using?  A "proper"
streaming one such as DLNA or RTSP, or just hoping for "fast enough"
access using a file access protocol such as SMB or HTTP to work?

It's DLNA, the QNAS delivers it and the various "smart" boxes pick it up
as a DLNA server. I don't think it is a speed issue, the DVD player just doesn't seem to recognise the file format.

what video and audio does VLC show are inside the MP4?

--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

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On 03/09/2022 in message
<5ace0f66-5feb-8aaa-9583-643a3fa36e71@outlook.com> Robin wrote:

It's DLNA, the QNAS delivers it and the various "smart" boxes pick it up
as a DLNA server. I don't think it is a speed issue, the DVD player just >>doesn't seem to recognise the file format.

what video and audio does VLC show are inside the MP4?

I made a comparison with an mp4 that worked, VLC shows:

Codec: H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10) (avcl)

for both.

For the one that works this is stream 0, for the one that doesn't it's
stream 1 - i.e. audio/video are reversed. The only other difference is
that there is no language information for the one that works but it is
shown as English for the one that doesn't.

VLC is only about a third of the way through "converting" it, it's only
using 4% cpu and 525 MB of memory (64 GB available). I might run it
through Adobe Premiere Elements tomorrow just as an experiment.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
There are 3 types of people in this world. Those who can count, and those
who can't.

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On 3 Sep 2022 at 12:28:13 BST, ""Jeff Gaines""
<jgaines_newsid@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

I am having an issue streaming an mp4 file from my QNAS over my home
network. It is something I don't understand at all so I can't be sure even
my question will make sense!

My Roku-Express-4K-plus-2021-QSG-US streams it fine but my Panasonic DMR-PWT550 just says "Can't Play" which is not very helpful.

The Panasonic is supposed to be able to play mp4 with a bit rate up to 100Mbps/resolution up to 3840x2160. The mp4 appears to have a bit rate of 16051 kbps which I think is 16.051 Mbps. Resolution is 1920x1080.

Are there different types of mp4 that might cause the issue or anybody
have any other thoughts?

The file is 27.4 GB so I could try sticking it on a thumbdrive and see
what the Panasonic thinks of it.

27gig for a 1080p video? Unless it's about 20 hours long, in which case
that size is reasonable, I'd use something like Handbrake to re-encode
it to a more normal sort of rate (1gig/hour or less) and try that.

Cheers - Jaimie
--
"Don't let nouns get in the way of a good time"
-- Jasper Fforde

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On 03/09/2022 21:36, Jeff Gaines wrote:

On 03/09/2022 in message
<5ace0f66-5feb-8aaa-9583-643a3fa36e71@outlook.com> Robin wrote:

It's DLNA, the QNAS delivers it and the various "smart" boxes pick it
up as a DLNA server. I don't think it is a speed issue, the DVD
player just doesn't seem to recognise the file format.

what video and audio does VLC show are inside the MP4?

I made a comparison with an mp4 that worked, VLC shows:

Codec: H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part 10) (avcl)

for both.

For the one that works this is stream 0, for the one that doesn't it's
stream 1 - i.e. audio/video are reversed. The only other difference is
that there is no language information for the one that works but it is
shown as English for the one that doesn't.

VLC is only about a third of the way through "converting" it, it's only
using 4% cpu and 525 MB of memory (64 GB available). I might run it
through Adobe Premiere Elements tomorrow just as an experiment.

I'd be inclined to try swapping the streams as it ought to be quick with ffmpeg. I /think/ (but NB the man has taken wine - or possibly wine has taken...)

ffmpeg -i original.mp4 -map 0:v -map 0:a -c copy swapped.mp4



--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

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On 03/09/2022 in message <xn0nmf72e6i6vih003@news.individual.net> Jeff
Gaines wrote:

Are there different types of mp4 that might cause the issue or anybody
have any other thoughts?

Just to wrap u p this exciting adventure....

VLC finished its conversion at 08:45 today, took about 15 hours but the Panasonic can't play it.

ffmpeg was an adventure (I hope your head is OK today, Robin), it's nice
to delve into a command shell once every ten years or so. It did what it
was asked and switched the streams but the Panasonic can't play it.

Video Pad Video Editor re-coded it but the Panasonic can't play it.

Adobe Premiere Elements v12 is ancient I know and pretty useless. It
produced an mpg at half the picture size but the Panasonic can't play it.
It also produced an avi, also at half the picture size and a file size of
44 GB but the Panasonic can't play it.

I ended up with 6 different versions and around 24 hours of my life I
won't see again!

I then thought I'd look for another media server and found Universal Media Server which doesn't insist I sign up to anything and doesn't need a
cloud. It only took a few minutes and it was happy to told which was the
shared media directory unlike Windows Media Player/server. When I
connected to it from the Panasonic it just offered that directory and went straight to it. I navigated to it and a list of my 6 different versions appeared along with a heading "##Transcode##" (my keyboard has just
switched to American mode, I can't find anything) and voila, the Panasonic played pretty well all of them. Crap resolution and quality on some but
sorting out the decent one will have to wait.

Thank you all for your ideas and suggestions, what jolly good fun
computers are!

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
George Washington was a British subject until well after his 40th birthday. (Margaret Thatcher, speech at the White House 17 December 1979)

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On 03/09/2022 12:28, Jeff Gaines wrote:

I am having an issue streaming an mp4 file from my QNAS over my home
network. It is something I don't understand at all so I can't be sure
even my question will make sense!

My Roku-Express-4K-plus-2021-QSG-US streams it fine but my Panasonic DMR-PWT550 just says "Can't Play" which is not very helpful.

The Panasonic is supposed to be able to play mp4 with a bit rate up to 100Mbps/resolution up to 3840x2160. The mp4 appears to have a bit rate
of 16051 kbps which I think is 16.051 Mbps. Resolution is 1920x1080.

Are there different types of mp4 that might cause the issue or anybody
have any other thoughts?

The file is 27.4 GB so I could try sticking it on a thumbdrive and see
what the Panasonic thinks of it.

I'm puzzled here. You have a Roku stick which will play things just
fine. Why on earth did you buy a "smart" TV from a company not known for
making them when you could have just used the stick? Or even bought a
Roku TV?

Andy

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On 04/09/2022 in message <tf32me$3aith$1@dont-email.me> Vir Campestris
wrote:

I'm puzzled here. You have a Roku stick which will play things just fine.
Why on earth did you buy a "smart" TV from a company not known for making >them when you could have just used the stick? Or even bought a Roku TV?

It's a Roku box but same principle. The TV is only used to display a
picture, signal comes from Freesat, DVD player, or Roku box and sound is provided by a Yamaha amp which also switches the various HDMI inputs.

The DVD player can connect to a DNLA source and is better at fast forward/search than the Roku box so I prefer it. Unfortunately I have now discovered that the Universal Media Server doesn't do fast forward/search
so will be back to the drawing board tomorrow!

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name.
It was a right bugger to get him back when he ran off.

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On 04/09/2022 in message <xn0nmgs9s86nu4200a@news.individual.net> Jeff
Gaines wrote:

I then thought I'd look for another media server and found Universal Media >Server

A final wrap on this as I'm sure people are waiting with baited breath.....

I split the file into the four episodes it contained using Videopad and
found episode 2,3 and 4 played but not 1. Did some more fiddling but
decided it may have been a glitch in the original recording so this
morning I recorded it again and lo & behold the Panasonic played it. If I
was American I'd say "go figure".

Hoover, fast forward/search didn't work still so I converted it to mkv
(using ffmpeg, thanks for the tip Robin) and it's there, it plays and
FF/Search works so got there in the end. I may write a front end to ffmpeg
to convert other mpg files, although FF/Search works on some of them.

I use a Globmall splitter in the HDMI feed and GooBang Doo HD Video
Capture to record, only the best and most well known brands of course :-)

Thanks to all again.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
There are 10 types of people in the world, those who do binary and those
who don't.

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Jeff Gaines wrote:

I split the file into the four episodes it contained using Videopad and found episode 2,3 and 4 played but not 1.

Some episodes MPEG-TS, the others MPEG-PS?

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On 06/09/2022 in message <jnp49mFb8mhU1@mid.individual.net> Andy Burns
wrote:

Jeff Gaines wrote:

I split the file into the four episodes it contained using Videopad and >>found episode 2,3 and 4 played but not 1.

Some episodes MPEG-TS, the others MPEG-PS?

Hi Andy.

VLC shows:

Codec H264 - MPEG - 4 AVC (part 10)(avc1)

for all or them.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
Though no-one can go back and make a new start, everyone can start from
now and make a new ending.

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