I am using a Windows Home Server 2011.
Not only 1080p videos, some standard definition videos cannot be played on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 through built-in Windows DLNA server. It says "Unable to play." or "Unsupported file format."
Now, I know Tagra 2 processor sucks at video decoding, and it can't handle 1080p, but since the server is powerful enough, I thought it could transcode the videos for GT 10.1. So far, I have tested various trial versions of DLNA servers, but none of them seem to transcode properly for GT 10.1. I always get error messages some specific video files.
By the way the video is playing fine on the Windows Home Server 2011, because I already installed codecs. Is there a really working DLNA server that can actually transcode videos? How do you use DLNA on GT 10.1? I do not want to transcode each and every video file manually, I want them to be transcoded on-demand.
Thanks for reading.
In my opinion, one of the best is PS3 media server, sure, is designed for the PS3, but you can configure it to almost any device.
I'm not a windows user, but in Linux (and I guess in windows and mac, since is a java application) works great with my PS3, my Samsung TV and Galaxy Tab.
{EDIT}
It appears there is an audio issue with RockPlayer and Hardware Decoding on our device. After contacting the developers, they will be releasing a version with SW audio support while using hardware for video to fix this. Expected within one month. Post will be updated once released.
DicePlayer has been recommended as an alternative as it has HW decode and native SAMBA support, however it does not appear to handle hardware decoding for as many formats as RockPlayer (watch for SW in the upper left).
{/EDIT}
Hi all,
While going through the Accessory Guide post (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1377669) I realized there was an odd recommendation on video playback using Emit Free. With our devices there is no need for transcoding like you would have to do on an iPad, but it's still not "easy" to get full 1080P playback over the network.
With root, you can install cifs drivers that are pretty efficient, but without it, many times video stutters. I tested a large combination of File Managers that mounted CIFS/SAMBA shares and Video Players to see which performed best.
From File Manager HD and Astro to MXPlayer and XYPlayer nearly all of them had stuttering issues with 1080P video, and lag when seeking in 720P video. Below is where I ended up, which entailed perfect 1080P playback, with zero lag when seeking (tested on high bitrate MKV and AVI w/ AC3 and DTS audio samples).
1. Install ES File Explorer: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop
ES File Explorer is a file manager that supports CIFS/SAMBA mounts (these are the shared folders on your Windows, Mac, or Linux PC). Once open, swipe right to access the network shares. I recommend turning on "Detail" mode in the settings, so you can see file sizes and permissions, too. The advantage of ES File Explorer over other managers I tried is that the CIFS implementation has been optimized very well, and was the best at streaming the file data to the video player from a speed and bandwidth perspective.
2. Install RockPlayer Lite: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redirectin.rockplayer.android.unified.lite
RockPlayer is a great player that includes hardware acceleration, much like MXPlayer. The difference here is that like ES File Explorer, RockPlayer seems better optimized for network file handling. With other players in combination with ES File Explorer, there were still lag issues during seek. RockPlayer has none of these issues.
Be sure to enable HW acceleration in Rockplayer
Also ensure app mode is set to "stretched" instead of "zoomed"
Any questions, or other options, feel free to post below.
If this guide was helpful, please click Thanks below instead of replying to keep the thread clean.
Thanks!
Ben
i tried your suggestion.
yeah it gets rid of the lag but:
- there is no sound for most of my hd mkv videos
- subtitles dont show for mkv files
nice to see that the tfp actually does have the power to play these smoothly though!
I have been using ES File explorer and it does help with the streaming. However, I have not gotten a streaming video to play thru the whole movie/show. Seems every 10 or 30mins (differs), it will quit playing. I've tried the same setup on my Galaxy Nexus and don't have issues. I guess I can try Rock Player. I guess no one else has this issue? I've seen it mentioned once or twice while reading the boards but no answers. I thought maybe it was on my end and somehow the wifi was dropping, but if it is...its not displaying it.
I use dice player. It has native ability to open network shares and plays HD MKV files over wifi without lag or stutter.
r0ck0 said:
I use dice player. It has native ability to open network shares and plays HD MKV files over wifi without lag or stutter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can it transcode dts audio or any multichannel audio? any program i have tried plays fine but there is no audio
tried it , unfortunally no sound on most of my mkv's.
Dice player does a better job, way more codecs supported and equal network performance, rockplayer seems to build up a bigger buffer, at the beginning it may look like its more stable but after a while both are laging .. (high profile 1080)
what's up with all the lagging ? wifi performance not good enough or is the SOC not capable of streaming and decoding all at once? no problems from sdcard ..
knives of ice said:
can it transcode dts audio or any multichannel audio? any program i have tried plays fine but there is no audio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dice player works great with mkv movies with DTS and AC3 audio on my TF201. Dice player is the best way to stream movie using a NAS Imo.
tested with dlink dns-323 and stock tf201.
Tempie007 said:
tried it , unfortunally no sound on most of my mkv's.
Dice player does a better job, way more codecs supported and equal network performance, rockplayer seems to build up a bigger buffer, at the beginning it may look like its more stable but after a while both are laging .. (high profile 1080)
what's up with all the lagging ? wifi performance not good enough or is the SOC not capable of streaming and decoding all at once? no problems from sdcard ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wifi performance is the issue for me. If i'm sitting next to the router 1080p plays fine. If I go to other rooms(even adjacent rooms) then it will stutter periodically. It really impairs one of the primary uses that I wanted the Transformer Prime for. As of now I use Plex to transcode to a smaller bitrate
Tempie007 said:
tried it , unfortunally no sound on most of my mkv's.
Dice player does a better job, way more codecs supported and equal network performance, rockplayer seems to build up a bigger buffer, at the beginning it may look like its more stable but after a while both are laging .. (high profile 1080)
what's up with all the lagging ? wifi performance not good enough or is the SOC not capable of streaming and decoding all at once? no problems from sdcard ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I've had the exact opposite impressions with Rockplayer having more HW decoding support. In any event, I'm stupid for not testing audio.
I've updated the first post based on discussions with the developers of Rockplayer, and will do a re-work of this guide focusing on both solutions once it is released and we can test.
Thanks,
Ben
I haven't tried Rockplayer. However, I get excellent results with Diceplayer. I stream all 720p and most 1080p .mkv using estrongs file explorer. Some 1080p will get lag. Just depends on the bit rate your 1080p video is encoded at, and your WIFI connection speed.
I actually just run an entire home PC with Win 7 Ultimate on it for my movie collection. I just RJ45 it right to my Wireless router. That way I can stream all of my movies to any device in my home. I have quite a few WDTV lives hooked up to all my tv's in my house. So it works out great.
Plus once in awhile If a 1080p video isn't playing well on my prime. I convert it using airvideo. I have airvideo server running on the Win 7 server. (those that have an ipad 2 that is) Have this option. You simply load airvideo on your ipad 2. Select the .mkv you want to convert to .m4v and add it to quere. Airvideo has all the conversion and bitrate methods built in the program. So I don't have to mess with jumping on Win 7 machine. Loading a conversion program and blah blah. I have yet to find an Android program that compares to Airvideo. If someone has suggestion let me know. (Yes, I have tried PLEX). Just can't beat the Live Conversion and simple conversion in Airvideo.
lollee76 said:
I have been using ES File explorer and it does help with the streaming. However, I have not gotten a streaming video to play thru the whole movie/show. Seems every 10 or 30mins (differs), it will quit playing. I've tried the same setup on my Galaxy Nexus and don't have issues. I guess I can try Rock Player. I guess no one else has this issue? I've seen it mentioned once or twice while reading the boards but no answers. I thought maybe it was on my end and somehow the wifi was dropping, but if it is...its not displaying it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i get the same thing happening to me randomly.
Using mx player and es file explorer, maybe 15 or 20 mins into watching, the player will just quit by itself. Doesnt happen always though, maybe twice for every 5 vids i play.
Erusman said:
I haven't tried Rockplayer. However, I get excellent results with Diceplayer. I stream all 720p and most 1080p .mkv using estrongs file explorer. Some 1080p will get lag. Just depends on the bit rate your 1080p video is encoded at, and your WIFI connection speed.
I actually just run an entire home PC with Win 7 Ultimate on it for my movie collection. I just RJ45 it right to my Wireless router. That way I can stream all of my movies to any device in my home. I have quite a few WDTV lives hooked up to all my tv's in my house. So it works out great.
Plus once in awhile If a 1080p video isn't playing well on my prime. I convert it using airvideo. I have airvideo server running on the Win 7 server. (those that have an ipad 2 that is) Have this option. You simply load airvideo on your ipad 2. Select the .mkv you want to convert to .m4v and add it to quere. Airvideo has all the conversion and bitrate methods built in the program. So I don't have to mess with jumping on Win 7 machine. Loading a conversion program and blah blah. I have yet to find an Android program that compares to Airvideo. If someone has suggestion let me know. (Yes, I have tried PLEX). Just can't beat the Live Conversion and simple conversion in Airvideo.
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Click to collapse
I'm amazed you think going through all that is better than PLEX. With PLEX you just load the app and select the movie... Done. For bonus it also works when you're away from home and want to watch a movie even tethered through 3G
dalingrin said:
I'm amazed you think going through all that is better than PLEX. With PLEX you just load the app and select the movie... Done. For bonus it also works when you're away from home and want to watch a movie even tethered through 3G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I will try Plex again. I haven't tried it in awhile. Alot of movies I don't have any problem with. Its only the high bit rate 1080p mkv's. I know Plex does Live conversion as well. Perhaps they have improved it since I last used it. One feature i did think was cool with plex was how it catagorized your movie collection for you.
Erusman said:
Well, I will try Plex again. I haven't tried it in awhile. Alot of movies I don't have any problem with. Its only the high bit rate 1080p mkv's. I know Plex does Live conversion as well. Perhaps they have improved it since I last used it. One feature i did think was cool with plex was how it catagorized your movie collection for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another nice thing about Plex is that you can choose not to do live transcoding and just stream the original video(silly wifi bandwidth allowing). But, that does bring me to my one complaint about Plex. You cannot directly stream the original video if it is mkv, it will always transcode.
In my experience:
If you want to avoid transcoding, then rooting + CIFS support really is the best, most efficient way, imho...plus, you're killing multiple birds with one stone, as file types not recognized by ES or other file explorers that support SAMBA, but which are supported by various apps on your tablet, will still work with whatever app you're using to interact with them.
Otherwise, this guide is good for playback without transcoding for some files. I'm able to stream some of my bluray and HD DVD rips (full bitrate mkv's with no down-sampling, de-rezzing, additional compression or detail removal) without transcoding, but high-bitrate titles such as The Empire Strikes Back hitch frequently. Don't know if that's a limitation of my wireless setup, tho).
On the transcoding side:
Emit free works fine. It's a little easier, imho, to set up remote file sharing that even Plex is, if you have to set up port forwarding manually on your router, as the instructions are pretty explicit about which ports it's using and how to get it set up. And, it's free.
Plex works fine, and cross-compatibility between Ipad and Android on the Plex server side, along with the cataloging, support for file types such as .wtv, and the channels concept, is pretty damn cool imho. You have to look around if your setup falls outside the norm as far as port forwarding manually is concerned, but if you don't experience issues, getting set up with a myPlex account for remote streaming is pretty straightforward. Transcoding looks pretty stellar if you can support anything above 4 mbps on your wireless, and it doesn't take a lot of CPU horsepower to do live streaming, either. I have an older AMD processor in my HTPC, and I stream 1080i .wtv files all day long to both my Prime and my wife's Ipad with no or extremely little stutter, and all my bluray rips play without issue. .WTV files can be played back while they're being recorded, and while watching something else on the HTPC, too...oh, and combine this with a Windows Media Center control app, and you can basically watch live tv on the Prime...just browse the guide, set a show to record, and you can watch it almost immediately in Plex, while it's recording.
Last, but not least, Splashtop THD or whatever the newer version is, actually works pretty damn well on my office rig, which is nvidia-equipped. .wtv files work as well, but you have to set your machine to open them by default in WMP instead of Windows Media Center.
I just bought a 9205 and coming from using my Note 2, I miss playing all of my videos with the default player rather than using MX player. I don't know how or why it works but originally I couldn't play such files on the Note 2 with the audio working, but all of a sudden it did. Now, I would like to do the same with this 9205. How is it done without another player (since I sometimes stream my files to my Samsung TV with Allshare) and without remuxing the files? Thanks.
braids said:
I just boughdo the a 9205 and coming from using my Note 2, I miss playing all of my videos with the default player rather than using MX player. I don't know how or why it works but originally I couldn't play such files on the Note 2 with the audio working, but all of a sudden it did. Now, I would like to do the same with this 9205. How is it done without another player (since I sometimes stream my files to my Samsung TV with Allshare) and without remuxing the files? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bump cause I'm also interested.
The Note 2 stock video player supports AC3 but not DTS audio. The Mega doesn't support either of them (So that Sammy could save on the license fee).
On my Note 2, I have to use Dice player and a DTS plug-in in order to play MKV with DTS audio.
I plan to use the Dice player with the appropriate plug-ins to play MKV with AC3 or DTS audio on the Mega. Maybe you could try that too. You could find those plug-ins on XDA.
Try Archos media player.
Thank you for the replies. I am going to have to do some further research. I was looking at my video files and the audio codec embedded are saying DTS, yet they are playing correctly within the default player. Because of the allshare feature, I do not wish to use a third party player. I actually like using allshare more so than miracast since it streams files without stuttering, but that is a different topic. Thank you again for the replies.
mx player supportet.
Please read carefully! It took me an hour just to write this post, not counting days of troubleshooting.
The old situation:
I have a collection of video in different compressed formats on my home server, and i want to access them from my phone.
So far, i have been using sftp for this (several file managers support this, esp. ES File Manager), but either the sftp protocol or ES file manager aren't suitable for streaming, there's too much stuttering and freezing. This is not a bandwidth issue!
Partial solution & new problem:
I use a dedicated media server (ampache) on my home server, and a dedicated client (DSub) on my Acer E700 (aka E39), stock android, rooted, firewalled.
I noticed a problem with video that uses AC3 sound encoding - The video plays fine (even hi-res), i just don't hear any sound.
And it happens only when i stream the video through the network (http?) (*) - the file plays just fine when i copy it to the phone, or use sftp via ES file manager, or download the file through my media server.
I tried this with all media players i have:
stock android video player
ES media player
MX player (with or without custom codec neon.1.7.32.rev1.zip) - it says, when playing files through the media server, that HW+ or SW decoding is not supported, however when i play the same video locally there's no such limitation.
I also tried all video streaming settings inside DSub:
Raw
HTTP Live Stream (HLS) (this did not work at all)
Direct transcode (requires video -> mp4 or similar setup on server)
Flash plugin (did not work, i guess i don't have the flash plugin)
and the result is always the same: all video plays fine, but video with ac3 sound has no sound.
unfortunately most hdtv videos use h264/ac3...
here's a list of codec combinations and resolutions that don't play sound:
h264/ac3 1280x720
avi/ac3 704x396
avi/ac3 640x368
here's a list of codec combinations and resolutions that do play sound:
quicktime/mp4 848x448
quicktime/mp4 1280x720
quicktime/mp4 716x404
avi/mp3 640x360
I can only come to the conclusion that android treats different codecs differently when streamed through the network. How can I solve this?
(*) i also copied one of the affected files to the public html section and tried to open it through my phone's browser, and the result is the same: no sound with ac3.
i did notice that one of the "good" files opened right inside the browser, whereas the "bad" file asked to open with a media player.
i'm pretty sure this is about ac3 audio.
i just don't understand why it works flawlessly when i play the files straight from phone memory, but not over the network?