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[tjobbins]

Hi all

I have a Media Center 22 install which provides local video playback on our main TV as well as DLNA video playback to a secondary TV.    DLNA is working in general - specifically I am currently using it to a generic Chinese media player (called "V-Bridge"), using always-encode ("Specified output format") to MPEG2/DVD/PAL.  This works fine for all my movies and TV shows.

I also have a Roku 3 box, but unfortunately I am unable to get the DLNA server working to list most of my video on that device.  On the Roku I use Roku's own "Roku Media Player", a general DLNA client for video, audio and photo. 

Media Center's DLNA server shows up fine on the Roku, but only a few my videos will be listed by the Roku.  The Roku Media Player states it only supports H264 in MP4, MKV and MOV files, and these are the only files in my library I can get it to display.

So the problem is that I can't find any DLNA conversion options that will allow me to convert and play any of the other files  in my MC library - such as AVI files in XVid format.

I have tried all of the default DLNA types (Generic, Legacy, Samsung BD/TV, Sony, etc), and I've tried customising them using all three Video format conversion options and every single choice of format (not that there's much point trying anything other than H264, which is all it says it will support.)

Here's a summary of what I see with the three video conversion options.  I'm doing all tests on my collection of 295 movies, which are from mixed sources and have varying formats (mostly XVid, some H264.)

1. With Video - Mode: "Original", the Roku shows 38 of my 295 videos (those 38 being all my MP4 and MKV files)
2. With Video - Mode: "Specified Output Format Only When Necessary", the Roku shows 15 of my 295 videos (for some reason fewer than Original?)
3. With Video - Mode: "Specified Output Format", the Roku shows none at all - it says "no compatible videos found", regardless of the conversion video format chosen

Any advice would be much appreciated, as I would love to get this Roku working - I want to replace my generic Chinese DLNA client because the Roku does cover art and metadata and the Chinese device does not, and then I can stop using the Chinese device completely and have one fewer remote control.

Thanks in advance

Tom

[tjobbins]

UPDATE!  I have got all media files to display on the Roku by overriding the MimeType to "video/mp4"

But now it won't play the newly-visible videos - it says "File Not Playable: the file might be damaged or corrupt"

I am trying always-encode ("Specified Output Format") with H264-TS 720p - also tried H264-TS 720p AutoFPS, with same results.  Doesn't seem any point trying non-H264 formats as the Roku states that it only supports H264.

For "Video DLNA Override" I have tried the default MPEG_PS, as well as MPEG_TS, MP4_TS and MPEG4_TS (no idea if these are real, just guesses!) without any noticeable change.

PS. I should add that when I last tried to get this to work, a couple of years ago, I managed to get my media visible on the Roku using a different server program - Serviio.  But I didn't proceed with that as I really didn't want to have to bother re-importing all my media into another server program, transfering all the metadata and keeping it in sync over time as my library changes.

So I know it's possible in theory, so maybe I just need different options in MC?  Or maybe MC doesn't currently support the format(s) the Roku needs?  Maybe H264-TS is not what the Roku supports? 

I must admit I don't really understand advanced video concepts - like what TS is exactly and how that relates to containers like MP4, MKV etc.

[tjobbins]

Would be grateful if anyone had any thoughts on whether this can be made to work or not?

[~OHM~]

have you tried posting on the Roku board?

[tjobbins]

have you tried posting on the Roku board?

No.  I suppose I could give it a shot, but I assumed they'd most likely say "it supports H264 in MP4, MOV and MKV files" as per the specs.  And with them having no knowledge of what MC can provide, beyond what I could tell them about all the options I see, which I've already confirmed don't work, it didn't seem like it would be a fruitful avenue.  I suppose the best case is they would know that MimeType/DLNA overrides are necessary.

But I think what I fundamentally need to know is whether there's any way to get MC to convert to the right format over DLNA.  H264-TS doesn't appear to be the right thing.  I've done some Googling on H264-TS and the various file formats.  Wiki's comparison of video compression formats lists MPEG-TS (which supports H264 and therefore, I assume, is the same as H264-TS) as a different entity to, say, MP4. 

Perhaps that indicates that MC simply can't do it unless J River provide some more conversion formats, one that replicates a MP4 or MKV file.  But given my lack of knowledge in this area, that too might be completely wrong.

Either way I'd be grateful for some confirmation from the MC side as to whether or not MC should be able to convert to something that's equivalent to "H264 in MP4, MOV or MKV".   But I will try the Roku forum as well, so I have all bases covered.

[AndrewFG]

^
Try downloading the DMR Analyzer from my sig, let it analyze the Roku, and post the renderer report here.

[tjobbins]

^
Try downloading the DMR Analyzer from my sig, let it analyze the Roku, and post the renderer report here.

Thanks for the response.  Unfortunately, it would appear the Roku isn't a renderer, only a client.  I think I'm using that terminology right?  Specifically I mean, I can get the Roku to connect to a DLNA server, but I can't push media to it from an external source.

The Roku doesn't do DLNA natively, it requires the Roku Media Player app to be loaded.  When that app is loaded I can then search for local DLNA servers and connect to them, but the Roku doesn't itself show up under Media Devices in Windows Explorer (as Media Center's DLNA renderer does, plus my Panasonic TV), nor is it listed in MC's "Playing Now" list (again, as the Panasonic TV is), and most importantly your utility doesn't find it.

It does show up under "Other Devices" in Windows but has no properties there (and I think that's because it's a Chromecast rather than anything to do with DLNA.)

Anything else that can be tried?  Any logs that I can get from MC's DLNA server?    I suppose as a last resort I could re-install Serviio and get that working with the Roku, then see the profile it uses and paste it here, as I guess it would contain useful info that you guys will understand.

Thanks again.

[AndrewFG]

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-prep-your-videos-for-playback-on-the-roku-3/

[AndrewFG]

^
Based on the link in my prior post, I would be tempted to try the MPEG2/DVD setting, or even the WMV. (But frankly you might need to try them all one after the other).

[tjobbins]

^
Based on the link in my prior post, I would be tempted to try the MPEG2/DVD setting, or even the WMV. (But frankly you might need to try them all one after the other).

Thanks for the updates.   I had already tried every single output format using normal DLNA settings, as I discussed in my OP: when set to "Specified output format" (ie always-encode), the Roku simply doesn't see the files at all, regardless of the chosen output format.   

Based on your post I thought maybe I should also try all output formats with the Mimetype override to "video/mp4".  I didn't try that before, I had only tried H264-TS with MimeType set to video/mp4, based on the Roku saying it only supported H264.

Unfortunately, no change.   When I override MimeType to video/mp4 it ensures the Roku displays every single file, but it will still say "Not playable: the file might be damaged or corrupt", regardless of the output format I choose (I've now tried them all.)

Based on the article you linked, I suppose I could try the remuxing of my XVid/AVI files into MP4 containers.   I must say I'm not keen on doing that on 3500 video files, and then having to repeatably re-do it if/when I add new files - even if it is very quick.  But I guess I could at least see if it will work.

I really don't want to use Plex, or Serviio (which I already know does work fine through DLNA).  I didn't want to maintain multiple different media servers and their associated libraries - just getting all my metadata out of MC and into a new library would be a pain, and then I'd have to keep it in sync over time.  Not to mention paying for a second media server program.

Just disappointing that MC can't support this out of the box.

I will set up Serviio again, confirm it still works fine converting all files through DLNA to the Roku, and then find what profile/config it uses and paste that here.  Maybe then you can tell me if there's any way of re-creating that in MC and, if not, I can put in a request to have the required format added to MC.

[daveman]

I agree.... I want a simple media streamers like the Roku but want to be able to play back ALL my video formats...

Are there any JRiver settings to set to properly transcode video?

[Hendrik]

To start: Rokus are terrible, they have extremely slim media support, and those formats they do support are not very well suited for live-transcoding.
Anyone looking for recommendations for a "simple" streaming box - its not Roku that you want.

With that out of the way, I'll try to create a new Matroska (MKV) profile using H264+AAC that should hopefully work with Roku to some degree.

[daveman]

Here is my issue...

I have 5 Western Digital media centres in my home and they are starting to show their age.  In fact one of the units has stopped working.  I am now in the process of having to look for replacement models.  I have seriously considered looking at the Id but at over $200 per unit I need to play with one first.

That said, I am looking for a very simple unit that will simply connect to my JRiver Library and play media seamlessly.  I want something that is child and wife friendly and that will work easily with a remote control.  I have tried a couple android boxes but they do not work seamlessly with a remote control and there is no good app to work with JRiver.  I have tried to JRemote as well as gizmo but one needs to use a phone/iPod in order to use it and this is not the way I want to run my media within the home (that is, my wife does not like it)

Any suggestions for a simple but powerful unit would be appreciated.  Also, I have several questions about the JRiver Id and would like to speak to someone (by voice) regarding certain questions.  If someone can reach out to me and spent a few minutes with me on the phone it will be appreciated.

thanks

dave

[JimH]

The IdPi is under $100 if you buy the microSD version.

[daveman]

Does the Id work well for video?  Will it to h.265?  4k?

I will be using the device as a media player (and not as a server which will remain on my main computer)

Will it do the processing of video or is it done through the computer that hold the main library? 

[Hendrik]

For 4K video you'll want something more powerful then the Id, its current incarnation is not designed for that kind of usage.

I don't know if they fundamentally improved the Roku Ultra (the one with 4K support), but earlier revisions are just not designed for local media streaming, more for internet streaming (Netflix, Hulu, etc) - and this shows.

I do wonder if we can get our content onto something like a Fire TV or other Android TV boxes like the NVIDIA Shield. I should get one of those.

[daveman]

I would love to use something like the the NVIDIA Shield.

I wish you guys would develop a proper Android app for these types of boxes.  I would pay extra for that!!!

Is there any plans for a more powerful version of the ID?

Any suggestions on what device I can use?

dave

[JimH]

I do wonder if we can get our content onto something like a Fire TV or other Android TV boxes like the NVIDIA Shield. I should get one of those.

Please do.

[Hendrik]

To the original topic, in MC 22.0.97 you can now choose a new DLNA profile using Matroska with H264 Video and AAC audio. From what I coudl tell, this might work on Roku devices, so give it a try!

[daveman]

I would love to know if it works!!!!

[Jean Valjean]

I was able to stream recorded TV to my Roku-4 earlier this year using H264-1080. However, that has been changed to H264-TS 1080, which no longer works.

[Hendrik]

I was able to stream recorded TV to my Roku-4 earlier this year using H264-1080. However, that has been changed to H264-TS 1080, which no longer works.

That is just a rename of the preset in the UI.

Try the new MKV H264 mode.