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[balinton]

Hi,

I am trying to play Movies from my JRiver media server to my WD Live TV DLNA Renderer and when i select various files i receive a message that there isn't an audio channel or a codec error.  if i change to WASAPI in the audio settings i cannot play video on the server but if i stick Direct Sound i can play movies on the server without any audio or video issues...

Does anyone know why WASAPI isn't working or how to properly render the Audio and Video to my TV's?

Thanks,
Brandon

[balinton]

Bump.

could someone please explain how to get MC to render the proper audio and video to my DLNA devices if they do not support the original version?  i am assuming that is the problem i am running into but after tinkering with each of the output settings i get no difference in symptom.

I seem to be very close to having this wrapped up just need some help putting that last piece of the pie together.

Thanks,
Brandon

[JimH]

Did you look at MC's settings for conversion on the server side?   They're under Media Network.

[balinton]

yes i have changed both the audio and video conversion settings under media network and it didn't make any difference.  trying to understand this when the audio and video is being rendered is it being done on the server itself utilizing the hardware on the server or is it being done in the software in MC or on the Client DLNA device?  just trying to understand where this could be failing?

Could this be a hardware or driver issue with the Audio or Video card on the server or are those pieces not used when streaming to a DLNA Client device?

Thanks,
Brandon

[stevemac]

hi,

There are a few variables in play

• What format are your movies (DVD rips, MKVs, avi etc)?
• What codecs are used in the movies (you can determine this using MediaInfo program)?
• What is the WD TV Live unit able to handle via DLNA?
• Are you using wired ethernet or wireless for the WD TV live unit?

I use the WD TV Live SMP.  My video content is stored as MKV & audio as FLAC.  In MC (Tools - Options - Media Network) I created a new DLNA server with the following configuration

• Audio - Mode: Specified Output Format; Format PCM L16  No Header
• Video - Mode: Original
• Advanced - DLNA & DLNA extra enabled

If there is more than one DLNA server configured & you push content to the WD device you will need to associate the device with the DLNA profile.  This is done from the Playing Now section.  Right click on the WD TV live unit, select Associate with DLNA Server & then select the correct server for your device

You can try different settings if these don't work.  There are other contributors using the WD devices who should be able to offer advice if needed

Good luck,

Steve

[stevemac]

Using the WD device as a renderer (pushing content to it) or as a player (pulling content from the server) can alter the outcome.

I started using mine as a player & found it easier to configure.  There was a certain degree of confidence selecting the DLNA server, the unit displaying content, selecting what I wanted to play getting output (or changing some settings if it didn't work).  Once I had it working as a player I then tested as a renderer

I also suggest you review the WD device firmware version & output settings

<edit>Recommend you update the subject to indicate "Help with DLNA Server configuration for WD TV Live" or something similar<edit>

Steve

[balinton]

i think as a player i select the MC server as a Media server on the WD and get the pretty list of movies i want to watch which is very easy for my wife and i would like to keep the simplicity there.

I did a hard reset to factory on the WD and made sure i am running the most current version.

I am getting the same problems on another tv using a Samsung Blu ray player as the DLNA client pulling from MC but instead of saying no audio channel like the WD it states its no codec found.

Thanks,
Brandon

[stevemac]

So for the WD unit (we'll revisit the Blu ray player)...

Are you able to watch content using it as a player or is this when you get the error?
Please provide some details about one of the movies you're trying to play that is generating the error (DVD rip, BluRay Rip, converted to MKV etc).
Please provide the settings for Video, Audio & advanced for the DLNA server configured in MC (that the WD Unit is utilising)

The Samsung Bluray player probably has different capabilites to the WD unit.  You may need to configure another DLNA Server in MC.

Steve

[balinton]

yes i am able to watch content on the WD i only have issues with a few movies so far.  i am able to play other ISO files ripped the same way with the same program and also mp4 files play correctly.

Gangster Squad i get a cant play this format message on the WD
The Guilt Trip plays video but it says no audio channel and no audio plays.
Red Dawn plays video but it says no audio channel and no audio plays.

These are all DVD Rips into ISO format

Under Media Network i have everything left at the defaults i have tried changing them from original to another format for AV conversion and no difference.  i changed nothing in advance as well.

Thanks,
Brandon

[balinton]

just noticed your reply with your server settings i tried those and it doesn't play any ISO at this point if i use the Generic Dlna server it works minus the issues described already.  The strange this is that if i push these movies from the server to the WD they play fine i guess all of the rendering is being done on the server which works and the pull it is happening on the WD that doesn't support some of these files.

i just used mediainfo on red dawn it says that its using a Mpeg2 video Codec and AC3 Audio Codec and is MPEG-PS.

Thanks,
Brandon

[balinton]

ok next question as this is more complicated then it needs to be...

What is the best option for a DLNA Client or to display audio and video to multiple Tv's?  i will replace whatever i need to in my house to make this simple and reliable.

What is the best ripping format for Audio and Video?  i have been going direct to ISO as i thought that would keep the original AV quality without loss but if there is a better format to rip to please let me know.

I am trying to reduce complexity in all areas and make things simple so any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Brandon

[stevemac]

hi,

I'm unclear on what you mean by Client to multiple TVs.  If you mean multiple devices getting video and Audio from a central PC, then the PC should problably be referred to as the Media Server.  If this is what you mean then thare are lots of options depending on the capabilities of your devices and your home network.  Some TVs, PVRs, bluray players, game consoles (eg PS3), AV receivers can be DLNA capable, either as a player or renderer or both.  If your devices aren't DLNA compatible then installing a WD TV live or similar device & connecting to the TV & Amp is one solution, using another PC as a MC client is another. For some a long HDMI cable from Media Server to Amp or TV does the job (ie not using DLNA at all).  For me the differing capabilites of the DLNA devices is what makes setup a bit complex.

One of the key benefits of JRiver MC is you can configure several DLNA servers with different settings that get your centrally stored content to the device in the the format it recognises.  The configuration also allows you to manage what content is presented to the device (eg if you had a room for kids you could filter the videos based on rating (eg PG only, not R rated etc).

At my place I've had upto 6 zones configured, some DLNA, others local to the hardware on the Media Server.  My TV and PVR are both DLNA compatiable (early DLNA versions) & I was never happy with the quality.  I ended up getting a WD TV Live unit & it does the job well.  That device is connected via wired ethernet.  I had another WD unit used for audio only.  It used wireless.  For that device I configured another DLNA server, reducing the quality of the audio stream (to medium).  It also worked well, but as the WD device doesn't do Gapless audio I ended up connecting a pair of amplified speakers to an audio card in the PC.

I choose to store my video content as MKV.  I find MakeMKV easy to use & does a pretty good job. I like that I end up with one file. (There is a defect with the WD device - I think it relates to the PGS subtitle stream in the MKV container.  As such I remux 1080P content with mkvmerge.)  Other users store video as ISO or DVD rips and this works well for them.  MKV is also good for TV episodes & allows easy use of the TVDB to get episode metadata

For audio I use FLAC.  Again a preference that works well for me (although I use MC to make a copy of all audio files in a format iTunes likes so I can sync to Ipods). 

To control what's going on I use Gizmo (on phones and a tablet)

Hope this helps & doesn't make things more complex

Steve

[balinton]

correct MC Server to multiple play devices or DLNA Clients like WD Live tv etc... i like the WD its just bothering me that i cant get it to play AC3 audio i guess that is where the problem is... Can i render the audio differently from the MC Server so when i play or pull from MC server it serves up an audio stream that is compatible with the WD? 

Thanks,
Brandon

[balinton]

ok so this is even more confusing to me i looked at two files one plays fine the other doesn't they both have AC3 audio which is what i thought was why it wasn't working.  attached are pictures of 3 different videos output using mediainfo if anyone has an idea of what the issue is and what i need to set on the MC server i would appreciate any guidance.

Killing Them Softly works on Audio and Video

The Guilt Trip Video works but no Audio

Gangster Squad wont play audio or video

Thanks,
Brandon

[balinton]

ok i just decided to cut the middle man out and try the WD on its own to play the files and they all work if it set it to get the videos from my NAS and bypass MC altogether.

so for some reason MC isn't playing nice with the WD but the WD is able to natively play the files.  i have tried every audio video setting i can see in the DLNA Server configuration area so i am not sure what else to change...

For the moment i am fine with pointing directly to the NAS as MC is pulling all of the artwork for the covers etc... so i will work on trying to get the Bluray player working now and hopefully a resolution will come for MC.

Thanks,
Brandon

[stevemac]

Hi,

The subject still doesn't refer to WD Tive Live & DLNA setting (I think you need to edit the first post).  There a several WD TV live users who might be able to solve this if they see the topic

Regarding the NAS & WD TV Live.  Are you using DLNA on the NAS or configuring the WD device to use a share?

Looking at the images you posted you're storing the DVD rips in their folder structure.  I have't done this for a long time.  If I get a chance I'll try this, post results & the DLNA settings I used.

Please post the WD TV Live model and firmware version and the DLNA Server settings you've got set in MC (specifically the Video config and what's ticked in the Advanced section).

Not that it solves your problem but MakeMKV is free.  Perhaps you could convert one of the problematic videos & try that

Cheers,

Steve