Topic: MC29 hangs when playing rips of DVD files on hard disk (Read 1935 times)

mikelevoi · « **on:** April 04, 2022, 10:15:54 pm »

Hi there. I just upgraded to MC29. I have only one reason to use MC29 - and that is to play DVD files which I have ripped to a hard drive. MC29 plays a few DVD rips - but normally hangs when playing most of the rips. I can import DVD directories and the movie gets added to the video library. However, when I click the movie to play it MC29 normally opens the appropriate files and then the CPU hangs at 100% and the movie never plays. I have to crash MC29 to make it stop.

VLC plays all the DVD files without any problems. MC29 does not. I have not changed any of the default MC29 options. MC29 plays all my FLAC files - 2 track and 6 track - but seems incapable of playing most DVD files. Please tell me how to turn on the required logging so I can send the logs to you and get you to fix the problem.

PS I installed my old MC17 to see what happens - and it has the same problem. The problem occurs on my laptop and my desktop - both are Windows 10 at the latest level. No antivirus - just Windows Defender.

JimH · « **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2022, 10:26:51 pm »

Did you configure Windows Defender?

mikelevoi · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2022, 10:35:22 pm »

The only Windows Defender tailoring has been to EXCLUDE my external USB hard drives. I attach a log file of playing a DVD rip. The playback started normally. I clicked in about 2 or 3 places to skip during playback - MC29 hung after the 3rd or 4th skip - 100% CPU usage.

mikelevoi · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2022, 10:40:40 pm »

Here is the ZIP file.

JimH · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2022, 10:43:33 pm »

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,114101.0.html

mikelevoi · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2022, 11:14:19 pm »

Makes no difference. Excluding the MC29 directory the program still hangs.

What DOES work is copying the files from the external USB hard drive to the internal C: drive - which is an SSD.

In this case, I attach a new log. Playing files on C: drive works - playing files on USB drive (M: in this case) hangs. I attach new logs.

mikelevoi · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2022, 11:54:37 pm »

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=84435.0;nowap

Found this. Problem was first reported to you in 2013. Any USB drive with more than 2 TB on it fails. I have 2 x 5 TB drives. Cannot play any DVD files from these drives successfully.

If I copy any DVD folder to my C: drive (1 TB) or an old USB drive (2 TB), the files play perfectly.

Please fix your program to play files on drives with more than 2 TB on them.

PS It makes no difference if the partition on the 5 TB drive is less than 2 TB - the files still do not play.

Hendrik · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2022, 12:55:17 am »

We cannot fix issues in the Microsoft component that is responsible for DVD handling, sorry. Its just what it is.
You can either keep the DVD files in an ISO, which should work, or rip the main movie only to an MKV or similar.

Note that its not directly related to the size, but will simply fail on file systems which do not use 512-byte sectors - which is common for larger disks.

syndromeofadown · « **Reply #8 on:** April 05, 2022, 01:09:56 pm »

Quote

Found this. Problem was first reported to you in 2013. Any USB drive with more than 2 TB on it fails. I have 2 x 5 TB drives. Cannot play any DVD files from these drives successfully.

This is interesting. I have thousands of dvd rips and have never noticed this (that I remember). Must just be a fluke. I wonder if you can create 2 partitions on the drives to make them work.

Playing dvd rips is a major reason I use MC. It was this a flac that brought me to the software in 2007. I would hate to see its ability to play them disappear or deteriorate, especially after a decade of them playing fine. There is no way I am converting or re-ripping, then tagging a couple thousand discs.

I have been hoping for playback to be added to android (and linux), as there is only one app for android that will play dvd rips, and I do not like it, I like MC. Since there is open source software that plays dvd rips with menus on windows, linux, and android, can JRiver just see how they accomplished this then do their own implementation of it? Surely there are people with android boxes an PI's that want/need this.

mikelevoi · « **Reply #9 on:** April 05, 2022, 07:27:50 pm »

Sorry, I cannot create a 512 byte NTFS volume on the 5 TB drive. I defined a 250 GB partition - and it is not possible to create an NTFS volume with less than a 4K sector size. Sigh ...

mikelevoi · « **Reply #10 on:** April 05, 2022, 07:34:02 pm »

Dear Hendrik,

In one way you are correct. My V: drive (2 TB) has 512 byte sectors. My N: drive (5 TB) has 4096 byte sectors. I cannot create a 512 byte sector NTFS partition on a 5 TB drive.

Secondly, if what you say is correct, can you please explain to me how VLC - a free product - has absolutely no problem playing ALL the DVD files on my 5 TB drive? No doubt there must be an easy way to do this - I am pretty sure that the VLC guys are not breaking any "rules" to play files ...

In other words, if boring old VLC can play DVD files - why can't you?

Mike

mikelevoi · « **Reply #11 on:** April 05, 2022, 08:30:08 pm »

I have used ImgBurn to create a couple of ISO files - and they can be played from the 5 TB drive.

When I click an ISO to play it, Windows 10 creates a virtual DVD drive (D:) and mounts it - MC29 then plays it. However, when I play another ISO file, MC29 mounts another DVD drive (E:) and then plays the files from the E: drive. At this rate, I will end up with all unused drive letters containing DVD ISO files :-)

Is there a way to automatically unmount the CD drive (a) when you press STOP or (b) exit MC29?

Many thanks.

jmone · « **Reply #12 on:** April 06, 2022, 02:54:32 am »

Did a quick test a few DVD's and they all play fine for me. Windows reports that they are 512K drives even though they are all 14+TB each. They are all formatted as ReFS however and then grouped as a single Drive Pool (Stablebit)

jmone · « **Reply #13 on:** April 06, 2022, 03:25:21 am »

It may be worth testing if creating a Title Particle for the DVD will work? I see it uses "JRiver DVD Reader" instead of the Microsoft one (of course you will not get a menu) and there will be an entry for each title on the DVD.

mikelevoi · « **Reply #14 on:** April 06, 2022, 09:12:13 pm »

Thanks. Using that option to create Particles creates 1 entry for each title - which is perfect as you omit all the silly menus when the DVD is clicked and all you wanted to play was the main film anyway :-)

However, this option has numerous bugs in it :-(

1 The Top Line (where you can skip forward) is often completely wrong. Example: Barry Lyndon DVD - Title 1 is 2:57:xx (as shown in the Info at the bottom of the screen). Top of screen shows length of 1:28:59 - Huh? So, this means that you cannot skip properly. Indeed, if you try to skip to 5:00 - you find yourself at 1:25:00 - or sometimes somewhere else ...

Another example: Dick Tracy Title 1 is 0 seconds long - so you cannot skip at all ...

2 Often cannot turn on subtitles - normally when you need them! Example: I have 2 DVD - one in French - one in Italian. Trying to turn on subtitles ask me to browse for some - which cannot be done. I have some DVD in English - and when I ask for subtitles I can choose many labelled "vobsub" - but no idea what language is which ...

In short, great idea - just does not work about 50% of the time.

Mike

PS I have just installed Kodi - latest version - it plays all DVD files without any problems at all. So, it appears that VLC and Kodi (both free products) can quite happily DVD files. I am therefore at a loss, given the existence of the JRiver DVD Reader, as to why JRiver cannot play DVDs - no matter where they are stored. Hopefully, one day they will fix it.

jmone · « **Reply #15 on:** April 07, 2022, 04:08:32 am »

I'm away till next week so can't look at the particles part but FWIW, I've not had issues with duration (not tested subs).... but then again I've not created DVD Particles for years and all my discs are 512K.

Also on VLC, I presume they (and Kodi etc) don't use MS's DVD Navigator Filter but instead use this opensource version - https://www.videolan.org/developers/libdvdnav.html

I don't know if:
- it is any good,
- how much effort it would take to use it in MC over the MS DVD Navigator, or
- that I've completely got the wrong end of the stick!

jmone · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2022, 04:29:25 am »

...I also wonder if MC's "Custom" video mode (that lets you select rules to use specific directshow filters) will let you use a self installed libdvdnav filter for DVD playback (or if there is a bunch of hard coded stuff that would prevent it)?

mikelevoi · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2022, 07:43:01 pm »

Thanks for the reply. I will not try to use some custom mode - JRiver should just work "out of the box". As JRiver has already written JRiver DVD Reader, why can't it be used to play DVDs automatically?

I think your suggestion to use Open Source material is a great idea. I see that the software is up to version 6.1.1 - so it is presumably very stable by now :-)

tij · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2022, 01:24:40 am »

Quote from: mikelevoi on April 07, 2022, 07:43:01 pm

I think your suggestion to use Open Source material is a great idea. I see that the software is up to version 6.1.1 - so it is presumably very stable by now :-)

Use of open source resources depends on their license.

Its easier for Kodi and VLC as they are free and open source too.

Even if your software is free and open source ... you still can create heck of a mess with "free" resources that you decided to use ... just look at RetroArch ... what a mess

jmone · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2022, 03:51:53 am »

MC already uses, relies on and (through Hendrik) contributes to many opensource library's for video playback (such as libblurray, libplacebo, ffmpeg, and of course the developer of LAV Filters). Without these we would not have video playback worth anything.

The question is if the collection of libdvd libraries are worth the time and effort to use instead of the MS one (presuming they are "good"). Only Hendrik would know.

FYI - I've no dog in this race. The current DVD Navigator works for me (and I have relatively few), but I do understand the frustrations of others that have issues.

tij · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2022, 05:36:24 am »

One possible walk around (though i have not tested it):

Share your USB drive on network ... then use local loopback address 127.0. 0.1 to map it as network drive ... access your DVD through that network drive

Clumsy ... but might work

So ... if you share USB drive as "USB_DRIVE1" ... map it as 127.0.0.1/USB_DRIVE1

mikelevoi · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2022, 08:25:07 pm »

jmone - thanks for the comment. However, surely the point is - one cannot rely on the Microsoft interface as it has bugs which apparently have been around for 10 years or so. Thus, surely, in a paid product, it is not a matter of whether it is worth it - one buys software to use - not to hope it works. If bugs are found, one should expect the developer to fix them.

tij - does not work - Jiver is on living room PC - it accesses all media files over the network - some of them play - most do not.

Last comment for today - my mate tells me that all his DVD files are on a NAS drive - and all the NAS drives are > 4 TB - and they all play. Thus, why cannot JRiver use the interface that it uses for NAS drives to play Windows files? Just thinking out loud ...

tij · « **Reply #22 on:** April 08, 2022, 09:39:47 pm »

Quote from: mikelevoi on April 08, 2022, 08:25:07 pm

tij - does not work - Jiver is on living room PC - it accesses all media files over the network - some of them play - most do not.

For me UHD rips needs 1gbps connection (i use wired) ... less than that and it stutters

Also I don't get your setup ... you said DVDs you cannot play are on USB disk ... now you saying they are over network? ... and "most do not" work - hard to help you with just that description

The walk-around I suggested was for locally plugged USB disk:

1. plug USB disk into PC
2. right click the disk ... then properties ... then share it
3. on that same computer "map network drive" you just shared ... use loopback IP of 127.0.0.1

Basically you accessing USB drive using "network/LAN" protocols ... but because you use loopback IP, that protocol never leaves your PC ... so its faster than over network ... and you dont unnecessary "pollute" network

mikelevoi · « **Reply #23 on:** April 10, 2022, 05:55:17 pm »

Tij,

Sorry for not being clear. I have JRiver installed on a laptop with a 5 TB USB hard drive. On the 5 TB drive are many DVD folders. The laptop cannot play many of the DVD folders. I am surprised it can play ANY of them based on the info given earlier. The 5 TB drive is shared on the network.

JRiver is also installed on the Media Player PC connected to my TV and the network. It cannot play any of the DVD folders that the laptop cannot play. Both PCs are Windows 10 at latest level.

blgentry · « **Reply #24 on:** April 11, 2022, 01:06:13 pm »

Any time you use encrypted media, like a raw DVD "folder", BD folder, etc, you are a prisoner of the authors of the software that does the decoding. With DVD players, this is a non issue, as the hardware doesn't change. But with software players things are always in flux.

For this reason alone, I refuse to have any encrypted media. I rip all DVDs and BDs to unencrypted MKV files. I use MakeMKV for this. That program is free for you to use and you can buy if you like it. I bought it several years ago as it is so incredibly useful for me.

I am pretty sure that MakeMKV can also make a "full disc backup" of DVDs and BDs and strip out the encryption at the same time. I don't use that, as I have no desire to use DVD or BD menus. MKVs let me get right to the movie without any fiddling around in menus or anything like that.

If you really want entire discs (extras, menus, etc), then at least decrypt as you make your folders or ISOs. That way you aren't trapped by weirdo software and your media is yours.

All just my opinion of course.

Brian.

sirkus · « **Reply #25 on:** April 16, 2022, 11:41:05 am »

Same for me, many issues with DVD playback (can't navigate, stops for no reason, can't read from deduplicated shares). At least from network, not interested in local storage.

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Author Topic: MC29 hangs when playing rips of DVD files on hard disk (Read 1935 times)