MKV, DIVX, HD player Where?

kaisersose77

what are people using to create mkv files?

Got an azbox hd satellite receiver which will plays mkv files but only have a 1/2 mkv files due to ****ty broadband crap. So gonna look at converting blu ray/hd dvd to mkv in order to get more use out of that satellite receiver. So if anyone can recommend software it would be appreciated.

MediaTank

kaisersose77 wrote: »

what are people using to create mkv files?

Got an azbox hd satellite receiver which will plays mkv files but only have a 1/2 mkv files due to ****ty broadband crap. So gonna look at converting blu ray/hd dvd to mkv in order to get more use out of that satellite receiver. So if anyone can recommend software it would be appreciated.

You need to back up the DVD/BluRay disc first using something like DVDFab, then there is a plethora of encoding tools out there. I use HandBrake to convert the ISO or VOB files to a H.264 stream in an MKV container. HandBRake does not do DTS at the moment though.

karltimber

have a read of this thread.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58641992#post58641992

I used xvid4psp to convert full 22gb blu-ray rips to mkv files.
And then the audio tool from networkmedia tank to convert from dts to ac3.

takes a while alright but worth it. 22gb files take up a lot of space.

K

jamesd

Got my WD today and am very impressed with it

glic83

how much did you get it for?

jamesd

From Komplett.ie , €99 + postage.

Was at someone else house last night and brought the wd with me a a usb key with movies, so easy to connect to any tv in a few seconds

AntiRip

Does ordinary .avi files look pixelated on a 37"+ tv's??

I have a 1TB Seagate (FAT32) will this work on it?
**Just seen a comment on komplett about NTFS Only** Damn all my stuff is on the FAT32 HDD

Absolutely love to get the popcorn hour but this may be a better alternative for me. I just want to play .avi's (just have a couple of .mkv's) in the bedroom instead of connecting the laptop to the telly all the time.

GigaByte

AntiRip wrote: »

Does ordinary .avi files look pixelated on a 37"+ tv's??

They'll look as good as a normal DVD

Lossy

AntiRip wrote: »

I have a 1TB Seagate (FAT32) will this work on it?
**Just seen a comment on komplett about NTFS Only** Damn all my stuff is on the FAT32 HDD

It will play NTFS and FAT32. I have a 500GB NTFS HD and a 2GB FAT USB KEY and both work with the WD. The only downside afaik of using FAT32 on the WD is the 4gb limit per file.


http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=572
Extract from this link:--
External Drive Formats Supported
FAT32, NTFS, HFS+ (no journaling)

AntiRip

Lossy wrote: »

It will play NTFS and FAT32. I have a 500GB NTFS HD and a 2GB FAT USB KEY and both work with the WD. The only downside afaik of using FAT32 on the WD is the 4gb limit per file.


http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=572
Extract from this link:--
External Drive Formats Supported
FAT32, NTFS, HFS+ (no journaling)

thanks for the info Lossy

AntiRip

Lossy wrote: »

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=572

Actually from that WD Link it stats that its requires a my passport portable hard drive.

BTW, if anyone is looking for cheap HDMI cable, this is probably the cheapest around.

Linky to DX

Lossy

AntiRip wrote: »

Actually from that WD Link it stats that its requires a my passport portable hard drive.

Its optimised for the My Passport and My Book WD drives but I think you would be hard pressed to find a mainstream external HD for windows that it would not recognise. Even some USB MP3 players that are classed as mass storage devices have worked too.

Alun

You can connect any USB hard disk you like as well as USB sticks, digital cameras and probably card readers too, in fact anything that acts as a USB Mass Storage class device. I just connected up my Nokia phone and it recognised it.

AntiRip

Just bought one from amazon.co.uk for e99 (including shipping). So saved myself the e13 shipping from Komplett. Looking forward to this! Thanks all for the info

I just don't understand Amazon. You can't order a small memory stick from them but I was able to order this! Strange...

AntiRip

Just got my WD HDTV box. My God, it's tiny! Connected it to my tv and 1TB FreeAgent HDD. Takes a few minutes to scan the hard drive. Pity it doesn't show any artwork just folders. Tried a few mp4, avi and mkv. Plays them all. Was expecting better quality from the mkv (720p) files. I'm only using the composite cables I got in the box (very short only 3 feet) so hopefully will look better when I get my HDMI cable?

Lossy

AntiRip wrote: »

Pity it doesn't show any artwork just folders. Tried a few mp4, avi and mkv. Plays them all.

Try the pre-release firmware:

http://www.wdc.com/wdtvprerelease/

If your .jpg files are named the same as the .avi files the artwork will appear once you have the firmware updated. Just remember that it is a pre-release firmware.

AntiRip

Lossy wrote: »

Try the pre-release firmware:

http://www.wdc.com/wdtvprerelease/

If your .jpg files are named the same as the .avi files the artwork will appear once you have the firmware updated. Just remember that it is a pre-release firmware.

Thanks Lossy for your helpful replies

Will try it out. Thanks

GigaByte

jpg files work great with the lastest firmware. You can download your movie pictures from: www.movieposterdb.com

MediaTank

GigaByte wrote: »

jpg files work great with the lastest firmware. You can download your movie pictures from: www.movieposterdb.com

If you have a lot of movies you could use YAMJ to download the cover art for you. It's designed for the Popcorn Hour, so just ignore all of the other files and copy the.JPG files on to the USB disk.

MT

AntiRip

Lossy wrote: »

Try the pre-release firmware:

http://www.wdc.com/wdtvprerelease/

If your .jpg files are named the same as the .avi files the artwork will appear once you have the firmware updated. Just remember that it is a pre-release firmware.

Thanks guys for the great info. Actually installed this pre release firmware today and my little box doesn't recognize my external hard drive anymore. It also stuck scanning my thumb drive. Damn. Can I revert back to the previous firmware?, that is if I can get it to recognize my thumb drive.

--> You can revert back to previous version. See below

Lossy

AntiRip,

Here are the instructions for reverting back to previous firmware:

http://wdtv.wetpaint.com/page/Firmware

and here is the firmware for ver. 1.01:

http://support.wdc.com/download/wdtv/WDTV_FW_1_01_02.zip

Lossy

AntiRip wrote: »

--> You can revert back to previous version. See below

Just a comment on your WD.jpg.

You note that in your case you are changing the version number to 1.01.05.
If you had tried the 1.02.04 prerelease I would set the version number in the VER file for the downgrade as 1.02.05.

AntiRip

Thanks Lossy.

Powered it up this morning and it's working no problem now. Strange. But all is good now

Lossy

AntiRip wrote: »

Thanks Lossy.

Powered it up this morning and it's working no problem now. Strange. But all is good now

Maybe it takes quite a while for the player to scan the hard drive on first boot just like when the drive has just had a firmware upgrade ;-)

AntiRip

Lossy wrote: »

Maybe it takes quite a while for the player to scan the hard drive on first boot just like when the drive has just had a firmware upgrade ;-)

Thats it probably. It's a Seagate FreeAgent 1TB HDD. I do have trouble with it now and again being recognized even on a pc so thats the problem maybe. It's going to take a hell of a long time to find all the artwork for couple hundred movies and tv shows but should be worth it in the end

AntiRip

GigaByte wrote: »

You can download your movie pictures from: www.movieposterdb.com

Although you do have to pay to download the posters around 10c each.

Lossy

AntiRip wrote: »

Thats it probably. It's a Seagate FreeAgent 1TB HDD. I do have trouble with it now and again being recognized even on a pc so thats the problem maybe. It's going to take a hell of a long time to find all the artwork for couple hundred movies and tv shows but should be worth it in the end

I also have a Seagate 500GB (connected to a PC, not the WDTV) and its not perfect either. I have a Maxtor 500GB connected to the WDTV and its perfect.

Make sure you have a bit of free space on the drive. I have read that near full drives can struggle on the WDTV. Some people have dumped a few GBytes from near full drives and have noticed a huge difference in speed. Also, do you have Media Library turned on or off. I turned Media Library off straight away and left thumbnail view on for Video as I have a good folder structure on my drive and the HDD boots up quite fast every time. Not 100% sure if this makes a difference in load times but it would be worth seeing what the difference is.

Lossy

AntiRip wrote: »

Although you do have to pay to download the posters around 10c each.

I do a google image search for the movie and just resize to 400 pixels high.

http://images.google.com/imghp?hl=EN

delly

I emailed them a while back to query why my WD passport drive remains powered on once the player is switched off. They've said that it would be fixed in a future firmware update, shame its not this one tho'.

GigaByte

AntiRip wrote: »

Although you do have to pay to download the posters around 10c each.

No no no, you're only downloading the thumbnail for the WDTV. If you're picture is to big the WDTV won't display it. These are the perfect size. Search for your movie, click on the picture you want until it displays the file info, (like in the screen shot below) then right click on it and select "Save image as".

I don't have an account with them

AntiRip

GigaByte wrote: »

No no no, you're only downloading the thumbnail for the WDTV. If you're picture is to big the WDTV won't display it. These are the perfect size. Search for your movie, click on the picture you want until it displays the file info, (like in the screen shot below) then right click on it and select "Save image as".

I don't have an account with them

Oh alright. Didn't even cross my mind! Very handy thanks GigaByte

Voodu Child

Gigabyte wrote:

These are the perfect size

Actually, if the video thumbnails are resized to 120x180, they load a good bit faster as the player doesnt need to resize them before displaying, that's the native size (afaik).

Obviously once they're cached it's instant, but it's a handy way to get them to load faster initially.

madmoe

Hi guys,
Great feedback and info. on this thread for a guy like me in the market for the Western Digital TV HD 1080P Media Player. Me is gonna take the plunge and buy it with a 1TB WD drive.

Can anyone tell me what is the difference between this (http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=341190) and this (http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/664433/art/western-digital/my-book-essential-edition.html) or are they the same thing? The first seems to imply it is a My Book 2 Essential?? Is there a massive difference between a My Book and a My Book 2?

For some odd reason I can order the player but not a 1TB drive from Amazon :-( I think Pixmania are the next cheapest to buy the two together??

Cheers,
M

newbie2

They're the same thing. I purchased the exact same things. Be aware that the ''My Book Essential'' doesn't close down when you turn off the WDTV. It doesn't seem to be a problem though as I leave mine on for 4 or 5 days at a time. From what I understand the next WDTV firmware upgrade will have the ability to turn off the HD when the WDTV is turned off.. Watch this space.....
I had to get both from pixmania as they kept taking ages from komplett. It cost me 9 euro more but I got the two items two days later.

madmoe

@newbie2,
Thanx for that info sir....me will be ordering with Pixmania. Is there any point in upgrading the warranty to 5 year with Pixmania for the extra 35 Euro?

Also, on a seperate note do you know any good HD sources like aXXo and FXG for standard def stuff?

Cheers,
M

newbie2

No point in getting the 5 year warrenty IMO.
And no I don't know any HD sources like Axxo & FXG.

madmoe

Thanx mate...need to fine me some HD sources.....

awkward

post them here if you find any

its a trap, shhhh...

Amalgam

Any retail outlets sell the Western Digital player over the counter, in Dublin?

Tech Overhaul

Amalgam wrote: »

Any retail outlets sell the Western Digital player over the counter, in Dublin?

I was in PC world in Liffey valley last week and they had 2 there. I think the price was 120 or 130.

madmoe

I was looking online and they are a good bit cheaper. Pixmania are €96 and Komplett €99.....

What are Komplett like to order off?

M

delly

Personally I would recommend Komplett over Pixmania. I have ordered a few things from them and never had a problem, plus they have there own forum here if you have any problems.

TBH if you do a google on either company you'll probably find people giving out, but the Pixmania complaint stories are just scary.

Lenny

Hi there lads, never ehard of such of one of these things that can play hi dev .mkv's
i was getting kind of sick of having the convert them and the xbox not being able to play them
really interested in this..
so can my friend just hook up his Sony Hd harddrive into the usb of it and play the .mkv's off that too?
Also the protable drives.. do they have there own power source or just use the power from usb. and I take it the portable drives can be connected to a laptop and be used as a normal harddrive yea?

whats the difference between this one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-1080P-Media-Player/dp/B001ILFDCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1241172476&sr=8-1
and this one?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TV-HD-MEDIA-PLAYER-EU/dp/B001QU2FTM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1241172476&sr=8-2

delly

Lenny wrote: »

Hi there lads, never ehard of such of one of these things that can play hi dev .mkv's
i was getting kind of sick of having the convert them and the xbox not being able to play them
really interested in this..
so can my friend just hook up his Sony Hd harddrive into the usb of it and play the .mkv's off that too?
Also the protable drives.. do they have there own power source or just use the power from usb. and I take it the portable drives can be connected to a laptop and be used as a normal harddrive yea?

It really is as simple as that. MKV's, AVI's and god knows how many other formats it plays perfectly. I have a WD Passport harddrive which is powered by the USB port on the player, and I simply disconnect and hook it up to my PC to copy over new content. Then I plug it back into the WD player where it picks up the new content.

For the money, I don't think you'll get better out there, plus theres regular firmware updates to cover any future filetypes.

Regarding the links you posted, both players are the same, but one is sold by a reseller through Amazon, therefore resulting in a different ad type.

Lenny

Ah yea I see the difference now, the reseller is different alright..
is the delivery free on amazon, and how speedy do they deliver?
Gonna also get this tb player so

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/664433/art/western-digital/my-book-essential-edition.html#tech-specs

doesn't say anything about power source so I assume it goes through hdmi
or
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=420463
can't find the same on on komplett, so which would be better out of those two link

delly

The drive you've linked is powered by an external power supply i believe. Its the smaller units based on a laptop harddrive that are powered by USB.

Amalgam

Two questions from myself..

Can it play a straight rip of a DVD .iso?

Can it display subtitle *.ssa or *.srt files if placed in the same folder as (and named as) the video file?

Lenny

delly wrote: »

The drive you've linked is powered by an external power supply i believe. Its the smaller units based on a laptop harddrive that are powered by USB.

Yea see them now. would you be able to link me to one thats 1 powered by usb, as would make it handier for connecting to the laptop and less plugs, or would there be less performance out of one that uses the usb for power? don't think I'm gonna get a usb powered one for a hundred

Amalgam

Lenny, any 2.5 inch. WD Passport etc..

delly

Well you'll get one for a hundred alright, but usually at a lot less capacity compared to a hundred spent on the big 'uns.

http://www.komplett.ie/k/search.aspx?q=western+digital+passport

Personally, I have a 250gb model of the ones i've linked above.