Re: Vizio Smart TVs
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 3:54 pm
I don't use Universal Media Server, and I'm sure it is great software and I may try it out sometime, but I wanted to post and let you know how to fix the streaming problems with properly encoded mp4 files if they are over a certain length. I researched fixing this problem, because I had MPEG-4 AVC 3D movies that I wanted to play on the Vizio by streaming them, instead of having to plug in a USB drive. I discovered that the TV WILL play the mp4 files if you put them on a USB drive with AC3 Audio, DTS will not work. Short movies of full quality 3D MP4 files directly ripped from Blu-Rays into MKVs with MakeMKV and then video directly copied to MP4 files and audio converted to AC3 if needed with XMediaRecode, somewhere around 20 minutes or less, would stream fine and automatically invoke the 3D mode on the TV. The full movie would play just fine from a USB drive as well. So after some research and experimentation, I discovered how to get the movies to stream.
All you have to do is convert the movie to a TS container, without re-encoding the video, and only re-encoding the audio if it is DTS, to AC3. Open the movie in XMediaRecode, or use FFMPEG or some other tool that can convert the container to TS. Then you have to fool the Vizio into playing the stream by renaming the movie with the .mpg extension. The movie will now stream, as long as it is NOT transcoded. I was even streaming the full length movies with the Twonky Media Server that came with my WD My Cloud, and even Serviio, all without any transcoding. As long as you put the .mpg file extension, the Vizio will stream TS files. The only caveat, is that you can not fast forward or rewind, but if it is a 3D movie, the Vizio TV will automatically switch to 3D mode for you. This works on my M501d-AR2, and I have a feeling it would work on most other Vizio TVs as well.
So to get MP4 files that are MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoded and over 20 minutes long to work in your Media Server, follow these steps:
1. If Audio is DTS, convert to AC3.
2. Re-encode to a TS container, do NOT change the encoding of the video, COPY the video stream.
3. Rename the movie with the .mpg extension.
4. Serve the file with NO transcoding.
I hope this helps you all out.
All you have to do is convert the movie to a TS container, without re-encoding the video, and only re-encoding the audio if it is DTS, to AC3. Open the movie in XMediaRecode, or use FFMPEG or some other tool that can convert the container to TS. Then you have to fool the Vizio into playing the stream by renaming the movie with the .mpg extension. The movie will now stream, as long as it is NOT transcoded. I was even streaming the full length movies with the Twonky Media Server that came with my WD My Cloud, and even Serviio, all without any transcoding. As long as you put the .mpg file extension, the Vizio will stream TS files. The only caveat, is that you can not fast forward or rewind, but if it is a 3D movie, the Vizio TV will automatically switch to 3D mode for you. This works on my M501d-AR2, and I have a feeling it would work on most other Vizio TVs as well.
So to get MP4 files that are MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoded and over 20 minutes long to work in your Media Server, follow these steps:
1. If Audio is DTS, convert to AC3.
2. Re-encode to a TS container, do NOT change the encoding of the video, COPY the video stream.
3. Rename the movie with the .mpg extension.
4. Serve the file with NO transcoding.
I hope this helps you all out.