Smart TV Video Codec Problem

[JetsetBkk]

Here is the problem:

Both me and a friend have two "smart" TVs each.

My old one is a 2013 model LG "47LA690T"

My new one is a 2014 model LG "47LB670T"

My friend's old one is a Toshiba LED 24"

My friend's new one is a Samsung 6 series 46"

We both play films from USB sticks in the TVs.

We tried to play all 4 of the Mission Impossible "quadrilogy" videos on all 4 TVs.

The first 3 videos were encoded "High@L5" with 16 reference frames.

The latest video was encoded "[email protected]" with 5 reference frames.

Both of our old TVs played all 4 videos.

Both of our new TVs played only the latest video - they would not play the videos encoded "High@L5" with 16 reference frames.

Anyone have an idea what is causing this?

[Para]

High@L5 isn't a encoding format. Download something like Codec Sniper to find out the media encoding info.

Your 47LB670T only supports DivX HD via USB.

Have you tried using Smart Share to connect to a media centre/PC and pull the media from there as the 47LB670T supports H.264 one of the most common encoding codecs.

[JetsetBkk]

High@L5 isn't a encoding format. Download something like Codec Sniper to find out the media encoding info.

Your 47LB670T only supports DivX HD via USB.

Have you tried using Smart Share to connect to a media centre/PC and pull the media from there as the 47LB670T supports H.264 one of the most common encoding codecs.

Hi Para - thanks for your comments.

The "High@L5 with 16 reference frames" and "[email protected] with 5 reference frames" were two of the few differences in the reports generated by MediaInfo on the video files.

I produced text reports from MediaInfo for all four videos. The first three - Mission Impossible 1 through 3 were identical. Mission Impossible 4 ("Ghost Protocol") was different in that it had the "[email protected] with 5 reference frames" format. It was the only one that could be played on the newer TV.

The full differences in the MediaInfo reports are shown below:

The top file (MI1.txt) is the MediaInfo report for Mission Impossible 1, which cannot be played on the new TV.

The bottom file (MI4.txt) is for Mission Impossible 4, which can be played.

The complete differences are listed here:

Playable on new TV?:    Cannot play       Can play
Format Profile:         High@L5           [email protected]
Reference Frames:       16                5

Encoding Settings:      me=esa            me=umh
                        pb_ratio=1.30     (none)
                        (none)            rc_lookahead=50

I have no idea what me=esa and me=umh mean, so will be Googling them.

Ditto pb_ratio and rc_lookahead.

But they are the only differences reported by MediaInfo.

re. LG's "Smart Share" - yes, I can play all 4 videos via Smart Share on the old TV in the computer room via the LAN. But that one can also play them from the USB stick anyway.

The newer TV in the bedroom is on a different network (the Wi-Fi network from my Access Point), so Smart Share cannot see the hard drives on my PC.

Edited July 5, 2015 by JetsetBkk

[Para]

I still think its a codec/encoding incompatibility.

Do you have GOM player installed on your PC? Firstly its is IMO the best media player secondly it gives a good report on the playing media.

Have you tried updating the s/ware on your TV?

[JetsetBkk]

I still think its a codec/encoding incompatibility.

Do you have GOM player installed on your PC? Firstly its is IMO the best media player secondly it gives a good report on the playing media.

Have you tried updating the s/ware on your TV?

Clearly, the newer TV lacks a codec that the old one has.

Strangely enough, my bedroom TV - the newer one that doesn't play the 3 videos with 16 reference frames - did display a "New software available. Download?" type of message. Can't remember what exactly it said, but I clicked "Yes", left the TV on and went away for an hour or so.

But, when I came back, it still wouldn't play those 3 videos.

So I'm now thinking of being a bit pragmatic about this: I don't need the ability to play videos on my old TV in the computer room as I usually play them on the computer. So I should move it to the bedroom and move the newer one into the computer room!

I don't believe MediaInfo is in any way inferior to GOM in reporting the video details. In fact, I just installed a new version of MediaInfo - 0.7.75 - but it gave identical reports for the videos.

[bobbin]

I still think its a codec/encoding incompatibility.

Do you have GOM player installed on your PC? Firstly its is IMO the best media player secondly it gives a good report on the playing media.

Have you tried updating the s/ware on your TV?

Lately GOM is unable to play many MKV files. It offers to search for missing codecs but then advises against using any codec not bundled with GOM!

Shame, as it's been my favorite media players for years now..

VLC will play anything but I don't like the GUI as much.

[JetsetBkk]

I still think its a codec/encoding incompatibility.

Do you have GOM player installed on your PC? Firstly its is IMO the best media player secondly it gives a good report on the playing media.

Have you tried updating the s/ware on your TV?

Lately GOM is unable to play many MKV files. It offers to search for missing codecs but then advises against using any codec not bundled with GOM!

Shame, as it's been my favorite media players for years now..

VLC will play anything but I don't like the GUI as much.

The discussion about GOM was really about using it to determine the CODEC being used in the files that my TV won't play.

Obviously I can't use GOM on my TV - it has its own CODECs built in. But what is strange - and annoying - is that the 2013 LG TV can play the .mkv files with 16 reference frames but the newer, 2014 LG TV, same "top of the range" model, cannot.

[bobbin]

I still think its a codec/encoding incompatibility.

Do you have GOM player installed on your PC? Firstly its is IMO the best media player secondly it gives a good report on the playing media.

Have you tried updating the s/ware on your TV?

Lately GOM is unable to play many MKV files. It offers to search for missing codecs but then advises against using any codec not bundled with GOM!

Shame, as it's been my favorite media players for years now..

VLC will play anything but I don't like the GUI as much.

The discussion about GOM was really about using it to determine the CODEC being used in the files that my TV won't play.

Obviously I can't use GOM on my TV - it has its own CODECs built in. But what is strange - and annoying - is that the 2013 LG TV can play the .mkv files with 16 reference frames but the newer, 2014 LG TV, same "top of the range" model, cannot.

Sorry. Sometimes you don't know if you are adding to the discussion or going off-topic...

FWIW, I have the same problem on two TCL tv's. The older (3 years) 42in. can play MKV files perfectly, while the newer (1 year) 48in. has video but no audio...

[JetsetBkk]

I still think its a codec/encoding incompatibility.

Do you have GOM player installed on your PC? Firstly its is IMO the best media player secondly it gives a good report on the playing media.

Have you tried updating the s/ware on your TV?

Lately GOM is unable to play many MKV files. It offers to search for missing codecs but then advises against using any codec not bundled with GOM!

Shame, as it's been my favorite media players for years now..

VLC will play anything but I don't like the GUI as much.

The discussion about GOM was really about using it to determine the CODEC being used in the files that my TV won't play.

Obviously I can't use GOM on my TV - it has its own CODECs built in. But what is strange - and annoying - is that the 2013 LG TV can play the .mkv files with 16 reference frames but the newer, 2014 LG TV, same "top of the range" model, cannot.

Sorry. Sometimes you don't know if you are adding to the discussion or going off-topic...

FWIW, I have the same problem on two TCL tv's. The older (3 years) 42in. can play MKV files perfectly, while the newer (1 year) 48in. has video but no audio...

No problem - I know I could always connect a media player such as WD Live, and may eventually do that, but what's the point of a TV having a USB port if it can't play the dämn videos, especially when the older model can?

It's so frustrating when you buy a newer model expecting everything in the older model has been improved upon, only to find the opposite.

I actually took a thumb drive with lots of different videos on it, each encoded using a different codec, to test the TV - the LG played the most, more than Samsung and Toshiba.

Clearly, I need to add the .mkv with "16 reference frames" video to my thumb drive the next time I do that again.

[Para]

No problem - I know I could always connect a media player such as WD Live, and may eventually do that, but what's the point of a TV having a USB port if it can't play the dämn videos, especially when the older model can?

It's so frustrating when you buy a newer model expecting everything in the older model has been improved upon, only to find the opposite.

I actually took a thumb drive with lots of different videos on it, each encoded using a different codec, to test the TV - the LG played the most, more than Samsung and Toshiba.

Clearly, I need to add the .mkv with "16 reference frames" video to my thumb drive the next time I do that again.

Cant you run an update on your TV it internet connected may be a new firmware will do it?

[JetsetBkk]

No problem - I know I could always connect a media player such as WD Live, and may eventually do that, but what's the point of a TV having a USB port if it can't play the dämn videos, especially when the older model can?

It's so frustrating when you buy a newer model expecting everything in the older model has been improved upon, only to find the opposite.

I actually took a thumb drive with lots of different videos on it, each encoded using a different codec, to test the TV - the LG played the most, more than Samsung and Toshiba.

Clearly, I need to add the .mkv with "16 reference frames" video to my thumb drive the next time I do that again.

Cant you run an update on your TV it internet connected may be a new firmware will do it?

Good idea - I just found out how to do it manually! It is happening now, but I think it is the same update that I thought had occurred a few weeks ago, so maybe the update fails for some reason. The update is occurring via the Wi-Fi connection and the progress is pretty slow. There is a progress bar but, at the rate it's going, it'll probably take about an hour.

I've been looking at getting a 15m Ethernet LAN cable so I can connect it to the Internet better.

If this update fails I'll do that and let you know.

My old TV - the one in the computer room connected via LAN to the Internet - is at a higher software version number than the one in the bedroom which is being updated now. Fingers crossed that this could be the solution!

[JetsetBkk]

Ah well, nice try.

The bedroom TV has just been updated to s/w version 4.65.05, but still doesn't play those videos.

The computer room TV - the older one - is up to date with version 4.28.05.

So they probably don't run the same software and the new TV software still doesn't handle the "16 reference frames" type encoding.

I think I'll have a go at their web site, if I can find it and gripe at someone.

[Para]

Is this any use LetsGoWebOS or this from the LG site.

[JetsetBkk]

Is this any use LetsGoWebOS or this from the LG site.

Thanks for the link! I've got 40 minutes left on my UPS at the moment - yet another wind and rain induced power cut. - so I need to do other stuff first.

That webOS is the operating system for the new TV - quite a different appearance to what my old TV looks like. After it updated yesterday I had to turn the TV off and on again to get the new version installed. The screen displayed "webOS" while it was installing.

I'll have a look at that web site later.

Edit:

Whoop-dee-doo! Power's back with 20 minutes to go on the UPS's

Edited July 11, 2015 by JetsetBkk

[Para]

Whoop-dee-doo! Power's back with 20 minutes to go on the UPS's

I keep forgetting how bad the services are in Thailand.

Have you tried changing the codec of the file? Something like HandBrake which is free?

[JetsetBkk]

Whoop-dee-doo! Power's back with 20 minutes to go on the UPS's

I keep forgetting how bad the services are in Thailand.

Have you tried changing the codec of the file? Something like HandBrake which is free?

Yes, I've used Handbrake before for ripping copy-protected DVDs , if I recall correctly.

But I'm not really interested in converting the actual video files to a watchable version as I have already seen them. I really just want to know why the tiny difference in the encoding makes them unwatchable, purely for future reference.

If I can get the people at the webOS forum to state whether the "16 reference frames" is a problem for their current O/S, then I will be happy. I will be even happier if they say they will do something about it!

The fact that their (LG's) previous operating system had the codec to decode the "16 reference frames" versions must be some kind of incentive for them to at least match the ability of the older O/S. (You would think at least )

Haven't done anything on the webOS site this weekend, but will start putting together a detailed question for the webOS guys tomorrow.