New to Android - Why can't I play MPG videos? - EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So I love the EVO, and so far I love Android, except I can't seem to figure out how to play videos on it. Sure I can view Youtube, youporn etc , but I can't seem to find a player that will play simple MPEGs. I have downloaded and tried at least 5 different video/media players from the Market, and none of them will play MPEGs correctly. Some of them will give me sound, but none will give me video. I have tried a couple of different video files that I know work on my desktop.
Am I doing something wrong? I am coming from Windows Mobile with Windows Media Player that played just about anything I threw at it. I can't imagine such a wonderful piece of hardware coupled with what seems to be an awesome OS can't do MPG/AVI.
Note: I am currently rooted+nand+bugless beast 0.3 Although I was having this trouble before I had the custom rom or NAND unlocked.

sterlinron said:
So I love the EVO, and so far I love Android, except I can't seem to figure out how to play videos on it. Sure I can view Youtube, youporn etc , but I can't seem to find a player that will play simple MPEGs. I have downloaded and tried at least 5 different video/media players from the Market, and none of them will play MPEGs correctly. Some of them will give me sound, but none will give me video. I have tried a couple of different video files that I know work on my desktop.
Am I doing something wrong? I am coming from Windows Mobile with Windows Media Player that played just about anything I threw at it. I can't imagine such a wonderful piece of hardware coupled with what seems to be an awesome OS can't do MPG/AVI.
Note: I am currently rooted+nand+bugless beast 0.3 Although I was having this trouble before I had the custom rom or NAND unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious, have you tried Meridian? I don't really play a lot of videos on my phone, but Meridian has come through on everything so far for me. YMMV

Rock player is the best video player I have ever used on Android. I can play all my divx format movies without conversion and always get 25-30 fps.
The player is in private beta now and should be released soon.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=698451

KCarpenter - yes, I downloaded Meridian last night. Just tried it again, and still no luck. Thanks for the reply.
Danknee - Thanks!

Considering that the Evo has hardware-accelerated H.264 decoding, why bother playing other formats that will destroy your CPU and battery?
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App

gbm85 said:
Considering that the Evo has hardware-accelerated H.264 decoding, why bother playing other formats that will destroy your CPU and battery?
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's just that I received an e-mail MPG of my nephew riding his bike without training wheels and would like to see it that's all. Not sure what H.264 decoding is or if it has my nephew riding his bike without training wheels or not. I should go search for that thanks.
I just figure I should be able to view most any file attachment that comes into me these days.

H.264 is the video encoder for MP4's. Basically, if you used a program to convert your videos to MP4 videos, you would be able to play them without a problem. The phone has hardware acceleration for H.264, so it doesn't use as much processor/battery to play vs. other formats that have to be software decoded. Handbrake works good for me, though I can't remember what file types you can put into it.

sterlinron said:
It's just that I received an e-mail MPG of my nephew riding his bike without training wheels and would like to see it that's all. Not sure what H.264 decoding is or if it has my nephew riding his bike without training wheels or not. I should go search for that thanks.
I just figure I should be able to view most any file attachment that comes into me these days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason why you cannot play those mpg files is simple. Android doesn't support them out of the box. You need to turn to third-party video players which can do it.
Rock Demo Player is one (only one?) such video player.

You can try to use the third-party video player, I read an article is about the top 5 video player apps in Android Market. Maybe it is helpful to you.

Brucew0617 said:
You can try to use the third-party video player, I read an article is about the top 5 video player apps in Android Market. Maybe it is helpful to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread is over a year old. I think the OP figured it out.

Thanks for your remind, I hope it can also be useful to other guys.

I use MX Player. I've only had a problem with AVI files that encode the audio with AAC.
Sent from my carrier pigeon.

Mobo player so far for me has played anything I asked it to.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

MakeMeFibonacci said:
I use MX Player. I've only had a problem with AVI files that encode the audio with AAC.
Sent from my carrier pigeon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used Moboplayer most of time, it seems that MX Player also have so much supporter. Maybe I should try it later.

Related

Media Playback

I had all but given up hope on this topic, but I guess I'll ask.
The Samsung Galaxy S will play Divx/Xvid/MKV natively without a conversion. This is probably one of the best features I have ever heard, as I have hoped for it to be in some sort of mobile device I already owned, such as a phone, psp, or some other multi-purpose device, instead of having to buy a standalone media player which tends to play many formats.
All videos I watch are encoded in these formats (well mkv encoded in x264, with mkv container). Is there, or will there ever be a way to play these on Android 2.1 or 2.2 for other models? I have an evo, and would be EC-FREAKING-STATIC if I could just drag and drop videos to watch on it. Especially with the hdmi out!! I love the evo, I really think it is great. This one feature is the icing on the cake for me.
If it cannot be done, can somebody just give me a brief description as to why? The way I see it, when you need to play these files on a pc, you just install a video codec to decode it. Isn't there some way it can be added?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer this.
P.S.- For anyone who thinks conversion isn't a big deal, I agree, it really isn't. The thing is, a lot of the time I find out I need to be somewhere, have to leave right away, and don't have anything converted to watch. I can't tell you how many times I wish I had this feature!
atm there are not many options, at least as far as i know...
stock player (good baseline h264 playback)
rockplayer (good divx/xvid playback)
yxplayer (decent main/high h264 playback)
for everything else, i simply have "stream" folder on my PC, drop all other vids there, and play them using OrbLive while on the go.
Damn I have been living in the dark. Thanks!
just finished playing with rockplayer, and its pretty darn good
im actually waiting for something bad to happen, and then i
remember... I'm not using a windows mobile phone anymore.
gabemeyers said:
just finished playing with rockplayer, and its pretty darn good
im actually waiting for something bad to happen, and then i
remember... I'm not using a windows mobile phone anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, see now that's funny!
Wuzhenhua player maybe? I havent tried it out on the evo yet but it worked solidly on my other device.

[Q] How to get movies to play???Z

Have the digital copy of Iron Man 2 and Star Trek.
IM2 in WMV will not play
ST in Itunes will not play.
How am I supposed to play videos again?
Treefallingquietly said:
Have the digital copy of Iron Man 2 and Star Trek.
IM2 in WMV will not play
ST in Itunes will not play.
How am I supposed to play videos again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Rock Player or YXPlayer. Both Players will play .wmv files...
jahnile said:
You can use Rock Player or YXPlayer. Both Players will play .wmv files...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm Rock player failed on playback. Hmm will play with it some more
Rockplayer tries to play the WMV but the picture is all garbled and no sound. Rockplayer sees the .m4v file but says it is not activated.
MixZing works fine with WMV, IIRC.
Treefallingquietly said:
Rockplayer tries to play the WMV but the picture is all garbled and no sound. Rockplayer sees the .m4v file but says it is not activated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow never had an issue with rock player... Used it to play mostly .avi though. Played a few .wmv files but most of my movies and video files are .avi or .mkv. Try using yxplayer, I personal prefer rock player but if it's not working then give yxplayer a shot.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Same here - doesn't play digital copy
I also tried to play my digital copy of IM2 on my HTC desire using rockplayer and get garbled picture with no sound.
Looked and yxplayer's feedback on the market and looks to be the same (or worse). Some comment that it may be a drm issue...
If anyone knows a workaround for this, that would be great!
Use handbrake and convert your videos to a format people actually use.
Sent from hell using XDA app
+1 Handbrake
khov07 said:
+1 Handbrake
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+2 Handbrake, here's a guide
http://www.knowyourcell.com/htc/htc...deos_and_transfer_them_to_the_htc_evo_4g.html
A member made a batch file that does all the work for you
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=724944
Edit: Handbreak guide link seems to be down. Might just be a problem with their site.
I use tunebite. Converts to.mp4. Just make sure the file size is less than 2 gb because it wont play.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
The ugly truth is any digital copy has drm and won't play natively on android no matter what those market players claim.
Handbrake can't do **** to convert drm dc's.
The only way to get your dc's onto android is to use tunebite and do a real time screen capture. I have done this 4 times now and all have been successful. If you capture it right, the final size will be smaller than the dc (mine usually trim around .8 gb's on average from the dc) and still have the same quality (tunebite finals my files at 95 - 97% quality).
A word of caution though, do not screen capture the itunes dc as it makes it harder for you to capture in 720p (if the dc is natively 720).
Good luck.

[Q] MKV Player Problem

So I've recently started watching shows again and I've wanted to find a great MKV player that works well on the Dinc. Only problem I'm having is the actual playback, is the Dinc not suited for mkv playability?
When I use Rockplayer, its really choppy on the different files. And the sound doesn't seem to sync up all that well, a bit on the laggy side. I know the hardware isn't really suited for video playability but it seems to do pretty well on avi's and mp4's and the sort. MKV seems to be the popular type among others, but it isn't handled well by the phone.
Should I just convert my videos to the "lower" format? Does anyone have a good reccomendation for an MKV player or settings of the sort?
Thanks in advance!
I tried RockPlayer today, too, and was disappointed in it. Seems that I'll be transcoding my files to AVI with h264 or some such. It might help to remove unnecessary language tracks, subs, etc. If you don't plan on using another screen to view the files, downsizing to 720x480 would be a great help, if the source files are larger.
Have you tried VPlayer? it is in alpha right now, but I haven't had a problem with it playing anything. Although I haven't tried a HD movie file.
When I had the Original Motorola Droid 1 I used both RockPlayer and arcMedia.
When I tested .mkv files with arcMedia, it played really smooth.
Look for arcMedia in the market and let us know if it works out better for you.
g00s3y said:
Have you tried VPlayer? it is in alpha right now, but I haven't had a problem with it playing anything. Although I haven't tried a HD movie file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VPlayer seems like the closest possible. Once it gets better I'll definitely use it. But right now, its not so good because its pretty choppy. For one of my dual audio files, it plays a screechy sound, but it'll get better. I'll leave the creator some feedback and such but, I like it.
FranzVz said:
When I had the Original Motorola Droid 1 I used both RockPlayer and arcMedia.
When I tested .mkv files with arcMedia, it played really smooth.
Look for arcMedia in the market and let us know if it works out better for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works somewhat well, but when I play videos, they're still choppy and the sound isn't synced either. Better than Rockplayer in terms of playing mkv files but maybe it might also be the size of the file itself that is causing the problems.
500mb does seem like quite a bit to process. But...a contradiction lies with the fact that Rockplayer and others can play large avi/mp4 files? Gah, I guess I'll just wait for updates or something, convert some of my files. >_>
Check out CorePlayer on Twitter. Their tweets indicate that it will be released very soon.
I've been waiting for this since I made the switch from Windows Mobile to Android. It should be extremely stable and play everything.
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
mkv files are a problem in general. Most of my files are in .avi. I have a 1.4 gb dream theater concert that runs fine on arcmedia, but again its not an mkv.
We have VLC Mobile to look forward to early 2011 lol
Sent from my Droid Incredible using XDA App

[Q] Best video format?

i've never really watched videos on my phones (mostly due to screen size etc) but i figure now that I have the Galaxy Nexus i could watch a few things on it..
What would be the best video format to convert things to? I dropped an avi of a tv program onto it and it worked but it lagged a bit..
I just converted something to an HD mp4 using Permute for Mac, it bumped the filesize up about 100mb but tested it and it runs smooth in QuickPic or PlayerPro but when trying to use the built in video player (to get the true full screen) it plays for a second, stutters, then says it can't be played.. :S
has anyone managed to get moboplayer working ? says i need an arm7 neon codec - found that on their site ... followed instructions but it still wont work
Video playback may be a bit iffy until the apps are updated; one of the Diceplayer mob posted saying that it now supports HD playback for .mkv. They didn't mention .avi but that generally needs less resources than .avi so you could try your avi in Diceplayer.
The general trend in open source video development is towards .mkv, I'm trying that first.
I'd be surprised if much works well right out of the gate. The true beta is when the masses begin tinkering
vplayer seems to play avi nicely
Ill have to try it out.. downloading now
I've got the same question. And I don't mean what other player can I download to play movies. I mean what format can I encode videos in to get them to play in the native player. I did find the article below. I have tried each of these formats with no luck. Anyone know why Android can't play a movie out of the box?
http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/media-formats.html
And I also tired MoboPlayer with no luck.
pretty much if you use a baseline .mp4 format you will be fine
basically:
h.264 video
LC-AAC audio
no CABAC
and you should be fine up to 1080p these settings work on all my android devices
just set mpeg 4 level 4 and it should take care of it by itself
noobdeagle said:
pretty much if you use a baseline .mp4 format you will be fine
basically:
h.264 video
LC-AAC audio
no CABAC
and you should be fine up to 1080p these settings work on all my android devices
just set mpeg 4 level 4 and it should take care of it by itself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks noobdeagle,
I have tired those settings on several encoders (handbrake, Adobe Media Encoder, Magic DVD ripper) and still no success. What software are you using to encode? and have you tried the movies on the galaxy nexus? Because I have never had a problem on any other Android devices. Just this one.
cj
gave up re-encoding videos.
vplayer has played everything ive thrown at it so far. the built in movie player seems very limited.
wilbur-force said:
gave up re-encoding videos.
vplayer has played everything ive thrown at it so far. the built in movie player seems very limited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the feedback but I have two problems with this particular advice.
1 - Have you seen the permissions for that player? Why would a video player need access to my "Phone calls - Read phone status and identity" and "Your personal information - Read sensitive log data"? Really?
2 - Why the hell can't this phone play videos out of the box. <rant>I have, as I suspect a lot of us here do, a fair few friends that I would call iPhone fanboys. One of the biggest gripes I always hear about android is that every time you run into a problem on Android is the best answer is to root your phone and install cyanogen, or go get xxxx app and that will take care of it, or you should have bought this phone instead. So I get this phone and think that finally Android is going to hit the main stream and I can't even play a movie. WTF!</rant>
Like I said, I appreciate the feedback but I am still looking for a way to play a video in the default video player.
cj
chrisjaffe said:
Thanks noobdeagle,
I have tired those settings on several encoders (handbrake, Adobe Media Encoder, Magic DVD ripper) and still no success. What software are you using to encode? and have you tried the movies on the galaxy nexus? Because I have never had a problem on any other Android devices. Just this one.
cj
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no i have not tried on a galaxy nexus yet as that one week delay sim free means i wont be able to have mine in my hands untill at least next week :\,
i use mediacoder to encode videos, cant speak for the GN but ive used it for my xoom, nexus S, desire hd, htc legend and SGS 2 in the past (however SGS2 supported all codecs quite nicely anyway)
according to the android dev site the supported video list hasnt changed so this is quite strange.
noobdeagle said:
no i have not tried on a galaxy nexus yet as that one week delay sim free means i wont be able to have mine in my hands untill at least next week :\,
i use mediacoder to encode videos, cant speak for the GN but ive used it for my xoom, nexus S, desire hd, htc legend and SGS 2 in the past (however SGS2 supported all codecs quite nicely anyway)
according to the android dev site the supported video list hasnt changed so this is quite strange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I will seek out and try mediacoder.
FYI...I got my GN SIM free from Phones 4U. It was not easy though. I went in to a few stores before finding one that would sell it to me SIM free. And I think that I happened upon the manager at the store that did sell it to me. What makes it even better is that I am in the UK on business for a few months and so I can get the VAT back on my way out. Which makes it nearly 90 quid cheaper.
Thanks again,
cj
seems as if media coder works. Though that is one complicated program. You could get lost in those settings for days.
Thanks again.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
chrisjaffe said:
seems as if media coder works. Though that is one complicated program. You could get lost in those settings for days.
Thanks again.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Format factory works and it's easy as to use.
Format factory does seem to work and is a little easier to use. Thanks. And just in time too because Mediacoder was having some trouble iwth a few of the vids I had.
cj

Unsupported audio codec??

My videos in stock player play fine, but I get this error message "unsupported audio codec" - and I have no sound.
They play ok in Galaxy Note 2, and everywhere else. Tried MX player, same thing. Video is ok but with no sound.
Any solution to this?
carlitos66 said:
My videos in stock player play fine, but I get this error message "unsupported audio codec" - and I have no sound.
They play ok in Galaxy Note 2, and everywhere else. Tried MX player, same thing. Video is ok but with no sound.
Any solution to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your video probably comes with DTS stream that cannot be decoded. Google MX player DTS you wull find the proper codec.
If you are using Mx player you need to check off the audio codec in the settings. I would keep it that way forever.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium HD app
I actually loved the stock samsung player on th gn10.1 2012. it played everything. the first vid I tried to play on this one and it won't play ac3 audio. so I've started using archos and the old bs player again.
Bsplayer got hit with ac3 problem when dolby demanded royalty fees, maybe samsung did to?
+1 for mxplayer
Speaking of players, can this thing play 4K videos?
madsquabbles said:
I actually loved the stock samsung player on th gn10.1 2012. it played everything. the first vid I tried to play on this one and it won't play ac3 audio. so I've started using archos and the old bs player again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me too, weird why Samsung changed this. One of my main reason to buy this tablet - put anything on SD card and play without converting with Hand Brake etc...
carlitos66 said:
me too, weird why Samsung changed this. One of my main reason to buy this tablet - put anything on SD card and play without converting with Hand Brake etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it was due to legal issues.
SlimJ87D said:
I believe it was due to legal issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for a $600 there shouldn't be any legal issues. pay the royalty and be done with it.
madsquabbles said:
for a $600 there shouldn't be any legal issues. pay the royalty and be done with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet from a business standpoint, the amount the royalties cost per a device wouldn't have been worth it compared to the actual amount of people that would really take advantage of it. But yes, it would be cool to have had it out of the box. But I believe it works fine with MX Player from my testing, and it really wasn't that hard to get MX Player.
I had the same issue with unsupported audio codec, solved with VLC player.
I've paid. for just about every player, mobo, dice, bs.. right now my favorite is archos. it's a mix of mizuu and bs. I havent had a single video that it couldnt play yet.
Are those your recommended players to watch most content? I really want to buy one but in the past have ran into audio issues.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
I like archos because it can download movie info, tv series info, and play about everything. I use he archos free codecs and everything plays fine. I've always liked archos media player from when I used to have the archos 101.
I know you can use other media players, but the point of using stock player is that it plays videos with the help of hardware, thus less battery consumption, versus if you use software decoding by other apps. Or at least It was like that on Nexus 10.
Has anyone tried to contact Samsung about this? My old galaxy 7.7has ac3 support.
carlitos66 said:
I know you can use other media players, but the point of using stock player is that it plays videos with the help of hardware, thus less battery consumption, versus if you use software decoding by other apps. Or at least It was like that on Nexus 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the other media player can use hardware decoding if available. archos does ac3 fine with hardware decoding. i'd supposed the old bs player will to but i've not used it yet.
but it was nice having a great player that played everything built into the system.
SlimJ87D said:
If you are using Mx player you need to check off the audio codec in the settings. I would keep it that way forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you download MX Player's NeoN-driver (you'll find the download link to the .zip in the settings), you can use HW+ for video and audio (DTS supported). Using this you are in audio/video heaven with the new Note 10.1. You can even play 2 full HD movies, one with MX Player and one with the built-in player (in pop-up mode) at the same time without any hickup. And if you so desire, open up an internet or file browser while you are at it - screen area allowing.
I see so much talk of lag and other supposed deficiencies here, while so far I have been in honeymoon state for 8 days solid.
lord69 said:
Speaking of players, can this thing play 4K videos?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes with mx player

Categories

Resources