Develop Bugs

[Q] Best MKV Player for Android

Trying to find the best MKV Player for Android, paid or free, doesn't matter. I am currently using MX Player but the volume is pretty low even using Volume+
Thank you

I've found DICE Player to be the best, I've yet to have an issue on my smartphone or tablet with it.

RMatt1992 said:
I've found DICE Player to be the best, I've yet to have an issue on my smartphone or tablet with it.
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I second this as Dice Player played a 4 gb mkv pretty well on my phone. You can always download the trial first as well.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Thanks guys!

yeah when i was on my Rezound i found that both Dice & MX were the best(& only 2 at the time that could handle 720P).
oddly though, i can't seem to get 720P (ac3) .mkv files to play on my Nexus with any app... well, if i'm lucky, MX will decide to randomly pick one and play it in 'software mode'... but refuses to play in hardware mode period.
i hope there's a fix for this soon.

voxigenboy said:
yeah when i was on my Rezound i found that both Dice & MX were the best(& only 2 at the time that could handle 720P).
oddly though, i can't seem to get 720P (ac3) .mkv files to play on my Nexus with any app... well, if i'm lucky, MX will decide to randomly pick one and play it in 'software mode'... but refuses to play in hardware mode period.
i hope there's a fix for this soon.
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Tron works in 720p with all modes, but smooth in hardware. Looks PHENOMENAL.

I’ve been searching for a tool that can do that job. Although there are lots of MKV converters in the market, which one to choose is a big headache, because most of these programs have problems one or another like video, audio out of sync, quality loss… Well, Brorsoft Video Converter is a powerful MKV to MP4 converter which can fast convert MKV to MP4 with high quality.

HD Content on A100?

I am wondering if anyone else is having issues playing HD video on the A100. I have put multiple different HD files on the device itself and tried to play them in MX Media Player, but the playback is downright horrible. Even with hardware rendering. I really want to be able to play my media over my network, but right now, it is just waay too choppy to watch, even with it on the card. Is there something I am missing?

with HD you mean 1080p videos? if so, try Mobo Player, it works really god at fullHD videos (at least for me).

also streaming 1080p is sketchy at best on wifi..
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium

720p. And I am using mobo player
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

stompysan said:
720p. And I am using mobo player
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
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well it is suppose that acer a100 suports fullHD, so try killing processes or cleaning cache. what's your android version? (3.2 or 3.2.1)

What audio s used on the files, I have noticed that 720p mkv movies using DTS for example will outright kill performance.
Try using a 4GB 'scene' release with stereo audio if you haven't on MX Video to see if helps.

Look what i found, it may work.
Link.

I am using BSPlayer lite. This works the best for my MKV's with no audio loss. It loses some frames but plays more than MX Video or MoboPlayer.
You will need to get the ARM7 add on for it.
Try this out. I am able to stream my over 4gb MKV's from my server to my A100.

The tegra 2's only downfall... its horrible at decoding high profile HD video such as H264 video. Should be able yo run 720p just fine though depending on the type of video. I'd say try clearing up some memory.
I honestly don't see the point of playing 1080p video on a 7" tablet, seems like overkill. I can understand that its convenient to have 1 file that'll run on all your devices, but unfortunately that can't always be the case.
Sent from my LG-VM670 using Tapatalk

The best HW media player for the One X

Anybody know which the best HW supporting media player is for the One X?
I really like dice player but it won't let me fast forward M2TS files :/

try bs player (my player of choice for hd content) or mx player.

I think alla other players than DICE player makes the HOX get hot .

I watch videos all the time using bs player and it doesn't get hot for me. Long story short though try those apps see which is best for you.
Dice player for me is awful there's loads of my media it doesn't play well (it struggles with the audio tracks mostly).

I think BSplayer is the best one! It plays everything! It even plays in HW-mode through network, which most of the other have serious problems with. And directly from rars too.
However, the only player we know for sure that's using the companion core is the built in one, but maybe power-saving isn't any concern? But with HW-decode on the other players, one should think the load should be low enough for the companion core, but who knows?

yup thats what I found, if you want something that just works with your media bs player is the one. I tried every player going for some of my media and that was the only one that handled the audio tracks properly etc.
I dont think any 3rd party players yet will be optimized for tegra 3 to use the companion core, the stock player does it so thats good it shows it can be done but there are not many devices out there yet with tegra 3 so 3rd party apps havent caught up.

No luck either on all players i've tried with fast forwarding m2ts files
Bs player was one of the best ones I found
However I think i'll stick to Dice player for now, everything seems to play smoothly. Just a shame I can't fast forward/rewind m2ts files

Have you tried Mobo player? It's free and so far has managed everything I have thrown at it...
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Yeah i've tried that as well sadly, it doesn't like my m2ts files either
I'll have to find some way of muxing them to mkv cheers anyway

you could try format factory http://www.formatoz.com/ and I hear good things about video spirt (get the light version for free) http://www.verytools.com/videospirit/index.html

I am using mx player pro version and it is good. It can play all videos.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

MXPlayer.
It's bad-ass. I haven't found anything it won't play (oh.... hang on, flv's! - but I don't have any)

+1 for MXPlayer. This app is awesome. Great quality video and support subs.
But what I like the most is that it can play file streamed from PC with very little buffering (depend on video size though). I really enjoy watching without having to transfer tons of files to the phone

Also an MX player user. Would get the pro if it was on sale otherwise happy with the free version.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

I used mxplayer for a while but it struggled with Mkv with ac3, and in s/w mode it got hot.
I switched to dice and it not only plays Mkv with ac3 flawlessly but stays cool.
Watching 720p videos on this phone is just amazing... Sometimes it's better than watching on a big screen. there is more depth to the picture.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

stezo2k said:
Anybody know which the best HW supporting media player is for the One X?
I really like dice player but it won't let me fast forward M2TS files :/
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use MX player with codecs you can find it for free in market (armv7 neon) for one X
it's great all extensions works fine...

atharh said:
I used mxplayer for a while but it struggled with Mkv with ac3, and in s/w mode it got hot.
I switched to dice and it not only plays Mkv with ac3 flawlessly but stays cool.
Watching 720p videos on this phone is just amazing... Sometimes it's better than watching on a big screen. there is more depth to the picture.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
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thats basically exactly the issue I keep having with it, loads of my media is MKV and most of it has AC-3 audio which mx player fails at. Sure dice works well for it but so does BS player
Either way there are good options out there, its just a shame that I ended up paying for mx player and vplayer etc only to have to use a free app (bs player) because they dont do as good a job

zellfan8 said:
+1 for MXPlayer. This app is awesome. Great quality video and support subs.
But what I like the most is that it can play file streamed from PC with very little buffering (depend on video size though). I really enjoy watching without having to transfer tons of files to the phone
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Hi.. Sorry I may sound noob but I've never knew we can stream videos from pc to HTC one X. Can you please guide me how to do so? And yeah I have MX player, if that is what's required.

Just share your movies as you would share any other folder, open it with a file manager from your phone and play the files (this is technically "streaming" but still you watch your movies without having to transfer them). MX does nice job but some files need to be played in sw mode when played from a network location.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

tkolev said:
Just share your movies as you would share any other folder, open it with a file manager from your phone and play the files (this is technically "streaming" but still you watch your movies without having to transfer them). MX does nice job but some files need to be played in sw mode when played from a network location.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
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emit app is also good, especially for 3g streaming etc

To reencode or not to reencode videos?

Do you reencode HD video for the Note 2? If so, what have you found to be an ideal format and resolution? I mentioned in another thread that the native player and MX Player will play the video for my .MKV's but not the DTS soundtrack. I've fiddled with the settings on both players, but I'm not getting any sound at all for any of my blu-ray rips.

Generally I just grab the 720p version and leave it as is. The native player had an issue with one of my mkv files, but MX played it fine, no audio issues.
I generally download straight on the device, so to re-encode it would require transferring the file twice, plus the encoding time. Not worth it to me.
Sent from my Note II

Solved.
quarlow said:
Generally I just grab the 720p version and leave it as is. The native player had an issue with one of my mkv files, but MX played it fine, no audio issues.
I generally download straight on the device, so to re-encode it would require transferring the file twice, plus the encoding time. Not worth it to me.
Sent from my Note II
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Look at Randles' two posts on this page.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1831111&page=7

I tried running a 720p video using mx player (good quality video I think) from a plugged in usb flash key drive and kept getting frozen frames every few seconds though the sound was ok. I was considering asking the same question about how it should be encoded to play without stuttering. Then I played with the player and discovered I could pinch to zoom in or out of the image while it was playing and if I reduced the display a minimal amount it would play correctly. I changed it to 99% of normal size and no more playback problems. I don't know why this is but hope it helps someone...
Sent from my ATT SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

Good to know.
Dumbo53 said:
I tried running a 720p video using mx player (good quality video I think) from a plugged in usb flash key drive and kept getting frozen frames every few seconds though the sound was ok. I was considering asking the same question about how it should be encoded to play without stuttering. Then I played with the player and discovered I could pinch to zoom in or out of the image while it was playing and if I reduced the display a minimal amount it would play correctly. I changed it to 99% of normal size and no more playback problems. I don't know why this is but hope it helps someone...
Sent from my ATT SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
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Thanks. Most of my videos are 720P MKV's with DTS sound. After installing the codec above, I haven't had any issues, but if I do, I will keep your suggestion in mind.

Streaming MKV files from PC to Tablet

Hi all,
I have been trying to stream videos from my laptop to my Note, and I haven't been able to get it running smoothly. I have tried a number of different players, but the issue is that it will either stutter like crazy or play audio without video. I can be more specific about the types of files (mkv, h264, 720p, etc.) and players (VLC for Android beta, Archos Video, MX Player, etc.).
Has ANYONE managed to stream and watch videos from their PC/laptop to this tablet successfully or is this tablet just not capable?
Many thanks!

I am running a plex server on my desktop and stream to several devices, including my note.

Another vote for plex it's pretty amazing. You can get it for free after you get some free coins from the amazon app store.

Of course the tablet is capable of streaming video smoothly. I use MX Player to stream videos from a samba server (traditional Windows share, no special software required). The MX Player is configured to use the 'HW+' decoder. It plays Full HD mkvs no problem.

no.0ne said:
Of course the tablet is capable of streaming video smoothly. I use MX Player to stream videos from a samba server (traditional Windows share, no special software required). The MX Player is configured to use the 'HW+' decoder. It plays Full HD mkvs no problem.
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+1

Junetastic said:
Hi all,
I have been trying to stream videos from my laptop to my Note, and I haven't been able to get it running smoothly. I have tried a number of different players, but the issue is that it will either stutter like crazy or play audio without video. I can be more specific about the types of files (mkv, h264, 720p, etc.) and players (VLC for Android beta, Archos Video, MX Player, etc.).
Has ANYONE managed to stream and watch videos from their PC/laptop to this tablet successfully or is this tablet just not capable?
Many thanks!
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Click to collapse
With MX player change it to all software decoders(audi n video). Its what I have to do with MKV Files.

gilani7 said:
With MX player change it to all software decoders(audi n video). Its what I have to do with MKV Files.
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Thanks! This resolved my issues!

gilani7 said:
With MX player change it to all software decoders(audi n video). Its what I have to do with MKV Files.
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That's not a good idea as a software decoder will burn through your battery, especially with HD content.
@Junetastic Can you try playing the sample videos from this site http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/ ? I have downloaded them to my computer and then tried streaming them to my tablet using the HW+ decoder and it worked without any problems (except the 'Birds' video, which is 40mbps and is too much for my wifi network to handle reliably. Once copied to the tablet, it of course played without problems.)

no.0ne said:
That's not a good idea as a software decoder will burn through your battery, especially with HD content.
@Junetastic Can you try playing the sample videos from this site http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/ ? I have downloaded them to my computer and then tried streaming them to my tablet using the HW+ decoder and it worked without any problems (except the 'Birds' video, which is 40mbps and is too much for my wifi network to handle reliably. Once copied to the tablet, it of course played without problems.)
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I usually just have to use the software decoder for the Audio. Didn't really know it would take a hit on the battery. How much more will it really take? I have gone through many media players and found this to be the easiest solution.

gilani7 said:
I usually just have to use the software decoder for the Audio. Didn't really know it would take a hit on the battery. How much more will it really take? I have gone through many media players and found this to be the easiest solution.
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Oh, I don't think you have to worry about battery life if you software decode just the audio. It's the video that takes a lot of work to decode. From what I seem to remember, software decoding of HD video can drain the battery up to several times faster (depending on brightness and other settings, which can change the relative energy consuption of the decoding process).

no.0ne said:
That's not a good idea as a software decoder will burn through your battery, especially with HD content.
@Junetastic Can you try playing the sample videos from this site http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/ ? I have downloaded them to my computer and then tried streaming them to my tablet using the HW+ decoder and it worked without any problems (except the 'Birds' video, which is 40mbps and is too much for my wifi network to handle reliably. Once copied to the tablet, it of course played without problems.)
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I just downloaded one file (Suzumiya) and it didn't work with H/W+ Decoder; however, I was successful in streaming some episodes of Silicon Valley from my PC with it (and using S/W decoder for audio).

Junetastic said:
I just downloaded one file (Suzumiya) and it didn't work with H/W+ Decoder; however, I was successful in streaming some episodes of Silicon Valley from my PC with it (and using S/W decoder for audio).
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Ok, I think I know where the problem comes from - I bet you have P600, the Exynos version right?

no.0ne said:
Ok, I think I know where the problem comes from - I bet you have P600, the Exynos version right?
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Yeah. Am I out of luck?

Junetastic said:
Yeah. Am I out of luck?
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I have the P600. I downloaded all of the video clips to my desktop. When I stream them directly using MX player, I do get some lag and stutter. However, when I add them to my Plex library I can play all of them just fine. The Plex server handles all the transcode that is needed and I just have to click play. I don't need to worry about formats or bitrates (unless I want to). It is so simple my 5yo can use it to watch videos on her tablet. She can even sync videos for offline viewing on car trips.

Junetastic said:
Yeah. Am I out of luck?
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Well, it seems that the hardware decoders are quite different on the Snapdragon vs. Exynos and since Samsung is very sparse with documentation, the MX Player developers didn't manage to optimize their software for the Exynos (this is just my guess). So you might try a different player, perhaps some will work fine. But then again, it might not. In which case you might have to abandon universal streaming and either transcode your videos or use an application that will do it for you on the fly (e.g. Plex as WJThomas proposed). The downside is you have to use a computer (and often a paid app as is the case with Plex) and can't stream your content from a NAS.

no.0ne said:
In which case you might have to abandon universal streaming and either transcode your videos or use an application that will do it for you on the fly (e.g. Plex as WJThomas proposed). The downside is you have to use a computer (and often a paid app as is the case with Plex) and can't stream your content from a NAS.
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The upside is that you don't have to worry about which device supports which formats, and that you can stream content from some NAS's without a computer. If you subscribe to PlexPass the app is free, and you can use the app to sync media to your device (and then you can even stream from device to device)

Can someone please explain how they're playing .mkv files without playback stopping after a few seconds?
What I'm trying to do is play full bit-rate Blu-ray .mkv rips. I am using ES File Explorer to navigate to shared folders on my Windows PC, and what happens is that the video will eventually start playing but then stop after 5 or so seconds of playback and never continue again. I've tried accessing the files via DNLA software like Servio, but I get the exact same result each time.
And bandwidth is not the problem, as I was able to stream uncompressed content just fine when I had my Surface Pro 2.

Megalith said:
Can someone please explain how they're playing .mkv files without playback stopping after a few seconds?
What I'm trying to do is play full bit-rate Blu-ray .mkv rips. I am using ES File Explorer to navigate to shared folders on my Windows PC, and what happens is that the video will eventually start playing but then stop after 5 or so seconds of playback and never continue again. I've tried accessing the files via DNLA software like Servio, but I get the exact same result each time.
And bandwidth is not the problem, as I was able to stream uncompressed content just fine when I had my Surface Pro 2.
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I use ES File Explorer to browse a 3TB networked hard drive and stream Blu-Ray .mkv files to my tablet with no problem. I use MX Player Pro (H/W decoder, H/W+ causes MX Player to force close on KitKat). No issues with playback.