Videp Player with SMB - Galaxy Tab S Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all!
Very new here, and to Android! I've just purchased a Tab S 10.5 and it's my first try away from Apple products. So far definitely enjoying the freedom
I notice on the Samsung video app that you can click 'nearby devices' and browse through my SMB file share on my network, however it's not in folders and you can't search! I've been using VLC Beta for 'on device' media but are there any good video players that have better SMB browsing?
Thanks!

A very good free SMB capable file manager is ES File Manager on the playstore. It definitely shows the network share in a folder hierarchy but to the best of my knowledge does not have a search feature. If you tap on a specific file you can associate the file type with a specific app. For example a mpg video with a media player app. On Android I would recommend MX Player as the best all around video player app handling the widest range of video formats plus hardware acceleration. There is a free version you can try.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app

3DSammy said:
A very good free SMB capable file manager is ES File Manager on the playstore. It definitely shows the network share in a folder hierarchy but to the best of my knowledge does not have a search feature. If you tap on a specific file you can associate the file type with a specific app. For example a mpg video with a media player app. On Android I would recommend MX Player as the best all around video player app handling the widest range of video formats plus hardware acceleration. There is a free version you can try.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank-you! I will check it out. Sounds like it'll be exactly what I need Cheers!

Just a word of advice. SMB is a terrible profile and you will get much better video playback over dlna or plex than SMB, assuming you have at least a cheap PC capable of running a DLNA server(several free).

You can also use BS Player to play your videos over SMB and support many codecs

leojab said:
You can also use BS Player to play your videos over SMB and support many codecs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for BS Player. It can also find subtitles online for the videos if needed.

gottahavit said:
Just a word of advice. SMB is a terrible profile and you will get much better video playback over dlna or plex than SMB, assuming you have at least a cheap PC capable of running a DLNA server(several free).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunno.....I run all my videos over smb to my Android box, don't require an extra PC, external subs works fine, and all my other PCs can access those files just fine.
Fiddling with DLNA just introduces more overheads....no thanks.

kenkiller said:
I dunno.....I run all my videos over smb to my Android box, don't require an extra PC, external subs works fine, and all my other PCs can access those files just fine.
Fiddling with DLNA just introduces more overheads....no thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you running 1080p full blu ray streams? I didn't say it wasn't a little setup, just much better throughput. Either way whatever works for you.
BTW why do you need another pc? Are you running your drives right off you router?

The SMB player I'm using is Archos Video Player. Played everything I threw at it.

I love plex for all my devices. If only they didn't remove the RAR support...
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

Related

[Q] Best way to stream and add data from PC - GN via WIFI?

What I would like to do is send files to my GN via my wireless network (movies, music files, pictures etc) and also stream files directly (i.e .mkv 720p video files). Would be very happy if you could point me in the right direction!
GN_ICS said:
What I would like to do is send files to my GN via my wireless network (movies, music files, pictures etc) and also stream files directly (i.e .mkv 720p video files). Would be very happy if you could point me in the right direction!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not so sure about streaming, but for transfer, Dropbox may help.
bennettm89 said:
I'm not so sure about streaming, but for transfer, Dropbox may help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem with that is, I first have to upload to the Dropbox servers and then download from the phone. What I want is a faster method since my upload speeds are very slow. I am thinking along the lines of a ftp server perhaps, but not sure if that is the best option?
GN_ICS said:
Problem with that is, I first have to upload to the Dropbox servers and then download from the phone. What I want is a faster method since my upload speeds are very slow. I am thinking along the lines of a ftp server perhaps, but not sure if that is the best option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FTP seems that you would go through too much trouble setting it up just for that. I see your point about upload speeds though, and you are correct. I can't say I know of any other solution .
there's an app I use. its called wifi file explorer. you can use it to transfer files from your PC to the phone over wifi
If you are just looking to stream videos, look into mirage beta in the market, and use it in conjunction with a windows app called "air video server" it works great together, and it will even transcode subtitles, and transcode on the fly high res video down to something more compatible for streaming with. This setup is especially nice because you can stream your entire video collection at will to your phone, and not use up any space on the phone at all, (provided you have network)
For normal files, wifi explorer or dropbox work fine. If you want, you can even run a FTP server on your android device and connect into it from your computer using the IP address of your phone.
I use Plex - not only transcodes but the grabs box art, descriptions etc. and has a very slick interface. Might be overkill for your needs though...
Wifi file explorer is really nice for just getting general files to the phone. There's also a DAV server available (forget the name of it) so you could then mount the phone as a drive and copy directly.
ES File Explorer, all you needs in 1 app. Streams mkvs perfectly with dice player, no need for extra software on your PC
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
gabster21 said:
ES File Explorer, all you needs in 1 app. Streams mkvs perfectly with dice player, no need for extra software on your PC
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slightly off topic but can ES access twonky servers? Would be nice to have the dice player integration and avoid the twonky app.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
gabster21 said:
ES File Explorer, all you needs in 1 app. Streams mkvs perfectly with dice player, no need for extra software on your PC
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn't seem to work on the GN. All that happens is you get a dialog that says 'Dice player has stopped' (the same file plays fine if copied to the phone).
Edit: Seems to be ICS compatibility issue..
Code:
W/dalvikvm(32485): No implementation found for native Lcom/inisoft/mediaplayer/MediaPlayer;.setDataSource (Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/util/Map;)V
D/AndroidRuntime(32485): Shutting down VM
W/dalvikvm(32485): threadid=1: thread exiting with uncaught exception (group=0x40a531f8)
E/AndroidRuntime(32485): FATAL EXCEPTION: main
E/AndroidRuntime(32485): java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: setDataSource
E/AndroidRuntime(32485): at com.inisoft.mediaplayer.MediaPlayer.setDataSource(Native Method)
E/AndroidRuntime(32485): at com.inisoft.mediaplayer.MediaPlayer.setDataSource(Unknown Source)
E/AndroidRuntime(32485): at com.inisoft.mediaplayer.VideoView.p(Unknown Source)
Hi, try mobo player for the streaming part
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Does the Galaxy Nexus not feature dlna? That sounds perfect for OP's needs. Older androids feature this out of the box.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
The Gingerbread Man said:
Does the Galaxy Nexus not feature dlna? That sounds perfect for OP's needs. Older androids feature this out of the box.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're talking about Allshare, that only comes with TouchWiz not stock Android.
gabster21 said:
If you're talking about Allshare, that only comes with TouchWiz not stock Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no I mean dlna, you use it to stream video, pictures or music over wifi. For example I connect my x10 to wifi and enable dlna and activate dlna on my TV and I can then browse through my phones media contents and play them.
Was just looking through the settings on nexus and couldn't see it but also found wifi direct here's a good http://www.wi-fi.org/Wi-Fi_Direct.php its not the same as dlna, can't find it anywhere in the phone. Surely it has it?!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
The Gingerbread Man said:
Does the Galaxy Nexus not feature dlna? That sounds perfect for OP's needs. Older androids feature this out of the box.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually use Upnplay and Moboplayer on my Nexus S (and Ps3 media streamer on my PC) to stream MKVs from my desktop to my phone. Works pretty well and it's via dlna.
BinaryTB said:
I actually use Upnplay and Moboplayer on my Nexus S (and Ps3 media streamer on my PC) to stream MKVs from my desktop to my phone. Works pretty well and it's via dlna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No sign on any settings for dlna or galaxy nexus, should be under settings/wireless and networks. Unless those apps have some kind of dlna built in to them? I want to use dlna just I can't find it or know if its even supoorted
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
BinaryTB said:
I actually use Upnplay and Moboplayer on my Nexus S (and Ps3 media streamer on my PC) to stream MKVs from my desktop to my phone. Works pretty well and it's via dlna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you mean ps3 media server? and if so, can you tell me how it works on your phone? I have it on my PC and it works great on my ps3
Don't care about not included DLNA Apps. So far my experience was that most of the DLNA Apps the manufacturer added were crap :/
But well, there is one which worked always pretty well for me. It's the app "Skifta" by Qualcomm
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.skifta.android.app
Try this in combination with a good videoplayer (Diceplayer,Vplayer,Rockplayer) and it should work pretty fine. This way I could always stream my videos from PC to my Android phone without any problems. Just share the media in windows media player or any similar software which supports DLNA.
Couldn't test skifta on ICS so far because I'm still waiting for my phone but I hope it runs as well on ICS as it was running on older Android versions.
MysteriousDiary said:
Don't care about not included DLNA Apps. So far my experience was that most of the DLNA Apps the manufacturer added were crap :/
But well, there is one which worked always pretty well for me. It's the app "Skifta" by Qualcomm
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.skifta.android.app
Try this in combination with a good videoplayer (Diceplayer,Vplayer,Rockplayer) and it should work pretty fine. This way I could always stream my videos from PC to my Android phone without any problems. Just share the media in windows media player or any similar software which supports DLNA.
Couldn't test skifta on ICS so far because I'm still waiting for my phone but I hope it runs as well on ICS as it was running on older Android versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Legendary, had an update 28/11/11 to support ics. Your a star for sharing, about to test now
It works!! Thanks man
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
rock7632 said:
do you mean ps3 media server? and if so, can you tell me how it works on your phone? I have it on my PC and it works great on my ps3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoops, sorry, yeah, that's what I meant. Let me check my settings... I installed it a while ago and once it worked, I haven't touch it since.
On my HTPC Server, installed it, pointed it to whatever folders I want to share (currently only video for when I'm in bed at night and don't want to wake the wife with an episode of whatever), set the transcoding settings to use multi-cores, almost everything else on default.
On upnplay on my Nexus S... (horrible GUI btw), started up the app, the PS3 Media Server I just set up shows up automatically (it's all on the same wifi network, haven't tried it via 3G), click on it, my folder shares show up, I click on a video and it starts up via moboplayer.
I use moboplayer, tried a few others, found moboplayer to be the most stable for me while playing mkvs and any other video I throw at it.
A tip. I found (this was months ago, maybe it's better now with new versions) that mkv streaming of high res video on the Nexus S was unstable or really slow. So I used Handbrake to transcode a season of a show at time from MKV/720p to MP4/800x480. It was super simple, they have a phone profile you click on and voila. Downside? a bit more harddrive space it used, upside? Instantaneous playback.
Also, streaming MP4 h264 videos (which are natively supported by the Nexus S) via Upnplay would sometimes just quit the app randomly. Moboplayer was more stable in that regard too.

Best App for Streaming Video?

I have a collection of video files on my Windows XP PC that I would like to view on my A100 without downloading the multi-GB files to the Tablet.
What combination of PC server/Android player does the best job in terms of picture quality, user interface, file/format compatibility, etc.?
I use Gmote,it works great.you have the option to control the pc like a remote,or you can set it to stream from pc.uses wifi to connect.for my player i use Vplayer.
Sent from my HD2 Gingerbread using XDA App
Hooride707 said:
I use Gmote,it works great.you have the option to control the pc like a remote,or you can set it to stream from pc.uses wifi to connect.for my player i use Vplayer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!
I don't understand how you use Gmote - what do you run on the PC?
I will give it a try and report back..
I have been using Playon for a few years now. there are some open source variations, I'll see if I can find some links for you later today.
Update on Gmote:
You install a small Gmote server program on your PC (Windows/Mac/Linux) and the Gmote client on your tablet. You then browse the media paths you have configured on the server. You select whether to play the file on the PC or on the Android device. If you select to play on the "phone", you have to select which player app to use. I had installed Vplayer, and selected it.
Update on Vplayer:
It works, but just barely. Lots of pixellation on my A100. It seems to be designed only for playing local files from /mnt/sdcard, doesn't even "see" /mnt/ext_card.
dharr18 said:
I have been using Playon for a few years now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me, too. I have the Playon server running on my Windows PC, and the free Playon for Android player "sees" the server OK. But I can't get the channels/plugins/files to play - there is no "Play" button on the Honeycomb screen!
Update:
I am having excellent results with:
- ES File Explorer to browse the media files on my PC. Once a film is selected, the File Explorer asks you which player to use.
- MX Player is the best option I have found so far. Very fast seeking, no pixellation.
Does anybody have good results with another program or programs?
Icestream is a great app to use to stream TV shows or movies. Works best with mx player or mobo player.
Sent from meXdroid Acer Iconia A100
I also have used vital player for the device,but i dont have any problems with the Vplayer.im using the full version,idk if that makes a diff how the player is.
Sent from my HD2 Gingerbread using XDA App
kascend video play not for tablet but it works great
even plays 1080p and mkv files
I am also having good results with Skifta (free on the Market). (www.skifta.com/)
The advantage with Skifta is it sees all of the media servers that are running on my PC (tVersity, Playon, Serviio) and lets me browse them for files and channels. For playback, I am still happy with MXplayer.
I use BS player. I can browse straight to my nas thru a file share and play a movie. No need to stream anything from a pc or upnp. Lite version is free and works great.
Sent from my I9000 using Tapatalk
+1 for BSplayer. It includes hardware acceleration for Arm v7. It has gesture control for volume, brightness, zoom.
Nice
Sent from my HD2 Gingerbread using XDA App

Streaming media

I don't use Netflix which I know is good. What streaming media (apps or browser links) look good on the N7? A few that I like that seem to work well (and look good):
syfy.com/rewind
usanetwork.com/videos (must subscribe to cable or Sat service)
dish.epixhd.com (must subscribe to cable or Sat service)
dish remote access (app)
crackle (app)
tv.com (app)
None are perfect, but I would rate all a "4"; they look very good full screen. I tried TNT, it kind of sucks.
tcat007 said:
I don't use Netflix which I know is good. What streaming media (apps or browser links) look good on the N7? A few that I like that seem to work well (and look good):
syfy.com/rewind
usanetwork.com/videos (must subscribe to cable or Sat service)
dish.epixhd.com (must subscribe to cable or Sat service)
dish remote access (app)
crackle (app)
tv.com (app)
None are perfect, but I would rate all a "4"; they look very good full screen. I tried TNT, it kind of sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you had comcast I would highly recommend the xfinity app, its perfect and they have refined the app for 7" screens
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Crunchyroll works great. Shame they dumped the tablet interface in the redesign though...
What about streaming from a Home NAS? I use FreeNAS and have like, 8TB of movies, in storage, that I stream to my PS3 using PS3 Media Server, but want to do the same with my tablet....
I use bsplayer to stream video from nas which I think is very easy setup
Plex is a really good answer for streaming from a pc to the nexus if you have lots of movies,
it automatically gets all the tag info from the web, like cover art etc.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5wbGV4YXBwLmFuZHJvaWQiXQ..
I use MovieBrowser UPnP to browse my nas and dice to play the videos. Best solution for me so far, but I'm going to check out some of the other options mentioned in this thread.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I can't add to the OP's list, but for streaming movies on my home network, I use TVersity on a Windows PC because it's compatible with a gazillion devices, particularly my Xbox 360. I have MediaHouse on the Nexus and I watch the movies with MX Player. TVersity does take a little bit of configuring. MediaHouse discovers it within a second or so and its integration with MX Player is seamless.
XBMC?
I just looked at xbmc. Looks interesting. Does it find shows on a dvr? I see the screen examples of like 1000 movies and 8 seasons of 24... do people actually have that much stored on a pc, or does this find stuff on your dvr or on line? No way all that can be stored on an n7.
ksimilie said:
XBMC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to put a plug in for MediaHouse combined with Mx. Seamless streaming from a new DLNA drive on my Netgear router.
I have 40GB of movies (that I purchased) and a few GB of music on it.
The moves are as ripped, .avi, and they look great. I like not having to convert.
CarsnGadgets said:
Plex is a really good answer for streaming from a pc to the nexus if you have lots of movies,
it automatically gets all the tag info from the web, like cover art etc.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5wbGV4YXBwLmFuZHJvaWQiXQ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another vote for Plex...I use it and love it
derek1387 said:
What about streaming from a Home NAS? I use FreeNAS and have like, 8TB of movies, in storage, that I stream to my PS3 using PS3 Media Server, but want to do the same with my tablet....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use ampdroid app with MediaPortal on PC. I can browse my various collections and stream 15GB bluray rips to the N7. I was surprised it worked with the large file size and type.
using dice player with plugin...streaming from pogoplug NAS running archlinux
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Another vote for Plex here, I love the way it catalogues and finds all the cover artwork for my library. The remote is a very nice touch too!
I just use ES File Explorer to browse my server's Samba share and have it open to MX Media Player. Most media is encoded to 720p mkv and using software decoding it plays back fine.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Found the best streaming media for n7, mediahouse-pro with MX player-pro video player. I wasted a couple bucks on other apps including plex and it was kind of frustrating at first. But I got it now and thought I would share.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Mannn121 said:
Found the best streaming media for n7, mediahouse-pro with MX player-pro video player. I wasted a couple bucks on other apps including plex and it was kind of frustrating at first. But I got it now and thought I would share.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if this was mentioned but Network Places (Innocomm) GVNDroid works very well on my Nexus 7 I was fustrated at first that iMedia sucked the way that it did but now that I've found this - Give it a try
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.innocomm.SambaExplorer
stompysan said:
I just use ES File Explorer to browse my server's Samba share and have it open to MX Media Player. Most media is encoded to 720p mkv and using software decoding it plays back fine.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what I do! ES File Explorer is extremely user friendly and it's just a matter of marking folders as shared and they pop up on my N7. Couple that with MX Player and it's a home run
matius44 said:
Exactly what I do! ES File Explorer is extremely user friendly and it's just a matter of marking folders as shared and they pop up on my N7. Couple that with MX Player and it's a home run
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
stompysan said:
I just use ES File Explorer to browse my server's Samba share and have it open to MX Media Player. Most media is encoded to 720p mkv and using software decoding it plays back fine.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
could you guys show me how to set up es file explorer with my windows 7 to share movies.
i have been trying to set it up. i cant figure it out.

[Q]Music Player with .flac and samba support?

Hello Xda community,
I'm looking for a music player that can stream .flac and .mp3 using samba server.
I tried Neutron MP but this app freezes everytime and samba server option doesn't work
However Samba server works great with Dice Player but it doesn't support music extension like .mp3 ( i get " no media file or folder" when i browse my music folders...)
Samba also works with ES File Explorer but we only can open one file at a time, i want to open an album playlist.
After few hours of search , i despair :crying:
What's about winamp, poweramp ? does it support samba?
Thanks for your help.
Can you run Subsonic on the server? Has a nice App and streams pretty much all audio formats.
http://www.subsonic.org/pages/index.jsp
Thanks for the tip but i can't install this app because it's a NAS running samba :S
What NAS?
I only ask as I personally use Logitech Media Server on my NAS and Squeeze player on my tablet for streaming music.
Squeeze player turns the nexus into a squeezebox player but there's no interface for control, you'll also need a squeezebox control app, the free version from Logitech will do. You can also use a Web browser that we control it, either on the device or any other device on your network.
Probably overkill just for a tablet, I also use proper squeezebox units in my house for multiroom audio, but it works very well. You could also run Logitech Media Server on a pc but that would mean the pc would need to be on to use it.
Squeeze player isn't free but it does work very well.
Logitech Media Server also has a DNLA plug in so it can also be used by any suitable DNLA client, i use Skifta for DNLA
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Did you try Tonido. Tonido can play flac, ogg and mp3.
Try BSPlayer,
Not really a music player tho...
[N⁴][Motley][CarbonRom]
Root your tablet.
Then mount the samba share. Preferably inside the /sdcard folder, then many apps are able to access the share.
I use GoneMad Music Player, which is not only the best music app but also indexes the music folder(s) very quickly in it's own database (which persists when the music folder is disconnected).
venkatramasamy said:
Did you try Tonido. Tonido can play flac, ogg and mp3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for Tonido. It works great. Plays anything I throw at it.
AFAIK, Tonido needs its own server... Don't think that's what the OP after
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
New 3.0 beta of ES File Explorer works quite nicely if you want no library but a folder-based approach.
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 7 mit Tapatalk 2
Samba Network Music Player
Hey man you could try Samba Network Music Player - it was specifically designed for this purpose. Still in development but it works.
It scans the shares dir structure for you to browse faster the shares and also caches tracks or whole albums if you want to take the music to listen out and about. FLAC is supported if Android is 3.1+.

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+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!
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

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