Samsung TV will not read mkv files from MyBook Live

[FiF]

Just getting into creating some DVD files for storage on the network storage device.

Have ripped test MKV file using Makemkv. All that works OK.

The TV is wired into the network router with correct network cable. All features working OK, eg updates, iPlayer etc etc.

If I connect the TV to my laptop using Samsung Allshare it finds the file, and can play it wirelessly.
So the TV supports MKV as it says on the spec sheet.

Have now copied the test MKV files into the shared videos folder on the MyBook Live. TV finds them, but says "Unsupported file type." It quite happily finds dozens of other video files that are stored on the MyBook and plays those, saved podcasts, even a copy of Climb and Dance that I'd got saved on my laptop and went to the MyBook as part of a laptop backup.

SO I'm a bit puzzled to be honest.

TV is Samsung UE37ES6300, MyBook Live is a 2TB hardwired to router, as is TV.

Bit stuck now where to go next, I've made sure that the TV has latest firmware updates, next I have to check the My Book but I'm always reluctant to do that as many people have histories of difficulty connecting after firmware updates.

Any suggestions.

How about converting the MKV file to another format? Manual says supprted file types DivX, MP4, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MKV,
etc.

What should I use? Handbrake?

[Deva Link]

First hit on Google: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLay-Qa8uzQ

[FiF]

Blimey, I got no hits on Google, but that looks very helpful. Will let you know if it works, drive is rebooting and rebuilding the catalogue, takes some time.

Thanks, fingers crossed.

[Deva Link]

What did you search for?

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&...

[FiF]

I think my search was too specific, included TV model.

edited to add, after I'd changed the file extensions then the TV didn't find the files. So I'm just going through the whole shut down, power off, reboot process on the whole network to see what happens.. WD network device is known for being not user friendly.

Edited by FiF on Sunday 30th September 14:49

[FiF]

Given up on this for the time being, TV will not even see the .avi files.

Suspect it's something to do with Twonky not being the latest version, but I just don't have the time to try this further, will use Samsung Allshare streamed from laptop as a temporary fix.

Not sure whether it is Samsung or Western Digital that are being the PITA, probably both. MOST unimpressed with WD gear, reading the forums a lot of people have similar issues.

[VEX]

Try PLEX rather than Twonky

Then there is a Samsung App for the latest generation of screens.

V.

[FiF]

It's a 2012 6000 series, presumably that app is uploadable to the Smarthub?

[newwikstromkaren]

The following article will introduce a powerful MKV to Samsung Converter and a step by step guide on how to convert and play MKV on Samsung Galaxy S4/S3/S2/S/Infuse 4G/Tab/Epic 4G/Captivate/Vibrant and more at http://www.bigasoft.com/articles/how-to-play-mkv-o...

it also applies to solve samsung tv not read mkv files

[andagetil]

From Forum Nas-Central( http://forum.nas-central.org ), I know that:

Can Samsung TV Play MKV?

From Samsung official website, we know that MKV is really one of Samsung TV compatible video formats. If so, why we still encounter the issue "Samsung TV won't play MKV"? That's because MKV is a container format, which is a kind of Matroska media files while Matroska is a new multimedia package format, also known as multi-media containers. It can be a variety of encoded video and more than 16 different formats of audio and subtitle streams in different languages package them into a Matroska Media files. So, comes the question, when we try to play MKV with Samsung TV unsupported audio codec, image or subtitle, like an MKV file with DTS audio.

In order to play MKV on Samsung TV effortlessly, here, we strongly recommend you Faasoft MKV to Samsung TV Converter to convert MKV to Samsung TV more compatible formats like MP4.

Source:
http://www.faasoft.com/articles/samsung-tv-mkv-sol...

[FiF]

Just to update from OP.

Didn't get a decent solution back in 2012. Even with mp4 format.

Since then there have been some software updates and mp4 works fine. Not sure if the key update was Samsung or WD/Twonky or both.

In reality I don't play videos direct through the TV, but now use a wired in bd/dvd player to read the files and then sends them to the TV. Reason is it gives more options on playing, plus remembers where it was the last time you played that file if you're just picking up again from where you left off and haven't played something in the meantime.

[Autopilot]

My old setup was a Samsung screen and an Onkyo AV Receiver both of which were meant to be able to play files from external sources. To be honest, neither of them did a very good job of it as both devices were hit and miss as to what they would play and for how long until it stopped working again.

It may be different with devices these days, but I found the only way I could reliably play media from my NAS was via a dedicated streaming device as that seemed to decode anything you threw at it.

[stuart313]

DLNA is the most stupid idea going, why can't a TV read and play the files like a computer does off a NAS drive/HDD, why does the NAS have to push them to the TV using a media server?

I had the same problem but the other way round, I bought a 32" toshiba smart tv and it would not play .avi files, simply changing the file extension to .mkv worked. So I bought exactly the same TV but 40" for another room, it would not play the .mkv files, asking toshiba technical he assured me neither TV played .mkv

Its pot luck whether a smart TV will play your files or not, are we expected to keep multiple copies of each film in different formats so different TVs can play them, how hard can it be.

[Oakey]

Some TV's will read files from a network or HDD? My Samsung does. The problem is the manufacturers don't want to have to pay royalties for some codecs (hence why some older Samsungs couldn't decode DTS). On a PC of any sort it's not really an issue because you can get those codecs for nothing online.

[stuart313]

I wonder if you could waltz into currys with your nas and router and connect it up to one of their TVs to see if it would play a particular file. Then waltz back out and buy it of Amazon.

[badbecomesgood]

From Samsung official website, we know that MKV is really one of Samsung TV compatible video formats. If so, why we still encounter the issue "Samsung TV won't play MKV"? That's because MKV is a container format, which is a kind of Matroska media files while Matroska is a new multimedia package format, also known as multi-media containers. It can be a variety of encoded video and more than 16 different formats of audio and subtitle streams in different languages package them into a Matroska Media files. So, comes the question, when we try to play MKV with Samsung TV unsupported audio codec, image or subtitle, like an MKV file with DTS audio.

In order to play MKV on Samsung TV effortlessly, here, we strongly recommend you to use iDealshare VideoGo to convert MKV to Samsung TV more compatible formats like MP4 at http://www.idealshare.net/video-converter/samsung-...

Besides converting MKV to Samsung TV, iDealshare VideoGo also can convert AVI, WMV, 3GP, AVCHD, FLV, VOB, MPG, RMVB, WTV, OGV, WebM to Samsung TV

[holuu]

Hi, i can explain why smart tv samsung do not play mkv files from dlink nas. It is because nas return a none standard file content type. In fact the file content returned in the http header is video/x-mkv but should be video/x-matroska has defined here,so you just need a Video Converter to transfer the formats that supported by Samsung TV .

[SophiaGill]

It turned out that certain models of the Samsung TV couldn’t play DTS encoded audio. The obvious solution when a video file refuses to play on a device is to convert the file into a format that is supported by the device. What we need to do is convert MKV to Samsung TV video format.

[Oakey]

Blimey, it's attack of the bots