Channel Issues & Questions

[atc98092]

"renojim" wrote:
WTV recordings will play on my Roku TV if I repackage them into an MKV file (no transcoding required).  Or, is the question whether WTV file/container is supported natively?

-JT

Sure, that works fine for me as well. But I believe the question was that someone claimed that WTV was an unannounced but supported container. I don't believe it is. 

[RokuBen]

There is no support in the Roku codebase for decoding WTV files.  They would need to be re-containerized into a supported format like MKV or TS for playback.

[Chicken]

This post isn't helpful at all, if it counts as anything, it's spiteful.

"One of RMP's helpscreens has a page showing audio and video codec support. That is official support. Officially supported fiile formats are also indicated.

Rokudale"

[atc98092]

"Chicken" wrote:
This post isn't helpful at all, if it counts as anything, it's spiteful.

"One of RMP's helpscreens has a page showing audio and video codec support. That is official support. Officially supported file formats are also indicated.

Rokudale"

No, it's an accurate description of the codecs supported by Roku Media Player on that specific piece of hardware. Not every Roku device has the same codec support, so that help page is the most accurate place to find out what that player supports. 
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On the topic of this thread, Roku has now added MPEG-2 video codec support on their newer players. By newer I can say for certain that my Ultra 4640 now supports it, along with the new Premiere that I just recently purchased. The last time I checked my Stick still does not support it, and it's possible that it is old enough (lack or processing power) that it isn't capable. 

[Chicken]

"atc98092" wrote:

"Chicken" wrote:
This post isn't helpful at all, if it counts as anything, it's spiteful.

"One of RMP's helpscreens has a page showing audio and video codec support. That is official support. Officially supported file formats are also indicated.

Rokudale"

No, it's an accurate description of the codecs supported by Roku Media Player on that specific piece of hardware. Not every Roku device has the same codec support, so that help page is the most accurate place to find out what that player supports. 
.
On the topic of this thread, Roku has now added MPEG-2 video codec support on their newer players. By newer I can say for certain that my Ultra 4640 now supports it, along with the new Premiere that I just recently purchased. The last time I checked my Stick still does not support it, and it's possible that it is old enough (lack or processing power) that it isn't capable. 

My stick simply reports "unexpected error, cannot play file", not very helpful.  Sometimes it'll play the file but most times not, just this meaningless message pointing out the obvious.  Yes, I can read so knowing which formats are supported doesn't seem to be the issue.  My concern is how can I discover why it failed so I can take corrective action?  Also, it makes no sense to me why I must have an internet connection available to play my local media or why smb isn't supported, DLNA is very cumbersome in that it's impossible to know what the server deems available based on the hidden requests/handshakes going on that have no visibility.
The WIFI remote works most of the time, eats batteries fairly quickly and at times sports a mean lag, this is peanuts compared to the lack of support for local media.
When someone stated Roku is strictly designed for internet streaming, they said it all.

[atc98092]

I can't answer why they don't support SMB, although I will say that even though my Shield supports SMB, it has a terrible time connecting to one of my media servers, while the other is no problem. I also had an older Panasonic Blu Ray player that supported SMB, and it too was a pain to get connected. I have found that DLNA just works so much easier.
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I agree with you about the lack of detail in the error messages. Dale has retired, so RokuChris has control of RMP now. He would be the best person to contact about improving the error messages. As to Internet access, I was under the impression that once a box was set up, RMP would work if the Internet connection was lost. Of course, you still need your internal network functioning with DHCP and DNS, but as long as your Internet router itself is still up those should be OK. If you have some computer chops you can always set up your own internal DNS and DHCP servers, but it does require some knowledge of networking and routing. 
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Yep, Roku was designed from the git go to be an Internet streaming device. The same can be said for the Amazon Fire TV, and many of the low cost Android boxes available on the market. Even the Shield has that as it's core function, although it is advanced enough that you can enter a static IP address, and of course plays media from an attached hard drive without issue, regardless of network connection. But then, it's almost $200, while Roku players run from $30-100.