Features, settings & updates

[AllyPally12]

When trying to play a movie in MP4 format on my external harddrive connected to the TV via USB port, the Roku media player will list out the files, but when I try play the video, I get this error message -

File Not Playable 

Network error. This could be caused by any of the following problems:

1 The server is down or unresponsive 

2 The server is unreachable 

3 There is a network setup issue on the client.

Why is it telling me about network and server issues when I'm trying to play something connected via USB and how do I get the movies to play?

This drive is regularly used to play movies in this way on my other Polaroid (not Roku) TV

[RokuEmmanuel-D · Accepted solution]

Hi, @AllyPally12.

A warmest welcome here in the Roku Community!

We understand you're having issues playing movie through an external drive via USB. We're happy to provide information.

Encountering this type of issue might be caused by several problems. You may want to check the following to isolate the problem you're experiencing:

1. Make sure that you added the Roku Media Player to the Streaming Store. Roku Media Player allows you to watch personal videos, listen to music, and view photos using the USB port on your Roku device or by accessing a media server on your local network.
2. Also, try checking if your Media File is compatible to play on your Roku device.

You might check it out here...

The following file formats are supported:

• Video – H.264/AVC (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV)
• Audio – AAC (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV); MP3(.MP3, .MKV); FLAC (.FLAC, .MKV), PCM (.WAV, .MKV, .MP4, .MOV), AC3/EAC3 (.MKV,.MP4. .MOV, .AC3), DTS (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV,.DTS), ALAC (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV, .M4A), Vorbis (.OGG,.MKV,.WEBM)
• Playlists –.M3U, .M3U8, .PLS
• Image – JPG, PNG, GIF (non-animated)

The following media formats are supported on Roku devices that support 4K

• 4K Video – H.265/HEVC (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV); VP9 (.MKV, .WEBM) and AV1 (.MKV, MP4) on some Roku devices.
• 4K Video – H.264 (Roku Premiere, Premiere+, and Ultra only)

The following media formats are supported on Roku devices that support 8K

• 8K Video – AV1 (.MKV, MP4) and H.265/HEVC (.MKV, .MP4)

The following media formats are supported on Roku TV systems and some Roku streaming players

• Video – H.262 (.MKV)

Note: 

• The Roku Media Player app will not display unsupported file types or files it has determined cannot be played by your Roku device. DRM-protected content is not supported.

For more information about playing content on Roku Media Player via USB, see How to use Roku Media Player to play your videos, music, and photos.

Let us know how this works.

All the best,
Emman

[asSYSter]

Yes, I've checked all that and done all you've mentioned.  But neither my usb drive (tried low capacity, early versions of usb drives, some even reformated) and my external hard drive via usb.  I've read in some documentation that when a usb drive is inserted there will be a pop-up notification.  Not only is there no popup as far as I can tell it doesn't even recognize the usb device nor does it allow me to search for it.