BD-670: Transcoding PCM Audio only in Mpeg-2 (vob or mpg)?

I am using Serviio to stream to my LG BD-670 BluRay player. I just discovered that the BD-670 does not support linear pcm audio streams in DVD-compliant Mpeg-2 video files (either with a .vob or .mpg file extension). After consulting with LG tech support, they confirmed that the BD-670 does support the mpeg-2 video file, but not the pcm audio stream. I have tested with other mpeg-2 (both ntsc and PAL) clips with AC-3 audio, and they play OK through Serviio (although NONE of the mpeg-2 files I have tested are able to Fast-Forward or Rewind.) However, the mpeg-2 video files with pcm streams give an error: "Audio Format Not Supported".

After reading in the forums here, I believe there might be a way to have Serviio transcode just the pcm audio stream to AC3 on the fly, without transcoding the video? Is there an adjustment that I need to make to the Serviio setup configuration or to the LG/TV Player Profile? (hopefully this is not a silly question... I'm a newbie here...)

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[Illico]

Edit ./serviio/config/profiles.xml, and find the "LG TV/player" profile section then add this :

  Code:

<Transcoding>
  <Video targetContainer="mpeg" targetAcodec="ac3" >
    <Matches container="mpeg" aCodec="lpcm" />
  </Video>
</Transcoding>

Ok, thank you so much, Illico! It worked! So, contrary to the note that appears in the "LG TV/player" profile section, which states that "Transcoding doesn't seem to work" and disables the entire transcoding section, I added the lines of code as you suggested, and it worked on my LG BD-670. In the process, I also had to reinstate the "Transcoding" section of the profile, which (as noted above) had been disabled by the developer with a "<!--" at the beginning and a " -->" at the end.

Two questions:

1) I have multiple clips as described above, and it appears that when a transcoded clip ends, Serviio does not automatically start the next clip as it does when finishing a non-transcoded file; Playback pauses at the end of each transcoded file. Is there a way to tell Serviio to proceed to the next clip without manually pressing the "next" button on my remote? Note that this only occurs at the end of playing a transcoded file; When proceeding from a non-transcoded file (with an ac3 audio track) to either a transcoded file or a non-transcoded file, it proceeds to the next file automatically.

2) Is there any way to enable fast-forward and rewind functions on these mpeg-2 video files?

Thanks again for your help.

My new LG TV / player profile section appears below:
---------------------------------------------------------------

<Profile id="8" name="LG TV / player" extendsProfileId="1">
<Detection>
<HttpHeaders>
<friendlyName.dlna.org>LG.*</friendlyName.dlna.org>
</HttpHeaders>
</Detection>
<MediaFormatProfiles>
<MediaFormatProfile mime-type="video/mp4" name="">AVI</MediaFormatProfile>
</MediaFormatProfiles>
<SubtitlesMimeType>text/srt</SubtitlesMimeType>
<Transcoding>
<Video targetContainer="mpeg" targetACodec="ac3">
<Matches container="mpeg" aCodec="lpcm" />
</Video>
<Video targetContainer="mpegts" targetACodec="mp3">
<Matches container="matroska" aCodec="ac3" />
</Video>
</Transcoding>
</Profile>

[Illico]

1) I have multiple clips as described above, and it appears that when a transcoded clip ends, Serviio does not automatically start the next clip as it does when finishing a non-transcoded file; Playback pauses at the end of each transcoded file. Is there a way to tell Serviio to proceed to the next clip without manually pressing the "next" button on my remote? Note that this only occurs at the end of playing a transcoded file; When proceeding from a non-transcoded file (with an ac3 audio track) to either a transcoded file or a non-transcoded file, it proceeds to the next file automatically.

This is the renderer (master) that request the next media, serviio could not provide it automatically. Check on LG forum or settings.

2) Is there any way to enable fast-forward and rewind functions on these mpeg-2 video files?

Its probably because fast-forward does not work with mpegps container, try with mpegts container,
or try with mkv/ac3, it will be remuxed to mpegts

This is the renderer (master) that request the next media, serviio could not provide it automatically. Check on LG forum or settings.

Unfortunately, there are no such settings on the LG player. Isn't this a Serviio bug or issue, since the non-transcoded files proceed to the next file in the folder automatically, but the Serviio-encoded files do not? (If I understand you correctly, Serviio is able to provide that "next" file info to the renderer if the file was not transcoded by Serviio. But, Serviio is not able to provide that "next" file info to the renderer if the file was transcoded by Serviio...)

Its probably because fast-forward does not work with mpegps container, try with mpegts container, or try with mkv/ac3, it will be remuxed to mpegts

Sorry, I am a newbie here. Could you tell me how to change from the mpegps container to the mpegts container? Can this be done in the LG Player profile? Does it require re-encoding the file?

[Illico]

Isn't this a Serviio bug or issue...

no, I don't think so, serviio only provide media that renderer request (native or transoded).
This is the LG that have to request the next media. Could you enable detailed serviio logging (see signature)? and post log.

Its probably because fast-forward does not work with mpegps container, try with mpegts container, or try with mkv/ac3, it will be remuxed to mpegts

Sorry, I am a newbie here. Could you tell me how to change from the mpegps container to the mpegts container? Can this be done in the LG Player profile? Does it require re-encoding the file?

Do you have mpegts container sample file, or a mkv file ?

no, I don't think so, serviio only provide media that renderer request (native or transoded). This is the LG that have to request the next media. Could you enable detailed serviio logging (see signature)? and post log.

I ran the debug, but the log file is too large to post here. So, as per instructions, I re-ran the debug test with the Library Updates filter added to the log4j.xml file, but the .log file is still too large to be posted (over 3mb) Please tell me how to post it, or where to send it, or what part of the log file you need. Thanks.

Do you have mpegts container sample file, or a mkv file ?

I do not have any .mkv files in my media library. What does a mpegts container sample file look like? Does it have a .ts extension? Can it be found in a dvd VIDEO_TS folder? If not, where can I find a sample file?

[Illico]

no, I don't think so, serviio only provide media that renderer request (native or transoded). This is the LG that have to request the next media. Could you enable detailed serviio logging (see signature)? and post log.

I ran the debug, but the log file is too large to post here. So, as per instructions, I re-ran the debug test with the Library Updates filter added to the log4j.xml file, but the .log file is still too large to be posted (over 3mb) Please tell me how to post it, or where to send it, or what part of the log file you need. Thanks.

Do you have mpegts container sample file, or a mkv file ?

I do not have any .mkv files in my media library. What does a mpegts container sample file look like? Does it have a .ts extension? Can it be found in a dvd VIDEO_TS folder? If not, where can I find a sample file?

1 ) (On serviio console disable automatic library refresh)
- Stop serviio service.
- Remove serviio.log file
- Start serviio service.
- Start movie, then wait to the end of movie to see if next movie start.
- Post serviio.log file


2) for MPEGTS :
http://www.demo-world.eu/trailers/high- ... ailers.php

2) for MPEGTS :
http://www.demo-world.eu/trailers/high- ... ailers.php

ok, does it matter which file I download? What do I do with the file once I download it?

1 ) (On serviio console disable automatic library refresh)
- Stop serviio service.
- Remove serviio.log file
- Start serviio service.
- Start movie, then wait to the end of movie to see if next movie start.
- Post serviio.log file

Ok, I followed your instructions, which is how I ran the test previously, and the log file this time was split into 6 files totalling over 3mb, the same as before. Each exceeded the 500kb limit to post on this forum, so I split the log file into 11 smaller files, and because this forum allows only 3 files per post, see subsequent posts below for the remaining files to complete the log. (wow) In chronological order, they go 5a, 5b, 4a, 4b, 3a, 3b, 2a, 2b, 1a, 1b and Serviio.log.

Note the parameters of the test:

I ran the test in a dedicated folder, with 3 sample mpeg-2 files, with ac3 or lpcm audio streams as indicated:
Clip #1 (ac3).mpg [native]
Clip #2 (lpcm).vob [transcoded by serviio]
Clip #3 (ac3).vob [native]

Playback advanced automatically from clip #1 to clip #2, with no problems. Playback paused at the end of clip #2 (the transcoded clip), and I had to press "next" on the remote to get playback to advance to clip #3. Playback completed the third and final clip in the folder, and exited. Thanks again, I look forward to your assessment as to why clip #2 did not advance automatically to clip #3...

Log files (split, 2 of 4)

Log Files (split, 3 of 4)

Log Files (split, 4 of 4)

[Illico]

Its probably because fast-forward does not work with mpegps container, try with mpegts container...
http://www.demo-world.eu/trailers/high- ... ailers.php

ok, does it matter which file I download? What do I do with the file once I download it?

For example, the first file :
http://www.demo-world.eu/trailers/redir ... lu_ray.jpg
http://www.trailerz.demo-world.eu/downl ... lu_ray.rar

This is a MPEG2TS-BDAV/AVC-1920x1080/AC3-6 media stream (hd_distributor_fox_blu_ray.m2ts).
- Add this sample file to serviio fibrary.
- Check on log file that this file is delivered in native format.
- Try fast-forward with this mpegts file


Please make an archive (zip) of your looong logging file and post here.
Thanks

Has anyone had a chance to look at that log file (posted in pieces in the above posts), and see why mpeg-2 files with Serviio-transcoded audio pause at the end of each file playback, instead of automatically advancing to the next file in the folder? (see posts above). Thanks!

[zip]

It is probably device specific. Serviio tells the device the file length is very long (as it doesn't know it at the beginning of transcoding) so it's possible the device just waits there waiting for more data. I didn't have this problem on Samsung but think my Bravia behaves similarly.

[patters]

Funnily enough I just noticed this recently on my Sony Blu-ray player. Some videos automatically continue onto the next when they complete and some don't. I guess this may be why.