Panasonic Viera and Serviio

[Summers]

I have been trying to use a Media Server to stream video files from my Notebook running Windows Vista to my Panasonic TH-L42D25A. I have tried Windows Media Player, Mezzmo and others. I have found that of all these Media Servers I have been the most successful with Serviio. I did have an issue with some avi files playing for about 2 seconds then the video pixelating and freezing, while the sound continued. I took stabs in the dark from the other profiles and created a PANASONIC Profile which resolved this issue (Wide screen is slightly cropped, but streaming works every time).
This profile also resolved another issue I was having with mpg files stuttering. The stuttering is evident with all other profiles delivered (Yes I tried them all). I still have one issue left to resolve. I can stream & watch mpg files which are created by my PVR as long as they are from the digital channels. If the mpg is a recording from one of the High Defenition (HD) channels, it is listed on the TV, but no thumb nail is shown and when I try to play it, I get a message File Cannot Be Read. All my mpg files display on the Panasonic listing as MPEG2-TS. (I do note that the play length for the HD files are listing incorrectly)
If anyone has any ideas or even the steps I should take to logically work through trouble shooting this, it would be greatly appreciated.
As I said, I stumbled across getting other issues resolved so far, as I don't understand transcoding, containers etc.

  Code:

   <Profile id="11" name="Panasonic TV" extendsProfileId="1">
      <Detection>
         <X-AV-Client-Info>.*VIERA.*</X-AV-Client-Info>
      </Detection>
      <MediaFormatProfiles>
         <!-- rename native mpeg2ts with h264/ac3 ac3 formats to those supported by the tv -->
         <MediaFormatProfile mime-type="video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts" name="AVC_TS_HD_50_AC3">AVC_TS_MP_HD_AC3</MediaFormatProfile>
         <MediaFormatProfile mime-type="video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts" name="AVC_TS_HD_50_AC3">AVC_TS_MP_SD_AC3</MediaFormatProfile>
         <MediaFormatProfile mime-type="video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts" name="AVC_TS_HD_50_AC3_T">AVC_TS_MP_HD_AC3_T</MediaFormatProfile>
         <MediaFormatProfile mime-type="video/vnd.dlna.mpeg-tts" name="AVC_TS_HD_50_AC3_T">AVC_TS_MP_SD_AC3_T</MediaFormatProfile>
         <!-- rename transcoded mpeg2ts with h264 to one of the TV's supported profiles -->
         <MediaFormatProfile mime-type="video/mpeg" name="AVC_TS_HD_50_AC3_ISO">AVC_TS_MP_HD_AC3_ISO</MediaFormatProfile>
         <MediaFormatProfile mime-type="video/mpeg" name="AVC_TS_HD_50_AC3_ISO">AVC_TS_MP_SD_AC3_ISO</MediaFormatProfile>
      </MediaFormatProfiles>
      <Transcoding>
         <!-- First remux all h264 video on MPEG-TS stream with ac3 audio transcoding, expected profile AVC_TS_MP_HD_AC3_ISO or AVC_TS_MP_SD_AC3_ISO -->
         <Video targetContainer="mpegts" targetACodec="ac3">
            <Matches container="avi" vCodec="h264" />
            <Matches container="mp4" vCodec="h264" />
            <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" />
            <!-- if audio different to ac3, must be transcoded -->
            <Matches container="mpegts" aCodec="aac" />
            <Matches container="mpegts" aCodec="mp3" />
            <Matches container="mpegts" aCodec="dca" />
         </Video>
         <!-- All Others video/audio codec will be transcoded into mpeg2ts, mpeg2video and ac3 audio (MPEG_TS_SD_EU). -->
         <Video targetContainer="mpegts" targetVCodec="mpeg2video" targetACodec="ac3">
            <Matches container="asf" />
            <Matches container="avi" />
            <Matches container="mp4" />
            <Matches container="matroska" />
         </Video>
      </Transcoding>
   </Profile>

[Summers]

Running FFmpeg against one of the test HD files which will not play produced the following output:

FFmpeg version SVN-r23012, Copyright (c) 2000-2010 the FFmpeg developers
built on May 3 2010 19:05:24 with gcc 3.4.5 (mingw-vista special r3)
configuration: --enable-static --disable-shared --disable-ffplay --disable-ffs
erver --enable-memalign-hack --enable-libmp3lame --enable-w32threads --extra-ldf
lags=-L/static/lib --extra-cflags=-I/static/include
libavutil 50.15. 0 / 50.15. 0
libavcodec 52.66. 0 / 52.66. 0
libavformat 52.62. 0 / 52.62. 0
libavdevice 52. 2. 0 / 52. 2. 0
libswscale 0.10. 0 / 0.10. 0
[mpegts @ 0160bc70]MAX_READ_SIZE:5000000 reached
[NULL @ 014f84e0]start time is not set in av_estimate_timings_from_pts
Input #0, mpegts, from 'c:\movie\Tennis.mpg':
Duration: 00:03:47.48, start: 23375.842589, bitrate: 12946 kb/s
Program 1617 ONE HD
Metadata:
name : ONE HD
provider_name : Ten
Program 1621 TEN Digital
Metadata:
name : TEN Digital
provider_name : Ten
Program 1623 ONE HD
Metadata:
name : ONE HD
provider_name : Ten
Stream #0.0[0x1fd5]: Data: 0x000b
Stream #0.1[0x202]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 1440x1080 [PAR 4:3 DAR 16:9]
, 90000 kb/s, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 90k tbn, 50 tbc
Stream #0.2[0x2a0](eng): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 448 kb/s
Stream #0.3[0x241](eng): Subtitle: 0x0006
Program 1624 ONE Digital
Metadata:
name : ONE Digital
provider_name : Ten
At least one output file must be specified

Thanks for the profile. I have the TX-L42D25B and am hoping this works for me too.

-- gyre --

[Illico]

Could you provide the GetInfoProtocol sink of your Panasonic Viera devices?
That could help us to provide a specific Panasonic profile.

[Summers]

I ran Device Spy as per instructions and it did not see the Panasonic TV. I note that this was mentioned by someone else as well. I tried adding it as a device by entering its Network Uri http://10.1.1.4/ but this failed.
Will turning debug on in log4j provide the information requested? It produces a lot of info so I was reluctant to just paste it all here if it is not of use.
A sample of information in the log is :
2010-12-19 22:41:11,829 INFO [WebServer] WebServer starting on port 8895
2010-12-19 22:41:12,891 INFO [Device] Created UPnP Device with UUID: 25af9b2f-f052-3db3-ac2d-5262360cb7ea, bound address: 10.1.1.2

2010-12-19 22:42:53,120 DEBUG [DiscoverySSDPMessageListener] Received a valid M-SEARCH message for search target urn:schemas-upnp-org:device:MediaServer:2 from address /10.1.1.4:50051
2010-12-19 22:42:53,755 DEBUG [WebServer] Incoming connection from /10.1.1.4:53690
2010-12-19 22:42:54,056 DEBUG [UPnPIconRequestHandler] UPnP icon request received for icon largePNG
2010-12-19 22:42:54,226 DEBUG [WebServer] Incoming connection from /10.1.1.4:47179
2010-12-19 22:42:54,227 DEBUG [DeviceDescriptionRequestHandler] DeviceDescription request received for device 25af9b2f-f052-3db3-ac2d-5262360cb7ea from Panasonic MIL DLNA CP UPnP/1.0 DLNADOC/1.50
2010-12-19 22:42:54,231 DEBUG [DeviceDescriptionRequestHandler] Sending DeviceDescription XML back using profile 'Panasonic TV'
2010-12-19 22:42:57,792 DEBUG [WebServer] Incoming connection from /10.1.1.4:32393
2010-12-19 22:42:57,796 DEBUG [ServiceControlRequestHandler] ServiceControl request received for action '"urn:schemas-upnp-org:service:ContentDirectory:1#GetSortCapabilities"' from Panasonic MIL DLNA CP UPnP/1.0 DLNADOC/1.50:
2010-12-19 22:42:57,941 DEBUG [ServiceControlRequestHandler] Returning OK SOAP message
2010-12-19 22:42:57,955 DEBUG [WebServer] Incoming connection from /10.1.1.4:29698
2010-12-19 22:42:57,957 DEBUG [ServiceControlRequestHandler] ServiceControl request received for action '"urn:schemas-upnp-org:service:ContentDirectory:1#Browse"' from Panasonic MIL DLNA CP UPnP/1.0 DLNADOC/1.50:
2010-12-19 22:42:57,971 DEBUG [ContentDirectory] Browse() called for profile Panasonic TV with parameters: objectID = 0, browseFlag = BrowseDirectChildren, filter = dc:title,dc:date,res,res@protocolInfo,res@size,res@duration,res@resolution,res@dlna:ifoFileURI,res@pv:subtitleFileType,res@pv:subtitleFileUri,upnp:albumArtURI,upnp:album,upnp:artist, startIndex = 0, count = 20, sortCriteria =
2010-12-19 22:42:57,979 INFO [ContentDirectoryDefinitionParser] Parsing ContentDirectory definition

[Summers]

Any assistance on this would be appreciated. I would even like to know how do I change a profile so that I can force an mpegts file to be transcoded instead of being passed thru in native format.
Happy New Year!

[zip]

Do you have any official document listing what formats should be available for the TV?

[Summers]

The Panasonic Doco states:
DLNA
Applicable data format
Video MPEG-2 (PS format and TS format)
- AVCD and DivX files are not supported by DLNA, but can be played by Media Player

Cheers
Summers

[Summers]

It appears my problem may be, as simple as, I have been trying to stream files at a resolution greater than Panasonic DLNA can handle.

I have just discovered a 16 page Panasonic Users Guide For DLNA http://www.mikefletcher.co.uk/documents/Panasonic%20User%20Guide%20for%20DLNA.pdf
On page 15 it states that the resolution for Playable Media Files - Video MPEG2 PS (Program Stream) are:

720x576
704x576
544x576
352x576
352x288

My 2 test MPEG2-TS files which I could not get to stream are 1440x1080 and the other 1280x720 resolution. A test file I have been using which streams nicely has a resolution of 720x576 . . . .

I have e-mailed Panasonic Customer Don't Care Centre several times with no response. Tonight I sent another e-mail asking for confirmation that this information above is correct. Maybe, as I have almost completely answered my queries, I may get a response.
If this is the answer to my problem, I don't know what I can do next. Can resolution of a file be changed during transcoding?

Summers

[zip]

try this profile:

  Code:

<Profile id="11" name="Panasonic Viera" extendsProfileId="1">     
      <Transcoding>
         <!-- Remux all h264 video to MPEG-TS stream -->
         <Video targetContainer="mpegts">
            <Matches container="avi" vCodec="h264" />
            <Matches container="mp4" vCodec="h264" />
            <Matches container="matroska" vCodec="h264" />
         </Video>
      </Transcoding>
   </Profile>

[Illico]

If this is the answer to my problem, I don't know what I can do next. Can resolution of a file be changed during transcoding?

Ok, could you confirm that your TV is limited to 720x576 Mpeg2ts resolution?
You can transcode locally with ffmpeg in another resolution (-s option):
For example take your c:\movie\Tennis.mpg file
Stream #0.1[0x202]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 1440x1080 [PAR 4:3 DAR 16:9] , 90000 kb/s, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 90k tbn, 50 tbc
Stream #0.2[0x2a0](eng): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 448 kb/s
Stream #0.3[0x241](eng): Subtitle: 0x0006
And transcode with this command line:
ffmpeg.exe -i c:\movie\Tennis.mpg -y -vcodec mpeg2video -sameq -s 720x576 -r 25 -g 15 -copyts -acodec copy -f mpegts c:\movie\Tennis_720x576.mpg

Does have anyone Transcoding profile for Panasonic TX-P42G20E ?In the latest Serviio isn't any.I tried all profiles but it doesn´t play MKV videos.

[zip]

try the one I posted few posts above

[Summers]

Thanks Guys.
Will try your suggestions & get back to you.
Ta
Summers

try the one I posted few posts above

So I tried that profile and some of MKV-s I can play now with no problem, but I don´t know why not all of them.Some of them it can´t read or some of them are stutter or it showes that the file isn´t supported.And is there an option to choose the audio track ?

Hi
I have Panasonic TX-P42G20E to, I tried implementate the lines you give on post, but then if I edit eml file with notepad servio even don't won't to start. What I do it wrong. If you sucesesfully added the lines in the profiles.xml please add on the web or send me, or tell me what I do it wrong.
I will be very happy I could watch the mkv to.
Thanks
Sasko

[Illico]

...I tried implementate the lines you give on post, ...servio even don't won't to start.

This is probably a syntax error on your xml file, check the log file or post your entire xml file, will check.

[Summers]

I have been able to do some trial of suggestions.
Unfortunately the Panasonic profile Zip provided on Jan 7 did not make any changes to what I am experiencing.
I tried the command supplied by Illico with some success.

Illico said
You can transcode locally with ffmpeg in another resolution : (-s option)
ffmpeg.exe -i c:\movie\Tennis.mpg -y -vcodec mpeg2video -sameq -s 720x576 -r 25 -g 15 -copyts -acodec copy -f mpegts c:\movie\Tennis_720x576.mpg.

Using this command all the files which the Panasonic TV previously said "File cannot be read", now can be read. The picture and sound are presented but in bursts - ie stuttering. A break thru, excellent.

As I have a Standard Definition created file, which works & I can see what attributes it has, by running the ffmpeg.exe -i command on it, I know at least an MPEG2 format file which the Panasonic TV will play. (as I mentioned before such files have that max resolution of 720x576, the key to some success).
I have followed the tact of using ffmpeg.exe try and convert my problem files & hopefully determine what a Panasonic TV will accept.
My files also have ac3 audio and the SD that works has mp2 so I added translation commands for that too:
ffmpeg.exe -i c:\movie\Tennis.mpg -y -vcodec mpeg2video -sameq -s 720x576 -r 25 -g 15 -copyts -acodec mp2 -f mpegts c:\movie\Tennis_720x576_mp2.mpg
With the above conversion I have been able to get some files to play perfectly. Others I am still working to find out what will get them to play without the stuttering. I intend to create a table of my results so I can analyse and maybe come up with some conclusions.
My latest attempt has been to try to match the bit rate (6310 kb/s) of the file which plays without any transcoding. I left out the -sameq option seems to deliver a better result. It appears to work on my highest resolution file, but is a little flakey so I have to do more testing of options (works first time if everything has been rebooted, but gets the stutters when relayed after other operations)
ffmpeg.exe -i c:\movie\Tennis.mpg -y -vcodec mpeg2video -s 720x576 -b 6310000 -r 25 -g 15 -copyts -acodec mp2 -f mpegts c:\movie\Tennis_720x576_mp2_6310.mpg
Lengthy explaination, but I thought I'd tell of my success and that I am still working to identify a resolution.
Summers

PS. I rang Panasonic, all they could tell me was to look at page 52 of my manual, which as I said before state: Video MPEG-2 (PS format and TS format). Big help!

[zip]

I intend to create a table of my results so I can analyse and maybe come up with some conclusions.

Perfect!

[Summers]

I am having some success with converting my MPEG2 files so they are playable by converting them to MP2 and forcing a bit rate of 192kb/s ie using:
-acodec mp2 -ab 192000
Still more trials to go though.

Just wondering if the command syntax for changing Video bit rate to 6310kb/s is correct in my above post ie
ffmpeg.exe -i c:\movie\Tennis.mpg -y -vcodec mpeg2video -s 720x576 -b 6310000 . . .
I ask because it doesn't seem to matter what value I put after the "-b", as long as it is large enough, the command runs but it seems to make no change to the bit rate of the video in the resultant file.

On a note to be tackled later, if I attempt to play one file which stutters, I have to reboot my PC to have files which would have played come good again. Stopping & starting the server with the bat commands is not enough. As I say I'll cross that when I have the answer to getting all files to play.

Summers
(Fine. Mostly sunny. Max 30C)