MP4 won't play

[MrLarkins]

title says it. been looking all around. tried different decoders, even the LAV decoders, but they never show as an option. I have to 'show all' to choose them. However, none work.

below is the MediaInfo from a sample file.

General
Complete name                            : \\DROBO5N\Public\KidsMovies\3 Musketeers.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID                                 : mp42 (mp42)
File size                                : 3.88 GiB
Duration                                 : 1 h 45 min
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 5 271 kb/s
Codirector                               : codirector
Production studio                        : studio
ContentType                              : Unknown Type
Encoded date                             : UTC 2014-12-23 23:25:37
Tagged date                              : UTC 2014-12-23 23:25:40

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : Baseline@L3.1
Format settings, CABAC                   : No
Format settings, RefFrames               : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP                     : M=1, N=10
Muxing mode                              : Container profile=Baseline@3.0
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 1 h 45 min
Source duration                          : 1 h 45 min
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 4 994 kb/s
Maximum bit rate                         : 7 500 kb/s
Width                                    : 1 280 pixels
Height                                   : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.181
Stream size                              : 3.68 GiB (95%)
Source stream size                       : 3.68 GiB (95%)
Language                                 : English
Menus                                    : 3

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : 40
Duration                                 : 1 h 45 min
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 270 kb/s
Maximum bit rate                         : 774 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 6 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 204 MiB (5%)
Title                                    : Stereo
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : Yes
Alternate group                          : 1

Menu #1
00:00:00.000                             : Chapter1
00:07:49.000                             : Chapter2
00:11:29.000                             : Chapter3
00:22:51.000                             : Chapter4
00:25:05.000                             : Chapter5
00:34:49.000                             : Chapter6
00:39:05.000                             : Chapter7
00:48:16.000                             : Chapter8
00:55:38.000                             : Chapter9
01:02:21.000                             : Chapter10
01:05:18.000                             : Chapter11
01:13:31.000                             : Chapter12
01:15:26.000                             : Chapter13
01:19:56.000                             : Chapter14
01:23:26.000                             : Chapter15
01:33:14.000                             : Chapter16
01:36:31.000                             : Chapter17
01:37:42.000                             : Chapter18
01:40:48.000                             : Chapter19
01:45:27.000                             : Chapter20

Menu #2
ID                                       : 3
Codec ID                                 : text
Duration                                 : 1 h 45 min
Encoded date                             : UTC 2014-12-23 23:25:40
Tagged date                              : UTC 2014-12-23 23:25:40
Menu For                                 : 1
00:00:00.000                             : Chapter1
00:07:49.000                             : Chapter2
00:11:29.000                             : Chapter3
00:22:51.000                             : Chapter4
00:25:05.000                             : Chapter5
00:34:49.000                             : Chapter6
00:39:05.000                             : Chapter7
00:48:16.000                             : Chapter8
00:55:38.000                             : Chapter9
01:02:21.000                             : Chapter10
01:05:18.000                             : Chapter11
01:13:31.000                             : Chapter12
01:15:26.000                             : Chapter13
01:19:56.000                             : Chapter14
01:23:26.000                             : Chapter15
01:33:14.000                             : Chapter16
01:36:31.000                             : Chapter17
01:37:42.000                             : Chapter18
01:40:48.000                             : Chapter19
01:45:27.000                             : Chapter20
Bit rate mode                            : VBR

[Fuzzy]

Can't help much if we don't know what it is doing. Is it giving an error? You should attach a log file (sageclient_0.txt) after attempting to play it.

[MrLarkins]

no onscreen errors. just doesn't play.

log attached. i tried to play '3 Musketeers.mp4'

[BobPhoenix]

Doesn't look like you waited very long for the file to play I would try waiting longer and see if it begins to play. I've waited up to 2 minutes sometimes. Granted most of the time it is instantaneous but some videos I've come to expect it to take longer to start then others and maybe your .mp4 is one of those.

Mon 7/24 10:18:39.781 [AsyncWatch@521614] watchThisFile=MediaFile[id=4578906 A[4578908,4578907,"3 Musketeers",0@1223.15:40,105,V] mask=V host=MEDIACENTER encodedBy= format=Quicktime 1:45:29 5271 kbps [#0 Video[H.264 29.97 fps 1280x720 4994 kbps progressive]#1 Audio[AAC 48000 Hz 6 channels 269 kbps idx=1 eng]#2 Subpic[TEXT / 0X74786574 und]] Z:\KidsMovies\3 Musketeers.mp4, Seg0[Tue 12/23 15:40:14.980-Tue 12/23 17:25:44.000]]
Mon 7/24 10:18:50.948 [AWT-EventQueue-0@13244cd] processUserEvent-UserEvent[stop] evtTime=Mon 7/24 10:18:50.955

That is only 21 seconds between the Start and Stop when you pressed stop on the remote.

[MrLarkins]

so i did what you suggested. i waited 7 minutes. it was just stuck on a single frame. i could fastforward and rewind, but it would never play.

the log file was over 3MB so i slimmed it down to show you everything between the start and stop that showed in your post.

Mon 7/24 19:14:03.281 [AsyncWatch@110b66a] watchThisFile=MediaFile[id=4578906 A[4578908,4578907,"3 Musketeers",0@1223.15:40,105,V]

Mon 7/24 19:20:52.670 [AWT-EventQueue-0@13244cd] processUserEvent-UserEvent[stop] evtTime=Mon 7/24 19:20:52.739

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by MrLarkins

so i did what you suggested. i waited 7 minutes. it was just stuck on a single frame. i could fastforward and rewind, but it would never play.

the log file was over 3MB so i slimmed it down to show you everything between the start and stop that showed in your post.

Mon 7/24 19:14:03.281 [AsyncWatch@110b66a] watchThisFile=MediaFile[id=4578906 A[4578908,4578907,"3 Musketeers",0@1223.15:40,105,V]

Mon 7/24 19:20:52.670 [AWT-EventQueue-0@13244cd] processUserEvent-UserEvent[stop] evtTime=Mon 7/24 19:20:52.739

That's disgusting. If I have problems playing I just restart my extender but I though you had tried rebooting so I offered up the only other thing that worked for me - waiting a long time for my extender to start playback.

[texneus]

What other decoders do you have installed? Based on the media info you should fall back to directshow for playback (didn't look at your log to see if it actually is). It's always a crap shoot what you'll get since it's up to your system to decide "what's in your best interest". Doubly so if you have installed/removed many decoders or installed a "codec" pack. Generally speaking I've encountered many issues with SageTV for general purpose media playback even on a clean system. For that reason I only use SageTV for it's TV and DVR functions and use Kodi for just about everything else. YMMV.

If you have the LAV decoders and if Directshow picks them for these files, you should get the icons in the system tray if they're being used. MPC-HC (raises glass ) has LAV built in, so that may be a way to test if LAV will work for you.

[MrLarkins]

?? I don't know really, just what it says on the screenshots above.
Arcsoft, CoreAVC, Microsoft DTV-DVD. I did try LAV filters, but they didn't help anything, so I uninstalled them. You mentioned MPC-HC; what is that? got a download link?

[MrLarkins]

anyone have ANY ideas?

[NetworkGuy]

Did you record the file or download it?

I had problems playing a file that I downloaded that used the AVC codec. I used HandBrake to convert it to a different format and it played fine.

[MrLarkins]

hmm, that particular file...i'm not sure. The creation date was 12-23-2014. I do know that it wasn't downloaded. I don't have any mp4 movies that are downloaded.

There are two possible sources:
1] Ripped from a DVD, using Aimersoft DVD Ripper or Aimersoft Ultimate Video Converter
2] Recorded from DTV (most likely source of the file).

Regardless, ALL my MP4's have the same 'no-play' problem, and they are from both types of sources.

Maybe I could try to convert the movie file into another format, but I would like to keep the quality the same. Suggestions?

**EDIT**
I converted it to an MKV file and it had the same 'no-play' problem.

**UPDATE**
I searched through all my MP4 files that won't play, and they are ALL AAC (LC). Some of my TS files that play but don't have audio with them are ALL AAC (ADTS). Video files that use other audio formats have no problems playing in my sage. Is this a codec problem or a recording problem?

[MrLarkins]

**SOLVED**
1] Closed SageTV
2] I downloaded K-Lite Mega Codec Pack and installed it.
3] Rebooted my htpc.

All my video files now play through Sagetv perfectly. ALL! MKV, MP4, MPEG2, TP, TS, VOB, AVI

Not sure exactly what there was about the K-Lite codec pack, but during the installation, it found 2 problems with my registry referring to files that didn't exist and I had it delete those 2 entries. Now everything works as it should. Not sure I needed a new codec or the registry errors were the cause, but at this point, I just don't care.

[trk2]

Seems strange that K-Lite works when K-Lite uses LAV Filters but whatever, glad to hear you got it working.

[wnjj]

Originally Posted by trk2

Seems strange that K-Lite works when K-Lite uses LAV Filters but whatever, glad to hear you got it working.

I'm going with the registry changes as the thing that fixed it.

[Malfunction]

Originally Posted by MrLarkins

**SOLVED**
1] Closed SageTV
2] I downloaded K-Lite Mega Codec Pack and installed it.
3] Rebooted my htpc.

All my video files now play through Sagetv perfectly. ALL! MKV, MP4, MPEG2, TP, TS, VOB, AVI

Not sure exactly what there was about the K-Lite codec pack, but during the installation, it found 2 problems with my registry referring to files that didn't exist and I had it delete those 2 entries. Now everything works as it should. Not sure I needed a new codec or the registry errors were the cause, but at this point, I just don't care.

I should probably do this. I have trouble with sound not playing on mp4 videos.

[Malfunction]

Originally Posted by Malfunction

I should probably do this. I have trouble with sound not playing on mp4 videos.

It didn't work. I'll probably use Handbrake on the files and convert them.