Media Player and MKV queries

[Santy]

Sorry for creating a new thread. But I thought I am in need of max. attention.

I was quite upset that I could not watch any HD content on my LCD after months of buying it. I was looking to upgrade my DTH to HD but I could not take a satisfying decision.

So I decided to go with Sony S370. But since my objective is to play media downloaded from net, I later understood HD media player is a better choice.

I have few queries to clarify before I can head to buy one. I hope these Qs are sensible and may be useful for other novice members around. Yes, some answers can be found by searching, but many of them are more than 1 yr old, quite a long time for technology to change. Googling for answers only gave me headache with plethora of information thrown at me.

• What is the typical file size of a blu ray rip with 1080p?
• Is that all rips have HD audio or mostly it is DD/ DTS?
• How long it takes to download a blu ray rip on a 1.5 mbps line?
• Is optical audio better in any way than coaxial?
• Which one should we go for : 2.5" or 3.5" external HDD?
• If I download all contents thro' PC, then I need not opt for players with network capabilities?
• Is there region code lock problem with media player?
• Is the HDMI output in the player capable of HD audio?
• How to identify 2nd Gen WD TV.. model no?
• WD TV 2.0 - does it support DD TrueHD?

Pls help guys!

Santy

 

[VSG12777]

Hi Santy

I will try to help you out here. That's a good set of questions there!

• 
  Q. What is the typical file size of a blu ray rip with 1080p?
  A. Well, now this can vary depending on the video bitrate used in the rip. This is as per my experience in downloading in the past 3 years. There are 720p DTS 1536 Kbps rips of 4.37GB size, as well as 8.5GB size. There are 1080p DTS rips starting from about 6GB all the way to even 13-15GB. All depends on what you want, whether you can afford to store such large files and whether you have a fast broadband connection to download these large files.
  
  Q. Is that all rips have HD audio or mostly it is DD/ DTS?
  A. Most of the rips have either DD 5.1 at 640 Kbps (ripped from Dolby TrueHD) or DTS 5.1 at 1536 Kbps (DTS Core from the DTS-HD MA track on the blu ray discs). Some have lower bitrates like 448 Kbps for DD 5.1 and 768 Kbps for DTS 5.1, depending on whether they are HDTV rips (HDTV broadcasts). I have seen very few rips with HD audio. But, I must say, the DTS 1.5Mbps tracks themselves sound fantastic on even big home theatre setups (with proper AV receivers, large tower speakers etc).
  
  Q. How long it takes to download a blu ray rip on a 1.5 mbps line?
  A. Now this again depends on the size of the rip and the speed of your broadband connection. For example, I have a 1 Mbps unlimited connection and the max download speed (without throttling/speed shaping) goes to about 110-115 KB/s. At this speed, I can download about 400MB per hour. This would correspondingly come down as per your lower broadband speed. Eg 200 MB/s for a 512 Kbps connection and 100 MB/s for a 256 Kbps connection. For a 2 Mbps connection, it would double to 800 MB/s. Another factor in download speed, would be the number of "seeders" for the torrent of the rip you are downloading. Higher number of seeds, the better it would be.
  
  Q. Is optical audio better in any way than coaxial?
  A. Not really, for shorter distances. If you're gonna be running the digital cable over longer distances (maybe more than 10m etc), a coaxial digital cable would perform better. I am not 100% sure of the distance part, but the fact is that optical cables do not perform as well as coaxial digital cables for longer distances.
  
  Q. Which one should we go for : 2.5" or 3.5" external HDD?
  A. This is really a matter of personal preference and affordability. 2.5 inch portable HDDs are mostly plug and play type, so no external power adaptor is required. For this category, you pay for the convenience of the smaller size and portability rather than capacity. 3.5 inch HDDs in comparison, come with a power adaptor and have a larger capacity range to choose from eg 500GB to 2TB. These are bigger units, more bulky etc. I have seen 1TB 3.5 inch external HDDs for around 4.5k and 1.5TB units for around 5.3k recently. In general, a 500GB PnP (plug 'n' play) HDD would be approximately equal in cost to a 1TB powered external HDD. In portable HDDs, the highest capacity available as of today is 1TB, while in external powered HDDs, it is 2TB. I have seen 2TB powered HDDs recently for around 7k.
  
  Q. If I download all contents thro' PC, then I need not opt for players with network capabilities?
  A. A media player with network capability or WiFi capability would enable you to use your home wireless network to watch streaming videos on your HDTV directly from the internet, for example, for sites like YouTube and so on. Another thing that is possible, is that you can wirelessly stream audio and video files located on a laptop or desktop PC on the same wireless network, through your media player, without physically copying the files to a device attached to the media player. This is as per my understanding. Guys, correct me if I am wrong here. This is again, personal preference and how you like to watch/listen to your media. As for me, I download, store the media on my HDDs and connect the HDDs to my WDTV HD media player to watch on the plasma. So a WiFi enabled player is not really required for my kind of usage.
  
  Q. Is there region code lock problem with media player?
  A. As far as I know, nope. When the content is ripped from a DVD or BD, the region locking is gone at that stage itself.
  
  Q. Is the HDMI output in the player capable of HD audio?
  A. Well, some players like the X-Treamer are capable of HD audio. As far as the WDTV HD media player goes, it is not yet capable of playing HD audio. Currently it supports only DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1.
  
  Q. How to identify 2nd Gen WD TV.. model no?
  A. This is fairly easy. You can do a bit of browsing on the WD site itself to get the answer. However, here it is for convenience.
  
  Site Link: WD Support > Downloads > Home Entertainment
  
  1st Gen WDTV: WDAVN00
  2nd Gen WDTV: WDBABF0000NBK
  WDTV Live: WDBAAN0000NBK / WDBAAP0000NBK
  WDTV Live Plus: WDBABX0000NBK
  
  There are separate forums for the WDTV range and even custom firmware can be installed. You can check out these 2 sites:
  
  WD TV Wiki Home - WD TV Wiki
  http://wdtvforum.com/main/
  
  Q. WD TV 2.0 - does it support DD TrueHD?
  A. Nope. Not as of now. Verify with the WD site in any case to confirm.
  

I hope the above helps! Feel free to shoot back questions. I am sure others on the forum would also be glad to help.

Warm regards,
Venkat

 

[Santy]

Wow. Thank u venkat. I didnt expect one buddy responding to all queries. Neatly explained!


Now i have decided to go for media player. Today i purchased iomega hdd 2.5" 500 gigs for Rs. 4k from chroma. I think its a good deal.


I am not interested in streaming player (why lcd, my mobile browser isenough for youtube!).


So I suppose WD tv, without streaming capability is the best option for me. Its cheaper too. Can u tell me where i can purchase online? I dont find
wd india site and there a couple of sellers on ebay- not sure if it is of 2nd gen.


cgi.ebay.in/Western-Digital-WDTV-HD-Media-Player-1080p-HDMI-WD-TV-/140444560399?pt=IN_DVD_Players_Recorders


Also, can anyone confirm whether wd tv has trueHD output?

 

[Santy]

Venkat...One quick query
If hdmi is connected to tv and output audio is of DD, will the tv play sound? If yes then where downmix into stereo is happening ? If downmix is to be set in media player then does it affect the audio format of optical out as well? My concern is i need the speakers of my tv also as mid range is less pronounced in my HT,

 

[HiFiamp]

I have seen in an ad for WDTV media players in an Audio magazine wherein the site below was mentioned for the purchase of WD media players. I don't know whether this site is authorised by WDC.

Media Players - Buy Media Players at Discount Price in India

 

[NetFreak]

If hdmi is connected to tv and output audio is of DD, will the tv play sound? If yes then where downmix into stereo is happening ? If downmix is to be set in media player then does it affect the audio format of optical out as well? My concern is i need the speakers of my tv also as mid range is less pronounced in my HT,

Yes TV will play sound if HDMI output is connected. But you can turn that off from player.

Regarding downmixing, it happens regardless of connectivity. Audio is downmixed on HDMI as well as on Optical out.

 

[Santy]

I have seen in an ad for WDTV media players in an Audio magazine wherein the site below was mentioned for the purchase of WD media players. I don't know whether this site is authorised by WDC.

Media Players - Buy Media Players at Discount Price in India

Thanks but i think it is priced higher than in ebay. Will hunt for more options.
Is there enough service backup for WD TV in India?
I am reading good feedback on customer service from xtreamer.

Yes TV will play sound if HDMI output is connected. But you can turn that off from player.

Regarding downmixing, it happens regardless of connectivity. Audio is downmixed on HDMI as well as on Optical out.

You mean to say if I want stereo on HDMI, then I will have to lose surround sound on optical and vice versa? awww... thats too bad.

 

[hemantwaghe]

I am reading good feedback on customer service from xtreamer.

Where??//hyeah:hyeah:hyeah:hyeah:
have you checked this forum?

 

[Santy]

Where??//hyeah:hyeah:hyeah:hyeah:
have you checked this forum?

Urrgg.. I am in a hurry to buy a player... So not really having time to see all posts... Yes I see xtreamers struggling with firmware and kind of stuff... I dont think I have all the time on earth to do R&D. Thats why I had already narrowed down to WD and now preferring WD live as price difference is not much.

My only concern is service backup. Let us 'assume' both xtreamer and WD are equally susceptible to technical snags... Atleast xtreamer has somebody responding to them, what about service backup for WD ?

Reg. purchase, how about this site Lynx

 

[WHATSINANAME]

Urrgg.. I am in a hurry to buy a player... So not really having time to see all posts... Yes I see xtreamers struggling with firmware and kind of stuff... I dont think I have all the time on earth to do R&D. Thats why I had already narrowed down to WD and now preferring WD live as price difference is not much.

My only concern is service backup. Let us 'assume' both xtreamer and WD are equally susceptible to technical snags... Atleast xtreamer has somebody responding to them, what about service backup for WD ?

Reg. purchase, how about this site Lynx

This is the relevant thread referred to by hemant.

To put it in a nutshell, the xtreamer India dealer was not solving the problem, so the customer started a thread here, xtreamer replied in a rather impolite manner, but after members here were critical of his way of doing business, apologised and solved the problem.

But coming back to your query about service, xtreamer/playon has to be shipped to Delhi/bangalore for service or replacement at your cost, while wdtv service is available locally in mumbai (wdtv owners can correct me if wrong).

 

[hemantwaghe]

Refer

http://www.hifivision.com/media-streaming-players/7538-xtreamer-vs-wd-live-6.html

BTW excellent door to door service by WD. I had a problem with a unit that I picked from US and the folks at WD Service Center replaced it without a hassle and what was outstanding was the door to door pickup of defective unit and delivery of replacement unit at no cost.

So
They offer REPLACEMENT for PLAYER BOUGHT FROM US....
I think this is very good service ,some of the brands even REFUSED PAID SERVICE for goods picked up from abrod!

And I confirmed this ( Check old threads !) by calling customer care.

I am not expectimg more ( like unit should be picked and delivered by skimpily clad females and a dance performace after it.....etc ...etc)hyeah:hyeah:hyeah:hyeah::licklips::licklips::lol:

 

[Santy]

Thanks guys. I went through first five pages of the thread about costly and scarce A-S-S of xtreamer and sure enough it seems to be 'scary'. Their "do it yourself or screw yourself" attitude is horrifying though we cannot expect a dealer to show care and professionalism we could expect from the brand owner.

Meanwhile I am just waiting for some guidance on online purchase of WDTV. Where do other owners bought them? Lynx appears to be ok. Please suggest guys; my hands are already itching to punch in 16 digits card no. :yahoo:

 

[hemantwaghe]

meanwhile if you want to see old WDTV in action you can visit my place , me too resident of navi mumbai...
( sorry my AVR is out of action ,but you can demo video and stereo audio!)

 

[NetFreak]

You mean to say if I want stereo on HDMI, then I will have to lose surround sound on optical and vice versa? awww... thats too bad.

It would not give surround sound on Optical either. That is one of the drawbacks of WD. Sound output is limited to stereo.

 

[Santy]

It would not give surround sound on Optical either. That is one of the drawbacks of WD. Sound output is limited to stereo.

WTF??

I am just clarifying again... I am not asking for decoded 5.1 audio out through optical/ HDMI from the player; as my audio receiver is having inbuilt DD/DTS decoder. Even in this case, I cannot enjoy surround sound?

 

[hemantwaghe]

It would not give surround sound on Optical either. That is one of the drawbacks of WD. Sound output is limited to stereo.

on what basis you are saying? Any proof??
My gen 1 WDTV used to decode DD and DTS and we tested same machine at vinays place
I think it does not output SIMULTANEOUS output - to HDMI & Optical - you have to just choose from settings

 

[sumit_4palz]

For these kind of queries best place to look at is product documentation.

WD Live decodes most of surround sound format. I have found one limitation i.e. it can not decode AAC 5.1 for that it needs an AVR to decode.

You can vote for this feature here:

Live decoding AAC 5.1 -> PCM 5.1 - Western Digital Community

 

[NetFreak]

WTF??

I am just clarifying again... I am not asking for decoded 5.1 audio out through optical/ HDMI from the player; as my audio receiver is having inbuilt DD/DTS decoder. Even in this case, I cannot enjoy surround sound?

WD TV Live can not pass though (send digital signal without decoding) DTS HD or DTS MA HD.

However, if the ISO or MKV also has secondary DTS 5.1 tracks, it can send that to receiver.

HD Audio would not work with Dolby or DTS.

This is response from WD Support:

DTS-HD bitstreaming is not possible due to licensing restrictions. Instead, the WD TV Live extracts the DTS 5.1 core stream and either bitstreams it or downmixes it to stereo. We'll check to see if TrueHD bitstreaming from MKVs is possible.

HD Audio Support - Western Digital Community

on what basis you are saying? Any proof??
My gen 1 WDTV used to decode DD and DTS and we tested same machine at vinays place
I think it does not output SIMULTANEOUS output - to HDMI & Optical - you have to just choose from settings

You can look at user manual, page 182. It clearly mentions list of decoders. And it says:

An audio receiver is required for multi-channel surround sound digital output.

And even with receiver, it would not support HD Audio.

 

[Santy]

thanks... We know it will not play hd audio, if dd/dts is supported, its fine. You mentioned that it does only stereo, so we were shocked.

 

[Akbglr]

My query is unrelated to sound on WDs ...

On my WD player, I noticed that some MKV files play fine, while some of them does not play when selected .. i.e the time bar shows as 00:00:00/00:00:00.
After the WD fails to play a file, it does not play any other file unless I do a factory reset. :sad:

Anybody has a similar experience? If so, is there a way out?