5.6gb mp4 file. Will i have to split it to watch on xbox?

[Cornholio77]

If i stream this with windows media or put it onto a usb stick i suspect it is too big correct? If so is there a simple clear cut way to split it into 2 parts?

[mh2360]

It certainly wont play from a USB storage device (4GB size limit), it may not play with simple streaming (but it might be worth trying).

If you set up the 360 as a media extender (assuming you have Windows Media Center installed on your PC), I don't think there are any file size limits.

[Cornholio77]

Do i have to have windows 7 running on my pc for media center? I mean currently i have it set up that i can watch videos from my pc to my xbox via windows 11 but is that not running through windows media center technically or is there a step i missed?

In other words, a long time ago i did all the steps ie, allowed media sharing through my windows media player etc. and since then if i go through the "my videos" section on the xbox, i can access my pc and play movie files etc. However, if i try to go through the media center tab on the xbox it does not work. I am not sure why, but i figured it has to be working since i enabled media sharing etc. and it does now access my videos etc from my pc... Is that not technically using windows media center?

Here are the steps i followed a long time ago to get sharing

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-xp/help/windows-media-player/11/share-media

Maybe this isn't truly accessing windows media center?

[mh2360]

Media sharing through WMP11 isn't the same as using the 360 as a media extender.

When used as a media extender, you will be able to play MPEG files, old DIV3 files and it's much more flexible as far as H.264 files are concerned.

You can set the 360 up as an extender using XP Media Center Edition, Vista Home Premium/Ultimate or Windows 7 Home premium/Pro, though you really need Windows 7 to be able to play H.264 files properly.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Set-up-a-Windows-Media-Center-Extender

[Cornholio77]

ahh ok. See i am not using Windows 7 so i think that excludes me from using it??

And you say that files over 4gb will not work using my current method of just streaming to my xbox?

[Cornholio77]

I also read online that there is some type of mac format i can use on a storage device that will also allow me to play files larger than 4gb. Not sure if thats a good way or not? Anyone have info on that??

P.S. if i decide not to go this route and just split the 5.6gb file into like 2- 2.8gb files, is it pretty easy to split an mp4 file with aac audio? If so does anyone have some step by step info or current guides that can do it easily? I am hoping no re-encoding is needed?

[jagabo]

I don't know if the xbox (360?) supports NTFS or files over 4GB. But you can get around the 4GB file size limit by formatting your USB stick with NTFS rather than FAT32.

http://www.ntfs.com/quest22.htm

[mh2360]

I don't know if the xbox (360?) supports NTFS or files over 4GB. But you can get around the 4GB file size limit by formatting your USB stick with NTFS rather than FAT32.

http://www.ntfs.com/quest22.htm

The 4GB file size limit has nothing to do with FAT32, it's a limit put in place by Microsoft for all file formats (except WMV ).

The Xbox 360 wont recognise NTFS (unless they added it in the last update), but it will recognise HFS+ (Mac) format. I suppose this will only prove useful if you plan to use >4gb WMV files.

TBH, I have never tried streaming >4GB files to the 360, but from what I have read, the 4GB limit still applies when streaming.

[jagabo]

The 4GB file size limit has nothing to do with FAT32, it's a limit put in place by Microsoft for all file formats (except WMV ).

How annoying!

[Cornholio77]

Yah i already tested it and indeed, the xbox will only support files over 4gb if they are wmv. I partitioned and formatted part of an external drive with hfs+, tried an mpr 5.6gb file and it did not play. And it is complete bs that xbox will not support NTFS. What crap !! Oh well, i am going the route of getting a good stand alone media player as per most of your advice.

[numach]

You guys are all idiots... it's because the codec you're using is 32bit and hence can't read past a 4GB limit.

[jagabo]

Nice first post, numach.

[Cornucopia]

Especially when a compressed stream does not contain a codec, whether 32 or 64 bit, embedded inside. It is only encoded according to a standard that the codec in question complied with. And YOU don't know which one that was, so shouldn't presume, red herring.

Scott

[jagabo]

Of course, numach is completely wrong. Consider 32 bit Windows installs -- they have no problems playing video files over 4 GB though they are obviously running 32 bit codecs. The codec doesn't see the file size, only a stream of compressed data that's passed to to by the media file reader/splitter. It's the reader/splitter that has the artificial 4 GB limit on the Xbox 360. Presumably some pitiful attempt by Microsoft to promote WMV.

[Noahtuck]

Nice self description!!

idiot

LMAO!!!

[VideoChunkster]

hahahah lol

[numach]

The muxer must use 64bit addressing for files larger than 4GB... and what your using at the moment apparently does not.

32bit addressing caps off at 4GB because it simply has no more bits available to represent numbers beyond that limit and therefore cannot keep track of addresses beyond this amount.

[jman98]

The muxer must use 64bit addressing for files larger than 4GB... and what your using at the moment apparently does not.

32bit addressing caps off at 4GB because it simply has no more bits available to represent numbers beyond that limit and therefore cannot keep track of addresses beyond this amount.

This is not exactly correctly nor completely wrong, but it's more wrong than correct. You're working from old information from years ago and showing a real lack of understanding on how file systems work.

Yes it's true that under normal circumstances there is such a limit of 4 GB per file on 32 bit operating systems. So you're right about that.

Where you're wrong is that you assume that nothing has happened to deal with this problem. That is completely wrong. NTFS has long been able to support file sizes larger than 4 GB even on 32 bit operating systems. ext2 is an example under Linux that can handle file sizes larger than 4 GB even on 32 bit operating systems.

[jagabo]

And both 32 bit processors and 32 bit operating systems support 64 bit addressing for the file system.

The FAT file systems have a 4GB file size limit because the size field in the directory structure is a 32 bit value.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc938438.aspx

The original AVI spec had a similar problem.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd318189%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

But it was ammended by the ODML extensions in 1996 to support larger files.

http://www.the-labs.com/Video/odmlff2-avidef.pdf

Some software in the past had problems with files over 2 GB because they used signed 32 bit math (-2 GB to +2 GB) instead of unsigned 32 bit math (0 to +4 GB).

Some hardware players (mostly old ones) have 4GB limits from combinations of the above issues.

[numach]

I do understand the difference between operating systems as I have been a computer technician and administrator for 15 years. However, you are correct in saying I am not well versed in all of the video conversions, streams, codecs... etc.

What had originally brought me to any of this was that in trying to stream MP4 files to my XBOX 360 I found a 4GB limit. No other file type seems to have this.

I came across 15 or so other blog posts and articles saying that it was a limitation of the codec being 32bit which I figured made sense given that 32bits can only have 4GB worth of values to use as pointers for addresses... and I assumed at that point it was buffering in memory... or something. LOL - I just don't know, especially now after this conversation.

I'm sorry for the "idiot" comment... it was late and I was full of Guinness after playing games and just being a smartass at the time.

At any rate, what is the reason then I find the limit streaming to my XBOX *only* with MP4 files? Is there a way around this?

Thanks guys. Indeed... maybe I am the idiot after all, but I'm working on it.

[El Heggunte]

........

At any rate, what is the reason then I find the limit streaming to my XBOX *only* with MP4 files?

Because Microsoft wants everybody to prefer WMV and WMA >_<

Is there a way around this?

Yes, use the Xbox for gaming only.

[jman98]

I don't have an Xbox so I cannot test, but sure, there might be a 4 GB file size limit on it. But that shouldn't be a 32 bit issue unless Microsoft took the lazy way out as there are ways to handle that as we've point out. If NTFS can handle larger files then the Xbox should be able to unless maybe it doesn't understand NTFS (I have no idea what it supports).

To be brutally honest, using an Xbox or a PS-whatever for file playback is ANCIENT. The first Western Digital streaming media player hit the market maybe 5 years ago. So for a long time now there have been better options available, but you have to buy them. A lot of people are too cheap to do so, so they have to live with whatever limitations their game systems have.

[numach]

It's not a matter of being too cheap... the xbox is convenient and my TV remote supports it as well as all of my other devices. I download quite a bit (being a member of a number of groups) and it's also extremely convenient... whatever I download automatically shows up on a device ready to go upstairs - easy, peasy.

We were using it for Netflix, my music, etc... but honestly we have a smart TV at this point that has apps built right in for that stuff now too. We have two 360's and one has always been used as a media center primarily and I don't see any reason to change.

Anyways... I suppose I'll never find a real answer to my question as everywhere I've looked either has speculation or jokes - neither of which seem to help in the end.

Oh... I do think they want everyone using WMV and WMA too - that I can agree with.

[johns0]

Xbox360 only supports fat32 so it will only play 4gb video and under.End of of discussion.

[El Heggunte]

Xbox supports HFS+ as well

However the MP4s will keep being screwed, regardless of the file system

[numach]

Johns0 is incorrect... I've played videos up to 12GB with no problem - except MP4's. The only reason I even encountered this is due to the fact that most video I download uses the MKV container and for some reason the resolution when streaming via the Media Center connector is very poor no matter how good the original video is. So... I convert them to MP4 using Handbrake.

At this point I think I'm just going to try and convert to either AVI or WMV... I just have to find software I like for that.

[johns0]

Johns0 is incorrect... I've played videos up to 12GB with no problem - except MP4's.

You are incorrect,i was referring to the op asking about playing files on usb and since its fat32 it's 4 gb and under,nothing was asked about streaming.

[Cornucopia]

...always been used as a media center primarily and I don't see any reason to change.

Anyways... I suppose I'll never find a real answer to my question as everywhere I've looked either has speculation or jokes - neither of which seem to help in the end.

Oh... I do think they want everyone using WMV and WMA too - that I can agree with.

Well, maybe now you WILL see a reason to change. It is holding you back from immediately enjoying all you have acquired.

The real answer: NO. You cannot natively play MP4's larger than 4GB (on your XBox).

Your choices:
1. Split the MP4 file into <4GB sections.
2. Convert the MP4 file into something your device can use in large capacities (WMV, or whatever).
3. Get a different device that doesn't have those limitations.

No speculation, no jokes.

BTW, WMV is not an inherently bad format, but it is hampered by Microsoft's technological "tunnel vision" and doesn't really accommodate the full range of media possibilities (particularly the up-and-coming expansion of dimensions, colorspaces, framerates, etc). It is proprietary and not well supported, so that right there should make it less desirable than say MP4, MKV or even AVI or MOV.

Scott