XBox media center

[KageSama19]

Okay, So I'm not sure if the issue is the video or the media center. I think it might be the combination of the two. I have a series, that is in 720p which I think might be part of the problem. The file were initially in mkv and I used MKVtoMP4 to convert them without having the subtitle issues. But when I go to play them through my XBox through the Windows Media Center, Which has issues starting up in the first place, they play a little really choppy and eventually just stops working all together. I was wondering if anyone knows what the problem might be? I think it might be the quality is too high to stream to my device. If that isn't it please let me know if you have some experience with this. If that is the problem does anyone know how I could reduce it to 480p?

[jagabo]

Most likely too many reference frames or too many b-frames. MediaInfo might give you information about the files.

[KageSama19]

Okay, I just got MediaInfo and am not seeing reference frames or b-frames

[mh2360]

Are you using wireless or an ethernet cable?

[jagabo]

Okay, I just got MediaInfo and am not seeing reference frames or b-frames

Yes, it would depend on which encoder was used. x264 (free, open source) stores all it's settings within the file and you can see them with MediaInfo. Other h.264 encoders don't do that. Just to be sure, did you check the original MKV files? The metadata may have been lost on remux to MP4.

Oh, also be sure to use MediaInfo in View -> Text format. So you see something like:



Here's an example of the line with the x264 information:

Encoding settings : cabac=0 / ref=2 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x131 / me=umh / subme=6 / psy_rd=1.0:0.0 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=32 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=12 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=0 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=24 / scenecut=40(pre) / rc=2pass / bitrate=4000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00

Ref and bframes are the ones I mentioned earlier. Some of the others may be a problem too. But I don't know exactly what the Xbox 360's capabilities are.

[KageSama19]

Okay, unless I'm mistaken the ref=10 and the bframes=10

[jagabo]

Okay, unless I'm mistaken the ref=10 and the bframes=10

I'm pretty sure both of those are too high for the xbox 360. You'll have to reencode.

[KageSama19]

Okay, is there a program to do this easily? and what values should they be at? and also will it effect converting to a format like mp4 that the xbox codecs can use?

[KageSama19]

MKVtoMP4 seems to have some encoding options for during conversion, but I'm not sure if any of them are the right ones or how to properly adjust them to a setting that would work.

[jagabo]

I don't use MKVtoMP4. But as I understand it the program doesn't reencode the video, only the audio when necessary. So those encoding options are for the audio. You'll have to use something else like Handbrake, xvid4psp, etc.

[KageSama19]

Okay, I just got Handbrake and and I'm not sure how to lower the frames in the encoding. I open both the MKV and MP4 files and both seem to have similar options, but I don't see where lower either of the frame settings

[jagabo]

Something like the AppleTV 3 Preset should work.

[KageSama19]

Okay, should I do that on the original MKV files or the post conversion MP4 files?

[jagabo]

I'd try the original MKV file.

[KageSama19]

Okay, I just got back from vacation, I'll try this on the MKV files. The AppleTV 3 preset shows that it should change both the ref frames and b frames to 3 from 10 so that should be enough to work on my xbox media center. also while scanning through the options I changed the framerate to constant from vfr since I have had issues playing videos with vfr through my xbox in the past. The only thing I worried about is the correct audio layer, the mkv files are dual audio and I dont understand japanese yet, lol