Trying to create files to plug External Harddrive into TV

[mugsie]

Excuse me if this subject has been posted before but after scanning several hundred threads, my eyes are burning.
I was wondering if there is a way to create the video files so I could plug an external harddrive into my TC-P54T25 Panasonic Plasma TV.
Here are the specs needed for this:

SD-Video Standard Ver. 1.2 [MPEG-2 (PS format)] and AVCHD Standard compatible files with an audio format that is
either MPEG-1/Layer-2 format or Dolby Digital format
(Modified data with a PC may not be displayed correctly.)

I have been trying to use AVS Video Converter 7.1 but nothing seems to work. Any ideas or help is appreciated.
Thank you.

[jman98]

HDTVs were NEVER designed to be "play everything" devices. And yours is pretty restrictive on what it will play.

Choose.
1) You want your files to play with as little work as possible AND you are willing to buy another device (approx. $100 US or so) if it results in huge and constant time savings since you don't have to convert.
or
2) You are REALLY cheap and refuse to buy another device and will willingly spend hours EVERY week constantly doing conversions to get stuff in a format your stupid TV will play.

I don't help insanity and in my opinion #2 is the insane choice. If that's the path you want to go down, others can help you to constantly waste your time doing conversions. If you want to do #1, which is the rational choice, forget about playing stuff on your TV and just buy a Western Digital or similar model media streamer and don't do any more conversions - period. In about 10% of the requests like your, a light comes on and the poster realizes that #1 is the right way to go. If you're like the other 90%, someone else will have to help you.

[edDV]

It would help to know the source file type you want to play. Unfortunately "AVCHD standard compatible" could be restricted to just AVC h.264 interlace (maybe including AVCHD Lite 720p), or it could mean "AVCHD Disc" which follows all Blu-Ray standards (MPeg2, h.264 or VC-1) but does require an m2ts random access packet stream container.

[mugsie]

HDTVs were NEVER designed to be "play everything" devices. And yours is pretty restrictive on what it will play.

Choose.
1) You want your files to play with as little work as possible AND you are willing to buy another device (approx. $100 US or so) if it results in huge and constant time savings since you don't have to convert.



I don't help insanity and in my opinion #2 is the insane choice. If that's the path you want to go down, others can help you to constantly waste your time doing conversions. If you want to do #1, which is the rational choice, forget about playing stuff on your TV and just buy a Western Digital or similar model media streamer and don't do any more conversions - period. In about 10% of the requests like your, a light comes on and the poster realizes that #1 is the right way to go. If you're like the other 90%, someone else will have to help you.

Are you referring to an external device that will stream to my tv? If so, will these devices blu rays too? Thank you for your response. I tend to shy away from insanity too, unless it involves women....

[mugsie]

It would help to know the source file type you want to play. Unfortunately "AVCHD standard compatible" could be restricted to just AVC h.264 interlace (maybe including AVCHD Lite 720p), or it could mean "AVCHD Disc" which follows all Blu-Ray standards (MPeg2, h.264 or VC-1) but does require an m2ts random access packet stream container.

I was trying to convert dvd and blu ray files into an acceptable format to copy to an external HD and plug into the tv.

[LOWTECH]

Forget AVCHD for panasonic TV, I gave that up as a complete waste of time and bought a Western Digital Media Player with USB input and I plug my external hard drive into it ... with all my movies, photos and music it plays the lot..... no more mucking about converting and it works on most tvs....best little simple user friendly device I have bought in years

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-1080P-Media-Player/dp/B001ILFDCK

Probably cheaper in the USA.... If you live there.

[handyguy]

Yes, WD player, or Boxee, or Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ (this is the one I use, has a HD dock, USB ports, hdmi out to my plasma).