watching video files on television

[thekenoshakid]

Please bear with me since I'm very much an idiot when it comes to this type of stuff.

I have a television that claims to be able to play mkv files from an external storage device. My question, most likely a stupid one, is the following: Is it necessary that my video files be put on an external storage device in order to be played on the TV, or can I simply hook my laptop up to the TV directly through USB in order for the television to be able to read the files? The point is that, if possible, I would like to avoid having to buy an external storage device.

[usually_quiet]

For the TV to play them directly, you do have to get an external device to store your files, either a USB stick or a USB hard drive, depending on the TV. Check the TV manual regarding USB device formatting and other details. Some TVs may require FAT32 formatting not NTFS. In addition to the file types allowed, there are usually restrictions on the A/V codecs, resolution, bitrate etc. that the TV can play by itself

If the laptop can play these files and has a VGA port plus a headphone jack, another option is to get appropriate cables and connect it to the TV so the TV can be used as a secondary monitor.

[redwudz]

What brand and model of TV? It would be unusual for a TV by itself to be able to play MKV files.

Most USB inputs only accept USB drives formatted in FAT-32 format. Your laptop hard drive is NTFS, so not likely to work.

And from the laptop to the TV would be streaming, not data transfer. Streaming would be done through the video inputs. Most common would be a VGA out from the laptop to a VGA in on the TV.

Try putting a short MKV onto a USB thumb drive and see if that plays from the TV. You could also try Xvid format. The TV may or may not accept HD (High Definition) video and it may only accept a limited type of audio formats.

[thekenoshakid]

Thanks alot. My TV is a LG, LK520. I have found two instances of people explicitly claiming in customer reviews that this model could play any mkv file, and one instance of a comparatively official product description claiming the same thing. Nevertheless, I remain very suspicious, since a general search for "LG" and "mkv" returns many more examples of failure and frustration than success when it comes to playing mkv files. I cannot stream from my laptop through video inputs because it isn't powerful enough to play 1080p video, which is what I hope to watch on the TV. At any rate, you've answered my question and I'll get an external drive and try it out. The literature that came with the TV says nothing beyond including "mkv" in the list of supported formats. At least I think that's the case. The manual is for several different models so I'm not entirely certain what's what. So buying an external device is a bit of a risk; but I don't see how else I'm going to find out. Restrictions on codecs etc sound like they're probably beyond me; but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

[jagabo]

Thanks alot. My TV is a LG, LK520. I have found two instances of people explicitly claiming in customer reviews that this model could play any mkv file, and one instance of a comparatively official product description claiming the same thing.

That's nonsense. MKV is a container. There are hundreds of different codecs that could be used within that container. It will probably be limited to mpeg 2, divx/xvid, h.264, mp3, dts, and ac3 (that probably covers only about 95 percent of what you might find). And maybe not even all of those. And with h.264 video it will be limited to Blu-ray compatible settings. It probably also can't handle the MKV "header removal compression" feature that became the default about a year ago.

If you want something more flexible get a stand alone media player like the Western Digital WDTV series. Those play a much wider array of file containers and codecs. You can run ethernet or wifi between your laptop and the player to access files on the laptop.

[thekenoshakid]

For what it's worth, here's what's listed under supported formats in the TV's manual: "MPG, MPEG, DAT, TS, TRP, TP, VOD, MP4, MOV, MKV, DivX, AVI, Motion JPEG (AVI, MP4, MKV) ASF, WMV, FLV"

jagabo, I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that I would be able to view 95% of MKVs I might find? If that's not what you're saying, to keep things simple, could you give an estimate of what percentage of MKVs out there you think would in fact be viewable with just the television? If I could get a clear idea, it would really help with deciding whether it's worth investing in a media player.

[jagabo]

For what it's worth, here's what's listed under supported formats in the TV's manual: "MPG, MPEG, DAT, TS, TRP, TP, VOD, MP4, MOV, MKV, DivX, AVI, Motion JPEG (AVI, MP4, MKV) ASF, WMV, FLV"

Again, those are containers. Most of them can contain many different codecs and the TV is only going to be able to play some of those codecs and only with certain features of those codecs.

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that I would be able to view 95% of MKVs I might find?

95 percent of the MKV files you find will use the codecs I listed. But all of them will use settings that the TV is likely to play. For example, a lot of people crank all the h.264 settings all the way up when compressing Blu-ray rips. That will result in files that don't play properly because there are too many b-frames, re-frames, etc. Or with Xvid AVI the TV probably won't play files with Xvid's 3 warp point GMC. Many TVs will also stretch 2.35:1 aspect ratios videos to full screen (1.78:1) instead of letterboxing them.

If that's not what you're saying, to keep things simple, could you give an estimate of what percentage of MKVs out there you think would in fact be viewable with just the television?

I don't know what that particular TVs capabilities are. But my guess is, if you start downloading high def bittorrents an usenet posts, less than 50 percent will play properly. Some of those will play after remuxing without "header compression removal" and patching the header to reflect a blu-ray compatible profile and level.

[Cornucopia]

For what it's worth, here's what's listed under supported formats in the TV's manual: "MPG, MPEG, DAT, TS, TRP, TP, VOD, MP4, MOV, MKV, DivX, AVI, Motion JPEG (AVI, MP4, MKV) ASF, WMV, FLV"

jagabo, I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that I would be able to view 95% of MKVs I might find? If that's not what you're saying, to keep things simple, could you give an estimate of what percentage of MKVs out there you think would in fact be viewable with just the television? If I could get a clear idea, it would really help with deciding whether it's worth investing in a media player.

MPG, MPEG, DAT, TS, TRP, TP, and VOD are likely all Mpeg streams (either Program or Transport. usually Mpeg2).
MP4 and MOV both are referring to either Mpeg4part2 or h264 in one of those 2 variant containers. I can guarantee that your TV won't support alot of the other flavors of MOV.
DivX, Xvid, and AVI are all referring to Mpeg4part2 in an AVI container. Same thing I said about MOV applies to AVI.
Mjpeg obviously will play in those listed containers, although I'd bet there are bitrate constraints.
ASF & WMV probably both refer to DRM-less WMV3/WMV9 w_WMA3 audio. Very few players support any of the other flavors.
Then there's FLV. Don't know if it supports all those flavors, or just the h264 and On2Vp6 types.

So as you can see, that list that suggested over 19 different kinds of files is really more like 6 different kinds, with a few sub-variations. That's still a decent amount, considering it's a TV and not a media player or HTPC.

What you wanna do is make sure you find a standard that the TV is very comfortable with and you're happy with the quality. Then stict to it. Sometimes even to the point of converting all your assets to those/that format (saving originals if poss.).

I'd start by getting a cheap flash drive and testing, before buying an external Hd (prices are high right now anyway).

Scott

[thekenoshakid]

Thanks for all the info. I'll experiment with a cheap flash drive and find out what in fact my TV is capable of. I'm really thinking about one of those media players though, since I see many examples of people with LG TVs having to do things too complicated for me in order to get their videos to play properly. I don't know what I'm talking about, but it seems people have to rewrite code alot, which I'm sure is too much for me. So rather than asking how to do something like that, I'm wondering if with a Western Digital media player or similar device such complexities would be avoided. They're not that expensive as far as I can tell, so if they are relatively simple and consistent in playing what I want to play then it seems like a good investment.

[redwudz]

Try the flash drive first, but you may find something like the WD Live player will have more options. It also has a remote to make it a bit easier to use. Then you can also use a external hard drive formatted in NTFS for storage. My version also has a optical audio output, great if you have a surround sound amplifier. Or you can use HDMI for the audio to your TV.

Lots of options for different setups. Take your time to find what works best for you.

[jagabo]

Does your TV have an ethernet port? Wifi? If so, you may be able play files from a network share on your computer. Many of the standalone media players have that ability.

[thekenoshakid]

My TV doesn't have an ethernet port or Wifi. What I actually think I'm going to do for now is stick to 720p, hooking my laptop up to the TV through video inputs, since my computer has no problem with 720p. Hopefully the picture will be satisfactory.