mp4 don't play on TV

[lomero]

i have some mp4 video. put in a usb and played on TV do not work.
what cause? with MediaInfo, these are the video information:

File size : 516 MiB
Duration : 29 min 1 s
Overall bit rate : 2 483 kb/s
Writing application : Lavf58.29.100

Video:
Format : MPEG-4
Codec ID : isom (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41)
Overall bit rate : 2 483 kb/s
Writing application : Lavf58.29.100
Writing library : x264 core 142 r2495 6a301b6

Audio:
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : mp4a-40-2
Bit rate : 128 kb/s
Sampling rate : 44.1 kHz
Frame rate : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy

is it possible that the audio format is responsible? AAC vs mp3?
or also which video format should i choose for a conversion to play on my TV from usb stick?

[DB83]

You need to check your TV's manual to see what codecs - video and audio - it supports for playback.


I suspect the issue is with the generic codec 'ISOM'

[ProWo]

Try to remux one mp4 to mkv, with MkvToolNix. Maybe helps.

[lomero]

mmm... i hate mkv, but i try!
and no problem for softw to encode, i have various program for that.
but i need speed to transform my video. every video is up to 600 MB and i want convert fast, play, then delete.
i don't need to change resolution or audio input, only convert to play with my TV.
we have fast way to convert into another format without re-encoding??

[smrpix]

we have fast way to convert into another format without re-encoding??

You can change the container easily enough -- but the problem may have to do with the codec itself. One thing you didn't show in your report was the level. Many tvs will not handle anything above 4.1, some will not even handle that. As DB83 suggested, look at your tv's manual to see what it will accept.

[ProWo]

mmm... i hate mkv, but i try!
and no problem for softw to encode, i have various program for that.

No reencode, remux only. is done in seconds.
You can also try to change the level, as smrpix recommend, with H264 Level Editor

https://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/h264leveleditor

[lomero]

from my TV manual only format support is mpeg2.
but convert my video on mpeg2 don't work! (try with VIP Video Converter)
also mkv not work (MkvToolNix is very fast and finally file have same dimension of original, but my TV don't support this format)
only avi file is accepted (not with h264 codec) but conversion it is not fast...
i think i can see it directly on my PC, or i have to find a fast avi encoder...

[lomero]

@ProWo
tanxs for your suggestion! now on my video file my current level is Main@4.0
what new level what new level do you recommend ??

[ProWo]

You could try with 3.2

[lomero]

not work!
and same with 1.0

[ProWo]

on manual my TV support only mpeg2.
but convert my video on mpeg2 don't work!

You can convert your mp4 to mpeg2 with ffmpeg.
Commandline: ffmpeg.exe -i "full path\inputvideo" -bufsize 1835k -maxrate 8000k -c:v mpeg2video -c:a mp2 -aspect 16:9 -b:v 2000k "outputvideo.mpg"

[lomero]

tanxs my friend! now i try.
this is my report of MediaInfo (this is only a part of the video that i cut to make the tests)

General
Complete name                            : D:\stage_1_ep_01_cut.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41)
File size                                : 29.8 MiB
Duration                                 : 2 min 1 s
Overall bit rate                         : 2 054 kb/s
Writing application                      : Lavf55.19.104

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : Main@L4
Format settings                          : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames        : 4 frames
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 2 min 1 s
Bit rate                                 : 1 921 kb/s
Width                                    : 1 280 pixels
Height                                   : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 25.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.083
Stream size                              : 27.9 MiB (94%)
Codec configuration box                  : avcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 2 min 1 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 128 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 44.1 kHz
Frame rate                               : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 1.86 MiB (6%)
Default                                  : Yes
Alternate group                          : 1

[lomero]

oh yess! work great!
ffmpeg is very fast and work! and it is free. i have various commercial software but few work well and nobody is as fast as ffmpeg.
maybe some parameters they are too high compared to the source file... -bufsize 1835k -maxrate 8000k
what is bufsize 1835k? and maxrate 8000k it seems too high compared to the original file...
-c:a mp2 is audio? it is possible use mp3 with -c:a mp3 128ks ?? now my audio is bitrate 384kbps

I would like to same resolution of original 1280x720 (25fps) and audio mp3 128kb/s

[DB83]

You can not directly compare the conversion to the original since the original will have a more efficient codec than mpeg2.


Also the original will have square pixels whereas the mpeg2 has non-square an and aspect ratio flag to display it 16:9 as per the original.


Again. There is no point wanting mp3 audio if your tv does not accept that. Even the original was not mp3 and AAC is also more efficient than mp2 or even mp3 at low birtates.

[jagabo]

maybe some parameters they are too high compared to the source file...

No, the 2000 kbps bitrate is probably way too low for a 720p video. If your intention is to quickly convert, watch, then discard the video why worry about the file size? MPEG 2 encoding is much less efficient that AVC (MPEG 4, part 10) encoding. So you'll probably want to use 2 to 4 times as much bitrate to retain quality.

what is bufsize 1835k?

It has to do with how frequently ffmpeg checks the bitrate while encoding. You probably don't have to worry about this.

and maxrate 8000k it seems too high compared to the original file...

Not at all. For 720p video you should try an average bitrate around 4000 to 8000, with peaks 2x that.

-c:a mp2 is audio?

Yes.

it is possible use mp3 with -c:a mp3 128ks ??

Sure. just change "-c:a mp2" to "c:a mp3". The default mp3 bitrate is 192 kbps. If you want 128 kbps add "b:a 182k". But why bother for a temporary video file.

ffmpeg.exe -y -i "input.mp4" -c:v mpeg2video -c:a mp3 -b:a 128k -b:v 4000k "output.mpg"

[lomero]

tanxs for your explanations.
but latest string it is different from the previous one: -y what is?
and why change -b:v 2000k (before) and -b:v 4000k (now) ?

and maybe as DB83 says it is better to have mp3 instead of mp3...
as you say i not have problem having a big final file or small size. my speech is only referred to encoding times: i think that if the parameters are lower, perhaps also the encoding time will be lower.
anyway this is report to my original video:

General
Complete name                            : D:\stage_01_ep_01.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41)
File size                                : 516 MiB
Duration                                 : 29 min 1 s
Overall bit rate                         : 2 483 kb/s
Writing application                      : Lavf58.29.100

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : Main@L4
Format settings                          : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames        : 4 frames
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 29 min 1 s
Bit rate                                 : 2 400 kb/s
Width                                    : 1 280 pixels
Height                                   : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 25.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.104
Stream size                              : 487 MiB (95%)
Writing library                          : x264 core 142 r2495 6a301b6
Encoding settings                        : cabac=1 / ref=2 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x111 / me=umh / subme=9 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=72 / lookahead_threads=5 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=6 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=50 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=abr / mbtree=1 / bitrate=2400 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.41 / aq=1:1.00
Codec configuration box                  : avcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 29 min 1 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 128 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 44.1 kHz
Frame rate                               : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 26.6 MiB (5%)
Default                                  : Yes
Alternate group                          : 1

[jagabo]

-y what is?

With the -y switch ffmpeg will automatically delete the existing output video (if it exists) before creating the new video. Without the -y switch it will ask if you want to delete it.

and why change -b:v 2000k (before) and -b:v 4000k (now) ?

Because 2000 kbps is way to low a bitrate for most 720p video. Doubling the bitrate to 4000 will deliver much better quality. You may even want to go to 8000 or higher.

as you say i not have problem having a big final file or small size. my speech is only referred to encoding times: i think that if the parameters are lower, perhaps also the encoding time will be lower.

Encoding with a higher bitrate will only take 10 or 15 percent longer.

[lomero]

thank you very much for your info.

[jagabo]

By the way, you could just buy a US$35 media player and avoid all of this reencoding.

[lomero]

even simpler is to watch the video on the pc!
my most is curiosity to understand how to...!

[Tom Saurus]

lomero: You could play your videos with VLC Media Player right on your computer. I am sure there are posters here that can guide you through that step by step. If your computer has HDMI output you can hook that right into most new TVs and whatever you are watching on your computer can be on your TV screen.

[lomero]

yes on my pc with VLC or PotPlayer (i prefer this) no problem to play this video. and yes i also thought of using an HDMI cable to see this video from pc to TV.
it can be a secondary road. tanxs anyway for your suggestion.

anyway with conversion my TV see mpeg2 or also avi file (encode with xvid codec). for audio no problem with original AAC or conversion to mp3 or mp2.
audio it's not a problem for my TV. problem is codec mp4 video: on my TV this codec is unsupported (and not find any update for this firmware).
now for encoding into avi (xvid) i have used a very nice TEncoder (avi is better quality of mpeg). but i wonder: with ffmpeg is possible to convert video on avi??
i have this string to encode on mpeg2:

ffmpeg.exe -i "D:\video.mp4" -bufsize 1835k -maxrate 8000k -c:v mpeg2video -c:a mp2 -b:v 4000k "output.mpg"

how to modify this to encode on avi? (xvid preferred, but non essential)

[jagabo]

Of course ffmpeg includes MPEG 4 Part 2 encoders (what Xvid and Divx are) and an AVI muxer.

https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Encode/MPEG-4

Try something like:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec mpeg4 -qscale:v 2 -tag:v xvid -acodec copy output.avi

[lomero]

oh yes work great! tanxs.
some consideration: with audio copy or conversion into mp3 final file dimension not change and on my TV work works equally well.
with qscale 2 i have final dimension to 59MB (original cut file is 30MB) and some block of video in the initial part.
if i lower the qscale 3 i have final file dimension to 38MB (closer to the original one) and the video it is fluid without block in the initial part.
but these are only details! tanxs for your support. bye

[lomero]

ffmpeg is very fast: my video is 527MB (29min) and for encoding only 4 minutes are required!

but another little thing: i want remove from encoding the first 45 seconds and last 2 minutes...
how to change this string??

ffmpeg.exe -i "input.mp4" -vcodec mpeg4 -qscale:v 3 -tag:v xvid -acodec copy "output.avi"

[jagabo]

Use -ss and -to or -t to indicate starting and ending times as hh:mms.decimal. I don't know how long your video is but to start at 45 seconds and convert 22 minutes of video (ie, starting time and a length):

ffmpeg.exe -y -i "input.mkv" -ss 45.00 -t 00:22:00.00 -vcodec mpeg4 -qscale:v 3 -tag:v xvid -acodec copy "output.avi"

Or to start at a specific time into the video and convert until another specified time in the video (start at 00:00:45.00, end at 00:22:45.00)

ffmpeg.exe -y -i "input.mkv" -ss 00:00:45.00 -to 00:22:45.00 -vcodec mpeg4 -qscale:v 3 -tag:v xvid -acodec copy "output.avi"

Note both of those do the same thing. Instead of hh:mms.decimal format you can use sec.decimal format. So in the latter command you could specify -ss 45.0 and -to 1365.0.

[lomero]

great.
very tanxs for your support. cheers