play VOBs ok - cannot play DVDs anymore - does not affect HDMI only Composite

[8ace]

Can no longer play DVDs. Just get black screen with some brief network activity.

Have to power cycle to recover.

HOWEVER I can play the VOBs just fine...

This only affects composite video out - no problem using HDMI.

The DVDs have the audio and video _ts subdirectories.

Any suggestions?!

thanks!

[8ace]

no one ever encountered this before? :-)

[FWGMills]

(01-02-2010 01:40 AM)8ace Wrote:  no one ever encountered this before? :-)

I enountered it last night, but my problem is a little more complicated.

I can play ripped DVDs (video_ts folders) from the local hard drive without a problem but now I can't play DVDs from a SMB network share from my MacMini. I can play other files (avi, mpg, mp3, etc.) without a problem so the username/password on the share is good, but I can't play ripped DVDs. I've checked everything I can think of and now I'm looking at the MacMini/OS X side of it. This has worked in the past, I just don't know what has changed.

I did do a firmware upgrade to my A110 last night but it wasn't working before that. I hoped that the firmware update would fix it...no dice.

Thanks,

[8ace]

have you been able to play the VOBs on there own (i.e. change the name of the video_ts folder to something else so Popcorn hour doesn;t think you are trying to play a DVD)?

---

if you rename your video_ts folder to something else do the VOBs themselves play?

[eddy123]

Since I upgraded to the release of 10 Dec I cannot play any ripped DVD anymore, via SMB. I'm using the HDMI output. I'm able to play the vob files via I'home but it doesn't provide me the menu's and DTS. I want now back to the older release if that's possible.

[FWGMills]

(01-04-2010 04:11 PM)8ace Wrote:  have you been able to play the VOBs on there own (i.e. change the name of the video_ts folder to something else so Popcorn hour doesn;t think you are trying to play a DVD)?

---

if you rename your video_ts folder to something else do the VOBs themselves play?

I haven't had a chance to try this yet. When I do I'll reply back to this thread with complete information about my problem.

[FWGMills]

Ok, here's the skinny...

The setup:
Popcorn hour A-110 connected to the TV over composite (the TV is an older analog SDTV)
Popcorn hour has the current firmware (but it didn't work before I flashed it a few days ago...I had hoped the new firmware would fix this problem but it didn't)
Networked into an ethernet network that is a mix of 100Mb and 1Gb.
Popcorn hour is networked over SMB to a Macmini sharing media located on a Drobo.

The preview:
This HAS WORKED in this exact configuration in the past. I've watched ripped DVDs in that room several times without a problem.

The testing:
I can play mp3, avi, vob, jpg, h.264 from the Macmini over the SMB network so my username/password is good.
I can play ripped DVDs (in video_ts folders) from the internal hard drive on the Popcorn box
I can NOT play ripped DVDs (in video_ts folders) from the Macmini over SMB.
When I play HDD DVDs it goes to a black screen, goes to the "don't forget to back up your media" screen, then the DVD starts.
When I play SMB DVDs it goes to a black screen......then locks up. I have to power cycle the box to get control again. When it used to work watching DVDs over SMB acted exactly like playing them off the HDD I installed.

Anybody have any ideas? I'm not sure what else to check except maybe trying SMB to a windows box, but that's irrelevant for me. This setup has worked and now it doesn't. I've even checked the rights of the username to make sure it has access to the entire Drobo. This username has Read/Write access to the entire share, including the DVD folder with the ripped movies in it. I've run out of ideas.

I've gone over the settings on the box. I haven't changed any and why would video_ts folders work from the internal HDD but not over the network...confusing.

Thanks to anyone who has a suggestion. I am willing to flash the Popcorn Box to an older firmware if I have to, but I haven't updated the firmware at all until after it quit playing the DVDs. It was running on the firmware I installed the day I got it...unless the box flashed it's own firmware, but I have no evidence of that.

[blackwidow79]

(01-07-2010 05:43 AM)FWGMills Wrote:  Ok, here's the skinny...

The setup:
Popcorn hour A-110 connected to the TV over composite (the TV is an older analog SDTV)
Popcorn hour has the current firmware (but it didn't work before I flashed it a few days ago...I had hoped the new firmware would fix this problem but it didn't)
Networked into an ethernet network that is a mix of 100Mb and 1Gb.
Popcorn hour is networked over SMB to a Macmini sharing media located on a Drobo.

The preview:
This HAS WORKED in this exact configuration in the past. I've watched ripped DVDs in that room several times without a problem.

The testing:
I can play mp3, avi, vob, jpg, h.264 from the Macmini over the SMB network so my username/password is good.
I can play ripped DVDs (in video_ts folders) from the internal hard drive on the Popcorn box
I can NOT play ripped DVDs (in video_ts folders) from the Macmini over SMB.
When I play HDD DVDs it goes to a black screen, goes to the "don't forget to back up your media" screen, then the DVD starts.
When I play SMB DVDs it goes to a black screen......then locks up. I have to power cycle the box to get control again. When it used to work watching DVDs over SMB acted exactly like playing them off the HDD I installed.

Anybody have any ideas? I'm not sure what else to check except maybe trying SMB to a windows box, but that's irrelevant for me. This setup has worked and now it doesn't. I've even checked the rights of the username to make sure it has access to the entire Drobo. This username has Read/Write access to the entire share, including the DVD folder with the ripped movies in it. I've run out of ideas.

I've gone over the settings on the box. I haven't changed any and why would video_ts folders work from the internal HDD but not over the network...confusing.

Thanks to anyone who has a suggestion. I am willing to flash the Popcorn Box to an older firmware if I have to, but I haven't updated the firmware at all until after it quit playing the DVDs. It was running on the firmware I installed the day I got it...unless the box flashed it's own firmware, but I have no evidence of that.

i had a problem streaming ts fldr, blank screen etc, my fix was if you take out all files apart from the .vob's it starts streaming (odd) but works for me.
however i have a problem streaming dvd disk's from my pc dvd drive as of course the disk contains all files, and obviously only take out once ripped to hdd.
i dont fancy ripping all my dvd disks or any i borrow, any ideas on a fix for this? my NMT stream all via smb.

[Damester24]

I have the same problem and as 8ace mentions you should be able to play the VOB's on their own, which I can
This is because the popcorn does not like the re-created ifo and bup files made by one click DVD creators

quote:
Both can go direct from DVD to an ISO. However I would still recommend using the additional video_ts folder stage, as, if you then use IMGBurn, you keep the exact same ifo/bup/ts files as the original disc and not rewritten ones that AnyDVD or DVDFab produce in the one step process. This is the reason why IMGBurn created ISO's are always very compatible with hardware players.

This is from:
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showth...ay+bup+ifo

I don't have the original DVD to re-create this process and thinking about converting from HDD DVD to H264 - MKV format this saves space and gives a great output but it looks like a lengthy process:
http://networkedmediatank.com/wiki/index...VD_to_H264

[8ace]

(01-07-2010 05:43 AM)FWGMills Wrote:  This HAS WORKED in this exact configuration in the past. I've watched ripped DVDs in that room several times without a problem.

this is the fundamental problem!

there are underlying issues which everyone is in denial of: there are changes that happen to the PCH that are not related to configs that we make or BIOS. It is always blamed on user error, or something similar.

Like you and countless others, I *know* that I've not changed anything. But something has changed on the PCH ... and reverting to factory BIOS i can CONFIRM is not a real fix - why? Becuase I notice that a leftover NFS setting STILL PERSISTED after doing the whole manual flash involving opening the box.

My feeling is that a way of CLEARING the settings is needed beyond reflashing.

Sorry I am not technical - I really TRULY don;t know what I am talking about , but it is the only thing that makes sense.

If there was some FAILPROOF way to "reset" everything I bet that would help. Unfortuantley I have no idea how to do this.

All i know is I *used* to have a PCH that could play DVDs - and now I don't

[Damester24]

I can confirm the same issue IF I set the popcorn to composite mode within video output but it is fine in HDMI mode

To confirm that is playing VIDEO_TS movies i.e. where the popcorn reads the IFO file
I can still play the VOB's on there own in composite mode

I get the same results whether playing from internal HDD or network share

Hope this helps, let me know if you want me to do any other testing