Panasonic DMP-BDT210 help

[djshag]

I really like the idea of this software and so downloaded the trial but am having issues. When using PanasonicBDT or Panasonic BDT(MPEG-TS) profiles the picture quality is horrible (no better than WMC). I've tried the Panasonic Viera (No Divx) profile and the picture is good but choppy (presumably while transcoding). PanasonicBDT (MKV) doesn't seem to work at all. All videos appear in the folders but don't show program length and when clicked on, immediately produce the "Cannot Play" error. I play an assortment of file formats though mostly Divx, Xvid and sometimes MKV. My computer is only a dual core desktop system running Windows 7 Home Premium so the lack of cores is likely the culprit (at least for the choppy playback). I've read many posts about pre-transcoding but I don't want to have to do that with every video to make it viewable. Also, once a vid is pre-transcoded, where does it go?

Any ideas on how I can get by until I buy a multi-core system?

[Paul]

Reading the DMP-BD210 manual on Panasonic's web site, it seems this model supports only JPEG, MP3 and MKV. If you have a Canadian model, it also supports DivX (AVI). So if any of your files are not these formats, then Mezzmo (and any other media server) will need to transcode them so they can be played on your Blu-ray player. For your dual-core computer, Mezzmo's pre-transcoding feature is definitely the best solution since it will remove the stuttering/choppy playing that you mention you have experienced due to your underpowered computer.

Transcoded files are stored in a special transcoding folder. You can change/view this at any time using the Transcoding Settings dialog in Mezzmo. This dialog also lets you cap the maximum size of the transcoding folder so that you do not exceed hard disk limits, etc. When this maximum size is reached, then Mezzmo starts to remove older transcoded files so that new transcoded files can be stored in the folder.

[djshag]

Reading the DMP-BD210 manual on Panasonic's web site, it seems this model supports only JPEG, MP3 and MKV. If you have a Canadian model, it also supports DivX (AVI). So if any of your files are not these formats, then Mezzmo (and any other media server) will need to transcode them so they can be played on your Blu-ray player. For your dual-core computer, Mezzmo's pre-transcoding feature is definitely the best solution since it will remove the stuttering/choppy playing that you mention you have experienced due to your underpowered computer.

Transcoded files are stored in a special transcoding folder. You can change/view this at any time using the Transcoding Settings dialog in Mezzmo. This dialog also lets you cap the maximum size of the transcoding folder so that you do not exceed hard disk limits, etc. When this maximum size is reached, then Mezzmo starts to remove older transcoded files so that new transcoded files can be stored in the folder.

Thank you for your reply! I am transcoding all of my files right now to see how it affects my hard drive space. Even though the unit supports Divx it seems to downgrade the video quality before playing the files from Windows Media Player. I'm not sure why it needs to do this but I also realize that this is more a question for the manufacturer. I just hope that I can find a way around it. Do you have any suggestions for a Blu Ray player that does a better job with DLNA as that's the main reason I bought one?

Thanks again for the input!

[Paul]

Windows media Player is a very poor media server and it does often reduce the quality/resolution of your videos. You should use Mezzmo for your streaming :D It will maintain the quality of your videos.

Many of our users have Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Oppo, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Sharp or Onkyo Blu-ray players. Mezzmo includes device profiles for all these manufacturers. All models have their pros and cons. There's no clear standout winner as far as DLNA implementation goes. See http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/2707-What-is-the-best-DLNA-Blu-ray-DVD-player-for-streaming-with-Mezzmo for some Mezzmo users' opinions.

[djshag]

Thank you again. I think I may need to back to the beginning here. I really like the setup and (so far), the customer service of Mezzmo and have no problem paying for it but it's going to have to do what I need it to do. There are 3 Panasonic BDP profiles and I can't get any of them to work properly. Like I said before, I am currently using Panasonic Viera (No Divx) but I would assume that I should have better results using a profile meant for my player. Here are the results I get with each profile:

Panasonic BDP - Quality no better than Windows Media Player server however no pausing, buffering, etc.

Panasonic BDP (MPEG-TS) - Quality no better than Windows Media Player server however no pausing, buffering, etc.

Panasonic BDP (MKV) - All files return "Cannot Play" error and all video files show on screen without program duration info. <----- I have a feeling that this is the profile that I want to use.
Does this profile transcode to MKV or does it require files played to be MKVs? I'm assuming the former.

Viera (No Divx) - Great quality but pauses every few seconds, even after pre-transcodong.

Panasonic HT - Quality no better than Windows Media Player server however no pausing, buffering, etc.

I don't need them to be 1080p quality but when I want to watch something I 'd like it to not looked likes its been rendered by an Atari 2600.

I do appreciate all of the help!

[Paul]

Panasonic BDP (MKV) - All files return "Cannot Play" error and all video files show on screen without program duration info. <----- I have a feeling that this is the profile that I want to use.
Does this profile transcode to MKV or does it require files played to be MKVs? I'm assuming the former.

Yes, that's the correct device profile for your BDP. It transcodes everything to MKV. If you are getting that error, then perhaps transcoding is failing or there's some other issue. In this case, please enable logging (see this thread: http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/419-FAQ-How-to-turn-on-diagnostic-logging), make sure you are using the "Panasonic BDP (MKV)" device profile and try playing one of the failing files. Once you get that error, stop the server and send the logs to support.

It's also interesting that you were able to use the other profiles, this means that AVCHD playback is supported by your player as well. Can you please tell me if you are in the USA or somewhere else, so that I know which firmware you're running?

[djshag]

Thanks again. I am in Canada but I did purchase the unit at Best Buy in Washington state. I think it did a firmware update when I first set it up so I assume it realized that I was using a Canadian ISP and loaded the Canadian firmware.

I have emailed my log to support.

[Paul]

Thanks for the logs - I'll get back to you via e-mail shortly. I think that firmware on the player would still be USA-based though.