AllShare on Samsung Galaxy SII

[mezzmoman]

Just got an Android phone (Samsung Galaxy SII LTE), but migrating from AirVideo and Servetome experiences on iOS hasn't been as straightforward as I thought. But I still like the iTunes style categorization of Mezzmo!

1. First, both AirVideo and Servetome have capability to control transcoding right on the iOS app for individual video files. Using AllShare and Mezzmo combination doesn't seem to provide this flexibility. I can't even tell what files Mezzmo is transcoding. Is there finer controls using other Android apps or settings in Mezzmo?

2. I have tried multiple profiles and with transcoding enabled/disabled on Mezzmo, finally the Galaxy Tab profile at least allows me to play .wmv files without giving me errors, ONLY IF transcoding is disabled. But the problem is, for the 1080p .wmv files, AllShare would play for a few seconds before needing to buffer again. How do I solve this problem?

3. Would changing the "Maximum Video size" in "Performance" help? But then if transcoding is disabled, then maybe changing maximum video size doesn't affect the stream?

4. How about changing the connection speed? Would a higher or lower connection speed affect the amount of buffer? I am thinking if the device could buffer more or entire file before playing, then playback wouldn't be interrupted by multiple buffering?

5. Back to transcoding, why would playback using AllShare fail when transcoding is enabled with the Galaxy Tab profile? Because it's not a proper profile for Galaxy SII?

6. Is there a better DLNA player app than the default AllShare app that is compatible to Mezzmo and comparable to AirVideo or Servetome? Both of these iOS apps allow filtering and search etc on the mobile app itself. I noticed Rockplayer listed on Mezzmo so installed it but only the "lite" version is available now and when I launch the app, I don't even see how to connect to DLNA server, just whole bunch of folders listed.

7. Are there better DLNA players that you know of that allows advanced controls, such as resizing playback window, zooming in, cutting the blackbars etc which are all features available on AirVideo and Servetome.

New to Android. New to Mezzmo. Appreciate all your feedback.

[Paul]

The built-in DLNA player on the phone is limited compared to what RockPlayer can do. To use RockPlayer you also need to install iMediaShare, which is what you use to browse DLNA servers. Mezzmo will come up in the iMediaShare, then you can play files using RockPlayer from within iMediaShare.

We don't have a specific device profile for the SII and I suspect it should be different to the tab, even if just because the resolution is different.

Try the RockPlayer and see how you go. If any troubles, please open a support ticket and we'll sort it out.

[mezzmoman]

ok, I have downloaded iMediaShare, you're right, it does seem to have a lot more video controls, such as size, orientation etc when paired with MoboPlayer and MX Video Player.

But which profile should I use? I still can't find one that would work when transcoding is enabled. If I don't enable transcoding, all the media players and imedishare still work, but then the buffering issue comes back.

Back to my questions above:
1. Is there a way to disable transcoding while controlling the buffer to make sure it sends certain or enough amount of data before playing, especially when dealing with 1080p files?

2. Alternatively, which profile works with transcoding to limit the size of the transfer to avoid the buffering issue in the first place?

New question: Why not develop a profile for SII since it's such a popular device?

[mezzmoman]

Watching the network activity transfer graph of data on the desktop, I could see Mezzmo transfering chunks of data, then stops, then transfers again. I see a graph that goes up for a bit then down no activity.

Why doesn't it transfer at a constant rate? is this the cause of the buffering issue? I don't think it's my router because other media servers are not showing this problem.

[mezzmoman]

Just did further testing on this issue.

My Samsung Galaxy S2 is able to stream a complete 1080p .wmv located ON the device to all my DLNA renderers without any stuttering and buffering so my wireless network speeds and router are not the issue here.

It seems Mezzmo somehow is sending data packets and then pausing, leading to the buffering issue that I am having on the Galaxy S2.

What can I do? I really like Mezzmo and would rather not have to start looking for another DLNA server.

[Paul]

We'll consider making a device profile for the SII after the holidays. Try the "Samsung Epic" one as well, as that may be close to what the SII supports.

Mezzmo will send data packets either continously or in response to requests from the device. I'd need to see the logs to know what's happening for sure. I think we can get a test SII here as well, so we could investigate it closer.

Regarding your questions:

Is there a way to disable transcoding while controlling the buffer to make sure it sends certain or enough amount of data before playing, especially when dealing with 1080p files?

Yes, this can be adjusted using the <packetsize> tag in the device profile - it requires manually editing the device profile. Let me know if you need help doing this (you can search through device profiles to see where it's used).

Alternatively, which profile works with transcoding to limit the size of the transfer to avoid the buffering issue in the first place?

I'm not sure what you mean here, sorry Transcoding tries to fit the file to a certain bitrate (depending on the device profile). You can use the Network type in the Media Device Properties dialog to limit the overall bitrate as well.

[mezzmoman]

We'll consider making a device profile for the SII after the holidays. Try the "Samsung Epic" one as well, as that may be close to what the SII supports.

Can't wait, it's about time!

Yes, this can be adjusted using the <packetsize> tag in the device profile - it requires manually editing the device profile. Let me know if you need help doing this (you can search through device profiles to see where it's used).

After searching Windows 7: C:\ProgramData\Conceiva\Mezzmo\DeviceProfiles and Windows 7: C:\Users\All Users\Conceiva\Mezzmo\DeviceProfiles, I don't see the <packetsize> tag in the Samsung profiles, only something similar like "minimumstreamingsize".

I'm not sure what you mean here, sorry Transcoding tries to fit the file to a certain bitrate (depending on the device profile). You can use the Network type in the Media Device Properties dialog to limit the overall bitrate as well.

I was just wondering if there is a known profile that would force certain files to transcode so the actual stream to the phones would be smaller, hence not requiring more buffer.

[QUOTE=Dennis;12197]You can use the Network type in the Media Device Properties dialog to limit the overall bitrate as well.
How does network type work exactly? If I select a larger bitrate, then Mezzmo would buffer less? Please explain

[Paul]

After searching Windows 7: C:\ProgramData\Conceiva\Mezzmo\DeviceProfiles and Windows 7: C:\Users\All Users\Conceiva\Mezzmo\DeviceProfiles, I don't see the <packetsize> tag in the Samsung profiles, only something similar like "minimumstreamingsize".

It won't be in a Samsung profile - just search through all .prf files and you'l find a sample.

I was just wondering if there is a known profile that would force certain files to transcode so the actual stream to the phones would be smaller, hence not requiring more buffer.

How does network type work exactly? If I select a larger bitrate, then Mezzmo would buffer less? Please explain

The network type sets a limit on the maximum bitrate of the native/transcoded file. So, for example, if you set it to 54 Mbps, we'll look at your files and see if your files are above a certain percent of that (since you'll rarely have advertised throughput) and use that number as the maximum to decide whether the files passes through or needs transcoding. If it needs transcoding, we'll make sure it's not transcoded with a bitrate higher than that as well.

[mezzmoman]

It won't be in a Samsung profile - just search through all .prf files and you'l find a sample.

Do you have a known profile with this tag? I have searched through dozens manually but still can't find it. Thanks.

[Normalised]

I searched all the profiles and 'packetsize' appears in these :

MarantzBD.prf
OppoBD.prf
OppoBDLPCM.prf