Support for SamSung LN52A850 LCD TV

[RMerlin]

Did you try upgrading to 2.1.8? It has a lot of updated profiles in it.

[DaveHaig]

Thanks RMerlin, I did that and it's actually a little worse. The SamsungB play shortly before freezing in 2.1.7, but now it's not even in a supported format. The problem with this tv is that the wrapper may be supported, but the codecs within the wrapper need to match. I believe it's the AC3 audio that is causing the problem. my .ts files are MPEG2 video with AC3 audio. If I convert them to MPEG2 video and MPEG2 audio, they run like a charm. I think I need a profile that does just that. That is, bail on the AC3 audio and transcode to MPEG2 audio.

[RMerlin]

There's not really an actual MPEG-2 audio codec AFAIK. Most MPEG-2 videos use AC3 for the audio stream (this is the standard for DVDs).

Someone with better knowledge of the Samsung TVs than me might be able to shed more light on the ideal formats supported by these TVs.

[DaveHaig]

RMerlin,

My raw video is a mpegts capture from the Hauppauge HDPVR with properties as follows...



When I use the Emicsoft HD Video Converter, I can convert to a file that the LN52A850 plays effortlessly.

These are the setting I use to create the video that the TV likes are...



And after it's created, the properties are as follows...



So, it would appear that I need a custom profile that transcodes to an equivalent output.

Thanks,

Dave

[RMerlin]

That audio format is actually MPEG-1 - the full name is "MPEG-1 Layer 2". This is more or less the ancestor to MP3, but is still being used in video broadcasting circles. See what happens if you encode in MP3 instead - if that works, then it shouldn't be too hard to adapt the device profile to use it for transcoding in mp3 (since I'm not sure if ffmpeg can encode in MP2 format).

[DaveHaig]

RMerlin, I have not been able to find a way to convert to MP3 video and audio both, and I cannot find a container that will play video on the TV that also offers MP3 as an audio option. I did run the source video through an MP3 audio profile, and the resulting audio played properly. I am not sure that would be of any value to our purpose, but as far as I have been able to get. It's also my understanding that the TV likes the contain to have matching codecs for the Video and Audio, although that might be in the reporting only, when in fact that might be different. I think I have read that the TV can be tricked by report one codec and transcoding to another. The TV can handle quite a bit more formats, but is restricted by the DLNA guidelines.

Dave

[RMerlin]

RMerlin, I have not been able to find a way to convert to MP3 video and audio both, and I cannot find a container that will play video on the TV that also offers MP3 as an audio option. I did run the source video through an MP3 audio profile, and the resulting audio played properly. I am not sure that would be of any value to our purpose, but as far as I have been able to get. It's also my understanding that the TV likes the contain to have matching codecs for the Video and Audio, although that might be in the reporting only, when in fact that might be different. I think I have read that the TV can be tricked by report one codec and transcoding to another. The TV can handle quite a bit more formats, but is restricted by the DLNA guidelines.

If MPEG-2 video with MP3 audio in an mpegts container works fine, then the Mezzmo profile could be modified to transcode using that, which would solve your problem by transparently transcoding things for you.

[DaveHaig]

RMerlin,

That would appear to be a logical approach, and certainly something to look forward to.

Can you give me some direction, as to how such a thing would be accomplished?

I have not yet attempted to modify profiles, and are not familiar with their structure.

Thanks,

Dave

[RMerlin]

I'll leave that to Dennis from Conceiva, he is far more adept at that kind of things that I am.

[Paul]

Hi,

Yes, RMerlin is right - the first step is to upgrade to 2.1.8 (I see you've done that, so that's good) and it actually includes a device profile for "Samsung A". Please use the Media Devices dialog to select and use that device profile.

After that, please send a message to support (at) conceiva (dot) com and I'll send you an updated device profile (for the "A" series) that will transcode to mp3 instead of ac3 sound, if the TV likes that better. Or, if you prefer, I can post instructions here on how to modify the existing device profile to do that.