HPZ400 comptability with LGOLED55C6V playback of mkv files

[ianmansfield]

Hi there,

I've networked my Z400 through LAN network so I can see the drives in the PC to playback on the OLED tv I have. Unfortunately the TV can only see mp4 and avi files and fails to recognise mkv files. The tv is also networked to a WDCloud which has many mkv files and can play them back without issue. Why can't my tv see the mkv files on the Z400 hard drives when it can see the avi and mp4 files.

I've contacted LG about this matter already and they said its not the TV's problem.

Please help?

[Skylarking · Accepted solution]

I don't network my TV but from what i understand, modern TVs have Digital Living Network Appliance (DLNA) capabilities that allow networked devices to talk to each other more easily.

In this context, your TV is the DLNA player while other devices on your network, your PC for example, can provide the DLNA server function. There can be multiple DLNA servers on your network. This means that your PC must have DLNA server software running for the DLNA player to see it.

I'd guess that the directories within your PC containing the media must also have the correct permissions and thus be accessable to the server (and thus the player). Also, your devices must be on the same subnet for things to work more simply which may also require uPnP service to be running on your router and devices.

As for your WDCloud storage device, it most likley runs the needed server and has correct permissions so the DLNA player (your TV) sees the files correctly.

But LG is correct, as it's not an issue with your TV, though they should have been much more helpful and pointed you to some support page for your TV which outlines network requirements, PC software requirements, etc for the DLNA feature to work correctly...

Google should be helpful but a very simple LG page on DLNA setup for thier TV is here and may get you started on your quest.

[ianmansfield]

Hi there,

Thank you for the advice. I have now installed http://serviio.org/ program on my Z400 and that appears to have done the trick. It automatically starts when the PC does. I appear to be on a trial editon for 14 days, not sure what happens after that as they have a free and pro version. I'm not sure if the Free version ends after 14 days or not, or if the functions in the free edition I'm using are in any way curtailed.

Greatly appreciate your quick reply. LG were of little to no help whatsoever, didn't even suggest an alternative solution.

Do you know of any other DLNA server programs which are any better than Serviio that I could use. I did a Google search for DLNA windows 7 program and that came up in the results for Serviio. 

KR,

Ian.

[Skylarking]

Yeah, i don't know much about DLNA server software but i thought MicroSoft was a DLNA member so i would have thought the Win7 OS would support it natively.

So doing a another quick google search, this time on "windows 7 dlna server" yields this web page from Sony that LG could do with something similar to support their customers.

This Sony web page seems to imply that setting up media streaming feature (teh server) and Windows Media Player 12 (teh client?) should be enough to serve media to DLNA devices. It also indicates if this does not work you can try the 3rd party DLNA server software listed: serviio, plex, elgato or twonky.

As i don't know much about 3rd party DLNA server software, or build in DLNA server within Windows7, i'd still likely use the WMP & meadia stream features within the OS as a start point since it's maintained by MS$.

As for the difference between free serviio free and serviio pro, see here. If you only want to use DLNA server feature, the free version will be fine, which "after the evaluation period expires, it will revert back to the free edition automatically".

Me, i'm not a fan of Java on my PC (which serviio is coded with)...