Viewing H.264 Files on DVD Players

[gonwk]

Hi folks,

I have a dumb Q ... I have read thru few excerpt and I seem can't get a straight answer ... so ...

Q: Can a H.264 encoded file (AVI) be viewed directly thru a XviD/DivX capable DVD Player?

Btw ... my Philips DVD Player it only plays back the sound and it says "No Codecs" for the Video Part ...

Thanks,
G!

[NightTran]

you can use dvd flick I think they convert it to dvd, not sure about H.264 to avi but you can give it a try

[Chewy]

an mkv h264 brings my older computer to it's knees

the same computer and dvd flick convert ok, but the quality seems a little
less

[NightTran]

I love MKV H264 quality, I would keep it and play like it is in the computer ( if you connect to HD TV you willl know what I mean

[gonwk]

Hi guys,

So let me understand this correctly ...

The only way currently to watch H.264 files are on the PC!?!?

NT, I guess you are suggesting to set up a "Home Theatre PC" set up to watch on my T.V. !?!?

Is this what you guys are telling me?

Thanks,
G!

[Chewy]

set up a "Home Theatre PC"

a good one with a good video card

you can convert to dvd files with dvd flick

[admin]

Get a Xbox 360 or PS3, both support playback of H.264 (@ 1920x1080 resolution too) - the Xbox 360 is better value though, if you're not interested in Blu-ray, and doubles as a Media Center extender (and you'll be able to use the free TVersity tool to set up transcoding of pretty much any video formats to play through the Xbox 360).

There's also Apple TV - Apple is a big fan of H.264, all their devices support it (including the iPhone). Sony's PSP also supports it.

Most DVD players do not support H.264 at the moment though, but I'm sure they will in the near future. Some Blu-ray/HD DVD players do support playback of H.264 files burned onto DVDs, since H.264 decoding is native to both HD formats.

[paglamon]

Nearly 2yrs ago:

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/Nero-and-KiSS-release-first-high-definition-DVD-Player-with-AVC_H_264.html

[Chewy]

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.golem.de/0509/40366.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DDP-700%2B%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

and sigma says Q1 2008 now

[gonwk]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your inputs ... I guess if I want to play back H.264 on TV then I have to shell out osme bucks and get a me a XboX 360 as per Admin says ...

I kinda like the XboX 360 and TVersity route because of the felxibility.

Thanks a bunch,
G!

[NightTran]

Gonwk, get the LCD big screen first, small TV or screen you wont see the diff

with big screen HD you can add xbox, cable, and computer at one time

[admin]

Yes, a HDTV is essential for the Xbox 360 or PS3. The bigger the better, LCD or plasma, it doesn't really matter.

My personal preference is for Pioneer plasmas, because it has 3:3 pulldown (plays back 24 FPS at 72 Hz ... no more 3:2 pulldown judder) - these are perfect for HD DVD/Blu-ray playback. Obviously the 50" 1080p model is the best, but that's a bit too expensive now.

[Chewy]

Format : Matroska
File size : 1.37 GiB
PlayTime : 2h 3mn
Bit rate : 1585 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2007-07-28 21:48:26
Writing application : mkvmerge v2.0.2 ('You're My Flame') built on Feb 21 2007 23:40:55
Writing library : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video #0
Codec : MPEG-4 AVC
Codec/Info : MPEG4 ISO advanced profile
PlayTime : 2h 3mn
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 304 pixels
Aspect ratio : 2.35
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Audio #0
Codec : AC3
Codec/Info : Dolby AC3
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Sampling rate : 48 KHz
Title : AC3 5.1
Language : English

are x-box's pal capable in the USA

[admin]

All Xbox 360's support both PAL and NTSC. The problem is getting the Xbox 360 to output at 50 Hz for HD PAL video content through component, as 50 Hz mode seems to only be available for the DVD playback. The 25 FPS will play at 60 Hz, but might not be the smoothest.

What happens in the Xbox 360 display config is this:

1. You select 720p or 1080i output through component
2. The Xbox 360 refreshes to 50 Hz mode and asks you if you can see the screen. If you select Yes, then the Xbox 360 knows your screen is 50 Hz capable.
3. Whether you select Yes, No, or let the screen time out, you'll be put back into 60 Hz mode.
4. If you answered that your screen is 50 Hz capable, when playing back a PAL DVD, the refresh is automatically changed to 50 Hz (576p).

Step 2 above shows that the Xbox 360 is capable of outputting at 720p/1080i 50 Hz, but for some reason, it will always default to 60 Hz at 720p/1080i output.

This post seem to explains things better in case you don't get what I mean:

http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/community/360-hardware/17749-1080i-xbox-360-a.html#post125330

I hope it's something they fix in future updates (add 720p/1080i @ 50 Hz), because they specifically put in a 50 Hz mode test screen when you change display settings, but this setting only makes the DVD player default to 50 Hz mode when used.

[admin]

What is essential though is that your TV supports 720p/1080i @ 60 Hz because some games won't play otherwise.

As HD DVD film is always at 24 FPS, 50 Hz output is not all that useful.