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Hi, and sorry in advance for the newbie questions -- this video stuff is all terribly confusing to me, and it just seems like everything is much more complicated than it should be... 
I have a lot of DVD-format content that I would like to be able to distribute across my home network to as many devices as possible, as simply as possible. By "DVD-format" I mean either DVD ISO files or 720x480 29.97fps MPEG2 files.
I have had some success transcoding to MP42 streams in AVI containers; I can use the UMedia Server to stream them to e.g. a laptop connected to my wireless LAN, and play them on MS Media Player.
But I really don't want to go through the trouble of re-encoding my entire video library just to end up with a bunch of files in a Microsoft-only format. Ideally I would like to be able to stream and/or copy files to any laptop or PC in the house and display using either MS Media Player or VLC, and also be able to stream the same files to my PS3. It'd be a nice bonus if the files would also be playable in iTunes.
I THINK a properly constructed H.264 MP4 file should work with everything. What I need is for someone smarter than me to tell me more or less exactly what codec and settings I should be using in order to get all this to work properly.
I'm using MediaCoder to do all my transcoding; using x264 as the video codec, CT AAC+ as the audio codec, and MP4Box as the muxer, I get a transcoded file where the video is "H264 Main@4" and the audio is "MPEG2 AAC LC". On a PC, this plays fine from VLC, but not from MS MP or from QuickTime. On the PS3, I get audio but no video when I play the same file.
I'm having a hard time even formulating meaningful questions about this stuff, but I think this is what I'm trying to ask:
1 - How do I properly transcode DVD/MPEG2 video so it will play on the PS3 and also on a Windows PC using reasonably "normal" software (MS MP, VLC, QuickTime).
2 - On the PC, what specific codecs should I install in order to play these files?
3 - What's the easiest/best way to stream this to both PCs and the PS3 using the same server? I don't want a "live" multicast stream running all the time; I need to be able to go to MS MP or VLC and just "open URL" to play the file, either using HTTP/MMS or RTSP.
4 - Why is this so hard?!?!
I'll be eternally grateful for any meaningful assistance!
Thanks!!!!
-Marc-
I have a lot of DVD-format content that I would like to be able to distribute across my home network to as many devices as possible, as simply as possible. By "DVD-format" I mean either DVD ISO files or 720x480 29.97fps MPEG2 files.
I have had some success transcoding to MP42 streams in AVI containers; I can use the UMedia Server to stream them to e.g. a laptop connected to my wireless LAN, and play them on MS Media Player.
But I really don't want to go through the trouble of re-encoding my entire video library just to end up with a bunch of files in a Microsoft-only format. Ideally I would like to be able to stream and/or copy files to any laptop or PC in the house and display using either MS Media Player or VLC, and also be able to stream the same files to my PS3. It'd be a nice bonus if the files would also be playable in iTunes.
I THINK a properly constructed H.264 MP4 file should work with everything. What I need is for someone smarter than me to tell me more or less exactly what codec and settings I should be using in order to get all this to work properly.
I'm using MediaCoder to do all my transcoding; using x264 as the video codec, CT AAC+ as the audio codec, and MP4Box as the muxer, I get a transcoded file where the video is "H264 Main@4" and the audio is "MPEG2 AAC LC". On a PC, this plays fine from VLC, but not from MS MP or from QuickTime. On the PS3, I get audio but no video when I play the same file.
I'm having a hard time even formulating meaningful questions about this stuff, but I think this is what I'm trying to ask:
1 - How do I properly transcode DVD/MPEG2 video so it will play on the PS3 and also on a Windows PC using reasonably "normal" software (MS MP, VLC, QuickTime).
2 - On the PC, what specific codecs should I install in order to play these files?
3 - What's the easiest/best way to stream this to both PCs and the PS3 using the same server? I don't want a "live" multicast stream running all the time; I need to be able to go to MS MP or VLC and just "open URL" to play the file, either using HTTP/MMS or RTSP.
4 - Why is this so hard?!?!
I'll be eternally grateful for any meaningful assistance!
Thanks!!!!
-Marc-
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