# New to TVersity - how to get videos to play?



## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

Just installed TVersity and now all my music and photos play great on my HR21s, but I can't get my home videos to play at all. All I get is a message saying something like "filename could not be played back." 

The home videos are shot on my Sony MiniDV Handycam Camcorder DCR-HC96, and are downloaded to my PC as .avi files. Before TVersity, the videos would show up in Media Share with an X next to them so I knew they were not playable; now with TVersity they have the the film projector icon so I thought they would play, but unfortunately they still don't.

I played around with a few settings in TVersity but nothing helped. Can someone help me out with maybe some more settings to try? The wife would really like to watch some of the videos we've shot of the kids over the past few years. Thanks.

(In case this helps, the Properties tab for the .avi files lists frame size as 720x480, data rate 27781kbps, frame rate 29 frames/second, audio bit rate as 1024kbps.)


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## jdspencer (Nov 8, 2003)

The HRs require the videos to be in a certain format. I believe it is mpeg or mpg. I don't have tversity but there should be a setting for it to transcode the files to mpg. Or use an external video converter to do the transformation.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Apr 8, 2006)

MPEG-2 files should play fine.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

I looked around in the TVersity settings but didn't see where to specify it output the .avi files as MPEG2. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks.


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## ssandhoops (Dec 2, 2007)

I'm having the same problem. Music and pictures work fine but with videos all I get on the HR is "Video xxxx can not be played successfully". On the Tversity side, I can see status messages indicating that streaming was started.


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## ssandhoops (Dec 2, 2007)

I've now got video working. If you have version 1.9 or 1.9.1 of Tversity, there is apparently an issue with DirecTV HR receivers. I rolled back to version 1.8 and video is now working. You can get version 1.8 here: http://cdn.download.tversity.com/TVersitySetup_1_8.exe


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

ssandhoops said:


> I've now got video working. If you have version 1.9 or 1.9.1 of Tversity, there is apparently an issue with DirecTV HR receivers. I rolled back to version 1.8 and video is now working. You can get version 1.8 here: http://cdn.download.tversity.com/TVersitySetup_1_8.exe


That's strange...because I have used v1.9..and all video playback works.

Here's what is new in the latest version...



> Remove the Ask toolbar and Babylon, in preparation for offering a TVersity toolbar for spontaneous subscription to web content (coming soon).
> Add some user contributed device profiles to profiles.xml.
> Transcoding of FLV with H264 is supported.
> Transcoding of videos in MPEG2 transport streams is supported.
> ...


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## ssandhoops (Dec 2, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> That's strange...because I have used v1.9..and all video playback works.


Got this from the TVersity Support Forum: 
We just made release 1.9.1 which fixes the "cannot write header" error. This is not expected however to fix the issues with the DIRECTV DVRs. There is fundamental issue there, we are talking to DIRECTV and hope it can be resolved soon.

So far DIRECTV suggested that people go to dbstalk or directv.com forums and complain. Please do so if you wish to see support for DIRECTV STBs restored in TVersity anytime soon.

Link to thread: http://forums.tversity.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=48667#p103813


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

ssandhoops said:


> Got this from the TVersity Support Forum:
> We just made release 1.9.1 which fixes the "cannot write header" error. This is not expected however to fix the issues with the DIRECTV DVRs. There is fundamental issue there, we are talking to DIRECTV and hope it can be resolved soon.
> 
> So far DIRECTV suggested that people go to dbstalk or directv.com forums and complain. Please do so if you wish to see support for DIRECTV STBs restored in TVersity anytime soon.
> ...


Interesting....I just ran 2 more videos after your post...using v1.91...and then ran fine. One on an HR21 and the other on an HR24.

That's not to say there aren't issues as they say...just that I haven't seen them (yet).


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

ssandhoops said:


> Got this from the TVersity Support Forum:
> We just made release 1.9.1 which fixes the "cannot write header" error. This is not expected however to fix the issues with the DIRECTV DVRs. There is fundamental issue there, we are talking to DIRECTV and hope it can be resolved soon.
> 
> So far DIRECTV suggested that people go to dbstalk or directv.com forums and complain. Please do so if you wish to see support for DIRECTV STBs restored in TVersity anytime soon.
> ...


Makes sense. I just realized that I coincidentally upgraded TVersity right after my HR got new software. Videos wouldn't stream anymore. I blamed the HR software...looks like it was TVersity's update that was the problem.

Ironically, I bought a LG-BD570 BluRay player yesterday that offers MUCH better streaming ability and control than a HR.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> Ironically, I bought a LG-BD570 BluRay player yesterday that offers MUCH better streaming ability and control than a HR.


Nice unit!

The only content I stream via TVersity here is local video files and YouTube content.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Nice unit!
> 
> The only content I stream via TVersity here is local video files and YouTube content.


Thanks, it's a slight upgrade from my LG-BD370. I stream a lot of TV shows from my PC I get from ummm "other"  sites in avi or mkv rather than getting the DVDs. Some examples are the entire series of "The Shield" and "Nip/Tuck." I also use it for AMC's Mad Men & Breaking Bad. Since my Netflix is only 2 at a time, I can use it to keep movies coming in and watch TV series at my pace.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

I've got version 1.9 and am trying some things, but if I can't get it working, I'll try version 1.8. Thanks for the tip.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Indiana627 said:


> I've got version 1.9 and am trying some things, but if I can't get it working, I'll try version 1.8. Thanks for the tip.


Version 1.8 has worked well for some time...so its a good "plan B".


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Indiana627 said:


> I've got version 1.9 and am trying some things, but if I can't get it working, I'll try version 1.8. Thanks for the tip.





hdtvfan0001 said:


> Version 1.8 has worked well for some time...so its a good "plan B".


Same here...1.8 was exceptional.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> That's strange...because I have used v1.9..and all video playback works.


What settings are you using? Just trying to figure out why mine won't work.

Specifically, under Transcoder Settings, what do you have it set as for the When to Transcode field? And what about the Windows Media Encoder field? Thanks.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

Here's a quote from July 16 in another thread I just found at the TVersity support forum:

"DIRECTV users should stick with V1.8, there is indeed a problem with V1.9 specifically for DIRECTV receivers. Here is a link for V1.8:

Free: http://cdn.download.tversity.com/TVersitySetup_1_8.exe

Pro: http://cdn.download.tversity.com/TVersi ... p_1_8b.exe

Sorry for the inconvenience."

This is from a site admin.

http://forums.tversity.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=48720#p103762


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Indiana627 said:


> Here's a quote from July 16 in another thread I just found at the TVersity support forum:
> 
> "DIRECTV users should stick with V1.8, there is indeed a problem with V1.9 specifically for DIRECTV receivers. Here is a link for V1.8:
> 
> ...


Note: some of those issues are specific to certain router equipment.

I have a full day today, so I can't run through the settings as requested...maybe tomorrow. I just wanted to respond to your request.

I just ran yet one more YouTube fine here with 1.91 BTW. That said, from what you have posted, it seems the prudent thing it to stick with 1.8 until those issues are addressed.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

Yup, installing 1.8 right now.


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## FlyingBoat (Jul 15, 2010)

I spent three days reading old threads about getting Tversity to work and wracking my brain, until I saw this thread. Got rid of 1.9, installed 1.8 and it works right out of the shute. Talk about driving you crazy.


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## bubbagumper6 (Aug 14, 2010)

I'm having similar problems...was trying to use 1.9 and was getting that error. Saw this thread and downgraded to 1.8 but now depending on what settings I use my videos either don't show up at all on my DVR (it says there's no videos in the "Video" section) or they show up with X's next to them (and I can't play them)


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## DJPellegrino (Nov 18, 2005)

I downgraded to 1.8, but kept the 1.4 codec pack. So far so good. Any reason why Mediashare will not show photos? TVersity shows them just fine. They are standard jpg files taken with my camera.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

Indiana627 said:


> (In case this helps, the Properties tab for the .avi files lists frame size as 720x480, *data rate 27781kbps*, frame rate 29 frames/second, audio bit rate as 1024kbps.)


The DVRs won't handle that high a bit rate. Something around 6000-7000 kbps is the maximum (it seems to vary).


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## jangelj (Jun 10, 2006)

man, this has been driving me crazy for a few weeks. I'll try the 1.8 version. Does 1.8 work OK with mkv files? Also, I am new to using mediashare, so a basic question:
It only streams to the HR-2x, right? That's why you can't ff or rw, only pause? I also have an older Tivo, and with that it actually stores the show on the device and, once transferred, acts like any other recorded show.
Thanks


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## mdwood (Feb 4, 2008)

My experience with TVersity has been to not install their codec pack and use the CCCP codec pack instead. Install order shouldn't matter, but I'd remove the TVersity pack first, reboot, then install CCCP.


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## jangelj (Jun 10, 2006)

mdwood said:


> My experience with TVersity has been to not install their codec pack and use the CCCP codec pack instead. Install order shouldn't matter, but I'd remove the TVersity pack first, reboot, then install CCCP.


thanks for this. tversity 1.9 does not work with the hr2x units. I downgraded to 1.8 then 1.7.x and still could not get it to work. finally uninstalled the tversity codec pack (from add/remove programs), rebooted, installed cccp, rebooted and can now transcode/stream avi and flv to my hr22.


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