We’ve successfully created and customized a channel and can stream content using the example players.
We are using Macs and iMovie’s native format is MOV. We’d really like to stream MOV files, rather than converting to MP4.
Does ROKU support streaming MOV format? If so, what are the exact settings in the sample video player code that would allow one to do this? I’ve tried changing the filetype to MOV, but it’s not working.
Anybody help me on this?
Thanks!
According to the SDK documentation .mov files are supported. Check out Section 3.1 of the RokuDvp-DeveloperGuide.pdf for the particulars on the required encoding settings.
According to the docs it supports .mov, but remember that is just a container. The content still needs to be H.264
it can and does (it’s what we’re using)
Thanks everyone… I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. You guys gave me hope to press on!
However.. my HD quality MOV (1280x720) file stops and stutters every 4 secs or so and another little piece streams in. Very annoying. My 960x540 plays smoothly. I tried messing with the bitrate setting, but no luck. Any suggestions on how to get it to pull in the content fast enough to keep up with the player? I’m on a 20mbps fiber network using ethernet cable…
Thanks again!
“Lionheart” wrote:
Thanks everyone… I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. You guys gave me hope to press on!However.. my HD quality MOV (1280x720) file stops and stutters every 4 secs or so and another little piece streams in. Very annoying. My 960x540 plays smoothly. I tried messing with the bitrate setting, but no luck. Any suggestions on how to get it to pull in the content fast enough to keep up with the player? I’m on a 20mbps fiber network using ethernet cable…
Thanks again!
Which codec are you using to create the HD .mov files?
“bbefilms” wrote:
Which codec are you using to create the HD .mov files?
H.264, AAC
How do I find the proper bitrate setting to plug into the simple player code… or does this make any difference? The default is only 1500. I’ve tried various settings but doesn’t help.
Thanks again!
If you run mp4info on the fiile, you can get the average bitrate for the audio and video… Add these two together and set the StreamBitRates to the sum.
–Kevin
“Lionheart” wrote:
“bbefilms” wrote:
Which codec are you using to create the HD .mov files?
H.264, AAC
How do I find the proper bitrate setting to plug into the simple player code… or does this make any difference? The default is only 1500. I’ve tried various settings but doesn’t help.
My experience has been that 720P HD material produced with the Apple H264 codec doesn’t run properly in the Roku player without constant rebuffering, no matter how you specify the bitrates. We downloaded and installed the free x264 codec and used that for all conversions with Compressor (or however you’re making your .mov’s) and our problems went away. Would strongly advise using this codec if you aren’t already.
“RokuKevin” wrote:
If you run mp4info on the fiile, you can get the average bitrate for the audio and video… Add these two together and set the StreamBitRates to the sum.–Kevin
Oh! Really?! I’ve just been setting it to the rate of the video. I suppose at lower bitrates it would make more of a difference than at higher rates.
“bbefilms” wrote:
“Lionheart” wrote:
“bbefilms” wrote:
Which codec are you using to create the HD .mov files?
H.264, AAC
How do I find the proper bitrate setting to plug into the simple player code… or does this make any difference? The default is only 1500. I’ve tried various settings but doesn’t help.
My experience has been that 720P HD material produced with the Apple H264 codec doesn’t run properly in the Roku player without constant rebuffering, no matter how you specify the bitrates. We downloaded and installed the free x264 codec and used that for all conversions with Compressor (or however you’re making your .mov’s) and our problems went away. Would strongly advise using this codec if you aren’t already.
Thanks a million. I’ve installed this and tried exporting in iMovie with this codec, settings in the attached PNG.
I’d sure like to get HD running. If anybody has a method that works in iMovie 09 and wants to share specifics, I’d be very appreciative. I have to be doing something wrong here.
For the benefit of others, here’s where I found the x.264 codec for OSX:
http://mac-free.com/download/x264-QuickTime-Codec.html
Thanks again!
[upload|PiOtV+LehinRYxviVmTh3g==]
Lionheart, I’m not very familiar with iMovie, but I’m suspicious about the audio setting. Does “Integer (Little Endian)” mean that it’s encoding audio in PCM? That won’t work, it should be AAC.
–Mark
“RokuMarkn” wrote:
That won’t work, it should be AAC.
Ditto what Mark says; it needs to be set to AAC otherwise it won’t play.
Does the DVP support a video bitrate that high? I thought something like 3200 was the max?
“philsoft” wrote:
Does the DVP support a video bitrate that high? I thought something like 3200 was the max?
Good point, that’s about twice as high as my max bitrate, but that’s mostly constrained by concern about end-users bandwidth (be sure to follow the dev guide regarding av/max bitrates etc. when testing this out). When Roku switches on 1080P in the player which they’ll presumably be doing for the Netflix 1080P content later this year the bitrates will need to go appreciably higher.
I’m back to working on our project, and still having troubles with stuttering streams. Per your recommendations, I have installed the x.264 codec and have a huge array of settings. Can anyone share specifics on the optimal settings for encoding a 720p clip using this codec?
Thanks in advance!
Update: Have the buffering issue resolved by using x.264. Would still love to hear any suggestions on optimal settings if anybody minds sharing.
