Is there a way for ffdshow to work in conjunction with Pogoplug Pro? I know that Tversity encodes on the go very well with it. That may be a solution for the long encoding time.
Pogoplug Media Streaming & Video Transcoding FAQ
Categories: Pogoplug Hardware
Sound too good to be true? It's not - media streaming to your XBOX360, PlayStation 3, Seagate FreeAgent is here - and it's awesome. Of course, you can also stream media to a variety of mobile devices and computers, but there's a few things you should know first. Consult this handy FAQ with a variety of tutorials and information to help you get started.
Table of Contents
- How to Enable Media Streaming
- Testing Console Streaming
- Supported Console Streaming Formats
- Adjusting Encoding Settings
- What is media meta-data?
- What is the media process queue and what does it do?
- Introduction to Video Transcoding
- Detailed Video Transcoding Frequently Asked Questions
First, you'll need to enable the setting in the Pogoplug setup screen. Head over to My.Pogoplug.com, log in, and click the "Settings" button in the upper right hand corner.
Once there, click on the "Media Settings" tab on the left hand side. You'll see an option at the top specifically for XBOX360 and PS3 - click the check box to enable it.
Testing Console Streaming
YES! We're there. Power up your 360 or PS3, and the Pogoplug should be visible in your media browser. I tested on an XBOX 360.
Without any additional effort, my Pogoplug was immediately visible in the list of network attached devices, as my XBOX360 lives on my local LAN.
Viewing photos is a breeze. In my case, the XBOX360 was able to sort based on the already present sorting in my Pogoplug, making it easy to find the photos I wanted to see.
Streaming music was similarly smooth. My console detected all of the music files present on my Pogoplug, sorting them by album, artist, etc. Playback executed without a hitch. Note that the music playable by your console is limited to what the unit is capable of - for example, I doubt that XBOX360 supports Ogg Vorbis. The console decides what it can play, rather than the Pogoplug - meaning that what streams on your 'Plug in the web interface might not stream on the console.
This is similarly true for digital videos. Fortunately, I had already pre-encoded my shows/podcasts/etc. into a standard MP4/H.264 format, so the XBOX360 picked it up just fine. Videos transcoded by the Pogoplug should play fine on your console as well. I tested hour-long recorded television shows as well as movies, and all streamed smoothly and jitter-free.
Supported Console Streaming Formats
Click on the links below to learn which formats can be streamed to which device:
Preview Generation and Adjusting Encoding Settings
You have the choice, assuming you want to stream video to your console, to either allow Pogoplug to transcode the whole video, a preview of the video, or not transcode at all.
To change how this works, simply click on the Settings tab => Media Settings.
You will see options shown like the ones above. Change the indicated option from "auto-generate preview" to either full transcode, or disabled.
Note that if you do not transcode your videos, they will work on your console (assuming it's a format the console supports) but will not work in Pogoplug's web interface.
What is media meta-data? (A.K.A. "Why am I not seeing my music sorted by artist/album/etc.?)
In short, this is "data on data," in this case, thumbnails for your videos and album art. This is required for several reasons. First, if you like to see your album art, you will need to enable this feature. Second, it is required for filters - e.g., Album, Artist, etc., to function properly when browsing the media on your Pogoplug. This setting can be enabled in Media Settings as shown above.
What is the media process queue and what does it do?
You may have noticed this box in your media settings tab on your Pogoplug. It serves several functions.
- It will automatically scan a drive when it is first plugged in. This process is necessary to index the drive, and if the process is halted, neither filters nor searching will function correctly.
- It can be used to perform a re-scan, in the event that you add a new drive, or stopped the indexing process previously.
- It can show you which movies that are present on your drive need to be transcoded for playback.
Introduction to Video Transcoding
In a nutshell, the Pogoplug itself, as well as media devices that it connects to, may not support the format your videos are in for playback. You may know that there are several various formats out there, some of which are pretty obscure or, at the very least, not as common in mainstream use.
If your videos are in a format that your Pogoplug or Pogoplug connected devices cannot stream, you'll need to know about transcoding.
Transcoding Frequently Asked Questions
- What is transcoding?
- Why do I need to do this?
- How to I set the Pogoplug to automatically transcode videos for me?
- My videos are taking a long time to transcode...
- Can I transcode videos on my own?
- If I am transcoding videos on my own, what format should I use?
- Do I need to transcode videos for viewing on XBOX 360 or Sony Playstation 3?
- Can I transcode videos individually?
What is transcoding?
Transcoding will take a video file and convert it into a format friendly to Pogoplug and the mobile clients/web interfaces that it uses.
Why do I need to do this?
Videos need to be transcoded so they can be streamed properly and consistently by the Pogoplug service.
How do I set the Pogoplug to automatically transcode videos for me?
Head to your My.Pogoplug web client, then Settings => Media Settings. Then, select the Pogoplug device/HDD you wish to modify settings for in the drop down box.
You can select "auto-generate full transcode" which will transcode all videos on all connected devices, or "auto-generate preview" which will generate 10 second previews of your videos, and a full transcode when you attempt to access individual videos.
Make sure that you apply settings before leaving this screen!
My videos are taking a long time to transcode...
Remember, video transcoding is a very complicated process and can take a long time, depending on the format and size of the video - even for a powerful PC. The Pogoplug is in itself an embedded computer, but utilizes a low-power, efficient micro-processor. It's more than capable of processing video, but will take much longer than a dedicated, powerful PC.
Can I transcode videos on my own?
Yes, you can. First, you will need to set auto-transcoding to "never" in the Settings => Media Settings screen. This step is very important.
Then, you can use your program of choice to use a dedicated PC to transcode the videos before you copy them to your Pogoplug connected drive. HandBrake is a popular program to use to do this, but there are many options.
If I am transcoding videos on my own, what format should I use?
Standard MP4 format utilizing H.264 encoding is the recommended format. Some users have reported excellent luck with clicking the "Web Optimized" format in HandBrake.
Do I need to transcode videos for viewing on XBOX 360 or Sony Playstation 3?
No. uPnP clients streaming media from the Pogoplug only need the video to be in a format that it can understand. PS3 and XBOX360 can understand many different formats. If the video you are storing on your Pogoplug is not in a format that is compatible with either of those systems, then it won't stream properly, however.
Also note that this setting must be enabled in the Media Settings panel to work - see the table of contents.
Can I use Pogoplug to transcode videos individually?
Yes. Turn auto-transcoding off, then click on the "Show movies that have not been optimized for playback" link shown, in the Media Settings menu. You can select the videos you want, then click "Start Full Transcode." The videos will begin transcoding and the progress will be displayed in the Media Settings menu.
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December 12, 2010 1:39 PM
December 22, 2010 2:35 AM
1. Where will the transcoded files stored? Same directory as original?
2. Once transcoded there will be 2 copies of the video? (one original format and the other is transcoded like MP4?)
3. If #2 is true then I would need to leave space on the drive, correct?
December 22, 2010 8:09 AM
Cuong,
1. You can store the transcoded files wherever you want. If you want them in the same directory then they can be there. I usually set up another folder within the folder i got the old file from called "NAME transcoded"
2. Yes, there will be two copies. The original file will be in the original folder, and the new file will be where ever you told the transcoder to send it.
3. You would need to leave space on the drive the file is being sent to. A mkv of 119MB will transcode into a MP4 of 214MB using the recommended settings above. Just for an idea of how much space you will need.
December 26, 2010 2:00 PM
Where do the files go when Pogoplug does the transcoding? (As in "Start Full Transcode"?)
I presume the video is encoded as H.264, but at what data rate? Do I need a T1 line to serve video outside my LAN?
December 31, 2010 6:14 AM
How do you tell pogoplug where to save the transcoded files? Where is the setting for that?
December 31, 2010 1:56 PM
Tsmosca: There is a folder saved in the main drive folder (cant remember the name off hand but im sure u can find it in the forums if you search) that contains the transcoded file. I dont know why they did it that way. When i was reading about it in the forums a while back someone said it would end up making a couple coppies. I havent looked into it that much because i use handbreak instead of the Plug's built in transcoder.
Jrockstyle: There is no way that i know of to tell the Plug where to save your transcoded file somewhere besides the standard file in the root file the drive is on. In my post above i was referring to the functionality of handbreak. When using handbreak it asks you where you want to save the transcoded file. Handbreak is free and easy to use. And if you want your transcoding to go faster then use your computers CPU to transcode with handbreak instead of the Plug's CPU with its built in transcoder.
January 7, 2011 12:53 AM
If a user set auto-transcoding to "never" in the Settings, how will mkv video stream? What steps can be taken to avoid transcoding (2 copies of a video)?
January 20, 2011 7:00 PM
There is no way to choose where to put the transcoded file. Pogoplug puts the file into a hidden folder called .cedata that is located at the root of your drive.
As SlowAssNinja stated, you do need extra room on your drive to allow for the transcoded files. However, the transcoded files are small (how small compared to the original depends on the quality of the original).
If you set auto-transcoding to "never" in Media Settings, transcodes will not be generated for any videos on that drive. As long as the video is a mime type and codec that Pogoplug supports, the video will stream in its original format. How well it streams depends on the speed of your connection, whether or not you are local, and how much bandwidth your video eats up. Local connections running gigabit ethernet, for example, should have no problem playing supported high quality videos in their original format.
February 4, 2011 1:41 PM
updated: February 15, 2011 3:58 AM
hello everybody, is there a way to configure pogoplug in Buzz Player HD for ipad?
update:
hello all,
i finally got my pogoplug to make friends with my ipad through buzz player.
you can access your pogoplug through the built-in browser in buzz player, through the normal my.pogoplug.com access.
make sure that you security https settings are off, buzz player does not like it.
then click on download your desired file and the player will prompt you to "dismiss", "download" and "play". click play and your router will (should) route you through your local network, and it works pretty well. (you will see that files is located at http:yourpogoplugip:port/XXXXXX). no need to transcode any files.
hope this helps.
fyi, the upnp never worked. all files were renamed (movie.avi.blahblahblah), and were not recognized with buzz player.
March 11, 2011 1:44 PM
when i bought my pogoplug i was able to watch full length movies on my portable device. four days later i was only able to watch 10 sec of any movie i played. the only answer i got to fix this problem was to change my settings to auto full gen. after doing that it still did not work. does anyone have an answer to this question
March 21, 2011 11:30 AM
popo said: when i bought my pogoplug i was able to watch full length movies on my portable device. four days later i was only able to watch 10 sec of any movie i played. the only answer i got to fix this problem was to change my settings to auto full gen. after doing that it still did not work. does anyone have an answer to this question
The same thing has happened to me. Did you figure out a solution?
I was able to stream without any issues for around a month and then just the other day everything is stopping around the 10 second mark. Music still works just fine... just movies/ movie files.
March 21, 2011 12:56 PM
It sounds like you have generated 10 second previews for your movies, and those previews are being used when you choose to view a movie. There are two things you can do to change this:
If you want to transcode your movies:
1) Go to Settings -> Media Settings
2) Select your Pogoplug device from the dropdown menu
3) Set Optimize movies for playback to Auto-generate Full Transode
4) Click Apply Below Changes
5) Click re-scan for that device
This will kick off Full Transcodes for all of your movies. When the transcodes complete, you will be able to watch all of your movies in their entirety.
If you do not want to transcode your movies:
1) Go to Settings -> Media Settings
2) Select your Pogoplug device from the dropdown menu
3) Set Optimize movies for playback to Never
4) Click Apply Below Changes
This will allow you to watch all movies in their original format in their entirety.
June 22, 2011 12:07 PM
Is there a way to limit to certain directories what video files will be presented to the console for streaming?
July 9, 2011 8:44 PM
I also have the problem that only 10 seconds of movies will play.
Regarding the comment by Nicky Pogo that said:
----
If you want to transcode your movies:
1) Go to Settings -> Media Settings
2) Select your Pogoplug device from the dropdown menu
3) Set Optimize movies for playback to Auto-generate Full Transode
4) Click Apply Below Changes
5) Click re-scan for that device
----
On my Pogoplug I have an option of: 'Optimize your videos for playback" and this can only be set to Always, Never, or On Demand.
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July 9, 2011 10:38 PM
Nicky's reply was before the latest web software came out. It has changed since then.
If you change it to 'Always' it will transcode all your videos and allow you to view the complete video.
If you have a lot of videos it does take some time (maybe days) to convert them all.
One way to get around this is to use the Pogoplug software on your computer and setup the folders you want to access. Then use your regular video player to watch them instead of the website.
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July 11, 2011 3:45 PM
Thanks, Brandon. That's correct.
@Jacobrale, at this time there is not way to set only specific directories to automatically transcode -- the selection applies to all drives on a Pogoplug device. However, selecting the On Deman option keeps all videos from transcoding until you choose to do so when viewing a video for the first time. That means you can individually choose which videos you want to transcode, and which you do not.
-Nick
August 25, 2011 11:16 PM
@nick
you said to set up the videos to transcode " on demand " can you please explain how this is done i have 633gb of files and i only want a few to be playable on my ipod i go to most of them and dont get the option and when i do get the option NOTHING HAPPENS i seclect to transcode then i go to media settings to see the progress and it doesnt show up.
August 26, 2011 12:03 PM
@helpme
1) Log into your account at my.pogoplug.com
2) Go to Settings -> Media Settings
3) From the dropdown menu, select the Pogoplug device from which you want to stream videos
4) Set Optimize your videos for playback to "On Demand"
5) Click Apply Changes (if you forget this step, your changes will be discarded)
6) Click Return to Library
7) Navigate to the file you want to optimize and click on it
8) Select Prepare and Watch video
This will kick off the transcode for the video you want to watch and take you to a screen which will show you the transcode progress. You can leave this screen to do other things if you wish, and if you want to later check on the transcode progress, you can go to Settings -> Media Settings and select your Pogoplug device from the dropdown menu.
When it is complete it will be optimized for playback.
-Nick
August 27, 2011 2:20 AM
Nicky Pogo said: @helpme 1) Log into your account at my.pogoplug.com 2) Go to Settings -> Media Settings 3) From the dropdown menu, select the Pogoplug device from which you want to stream videos 4) Set Optimize your videos for playback to "On Demand" 5) Click Apply Changes (if you forget this step, your changes will be discarded) 6) Click Return to Library 7) Navigate to the file you want to optimize and click on it 8) Select Prepare and Watch video This will kick off the transcode for the video you want to watch and take you to a screen which will show you the transcode progress. You can leave this screen to do other things if you wish, and if you want to later check on the transcode progress, you can go to Settings -> Media Settings and select your Pogoplug device from the dropdown menu. When it is complete it will be optimized for playback. -Nick@nick thanks for the fast reply. i have all done all these things. but most of my files are .avi if i go to cinema and click on a file nothing happens. if i go my device and then go to a .mpeg4 file it will transcode ( but this is useless as these file will play anyway) i cant get any .avi file to transcode. whats worse is the mpeg4 files say they are transcodeing but when i go to media settings to check the process there is nothing going on. if i go to my ipod and tell it to optimize a video it tells me it has started the process and to go to settings- media settings and there i can see the process... again i go there and look and there is nothing.. i click rescan and still nothing.. i dont get what i am doing wrong. .. again please help
October 5, 2011 2:20 PM
From web access, is there anyway to see the hidden folder where these optimized conversions are stored and the big question I have is this: Is there anyway to delete these pogoplug generated conversion files once I am done watching the movie so they aren't taking up space on the hard drive?
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