Pixelated playback and progress bar missing during playback

[proost 0]

Hello everyone-

I a having a strange issue, everything I try to play in WNC has been playing pixelated, a slight audio discrepency and I do not have a functioning progress bar. I have the exact same issue two machines running similar setups. I have tried several different file types(.mp4, .mkv, and .avi) and they are all having issues. I tried playing the files in VLC and MPC to eliminate a network or server speed issue and they play without issue. These machines have been running successfully for 2 years with only updates and an upgrade to MB3 and unfortunately I cannot pinpoint exactly when it started happening. My wife mentioned it, and that is never a good thing. She thinks it started after one of the many MB classic updates. Any ideas?

Here are some details for both "client machines":
7 MC - fully updated
Media browser classic 3
Shark007 advanced codecs (32 & 64 bit) - just installed current version set to Shark007 recommended settings

Server machine (plays files fine):
7 MC - fully updated
MB 3 server and MB classic 3
Shark007 Advanced codecs (32 & 64 bit)

 

Thank you in advance for your help!

[Tikuf 663]

Debug server Logs please

It sounds like it is transcoding to a low bitrate. Are you using unc paths and are the permissions set correctly on the paths?

[ebr 14905]

And an MBC log.  I think tikuf is right - sounds like you didn't define the library in a way that the MBC machine can access it so it is transcoding.  A log will tell us.

[proost 0]

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Atahced is the MBC log. Have to wait for the wife to go to sleep to get the server log....

MBC log.txt

[Tikuf 663]

2014-04-01 08:15:29.6513,Warning,,Unable to directly access E:\Adult TV Shows\The Blacklist\Season 1\The.Blacklist.S01E18.HDTV.x264-LOL.[VTV].mp4.  Attempting to stream.,1,Application
2014-04-01 08:15:29.7383,Info,,Unable to access E:\Adult TV Shows\The Blacklist\Season 1\The.Blacklist.S01E18.HDTV.x264-LOL.[VTV].mp4.  Will try to stream.,50,Worker thread for Play Action

In your mbc log pretty much confirms that it is streaming not direct playing

[proost 0]

So is the solution UNC paths? or is this a permissions issue?

 

I tried setting up UNC paths when I first migrated to MB3, but could not get it working.

 

Why does MB3 need UNC paths and have these permissions issues where MB2 did not?

Edited April 2, 2014 by proost

[Luke 37025]

You don't have to change your library setup. You could also just use the path substitution feature location in the same area of the dashboard. it will translate the E:\ to your network path \\server\xxx

[proost 0]

Thank you! I found the UNC paths per the tutorial and inserted them using the path susbstitution feature and this time it worked.

 

All is well for the time being.

[ebr 14905]

Why does MB3 need UNC paths and have these permissions issues where MB2 did not?

 

MB2 had the exact same requirement.  It is just that it was all on one machine so you wouldn't even see your items if you didn't define them in a way the machine with the client could access them.