LG TV won't play movies from Synology NAS

stanleyo

Novice Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2021
Messages
16
Reaction score
1
Points
4
Age
50
Location
London
I've just got an LG TV (OLED 48" CX) and Synology NAS (220+). They are both connected to the router via ethernet. I've dumped a lot of movies onto the Synology in various formats - .avi, .mp4, .mkv, etc. I'm not using Plex or any other video streaming apps on the NAS.

The films play all fine on other devices - i.e. streamed to my MacBook or Samsung mobile. The NAS is recognised by the LG as a source and comes up as an input option. However if I try and play any movies (I've tried various formats) I get the error message "This file cannot be recognised. Returning to list".

I've also tried playing using the Synology DS Video app on my S10 as a controller. Again it sees the LV as a device and I can select it, but when I chose a film I get the same error message and the movie won't play

Anyone have an idea what the problem might be? I'm eager to watch some movies on my new OLED!
 
One reads that the media players built into TV tend not support as diverse a range of file formats as dedicated media streamers and software offerings such as you run on a PC. YOu might care to consult the manual for your TV and assess what it does support.

I suggest a strategy is to find a movie of a very basic and old file format - something like a DVD rip which will be mpeg2, upload that to you NAS and use that the test the basic connectivity of you network.

If that proves OK, then there's little alternative than to either convert all you media from files your TV does not like to ones it does, use something like PLex which can do it is real time (though would prefer not to as it requires a really powerful NAS) or get hold of a separate media streamer with better format support (and preferably something upgrade able as new formats emerge) though of course, that's an extra box and extra cost. Maybe the TV vendor has a software upgrade, but I wouldn't hold out much hope of that ongoing.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, prove the basic capability first with some "bog standard" file format like mpeg2 which has been around for years and is widely supported.
 
Thanks mick. Unfortunately out of my hundreds of video files not a single one is mpeg2 so I can't test that. It seems weird that a new top-end TV wouldn't play any of my 6 file types.
I think the Synology is reasonably powerful so should be able to handle any processing that's required if that's necessary.
 
You could also try loading a DLNA server on your Synology if you don’t want to use PLEX
 
Have a look around online - there will be plenty of test pattern files you could download if you don't have a DVD handy to rip.
 
You could also try loading a DLNA server on your Synology if you don’t want to use PLEX
I'm running the Synology Media Server. I think that's a DLNA server? All the files have been indexed and as I say are playable on other devices.
 
Try a mp4 movie file
 
So far tried avi, mp4, mkv and other formats without luck. While fiddling around I've also tried viewing photographs and playing music from the Synology. All the same result - the files are seen but none will load, so I'm pretty sure it's not a format issue.
 
mkv files are a bit of an odd fish in that mkv is a "container" not format: MKV has been designed so that it can wrap itself around pretty much any A/V format. But it does not change "format" of the content.

By way of a metaphor, if someone gives me a present wrapped in green wrapping paper and I unwrap it and re-wrap it in red paper, the "content" has not changed, just the wrapper.

So if I had a (I dunno) WMV file my streamer won't play and convert it to an MKV file, my streamer still won't play it because it's still WMV inside and my player doesn't like it.

Thusly, mkv is not a very good test subject because it could literally be anything inside and the ability to play one mkv file does not infer the ability to play any mkv file - it depends on the format of the content.

Similarly formats such as mp4 have lots of "variation" of content (not just things like aspect ratio of pixel counts, but there's thing like "levels" - sort of "profiles" if you will) that again mean that just because something can play one mp4 file, it does not imply it can play all. If you read Wiki's articles on the details of various file formats, it can set your head spinning!

If your TV can play from an attached device such as a USB stick, that's a good strategy for finding a test subject that's "known good." If it'll play from USB, you know the TV is OK with the file, thence you can infer there's some issue with the network transport or (more likely) the way the NAs is hosting serving if the same file doesn't work over the network.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the reply, mick. Just back from work & done some testing. Certain files that won't play streaming from the NAS will play from a USB stick (avi in particular), others won't. The puzzle deepens!
 
Strange, I can stream mkv etc from my Synology NAS to my LG OLED 65B8
 
Yes - strange indeed. I'm running out of ideas. I was so excited to get this all working and I'm at a dead end. It's so nearly there - the LG sees the NAS, the directories inside and even the file titles but just can't play a single one of any format - movie, photo, audio.
 
Sounds like you might have a permissions issue (on the NAS) - I don't know the details of it works on that particular NAS, but check out something that works and compare with something that does not.

The key with diagnosing a lot of IT problems is to be methodical and only change one thing at a time until establishing what is culpable.
 
Hi mick! Yes, I'm following that line up on a Synology support forum. Any idea about software update? Is 03.11.30 really the latest version for the CX?
If there was a way of checking the network speed from the modem to the LG that would at least rule something out. I'm on cable at 100 mbps so there shouldn't be any issues in that respect.
 
Often times when people say "upgrade the software/firmware" it's an indicator they are guessing and hoping for the best in the absence of any other ideas. It's something of an Internet Myth that "upgrade the software/firmware/drivers fixes all ills." Unless we know for sure that the something in the upgrade package addresses the problem, then avoid it. The trouble is, the upgrade almost always introduces a whole load of other changes which might have unforeseen consequence and in exremis could even make things worse. There's an old IT joke that the definition of "upgrade" is "taking the old bugs out and putting new ones in."

The speed of your Internet link has no bearing on the speed of any local links. The two are unrelated. The only time your Internet speed would be relevant is if you are streaming something from the Internet (Youtube, iPlater, Netflix, etc. etc.) if your TV can do that.
 
True enough. It was just confusing that sometimes an update would show as being available and then stalled when trying.

As you say, the NAS issue is a LAN problem, but is it an LG, Synology or router issue?
 
Well, an update! It was some sort of network connection issue after all - both LAN and internet. Running out of ideas, I removed the ethernet cable and - l and behold - everything works fine over wifi. Files from the Synology play (LAN) and I was able to install the software update on the LG (internet).

So I presume it was either a dodgy ethernet cable, a dodgy switch it was connected via, or some sort of router/modem issue. I can test those independently until I eliminate the problem.

In the meantime, I can watch my movies. BTW they look great on the OLED!

Thanks for all the help and suggestions!
 
By any chance did you have both Wifi and Wired Ethernet connections active at the same time? Typically I configure my equipment to only use one connection at a time with a wired connection having priority. I have found that some products do not like having both connections active at the same time.
 
By any chance did you have both Wifi and Wired Ethernet connections active at the same time? Typically I configure my equipment to only use one connection at a time with a wired connection having priority. I have found that some products do not like having both connections active at the same time.
I started off using only ethernet. When that didn't work I also connected wi-fi (so they were both showing as being connected).

When THAT didn't work I disconnected the ethernet cable and now it's working well on wi-fi only.
 
sorry if I missed something why can't you use plex. ?
Plex would be a good solution as it's available on the Synology NAS and LG apps
 
Have you got a Plex account. Get one online. Then search for the Plex app on the TV. You should set the movies up to to wherever they are on you Nas. This will be A Plex client.

Install a Plex server from the synology package centre.
You can setup Plex browsing to the folders where your movies are.
You need the Plex server.
 
Having same issue from what I have found online is its the settings for the mp4 such as bitrate, audio setting etc, I'm currently having the issue myself and trying to convert the file using different setting for the mp4
 
Having same issue from what I have found online is its the settings for the mp4 such as bitrate, audio setting etc, I'm currently having the issue myself and trying to convert the file using different setting for the mp4
OP has resolved their issue. You might want to start a new thread. Include TV make and model, NAS details, network connections. What problem you are having.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom