play mp4 files on a blu-ray player

[jjmartin]

I have a lot of mp4 HD videos that I currently play on my computer using VLC. My video card outputs video and audio through its HDMI port, so I watch them on my HDTV. But VLC does not have very good way to reverse, slow, or step a frame at a time.
I see a lot of Bluray players will play mp4 files.
If I get a Bluray player and connect the computer to the USB input, will I be able to use the Bluray player remote to pause, slow, or reverse the video?
If it won't do it via the USB port, will it do it if the mp4 files are on a DVD?
My DVD player will play mp2 files on a data DVD and all the fast/slow forward/reverse buttons work.
I'd be willing to copy my mp4 files to a rewritable DVD just to be able to back up a few seconds when I see or hear something I want to examine closer. It would be easiest if I didn't have to, and could do it if it was connected to the player by USB or ethernet.

 

[mbreslin1954]

I don't know if a blu-ray player will play video through a USB port, but they should through the HDMI. I suspect that the HDMI port on any blu-ray player is for output only, so I think the only way this will work is if you burn your video to a blank disc and play it through the blu-ray player (I assume you have HD videos, either 1080p or 720p). I tried it with one video I took with my camera, at 720p, used Hand Brake to make it into an H.264 mp4 file, then used a disc authoring program, CyberPower DVD10, to author and burn a blu-ray. It played, but the video stuttered badly, and after burning three expensive blu-ray discs I gave up. If the discs were 50 cents apiece I would have continued working on it, but I think I paid like $4 per disc, and it was running into too much money.

But I suspect that's what you'll have to do, run blu-ray authoring software to burn an official blu-ray disk, put it in your player, and then use the player's controls.

 

[jjmartin]

It's interesting that you were able to play mp4 video but it stuttered.
If I just put an mp4 file on a data DVD it might play ok (my DVD player will play MP2 files on a DVD ok), guess I can take a disk into the store to try.
Some BR players can accept input via USB, ethernet, or wifi, but whether they would be able to pause/rewind/fast forward is unknown. I don't know what software I'd need to send a video over ethernet or wifi, but I saw mention of a free "server" program that someone used for this purpose.
Ill see what replies I get over the next few weeks.

 

[mbreslin1954]

That's a good point you raised. My Blu-ray player has a menu, items like Disc Tray, Netflix (I use this menu choice to watch streaming Netflix), Blockbuster, and one of them is "Home Network". I've never used it, I always use a laptop which feeds right into my receiver and then projector, but I bet if I used the Blu-ray player to select Home Network, I could direct it to a computer on my home network and access a file share, and then use it to grab an mp4 video file. I didn't try that previously because I was trying to put my home video on a blu-ray disk for a friend, but for you I bet it would work. You'd just have to buy a blu-ray player that does Home Network, I'm sure most do. If for some reason you can't get it to work, just box it up and return it.

I'll go give mine a try and let you know if it works.

Edit: It won't play either M4V or MP4 files from a computer. I'll see if it plays .wtv files from Windows Media Player.

Edit: It won't play any of the three file types above. I have no idea what file types my blu-ray player will play, and at this point I don't care.

 

[shakes82]

I have a lot of mp4 HD videos that I currently play on my computer using VLC. My video card outputs video and audio through its HDMI port, so I watch them on my HDTV. But VLC does not have very good way to reverse, slow, or step a frame at a time.
I see a lot of Bluray players will play mp4 files.
If I get a Bluray player and connect the computer to the USB input, will I be able to use the Bluray player remote to pause, slow, or reverse the video?
If it won't do it via the USB port, will it do it if the mp4 files are on a DVD?
My DVD player will play mp2 files on a data DVD and all the fast/slow forward/reverse buttons work.
I'd be willing to copy my mp4 files to a rewritable DVD just to be able to back up a few seconds when I see or hear something I want to examine closer. It would be easiest if I didn't have to, and could do it if it was connected to the player by USB or ethernet.

 

[shakes82]

Yes, you can use the usb port to watch movies, as long as it is a newer networked blu ray. my only problem has been trying to figure out why all my dvd-r 's keep pausing every few sec's so i hooked up my externel hard drive with all my movies and im still having the same prob.....