Media files that dont play well.. How to resolve / report.

[PhatPhreddy]

Exactly, the same release group/person consistently encodes video that doesn't play. That suggests to me they're screwing it up. Speed over quality. They're using some 1-click app and getting bad results.

Consistently encodes video that doesn't play 'on boxee' !!

There's no issue for non boxee playback.

[mbryanr]

I've seen this as well with bad encodes from Sabnzbd sources, usually at a commercial break in my case (if not immediately). A quick run through mkvmerge usually detects an error. Playback is fine after that.

btw, that mkvmerge version is really old for a new download:
mkvmerge v4.0.0,

[PhatPhreddy]

What options / flags / syntax do you use with that tool to error check ??

[KevinSartori]

I'm with you PhatPhreddy, I also find it frustrating when I don't get audio for KYR releases on the Boxee Box.

For that last release, my fix was to extract the AC3 audio with MKVExtractGUI2, drop the AC3 into Freemake Audio Converter and convert it to MP3, and then to rebuild the MKV with MKVMerge by dropping in the original MKV, unchecking the original AC3 audio and adding and checking the new MP3 audio file. It took about 10 or 12 minutes total on my five-year-rig. Annoying to have to do, but at least I get audio and I don't have to waste bandwidth looking (and waiting) for another group's release.

I agree that it would be nice if the Boxee Box could handle these files as well as Media Player Classic does!

As far as your video stutter problems with SirPaul releases, I noticed that those are PAL framerate (25.000 fps). Maybe there is some incompatibility between the file, the Boxee Box and your display. In Settings --> General --> Display, how do you have Match screen refresh rate to video set? Checked or unchecked? Maybe try it the other way and see if that helps?