Cannot play saved event

[username]

My system is Hikvision 7716ni-sp16 set to record motion events.
I want to save an event and have done that to a thumb drive, it created several .mp4 files of varying sizes.
On the web gui Camera Record Quality -> Mainstream H.264+ is NOT checked.

I've read here that vlc will read saved clips just fine but that is not my experience.
Using vlc under Linux, and also my son using vlc under Win10, the clip shows only the first frame, even though the progress bar proceeds to the end, only the starting frame is displayed.

We tried messing with the hikvision Format Converter 4.0 but have not been successful.

What do I need to do to view or convert these .mp4's so they are useable?

 

[username]

SOLVED.
Answering my own question for future users, it seems to be a common question on the web.
Using Win10, IE, I downloaded from Hikvision the vsplayer and installed it in Win10. That also installed the Format Converter 4 that I previously tried unsuccessfully to use.
In vsplayer, I opened a saved clip. It played just fine.
In the vsplayer toolbox, I chose Convert.
The dialog box presented me with a list, defaulting to HIK. I chose mp4, even though it already was an mp4 file.
The resulting converted file plays just fine in vlc on my linux machine and on a macbook using QT.
Don't know why using the stand alone convert didn't work but running it inside vsplayer did work.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Odd - providing the player, such as VLC, has an h.264 codec I've never had a need to convert files downloaded from a Hikvision NVR.
They've all worked just fine, under Windows and Linux.

 

[username]

In view of comments here I also thought it was odd. But Google has lots of complaints.
Anyway, I could upload one here if you wish to check it.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Or you could try one of mine:
192.168.1.210_04_20161231193340441.mp4

 

[username]

This plays in my firefox browser but I cannot download it and try to play it as a file in vlc

 

[alastairstevenson]

You don't have the download button top right of the screen?

 

[username]

The top right of the browser when I click on your file? When I click on that file it takes me to google drive.
Yes, it's there but it does nothing AFAIK. The screen flashes and that's it.
So then I signed into google and tried again, but it does not download to my computer. I even checked temp folders.
Maybe it is floating around out there in one of the google-land apps that I generally avoid.

 

[alastairstevenson]

It's just a Google Drive shareable link, it should be able to be downloaded logged in or not. A method I've used plenty of times on here.
Maybe someone else could check it.

 

[username]

On my son's win10 with Chrome it downloads, and the file plays in vlc. He was logged into Google and uses all their apps, etc.
Don't know if logging into google and using all their stuff has anything to do with it. I don't even know if I have activated google drive.
On my linux, with FF I cannot download it.

So your file plays on my son's computer using vlc.
My file does NOT play on my son's computer using vlc.

Tis a mystery. I'll fool with it some more later today. If I still can't play something I save, I'll zip it and post it here.

 

[alastairstevenson]

On my linux, with FF I cannot download it.

That's what I'm runnong also, Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon.
The file downloads OK for me just now.
Another mystery ...
By all means upload a sample.

 

[username]

I just checked saved clips on 3 of my other cameras and they all play correctly, without any conversion, as you pointed out.
I have not checked all my other cameras yet. Here is a clip that I just saved, it does not play beyond display of the first frame.
It should be about 30 seconds and a vehicle should pass through it.

 

[username]

Opps, I botched the attachment, now I see why you used google drive.
Deleted link that did not work.

 

[username]

trying link again
Edit: removed link

 

[username]

trying link again
Dropbox - ch08_20161228102443.mp4

This is strange. That file will not play on this computer. But using a different computer, clicking on that link, it will play.
But that file loaded directly onto the hard drive of the computer that plays from the link will not play from the hard drive.
Shrug - Lets hope for better things in the New Year.

 

[alastairstevenson]

There does seem to be something unusual about your sample file.
Under Win7, Windows Media Player plays it OK.
VLC (2.2.4) just shows a static frame near the beginning, though the progress bar moves.
Codec info shows 2 video streams - MPEG1/2 and h.264

Under Linux, Videos (3.10.1, gnome.org) plays it OK.
VLC (2.1.6) plays it OK, and codec info shows one video stream, h.264

 

[username]

Yes, this whole thing is odd. I have the same version VLC.
I have 10 cameras, I just finished captures on every one. 3 of the 10 respond as above, showing static 1st frame and progress bar but not advance of video.
I have not yet tested captures on a Macbook or Win. I'll use the word 'bad' here to mean capture problems, not implying the actual device is bad.
All cameras are set for event recording and all settings have been made from NVR.
I have just completed a comparison of camera GUI video settings. The only setting that stands out in comparison with working captures is the frame rate.
All good captures are using either 15 or 20 as a frame rate. The bad ones use 8 and 12 frame rates. This seems counter intuitive to me, I would think higher frame rates are more likely to be a problem.
All good cameras resolution are 1920x1080p but 2 bad ones are also 1080p and one bad on is a higher resolution. I have set them all the same.
1 bad camera has max bit rate 2048, lower than the rest which are 3790, incl 2 bad cameras. I will set them all to 3790 which is what all the good ones use. This is higher than the recommended rate shown on the screen for some of these camera. I don't understand why some camera will have different recommended rates when cameras are all same model.

In the past, after a power loss, when starting, including merely rebooting the NVR, some cameras would fail to record and I'd have to go through the local camera reset process, a big PITA since they all are out of normal reach and the process requires 2 persons, 1 to unplug cable for power cycling POE. I hope this is not what I have to do to make things work.

 

[username]

Solved, I hope...
At one time all settings were the same, used copy/paste to do it. No idea how they got changed but I must have done it.
Now the resolutions are all 1080p and frame rate 15 or higher.
VLC is now able to play clips from each camera the cover the time period after the change of settings.
I don't know if any one particular setting was the problem

 

[alastairstevenson]

Intriguing. But good that you now have some uniformity.
Time now to export the device configuration and save it in a safe location.

 

[username]

Yes, and I would never have ventured this far if it had not been for your feedback on my issue.
Thank you for the help.

As long as I have your eyeballs, in a Firmware thread yesterday you showed logging in to the busybox as root.
I was under the impression terminal was not available, or is it due to the hardware you are using.
I have the 7716ni-sp16.