N900..this is a brick
 

i cant play streaming videos from online...which is the most basic task a 'mobile computer' should do for 600$

everytime i get the msg that file/media not supported...but why is it not supported???

also, everything about n900 seems like a jargon now....with technical words being thrown around as answers and the bottomline in all answers is u have to be a rocketscientist to operate this phone...which shouldnt be the case

i paid for convenience and asking for online streaming movies to be played out of the box doesnt seem unreasonable to me...

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

can you please give examples of which sites don't work?
also are you trying to play them in the browser, or in the media player?
there are addon codecs in the application manager for the media player, try them.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

so I should be able to play every single video from internet if I buy $2000 computer straight out of the box?

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

bhailog - you can't just buy something with an arbitrary requirement ("should play video xyz from website abc") and then be disappointed when it isn't met.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Did you test you could play said file in the shop you bought the N900 from before you handed over all that cash?

If not, mea culpa.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Thats actually a good point to make! My PC and Mac both needed codecs to play just about anything.

There are codecs in the repos that you can download, as someone already said, try them see if it works.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

What format did you try to play? Did you enable the Extras repository (http://wiki.maemo.org/Extras) and install Extra Decoders Support? Is it any one of these formats: ".mp4, .avi, .wmv, .3gp; codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263."[1]

Be glad I didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed today. If you want help, you'll need to be a bit more professional about it and be a bit more specific on what videos are not streaming. If something doesn't suit your needs, sell it and find an alternative that does.

[1] http://maemo.nokia.com/n900/specifications/

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Also, "technical jargon"... wtf?

This is a linux computer - what did you expect? If you are not comfortable with a command line, installing and updating packages and having to tweak seetings and files to get it to do what you want it to do, then I second the above post, sell it and buy something simple.

If I was a cynic, I would say all these negative threads are started by Apple employees...

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

simply solution is to sell it and get your self an iPhone, it got an app for everything you need, 99% of them are useless and repeatitive. This is linux, not some thing that a user like you can appreciate the customisation from commandline level. Go to school and learn more about computer before spitting shiit about Linux capabilities.

I am not flaming you but your behaviour is unacceptable, if you want help here then asking politely, we are not your slave who'd do as you telling us to do.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

While everyone else seems to be attacking your expectations, I will confirm that even with the codec pack, the N900 doesn't seem to be playing anything much that I toss at it. Infact, the N810 had a much better hit percentage for me personally when it comes to "will it play this file?".

Obviously, that could be a coincidence as to what playback software I attempt to use on the two devices. But codec support could no doubt be better.

That is a general statement that goes for pretty much all devices.


I don't know what this has to do with the thread subject, though? I expected you to say something about it being made of concrete.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

I think that eight responses without a reply is more than necessary.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

I am new to linux and Ive got videos and streaming etc working on my n900.
Doesnt take a rocket scientist then again this device is for folk who are tech heads and know a lil or a lot about computers etc.
I can stream my music and videos from my pc to the n900 and it works like a charm now that is impressive!
I think you shouldve opted for the kiddies iphone :-P

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

It works fine for me. In fact, more than fine. Better than any other phone I've used before. Just stay clear of HD streams and laggy websites with a lot of flash and you should be fine!

Have you installed the Extra Codec Pack? If yes, then you're probably feeding the phone the wrong movie files! Mine are always in mp4 with the occasional .avi. Bitrates can be up to 4000kb/s and still play fine!

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Maybe the OP is following this logic.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Whilst I agree with what bhailog is saying in that the phone is an exceptionally complex piece of equipment for a linux noob, which I am (and have said in countless other threads), Google is your best friend (as is this fine forum and the people in Maemo.org).

By very much the same token (personal viewpoint) I think that the flaming is a bit unneccessary - people who dont understand X-Term and command line interfaces are not entirely comfortable with seeing all the tech terms... I'm already computer savvy, albeit on a different OS.

I understand your frustrations regarding the phone as I felt the same when it first arrived. Now, 4 weeks on and I am wholly addicted to learning about its potential.

Use the search function, find the codecs, enable the extras repository in Application Manager (again use search function).

The phone is not a brick, but it does take research to understand that it is without limitation (almost). Nothing that was ever worth doing was easy, and nothing that's worth learning can ever be taught. Exposure and experimenting.

Have fun above all else....

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

As my signature says, i'm an average Joe. I've had my n900 since November and to be honest i have nothing to grumble about, yes i knew there would be things that were going to baffle me but that's what i love about it. Everyday i wake up and there's something new for me to either do or learn with it. Sorry to hear you are having a less than happy experience with yours, maybe if you put the effort into getting the most from it you might just enjoy it more.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Can you post links to websites that you attempted to stream from? We might be able to test them on our devices and tell you what to do to make them work.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

I've asked this in the second post yet...
No answer so far..
Please let us help you, if you want help!

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

To those that keep spewing **** about how tehnical the N900 is and that no newbies should be playing with it, i give one of my fingers to you.

There is nothing in their marketing materials (or even in the packaging or documentation) that specifies a certain tehnical requirement or prerequisites to make use of the N900.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

I am a non-techie person (at least compared to most of the people on this forum), but there is a certain joy in reading through the forums and finding out what you need to do and doing it. Hang on in there and you'll have a 'brick' that will do all you want it to. It's not the iphone, and with a little time and patience you can sort it to work your way and do whatever you need or want it to. And you learn a little along the way, which is always good!

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

....so far I haven`t seen ANY video online that can`t play on the N900 (except HD flash and .mu3 apple formats)

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Talking on this thread is bad practice, how can anybody find a solution to his problem with this title... Anyway I'm going to ask my question as it is relevant but please mods change the title or split the thread.

Anyway I tried to play a video stream (don't remember the exact url now) and the only way I found to be able to force the N900 to even try to play it was via Internet Radio. That doesn't seem too correct to me. Is there another way to make the media player open a link instead of a file?
________
Vaporizer reviews

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Whoops my bad. Must've missed that :o

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

OK I'll bite with a problem, bit of a threadjack but OP has gone quiet.

On http://www.vimeo.com/8991808 download the free MP4(you have to login).

The link is under "About this video" it's called 14782007.mp4 and is 640x360, 21.37MB

Can't get this to play, I have Extras Codecs installed?

Any ideas? KMPlayer won't play it either?

Thanks!

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

the n900 is many things,but it certainly isnt a brick,even tho it can be used as one :D.So far the n900 has been living up to my expectations,but that depends on each person,because we all have different expectations when it comes to a particular platform.I wanted a device on which i could browse the web,use skype and other IM messengers,as well as watch a movie now and then.On the other hand your expectations might have been completely different.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

uh.....extra decoders support?

download all the updates

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

is media plugin command line installed? then chane the km player to media player.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Just a little comment about the "Linux isn't meant to be simple" kind of attitude coming from a lot of Linux techy folks (far from all though, I am such I guy myself):

If you like your gadget all comments about it being too advanced must be taken very seriously, because no company is going to make a product just for you. Average Joe is what counts.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Tbh I would expect the default Nokia media software to seek out the correct codecs, and download and install them.

As an end user, rather than a hobbyist or coder, I like stuff to work for me, and I don't like ot part with money for me to have to do all the work.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Try Mplayer/KMplayer and you should be able to play streaming media just fine. :cool:

The stock media player is a total crapshoot when it comes to video in general and utterly useless for playing any non-locally-stored video.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

why doesnt n900 play vidoes out of the box???
also, why are the apps so silly???
also, why doesn't webcam chat not work for skype???
also, why doesnt it have simple things...like facebook, twitter apps?
why is it being advertised as a mobile computer when it doesnt have these basic things out of the box for 600$???

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

For me it plays. Not all of course but quite many.

What do you mean ????????????+?

I don´t know. You might want to ask that from skype support. Gtalk seems to have some kind of video support. Search. Also next update should make front camera used more widely.

It has facebook widget and full blown browser. There is also 3 different webpages for facebook. Search please. Also internal mediaplayer and photo gallery is able to share files directly to facebook. There is twitter apps but i do not know if they lack something that you need. Search.

facebook and twitter apps? webcam that is not used in apps? I think you should ask from developers. Let's hope that Nokia fixes Ovi store. That is what I´m at least really worried right now.

Re: N900..this is a brick
 

Why won't you tell us the videos that aren't working?
Why won't you answer the numerous questions we asked regarding the issues you had?
Why won't you try any of the above fixes to help you solve the issue?

Like you said, its a mobile computer. I cannot find any computer out of the box that can play videos like the N900. When i got my laptop I couldn't even play DivX videos without adding codecs, but my N900 can out of the box. Also computers don't have facebook or twitter apps, they show the real page, which the N900 does (as mentioned before).

I do agree that its missing many features that other phones have, but the community is doing its best to address these issues and to provide fixes. Maybe this device just isn't for you.