How to convert and play H.265(HEVC) on Roku 3

Recently I have some movies coded with H.265(HEVC). When I play one of those H.265 files on Roku 3, I found Roku 3 is incapable of supporting it. It seems that Roku can’t detect H.265 codec natively. So, how to prepare your H.265 videos for playback on Roku 3? Luckily, there’s a workaround that can make your movies playable on Roku 3- convert H.265 to Roku 3 officially supported (H.264 ) MP4 videos.

If you want to stream H.265 to Roku for playback, a professional H.265 converter is needed. Here Brorsoft Video Converter is recommended to make H.265 playable on Roku 3. In just a few mouse clicks, you’ll be able to view the H.265 video clips on your Roku 3 smoothly. Just download the program and follow the tips below to easily make Roku 3 to play H.265 HEVC files.

Tutorial on how to convert H.265(HEVC) to Roku 3 supported file format

1. Load H.265 files to the converter

Download and install the H.265 converter for Roku on your computer. Run it and directly drag and drop the H.266 files to the main windows of this program. You can also add H.265/HEVC videos by clicking the “add” button.

2. Choose Roku friendly format

After the files are added, click Format > Common Video and set output video format as H.264 Video (*.mp4). The reason mp4 is the target format is that by packing the videos in mp4, the file size will be reasonable small and the video quality remains.

Tip: Roku does play MP4 files according to the relevant info in Roku official site. However, Roku just plays the MP4 files with H.264 video codec and AAC audio. Roku fails to play MP4 files with other codec. Click the Settings icon to set the correct video, audio codecs.

3. Start H.265 to Roku 3 conversion

Hit the Convert button to start encoding H.265 to H.264 MP4 for Roku 3 playback.
Once the conversion is finished, click Open button to get the output MP4 files. You can either stream them or transfer the converted H.265 videos to Roku’s SD card or to a USB stick that can be attached to Roku streaming player. Enjoy.

Related Guides:

Best H.265 Video Converter: Play/Edit Samsung NX1 H.265 Easily

VOB to Roku 3- Playing VOB files on Roku 3 easily

I’ve talked about how to get AVI videos onto Roku 3 with smooth playback before. Well, in fact I have a lot of video files, mostly .vob from my DVD collection. I cannot find a clear answer on if and how well the Roku 3 will play these VOB files using the USB port with a flash drive. So how can I play VOB files on Roku 3 easily? I have scoured the internet, tried everything I could find.

Solution 1: Rename VOB to MPG

Some guys mentioned Roku should be able to play VOB files. The problem is – the Roku software isn’t looking for .VOB extensions, so it doesn’t know to play them. All we have to do is rename their extension to .MPG (which of course will screw up all your other *real* DVD player software) and the Roku 3 will play them.

Result: I’ve tried the way, but no luck.

Solution 2: Convert VOB to Roku3 more friendly format

There’s an other workaround that can make VOB movies playable on Roku 3- Encode VOB to Roku 3 officially supported MP4 videos.

Result: I’ve achieved the success playing VOB on Roku 3

The complete guide about how to convert VOB to Roku 3 supported file format

Download Brorsoft Video Converter (or the Mac version.)

The software has a codec pack that enables conversion between different video and audio file formats, it can convert VOB , AVI, MOV, MKV, FLV, MPG, etc to Roku 3 supported file format such as mp4 with the best quality.

1. Start video converter, drag and drop the VOB files to the software window to import.

2. Click Format > Common Video and set output video format as mp4. The reason mp4 is the target format is that by packing the videos in mp4, the file size will be reasonable small and the video quality remains

Tip: Click Settings icon, you can adjust the video, audio parameters, such as changing the aspect ratio or specifying the video resolution.

3. Hit the Convert button to start converting VOB to Roku 3 playable MP4 video.

After the conversion, transfer the converted videos to Roku’s SD card or to a USB stick that can be attached to Roku 3 streaming player. Now you can enjoy VOB movies with Roku 3 at ease.

Related Guides:

 Importing VOB to Avid Media Composer
Import VOB Files to iMovie 11
How can I make VOB editable in Windows Movie Maker

How to convert videos AVI to play with Roku 3 directly

avi-to-roku.jpg

The streaming superstar. With up to 1080p HD video and extended-range, dual-band wireless performance, the Roku 3 takes streaming to the next level. You can freely enjoy your own media on Roku 3.

I get a lot of conflicting reports on what the Roku 3 is capable of doing. I found a thread in hear that also talked about multiple streams causing the problem. I’ve checked many files with MediaInfo and they all show that there is only video stream and one audio stream. So after digging deeper into technical specs of the Roku 3, I found different conflicting answers. Video Support: MP4 (H.264), MOV (H.264), MKV (H.264), ASF/WMV (WMV9/VC1) and Audio Support: MP3, AAC, Dolby Digital (MP4, MOV, and MKV pass through only), DTS (MKV pass through only).

Needless to say, AVI is not included here. I chose AVI because of good compression and it is still supported in most places even though it’s very old. I also like the best audio to run through my sound system when I can. So, how to prepare your AVI videos for playback on Roku 3? Luckily, there’s a workaround that can make your movies playable on Roku 3- Encode AVI to Roku 3 officially supported MP4 videos.

The tutorial about how to convert AVI to Roku 3 supported file format

To begin, free download Brorsoft Video Converter (or the Mac version.)

The software has a codec pack that enables conversion between different video and audio file formats, it can convert AVI, MOV, MKV, FLV, MPG, etc to Roku 3 supported file format such as mp4 with the best quality.

1. Start video converter, drag and drop the AVI files to the software window to import.

videos-to-itunes.gif

2. After the files are added, click Format > Common Video and set output video format as mp4. The reason mp4 is the target format is that by packing the videos in mp4, the file size will be reasonable small and the video quality remains

convert-mvi-format.gif

Tip: There are also some optional tinkering you can take to make the videos look better on a HDTV screen, such as changing the aspect ratio or specifying the video resolution. Just click the Settings icon to do it.

3. Finally, hit the Convert button to star converting AVI to mp4 for Roku 3 playback.

After the conversion is completed, transfer the converted videos to Roku’s SD card or to a USB stick that can be attached to Roku 3 streaming player. Now you can enjoy MOV movies with Roku 3.

Quick-Learn: Is there any limitations as to the format of the USB drive?

The following USB drive format are supported by Roku, Roku 2 and Roku 3 streaming player: FAT16, FAT32, NTFS and HFS+. So, chances are actually small that Roku can’t handle your USB drive.