copying large video ( MP4) files to KF HDX, speed & reliability

cybmole · 07-28-2014, 04:09 AM

I wanted to try a large video file on my KIndle HDX. As the file was in a shared folder on my PC ,I found it with ES explorer & began the copy process.
Seeiing that the data transfer rate was ~900kbs & that it was going to take 20 mins for a 1 Gb file, I started doing other stuff on Kindle, assuming it would continue to copy over in background.

Well it did, sort-off, but when I came back to use the copied file, it seemed a little smaller than it should have been and no video apps would open it. So after downloading a couple of other video apps which did not work either, I tried simply viewing it as a streamed file in its original PC location & it worked fine! So the copy was corrupt.

Questions arising:

what is the best/quickest way to wireless copy a large ( 1GB) file, or is that 1.always going to be problematic.
2.Should copy work in background even if you are using silk or other connected apps in foreground ?
3.IF you have to leave a copy to un for 20 minutes how do you force the tablet to stay awake for that while unattended ?

4. How fast would the same file transfer be over USB ?
5. and what speeds can be achieved over wireless with the right gear & setup i.e. can KF handle a 300mbs link , or will it always max out at 150mbs?

HarryT · 07-28-2014, 04:16 AM

I would always copy large files over USB. Much faster, and much more reliable.

cybmole · 07-28-2014, 04:54 AM

normally I'd agree 100%, but the KF is so finicky about showing up as a USB device in Windows, I prefer to never connect it , for a stress free experience! so I use calibre cloud/ calibre companion for books. Amazon cloud to access photos taken on Kindle...

otherwise it's a voodoo dance of do I put KF into standby & then connect, or vice versa... or do I need to fully power KF off, then connect then power on ( which is what I had to do to get Win 7 to install the correct drivers, initially.... or will it just work, out of spite & to prove me wrong

So to save me having to do that, how long do you reckon a 1GB file copy should take via USB, from PC to KF ? I'd expect something comparable to writing to a USB2 memory stick ( which can be not very fast )?

HarryT · 07-28-2014, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybmole

So to save me having to do that, how long do you reckon a 1GB file copy should take via USB, from PC to KF ? I'd expect something comparable to writing to a USB2 memory stick ( which can be not very fast )?

I don't have a KF, but I've just copied a file that's as close to 1GB as I could find (actually 986MB) via USB to my Nexus 7, and it copied in 1m 15s. There's no reason to suppose that copying via MTP to the Fire should be any slower.

Hope this is of some help to you.

cybmole · 07-28-2014, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't have a KF, but I've just copied a file that's as close to 1GB as I could find (actually 986MB) via USB to my Nexus 7, and it copied in 1m 15s. There's no reason to suppose that copying via MTP to the Fire should be any slower.

Hope this is of some help to you.

that's impressive, I have USB sticks that can take 5 - 10 mins for a 1 GB file!

I'm hoping some other folks will chip in on the max wireless speeds obtainable, the best xfer software, and also on whether android can generally be trusted to do wireless file copy operation in background while doing other foreground stuff.

this is not something that I plan to do often, but I'm always interested in knowing how well a gadget can perform.

HarryT · 07-28-2014, 06:25 AM

Just to clarify - I copied the file to the Nexus's MTP-mounted drive over a USB connection. ie, exactly as you would do with the KF, so there's really no reason why it should be any slower on the Fire. This was from a laptop running 64-bit Windows 7.

cybmole · 07-28-2014, 08:41 AM

ok - I will do the test , file is 847Mb .... that took under a minute I reckon via my USB cable , but 20 mins over my wi-fi !
Kindle ( or windows) gave me the standard "You can copy it but it probably won't work" warning - I think KF always says that ( probably Amazon's lawyers had it special coded! ).
But its 720p MP4 so it plays fine. I think that's the only video format that does work, with the built in player though

HarryT · 07-28-2014, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybmole

Kindle ( or windows) gave me the standard "You can copy it but it probably won't work" warning - I think KF always says that ( probably Amazon's lawyers had it special coded! ).

Don't worry - my Nexus says exactly the same thing

.

I use a video player called "Moboplayer" which plays pretty much everything, and is free.

cybmole · 07-28-2014, 09:03 AM

so I am thinking that ES file explorer must be very bad at LAN file copies, it probably requests the data in very small chunks
I know all the stuff about wi-fi overheads & don't believe the advertised speed but a wi-fi connect that claims to be at 100+Mbs should be good enough to move 1Gb in 5 mins or so ?
I guess I could look for some uninstalled large game that I own in amazon cloud & re-install + time the process, if I get curious enough.

ApK · 07-28-2014, 09:48 AM

If your file source has an FTP server, as most NAS devices do, ES's FTP mode is usually faster than it's LAN (SMB) mode. I tend to use that when copying videos and audio books, and while it does take a while, I rarely have a corruption. Rarely, but not never.

Also remember you will NEVER get a file transfer as fast as your link speed. Link speed is a theoretical maximum. Even if you have absolutely no other traffic on the link, file transfers incur overhead at several levels. Not to mention retries and other compensations for dropouts and other connection problems.

If I have very large copies to do, I still prefer to use USB if available. I tend to keep my wifi xfers under 1GB.

And yes, the MTP transfers on most devices always complain about any file type other than a few music and photo formats.

cybmole · 07-28-2014, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

If your file source has an FTP server, as most NAS devices do, ES's FTP mode is usually faster than it's LAN (SMB) mode. .

No it's just a plain windows shared folder where we keep misc film & TV files- I think I will just stream as needed to Kindle as that seems to work Ok. it just means that the PC has to be on, not in stand-by.

I've never bothered with NAS, as everytime I look at getting one I come across a bunch of scary negative reviews! and with more & more stuff avaliable on-demand - Netflix, Prime.. there's less & less reason to hoard Gbs of local files. For that same reason I 've never gotten around to buying blu ray rip software- we're still old fashioned enough to slot the shiny round thing into a ps3.

07-28-2014, 04:09 AM	#1
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	copying large video ( MP4) files to KF HDX, speed & reliability I wanted to try a large video file on my KIndle HDX. As the file was in a shared folder on my PC ,I found it with ES explorer & began the copy process. Seeiing that the data transfer rate was ~900kbs & that it was going to take 20 mins for a 1 Gb file, I started doing other stuff on Kindle, assuming it would continue to copy over in background. Well it did, sort-off, but when I came back to use the copied file, it seemed a little smaller than it should have been and no video apps would open it. So after downloading a couple of other video apps which did not work either, I tried simply viewing it as a streamed file in its original PC location & it worked fine! So the copy was corrupt. Questions arising: what is the best/quickest way to wireless copy a large ( 1GB) file, or is that 1.always going to be problematic. 2.Should copy work in background even if you are using silk or other connected apps in foreground ? 3.IF you have to leave a copy to un for 20 minutes how do you force the tablet to stay awake for that while unattended ? 4. How fast would the same file transfer be over USB ? 5. and what speeds can be achieved over wireless with the right gear & setup i.e. can KF handle a 300mbs link , or will it always max out at 150mbs?

07-28-2014, 09:48 AM	#10
ApK Award-Winning Participant Posts: 7,384 Karma: 68329346 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ, USA Device: Kindle	If your file source has an FTP server, as most NAS devices do, ES's FTP mode is usually faster than it's LAN (SMB) mode. I tend to use that when copying videos and audio books, and while it does take a while, I rarely have a corruption. Rarely, but not never. Also remember you will NEVER get a file transfer as fast as your link speed. Link speed is a theoretical maximum. Even if you have absolutely no other traffic on the link, file transfers incur overhead at several levels. Not to mention retries and other compensations for dropouts and other connection problems. If I have very large copies to do, I still prefer to use USB if available. I tend to keep my wifi xfers under 1GB. And yes, the MTP transfers on most devices always complain about any file type other than a few music and photo formats. Last edited by ApK; 07-28-2014 at 10:01 AM.

07-28-2014, 04:16 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I would always copy large files over USB. Much faster, and much more reliable.

07-28-2014, 04:54 AM	#3
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	normally I'd agree 100%, but the KF is so finicky about showing up as a USB device in Windows, I prefer to never connect it , for a stress free experience! so I use calibre cloud/ calibre companion for books. Amazon cloud to access photos taken on Kindle... otherwise it's a voodoo dance of do I put KF into standby & then connect, or vice versa... or do I need to fully power KF off, then connect then power on ( which is what I had to do to get Win 7 to install the correct drivers, initially.... or will it just work, out of spite & to prove me wrong So to save me having to do that, how long do you reckon a 1GB file copy should take via USB, from PC to KF ? I'd expect something comparable to writing to a USB2 memory stick ( which can be not very fast )?

07-28-2014, 06:25 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Just to clarify - I copied the file to the Nexus's MTP-mounted drive over a USB connection. ie, exactly as you would do with the KF, so there's really no reason why it should be any slower on the Fire. This was from a laptop running 64-bit Windows 7.

07-28-2014, 08:41 AM	#7
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	ok - I will do the test , file is 847Mb .... that took under a minute I reckon via my USB cable , but 20 mins over my wi-fi ! Kindle ( or windows) gave me the standard "You can copy it but it probably won't work" warning - I think KF always says that ( probably Amazon's lawyers had it special coded! ). But its 720p MP4 so it plays fine. I think that's the only video format that does work, with the built in player though

07-28-2014, 09:03 AM	#9
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	so I am thinking that ES file explorer must be very bad at LAN file copies, it probably requests the data in very small chunks I know all the stuff about wi-fi overheads & don't believe the advertised speed but a wi-fi connect that claims to be at 100+Mbs should be good enough to move 1Gb in 5 mins or so ? I guess I could look for some uninstalled large game that I own in amazon cloud & re-install + time the process, if I get curious enough.