Confirm the file actually has usable sound
Play the original file on the computer in a player that supports it. Check mute and output volume. If the file contains more than one audio track, use that player’s track controls to confirm which track has the language and sound you expect.
If the original stays silent there too, inspect its media information before changing the TV setup. A missing or silent audio stream needs a different fix from a receiver that cannot decode an existing stream. Reelloft cannot manufacture a soundtrack that is not in the source.
Use that player’s media-information view to note three separate facts: container, video codec and audio codec. With several audio tracks, note the codec of the track you actually heard. The Matroska project describes MKV as a container for streams; MKV itself is not an audio compression format. Two files ending in .mkv can therefore behave differently on the same screen.
Check the TV’s actual output route
Confirm the TV is not muted and is using the speakers you expect. If a soundbar or receiver is connected, compare with the TV’s own speakers where your setup allows it. Sound through the TV but not through the external device points to the output chain rather than proving the file has no audio.
Use the TV and soundbar manuals for supported input and output formats. A passthrough setting sends audio onward for another device to decode; that next device must support it too. Samsung’s audio-format guide explains this distinction and its PCM option. Menu names and available choices vary by model, so do not apply one television’s menu sequence to every set.
Test an audio-output change with a known working video as well as the troublesome file. Keep track of the original setting so you can restore the setup after the comparison.
Identify which Reelloft path you are using
Reelloft 0.2.1 treats the destinations differently. The same source playing in the phone browser does not prove that a direct TV receiver can decode it.
| Playback destination | Current behavior | Consequence for no sound |
|---|---|---|
| Chromecast / Google Cast | Direct, remux or transcode according to the file classification | Conversion can change the audio codec when that path is selected |
| DLNA receiver | Source file sent directly | The receiver still needs to decode the source audio |
| Classic AirPlay receiver | Source file sent directly | No automatic Reelloft audio conversion on this path |
| Phone browser | Direct, remux or licensed transcode | Browser support and the selected playback path still matter |
Google’s supported-media reference distinguishes device capabilities, container formats and audio passthrough. A brand or protocol label alone is not proof that a particular file, receiver and sound system work together.
Know what remuxing can change
A remux changes the container while copying the encoded streams. It does not turn an unsupported audio codec into a supported one. Transcoding decodes and encodes a stream again, which can change that codec. The FFmpeg explanation of stream copying makes this distinction explicit.
These examples describe Reelloft’s current classifier for a file with one video and one audio stream. The remux or transcode treatment applies when playing through Reelloft’s Chromecast or phone-browser processing path; DLNA and classic AirPlay still receive the source. Classification does not establish that the receiver can play the result.
| File contents | Classification | Audio treatment in that path |
|---|---|---|
| MKV with H.264 video and AAC audio | Remux | Copy the audio; do not re-encode it |
| MKV with H.264 video and AC-3 audio | Transcode | Encode audio as AAC; video is also converted |
| MKV with HEVC video and AAC audio | Transcode | Convert video and encode audio as AAC |
Renaming .mkv to .mp4 does neither operation. Keep the original when preparing a separate compatibility copy. Converting only the video also does not solve an audio-codec mismatch if the troublesome audio is still copied unchanged.
With multiple audio tracks, there is a further limit: Reelloft’s classification reads the first reported audio stream, but it has no audio-track selector. That classification is not a choice of language or soundtrack. Do not assume the track checked in another player is the one you will hear through Reelloft. Prepare a compatible copy with the intended track in a tool that exposes that choice, or use a player with the track controls you need. Reelloft also has no subtitle selector in this version.
Check the limits before retrying
For supported conversion paths, Reelloft’s setting is Settings → Playback → Allow video conversion. It is on by default; changing it requires an activated license. In 0.2.1 it must remain enabled for actual transcoding. Turning it off blocks that path rather than selecting software-only conversion. Hardware availability, file complexity and receiver support still affect playback.
The TV-cast preview includes five minutes of its supported conversion path. A license removes the timer; it does not add conversion to the direct DLNA or classic AirPlay paths. Phone playback that needs transcoding requires a license, while direct and remux phone playback are free.
Bring the result back to one clear symptom
Before asking for help, note whether sound works on the computer, in the phone browser, through the TV speakers and through an external sound system. Add the receiver model and protocol, Reelloft version, container and video/audio codec names. “H.264 plus AC-3, DLNA, picture only” is a more useful starting point than “MKV is broken.”
The support page provides the contact route. Do not send a private library URL or the video itself to explain the first symptom. If the receiver never starts playback, return to the computer-to-TV connection guide; that is a different stage from a playing picture with no sound.