When playing video files on a Samsung TV, you may encounter various issues: the video plays without sound, the sound is distorted or too quiet, or in some cases, the sound plays while the screen remains black. Sometimes, you may even see a message stating that the file format is not supported.
This happens because the TV needs the appropriate codecs to decode both video and audio correctly.
A file extension, such as .avi, indicates the type of container that holds both video and audio tracks. However, the audio within this file may be encoded using different codecs, such as AAC, HE-AAC, WMA, Dolby Digital+, or MPEG (MP3).
Modern Samsung TVs support a wide range of video and audio formats. Streaming services use codecs that are universally supported by TVs, ensuring smooth playback. However, when playing a video from a USB flash drive, issues may arise if the file is compressed using a codec that is not available on the TV.
Below is a list of video and audio codecs supported by Samsung TVs.
List of audio and video codecs supported by Samsung TVs 2018-2025.
| # | File Extension | Video Codecs | Audio Codecs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .avi | H.264 BP/MP/HP, MPEG-4 SP/ASP, Motion JPEG | AC3, LPCM, ADPCM (IMA, MS), AAC, HE-AAC, WMA, DD+, MPEG (MP3), MPEG-H, AC-4, OPUS, G.711 (A-Law, µ-Law) |
| 2 | .mkv | H.264 BP/MP/HP, HEVC (H.265 – Main, Main10), MPEG-4 SP/ASP, Motion JPEG | |
| 3 | .asf | H.264 BP/MP/HP, Windows Media Video 9 (VC-1), MPEG-4 SP/ASP, Microsoft MPEG-4 v1/2/3, WMV7 (WMV1) / WMV8 (WMV2) | |
| 4 | .wmv | Windows Media Video 9 (VC-1), WMV7 (WMV1) / WMV8 (WMV2) | |
| 5 | .mp4 | H.264 BP/MP/HP, HEVC (H.265 – Main, Main10), MPEG-4 SP/ASP, AV1 | |
| 6 | .mov | H.264 BP/MP/HP, HEVC (H.265 – Main, Main10), MPEG-4 SP/ASP, AV1 | |
| 7 | .3gp | H.264 BP/MP/HP, MPEG-4 SP/ASP, H.263 Sorenson | |
| 8 | .vro | MPEG-2 | |
| 9 | .mpg, .mpeg | MPEG-1, MPEG-2 | |
| 10 | .ts, .tp, .trp | H.264 BP/MP/HP, HEVC (H.265 – Main, Main10), MPEG-2 | |
| 11 | .flv | H.264 BP/MP/HP, H.263 Sorenson, VP6 | |
| 12 | .vob | MPEG-2 | |
| 13 | .svi | H.264 BP/MP/HP, MPEG-4 SP/ASP | |
| 14 | .m2ts, .mts | H.264 BP/MP/HP, HEVC (H.265 – Main, Main10), MPEG-2 | |
| 15 | .webm | VP8, VP9 (Profile 0/2), AV1 | Vorbis |
| 16 | .rmvb | RV8/9/10 (RV30/40) | RealAudio 6 |
Starting from 2018, Samsung TVs have imposed restrictions on certain codecs, including DTS, which is quite common in media formats. These limitations extend to other codecs as well, as detailed in the table below.
| Year | Video Decoder Limitations | Audio Decoder Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-2018 | H.264 FHD: Level 4.2 supported (FMO/ASO/RS not supported). H.264 UHD: Level 5.1 supported, seamless resolution change supported up to 3840×2160. HEVC FHD: Level 4.1 supported. HEVC UHD: Level 5.2 supported, seamless resolution change supported with Level 5.1 up to 3840×2160. HEVC 8K: Level 6.1 supported (8K only). HEVC: Supported only for MKV/MP4/TS containers. VC-1 AP L4: Not supported. GMC 2 and higher: Not supported. MVC: Partially supported. | WMA 1: Not supported. WMA 9 Pro: Lossless and Voice not supported. WMA 10 Pro: 5.1 channel supported. RealAudio 10: Lossless not supported on target devices for China and Hong Kong. QCELP and AMR NB/WB: Not supported. Vorbis: 5.1 channel supported. DD+: 5.1 channel supported. Sampling rates: 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, and 48 kHz supported, depending on codec. |
Audio and video codecs supported by Samsung TVs 2015-2017
Until 2018, Samsung TVs supported DTS codecs with divx file extension and DTS audio codecs (Core, LBR), and in 2017, the list of supported audio codecs was extended to DTS codecs (Core, LBR, HD_MA, HD_HRA).
In fact, the list of supported codecs hasn’t changed much since 2015, which is when Tizen OS started being installed on TVs.
