How do I get the maximum video compatibility on my Android device? I use miniDLNA to stream videos from my Ubuntu computer to my Galaxy tablet running Android 4.4 and BubbleUPNP.

Some video files don't play at all. Some play the video, but no sound. It doesn't seem to be just a matter of file format. Sometimes, for example, some .MKV files will play fine, and others wont. Some .AVI files work, and others don't.

All the video files play on my computer without any problem, so I assume it's just a matter of some codecs not being available on my Android device. Or something to do with compatibility.

Is there a way I can make my Android device able to play a wider variety of formats, if not all video formats?
This is almost certainly a codec problem, there are two ends you could  come at this from, either the tablet or the computer.

What video playing apps are you using on your tablet just the built in one, or have you installed any additional apps?

If you haven't tried installing any other video playing apps on your tablet, then try one or two of these. You'll find that they should support a lot more video formats than your built-in player:


MX Player 
Moboplayer 
VLC 


Do you need to use miniDLNA on your computer, or can you use something with transcoding support that can convert the videos into formats that your tablet can play "on the fly"?

Alternatively, there are DLNA compatible servers that you can install on your PC that will transcode your videos to compatible formats as they stream them, I've used Plex Media Server (which as well as being DLNA compliant, also has an Android client to make the experience even easier and more pleasant than using DLNA) and I know people who use PS3Media Server for this too (despite the name it's not tied to PS3's these days).