brite-View CinemaTube [Text View] - Page 11

DanieI

05-19-10, 12:24 PM

I've been using CinemaTube everyday since I got it, almost two weeks ago, and it's one of my best purchases this year. In order to improve user experience, I'd like to make some suggestions.

1. Subtitle related

A) Thicker outline, maybe twice the thickness or adjustable through Subtitle menu.

B) Solid color subtitle. SRT subtitles have some transparency, it's more noticeable on cartoons. I may send a picture if wished.

2. General

C) Network led always on when streaming from. The blinking light is annoying. Maybe adjustable (Always On/Activity) through Network menu.

D) Manual movie preview. Movie Preview options would be Automatic (current ON), Manual or Off. When Manual is set, a preview would be played by pressing D (DVD Menu). I believe D button is a good choice because it's far from A (Edit), yet being close to arrows.

E) Folder covers. Show a cover when hovering over a folder instead of an empty preview window by placing a JPEG file inside the folder. Renaming "folder.jpg" extension to "folder.tbn" (like in XBMC) would prevent the file from being displayed. This is valid for Video (movie posters), Music (cover art) and Photo. I'm really looking forward this feature. Here is a mockup (http://imgur.com/i9FYY.jpg).

3. For CinemaTube successors

F) Front USB port and keep another on the back. I do not use any USB devices as I stream media from a NAS, but I would be really pissed if I had to plug a flash/hard drive every time.

G) Rubber feet. My CinemaTube device is located on the top of a DVD Player and it's starting to show some scratches. Rubber feet would also prevent the device from sliding when pressing the front Power button.

H) Better positioning (or different shapes) of playback buttons on remote. Every time I want to Play/Stop, Fast Forward/Rewind, go to next/previous file or go back to list, I have to look at the remote.

I hope I'm not being too selfish on these suggestions.

scratchie

05-20-10, 04:23 PM

I think you're right on with all of those suggestions. I also am a non-USB user and would find it very inconvenient to pull the unit out and plug something in on the back.

yng

05-21-10, 11:54 AM

was the next firmware update supposed to be on May 14? when will it actually become available?

scratchie

05-26-10, 04:28 PM

I think a new one came out yesterday (I haven't installed it yet).

DanieI

05-26-10, 04:36 PM

You're right, version IPB10104221.
I didn't see any major improvements, just support for 16:10 aspect ratio, PPPoE and some bug fixes.

I may have missed something.

BBQ7

06-06-10, 05:27 PM

I'm thinking of buying this as a low power torrent downloader, but I can't find alot of information on the torrent functions.

Does this work well for downloading torrents and has the problem of randomly erasing the connected hd been fixed?

tt08

06-08-10, 10:39 AM

rhelm22

06-09-10, 12:49 PM

I am able to access my network from the CT and stream a video from my computers hard drive. However, any attempt to transfer a file, between the CT and my PC, locks up and reboots the CT. This is the same if I initiate the transfer from the PC or the CT.

I am also only able to access shared folders. It will not let me log into the PC to access other content(not a big deal).

I purchased this unit for one reason, to be able to transfer video files from my PC to the CT without having to actually move the PC next to the tv and do the cable dance with the usb hard drive that is connected to the CT. I do not have an actual NAS drive.

Is there a firmware version that works? If not I need to return the CT.

Current OS is windows XP. Firmware is IPB10102111. Hard drive is a 2tb WD Elements.

ash_ak

06-09-10, 03:27 PM

Dave Mack

06-09-10, 07:12 PM

hey guys,

I recently have been editing lots of HD videos that I have shot and the save projects are mp4s. Unfortunately even though my PS3 can recognize and play the raw AVCHD files, it cannot play the finished edited mp4s. (sorry if this is all obvious to everyone here)

This should work fine for me if I had them on say a USB flash drive, yes? PQ should be smooth, not juddery? I need to see my completed projects on my PJ and not just on my computer.

This is also a good player too?

Thanks!

soricon

06-10-10, 11:11 AM

Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L0QD6G?ie=UTF8&tag=revihori-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003L0QD6G)has its gold box deal and the ZIN-5005HD is $69 for several hours only I think.

Dave Mack

06-10-10, 02:36 PM

Just read some reviews there. yikes...

Customer Review

128 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading advertising! Beware of false reviews!, June 3, 2010
By Nate Printy
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Zinwell ZIN-5005HD "ZinTV" 3-in-1 Networking-Ready 1080p Full HD Multimedia Player/Streamer/Torrent Downloader, Free Internet TV/Radio, Black (Electronics)
i received it today and i'm extremely disappointed and upset about this purchase.

first of all, this thing was advertised as a newer version of cinematube Brite-View BV-5005HD "CinemaTube" 3-in-1 1080p Full HD Multimedia Player/Streamer/Torrent Downloader, Black. i was supposed to buy cinematube, but then i saw an ads on the cinematube page (now it's been removed, GOOD, no more misleading!!!) saying this thing was a newer version of cinematube and it costs only $5 more, so i bought it instead and it turned out to be a totally wrong decision.

misleading advertising one : it claims to support NTFS/FAT-16/32/EXT-3/HFS+ format hdd. i have both hdd in ntfs and hfs+, only ntfs is supportive, it can not recognize my hfs+ at all (i don't know if the latest firmware would support b/c this thing was down after update)!

misleading advertising two : i could not find the advertised muzee internet radio/tv when i turned this thing on, and i could not find any instruction about how to activate this in the user guide (btw, you have to download user guide from amazon, i can not even find company's website for this thing). however, after i read one of the reviews i realized it needed to be updated and i did. it took about 15 mins to complete the update and after that it froze. my tv just went blank and this thing was dead. this thing was not preloaded with advertised muzee program which i think is the only feature to be called "newer version". the update just put this thing down forever.

false reviews : as of now, there are two 5 stars reviews (by S. Huang and by Ryan J. Doria) which virtually copied the most two popular 5 stars reviews (with a little modification) of cinematube (by "mukhi" and by Chih-tao Hou "paw baochun"). the people that gave these 5 stars reviews probably work for the company that makes this thing, so shameless and misleading!

i'm going to return this to amazon and mark the reason as not as advertised!! if you are looking this thing now, don't waste your time and money, go get a cinematube, o!play or wd tv, just stay away from this thing. BUYERS BEWARE!!

UPDATE on Jun 5 : amazon has removed the false reviews by S. Huang and by Ryan J. Doria, but now i saw they came back again and this time they learned the lesson with sth of their own. this is funny only to prove my doubt that "they probably work for the company that makes this thing". take my advise again, you can go buy o!play or wd tv live, but if you are more interested in this thing, then go buy cinematube which is cheaper and with better community support!

and...

http://blog.brite-viewforum.com/?p=436

brite-View

06-17-10, 08:12 PM

I just purchased the cinematube and I had a question about using UpnP with netflix. i am on AT&T uverse at home, so if i use an ethernet cable and connect the cinematube to the AT&T provided 2wire router, will I be able to connect to netflix and watch movies via this player? thanks

@ash_ak - You will need to use a UPnP server software such as MediaMall's PlayON to act as the transcoding engine. It will basically take the NetFlix stream and transcode it on the fly using your PC and turning it into a UPnP server.

brite-View

06-17-10, 08:13 PM

brite-View

06-17-10, 08:16 PM

For some MKV files (not all), when the subtitle turned on, the movie picture become jerky, not moving normally/smoothly. I have to re-start the movie, and do not turn on the subtitle, then the movie picture is moving normally and smoothly.

any idea how to fix it?

@tt08 - If this is a high bit rate movie, it is strongly recommended that you not stream it across your network, but instead play it from an attached USB storage device. Try that out and see if your situation improves. Also feel free to join us on the brite-View support forums at http://www.brite-viewforum.com

brite-View

06-17-10, 08:19 PM

You're right, version IPB10104221.
I didn't see any major improvements, just support for 16:10 aspect ratio, PPPoE and some bug fixes.

I may have missed something.

It has addressed some of the issues regarding file copy corruption and improvements to the torrent download speeds. Try it out and let us know how it goes on the brite-View support forums http://www.brite-viewforum.com

Opinionated

06-20-10, 11:02 AM

I've had the Brite-View BV-5005HD for a couple of weeks.

So far I'm only playing files off external drives from the USB ports and am pleased.

I'm curious. In the initial menu- after HOME, clicking VIDEO, just under where is sees the HD, I see a choice for DVD, but it is grayed out. I don't get how you can play a DVD. What is that choice supposed to be?

The only issue- so far- I have, is the really bad placing of the buttons of the remote. In the dark, many times already, when I want to click the button to see time remaining, I instead click the button to stop the play and bring it to HOME.

GeoffSM

06-21-10, 09:15 AM

urious. In the initial menu- after HOME, clicking VIDEO, just under where is sees the HD, I see a choice for DVD, but it is grayed out. I don't get how you can play a DVD. What is that choice supposed to be?

I believe its for a usb/dvd drive - since you don't have one, its greyed out. Just a guess on my part.

topmelody

06-22-10, 05:02 PM

I've searched most of the posts and read through the support documents but not seems to locate the specs on the Ethernet port on this unit. Sorry if this is a duplicate question. Is the port capable of doing 1000 or is it jut 10/100?

Thank you in advance

cstroman

06-23-10, 12:52 PM

DVD is for a Lite-on DVD USB drive. That is the only model supported.

Ethernet is 10/100.

topmelody

06-23-10, 04:16 PM

This seems to be a very good device for the price and the only bottleneck is the 10/100 RJ-45 port. Does this device supports any "USB to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter"?

soricon

06-24-10, 01:02 PM

A review here (http://reviewhorizon.com/2010/06/zinwell-zin-5005hd-media-playerstreamer-review/).
Zinwell ZIN-5005HD is similar hardware-wise with Brite-View and the software is released under GPL license, so I imagine they are very similar.

saiga6360

06-24-10, 02:36 PM

I thought Brite-View is a sub of Zinwell. See post #389

Could be they got bought.

gammah

06-24-10, 05:37 PM

@Brite-View

Please add the feature where we can see ALL video/photo/audio files. It is annoying to have to switch all the time to play the format we want to play.

Gammah

viaclecl

06-24-10, 07:57 PM

A view all feature would be good.

jntaylor63

06-25-10, 10:13 AM

cjw3cma

06-25-10, 11:48 AM

MonkeySnax

06-25-10, 12:46 PM

After reading most of this thread, I have a simple question for those who already own a HD Media Player - of the three (3) which would you buy today if you had to -

A) WD HD TV Live Plus
B) Popcorn Hour A-110
C) Brite-View BV-5005HD

I'm assuming you'd buy the A-110 off of ebay? Otherwise you would probably want to look at the A-200...

A)WD doesn't seem real committed to this product line, they're fixes usually involve a new purchase on the consumers part
B)gonna just assume you meant A-200, no experience but folks seem to like them. My impression is that they are a "tinkeres" box more so than others
C)Real Tek chipset has some quirks but for the most part I like it, waiting for the PopBox right now to see how that turns out.

cjw3cma

06-25-10, 12:57 PM

I'm assuming you'd buy the A-110 off of ebay? Otherwise you would probably want to look at the A-200...

A)WD doesn't seem real committed to this product line, they're fixes usually involve a new purchase on the consumers part
B)gonna just assume you meant A-200, no experience but folks seem to like them. My impression is that they are a "tinkeres" box more so than others
C)Real Tek chipset has some quirks but for the most part I like it, waiting for the PopBox right now to see how that turns out.

The Popcorn A-110 is available as a refurbished unit directly from the mfg'r for $105 shipped. The Brite-View can be had for $70.00 from the mfg'r also (as a dented unopened box with full warranty).

Just want a unit that will play my media files directly from off of the network as all my media files are on the host 'puter.

scratchie

06-25-10, 03:15 PM

I bought a WDTV Live Plus and returned it because it was too flaky.

I have a Cinematube and while it is a little flaky in some ways, it plays virtually everything I throw at it. The only files it wouldn't play were "test files" are known to be problematic with some players... everything I've found "in the wild" plays fine. Also, interestingly, someone on this board posted a second set of "test files" and those played noticeably better in the Realtek-based Cinematube than in the WDTV.

ctcousineau

06-27-10, 09:43 AM

I have a WDTV Live that plays just about everything I have (wmv, mp4, h264 mkv, mov, dvd-iso, bd-iso). It also passes through HD audio to my receiver. The problem I have with it is stuttering on a wired gigabit network with some high bitrate BD-ISOs, as well as some known troublesome test files (panasonic_nature.m2ts).

I just got the BV-5005HD ("dented box" special). The panasonic_nature.m2ts file played smoothly on the BV, however it still stutters with BD-ISO and does not pass through HD audio due to a problem with the Realtek chipset :( Check the link lmaolmao posted here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18831463#post18831463)

I'm waiting for the Popbox now to see what that offers.

topmelody

06-28-10, 10:44 AM

I ordered the unit on the 24th and received it on 26th, talk about fast shipping. I have setup the unit to stream over the network which is working fine. There is an issue with the playback which I’m not sure if there is something wrong with the setup or I have received a bad unit. The problem is that during the playback the screen randomly goes black for fraction of a second up to couple of seconds at a time. This occurs 10 to 15 time during a 2 hour movie. Sometime when I start the unit this issue is more visible and happens in a ratio of every 15 to 20 second. It looks like it tries to refresh the screen or something. Also it happens when I'm in setup menu and not playing any file. It could be that I just got a bad unit. The DVD ISO backup files I have are streaming fine on the other unit (mediagate 350hd) that I have. I have Gigabit setup through-out the network except the BV-5005HD. I was wondering if anybody else has experienced the same problem or know what the issue might be.

Thank you

soricon

06-29-10, 05:09 PM

Hi everyone, wondering if any of you know the answer to this. In order to benefit of having a gigabit home network, the devices on the network must also be capable of a gigabit connection, correct? Assuming that is true, does anyone know if the Cinematube Ethernet connection supports gigabit network speeds?

No, it doesn't. Check this website (http://reviewhorizon.com), has some internals pics for the Zinwell unit (same hardware). The network chip supports only 10/100Mbs.

D.Rowe

06-29-10, 08:43 PM

rajdori

06-29-10, 09:52 PM

brite-View

06-29-10, 10:25 PM

I believe its for a usb/dvd drive - since you don't have one, its greyed out. Just a guess on my part.

@GeoffSM - You are correct, if you connect a Lite-On branded DVD drive it should recognize it and be able to play your non-DRM media or backups.

brite-View

06-29-10, 10:29 PM

Can this streamer play flv / flash without the need to transcode the format. I see on the website that it supports the format. If I did not need to transcode with tversity it seems that I could take a big load off my pc.

THX, JNT

@jntaylor63 - It is able to play FLV files but since it is a media container, it depends on what is encapsulated within in regards to comparability.

brite-View

06-29-10, 10:34 PM

i have two questions below.

1) i hookup my good quality Cowon MP3 player to receiver to listen to FLAC most of times. So will BV-CT play FLACs as good as say, Cowon a2, or will i notice drop in quality and

2) i do not want to switch on my projector, when i want to listen to music on BV-CT. but i certainly need GUI when i listen to music. So what i am thinking of is.
Listening to MUSIC >> GUI: BV-CT to Composite Video to old TV + Audio:Optical to HT Receiver - so i get music from receiver and GUI on TV.
Watching MOVIES >> BV-CT to HDMI to Receiver

looks crazy? Let me know if this is possible. if not, then please suggest any good ways to get what i need..

@rajdori - It is able to play high bit rate flac files, most of the time I have seen folks bypass the LPCM built in decoder to take advantage of their stereo receiver so the CT unit is set to RAW mode. The output of the audio is simultaneous so you could technically plug in the composite audio out, optical and HDMI.

brite-View

06-29-10, 10:36 PM

Hi All,

I was just popping in to make sure that our AVS community was aware of our dedicated support forums located at http://www.brite-viewforum.com we will be stopping by here periodically to check in with our brite-Viewers but please head over to our official forums for support.

rajdori

06-30-10, 08:06 AM

@rajdori - It is able to play high bit rate flac files, most of the time I have seen folks bypass the LPCM built in decoder to take advantage of their stereo receiver so the CT unit is set to RAW mode. The output of the audio is simultaneous so you could technically plug in the composite audio out, optical and HDMI.

good to hear audio goes to all three audio outs at same time. i would connect only video composite to go to TV, and want audio to HDMI to receiver. i hear that is possible, but question is if i set my CT to output video at say, 1080p, when i listen to music, will i still be able to receive video GUI on old TV?

scratchie

06-30-10, 08:15 AM

Can some owners provide some feedback on 1080p/60fps playback ? I own a Sanyo FH1 and record everything in 1080p/60fps since most files are of my kids moving, running, dancing, etc. The FH1 produces .MP4 files.

Dave
I have a Canon HF100 that produces 1080i AVCHD files. Cinematube plays them fine. Hope this helps. You may run into network bandwidth issues w/ 1080p/60fps, depending on your home network.

falcondx

07-01-10, 12:12 AM

Before buying I would head over to the Brite-view forums and read the latest user threads. No firmware update or fix in the last four months to fix pending issues.

opiy

07-04-10, 05:33 PM

Brite-View has the CinemaGo for pre-order. I don't know if any of you have seen it yet. I wonder if it will be any good. http://www.brite-view.com/cinemago.php

cjw3cma

07-07-10, 03:34 PM

Before buying I would head over to the Brite-view forums and read the latest user threads. No firmware update or fix in the last four months to fix pending issues.

New firmware being released this week and another release planned for late September 2010.

Keep up at the brite View blog.

met64

07-10-10, 11:02 AM

Just had a BVCT delivered today and don't want the hassle of USB updates- one of the feature that drew me to CT was the ability to perform online updates. wELL, trying thos now I get "can't get image version"???

So, am I missing something here? I am hardwired directly to router the BV sees my ip address. Is this a feature or not? If not, its going back to Amazon. Can someone please help? Thxs

dbrons

07-10-10, 11:12 AM

New firmware being released this week
thanks getting it right now :)

Dave

met64

07-10-10, 09:02 PM

brite-View

07-11-10, 12:18 AM

Received what I thought today was my BV CT from Amazon.... Well, after hours of frustration I gave up. I searched aroud and was wondering why the hell amazon sent me something by the name of Zinwell? Same model number as BV CT??? Look exactly the same. Others who ordered from Amazon had same issue.... Well, mine is boxed up and going back. So, BV: what's up? Is this a knock-off of the BV CT? Regardless of who did what here my one day experience with Zinwell (BV) was absurd. Nothing worked correctly- play-on, updates, etc. Back to Amazon.

Look forward to a response, Briteview!

@met64 - Zinwell is our manufacturer of brite-View products. brite-View provides sales, service and support for our entire line of media players as well as our other AV solutions. Could you provide us some additional detail regarding your issues with Play-On? We are currently working with MediaMall to resolve some issues that were discovered and would like to see if it is among those already identified. In regards to the updates, is there a message that was returned from the player that we could use to troubleshoot the issue.

brite-View

07-11-10, 12:23 AM

met64

07-11-10, 05:33 AM

Hi All,

Just checking in to make sure folks were aware of the brite-View forums. Please take a moment to create an account there if you have not done so already. We will be monitoring AVS forums from time to time. The address to our support forums is http://www.brite-viewforum.com

brite-view- Thxs for responding! I posted this over at the BV forum as well:

This is the error I receive trying to upgrade the FW; both methods:

Bought the CT thinking on-line updates are much easier--- after messing with CT not so much. I click on line update and get "can't get disc image". So, took a leap of faith and tried updating >USB> then I get "image damage". So, I can't update either method. So, can someone please help me out here? The primary reason I bought the CT was the on-line update feature??? Thxs in advance

Atoth

07-11-10, 10:39 AM

brite-View

07-18-10, 09:15 AM

I couldn't get mine to update online either, got the same error message about not able to get the image.. So I stuck the files into a USB flash drive and did the update that way no issues. Freshly formated USB stick with just the files in the root directory..

@Atoth - Board star for you that is the other method that can be used, and with a freshly formatted USB drive it makes for easier troubleshooting if something occurs.

dbrons

07-18-10, 10:07 AM

Mine updated online OK. It was a bit slow, but it worked. Maybe try again if you get that error.
Dave

cjw3cma

07-23-10, 10:29 AM

GeoffSM

07-23-10, 10:33 AM

has anyone listed the difference between the cinematube and WD live? are they basically the same except each with its own lame interface?

scratchie

07-23-10, 10:58 AM

has anyone listed the difference between the cinematube and WD live? are they basically the same except each with its own lame interface?They have different chips, so they each have strengths and weaknesses. For instance, if you poke around on this forum, you'll find two different threads referring to test videos. On one (the older of the two) the WDTV plays more of the videos than the CT. On the newer one, though, the CT plays the "nature" clip just fine while the WDTV stutters.

So in general, I'd say that they each have certain types of video that they can't play well, and they're different for each box.

The most important difference for me is that the WDTV is unable to play DVD images authored on a standalone burner properly, while the CT plays them perfectly.

Also, I think the CT has a better interface, with a "GOTO" function, and more useful "Info" function.

cjw3cma

07-26-10, 02:17 PM

Just received my CinemaTube - ordered from the BriteView website / got the "damaged box" unit / shipped from Amazon / it is a brand new stock item !!!!!

Best pricing deal available - if BriteView doesn't have any "damaged box" units it seems that Amazon ships from their inventory.

Should have it hooked up by the end of the weekend.

Everything worked out perfectly. Set up was straight forward and was playing everything I threw at it within 20 minutes.

The unit did two (2) firmware updates and is working as I had hoped. :D

DM2006RI

07-27-10, 02:08 PM

Is there a way to play back albums by track number? Seems like this and other media players only group album tracks alphabetically.

scratchie

07-27-10, 02:45 PM

DM2006RI

07-27-10, 11:44 PM

All of these "media" players are weak on music files, AFAIK. Even if you can get the tracks to play in the right order (probably by renaming them), I think you'll find that the CT cuts off the very beginning of tracks and inserts a gap between tracks where you may not want one (e.g. live albums, "concept" albums, etc.).

Yeah that makes sense, it's been my findings with the few I've tried too. My Squeezebox and Xbox 360 at least play albums back by track number -- it's surprising how many don't.

I will say the Cinematube otherwise does what I wanted. Ordered the Amazon dented box special too, for $60 less than the Poopbox (which I just returned) it streams everything perfectly and worked within seconds running off my network.

scratchie

07-28-10, 07:39 AM

I will say the Cinematube otherwise does what I wanted. Ordered the Amazon dented box special too, for $60 less than the Poopbox (which I just returned) it streams everything perfectly and worked within seconds running off my network.Yeah, ditto. I was disappointed with the music performance but everything else has been fine, with just a few minor quirks (e.g. not restarting DVD images from where you left off, but at least you can use the chapters/menu/GOTO button to get back where you were).

Federico

07-28-10, 01:17 PM

Yeah, ditto. I was disappointed with the music performance but everything else has been fine, with just a few minor quirks (e.g. not restarting DVD images from where you left off, but at least you can use the chapters/menu/GOTO button to get back where you were).

I don't know if it can do it with the dvd but it does it with the HDD Media. Go to Setup -> Other -> Resume Play -> On

Federico

scratchie

07-28-10, 01:35 PM

I don't know if it can do it with the dvd but it does it with the HDD Media. Go to Setup -> Other -> Resume Play -> On

FedericoI have that option selected, but it only works with single-file media (e.g. AVI, MKV, I guess ISO) but not VIDEO_TS folders.

Svp50

07-28-10, 01:57 PM

just looking for a quick answer...

Can i hook up my external HDD to the Cinematube(or CinemaGo) and read and write from/to the hdd from my HTPC?

brite-View

08-02-10, 12:15 PM

just looking for a quick answer...

Can i hook up my external HDD to the Cinematube(or CinemaGo) and read and write from/to the hdd from my HTPC?

The "quick" answer came a bit late, but the answer is yes. :)

realJesus

08-05-10, 01:40 PM

brite-View

08-06-10, 01:03 PM

Hi Brite-view:

I was wondering if zinwell model plays Third party integration? Do I have to connect my laptop to 5005HD to watch the third party subscription on my TV OR it's the integral part of the 5005HD? Thanks !

Hey there, I must apologize but I do not know. You might want to contact Zinwell and see if they can answer. Thank you.

Alex solomon

08-11-10, 10:09 PM

Can it play FLV / flash video files downloaded from youTube, Vevo and other music sites?

brite-View

08-12-10, 12:53 PM

Can it play FLV / flash video files downloaded from youTube, Vevo and other music sites?

Hi Alex, it could... for a while. The new firmware will fix this bug soon.

elixxxer

08-12-10, 01:51 PM

If I were to connect the CT to my HT receiver via HDMI or optical (either or, doesn't matter), is it possible to acheive bit-perfect playback and have the DAC in the receiver handle the conversion?

cstroman

08-12-10, 04:00 PM

When is the next Firmware due again?

And I want to make sure, this one will have the new UI AND fix FLV file play is that correct?

mysticode

08-13-10, 01:47 AM

What is the difference in this device, and the CinemaTube Mini?

BBQ7

08-13-10, 07:00 AM

All of these "media" players are weak on music files, AFAIK.

Why is it so hard to code some itunes rip off? Or like in bars the touch screen jukebox... I don't get it.

I'm looking at sooloos (http://www.meridian-audio.com/sooloos/) now, but I can't find a price. Must be expensive.

Guitar1969

08-13-10, 02:20 PM

brite-View

08-13-10, 04:40 PM

If I were to connect the CT to my HT receiver via HDMI or optical (either or, doesn't matter), is it possible to acheive bit-perfect playback and have the DAC in the receiver handle the conversion?

@elixxxer: hi there, do you mean if the CT can pass through/bitsream to your receiver and let your receiver handle the audio part? The answer is yes, but only up to 5.1CH. It cannot pass through (bitstream) Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA. I hope this helps.

brite-View

08-13-10, 04:42 PM

When is the next Firmware due again?

And I want to make sure, this one will have the new UI AND fix FLV file play is that correct?

@cstroman: thanks for asking. There will be two coming; the first one at the end of August/early September fixing the bugs (this will be an official release) and another one (hopefully September too but unconfirmed) will be a beta with the new UI. I hope this helps.

brite-View

08-13-10, 04:50 PM

What is the difference in this device, and the CinemaTube Mini?

@mysticode:

-> The CinemaGo = CinemaTube Mini + WiFi adapter.
-> The CinemaTube Mini = (1/2 size of the CinemaTube - component video + eSATA) + Internet radio/TV channels.

Hope this helps.

brite-View

08-13-10, 05:00 PM

I'm about to pick up one of these units - need to find the right deal. Is there anything the mini version can't do that the bigger version can. I see that the bigger version has component outs which would help me with my older TV. Lastly, I am assuming the usb dongle can do b/g wireless as well as N. I am still running g but will be upgrading soon to N. I am only looking at up to 720p at this time so I should be okay with G at the moment right?

I 've looked at so many different streamers but keep coming back to this unit - The only thing that was holding me off is reports that the UI was bad, but is it true there has been an update to it - I looked on youtube for a video of the new UI but couldn't find one. I need it to be family friendly.

Also, one of the newegg reviewers made a comment about a big limitation that he supposedly confirmed with Briteview:

"Cannot play 1080p over network if bitrate over 30mbit. While some report they can, offically this product only supports 12 mbit MP4 or VC-1 over network. Very small print in a chart hidden on website. Tech support wasn't aware until I pointed it out. Simply cannot do blu-ray rips over network most of time. Have to copy to USB drive and play from the device itself. The above kind of defeats the purpose of "Network Media tank" doesn't it. Check for media tanks based on SIGMA processor if you want functional 1080 HD over network as this problem seems to be prevelant with NMTs based on the REALTEK processor. "

Is this true, as that is a big limitation.

Thanks

@Guitar1969: besides the physical difference, the mini unit comes with internet radio and TV channels under the "Bonus Features" section. There has been one UI update and another one is on its way, although because the 2nd one will be a major "makeover", it will be released as a beta version first. If you see the CinemaTube's product page (http://www.brite-view.com/cinematube.php) on our website, you'll find the current UI screen shots.

The WiFi dongle (802.11N) can backward support B and G.

Also for streaming performance over the network, please see a detailed chart on the same product page (http://www.brite-view.com/cinematube.php), under the "Wireless USB Adapter" tab.

The performance is not necessarily because of the chip; it also depends very on the network environment as well.

Thanks!

cstroman

08-13-10, 05:10 PM

http://www.brite-view.com/cinemago.php

The CinemaTube Mini sports an eSATA port on the back but it's missing from the Specification tab above.

In the Specification tab at the link above, under "Interfaces" it lists HDMI, Composit, Audio, etc.

But it's missing the eSATA interface in the list. There are pictures showing the back with it and it is mentioned under the FEATURE tab but it is missing from the General Specification matrix.

brite-View

08-13-10, 05:14 PM

Guitar1969

08-18-10, 01:16 PM

@Guitar1969: besides the physical difference, the mini unit comes with internet radio and TV channels under the "Bonus Features" section. There has been one UI update and another one is on its way, although because the 2nd one will be a major "makeover", it will be released as a beta version first. If you see the CinemaTube's product page (http://www.brite-view.com/cinematube.php) on our website, you'll find the current UI screen shots.

The WiFi dongle (802.11N) can backward support B and G.

Also for streaming performance over the network, please see a detailed chart on the same product page (http://www.brite-view.com/cinematube.php), under the "Wireless USB Adapter" tab.

The performance is not necessarily because of the chip; it also depends very on the network environment as well.

Thanks!

Brite-View:

Thanks for the info. One clarification. What do you mean by the Mini has "TV Channels" under the bonus section. I could not find futher clarification of this on the product page(Just about the radio station). Can you provide more details; I thought TV channels are availalbe to both the Tube and Mini via Playon. What specifically is provided on the mini(and how) in this regard that wouldn't be provided on the Tube version.

I am leaning toward the Tube because I could use the componenent outs but don't want to do so if there is less functionality.

Thanks,
Michael

brite-View

08-18-10, 07:22 PM

Brite-View:

Thanks for the info. One clarification. What do you mean by the Mini has "TV Channels" under the bonus section. I could not find futher clarification of this on the product page(Just about the radio station). Can you provide more details; I thought TV channels are availalbe to both the Tube and Mini via Playon. What specifically is provided on the mini(and how) in this regard that wouldn't be provided on the Tube version.

I am leaning toward the Tube because I could use the componenent outs but don't want to do so if there is less functionality.

Thanks,
Michael

Hi Michael, the internet TV channels are still under beta and therefore, we haven't included that information on the website. Muzee (the host of the service) collects available and free content and then distributes the signals out, and the availability depends on the content provider and networking environment. Therefore, we are note able to guarantee the viewing results. We do constantly work with Muzee to improve the internet TV section, though.

I would suggest you pick the CinemaTube, also because it seems that the component video is an important factor for you.

I hope this helps! Thanks again for your interest.

norahy

08-20-10, 11:15 AM

brite-View

08-20-10, 04:25 PM

Hi, I am brand new here, but I do need some help with our brite-view bv-5005hd mini-cinema Go media player. We got it last week, and it worked great until it isn't. We got it connected to our TV with the HDMI cable, and the TV just cannot find a signal there. The AV output works fine, and when the player just got turned on, there is a signal which goes away in 10 seconds. I have turned on/off the TV and the player, and replugged the HDMI cable a couple times, and tried a different HDMI cable, nothing worked so far. It just all a sudden stopped working.

I am just wondering if anybody else has had this problem before, and appreciate any direction to fix it.

Thank you very much.

Hello there, sorry to hear about this problem. May I suggest that you reload the firmware and see if this fixes the HDMI issue.

The firmware can be found here: http://www.brite-view.com/support.php
And a step-by-step instruction on firmware update is here: http://blog.brite-viewforum.com/?p=489

If this doesn't fix anything, we can then determine it's a hard-ware related issue. We'd be happy to swap out a new unit for you. Please contact service@brite-view.com and we'll start the RMA process from there.

Please note that it's also possible to reach us here: www.brite-viewforum.com

I hope this helps getting the CinemaGo to work soon!

strpyw

08-23-10, 12:42 PM

brite-View

08-23-10, 03:33 PM

I just ordered a cinematube /mini, from the brite view store.Cheaper there than even through amazon.com.I will connect the cinematube/mini , via ethernet cable , to my mac mini, which has ext usb drive with my media files. Can i access this files directly?
Or do i need to disconnect the usb drive from mac mini, then reconnect to the cinematube/mini?

@strpyw - we just tested it out with a Macbook pro + a Liteon external DVD ROM (open to be shared), and it doesn't seem that the external drive would show up on the CinemaTube Mini menu, under PC media. I hope this answer helps.

strpyw

08-23-10, 09:07 PM

Thanks. How about re arrange the connection a little:cinemago/usb drive/connect to mac pro through ethernet. Can the macpro see the usb drive as network drive?

brite-View

08-24-10, 03:15 PM

Thanks. How about re arrange the connection a little:cinemago/usb drive/connect to mac pro through ethernet. Can the macpro see the usb drive as network drive?

@strpyw: we just tested it and the answer is no. From the Mac, you won't be able to see the external DVD ROM connected to the CinemaGo/CinemaTube Mini, although you can see and manage files on a external hard drive that is attached to the CinemaGo/CinemaTube Mini, from the Mac.

I hope this helps!

Just a friendly reminder: feel free to check out the official user forum at www.brite-viewforum.com. Thanks again.

strpyw

08-31-10, 04:24 PM

Got help from the forum at brite-view.com.Using SMB connection, my mac can see the sata drive connected to Cinematubemini(CTM) by sata port, and CTM, is networked to to Mac by ethernet cable.

D.Rowe

08-31-10, 08:31 PM

Can this unit play .mp4 1080p/60fps files on an external hardrive?

SonnyGTX

09-10-10, 09:40 PM

Will there be any future upgrades to onboard gigabit nic on the CinemaTube. I'm kinda surprised with the specs and what all it does that when it's all about data throughput pushing 1080 data it didn't come out originally that way.

Thanks and great product!
Sonny G TX

thesilviu

09-12-10, 06:27 PM

For brightview

Apparently some of the new mkv's have a different header compression and they don't play on the Cinematube. I've got the last firmware and at first i though that it's a problem with that specific mkv. Unfortunately a few other files have appeared and after reading a little, I found out about this problem.

The only way around is to modify the files with mkvmerge software and i really don't want to do this with every file, in couple of months when probably most of the mkv's will have this problem.

I hope this can be fixed with an update, otherwise I'll be left with a nice black piece of furniture.

scratchie

09-13-10, 11:03 AM

strpyw

09-13-10, 02:56 PM

scratchie

09-13-10, 04:55 PM

Torrent file Shogun Assassin 1080p mkv did not play video, only audio.Similar for both cinemago and patriot box. Same file played in VLC by mac mini . Must be related to what is said here. Tried to convert to mp4 without success. Handbrake stopped after 30 minutes.

You don't have to use Handbrake or reconvert anything. It's a one or two minute process using MKVMerge, which is a command-line tool, so I'd think it would be available on the mac.

tomcat6063

09-19-10, 10:25 PM

Can I use brite-view firmware for the viewsonic vmp70 since they look identical?

brite-View

09-22-10, 11:11 PM

If you are using the latest version of MKVMerge, you will need to de-select the option for header compression and this should fix this current issue.

brite-View

09-22-10, 11:12 PM

I am unsure if it has the same hardware as the CinemaTube BV-5005. If you attempt to load our software onto that unit, there is no guarantee that it will work, and it may potentially affect your warranty with ViewSonic.

brite-View

10-01-10, 11:24 PM

To All,

I am happy to announce the release of the CinemaTube & CinemaTube Mini/CG Beta Firmware Upgrade.

New User Interface
Movie Cover Thumbnail Support
Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Hue tuning during video and photo playback
10-second Skip during playback
Music and Photo Shuffle
Support for M3U Play List format for Music and Photo
Support H.264 profile main@ L1.2 & L3.0
(All) Media types added; under "File Manager"
Added Yahoo Weather, Finance and Picasa
Torrent download removed

SHA 1 Hash: F3A6904E2A255E4944F4F83C0777972D960A8371

You can download the new beta firmware from our servers here (http://www.brite-view.com/firmware-bv5005/09302010/install.img.zip). For performing the USB update, please copy the two files install.img and install.img-sig.txt to the root directory in the USB HDD. You can view a video showing the upgrade screen on YouTube here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a12t_GMrzW4).
http://www.brite-viewforum.com/images/product/CinemaTube.gif

next2none

10-02-10, 02:33 AM

I believe Briteview is the house brand of Zinwell Taiwan. I saw Zinwell Taiwan at a tradeshow promoting the Cinematube Brand. If I am correct which I am confident I am then that means the Viewsonic firmware is interchangable with the Zinwwell Cinematube model.

ozonepilot

10-02-10, 09:28 AM

To All,

I am happy to announce the release of the CinemaTube & CinemaTube Mini/CG Beta Firmware Upgrade.

New User Interface
Movie Cover Thumbnail Support
Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Hue tuning during video and photo playback
10-second Skip during playback
Music and Photo Shuffle
Support for M3U Play List format for Music and Photo
Support H.264 profile main@ L1.2 & L3.0
(All) Media types added; under "File Manager"
Added Yahoo Weather, Finance and Picasa
Torrent download removed
SHA 1 Hash: F3A6904E2A255E4944F4F83C0777972D960A8371

You can download the new beta firmware from our servers here (http://www.brite-view.com/firmware-bv5005/09302010/install.img.zip). For performing the USB update, please copy the two files install.img and install.img-sig.txt to the root directory in the USB HDD. You can view a video showing the upgrade screen on YouTube here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a12t_GMrzW4).
http://www.brite-viewforum.com/images/product/CinemaTube.gif

I've tried about 8x to download this beta firmware........The download [Firefox/IE] starts, stops at 7% and quits. The resulting zip file [install.img.zip] found on my desktop cannot be opened as it's invalid. Anyone else getting the same problem?

ozonepilot

10-02-10, 10:21 AM

I've tried about 8x to download this beta firmware........The download [Firefox/IE] starts, stops at 7% and quits. The resulting zip file [install.img.zip] found on my desktop cannot be opened as it's invalid. Anyone else getting the same problem?

Finally managed to get the file through my NAS box....did a hash check, copied the 2 files to my thumb drive, and did the upgrade. The CT went through a couple of screens on loading/installing the f/w, and reboot after a minute or so. The result on my HDTV is the Brite-View logo which is still on, and the USB LED still flashing after a 20 minute wait. Looks like the device is bricked. Any ideas of what to do besides sending the device back to BV??

ozonepilot

10-02-10, 11:19 AM

Finally managed to get the file through my NAS box....did a hash check, copied the 2 files to my thumb drive, and did the upgrade. The CT went through a couple of screens on loading/installing the f/w, and reboot after a minute or so. The result on my HDTV is the Brite-View logo which is still on, and the USB LED still flashing after a 20 minute wait. Looks like the device is bricked. Any ideas of what to do besides sending the device back to BV??

Device is bricked. After waiting all this time for a ~44MB file to take effect, I decided to turn off the device as no progress whatsoever was in effect. The remote power on/off did not work, neither did the power button on the device itself work. I had to pull the power plug from the device itself. I even plugged it back in after a minute or so to see what that would do. Nothing. It still gave me the BV logo on screen. Definitely bricked. So much for this device. Now looking at a Nixeus FusionHD [Sigma chip] to buy. I'll definitely not load up any beta firmware any more either!

dbrons

10-02-10, 01:58 PM

Somewhere in this thread is a post on rescuing the CT from a bad flash.....probably not bricked

dade33056

10-02-10, 02:49 PM

Device is bricked. After waiting all this time for a ~44MB file to take effect, I decided to turn off the device as no progress whatsoever was in effect. The remote power on/off did not work, neither did the power button on the device itself work. I had to pull the power plug from the device itself. I even plugged it back in after a minute or so to see what that would do. Nothing. It still gave me the BV logo on screen. Definitely bricked. So much for this device. Now looking at a Nixeus FusionHD [Sigma chip] to buy. I'll definitely not load up any beta firmware any more either!

I experienced the exact same issue with my (BV-5005HD). Tried numerous installs & re-downloading the file a few times, same results. I wonder why some users are successful upgrading & others are not.

Went back to FW: IPB10106251 (July 8th) using the bootstrap method.

Official Bootstrap guide from Brite-View
http://brite-viewforum.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/CinemaTubeGo-FW-Guide_Page_5.jpg

dbrons

10-02-10, 03:45 PM

I tried the new firmware and same thing, it didn't take. I also reverted to the older one and all is working again...
Dave

ozonepilot

10-02-10, 04:35 PM

I experienced the exact same issue with my (BV-5005HD). Tried numerous installs & re-downloading the file a few times, same results. I wonder why some users are successful upgrading & others are not.

Went back to FW: IPB10106251 (July 8th) using the bootstrap method.

Official Bootstrap guide from Brite-View
http://brite-viewforum.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/CinemaTubeGo-FW-Guide_Page_5.jpg

I read dbrons reply, found the post he was referring to, and also found the bootstrap method [as you posted]. I was determined to get the beta back in, so I tried again......it installs fine but hangs after on a re-boot. Had to download the July f/w. Tried that, and nothing happened. I'm still stuck on the screen where it says to download the f/w, and plug in your thumb drive with a couple of arrows on the screen. The drive is fine as after about 10 seconds, the CT begins to read it, but still stuck on that screen for the past half-hour. Sorta tired of all this especially downloading files which seem to take forever to complete. All hashes are fine as well as I read the hash on the thumb drive to be absolutely sure it's correct prior to install. The CT power LED never turns on, only the USB LED flashes. Thank god for the satellite dish. At least that works! LOL! I've also submitted an email to CT themselves and see if they offer up any solution! Thanks!

edit: managed to get the July f/w installed and leaving it there! LOL!

dbrons

10-02-10, 05:07 PM

ozonepilot

10-02-10, 05:51 PM

You need to unplug the CT. and usb. After 30sec, hold down the power button and plug back in (keep the power button depressed) When you see that bootstrap screen you can let go of the power button, then plug in your pen drive with the Jun 8th fw.
Dave

Yup did all that as noted on the bootstrap method, and also waited until the screen came on.......I had first left the flash drive in the device figuring it would work, but took it out and tried it again with better results this time 'round. Thanks!

Just wondering why the beta didn't work in the first place tho'.

mgroups

10-03-10, 07:24 PM

[QUOTE=brite-View;19276784]To All,

I am happy to announce the release of the CinemaTube & CinemaTube Mini/CG Beta Firmware Upgrade.

New User Interface
Movie Cover Thumbnail Support
Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Hue tuning during video and photo playback
10-second Skip during playback
Music and Photo Shuffle
Support for M3U Play List format for Music and Photo
Support H.264 profile main@ L1.2 & L3.0
(All) Media types added; under "File Manager"
Added Yahoo Weather, Finance and Picasa
Torrent download removed

How do you do the 10-second skip (what button) and video tuning? Is there an up-to-date detailed user guide on-line?

Opinionated

10-04-10, 08:00 AM

I have a very irritating problem with this device.

When it is turned off, almost any signal from my cablebox(DVR) remote turns it (back) on.

Stranger is that the identical signal doesn't turn it off (again). To turn it off I need to use the CinemaTube's own remote.

j3ff86

10-04-10, 04:02 PM

Anyone mind taking a picture of the new UI?

scratchie

10-05-10, 04:35 PM

Alexdad54

10-06-10, 08:33 AM

A word of caution, the Briteview Cinematube Forum already has a lot of comment on this BETA software, most of it negative........

scratchie

10-06-10, 11:05 AM

A word of caution, the Briteview Cinematube Forum already has a lot of comment on this BETA software, most of it negative........

Yeah, it sounds pretty flaky. A lot of people are bricking their units (although CT allows you to revert to a previous firmware) and the people who get it to work aren't exactly raving about it either. I'm taking a pass on this one.

EDIT: Also, they're releasing 44MB(!) firmware update with a whole new UI, but they haven't even fixed the MKV header compression issue or the subtitle issues that people have been complaining about forever. That's super-lame, and doesn't say much for Brite-view's commitment to its existing customer base.

Opinionated

10-06-10, 11:41 AM

... or the subtitle issues that people have been complaining about forever.

Could you tell me what are the issues people are having with subtitles?

I have had this device for about a month and I find that it is hit or miss if subtitles work at all. Although it seems they are more likely to work when they are in .srt files then when they are .sub files

scratchie

10-06-10, 11:51 AM

Could you tell me what are the issues people are having with subtitles?

I have had this device for about a month and I find that it is hit or miss if subtitles work at all. Although it seems they are more likely to work when they are in .srt files then when they are .sub files

I haven't been following it very closely but people have been complaining about subtitles for as long as I've been reading http://www.brite-viewforum.com/ . I seem to recall complaints about the size/font/color options (or lack thereof) as well as support for specific files.

cstroman

10-06-10, 05:06 PM

For me I have some MKV's with forced subs that don't work. I don't know the technical term but if the sub is embedded in the MKV it doesn't seem to work very often but if it's a separate file in the same folder as the MKV with the same name, they do work.

There may be other issues as well, but I have had a few foreign film MKV's where the forced sub didn't work and I had to go out and download an srt file and rename it the same as my MKV for it to work.

guille082

10-06-10, 10:09 PM

Tony, This is just too much for one (or even a few) to try and do on their own.

These (and devices like them) are wonderful. However, when most of the suggestions are met with 'I'll check with engineering or the release manager' it comes across as disingenuous at best; especially when met with a beta release such as this one. Most suggestions will never be addressed - I'm certain of that. Most issues, unfortunately will not be, as well.

I write this in an effort to ask if you would consider allowing your (albeit small) community to help before the product is officially declared dead. Make the source, build tools, work-flow, etc. available to the community. Several of us can help you. Personally, I have several years of embedded systems experience working on the Shuttle and Space station components. There are others here with similar experience and still others could help with testing. By working with the community, I believe you have more to gain for yourself.

If the software is something you have no control over and is delivered from another group/entity, we will understand why this is difficult. But transparency is one of the keys to success. Empty promises (even with the best of intentions - which we know you have) only alienates and causes resentment. It certainly will not aid in building any brand loyalty.

For myself, I hope you make millions off of the product... Please allow us to help you before it is too late.

by Crodps » Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:10 pm

If actions speak louder than words, I think Briteview's message on the CinemaTube is very clear.

They kept customers waiting until the very last possible minute to deliver a less-than-stellar firmware with a whole new set of issues.
The community was not taken into consideration at any stage of the development phase (no information nor updates were given, no feedback requested).
To simply call this a "test" FW and say that it was released to "gather feedback" it just cheap and lazy. We have been waiting since February for a true FW update, and we got yet another half-baked release. Mind I ask, what is the "wish list" section in this forum for? Do developers ever go there? I honestly don't know since no one asked us what we wanted nor told us what was coming in the new FW intil it was already out without most of the requests posted there. These are not proper customer service practices, BV.

I do apologize if I sound a bit discontent, but the community has advised BV time and time again about having better customer and post-sale service for their CT buyers, but their answer continues to be that they will continue to do things "their" way only.
Users are starting to leave, people are not recommending the BV brand anymore, new and better products are becoming available, yet BV continues to "stay their course".
Sadly, I feel that they'd rather run the CinemaTube to the ground and lose more customers before doing something bold like *gasp* Releasing The Firmware source!!
Indeed it does feel like BriteView has assigned only 2 people to take care of the CinemaTube. One for customer relations and another for development.
It's a shame. The CT is a good video player, but it could be a Whole lot more if BV actually listened to and acted on half of what the community is trying to tell them.
Like many others I am already browsing for a new media solution that does meet more of my needs and won't make me wait ages for simple system updates.
But I'm sure that won't disconcert BriteView one bit.Crodps

by fid » Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:24 pm

I'm pretty certain that Tony doesn't know. I suspect he is just the distributor for these devices (and nice devices they are). But it's the OEM who does development (or farms it out) and probably won't let him discuss, release or otherwise support the devices more than we've seen.

If we (those who believe like me) are correct, we will only see what the OEM passes off to Tony. There is no engineering, marketing, release groups involved - just tony. I may be wrong but I obviously don't think so.

I imagine this is a taxing endeavor for one person. One person for the web-site, one person to act as a mod, etc. but as I stated before, I think it's disingenuous to keep this up. Most people are ok with the device (even knowing that it is dead for future development).

What makes them angry is the illusion (and promises?) of something more.

I've now seen other devices with EVERY firmware release to-date running on them. Either I'm correct or one group is stealing from others.

+1 to this--

it should become pretty obvious to anyone at this point that none of the brite-view products are going to stand the test of time without some drastic changes (read: open source)-- Personally I don't understand what even keeps companies back from letting the community improve their products (for free...) just look at how much of a difference something like DD-WRT does to any linksys or other broadcom based routers-- even though the companies that produce these things may be large in some cases, they will simply always lack the motivation inherent in a community with disparate wants and needs. Open source projects allow someone in the know to recognize a shortcoming, and then simply fix it, with no waiting or BS-- impatience is an incredible motivating force.

also, especially in the case of brite-view, it would make the sales of these things absolutely sky-rocket-- i'm not aware of a similar product which is open source at the current time, and you know everybody reading engadget, gizmodo, etc. would snap one of these up in a hot second, especially in light of the impending jailbreak of the Apple TV as well as the Google TV launch approaching.

imho at this point unless someone at BV is willing to hire a whooole bunch of new engineers who are gonna work full time to realize this thing's potential, its gotta be either open-source, win the support of the many thousands of talented programmers who would hop on board to really push this fantastic hardware to its limit, (XBMC is STILL being updated, on the ORIGINAL XBOX! More potential is STILL being discovered!) or keep riding the wave of mediocrity down into obscurity.

EDIT: sorry for the dramatic vocab

by Posh » Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:41 pm

I'm not trying to argue with you... but let me try to put this in perspective. Realtek actually writes the base firmware package. Brite-view doesn't have the rights to publish this code. They take this firmware and then customize it for the Cinematube (I'm guessing the torrent feature, etc are Brite-view additions). All Realtek based streamers are in the same boat. So while open source firmware might be nice... Realtek isn't going to allow this. If I've made any bad assumptions here Tony can feel free to correct me.

Posh wrote:
I'm not trying to argue with you... but let me try to put this in perspective. Realtek actually writes the base firmware package. Brite-view doesn't have the rights to publish this code. They take this firmware and then customize it for the Cinematube (I'm guessing the torrent feature, etc are Brite-view additions). All Realtek based streamers are in the same boat. So while open source firmware might be nice... Realtek isn't going to allow this. If I've made any bad assumptions here Tony can feel free to correct me.

Absolutely wrong....

Patriot Memory official forum.. for PATRIOT BOX OFFICE Media Player... CINEMATUBE Twin Brother, (same processor)

patriotmem.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3329

guille082

10-08-10, 11:41 AM

xtreamer dot net is the best example of mixing open source and private code, a good community, engineers (plural) working on the firmware, implemented as part of options requested by the company and by the users.

I have lost a client, and surpasses the competition, this product is dying and the saddest thing is that it is good.

growers

10-20-10, 11:28 AM

I see that the Brite-View BV-5005HD CinemaTube is available on Amazon for $67. All I need is high quality 1080p streaming from my WHS box. Should I snap-up this deal, or spend a few more $ on something like the Xstreamer? Is there anything fundamentally wrong with the CinemaTube?

Thanks!

cstroman

10-20-10, 06:17 PM

I have it and I like it. There are bugs and quirks but nothing earth shattering. As long as it's a wired network, it should work.

There are some bugs with forced subs vs. using subs in an SRT file.

Hooked to a hard drive or to a wired network it seems to work fine for me.

I don't know if they ever fixed the FLV video issue but it was on their to do list.

If you just need a 1080P streamer without any bells or whistles or HD Audio, It should work fine.

growers

10-20-10, 06:36 PM

Thanks for the reply. My network is wired and I don't need subs so I should be fine. Think I'll take the plunge.

I quite like the specs of the upcoming Dune HD Smart D1 player, but it doesn't have a decent enough display to replace my standalone music player (Roku Soundbridge) and the models fitted with the faster Realtek chip with gig-E are still a few months away (plus its 4x the price!).

christer W.

10-21-10, 11:03 AM

Growers,

I think the CT I got over a year ago has been just great, for what I use it for: watching .mkv movie files downloaded from wherever on my home theater in the basement.

I have it connected to a hub. My PC running Windows 7 has a Seagate 1.5TB USB external drive connected to it. In this configuration, there are no problems at all.

I seem to remember in the threads where folks had problems getting the CT to see NAS but as that isn't what I have, I don't remember if they got it resolved or not.

If you are using Windows 7, file sharing setup so the CT can get into your media folder(s) is more involved than in XP or OSX. There is a thread showing screenshots over on Brite-View

http://www.brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=746

Worked just fine once I made the changes shown.

hzee

11-09-10, 05:01 PM

I am into my third week with the BV-5005HD Mini which is replacing my WD HD Media Player (original version with firmware updates).

I am reasonably familiar with home network setups and have successfully updated my home FIOS setup with a Netgear WNDR 3700. The 3700 broadcasts to our laptop and my LG BD570 while my desktop and LG BD390 are hardwired to the original Verizon router. I have the wifi portion of the Verizon router shut off and the Netgear router cabled to it to serve as the network wireless source. It all works nicely, thank you very much!

I had agonized over choosing a replacement for the WDHDMP and settled on the 5005HD Mini primarily for BD and iso playback along with improved audio (and price point). The networking was seen as a potential bonus.

The Bad:

Setting up the wifi network for this unit proved to be an exercise in futility even with several forum help sources. I was simply incapable of getting a wifi network connection. I then purchased a fifty foot CAT6 cable in order to hardwire it (ala the LG390) and suddenly found out I could do without networking it at all! Needless to say the cable went back to BB!

The Good:

I have four external drives on which I keep my SD and BD movie files. I have two 2 terabyte units, one 1 terabyte unit, and a single 500 Gig unit. They are all USB 2.0. Guess what? They all daisy chain perfectly with the "mini" through either of its two USB ports and a small, inexpensive Targus four port USB hub!

There are no issues or problems that I detected as yet using all four external hard drives that are read and listed separately. I can easily continue to transfer film file and photos to any and all and then access them with a simple ease and reliability that makes the unit a joy to use.

The picture quality on my 40" Samsung LCD is excellent as is the sound through the TV speakers, my "TV Ears" or my Q-Home FX 5.1 surround sound headphones.

I have had very few BD, SD, or iso files come up as unreadable and will redo some of these few to see if that corrects any possible problems with the actual files. The iso's work just fine (though without menus). Update 11/5/2010: I forgot to mention that all of my movie files are either m2ts or vob. SD iso files have accessible and functional menus while the BD iso files have no menu access.

I am very pleased overall (ignoring the networking fiasco) with this unit and have no problems recommending it as a serious consideration for anyone seeking a reasonably reliable and fairly inexpensive media player. I am not using or accessing its "addons" as I want this to function as my primary movie player. I can stream Netflix on either LG BD player.

Based on my experience I would have preferred a non-wifi version of this unit for 90.00 instead of this one for a 110.00 but the ease of daily operation, its reliability, and the quality of its output more than offsets that issue.

I would like to be able to network all of these movie file sources so that I could watch any on either the Samsung in my den or the 60" Sony KDS-60A3000 in the living room. At this point I still feel hardwiring with CAT6 is the way to go for maximum network viewing quality. However, I must say that the NetFlix streaming media sent wifi to the LG BD570 works just fine!

BTW, just this week, the original bulb blew on the Sony after three plus years. I ordered a OEM replacement from Bulb Solutions in Illinois on Sunday afternoon, the bulb and cage arrived Tuesday afternoon, and I had it installed and the Sony up and running is less than an hour!

Harry Zee

npatel1622

11-19-10, 03:54 PM

Growers,

I think the CT I got over a year ago has been just great, for what I use it for: watching .mkv movie files downloaded from wherever on my home theater in the basement.

I have it connected to a hub. My PC running Windows 7 has a Seagate 1.5TB USB external drive connected to it. In this configuration, there are no problems at all.

I seem to remember in the threads where folks had problems getting the CT to see NAS but as that isn't what I have, I don't remember if they got it resolved or not.

If you are using Windows 7, file sharing setup so the CT can get into your media folder(s) is more involved than in XP or OSX. There is a thread showing screenshots over on Brite-View

Worked just fine once I made the changes shown.

I would like to add that if you recently updated your windows critical/recommended updates, you may get Windows Live Essential 2011 and that screws up sharing. Once I uninstalled that, it worked fine again.

npatel1622

11-19-10, 03:55 PM

Has anyone figured out how to play flv with new firmware. It used to work couple of updates ago but not anymore.

tlp95129

11-25-10, 11:08 AM

Are there any functional differences between the Mini and the older CT? The older one seems to have disappeared from retail channels. I've only been able to find it on eBay.

brite-View

11-28-10, 08:02 AM

@npatel1622 - This is something that is being worked out we hope in the next firmware release. I believe that the MKV header compression issue has been resolved and we are aiming to get a release of this updated firmware toward the end of December beginning of January if our Beta Testers don't run into any major issues.

brite-View

11-28-10, 08:05 AM

@tlp95129 - The major differences you will see between the CT and the MiniCG/CT is the form factor and the elimination of the component video, else the overall functionality is similar to the older unit.

brite-View

11-28-10, 08:08 AM

Bubbachuck

12-09-10, 10:29 AM

Hi brite-view,

I just purchased this item yesterday. One of the reasons I purchased this is its torrent downloading feature. I tried to download and left it overnight, when I woke up this morning, all of a sudden it couldn't see my HDD when opening the torrent download page. It keeps saying "BT disk mount failed". How am I going to fix this? My current FW version is IPB10106251. Thanks.

And also why will it be removed on the next FW version?

Bubbachuck

12-09-10, 10:30 AM

rushhound

12-10-10, 12:11 PM

This is a new setup using Windows 7 Ultimate.
I have checked the settings posted here for making sure I have file sharing enabled and verfied they are correct.
I am using a wired connection.

Have been using PlayOn for almost a year just fine on my PS3 as well as my LG BD570.
I am actually using the exact wired connection that I have been using the PS3 with.
There were no hoops to jump through, I just powered up both devices and the PlayOn logo was right there.

I can see and access files on my computer and can stream music.

I can see UpNP under Photos, Music and Video but there is nothing there when I click on it.

I keep seeing mention of a "Media Center" icon and I am not sure if that just refers to the group of icons for music, photos etc that are on the home page?
If there is supposed to be an icon for "Media Center" on the same page as the music, video, photo icons I don't have that.

The player did automatically download two different updates last night when I first plugged the unit in.

Thanks in advance!

HTBuilder

12-17-10, 01:06 PM

rushhound

12-17-10, 01:32 PM

Rush - you have to select the proper media type first (audio, video, pics) and then select your UPNP source. If you select audio, and then pick a PlayOn UPNP source that only serves up videos, your list will be empty. You have to pick Video first, then pick the uPNP source that serves up the same file types.

Thanks for the response. I actually tried this since this is the way it worked on my PS3. PlayOn just never showed up at any point any where.

I already got rid of it and bought another LD BD570 which is DLNA certified that "sees' PlayOn just fine.

ozonepilot

12-26-10, 04:21 PM

@scratchie - The Beta RC1 firmware upgrade was pulled due to instability. We are currently in closed Beta to get real world testing time for RC2, one of the items that is being addressed within this release is the MKV header compression issue. If anyone through some other means is trying to use the RC1 build, we strongly recommend a firmware downgrade at this time.

"real world testing?" The real world includes older CTs, where the latest RC3 is not applicable to those who own the older boxes. Neither did RC2. The older CTs have reached their end of life, only after a short time in this "real world," and I myself will no longer trust any product from Brite-View. If you visit the official forum, http://www.brite-viewforum.com/viewforum.php?f=7 you will notice their client base screaming for support, yet their mod, Tony, just brushes it off and makes a feeble attempt to ensure the client base that a new f/w upgrade will be available before year's end. And what did they come up with?..........RC3!! Not only useless for older boxes, but an unreliable beta release for boxes that do support it. I've had problems in the past with their beta RCs, and swore not to use them again, until an official release was available. Tony, the mod over at the Brite-View forum has mislead each and every client on the forum by telling us about this new f/w, but at the last minute changed his tune and informed us that only newer boxes or older ones without certain boot code number endings in their boxes will be able to use RC3. http://www.brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1182 Completely unacceptable, as he never clued us in after all these months that it was not intended for any other box. For me, I'll go by his original post in the forums that a release will be available, not only to newer boxes, but to include us poor unfortunate slobs who own the older boxes. They have 5 days left until the end of the year to come up with a workable solution!

It's the new year and I refer you to this post on Brite-View's forum this a.m. http://www.brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1229&p=6582#p6582

brite-View

01-01-11, 10:59 PM

@Bubbachuck - The error may be due to the Torrent timing out or perhaps because of the free space left on your HDD. Please note that primary support is provided on our forums located at http://www.brite-viewforum.com.

brite-View

01-01-11, 11:12 PM

"real world testing?" The real world includes older CTs, where the latest RC3 is not applicable to those who own the older boxes. Neither did RC2. The older CTs have reached their end of life, only after a short time in this "real world," and I myself will no longer trust any product from Brite-View. If you visit the official forum, http://www.brite-viewforum.com/viewforum.php?f=7 you will notice their client base screaming for support, yet their mod, Tony, just brushes it off and makes a feeble attempt to ensure the client base that a new f/w upgrade will be available before year's end. And what did they come up with?..........RC3!! Not only useless for older boxes, but an unreliable beta release for boxes that do support it. I've had problems in the past with their beta RCs, and swore not to use them again, until an official release was available. Tony, the mod over at the Brite-View forum has mislead each and every client on the forum by telling us about this new f/w, but at the last minute changed his tune and informed us that only newer boxes or older ones without certain boot code number endings in their boxes will be able to use RC3. http://www.brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1182 Completely unacceptable, as he never clued us in after all these months that it was not intended for any other box. For me, I'll go by his original post in the forums that a release will be available, not only to newer boxes, but to include us poor unfortunate slobs who own the older boxes. They have 5 days left until the end of the year to come up with a workable solution!

It's the new year and I refer you to this post on Brite-View's forum this a.m. http://www.brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1229&p=6582#p6582
@ozonepilot - It's been clearly stated that a firmware release would be forthcoming barring any major issues. Currently RC3 has some issues surrounding USB and BT functions which are being worked on; some things that appear to be fixed is the MKV Header Compression and Sound issues. In regards to systems that show a Code 14 or 16, all I can provide you with is what I know, which is RC3 will not load on systems displaying that boot code. As soon as I receive further guidance regarding boot Code 14 / 16 boxes I will be happy to share that with the rest of the community.

ozonepilot

01-02-11, 09:57 AM

fpsfreak

01-05-11, 09:34 PM

if i have movie preview set to on then the movie will resume.it only resumes for iso files and not vob files in a folder.has anybody got the resume feature to work with movie preview off? i flashed back to Feb 12, 2010 fw.

gadget-zilla

01-06-11, 12:27 AM

@Brite-View - I asked this months ago so thought to ask again - are there plans to support movie cover art or fan art or album covers with the Cinema tube device ?

Several of your competitive products have left you in the dust and passed you by in this area.

Gadget-zilla

dragonbud0

01-06-11, 07:43 AM

In case some of you missed one of the work around when playing the latest mkv files, I found this on the WD Live site that has a dummy proof solution, using MKVtoolnix (latest is 4.4.0).

It took me about 10-15 minutes for large files, about 8 gig.

Scroll to the 2nd page of the link by Concord3_16 on 9-12-2010.

http://community.wdc.com/t5/General-Discussions/WDTV-Live-not-play-MKV-or-video-file-at-all-solution/td-p/41235/page/2

I've been using this gadget for over one year. Like anything else, it has its pros and cons. I tried Seagate and WD, but found the "Go to" button and the remote are the best features on this little streamer.

Have fun.

cinematube_warez

01-25-11, 01:07 PM

Hi...
I am wondering why all the Cinematube owners don't make something to solve their problems. Somebody did something, and is like "O..my...god!"
I've tested a custom firmware made for cinematube. The informations are in romanian, but you can translate easy with "google translate" , or ask a romanian friend to translate for you in english. Also, please read the full change log from the beginning, because some remote buttons has been redefined for a better compatibility. Try it and you will have yamj, thumbgen, a lot of online services, playlist support, youtube player, transmission torrent which download files on the usb hdd, ftp client for easy transfer files from computer to cinematube usb.
You have a info text that will help you with all functions, for the rest...just google it.

cinematube_warez

01-25-11, 01:08 PM

And...this forum rules said that I must have at least 3 posts in the forum to insert url links...I will write another post after this to give you the download link of that amazing firmware

cinematube_warez

01-25-11, 01:11 PM

this is my number three post, so I beg the admins not to warn me, it was the only way to do it. thank you for your understanding.
Remember brite-view crew, I just want to make your users happy, this firmware will boost your selling ;)

cinematube_warez

01-25-11, 01:12 PM

The firmware is available here (http://www.mediafire.com/?w4b4v4gyklbq4q7)
Remember, your player will not suffer, no harm done if you try it, you just have to install it like you installed the latest beta firmwares from brite-view.
I forgot to tell you that this firmware is for cinematube 5005hd.
Enjoy it (http://www.mediafire.com/?w4b4v4gyklbq4q7)

loray

01-28-11, 01:23 PM

The firmware is available []here[/]
Remember, your player will not suffer, no harm done if you try it, you just have to install it like you installed the latest beta firmwares from brite-view.
I forgot to tell you that this firmware is for cinematube 5005hd.
[

I tested and it works beautifully. Now I can watch internet tv. I wonder why Cinematube won't implement those features.
Thanks for this great firmware

rafinus

01-28-11, 01:38 PM

Hi cinematube_warez, have any restriction to install? Like the version 14 o 16 of CT?
If not appear anything I can back to the briteview firmware?

Thanks a lot for your contribution.

cinematube_warez

01-29-11, 12:15 PM

There is no restrictions, you can always go back to any firmware you want, is your choice, cannot be compared with the beta firmwares from briteview, it will not affect anything.
I will stay with this awesome custom firmware, because it have many many things that work very good, I can use thumbgen, I can use yamj, I have transmission torrent, internet links, I can use playlists, I have a decent audio player, all in one.

cinematube_warez

01-30-11, 04:26 AM

Great job, dan35, everybody should share their firmwares, it is an open community so act like one ;)

hp_92117

01-30-11, 02:34 PM

Hello Dan35 and Cinematube_Warez,

I tried to upgrade these fw to the CT and it won't load because I think it requires the "Install.img-sig.txt" file. So can you guys help me on the instruction how to load these super fw to the CT w/o the image file.

Thank you so much for sharing this fw and make my CT looks/play much and much better than the factory one.

HP,

cinematube_warez

01-30-11, 02:41 PM

@hp_92117
installation mode : plug out the device's power, press power button and keep pressed, plug in the power and release the button after 10 seconds.

dan35

01-30-11, 06:09 PM

@hp_92117
installation mode : plug out the device's power, press power button and keep pressed, plug in the power and release the button after 10 seconds.

3s to 5s is alright.

1. Download the alternative firmware. Unrar it. Save install.img in the root menu of your USB stick/hard drive
2. Power off the unit; unplug your media player
3. Hold the power button on the unit
4. Plug the AC adapter back (without letting go off the power button for 3-5 seconds)
5. You’ll enter “USB Update”. Please plug in the USB drive with the alternative firmware, and the update will begin.

LunaDigital

01-30-11, 07:50 PM

3s to 5s is alright.

1. Download the alternative firmware. Unrar it. Save install.img in the root menu of your USB stick/hard drive
2. Power off the unit; unplug your media player
3. Hold the power button on the unit
4. Plug the AC adapter back (without letting go off the power button for 3-5 seconds)
5. You’ll enter “USB Update”. Please plug in the USB drive with the alternative firmware, and the update will begin.

Ok, so I installed this software update on my Briteview BV-5005hd and now I cant get it to work at all. How do I set up the network? I think I got it right...doing adhoc to my network but it doesnt find any of the files. How do I get it to find my PC?!?!?!? HELP!
If I can't get this to work...can I go back to another brite view software update??

hp_92117

01-31-11, 02:09 AM

Thank you so much for your installation instruction to Dan35 and Cinematube_warez, and it worked beautiful on these 2 fw and way much much better than CT original fw.

I have a question for you both before I try to load a totally different fw to CT to make sure that it will be OK after installed and it will not brick the CT is that:
I want to load this fw version HD2 1.12.06 rev3 from the
http://www.moservices.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=221&sid=6ff58421f828efa0744276737b885d2c&start=0 to my CT.
I have tried to load 2 different fw to CT and it works fine and just wondering that this fw from the 'moService" will be fine too. Please let me know if you think this is OK to do so.

Again, thank you so, so much for all your support...

cinematube_warez

01-31-11, 03:08 AM

@hp_92117
You cannot install any other foreign firmware on your device if it's not designed for it.
You can "brick" your device permanently.
If the instructions does not say cinematube, don't install it...it is safer for you. You can wait until somebody with more experience will try it

dan35

01-31-11, 06:08 AM

cstroman

01-31-11, 11:46 AM

First let me say thanks so much for those posting the alternate Firmwares for the Cinematube. If you helped design or code them then double thanks but even if you just posted links to work someone else did. Thanks just the same.

The Medi8er firmware basically makes the CT exactly like a Medi8er from what I can tell.

The Romanian ACRyan one I like the best except for a couple of things. The majority of the apps and links, etc. are in Russian or Romanian.

I have no idea how to remove them or replace them with US/English versions. Is there a userguide for the ACRyan one? Can I just use the ACRyan regular manuals to figure out all the stuff or is it customized enough that I won't be able to get it to work?

Most of the links to live channels, etc. that show up don't work for me. The BBC links, etc. all say Unable to Play so I'm assuming it's because those are coded to work outside the US and not in the US.

Any direction anyone can give me to customizing that AC Ryan version would be awesome.

Thanks.

cinematube_warez

01-31-11, 04:14 PM

well...cstroman, I'm afraid that you have to figure it out by yourself. Most of the scripts besides the regular xml language are written in php.

LunaDigital

01-31-11, 11:18 PM

@LunaDigital: Read Only (or just ask pre-sales questions) in Mede8er's forums (http://www.mede8erforum.com/index.php/topic,766.0.html).

Easy Connect to your Win7 shares using guest account (http://www.mede8erforum.com/index.php/topic,596.0.html)

Yes, you can go back to BV's firmwares anytime.

I finally did figure it out. Not to keen on some of the new button mapping but overall it is cool. I just wish I knew how to use the movie jukebox.

Opinionated

02-02-11, 01:56 PM

There is a known issue with these units.

If you have a Motorola cable box: a Motorola (from a remote) signal, turns on the CinemaTube (if it is off).

This bug has been known for more then a year. There seems to be no solution.

Can you imagine the inconvenience? For your cable remote to not turn on your brite-view box, you must unplug your bright-view after each use.

Buy something else.

Lessbones

02-07-11, 09:46 PM

ozonepilot

02-09-11, 04:50 AM

hey guys-- anyone else trying to load either of the custom firmwares on an older (14/16) unit? I'm having no luck here-- just goes through the update, gives me the brite-view splash, then turns off. Looks like I'm going to need to go back to the crappy older firmware again...

I also have an older 14/16 box, but haven't tried it and don't plan to. A friend of mine also has the older box and tried it a few days ago. He says it works fine with the Medi8er f/w. He accomplished this as above instructions i.e. pull the AC cord, press on the power button on the CT.....and keep it pressed down while putting the AC plug back in.....for 10 seconds........it should re-boot a couple of times as it installs the f/w. Did you see the progress bar as it loaded the f/w from your usb stick?

giddy169

02-09-11, 11:18 AM

Does the AC Ryan firmware have a feature like the Video Wall on the mede8er firmware? I really like this feature it makes getting to my network movies quick and easy but I would also like youtube.

LunaDigital

02-09-11, 10:34 PM

Does the AC Ryan firmware have a feature like the Video Wall on the mede8er firmware? I really like this feature it makes getting to my network movies quick and easy but I would also like youtube.

It does, but for the life of me I can't get it to work. IF you install it and get it work, please put some instructions on how to do so because I can't seem to find anything on line in the way of a user guide that explains it.

giddy169

02-10-11, 09:58 AM

Thanks for the reply. It isn't bad with the mede8er firmware so maybe I will stick to that. If you movies are on the network you have to make a shortcut by using the blue button if I remember correctly on the remote. Then after you made your shortcut you just have to push the blue button the folder you want to add to the wall and select the wall icon.

dj4monie

02-12-11, 11:47 PM

cinematube_warez

02-15-11, 02:02 PM

Hello people, the man from Romania did another version of the firmware for cinematube 5005HD, with many changes inside : http://www.mediafire.com/?d4m4mrn1r3cz21r

mongofrye

02-16-11, 09:29 AM

First I like the Brite-View because its one of the few that supports BT and Media Severs like PlayOn and TVersity.

I have this player listed as a device to use for this season's American Le Mans Series coverage that will be only available on ESPN3 (Flag to Flag). You can access ESPN3 via PlayOn (and TVersity but its a bit unclear on their forums).

Before I suggest this, I thought about buying one.

I can get either one, I have a Buffalo Internet Converter (basically a bridge with four Ethernet ports)

Its also one of the few feature rich media players that work with older CRT's.

Is there anything I should be aware of?

Playon works well for the most part on cinematube, but not all plugins and features work. In my case, ESPN3 does not work. I have tried many things but playon has indicated to me they believe it is a limitation of the cinematube.

Still a great box, but don't bet on ESPN3 functionality.

mongofrye

02-16-11, 09:31 AM

Hello people, the man from Romania did another version of the firmware for cinematube 5005HD, with many changes inside : http://www.mediafire.com/?d4m4mrn1r3cz21r

i downloaded and flashed this firmware. has some nice features.

Most of the internet content doesn't work for me. Thoughts?

Also, how do you get the torrent feature to work with this?

Finally, is there a forum or website one can go to read about this firmwares features and instructions on use?

Thanks!

cinematube_warez

02-17-11, 03:56 AM

Small fix for r4824 revision4 available here : http://brite-viewforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=1341&p=7675#p7675

chipboy

02-17-11, 02:21 PM

guille082

02-17-11, 10:49 PM

The mede8er firmware is great, thanks. I was on the verge of scrapping my CT, but this has definitely bought it some time. One question: I can't figure out how to create playlists using the CT remote or a Logitech Harmony 700. Any help?

MAKING MULTIPLE M3U PLAYLIST’S
The Mede8er supports m3u playlist files that can be easily generated when the unit is connected to your PC via USB or Samba Network. You can use any 3rd party programs to make your custom playlist’s and we recommend Playlist Creator 3.6.2 as it is free and works well. In the case of Playlist Creator 3.6.2 you must make the following changes under settings - change “Saving Playlist Entries” to Relative. The m3u playlists will work on the internal Hard Drive, USB Drive or Network Share

NOTE: The Playlist file ie xxx.m3u must be saved to any folder on the same drive as the music source files. The xxx.m3u will not work if you save it to the root directory of a Hard Drive. We suggest you make a “PLAYLIST” folder and save all your playlists in this folder.Playlist Creator 3.6.2 can be downloaded free of charge from oddgravity.com

kutyadog

02-25-11, 05:10 PM

Very curious to try this... as the firmware on CT is pretty weak.

But I do not want to brick my box.

If this doesnt work, how can I get the old firmware back on the box?

Also, just to verify, this is for the original cinematube BV-5005HD, not the mini right?

Thanks

The firmware is available (url removed)
Remember, your player will not suffer, no harm done if you try it, you just have to install it like you installed the latest beta firmwares from brite-view.
I forgot to tell you that this firmware is for cinematube 5005hd.
(url removed)Enjoy it

kutyadog

02-25-11, 06:08 PM

Went ahead and installed the custom firmware listed above.
Install went super easy and works great.
Only problem is it was flickering on my tv after install. I had to find my way to setup and change video settings to something that wouldnt flicker. Not an easy thing to do, but once I did it, looks great now.
Tested youtube real quick, got a video to work.
Got wifi to work.
Browsed my shared library of movies on my pc and started a movie..works great.
Also love that you can jump through the movie to a specific part... a big feature missing on CT's original firmware.
Now I need to explore and find what other features I can add.
Thanks alot!
cj

davenismi

03-02-11, 10:13 PM

Installed the mede8er firmware, but the remote didn't seem to function. I also use a jp1 capable universal remote, but it also didn't work with the mede8er firmware. Had to revert back to cinematube IPB10106251 firmware. Am I missing something?

Thanks

cinematube_warez

03-07-11, 08:02 AM

New cinematube bv5005hd custom firmware based on mede8er med400x v4.0.4 (3 march 2011).
Download available here : http://www.mediafire.com/?r9ivlgev4255fr8

AVS66

03-07-11, 12:03 PM

Cinematube,

What the difference between Mede8er and acryan fw? They are same?

If difference, which one is better? Do they have feature line Youtube and thumb nail?

ozonepilot

03-07-11, 05:41 PM

@ozonepilot - It's been clearly stated that a firmware release would be forthcoming barring any major issues. Currently RC3 has some issues surrounding USB and BT functions which are being worked on; some things that appear to be fixed is the MKV Header Compression and Sound issues. In regards to systems that show a Code 14 or 16, all I can provide you with is what I know, which is RC3 will not load on systems displaying that boot code. As soon as I receive further guidance regarding boot Code 14 / 16 boxes I will be happy to share that with the rest of the community.

I don't know WTF you are, nor do I care, but on the brite-view Facebook it tells quite a different story......and both you and some a*shole Tony on the Brite-View forum are trying to BS the forum on AVS and on the Brite View forum. As far as I'm concerned Brite-View shouldn't even have a f'n thread on AVS. Brite-View and their personell are a bunch of f'n liars.....you, the as*hole Tony at BV [unless you're him too], and support at briteview which does not exist.........Stick this up your f'n as*!!!

Edit:

I've now been banned from the Brite-View forum. This moron Tony had me banned for exposing him as the liar he is. He in the past guaranteed a f/w upgrade for boxes with the 14/16 boot code, and then conveniently backed out of that committment by posting an Xmas "gift" to all CT owners. [your a real joke Tony]. This was only for newer boxes in the CT format. He lied to me, and to all the users on the Brite-View forum. It's an insult for Brite-View to even be mentioned on this well known, well used forum that I use for my info on a regular basis. Tony has no business being here, least of all Brite-View, there is no support whatever on all their boxes. Their FaceBook page mentions that there would be no f/w forthcoming on all the CT boxes, but Tony the liar never mentions this on the Brite-View forum until yesterday when I exposed his dirty little secret that he knew all along. The f/w they use is outdated and most likely compiled by some 10 year old Chinese rejects from the mainland............if they're lucky to get payed for what useless crap they put out. Brite-View has to submit to 3rd party f/w hacks on their boxes now, since they obviously have fiscal problems and are not able to pay these engineers whats coming to them for any f/w. They've been on RC firmwares for months even on the newer boxes and still aren't able to get those little Chinese girls from the mainland to stop playing with their dolls and get to writing important stuff.................like f/w. They're a joke in the industry, as they now have a forum specifically directed for "custom mods" on their forum...............i.e. AC Ryan and Medi8er f/w hacks for the Cinema Tube. Well done. You think that will buy them some time for their f/w to be released? I sincerely doubt it You think that when they eventually put out a f/w package, that it will be up to date? The box is dead, and so is Tony. He's a crook and will always be a crook. He's proved it by not informing the users Brite-View's real intentions for months.We have to find out on a friggin' FaceBook page. I don't know what kind of capacity he is holding at Brite-View...maybe hawking his warez on sidestreets pushing the older Brite-View CT boxes on the side.....those pallets of CTs that have been in his apartment living room for the past 2 years, but one thing is for certain....the box is dead. All the other manufacturers are way ahead of Brite-View in regards of hardware and firmware. I recently had viewed the PCH C-200 in action at a friend's place. Pricey, but light-years ahead of the CT. Brite-View isn't even able to fix the compression header problem that's since been addressed and fixed by everyone out there. They're broke, and they can't admit it. I'm counting the days for their eventual demise in the market, and waiting for this moron, Tony to get a new job..maybe delivering the Sunday Times would be the best solution for him........as long as he delivers it on the right day!! Knowing Tony, he'll deliver his Sunday Times..........in a year or so ["you never mentioned which Sunday you wanted the paper"]. Brite-View will go the way of Mediagate......right down the tubes........and the sooner, the better for all of us....no more throwing good money after bad on this thrown together hunka junk!

Here's the FaceBook Brite-View page rerference that I mentioned above. Those poor, poor souls have no friggin' clue on what they bought into. Tony should be ashamed of this. Why the hell don't you just go out and steal candy from a baby? MORON!!!

Marlon Joseph Santos (http://www.facebook.com/marlonjosephsantos)
Hi, when will you release the FW for the classic cinematube? Thanks.

19 February at 00:30 (http://www.facebook.com/marlonjosephsantos/posts/10150091651652343) · Like (http://www.facebook.com/r.php?fbpage_id=94172822342&r=111) · Comment (http://www.facebook.com/r.php?fbpage_id=94172822342&r=111) · View feedback (1)Hide feedback (1)

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/71056_94172822342_7747753_q.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/briteview)

Brite-View (http://www.facebook.com/briteview) Hi Marlon, thanks for stopping by! There will no longer be firmware released for the classic CT, but if your CT's boot code is not 14 or 16, you can use the new firmware for the CinemaTube Mini. To check bootcode, please go to the “Main Menu” 2) Press “Stop” and then “Subtitle” on your remote control, and “version information” should appear. Find boot code information (shown as No XXXX.XXXX.XX19); 3) If the last two digits are “14” or “16”, you will not be able to update the firmware.22 February at 11:11

Another link on the Amazon.com site I read about....no it's not me, I don't buy CTs from Amazon.......

http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3H3SSMA6M73IF/ref=cm_pdp_rev_title_1?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview#R31KJZSYUS57XI