Adam,

Take a look at the dvdedit directory. You will see some xml files with the date stamps of when you ran dvdedit last. Rename to something else and try again.

I once had a problem that was resolved by just deleting those files. They get recreated everytime DVDedit connects.

Adam, I have a Laptop and a "Hacked" E-mail station, that does a bunch of other things too. The e-mail station is a unix system that just mounts shares available only when my "Server" is on. However none of the equipment is wireless, everything is hardwired to a router located in the basement....

Danny, can you ping the Entre from your wireless laptop?
Or do you have a wireless laptop?
What is the operating system on the computers that you cannot use MM or DVDedit?
Do you hardwire your Laptop?
I guess I just assumed you were using wireless on your laptop.

Adam, Nothing is wireless, everything is hardwired!!

Sorry my error!
What are your operating systems on your computers?

Guys,

I am working on resolving this runtime error... If some of you would be kind enough as to email me some of your computer specs (where the runtime errors occur) that would be extremely helpful. The most import thing is knowing the OS and Sevice Pack level. I only have WinXP SP1 Pro on my computers. But if the runtime is common on one specific platform, I don't mind installing that OS for testing purposes.

-NiteOwl

Regarding connectivity, Please make sure that your gateway is the same on all computers. Since most of us have broadband routers that act as NAT firewalls, please use its ip as the gateway. I have noticed that the Linksys routers need Multicast enabled inorder for MM and DVDedit to function. Being that both apps send multicast messages (xxx.xxx.xxx.255) to discover the Entre(s). Your subnet should be 255.255.255.255 to eliminate any issues with multicasting to xxx.xxx.xxx.255.

-NiteOwl

I'll try posting this on the technical discussion thread since there was no response on the issues thread...

When I try to look up Mp3s for album art, it goes out to openglobe, then the artist and title turn to "n/a" and no album art is found - in other words, it somehow loses the artist and title information while talking to openglobe. DVDs and CDs are still able to look up album art etc from openglobe.

Has anyone had this problem or know what might be wrong? Any help would be gratly appreciated.

thanks,
Jack

Originally posted by jt3461
<snip>When I try to look up Mp3s for album art, it goes out to openglobe, then the artist and title turn to "n/a" and no album art is found - in other words, it somehow loses the artist and title information while talking to openglobe. DVDs and CDs are still able to look up album art etc from openglobe.<snip> Strange but not overly surprising. Sounds like they just didn't account for a lookup for only "partitial" info. If you delete those MP3s in that album then rip them from the Entre's transport does it find the covers and artist?

Thanks Scott, I'll try that however I think it is something deeper. If I take an album that is already "registered" with the correct album art, yr everything, and tell it to look that up - it will also return the "n/a" results. In other words it will temporaily wipe out the info. It used to be able to work with limited info i.e. type in an artist name and it will bring back whatever album it had - may not be the right one, but a return none the less. BTW, I have also recieved some weird messages from time to time about openglobe certificate (I think) being expired. Remmeber, I went through all of the 5555/64000 and PROD reset stuff. I wonder if somehow the Entre lost its "identity" when talking to openglobe about Mp3s - does that makes sense?

Jack, I just tested a couple MP3s that already had all the info. The cover art look up worked quick and was "successful"...that is it stated it found the cover art. Since it already had all the info to begin with that is not your same test.

Next I did the lookup CD option. It said 'no CD info found' or the like but then left all the information as it was.

Assuming you can FTP to the Entre look at your: 7.0.5/ssl directory and subdirectories. All files in the subdirs are dated 6/30/2003. If yours are different then I'd be suspicious.

WHOA!! You da man Scott! Everything is dated 01/01/70

ssl,tidsp, GUIResources, and conexant are all 01/01/70.

In the ssl sub dir certs and pems are also 01/01/70.

Sounds like you need to go through the Entre utility menu and do a software update/upgrade. Hopefully it recognized an old version.

will that blow away the gui changes or iradio changes?

Originally posted by jt3461
will that blow away the gui changes or iradio changes? I'm quite certain it would for the gui changes but don't know about the iradio changes. Back up both. The iradio changes should not be too hard to find as you should be able to sort by date and see your XML changed files float to the top. I doubt/don't_think you can just re-add the new XML iradio files back and they magically get created. You can however manually create a bogus one with the correct name/title then replace the http reference with the one from your backed up version. Not really an issue if you have a keyboard (I don't) but the remote is a pain in the buttock.

The Entre says it has the current version. Is there a way to force the update? I saw some discussion of a 2.0.0.8 cd but did not see the resolution.

I backed up the images and prp files, as well as the internet radio xml file. maybe I can copy that back?

Biggest question is how to force the update...

thanks
Jack

Jack are you using a Net Mate ethernet adapter or the internal modem? If you are using the modem you need to set up the entre for dial up, and then search this thread for "Kenwood's" Earthlink account name and password, if it still exists. The reason I asked aboutthe "Net Mate" adapter is because that is the only supported by Entre's original software....

Thanks Danny,
I am using the Net Mate adapter. My guess is Scott was on the right track that the sub directories having a 01/01/70 date on them is behind the problem. I guess a 2.0.0.8 re-install will fix it - but it doesn't think it needs one - so it won't go out and get one. Other internet funtions work.

If I go to openglobe via the remote, and click on the now playing I get an error "Server certificate has expired. Do you still wish to connect to the web server 'www.openglobe.net'?

If I say yes it will then go out and get the artist info.

The only thing I can think of is that I was somehow careless in my learning to ftp the Entre and messed up the dates somehow in a directory copy.

Jack

Jack, when you say 1/1/1970 which partition are you looking in?? In partition 7.0.1, of my Entre the dates read 1/1/1970, and my unit is working fine. How about returning your Entre to its "out of box" state by doing a factory reset? Maybe that will solve your problems.... After that is done you can force a update to V (2.0.0.8)??

Thanks Danny,

The ssl, tidsp, GUIResources, and conexant directories are all 01/01/70.

In the ssl sub directory certs and pems are also 01/01/70.

I would hate to have to do a factory reset - it is such a small inconvenience to have to wipe everything over - that being said I would like to fix it.

I searched on the earthlink kenwood login in this thread. I don't think this gets me anything. The ethernet connection is working. I did another forced reset today so it works.

maybe the dates are not the problem....

Jack, If I remember correctly, NightOwl stated that 7.0.1 is the partition the Entre uses when it is "Booted Up" for the first time. (Brand New Unit). Then 7.0.5 is supposed to take over after that. If your 7.0.5 is reading 1/1/1970, it would seem for some reason it is mirroring 7.01....Check It Out!!!

[QUOTE]7.0.5/ is the default active boot partition, contains dbs and dvd cover art
7.0.6/ has the mp3 media files
7.0.7/ clean image of 7.0.6
7.0.8/ appears to be the same as 7.0.7
7.0.9/ CDR
7.0.2/ has the radio stations and tar files contains clean copies of the dbs
7.0.1/ active partition for brand new units, 7.0.5 takes over after settings are configured

If you look though 7.0.6/Media, you will find that alot of MP3s are 0 bytes in length. I found that was the cause to why some didn't want to play, yet listed.

-NiteOwl

Danny,
Take a look at he attached screenshot. The Conexant, GUIResources, ssl, and tidsp subdirectories of 7.0.5// are dated 01/01/70. The certs and pems subdirectories of ssl are also dated 01/01/70 -however the contents are dated 07/15/03. Similarly the contents of tidsp are also 7/15/03. Seems like the directories are misdated but the contents are not. I am not real conversant in the mirroring subject...were you alluding to a solution or further definition of the problem?

thanks for your help....:confused:

No, I really don't have a solution to your problem.. The only thing that seems weird is the fact that in your 7.0.5 partition you have the 1/1/1970 thing going on. I really don't think it had anything to do with your ftp'ing the Entre, unless you copied partition 7.0.1 to your hard drive and then back to the 7.0.5 partition on your Entre. I doubt you could have done that and not realized what you were doing.... I there that much stored in your Entre that it would be a pain in the ass to do the factory reset thing?? I'm really anal when it comes to things like that, If it is not the way I want it or the way it should be, I'll do almost anything to make it right....

Well....

The problem with the factory rest thing is that I have ripped a bunch of songs directly from the DV5900 to the Entre that are not on my pc and therefore not easy to put back. Then there are the playlists, the recent GUI changes (which I have already backed up), iRadio - hi....you get the picture. I agree, I am also anal about the perfection thing, but I am just trying to exhaust other means first.

I still keep coming back to a re-install of 2.0.0.8. I searched the thread but never found a clear answer to the question:

Is there a boot CD or way to force a 2.0.0.8 re-install even when it thinks it already has 2.0.0.8?

Originally posted by jt3461
Well....The problem with the factory rest thing is that I have ripped a bunch of songs directly from the DV5900 to the Entre that are not on my pc and therefore not easy to put back<snip> In previous post I mentioned backing up your MP3s to your PC from the Entre. Please PM me with your e-mail address or we can talk on the phone.

Thanks Fred,
It worked.

cya

Did anyone ever get Entre control to work using TCP sockets?

I just finished reading this thread start to finish. As posted previously, I used Hyperterminal to connect to the Entre on TCP port 226. I can see events but can not send commands. Every command I send ( i.e. ESCX1009) gets ESCX0102 as a response (Bad command format). Perhaps I should also try serial through the Receiver RS232 Port on the Entre? (I have a Kenwood changer but not the receiver)

Ron, Can we please have an update as to your success?

Update? Sure.
I played with alot of parameters and haven't nailed down which changed helped (a little) -- but I can now get one command executed by Entre (using TCP socket connection). After the one command, I can then only see events, can't give the Entre any more commands. If I drop the connection and reconnect, I get to execute one more command. Its very odd and I need to experiment more. Was hoping someone on this thread has done this and knows what the issue is.

I finally got it to work using TCP port 226, and I'm using a Netmate ethernet adapter, not HPNA. In MS Hyperterminal, in "ASCII Setup", I had to uncheck "Send line ends with line feeds". That did the trick. By habit, I always have that checked because it keeps the response from overwritting the command I just typed. I always treated that as a terminal window thing (cosmetic only) and didn't realize it affected the communication (even though it says "Send"!). Now that bi-directional communication is wroking and tested via Hyperterminal, I can open a TCP network stream in the application I am writing and talk to the Entre.

I'm writing an application that has two components: one that runs on my HTPC and a GUI that can run on a Pocket PC or Tablet PC. Yes I know there are apps like NetRemote and CQC but I wanted to write my own and those seemed to do lots of things I don't need and were iffy for things I definately need. I have two boards in my HTPC: one that supplies 16 digital inputs and 16 digital outputs (relays); and another 8-port serial board. The HTPC component can now communicate to A/V components via serial, TCP sockets, IR, and to the digital I/O board for reading triggers and flipping switches.

Outside of some of the commands not being supported on the Entre (like ESCX2008 and up), it's working quite good. All the commands I need are available. I'll now consider dumping the Entre DB to my own DB periodically for faster access from my program (similar to what MM does). I know MM/Entre will not stream MP3s to your PC (was that an oversight, or what!). But I also believe you can't play music or movies normally through your A/V system by selecting them in MM either (another oversight). Through my app, I should be able to view titles/movies on the PPC and select them to play, which is what I wanted to accomplish -- Thanks to information found here!

Hopefully I won't need FTP access, since I can't connect that way still (don't know the secret handshake).

Originally posted by RonAuger
I finally got it to work using TCP port 226, and I'm using a Netmate ethernet adapter, not HPNA. In MS Hyperterminal, in "ASCII Setup", I had to uncheck "Send line ends with line feeds". That did the trick. <snip>Hopefully I won't need FTP access, since I can't connect that way still (don't know the secret handshake). Good tip. PM'ing you in a minute.

Good work Ron. Keep us informed. Being able to select music wirelessly via the Pocket PC would be valuable to me.

I have a problem I hope you can help me with. My Entre was disconnected for 4 months due to a move and and building of my home theater. When I finally hooked it up dvds played fine but 250 cds worth of mp3s will not play. They show up in the guide and I can drill down to a single song but it refuses to play. I haven't hooked it up to the network yet but will shortly. I would hate to lose all the work I put into creating all the mp3s. I know you guys have figured out a way to copy them to a pc. Is there a guide somewhere on how to do this? Any help for either gettimg the mp3s to play or copying them over would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Rudmeister

Does anyone know if this function is enabled? If so how do you make it work?

Thanks,
Fred

Fred,Where did you hear that the Entre was capable of this?

Adam,

I found reference to it in a few places in the entre's file system.

Fred

I got the mp3s to play. I had used the wrong input on the receiver. I would still like to back them up. Is there a step by step guide somewhere?

caller ID
This would be nice to have. I bet there are many embedded functions in the software that were never enabled. Since this software is Escient's they may not allow full capabilities to Kenwood or those they license.
As a matter of fact Slocko seems to have found reference to chapter information for DVD's on Kenwood's website.
Another function that may not have been enabled.
Some people think the Sovereign line has been dumped by Kenwood, this may explain the failure to completely implement the full capabilities of the system and support it. On the other hand about a year or so ago Kenwood sent out questionaires asking existing Sovereign customers the features they would like to see implemented in the future (more hard disc space, the ability to record video to hard drive, etc.) It may be that they have devoted all of their resources to this endeavor. Perhaps their own proprietary software would be a good idea.

Does anyone know if it is possible to edit the xml file that are used for laying the various menus of the Entre. I have tried to do it but it seem Entre just recreates the xml that was replaced??(7.0.5/GUIResources/Text/English)

Originally posted by Rudmeister
I got the mp3s to play. I had used the wrong input on the receiver. I would still like to back them up. Is there a step by step guide somewhere? There is no step by step guide but you just go to the 7.0.6 partition using your FTP software (various mentioned in this tread but I use CuteFTP) and tell it to copy all the subdirectories under media. See this thread for an idea of what it will then look like on your harddisk.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2770031&highlight=7.0.6#post2770031

I have seen software in some news letter I get that will "flatten" out all the subdirectorys if you want them in one but it messes with the file names I think.

Originally posted by DannyFresh
Does anyone know if it is possible to edit the xml file that are used for laying the various menus of the Entre. I have tried to do it but it seem Entre just recreates the xml that was replaced??(7.0.5/GUIResources/Text/English) Hmm...what XML files are you refering to. I don't know of any that appear to show the placement or options of existing graphics (GIF/JPEGs). There are not any in that subdirectory that you point to. I'm confused?!?

Originally posted by slocko
i successfully backed up my entre drive to another drive using ghost 2003.

1) Took the case off the entre and removed the entre's hard drive. This requires the removal of two screws on the chasis, then removal of the chasis, then 4 more screws that hold the drive in place to the chasis. This is really not difficult at all.
2) unplugged my cd rom drive and connected the entre drive in it's place.
3) Booted up and had the pc recognize the new drive. Windows recognizes all the partitions as drive volumes. Say no to it's offer to format them. Very important you say no.
<snip>
I am happy. I have an image file that I now can restore when ever i want. So next time the drive dies, i have the original drive to put back in. With the shipping costs to send the drive back to california, it's probably just easier to buy a $40 dollar drive yourself than wait for the 2-3 weeks it takes them to send you a new entre. Today I used TrueImage to backup my Entre drive then used those images to restore a 2nd identical drive that I purchased.

It took less than 1/2 hour to back it up (8 gig) and a bit less to restore it to the new drive.

When you add the Entre's drive to your PC pay attention to the jumper for master or slave. It is set to master (jumpered) on the existing HD in my Entre. If you added it as a 2nd drive on the same ribbon as your main then set it to slave. I think Slocko didn't because he used the 2ndary IDE ribbon and his removed CD was the 'master'. Just my guess.

I mainly used the directions from NiteOwl on TrueImage as he provided them to me:
<snip>Inorder to backup your disk do this:

Put the disk on your computer.
I use Windows XP, so I am going to assume the same.
Windows will mount the partitions, but claim they are unformatted. DO NOT
FORMAT OR ATTEMPT TO WRITE TO THEM.
Let Windows install any drivers it wants, for the hard disk you just
mounted. SAY YES AND IGNORE IT.

- Start True Image.
- Select create image.
- It will check all the partitions mounted.
- Select the Entre's Disk, not the patitions. You will notice a red line across all partitions.
- True Image will complain that there are problems with the disk. IGNORE AND CONTINUE
- These errors are due to it not seeing files eventhough the partitions contain data.
- Continue the process, for image size, I will type 4.3 Gb this will it will split it into DVD size chunks.
- I will be backing up the images to 1 dvd and 1 cd shortly My two files where 4.3gb and 520mb.
- For compression set it to level 1. Higher levels take A L O T longer and only save you a few hundred mb.
- Once it asks if you want to do any other tasks say no, and it will start
carrying out the process of building the image.
Joe-

BTW, I got TrueImage for $9.99 because I own Norton Ghost (use it for monthly backups). See this
promotional link (http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/offer.html) . TrueImage's interface was very simple and easy to use. I bought it before Slocko's success with Norton Ghost but I still think TI was a bit more straight forward.

Hope that helps someone else!

Posted by DannyFresh -
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: The Jersey Shore
Posts: 120
Editing XML Files To Change Layout Of Guide??

Does anyone know if it is possible to edit the xml file that are used for laying the various menus of the Entre. I have tried to do it but it seem Entre just recreates the xml that was replaced??(7.0.5/GUIResources/Text/English)

DannyFresh did you reboot the Entre after making your changes?

Fred

Originally posted by fz1234
Posted by DannyFresh -
DannyFresh did you reboot the Entre after making your changes?
Fred Fred, are you "saying" you have successfully edited some XML files that change the layout (positioning) of graphics?!?

Scott, I have not actually tested any mods to XML files but in theory there should not be any problems with doing so. I would expect that once the files have been edited, ftp'd back and reboot the entre, the changes should be in place. I will try this in the next few days and let you know.

Fred

Originally posted by fz1234
Scott, I have not actually tested any mods to XML files but in theory there should not be any problems with doing so. I would expect that once the files have been edited, ftp'd back and reboot the entre, the changes should be in place. I will try this in the next few days and let you know.
Fred Boy my memory must really be going because as far as I recall noone has actually ever pointed out an XML file that appears to contain positioning information. If they had my curiosity would have lead me to look at it and thus stick in my aging memory.

I have not seen any xml files that look like they would change the layout of the graphics either, but call me anal, one thing I would change is the way the DVD or CD cover is positioned, its to low and covers the genere bar just a bit....

Originally posted by Rudmeister
I got the mp3s to play. I had used the wrong input on the receiver. I would still like to back them up. Is there a step by step guide somewhere? Did you have any luck? If not detail where you got stuck or are not sure about.

Thanks Scott but I haven't put it on the network yet. I think I'm having a cable issue. I will bring my laptop home tomorrow to check the connection. I will keep you informed.

Is this thread dead?:eek:

OK I have checkd both the cable and the usb nic adapter and they are both working. This setup worked fine before I moved. The usb adapter shows no link or activity lites when in the entre but both lite up when connected to my pc. I'm pulling my hair out over this. Any ideas?

there is another usb port in the front i believe. give it a try.

Rudmeister, I had similar problems with my usb adapter. I had to replace my netmate adapter after it had apparently stopped functioning. I replaced it with a Belkin 5050 and I believe I had to do a 5555 then a 64000 reregistration which brought me back to the initial version of the software. From there I had to use dialup to update the software so that I could use the Belkin adapter.

Thanks guys. I will check for a front port when I get home. I do not want to do a reset because I have about 275 cds worth of mp3s on it and I haven't had a chance to back them up yet.

If you have an ethernet link on your hub from the PC and not the Entre and the light on the USB-Ethernet adapter is not on then the Entre did not initialize the adapter.

Try this:

go through and resave all your net configs inluding pri and sec connections and then hard reboot(hold PWR button till light blinks).

If that doesn't work then:

set all connections to HPNA
set primary and secondary settings-
if you use dynamic try static
if you use static change your IP
go back and set Ethernet for both and reboot.

Make sure pri and sec are the same IP.

If that does not work then PM me.

FZ

Rudmeister,

One thing that you should try: reboot your enter by pulling the plug. I used to use a Belkin USB to Ethernet adapter (I'm now using an HPNA bridge) and it would periodically stop working. A front panel reboot wouldn't fix it, but unplugging did.

Rud,

I also recommend you invest in the hpna gateway. HPNA connectivity is rock solid. Always works. I switched from cable modem to dsl and the HPNA connection never failed.

I rarely read manuals to for any of my electronics purchases. I picked the manual that came with my Entre and was thumbing through it. "How To Use and Enjoy You Entre" On page 72 under "selecting A Movie" it states you could use the Entre's directional keys to operate a DVD's internal menu. Either the remotes keys or the keys on the front panel of the Entre itself. Well we all know that is not possible. My question lies here: Are IR commands sent from the Entre's remote control to the Entre or are the commands sent out directly to the other components? The reason for my question is simple. When I am using Entre to control, lets say a 5900m. The Play, Stop, Pause, Forward and Reverse Search buttons seem to control the particular component that is active. Whether it be the changer or the Entre (Music Storage Playback). Now we all know that there is no way the remote can change its IR transmission based on what you are activly using, but has anyone seen any files while snooping the Entre's file system, that refer to IR commands? It would be possible for the Entre to be controlling a Sovereign Receiver or changer through its RS-232 connection. If this is the case, and there are files in the file system, it would not be out of the question to modify files enabling either Entre's remote or a Powertouch III to control a DVD's onscreen menu. Just a Thought

Danny I know for a fact that the entre remote controls the kenwood receiver through the RS232 connection. If you don't connect them together, pressing off or on will not turn the receiver on or off.

I am not sure though if the changer is responding to IR commands from the remote or directly to the entre commands via the 232 port.

I would guess directly. One way to test would be to see if you can pause a movie from the controls on the front of the entre, not using the remote at all.

The way I got around this problem on my universal remote was to put a device specific macro on the guide and select buttons. I don't know if the Powertouch support device specific macros.

I then created one device for the cd/radio functions and another device for the movie functions.

That way I can map over the select key without worrying about affecting it's behavior for the cd/radio functions. because i am only mapping the select key in the movie device.

Yes, Slocko that does work, the buttons on the Entre control the changer while a movie is playing. I would guess that the Entre's sofwware is controling the dvd player through the RS-232 connection.....

Unfortunately, the entre cursor controls do not control the changer cursor controls when it's in pass/thru mode. A big bummer.

Hello All,

Here are the basics of Entre and its various controls and controllers.

- Entre remote in MR-H1 mode sends commands spicific to the Entre.
- I have seen files on the Entre that map out what each control code should do.
- I also believe some of them were for the Kenwood keyboard.
- I think one could remap the remote/keyboard if they had a need to.
- The Entre controls the Changer and VR-5xxx via rs-232.
- The wire between the Entre and the changer with 1/8 connector is supposed to pass DVD remote IR commands to the changer from the Entre. Just a repeater.
- Most systems when using programmable remotes are set so that when using a disc in the changer the arrows and select buttons do both Entre and DVD IR commands.

I hope this sheds some light on things.

Oh, if the manual does in fact state that it should control the DVD menu functions then we all need to start complaining to Kenwood that their product fails to meet its own requirements.

Fz

Dave brought up the transport problem to attention of Kenwood since day one when the other thread began. Thanks to David's lobbying Kenwood added support to the info button since their manuals showed a GUI displaying description information.

But I beleive they told him it wasn't feasible to fix the problem. I kind of see the issue. There is no way for the arrow keys to have two sets of functions in movie mode. With the transport controls at least they are not used in movie mode, so I see why those are able to function in controlling the changer.

I see your point Slocko, but if the software is controlling the changer through the rs232 port it may be possible.

if by software you mean recompiling the OS, sure. but i don't think it can be fixed from an IR point of view.

the OS has been programmed to respond to IR signals from the arrow keys. You would need logic built in the software that would evaluate in what mode the entre is. that would require it to process feedback from the changer to determine if a movie is playing. very doable, but if it wasn't put there in the beginning, i am very pessimistic it can be added. from what i have read, the escient product doesn't suffer from this problem.

Yes, My point exactly, if there is a file present in the Entre's file system and in Escients, maybe it could be replaced....????

The issue as I understand it is that the Kenwood CHANGER RS-232 commands do not support DVD menu functions. For some oddball reason, when Kenwood wrote the RS-232 command protocol for the DV-5900M, they made it very basic. Even if one were to use a Crestron or AMX and have full RS-232 control over the changer (with or witout the Entre), you still need to use IR to do up, down, left, right, enter on the DVD. Believe it or not, these changer commands were not part of the RS232 control set-up by Kenwood. The Crestron solutions I have seen use both RS232 and IR for this very reason. So I do not see a way possible to get around this execpt the work-arounds already mentioned. What I used to do was program my universal to send both Entre and changer up/d/l/r commands and just used select for the entre (no need to stack this IR; the Entre select button will work as "enter" on DVD menus.)
Fred, since you now own my set-up, I cannot play with it anymore, so good luck if you want to try some more to work arounds for this. I believe everyone is stuck with IR for the DVD menus. I'm off to figure out Girder for my HTPC!

Is it possible that the 5900M v3 upgrade added directional controls to the RS-232 command list?

I've tried stacking the directional keys on my universal remote (Marantz RC5200), and I found it lacking:

1. Performance slowed fo Entre-only navigation to the extent that it wasn't worth it
2. I recall one time when controlling the changer w/stacked IR codes made the Entre perform an operation independent of the Changer. Honestly, I cannot recall exactly what happened, but I recall something weird happening.

Originally posted by JonDeutsch

2. I recall one time when controlling the changer w/stacked IR codes made the Entre perform an operation independent of the Changer. Honestly, I cannot recall exactly what happened, but I recall something weird happening.

I think one thing I did was set up two remote "modes" if I remember correctly. Once was purely for Entre movie navigation, and it had non-stacked direction keys. When I hit the play key, it would switch the remote to a second mode that had both entre and DVD direction keys stacked, and when I hit stop, it would switch it back. That worked pretty well. I just had to rememeber to use play to choose a movie rather then select. This way the remote could stay in sync. This all may or may not be possible depending on what brand universal remote you are using. I used both a Harmony 768 and a few others, with various degrees of success. The Harmony was the easiest to program since it was an "activity based" remote. I had activities for play movie, play music, play radio, and all could have different key mappings. None of these tricks are needed for Entre music or radio modes, so I kept those simpler.

jon there is no need to stack the commands if your remote supports device specific macros. just create two devices, one for movie entre and one for music/radio entre. then put a dsm on the select key in movie mode that launches the movie and puts the remote in dvd mode.

then put another dsm on the guide button under the dvd mode that switches you back to the movie entre and brings up the guide.

it works like a charm for me on my $30 dollar jp1 RS remote. it was one of the most satisfying work arounds i have played with on a remote.

I have managed to get my Entre to surf the web, and it does a decent job.

For those who have FTP access into their Entre, you must go into the commerce directory and modify the index.html file.

Here is what I changed my file to (which now goes to Google):



---------Begin Code------------------------
<html>
<head>
<META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-16">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta http-equiv="pragma" content="no-cache">
<meta http-equiv="cache-control" content="no-cache">
<meta http-equiv="expires" content="-1">
<title>The Internet</title>
<base target="_parent">
</head>
<frameset rows="*" framespacing="0" border="0" frameborder="0">
<frame name="everything" src="http://www.google.com" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" border="0" frameborder="0">
</frameset>
</html>
--------End Code----------------------------

To access a diffrent site, just replace the Google address with the site of your choice.

The downside of this is that you lose the Openglobe web access, though disc lookup should still function fine. You just won't be buying any CDs through the Entre unless you go to a regular shopping site.

I highly recommend http://www.shoprmall.com for that. (Shameless plug)


Well good luck to everybody who wants to do this. Have fun, and report back on how it went.

--Tzvi

Originally posted by Tzvi
I have managed to get my Entre to surf the web, and it does a decent job. For those who have FTP access into their Entre, you must go into the commerce directory and modify the index.html file.
Here is what I changed my file to (which now goes to Google):
<snip> --Tzvi I know that NiteOwl did something similar. I wonder if you can just point it to a local HTML disk file which serves as a menu of sorts. A lot of people do this with the browsers on their PCs. ie. have a personal web page on their computer harddisk and it just has links and such to their favorite and common places to go. I don't know how good the browser code is on the Entre but perhaps it supports drop down boxes and other things that are part of html. Food for thought.

Hmm...I was thinking that the local file would be on the entre harddisk but then I thought...why couldn't it be on your PC that is on your network...then you wouldn't even have to constantly upload (FTP) it when you make changes. ie. make changes to it while sitting on your PC then walk to the Entre and it would access the file on your PC. i.e. http://192.168.0.6/entremenu.html where that IP is my PCs IP. ?

Yes Scott, making a custom page will work beautifully.

You can just save your custom page as index.html and it will do the rest.

The code I presented shows how to make it default to a site of your choice.

If you make a page of links, and save that as the index.html file, then the Openglobe button will instantly load that page of links.

I am planning on doing this myself.

--Tzvi

Tzvi and Scott,

When I setup yahoo using Tzvi's html code the background is black. Do you know if this is in the html code or an entre setting?

Thanks,
Fz

Why not create a frame that lets you surf off to the Internet in one frame (maybe a google search field) and then in the larger bottom frame link to the existing openglobe screen?

Hmmm, but why would anyone want to keep openglobe?! :)

I personally find it absolutely useless.

-Joe

Originally posted by NiteOwl
Hmmm, but why would anyone want to keep openglobe?! :)
I personally find it absolutely useless. -Joe I think this site:

http://www.openglobe.net/kenwood-ce3/main.asp?pid=MusicHome

(which you can access from your PC - use your Entre's id/password) was designed for the Entre's limited screen space (i.e. larger letters/graphics). It is reasonable.

The "now playing" button may prove to be interesting. Notice where it takes you (URL). I wonder if that could be used for something else...ie. I think it uses information of what is currently playing and looks it up. Perhaps it could look up information on some other website. Hmmm...I need to play...but back to manual work on the HT today.

FZ,
Sorry for the delayed reply, I have been out of town. The default browser setting for the browser is a black background. The background will always be black if the website does not specify a diffrent color background. (i.e. - Google specifies white)
As a side note, I have given up on using the entre as a web browser as it is much too imature for regular use. If anybody else wants to try to use theirs as a browser I will still be around to lend a hand or answer questions. Meanwhile I am moving on to making a new theme for the Entre and will post it when it is complete.

--Tzvi

This group is for all users/owners of the Compaq iPAQ Music Center and the Kenwood Entre'. We cover all issues - Tech, tips, tricks, etc... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipaqmusiccenter/

Originally posted by ScottF200
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipaqmusiccenter/ and This group is for all users of the Kenwood Sovereign Components and the Kenwood Entré Entertainment Hub. Tech, tips, tricks, etc... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kenwood_Sovereign_Entre/

Help! My Entre won't turn on on anymore!

I've tried pressing and holding the power button to reboot, even upplugging it. It just continually does the slow flash of the power led -- for days! It first starting acting funny a few days losing network config. I had to soft boot it and reconfigure the netwrok settings, even the network name. The last time I re-entered the network name, it went blank and hasn't done any more than wink at me for a couple of days now. I haven't done any FTP'ing so I couldn't have screwed anything up.

I couldn't find anything related searching in this thread. Has anyone seen this before? Am I SOL and have to send it back to Entre? Any insight wold be helpful. Can someone remind me of the "5"'s reboot (I don't beleive it is documented).

And just when I was about a week away from distibuting a PPC application for controlling the Entre! :mad:

I think I remember way back when on version 2.0.0.8 that a failed USB ethernet connector could cause the Entre to infinitely loop the boot loader. Try unplugging all your USB devices and reboot the Entre.

May not work and you DO have another problem, but I thought I would try and put my 2¢ in just in case.

Good luck and hope somone else has additional thoughts!!

If your cd tray is not ejecting, you have some hope. it sounds like it's caught in a loop. Try the suggestion of unpluggin the usb devices and then reboot.

When the hard drive dies, the entre can't find the OS and promptly ejects the cd tray so you can put in the entre CD to image the drive.

Originally posted by RonAuger
Help! My Entre won't turn on on anymore!

I've tried pressing and holding the power button to reboot, even upplugging it. It just continually does the slow flash of the power led -- for days! It first starting acting funny a few days losing network config. I had to soft boot it and reconfigure the netwrok settings, even the network name. The last time I re-entered the network name, it went blank and hasn't done any more than wink at me for a couple of days now. I haven't done any FTP'ing so I couldn't have screwed anything up.

I couldn't find anything related searching in this thread. Has anyone seen this before? Am I SOL and have to send it back to Entre? Any insight wold be helpful. Can someone remind me of the "5"'s reboot (I don't beleive it is documented).

And just when I was about a week away from distibuting a PPC application for controlling the Entre! :mad:

Thanks for the tips. Kenwood tech support said the same thing about the unplugging the USB NetMate. But alas, it didn't work. When I put my ear to the Entre during a soft reboot, I can hear the hard drive doing it;s thing, but eventually the pattern gets to be repeatetive -- like the drive si skipping or stuck trying to reread part of the platter. I guess it's time to get the box out and ship it to Cerritos.

The first entre I bought exhibited that behavior as a pre-cursor to the drive dying.

It then began working, and then a month later it began sticking it's tongue out.

If you are comfortable with pc hardware, I recommend you read the other thread on how to make a backup. Setup an automatic ebay search that emails you the results for the drive model number. You should be able to snag one for around $40 bucks that you can use as a backup.

No sense waiting around 2 weeks for CA, when you can pop in your replacement and be backup and running in 5 minutes.

Also, I think there is a high number of drive failures on this board, relative to the number of people with entres, and wouldn't be surprised if that drive model wasn't a particulary reliable one. So sooner or later your drive will fail again and you will probably be out of warranty.

Thanks slocko.

Do you have a link to the drive backup procedures post in the other thread you mention? I will consider making one for the next time. For this unfortunate incident though, I can't back it up if I can't get the drive to work.

sorry, I thought we were in the main thread. it's in this thread. search for ghost or acronis.

Yes, I meant when you get your entre back :)

Are there any competitive products that compete with the Entre in terms comparable function and offerings? I'm shopping and would like to look at a couple products that do what the Entre' has brought to the market.

Matthew
Commerce, MI

Since you didn't mention price, check out Escient and the Request line.

Originally posted by slocko
Also, I think there is a high number of drive failures on this board, relative to the number of people with entres, and wouldn't be surprised if that drive model wasn't a particulary reliable one. So sooner or later your drive will fail again and you will probably be out of warranty. Are you referring to the hard drive? Mine is a Seagate ST320410A (http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsales/marketing/detail/0%2C1081%2C371%2C00.html). I connected a serial cable to the AV Receiver port on the Entre and with Hyperterminal was able to watch the boot-up console output, which reported the drive model. I attached the output .txt file if anyone is interested. If someone has their normal output in a text file already (or wouldn't mind capturing it), I am a little interested in seeing what comes after the point at which mine fails.

I believe I read here that no one has been successful in substituting or adding a different model and/or capacity drive, correct?

i couldn't download the file.

but yes that is the drive.

two people i know tried using a different capacity drive and it didn't work. one person actually got it to boot up and report correctly, but the entre was not stable.

i don't think anyone has tried a different model with the same capacity.

a long time ago i posted in the main thread and attached the output of my entre boot process. i tried several search criteria but couldn't pull up my posts.

Re: i couldn't download the file.

Right click and Save As worked for me.

Originally posted by slocko
<snip>a long time ago i posted in the main thread and attached the output of my entre boot process. i tried several search criteria but couldn't pull up my posts. See attached (Right click and Save As)

Originally posted by RonAuger
<snip>I attached the output .txt file if anyone is interested. If someone has their normal output in a text file already (or wouldn't mind capturing it), <snip> See attached of another persons on this thread (not me) :: (Right click and Save As).


Beyond Compare from here: http://www.scootersoftware.com/ is the best compare tool I've found. Slick!

looks like you have corruption of some sort on the disk.

you might want to create your own entre image cd and try reimaging the drive.

it could just be corruption and not a bad drive per se.

Thanks Scott and slocko,

The slocko output file didn't look like an Entre boot output, but the xxxx file did.

Kenwwod technical support and the repair facility were not interested in discussing anything -- just send it in, so's that's whats I be doin'!

Anyone have any idea why I would be getting the following error when running 2.4 of DVDedit?

Run Time Error '9':
Subscript out of Range

Ending at Packet #101

Re-running hangs at Packet #70 without any error but goes no further even after doing what Sloko previously recommended to rename the XML's.

After this I cannot power on the Entre with the remote and takes a reboot to get it back functioning.

I am running XP Pro SP1 on an IBM Thinkpad laptop and the latest 2.0.0.8 on the Entre.

It did function properly when I only had one changer hooked up, but now that I bought three upgraded changers (5900's) I can't get this to work now.

Any thoughts on what I could do to correct?

Thanks!
Kevin

Originally posted by krichter1
Anyone have any idea why I would be getting the following error when running 2.4 of DVDedit?
Run Time Error '9': Subscript out of Range
Ending at Packet #101 Re-running hangs at Packet #70 without any error but goes no further even after doing what Sloko previously recommended to rename the XML's. After this I cannot power on the Entre with the remote and takes a reboot to get it back functioning. I am running XP Pro SP1 on an IBM Thinkpad laptop and the latest 2.0.0.8 on the Entre. It did function properly when I only had one changer hooked up, but now that I bought three upgraded changers (5900's) I can't get this to work now. Any thoughts on what I could do to correct? Thanks!Kevin Perhaps too many DVDs now that added more playes and multiple UDP packets are needed or some other related "limit" error. Wondering if going back to 1 player would work. Will e-mail you.

I am trying to replicate this issue. I have a total of 358 movies b/w my two 5050ms.

-Joe

Thanks Joe!

I've tried all your suggestions you gave me through PM and no luck so far. Still ends on packet 101 with the Run time error '9'.

Anyone else out there using DVDEdit successfully with all three changers hooked up and have over 1000 DVD's in their library?

Any input would be appreciated!

OK guys I have been not been here for awhile but I resolved some issues and have new ones. First my entre network issue actually was never an issue. I was looking for link/activity lite from the usb adapter and when I didn't see any assumed it was not working. It was. Someone accidentally hit the openglobe button on the remote and it worked. My bad

However I bought a 2nd changer from Jamal. Hooked it up and everything works fine except no discs in the 2nd changer are found by openglobe. If I manually enter the title it finds all the info but will not work otherwise. Is this a known issue, is there a fix, or do I need to return the changer?

I still cannot ftp to the entre. I have tried but cannot seem to get past the login. Funny thing when I check my router it lists the entre as an escient device. I do not have an axcess unit. I really want to back up my mp3s so I would greatly appreciate some help with this.

Thanks
Rudmeister

I still can't get DVDEdit to work for me anymore, It just hangs and says preparing to upload, and then nothing happens. I rebooted Entre over and over to no avail. also I get a runtime error 5003, sometimes

I have another question/observation. I do not see any way that the 2nd or 3rd changer can play dvd-audio. There is no 6 channel analog to daisy chain to the 1st changer. It's no big deal I will just keep dvd-a in the first changer unless someone has a workaround.

I'm trying to to get DVDedit working. Originally I had only the Primary port set to Ethernet. The Linksys USB100TX USB to Ethernet adapter is attached to the Primary port. DVDedit didn't have a problem finding the Entre and was able to load the XML files from the 600 discs stored so far in the Sovereign DVD changers. When I entered the edit function, DVDedit warned me that it could not access the Entre's Secondary port. The tried to complete the edit anyway, just to get a feel for the program. When I hit the save button, DVDedit flashed me an error message and disappeared from the desktop.

This morning before going into work, I brought a 10Base-T hub usptairs and connected the Primary (using the Linksys USB100TX) and Secondary (using the Belkin F5D5050) ports. I attached a crossover adapter between the 10Base-T hub and the D-Link switch downstairs. The Cat-5 cable that runs between the hubs is about 40 feet long. I switched the Secondary port from HPNA to Ethernet and attempted to set the static IP address to one number below the Primary's address. The subnet mask was set to 255.255.255.0 and the gateway was set to the Linksys router's address. It was here that I discovered that the Entre sets the IP settings of both ports to the same values.

Determined to try the DVDedit program anyway, I found that not only did DVDedit still find the Entre and download the XML's, but it did not complain that it couldn't find the Secondary port, when I entered the edit function. However, when I tried to save the edited XML, I got a connection error message from DVDedit, although this time it didn't disappear. My Entre, however, did have to be booted for DVDedit to see it again.

So this brings me to my first set of questions:

1. The Entre is acting as I expect any device that has two Ethernet ports set to the same address. I've read in the fora that some people have reported that they are using Ethernet for both the Primary and Secondary ports. What am I missing here? Do I have to purchase HPNA equipment to be able to set a different address between the ports?

2. If HPNA equipment is required, what will I need to buy to bridge the HPNA environment to my Ethernet network.

Before I upgraded to 2.0.0.8, the Entre was able to find the DHCP server in the router and accept an address assignment. After the upgrade, I had to assign static address for the Entre to find the Internet. Has anyone who is running 2.0.0.8 gotten DHCP to work? If I got DHCP working would the Entre still show both ports with the same IP configuration?
My router settings are as follows:

Block WAN Request: Enabled
Multicast Pass Through: Enabled
IPSec Pass Through: Enabled
PPTP Pass Through: Enabled
Remote Management: Disabled
Remote Upgrade: Disabled
MTU: Disabled
Dynamic Routing TX/RX Disabled
UDP Port 69 is blocked
TCP ports 135 and 4444 are blocked
The Linksys router's firmware version is 1.45z

DHCP assigns the following to my Windows 2000 PC:

IP: 192.168.1.101
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.1.1

The Entre's IP configuration for both ports are:

IP: 192.168.1.149
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.1.1

Attached is a diagram of my network setup. There are no firewalls between the Entre and the PC running DVDedit. Are there any glaring errors that you see?

I did buy another Linksys USB100TX ($5) from eBay today, which I intend to use in place of the Belkin F5D5050. After krichter1 said that he was having problems getting DVDedit to even read the XML files, with the Belkin adapter, I want to make sure that there is not a compatibility problem between the Belkin and the Entre.

In the last message I identified the error I was getting in DVDedit was simply a connection error. The error message I receive when trying to save my edit is "Run time error 10054" "The connection is reset by the remote site"

Finally, attached to this message is the network illustration I referred to in my last post.

Primary and Secondary settings have always confused me and I gave up trying to udnerstand them.

What I can confirm is that DHCP works for me via an HPNA bridge to my dlink router connected to a dsl modem.

Originally posted by dwm55
I'm trying to to get DVDedit working. Originally I had only the Primary port set to Ethernet. The Linksys USB100TX USB to Ethernet adapter is attached to the Primary port. DVDedit didn't have a problem finding the Entre and was able to load the XML files from the 600 discs stored so far in the Sovereign DVD changers. When I entered the edit function, DVDedit warned me that it could not access the Entre's Secondary port. The tried to complete the edit anyway, just to get a feel for the program. When I hit the save button, DVDedit flashed me an error message and disappeared from the desktop.

This morning before going into work, I brought a 10Base-T hub usptairs and connected the Primary (using the Linksys USB100TX) and Secondary (using the Belkin F5D5050) ports. I attached a crossover adapter between the 10Base-T hub and the D-Link switch downstairs. The Cat-5 cable that runs between the hubs is about 40 feet long. I switched the Secondary port from HPNA to Ethernet and attempted to set the static IP address to one number below the Primary's address. The subnet mask was set to 255.255.255.0 and the gateway was set to the Linksys router's address. It was here that I discovered that the Entre sets the IP settings of both ports to the same values.

Determined to try the DVDedit program anyway, I found that not only did DVDedit still find the Entre and download the XML's, but it did not complain that it couldn't find the Secondary port, when I entered the edit function. However, when I tried to save the edited XML, I got a connection error message from DVDedit, although this time it didn't disappear. My Entre, however, did have to be booted for DVDedit to see it again.

So this brings me to my first set of questions:

1. The Entre is acting as I expect any device that has two Ethernet ports set to the same address. I've read in the fora that some people have reported that they are using Ethernet for both the Primary and Secondary ports. What am I missing here? Do I have to purchase HPNA equipment to be able to set a different address between the ports?

2. If HPNA equipment is required, what will I need to buy to bridge the HPNA environment to my Ethernet network.

Before I upgraded to 2.0.0.8, the Entre was able to find the DHCP server in the router and accept an address assignment. After the upgrade, I had to assign static address for the Entre to find the Internet. Has anyone who is running 2.0.0.8 gotten DHCP to work? If I got DHCP working would the Entre still show both ports with the same IP configuration?
My router settings are as follows:

Block WAN Request: Enabled
Multicast Pass Through: Enabled
IPSec Pass Through: Enabled
PPTP Pass Through: Enabled
Remote Management: Disabled
Remote Upgrade: Disabled
MTU: Disabled
Dynamic Routing TX/RX Disabled
UDP Port 69 is blocked
TCP ports 135 and 4444 are blocked
The Linksys router's firmware version is 1.45z

DHCP assigns the following to my Windows 2000 PC:

IP: 192.168.1.101
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.1.1

The Entre's IP configuration for both ports are:

IP: 192.168.1.149
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.1.1

Attached is a diagram of my network setup. There are no firewalls between the Entre and the PC running DVDedit. Are there any glaring errors that you see?

I did buy another Linksys USB100TX ($5) from eBay today, which I intend to use in place of the Belkin F5D5050. After krichter1 said that he was having problems getting DVDedit to even read the XML files, with the Belkin adapter, I want to make sure that there is not a compatibility problem between the Belkin and the Entre.

Continued to research through this thread and found a comment from NightOwl about DVDedit using multicasting. Doing some additional reading, it appears that a network switch may interfer with that.

I decided to rewire the network to remove the switch from the path and was able to get DVDedit to update. However, additional access to the Entre by DVDedit was met with the same connection error.

This is some progress and I'll continue to play with different configurations. It appears that most on this forum are using HPNA rather than Ethernet. What equipment do you have that seems to work? I'd like to know in case I decide to just move to HPNA, rather then step out in front of a bus out of frustration.

One last thing, I have 800 discs loaded in two changers, but DVDedit only returns 794 of them. I'm going to load some addtional discs tonight to see if the 794 count continues to stand, but was wondering if there are any known limits to the number of DVD's that DVDedit will work with?

I'm back to the connection error. When I was able to update to the Entre, that one time, The only thing I had done was to insert some cover art. Since then, saving any update in the text fields fails. I've tried a number of things including:

- Connecting directly to the Entre using a crossover cable between the laptop and the Entre's secondary port

- Running everything off the same 10Base-T hub

Seems DVDedit can read the Entre just fine, but will give either a connection or a run-time error when I try to save the update.

Just starting this so is in 'raw' form!!!

Please give me other LIST and links to put here. You can put yours in the AVSForum Test Area (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=46) and then you can delete it after I copy it.

"Sovereign II" 2005 announcement (http://www.twice.com/article/CA413437.html?display=Search+Results&text=kenwood&&) Kenwood will support universal SACD/DVD-AV players in its mainstream and top-end Sovereign series in 2005. <snip> Its top-end Sovereign series will be refreshed in 2005. It was launched in 2001 and includes two receivers, 400-disc DVD-AV changer and Entree HDD music server, which used phone-line networking technology to distribute music to remote clients.
Kenwood Soverign Product Specs:
Entré specs (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product.jsp?productId=2357&productLineId=2)
Entre Manual (FTP) (ftp://docs.kenwoodusa.com/manuals/OM-MR-H1USER_SETUPv2.0-2003-KUSA.pdf)
DV5900 specs (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product.jsp?productId=782&productLineId=2)
Axcess specs (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product.jsp?productId=2358) Axcess Manual (FTP) (ftp://docs.kenwoodusa.com/manuals/OM-MR-P1-2002-KUSA.pdf)
Sovereign Reciever specs (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/sovereign.jsp?section=5)

HARDDISK AND BACKING UP:
Entre harddisk model: ST320410A a) Spec, etc (http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/ata/st320410a.html) b) Froogle search for it (http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=ST320410A&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&tab=wf&scoring=p) c) Use ebay to watch for that model and e-mail you
Backing up using TrueImage. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3389306&highlight=backup#post3389306) $9.99 promo for Ghost owners and here is a list of links from google (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=Acronis+True+Image+Promotional+Edition)
Backing up using Norton Ghost 2003 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2985416#post2985416)

UP TO 3 CHANGERS CONTROLLED BY THE ENTRE:
Jan 9th, 2003 KW announces 3 changers support (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=1726547&highlight=Towne#post1726547)
Do I have at least v3 firmware on my DV5900M/5050? Check via: With the unit turned on and all recognition over, hold down the Stop button on the unit while pressing 0 on the remote. If the display shows a series of numbers beginning with 3, then you have a V3 (upgraded) unit.
item 2

MP3's setup/usage/ghost:
I have some ghost MP3 entry's in the Entres menu and would like to get rid of them. How? Slocko post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2810516#post2810516)
item 2

IR control:
Carrier Frequency of the Sovereign line is 38kHz ScottF200 post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=1992187&highlight=frequency#post1992187)
IR repeater input jack on the rear panel of the Entre can accept the direct output from a Xantech IR connector block Tom Blake post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=745519&highlight=IR+Xantech#post745519)
DVD Control input [DV5900M/DV5050] is defintely a regular IR direct plug-in JD-NH post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=1554003#post1554003)
item4





KW page: Compatible accessories; manuals; connection tips and install (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/group_info.jsp?categoryTypeId=130&productId=2358&productTypeId=147)

KW page: outdated FAQ (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/group_info.jsp?categoryTypeId=110&productTypeId=147&productId=2358)

Post with following in VCARD (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3403992&highlight=vcard#post3403992)
Product Support by calling 1-800-536-9663, opt 1, then ext 8500. California time 10:30am - 6pm

Kenwood Service Center West
13030 Alondra Blvd
Suite 104
Cerritos, CA 90703-2257
(562) 483-8740

Beginning post of setting Pri/Sec to be same (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3101437#post3101437)
Post Pri-Internet; Sec-Intranet or local net theory (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3101784#post3101784)

Primary and Secondary connections main thread post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3101437#post3101437)

Post (two) connection testing; re-set settings and next post unplug from wall (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3427819#post3427819) DVDEdit : run-time error 68 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3102416#post3102416)

KW FTP doc site: docs.kenwoodusa.com

Devices for connection (need to add to this): keywords to use in the 'search this thread' top of page option: Motorola SBG1000 and Linksys HPRO200

Originally posted by dwm55
<snip>One last thing, I have 800 discs loaded in two changers, but DVDedit only returns 794 of them. I'm going to load some addtional discs tonight to see if the 794 count continues to stand, but was wondering if there are any known limits to the number of DVD's that DVDedit will work with? I'm sure there is > 1 person here with > 800 DVDs in 3 changes (i.e. Nick and Robert).

Originally posted by dwm55
In the last message I identified the error I was getting in DVDedit was simply a connection error. The error message I receive when trying to save my edit is "Run time error 10054" "The connection is reset by the remote site"<snip> Interesting read here: BUG: Winsock Control Run-Time Error 10054 in DataArrival Event for UDP (http://www.kbalertz.com/Feedback_260018.aspx)

SYMPTOMS
A run-time error occurs when you use network communications on a Windows 2000-based computer with a Winsock Control that uses User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the Protocol property of the control is set as sckUDPProtocol.

If a SendData request is sent to a RemoteHost that is not listening on the RemotePort, the DataArrival event fires and indicates that 1 byte of data is available. When you call the GetData method to retrieve that data, the following Microsoft Visual Basic run-time error occurs:

'10054' - "The connection is reset by remote side".
Normally, you can capture the error by using the Error event of the Winsock Control. However, even when the Error event is present for the control, the Error event never fires and a run-time error message box displays.
CAUSE
When a UDP packet is sent to a remote computer and that computer is not listening on the port specified, the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) reports this as an ICMP Port Unreachable error, which is then translated to the Windows 2000 Winsock control as error 10054.

The Winsock Control incorrectly handles the error, causing it to pass to the Visual Basic run-time where the error is subsequently caught and displayed.
RESOLUTION
To work around this problem, use the Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Error Handling mechanism to catch the error.

Dang Windows 2000 (How come you are not using OS/2 <wink>?). Do you have multiple computers that you can try DVDedit from. ie. rule in or out network config, if they are on different OS then rule in or out OSes.

Originally posted by ScottF200
I'm sure there is > 1 person here with > 800 DVDs in 3 changes (i.e. Nick and Robert). I wish. I've got about 575 discs in 2 changers. I don't know what I'll do if I fill them up. Servers make so much sense, so I'm seriously considering that. The problem is that the Kaleidescape is way too expensive and I've yet to see an HTPC interface that I liked.

Originally posted by rbienstock
I wish. I've got about 575 discs in 2 changers. I don't know what I'll do if I fill them up. Servers make so much sense, so I'm seriously considering that. The problem is that the Kaleidescape is way too expensive and I've yet to see an HTPC interface that I liked. I thought you might have been iffy...but I'll eat my hat if Nick doesn't have over 800. Of course he may have his spread of 3 Entres and 9 changers <grin>.

I'm having similar feelings. Especially with music. Now that I've burned a few high-rotation CDs to the Entre's HD, I am compelled to go completely virtual with CD audio, and keep Mr. Megachanger for DVDs, DVD-As, and in the future, SACDs. At least for now. Eventually (3 years out?), HD space will be cheap enough to afford most people the option to virtualize their DVD collections as well.

I also share the sentiments that HTPC interfaces just aren't up to snuff, and I still hold that the PC should not be the core of the Home Theater. Sure, the core will be comprised of standard PC components, but the shell should not be Windows or Linux. It should be Entre-like -- an HTOS (Home Theater Operating System) is what's needed here. Not Win XP Home Media Edition. Not a series of XP based applications that run full screen. An operating system designed specifically to be the media hub and brain of media management. One that is open, extensible, and supports most PCI/SATA AV devices. One that is designed to handle hi-volume streaming. One that supports instant-ON and instant-OFF.

OK, back to work... :(

Originally posted by rbienstock
I wish. I've got about 575 discs in 2 changers. I don't know what I'll do if I fill them up. Servers make so much sense, so I'm seriously considering that. The problem is that the Kaleidescape is way too expensive and I've yet to see an HTPC interface that I liked.

This may not be the right place for this post, but I am gonna try anyway.
I have an Entre thats been sitting collecting dust for about 10 months now. After A LOT of back and forth (Kenwood was absolutely no help) I am at a loss. Other than selling it, this is my last resort. I used it for music with my CD-425M but they removed the controls for this device last year. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can do other than selling it? Or does anyone out there want to buy another one?

Thank you

Originally posted by ScottF200
Interesting read here: BUG: Winsock Control Run-Time Error 10054 in DataArrival Event for UDP (http://www.kbalertz.com/Feedback_260018.aspx)



Dang Windows 2000 (How come you are not using OS/2 <wink>?). Do you have multiple computers that you can try DVDedit from. ie. rule in or out network config, if they are on different OS then rule in or out OSes.


I still have an OS2 system loaded on an old PS/2 Model 80. I largely use it when I can't get enough heat in my basement office.

Thanks for all your suggestions. It's going to take me a little time to work through them all. Your tip about the Windows 2000 problem is particularly helpful. I'll grab an older computer out of the closet and load Windows 98 SE, then will report back.

Originally posted by AVITWeb
This may not be the right place for this post, but I am gonna try anyway.
I have an Entre thats been sitting collecting dust for about 10 months now. After A LOT of back and forth (Kenwood was absolutely no help) I am at a loss. Other than selling it, this is my last resort. I used it for music with my CD-425M but they removed the controls for this device last year. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can do other than selling it? Or does anyone out there want to buy another one? Thank you Brian, sorry for your disappointment. I seem to recall Niteowl pointing out taht KW removed some Sony CD support as well. Most here mainly use it for managing DVDs via a DV5900/DV5050 mega changer (400+3). Some like myself bought the Axcess unit that interacts with the Entre to stream MP3s from the HD or stream i-radio/Sirius to a kitchen/bedroom/etc. Too many other products out there with more flexibility for streaming, tho...so if you are not using it for DVD management then I'd probably sell it. Check ebay for going prices.

Originally posted by dwm55
<snip>When I entered the edit function, DVDedit warned me that it could not access the Entre's Secondary port.<snip> BTW, why / how are you mentioning Secondary port. Is it because you have different IPs assigned to them and DVDedit is pointing out the IP associated with the secondary "port"? If not then I'm confused because I don't think the DVDEdit knows "which" port type of info.

I recall Brian (formerly with KW) mentioning that the 2nd internet configuration in the Entre could even been dynamic (DHCP) while the 1st was static. When I read that I realized they were "seperate" IPs....or supposed to be.

I still believe the 1st IP is for taking to the internet and the 2nd IP is for intranet (local lan).(my post on that (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3101784#post3101784))

Originally posted by ScottF200
BTW, why / how are you mentioning Secondary port. Is it because you have different IPs assigned to them and DVDedit is pointing out the IP associated with the secondary "port"? If not then I'm confused because I don't think the DVDEdit knows "which" port type of info.

I recall Brian (formerly with KW) mentioning that the 2nd internet configuration in the Entre could even been dynamic (DHCP) while the 1st was static. When I read that I realized they were "seperate" IPs....or supposed to be.



I mentioned the secondary port, because DVDedit seems to require it and I can't seem to get the Entre assign different IP addresses to the two ports. I thought that both ports sharing the same IP might be part of the problem. However, where I would expect that I should get an IP conflict, I don't see one. DVDedit is able to download the list from the Entre easily, and one time I was able to get some cover art to upload. So although both the primary and secondary addresses are the same, I'm not sure that it is causing a problem.

I did pull out an old PC from the closet last night and loaded Windows 98 SE. DVDedit gave me a "Run-time error '-2147024882 (8007000E)' Out of memory". The old PC is max'ed out at 144k of memory, so I'm going to have to find something else to test on.

I think your theory about hitting this Windows 2000 bug is correct. I've got a Thinkpad that has to be shipped back to IBM, so I might try to load it with Windows 98 tonight and test again. The Thinkpad has 512M of memory, so I shouldn't have to worry about the Out of Memory error.

Originally posted by dwm55
<snip>I think your theory about hitting this Windows 2000 bug is correct. I've got a Thinkpad that has to be shipped back to IBM, so I might try to load it with Windows 98 tonight and test again. The Thinkpad has 512M of memory, so I shouldn't have to worry about the Out of Memory error. I've had trouble on my Win98 PC but don't recall the situation now (have it in outlook mails at home). Most of my DVDEdit work is on XP.

For got the "obvious": Whether DVDEdit works or not is based on a more granularly level that just the OS because of all the "patches" and mix-match of DLLs on a given OS.

P.S. I've used OS/2 1.1-1.3 on model 80s a number of years ago. Earlier Windows sucked but they keep the "compatibility" (mostly) thing going thru the releases. Brillant.

Just to add more mud to the DVDedit problem. The Windows 2000 bug was fixed in fixpack 2, but there was a library update required to complete the fix that has to be there when the VB program is compiled. Otherwise, a sample code routine is given that will make Windows 2000 react like Windows 98 and NT.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;263823&Product=win2000

Latest testing on Windows 2000 shows that I can update the Entre from DVDedit if I'm just entering the title and cover art, and can make this work a couple of times before the Entre needs to be reset. If I try to enter data into any of the text fields, other than the title, I get the connection error.

I still plan to load a system with Windows 98 and test. I don't have access to XP, as I haven't wanted to deal with the activation issues. I did try to make DVDedit work on my office laptop, which does have XP, but it is loaded with a bunch of company sanctioned spyware, which may be getting in the way of a good test. I've made more progress from Windows 2000 than on the XP-based laptop.

Talked to Kenwood support and found out the following:

Ethernet DHCP is broken in release 2.0.0.8. You must use static addressing.
They had not heard of anyone using both USB ports for Ethernet (that's not good!)
They know of no way to assign individual addresses to the Ethernet definitions
Sharing the address across both ports should not present a problem.

I decided to download Media Manager and see how far I can get with that. It would not read the Entre unless I reconfigured the secondary port to HPNA (so much for no problem with shared addresses). When I synchronize to the Entre's library, it gets about half way through, then hangs.

I'm not sure at this point that the Media Manager problem is being caused by the same problem that I'm seeing in DVDedit. Since I can update the DVD cover art in the Entre with DVDedit, I may just do that to complete the library and attack DVDedit problems when I get more time.

Originally posted by dwm55
I mentioned the secondary port, because DVDedit seems to require it and I can't seem to get the Entre assign different IP addresses to the two ports. I thought that both ports sharing the same IP might be part of the problem. However, where I would expect that I should get an IP conflict, I don't see one. DVDedit is able to download the list from the Entre easily, and one time I was able to get some cover art to upload. So although both the primary and secondary addresses are the same, I'm not sure that it is causing a problem. No, the exact opposite is true: the two ports must have the same address. The promary port is the wan side and is used by the Entre to connect to the internet. The secondary is the lan side and is used by the Entre to connect to other devices on the LAN. The odd part is that Media Manager can connect even if the secondary port isn't set, so unless you're using an Axcess or DVDEdit, you'd never know that you need to set the secondary port. Have you got a copy of the Entre FTP utility? I don't think that it is needed to bet DVDEdit to work, but it could be helpful in troubleshooting. What happens if you type your Entre's IP address into a web browser? Can you ping the Entre?

Originally posted by rbienstock
No, the exact opposite is true: the two ports must have the same address.

<snip>

What happens if you type your Entre's IP address into a web browser? Can you ping the Entre?

Thanks Robert! Your suggestion helped me find the problem. I feel like a complete idiot. When I opened the browser and typed in the Entre's address, a configuration menu for my print server (!) appeared. I set the print server up years ago and forgot that I set it one address beyond what my DHCP server will assign. I did the same for the Entre, after dynamic addressing stopped working (2.0.0.8 upgrade).

Now DVDedit runs like a champ and is able to complete all of its functions. Thanks to everyone who took time to respond to my questions and to those that assisted privately.

slocko,

I was able to upgrade to a 120GB drive. Unfortunately, I still have work to do on finding a way to keep the Movies Database.

I'm in the process of ripping stuff over to the Entre, it seems to be working fine.

A few things to keep in mind,

(a) this is a complete re-image of the drive, so you will lose everything you've done -- you'll basically get a fresh Entre (just like when it came out of the box) -- I realize this is a real pain in the ?ss. For my setup, I can live with it. I did keep a copy of my Movies Database, but I'm having a hell of a time getting it back on there without trashing the 7.0.5 partition.

(b) forget about recovering your Music -- there's no way that I know of to put that much music on 1 CDR, which is how the entire update process works.

(c) you won't get exactly 120GB, probably more like 115GB+ (give or take).

(d) I don't use MM and I don't want to test it. That stupid program trashed my Fireball with a bad transfer, it wasn't pretty. I've since removed it from my computer!

This is all still a work in progress .... so who knows, I might be able to find a way to keep the Movies Database.

hm

hm,

Can you post the process to upgrade? Do you see any problem using a 200GB HD?

Thanks,

JonDeutsch,

I'd like to handle this in the same way that the "DVDEdit" program was distributed. I'm afraid that if I post it, Escient or Kenwood will put a stop to it. It's nothing illegal and it's not that terribly complicated. If you PM me, I'll go ahead and throw something together. I already have a CD that will do it all, I'm just not sure if there are any consequences to providing it. It might be easier if I just tell you how to do it with your own files.

You can use a 200GB drive, but you'll only get 120GB use out of it. Actually, there probably will be an issue. I'm not sure the OS that runs on the Entre can support that type of drive (ATA 133?) or something like that. I believe it'll only supports ATA 100. I can't remember he exact standard, but basically nothing more than 137GB.

Here's an outline:

(a) create a CD-R containing the boot code for the Entre (not that hard to do, it's only a couple of files and we have all the files we need, just sitting on our units (so I'm sure it's more than legal).

(b) modify the part.prp and update.prp files (not that hard, I already have them and they're plain text) -- modify the part.prp to re-define partitions 6 thru 16 -- yes, you can have 16 (my Fireball does).

(c) modify the update.prp file to execute the initialize command for the new partitions

(d) burn the CD-R

(e) put the new 120GB hard drive in the Entre

(f) put the CD-R in the drive

(g) the Entre will process the "update" request and eject the CD

(h) reboot and let it rebuild it's indexes & database

(i) go thru the entire Setup process ... again ...

That's it. Keep in mind that this is just an outline -- I'll have to throw together a real FAQ -- I could use some help with that.

hm

Herioldo,

Can we follow your process to setup a 120 drive, save the prp files that will result, clone our 20 gig drive to the 120 drive, and then copy the prp files back?

If we can do that, wouldn't it preserver our existing data, including the movie database? I am not so eager to redo all that work again, even with dvdedit handy.

There are 2 ways to do it. Here are the ways I tried --

(1) a complete re-image -- wipes everything out

(2) copy your drive over to a 120GB (I used the unix "dd" command) and then issue the update commands to partition the new space.

The only problem with #2, is that every entry in your music library will be a ghost entry, since you have to reformat partitions 6 thru 16. #6, #7, #8, #9 are the partitions that store mp3 files.

You could take another approach and just redefine & format partitions 10 thru 11. Not a big deal, but I have no idea what the consequences of doing this will be. Shouldn't be hard for anyone to figure out how to do this. You just modify your part.prp and update.prp files.

hm

Originally posted by slocko
Herioldo,

Can we follow your process to setup a 120 drive, save the prp files that will result, clone our 20 gig drive to the 120 drive, and then copy the prp files back?

If we can do that, wouldn't it preserver our existing data, including the movie database? I am not so eager to redo all that work again, even with dvdedit handy.

hm

I've said this before and I’ll say it again "YOU ARE THE MAN"

Thanks,
Wayne

PS: I think the way you handled dvdedit was great, and would love to see this the same way!! Maybe you could post it as a ISO or cue/bin so it’s ready to burn.

Thank you, but I had nothing to do with DVDEdit -- that was Niteowl

Originally posted by Wayne Zworld
hm

I've said this before and I’ll say it again "YOU ARE THE MAN"

Thanks,
Wayne

PS: I think the way you handled dvdedit was great, and would love to see this the same way!! Maybe you could post it as a ISO or cue/bin so it’s ready to burn.

hm

I must apologize for my apparent "brain fart". This breakthrough brings new life to my "Full" Entre and definitely makes you "The Man” in my eyes.

Wayne

Originally posted by hmatos
There are 2 ways to do it. Here are the ways I tried --

(1) a complete re-image -- wipes everything out

(2) copy your drive over to a 120GB (I used the unix "dd" command) and then issue the update commands to partition the new space.

hm

Couldn't you copy the relevant files from the Entre to your PC through FTP and restore them after the partitions were resized?

hmmmmmmmmmm. Maybe I will wait until MediaEdit or Conduit can let us reliably copy the mp3s to the entre.

I don't want to re-burn all the stuff in there a third time.

Originally posted by hmatos
There are 2 ways to do it. Here are the ways I tried --

(1) a complete re-image -- wipes everything out

(2) copy your drive over to a 120GB (I used the unix "dd" command) and then issue the update commands to partition the new space.

The only problem with #2, is that every entry in your music library will be a ghost entry, since you have to reformat partitions 6 thru 16. #6, #7, #8, #9 are the partitions that store mp3 files.

You could take another approach and just redefine & format partitions 10 thru 11. Not a big deal, but I have no idea what the consequences of doing this will be. Shouldn't be hard for anyone to figure out how to do this. You just modify your part.prp and update.prp files.

hm

dwm55,

It sure sounds like something that should be doable? But, the problem is that the Entre doesn't just put files into one directory. It creates this sub-directory hell. It creates 9 slice directories and then 9 slices under each primary slice and this doesn't even take into account all the Group slices it creates. So it's over 81 directories that would need to be replaced. You can't wipe out the the .dbf and .idx files, because they're "open" and the O/S won't let you overwrite them. If it's any consolation, OpenGlobe's disc discovery has gotten better. I know that's not much.

In theory, if you wipe out all the slices and restore your xml files, you might be able to do this. Unfortunately, I'm not real sure how the Entre will handle the index rebuild or whether it would be correct. It's all way more complicated than it needs to be.

That's why I wouldn't consider this a solution for everyone. You would currently have to be willing to start over from scratch (safest bet).

Of course, where there's a will there's a way. Given enough time, I'm sure someone can expand on what I've done and come up with other options for those that don't want to start from scratch.

hm

Originally posted by dwm55
Couldn't you copy the relevant files from the Entre to your PC through FTP and restore them after the partitions were resized?

On a related note ... Does anyone know under what circumstances, 7.0.1 becomes active? I know that 7.0.1 and 7.05 are the same, I was wondering if anyone knows how the Entre handles the syncing?

hm

slocko,

If you look at your MP3s/All.xml (or something like that) and determine what the last partition is that stores your data. You might be able to just leave those partitions in place and initialize all the others after 7.0.6. Unless you can figure out how they've determined the size of each partition, you won't get all 120GB. But you won't lose any data.

Originally posted by slocko
hmmmmmmmmmm. Maybe I will wait until MediaEdit or Conduit can let us reliably copy the mp3s to the entre.

I don't want to re-burn all the stuff in there a third time.

Originally posted by hmatos
I was able to upgrade to a 120GB drive. Unfortunately, I still have work to do on finding a way to keep the Movies Database. <snip>(c) you won't get exactly 120GB, probably more like 115GB+ (give or take).<snip> 1) What model and brand of harddisk are you using?
2) What model and brand of 120GB harddisk do the fireball's use?

It would seem like it might be safer/surer if people went to the same as what the fireball uses.

We obviously know that the 20G is Seagate as a few of us have bought them and used them as backups (details in quasi-FAQ).

The Seagate site list these:
ST3120022A Barracuda 7200.7 120 GB Ultra ATA/100 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
ST3120022AS Barracuda 7200.7 SATA 120 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
ST3120026A Barracuda 7200.7 Plus 120 GB Ultra ATA/100 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
ST3120026AS Barracuda 7200.7 SATA 120 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
Some have 8m of cache...way cool. I have that on my 160G in my PC.

Another lister pointed out the ST3120023A which has 2M of cache but that isn't on Seagates site (older model?) Actually I did find it there by doing a
specific model search (http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/specs/ata/st3120023a.html)

Not sure why I'm so interested in this. I don't want to start over too bad!

Snippet from a previous post of mine pointing out compare tool: NOTE: I have not tried either of these by putting modified files back onto the Entre. I only downloaded all the files before and then after. I then used Beyond Compare 2 (http://www.scootersoftware.com/) (very slick software) to look for differences. Also SuperiorSearch (http://www.superiorsearch.de/eng/info.htm) is what I use to find data (text within files). within all those subdirs of subdirs. Wow is it fast.

ScottF200,

I belive I'm using the Seagate that has the 8MB cache. Not that it's improved the performance of the Entre ;) ... But it just so happens that I had one laying around. At one point I tried to have all my MACS use this drive. It was the backup drive I was using for the Fireball. It really shouldn't matter much. You can probably get away with a Maxtor 5400RPM drive. Just make sure the drive has at least 117GB usable space. You know how every manufacturer uses a different number to calculate 1GB? Not sure why they do this.

Anyway, I've also used IBM Deskstar drives. Although, the one currently in the Entre is the Seagate. If I have time, I'll pull the drive out and take a look.

I really want to help, so I'm still trying to come up with a way to get the MP3 files off of the Entre. I really think the best way to keep your old stuff might be to just not initialize partitions 1 thru 9. You won't get all 117GB, but you'll get at least 4 times what you already have.

All of you, please keep in mind, that I don't believe the Entre has as much RAM as the Fireball 120GB units. So your performance in scrolling through the guide will probably be impacted .... for Music anyway.

hm

btw, will the person that offered to host the files, please let me know where they'd like me to scp/ftp them to? I only have a basic .MAC account and I don't really want to host the file. It's about 100MB.

Thanks!

Originally posted by ScottF200
1) What model and brand of harddisk are you using?
2) What model and brand of 120GB harddisk do the fireball's use?

It would seem like it might be safer/surer if people went to the same as what the fireball uses.

We obviously know that the 20G is Seagate as a few of us have bought them and used them as backups (details in quasi-FAQ).

The Seagate site list these:
ST3120022A Barracuda 7200.7 120 GB Ultra ATA/100 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
ST3120022AS Barracuda 7200.7 SATA 120 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
ST3120026A Barracuda 7200.7 Plus 120 GB Ultra ATA/100 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
ST3120026AS Barracuda 7200.7 SATA 120 GB Serial ATA 7200 RPM 8.5 ms avg DPC
Some have 8m of cache...way cool. I have that on my 160G in my PC.

Another lister pointed out the ST3120023A which has 2M of cache but that isn't on Seagates site (older model?) Actually I did find it there by doing a
specific model search (http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/specs/ata/st3120023a.html)

Not sure why I'm so interested in this. I don't want to start over too bad!

Snippet from a previous post of mine pointing out compare tool: NOTE: I have not tried either of these by putting modified files back onto the Entre. I only downloaded all the files before and then after. I then used Beyond Compare 2 (http://www.scootersoftware.com/) (very slick software) to look for differences. Also SuperiorSearch (http://www.superiorsearch.de/eng/info.htm) is what I use to find data (text within files). within all those subdirs of subdirs. Wow is it fast.

New Entre Concerns:

Every Time I Put A CD Into Entre's Drawer, A Reeboot Process Begins. Anyone Have Any Idea Why???

Originally posted by DannyFresh
New Entre Concerns: Every Time I Put A CD Into Entre's Drawer, A Reeboot Process Begins. Anyone Have Any Idea Why??? All CDs? Music CDs bought or CD-RW / CD-Rs? My angle is that the Entre was designed to load update software from a CD as well so I was thinking something on the CD triggered it to think it may be doing an UPDATE.

Scott, It seems to have stopped, after a reboot I initiated from the power button. I think if you leave a disc in the drive an power off then on, Entre tries to boot from the disc, like it was designed to do if it couldn't boot from its internal hard disc. I recall reading something here about a boot disc, but I never really asked if anyone actually had one???

I've update the quasi-FAQ with an IR section. Let me know if there are more of your fav IR (or other) and give me the post. (I'm setting up my IR repeater and verified the Entre and DV5900 work via direct plug ins {vs emitters}. I know others are as well.

quasi-FAQ link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3761126#post3761126)

I only update this as I get a bug or have time. Corrections and additions are welcome...some of you have been here as long as I ... hint hint.


[b]Caution[/b[...I was getting some feedback when I hooked up my IR directly from the block to the main DV5900m DVD Control input. Perhaps a grounding issue just on my system, tho. I'm not going to try to circumvent that as it is not worth the trouble for me. I'll just do the direct connect to the Entre where I want snappy response moreso.

My Entre is not workinbg at all now. It just keeps rebooting itself. After it completes a reboot, as soon as you press a key, any key on the remote it reboots again. I have examined the files in the 7.0.5 partition and have notice the boot.prp file looks like this "boot.finish=false" If any could do me a favor and examine thier boot.prp files to see if I am correct I beleive it should read "boot.finish=true". I have tried to replace the file but it just keeps reverting back to "boot.finish=false"

Also I am wondering if I restore to factory defaults will that correct the problem. Is kenwood's Earthlink account still active so I would be able to update back to 2.0.0.8 again....???

Originally posted by DannyFresh
I have examined the files in the 7.0.5 partition and have notice the boot.prp file looks like this "boot.finish=false" If any could do me a favor and examine thier boot.prp files to see if I am correct I beleive it should read "boot.finish=true". I have tried to replace the file but it just keeps reverting back to "boot.finish=false"


My boot.prp file reads boot.finish=true.

Originally posted by DannyFresh
<snip>I have tried to replace the file but it just keeps reverting back to "boot.finish=false"

Also I am wondering if I restore to factory defaults will that correct the problem. Is kenwood's Earthlink account still active so I would be able to update back to 2.0.0.8 again....??? Strange. Since the boot process is not really finished it may be attempting to protect itself. That'd be some level of sophistication if you want the glass is half full persepective. Obviously other OSes keep track of successful boots, shutdown and installs, etc. PM me your e-mail address and I'll reply via e-mail.

Well, I took the plunge, I just couldn't deal with the constant rebooting thing. :confused: I restored my Entre to its factory defaults. :mad: Kenwoods Earthlink account is still active, as the unit is receiving the update package as we speak. I had about 700 MP3s on the hard disk before I decided restore. I have 200 DVD's in one changer and about 100 or so CD's in the other that will have to be looked up all over again, but I figure if it doesn't stop the rebooting issues, I will have to send it out for repair anyway. We all know the info on the drive will not be intact when I would get it back anyway so I figured what the hell:mad: I wonder If FTPing around caused the problems?? I'll keep you all posted. Damn that dialup is slow when you are used to broadband!!:D

Hey Danny, since you're starting from scratch, maybe now's a good time to try out the 120GB upgrade! :)

No, Jon I don't think I am ready for that challenge yet. I can't seem to get the update to 2.0.0.8 from open globe. The download gets pretty far and then craps out.... I hope it is still available.. I am going to try again tomorrow.....

Ok, I received the update package somtime in the early hours of this morning. Entre has looked up all dvd's also. I had 31 unknowns out of 200 dvd's, not that bad. I have named all dvd's using the powertouch remote, DVDEdit still does not function for me. Funny thing though some dvd's that came up unknown when I originally set up the system months ago were now found, but the wrong dvd and info was displayed. For example, Fast Times at Ridgemont High was identified as "It could Happen To You" (Nicholas Cage, Bridiget Fonda). Others That were id'd the firs time around weren't this time.... Go Figure!!

Originally posted by hmatos
All of you, please keep in mind, that I don't believe the Entre has as much RAM as the Fireball 120GB units. So your performance in scrolling through the guide will probably be impacted .... for Music anyway.

hm



I compared the power and heat specs between the Seagate 20 GB and 120 GB drives. The 120 GB drive uses double the power at spin-up, around 60% more power (and heat) for read/write operations, and around 65% more power when the drive is idling. The 120GB uses less than the power consumption in standby as the 20 GB drive does. Here are the spec's:

Startup Current: 20 GB - 1.4A 120 GB - 2.8A
Seek Power: 20GB - 9.6 Watts 120 GB - 12.5 Watts
R/W Power: 20 GB - 7.1 Watts 120 GB - 12.0 Watts
Idle Power: 20 GB - 4.8 Watts 120 GB - 7.5 Watts
Standby Power: 20 GB - 1.4 Watts 120 GB - 0.9 Watts

I doubt that the Fireball users have anything to worry about, but we might want to check out the power supply on the Entre to see if enough power is available to deal with the increase. Additionally, I'd like to know if the Entre is designed to disperse the additional heat the drive will throw off.

Wow, interesting analysis. Good thinking! So, maybe someone can identify a 120GB HD that has similar heat/power specs as the original Seagate 20GB drive. That would be very helpful!



Originally posted by dwm55
I compared the power and heat specs between the Seagate 20 GB and 120 GB drives. The 120 GB drive uses double the power at spin-up, around 60% more power (and heat) for read/write operations, and around 65% more power when the drive is idling. The 120GB uses less than the power consumption in standby as the 20 GB drive does. Here are the spec's:

Startup Current: 20 GB - 1.4A 120 GB - 2.8A
Seek Power: 20GB - 9.6 Watts 120 GB - 12.5 Watts
R/W Power: 20 GB - 7.1 Watts 120 GB - 12.0 Watts
Idle Power: 20 GB - 4.8 Watts 120 GB - 7.5 Watts
Standby Power: 20 GB - 1.4 Watts 120 GB - 0.9 Watts

I doubt that the Fireball users have anything to worry about, but we might want to check out the power supply on the Entre to see if enough power is available to deal with the increase. Additionally, I'd like to know if the Entre is designed to disperse the additional heat the drive will throw off.

Originally posted by JonDeutsch
Wow, interesting analysis. Good thinking! So, maybe someone can identify a 120GB HD that has similar heat/power specs as the original Seagate 20GB drive. That would be very helpful! HM, can you identify the power supplies in your Fireball and your Entre. Perhaps both models (assuming diff) could be looked up on the net for their specs.

I would guess the risk is pretty small that replacing the harddisk would cause the existing power supply to exceed it's limits. Generally you put in a power supply which handles a lot more than you would need. (of course this is from a PC perspective where users are expected/assumed to replace and add devices (ie. higher end graphic card that uses more juice)).

I know that the fan in the Entre is temperature sensitive as I asked that question in the past when I had mine opened to backup the drive. NiteOwl hardwired (disabled temp check) his fan to always be on as I recall (asked in main thread I think). It wasn't obvious to me how to do this so I didn't.

Also a indoor/outdoor type temp prob test would be interesting (with 20GB then after upgrade to 120GB). I've seen people use digital ones when they are enclosing their projectors in a hushbox.

The power supplies look the same to me, but I'm not a hardware guy. I've never used the original 20GB in my Entre (it's sitting in a box). I've had it for about a year now and it was always working fine with a WD 40GB and it does run pretty hot.

btw, the Fireball & Entre are more similar than you might think. But it is a valid concern. All my equipment is in a closet in a metal rack and it does get pretty hot in there, but even under those circumstances, I hardly ever hear the Entre's fan (who knows, might be busted).

Does anyone know if NiteOwl ever looked at adding additional RAM?

hm

Originally posted by ScottF200
HM, can you identify the power supplies in your Fireball and your Entre. Perhaps both models (assuming diff) could be looked up on the net for their specs.

I would guess the risk is pretty small that replacing the harddisk would cause the existing power supply to exceed it's limits. Generally you put in a power supply which handles a lot more than you would need. (of course this is from a PC perspective where users are expected/assumed to replace and add devices (ie. higher end graphic card that uses more juice)).

I know that the fan in the Entre is temperature sensitive as I asked that question in the past when I had mine opened to backup the drive. NiteOwl hardwired (disabled temp check) his fan to always be on as I recall (asked in main thread I think). It wasn't obvious to me how to do this so I didn't.

Also a indoor/outdoor type temp prob test would be interesting (with 20GB then after upgrade to 120GB). I've seen people use digital ones when they are enclosing their projectors in a hushbox.

Entre, is still rebooting. I called KW tech support asnd they refered me to Escient tech support. I was told the unit had some sort of internal hardware memory problem and the unit would have to be sent to KW's western service center in Cerritos for repair....

That sucks Danny. I guess your instinct to find a 2nd drive was a good one.

The good news is that Kenwood will send you a new entre since they don't bother to repair units.

I kinda figured that Slock.. but I did think it would be a refurbished one....

Originally posted by hmatos
The power supplies look the same to me, but I'm not a hardware guy. I've never used the original 20GB in my Entre (it's sitting in a box). I've had it for about a year now and it was always working fine with a WD 40GB and it does run pretty hot.

btw, the Fireball & Entre are more similar than you might think. But it is a valid concern. All my equipment is in a closet in a metal rack and it does get pretty hot in there, but even under those circumstances, I hardly ever hear the Entre's fan (who knows, might be busted).

Does anyone know if NiteOwl ever looked at adding additional RAM?

hm Recall the parts supplier that Slocko found for the DV5900M which also carried some Entre stuff (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2721262#post2721262)? I didn't see the power supply on there, however. (W02-2901-08 Power Supply 71-50414-00 682)

Re: additional ram
Interesting but I don't recall that. From a couple of serial port sniffs people did it looks like there are open banks. <snip>
@2PORT@Initializing RAM from 0xdee930 to 0x16fffff
Physical and Application memory size:
SDRAM Controller 0 Bank 0 has 16MB installed.
SDRAM Controller 0 Bank 1 has 8MB installed.
SDRAM Controller 1 Bank 0 has 0MB installed.
SDRAM Controller 1 Bank 1 has 0MB installed.
Application memory size = 23MB

Originally posted by ScottF200
Recall the parts supplier that Slocko found for the DV5900M which also carried some Entre stuff (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2721262#post2721262)? I didn't see the power supply on there, however. (W02-2901-08 Power Supply 71-50414-00 682)


Has anyone ordered the Entre Service Manual listed on this site and would like to post a quick review? Have you found it useful?

What the hey -- I bought a service manual, just to see what it has in it.

My Entre is aT Kenwood Service once again. Originally, it wouldn't finish the boot process. I sent it in. They changed the hard drive and other BS type of maintenance (cleaning). When I got it back, it would boot. But it had 1.x version software on it. The NetMate ethernet adapter was working so I forced an update, got the download progress bar -- on when it was done it rebooted. AND NEVER CAME UP AGAIN!

No amount of unplugging, press/hold power, bumping, coercing, would get it to complete its boot up. In fact, with my ear to the unit, I could hear the drive attempt to seek twice and then stall. Kenwood sent UPS to pick it up and it is back in Cerritos. I asked to talk to the service tech once he got it to it. I want more than just another drive. There has to be something else wrong with it (ATA controller, motherboard, etc.). I pushed for a new unit and they relented that if it doesn't work this time, I'd get a new unit.

wow, i am surprised they didn't give you a new unit.

bummer.

They say the third times the charm! ;)

Guys, while checking the Entre's "Guts", I noticed the CDRW drive was manufactured by "Liteon" the model in my unit was "12102C" I'm not sure if this is the same model used in all of our Entre's. At any rate, the drive had a sticker on it which said it was manufactured in early 2001. While searching the web I came across the link below. It is a firmware upgrade for the drive that was present in my unit. It was released in October of 2001. I was wondering, do you think flashing the drive with the updated firmware would make much of a difference in performance?? Again this firmware upgrade pertains to "LITEON 12102C" this was the drive in my Entre. I am not stating every Entre has this drive in it. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
http://www.liteonit.com/ODD/WebFW/LTR-12102C/RS0B.zip

Originally posted by DannyFresh
<snip>I was wondering, do you think flashing the drive with the updated firmware would make much of a difference in performance??<snip> Not sure what performance problem you are talking about. I've only used that CD transport for ripping but I've heard you can play CDs from it as well. It seems more than fast enough for those purposes and to me not worth the risk for something I haven't had as a 'problem'. Interesting tho' thanks.

I believe this is the same weird issue I had the last time I did the upgrade. For some reason, Media Manager will NOT transfer the cover art from the Entre. The program starts up, the list of all my music is there. But, it never performs the "getting cover art from Entre" step. (this message or something similar, usually shows up in the bottom of the window with a little progress bar)

The cover art is okay on the Entre and it does show up in the Music Guide.

Does anyone else have this type of problem? I'm curious if it has anything to do with the upgrade or it's just a coincidence.

hm

Heroildo,

Media Manager has never worked for a lot of us. I tried from 3 different pcs, windows xp and windows 2000, and even with a cross connect cable directly to the entre. No dice. MM will not transfer cover art over.

We all gave up trying to fix it.

Thanks slocko,

Great! I just wanted to be sure it wasn't something I did ;)

hm

I stand corrected, the version of Media Manager that's on Kenwood's website 2.0.0.3005, does appear to copy the cover art down to the PC.


Originally posted by hmatos
I believe this is the same weird issue I had the last time I did the upgrade. For some reason, Media Manager will NOT transfer the cover art from the Entre. The program starts up, the list of all my music is there. But, it never performs the "getting cover art from Entre" step. (this message or something similar, usually shows up in the bottom of the window with a little progress bar)

The cover art is okay on the Entre and it does show up in the Music Guide.

Does anyone else have this type of problem? I'm curious if it has anything to do with the upgrade or it's just a coincidence.

hm

Originally posted by slocko
Heroildo,

Media Manager has never worked for a lot of us. I tried from 3 different pcs, windows xp and windows 2000, and even with a cross connect cable directly to the entre. No dice. MM will not transfer cover art over.

We all gave up trying to fix it.

Slocko

I was having a similar problem with MM and could not transfer even mp3 files via the CD tray till a few days ago. I followed your link to the procedure detailed below.

“First, I FTP to the Entre unit.

Then I delete the file 7.0.5//Database/Music/Groups/MP3s/MP3s.xml

Then--without copying the file back to the Entre via FTP--do a reboot (not a re-registration?) and when the unit boots back up, the MP3 library is rebuilt, without ghosts”

I still could not upload with MM even though the entre indicated I had room for another 11.9 hours of media. I then deleted a few mp3 albums that I had the cd’s for also in the changer (with the thought of freeing up some more space) and miraculously I can now upload from MM again.

Thanks for the “heads up” it worked for me!!

Wayne

PS: running xp

Hey guys, I am having a slight problem with my Entre (actually a quite major problem) and perhaps you guys can help.

I am currently in the process of moving and I was trying to use a USB adaptor on the Entre for the ethernet (as a test for when I move.) I currently use a phone line to a HPNA and then directly into the router. (The HPNA is just to convert the signal, nothing more. At no point that the signal go through any wires in the wall.)

Well in the process of my testing the Entre decided to have a random reboot. Now it won't turn on and keeps giving me the red blinking light of doom.

I have tried removing the USB adaptor and putting the HPNA back in it place, but unfortunatly by the time I did that the Net connection to my router had already been disconnected. (I am moving as I said.) I have no clue if the Entre can boot without net access or not.

Should this problem repair itself when I am able to hook into a net connection again or is it something entirely diffrent. I prefer not to take it to a repair shop because I don't won't Kenwood refusing to fix it based off the software mods I have made. (i.e. - New web page [see prior post a few pages back] and new background graphics for the guide)

Anybody able to help? Please.... :confused:

it should be able to boot successfully without a net connection.

did you reboot it without the usb adaptor plugged in?

that is pretty much the only thing you can do.

if it doesn't work, you may have a bad drive. though usually you get the cd tray ejecting after reboot.

Tzvi,
Same issue as mine. I've sent mine back to Cerritos twice now -- expecting to hear from them any day now.

I saw someone post earlier about doing a factory reset when having rebooting problems. How does one do that?

Originally posted by Tzvi
I saw someone post earlier about doing a factory reset when having rebooting problems. How does one do that? The main thread has various references to it such as this one:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3129404&highlight=5555#post3129404

Once you have that main thread up you can also choose at the top 'search this thread' and search for 5555.

HTH

Does anyone have information on how to have the fan in the Entre stay on continuously?

hm

HM,

Your drives must be running hot too. Everything worked, thanks for the help. I did not need to repartition, wipe, or format the drive before putting it into the Entre - it just overwrote whatever was on the drive during the initialization process.

I tried a 7200 RPM drive (WD1200JB) - worked fine, but made more noise than I would like, so I swapped in a 5400 RPM drive (WD1200AB) instead. It is not as quiet as the original Entre disk but the noise level is acceptable.

When I pulled out the WD1200JB the drive was very hot - you could grasp it but you wouldn't want to hold it in your bare hands for very long. This was after the drive had been in the Entre for about a day. The original drive had been warm when I pulled it out, but not nearly as hot as the WD1200JB was.

I've been watching the Entre fan off and on as I set up the WD1200AB - I haven't caught it turning on yet. Based on how hot the drives were when I pulled them out, having that fan running full time might be a very good thing...

Mike

I'm still shopping for a 120GB drive for my Entre. Key requirements are: low noise and low heat.

Any advice?

Thanks,

I'm glad to hear it worked for you! I guess my instructions weren't too bad ;)

My Entre was rebooting, about once every two days. It comes back up okay -- but I believe that's a sign of overheating. I seem to recall the same thing happening in PC's, when their CPU fans start to go bad. I've taken the cover off the Entre. Once I determine it's definitely a heat issue, I'll look at purchasing another drive -- probably a 5400RPM. I'd rather just force the fan on, it's cheaper ;)

hm
Originally posted by Mkellyvich
HM,

Your drives must be running hot too. Everything worked, thanks for the help. I did not need to repartition, wipe, or format the drive before putting it into the Entre - it just overwrote whatever was on the drive during the initialization process.

I tried a 7200 RPM drive (WD1200JB) - worked fine, but made more noise than I would like, so I swapped in a 5400 RPM drive (WD1200AB) instead. It is not as quiet as the original Entre disk but the noise level is acceptable.

When I pulled out the WD1200JB the drive was very hot - you could grasp it but you wouldn't want to hold it in your bare hands for very long. This was after the drive had been in the Entre for about a day. The original drive had been warm when I pulled it out, but not nearly as hot as the WD1200JB was.

I've been watching the Entre fan off and on as I set up the WD1200AB - I haven't caught it turning on yet. Based on how hot the drives were when I pulled them out, having that fan running full time might be a very good thing...

Mike

anyone know what model number and brand dacs the kenwood uses?

Originally posted by hmatos
<snip>I've taken the cover off the Entre. Once I determine it's definitely a heat issue, I'll look at purchasing another drive -- probably a 5400RPM. I'd rather just force the fan on, it's cheaper ;) hm You could add another fan or more on the back/top using the quiet fans and RatShack type of adapter I mentioned in this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3427442#post3427442

Keep in mind that with a cover off the engineers air flow design are not happening within the box.

FYI - I found a "cool" HD for the Entre:

SAMSUNG SV1204H 120GB 5400RPM

Got one for $65.99 + shipping at DumpingGoods.com. Not a bad deal!

Jon,

Did you find specs that showed the SV1204H to be cooler than other drives?

A quick search found a site that shows the SV1204H to be quieter than the WD1200AB I'm using (29db vs 37db), same operating temperature range, but no numbers for power consumption that might indicate which drive uses more juice (therefore generating more heat).

Wish I'd looked at the noise numbers earlier - I had an SV1204H and a WD1200AB in the same computer and pulled the WD1200AB just because it didn't have the OS for that machine on it. Not to worry, the WD1200AB is well below annoying noise levels at 10' distance.

Mike

Scott,

Of course, if the fan isn't running, there is no airflow within the box... Still haven't caught the Entre fan on - after 48 hours of operation with the WD1200AB (with the cover on the Entre) the outside of the unit is warm to the touch but doesn't seem excessively hot like it was with the 7200 rpm drive. Knock on wood, the Entre seems to be operating fine with no reboots yet.

Mike

Originally posted by Mkellyvich
Did you find specs that showed the SV1204H to be cooler than other drives? SV1204H Samsung 120G specs (http://www.samsung.com/Products/HardDiskDrive/SpinPointVSeries/HardDiskDrive_SpinPointVSeries_SV1204H_sp.htm)


__________________Seagate 20__120______Samsung 120___WD1200AB___Maxtor6Y120P0
Startup Current:__1.4A________2.8A_____1.8A_____________________22.4 W
Seek Power:_______9.6 W_______12.5 W___6.0 W____________________11.3 W
R/W Power:________7.1 W_______12.0 W___4.5 W_________6.25 W_____8.3 W
Idle Power:_______4.8 W_______7.5 W____4.5 W_________6.0 W______7.1 W
Standby Power:____1.4 W_______0.9 W____1.0 W_________1.1 W______1.1 W
Noise__________________________________29db__________37db___ ____

It's not the coolest HD available, but I think it may be the coolest 120GB available:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/storage/20020920/samsung-05.html#temperature

Entire review: http://www6.tomshardware.com/storage/20020920/samsung-01.html

So, with a nice combo of exactly 120GB, relatively cool, and quite quiet (yup, spelled both right), seems like a natural upgrade drive for the Entre.



Originally posted by Mkellyvich
Jon,

Did you find specs that showed the SV1204H to be cooler than other drives?

A quick search found a site that shows the SV1204H to be quieter than the WD1200AB I'm using (29db vs 37db), same operating temperature range, but no numbers for power consumption that might indicate which drive uses more juice (therefore generating more heat).

Wish I'd looked at the noise numbers earlier - I had an SV1204H and a WD1200AB in the same computer and pulled the WD1200AB just because it didn't have the OS for that machine on it. Not to worry, the WD1200AB is well below annoying noise levels at 10' distance.

Mike

Well, when the WD1200AB dies I can swap in the better drive!

Mike

Can someone give me instructions on how to use CuteFTP to send MP3s to my Entre? I found pieces of this throughout this thread and the original Entre thread, but I cannot get mine to work. Do I need to take the Entre's hard drive out an put it in my computer?

Originally posted by amnesiac
Can someone give me instructions on how to use CuteFTP to send MP3s to my Entre? I found pieces of this throughout this thread and the original Entre thread, but I cannot get mine to work. Do I need to take the Entre's hard drive out an put it in my computer? As far as I know you can not do that. You can bring them down to your PC for backup purposes but going the other way won't "work". That is to say there are various XML files and a corresponding proprietary database that would need to be created and updated respectively.

[edit] You can create CD on your PC and then put that in the Entre's tray/transport. There are PC tools that have mentioned that work well for creating the MP3s with tags that the Entre recognizes. [/edit[

mentioned previously in this topic that my Entre is giving me the blinking red light of doom. It was suggested that the hard drive has gone bad.

Meanwhile there is a nice discussion going on here about upgrading the hard drive. Sounds like a solution to my problem. Of course there is one slight catch. I can not start my Entre to FTP into it to get the files, and with a bad drive I don't think putting it into my desktop PC would work either.

Can somebody please email me the files that need to be put onto the CD-R. Normally I wouldn't ask, but it's not like I can get them myself. :)

Feel free to PM me if you can help.

Check your PM ;)

Originally posted by Tzvi
mentioned previously in this topic that my Entre is giving me the blinking red light of doom. It was suggested that the hard drive has gone bad.

Meanwhile there is a nice discussion going on here about upgrading the hard drive. Sounds like a solution to my problem. Of course there is one slight catch. I can not start my Entre to FTP into it to get the files, and with a bad drive I don't think putting it into my desktop PC would work either.

Can somebody please email me the files that need to be put onto the CD-R. Normally I wouldn't ask, but it's not like I can get them myself. :)

Feel free to PM me if you can help.

.

I'm sure there are a hundred ways to do this -- but this is how I did it. The goal was to keep the unit as close to factory condition as possible (since I have an extended warranty).

The Entre uses a Delta Electronics DC Brushless Model # AFB0612L fan. For some odd reason, the engineers decided it shouldn't be on 100% of the time. I can only assume this was done to keep the unit as quiet as possible.

I happen to have one fan laying around, probably from an old TIVO or PC upgrade project. I also happen to have the following laying around:

http://images.tigerdirect.ca/skuimages/large/I136-1078-rn.jpg

Steps:

1. Remove the fan from the Entre -- this way, you can put it back if you have warranty issues later. There are 4 screws in the back on the outside of the case (fan cutout).

2. Using a very small screwdriver, press down on the little silver plugs for the black & red wires of the 3-pin portion of the y-adapter. The goal is to pull out the red & white wires. Alternatively, you can just cut them.

3. Perform the same operation on your new fan.

4. Using electrician's tape, twist & join the black wire of the fan to black wire of the y-adapter and join the red wire of the fan to the red wire of y-adapter.

5. Put the new fan in the Entre. Be sure to gather all the wires as neatly as possible (promote better air flow).

6. Unplug the cd-rom or the hard drive's molex power connector (4 pin) and connect it to the y-adapter, then connect the y-adapter to the drive. It seves as a power pass-thru.

That's it. You're done. Of course, it goes without saying -- be sure the unit is unplugged and I am not responsible for any damange you do to your Entre ;)


hm

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY hmatos:
[B]I'm sure there are a hundred ways to do this -- but this is how I did it. The goal was to keep the unit as close to factory condition as possible (since I have an extended warranty).


Thanks to Hmatos I have successfully installed a Western Digital 120g 7200RPM drive in my Entre. I decided to do a complete initialize even though it means re-encoding well over a hundred CD's. I decided a clean install was worth it.

While inside the Entre I did some checking on the fan. The little circuit board that the fan attaches to is actually the temp sensor circuit. There is a thermistor(the little blue thing sticking off this board) I plan to soldier some extension wires on the thirmistor and simply tape it to the Hardrive, isolating the thermistor posts of course. This should solve any heat concerns with the 7200 drive. I will also use some tape to cover some of the holes in the left side of the case(where the hard drive is not.) This should force more of the the incomming air over the drive itself.

Thanks again Hmatos and I will keep you all informed with my progress on cooling,
Fred

Originally posted by fz1234
There is a thermistor(the little blue thing sticking off this board) I plan to soldier some extension wires on the thirmistor and simply tape it to the ... Joe/Niteowl also did turned his on all the time. Main thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3442585&highlight=fan#post3442585
Originally posted by NiteOwl
I shorted the resistor (sensor) on that board. The fan is on all the time for me. It does collect dust, so I use a compressed air canister on it every once in a while.

Thanks hmatos, I was able to upgrade my Entre to a 120GB hard drive. Did a fresh install and let it look up my DVDs last night. Didn't have too many CDs on the hard drive so I'll have to re-rip them.

Thanks agian,
Jason

Has anyone seen the new Kenwood Receivers? Anhyone heard of new Sovereign line coming out wwith the same features or that can be controlled via the Entre?

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=174

Originally posted by sbonaparte
Anhyone heard of new Sovereign line coming out wwith the same features or that can be controlled via the Entre? From a previous post.

"Sovereign II" 2005 announcement (http://www.twice.com/article/CA413437.html?display=Search+Results&text=kenwood&&) Kenwood will support universal SACD/DVD-AV players in its mainstream and top-end Sovereign series in 2005. <snip> Its top-end Sovereign series will be refreshed in 2005. It was launched in 2001 and includes two receivers, 400-disc DVD-AV changer and Entree HDD music server, which used phone-line networking technology to distribute music to remote clients.

I spoke with KW's western service center in Cerritos this week. I was told my Entre's microprocessor needed to be reset. (Whatever that means??) When the unit is returned to me I would like to do the 120GB upgrade everyone is discussing. Can anyone provide me with some detailed instructions?? I would greatly appreciate it... Thanks !!:confused: :confused:

I've called Jason more times than I care to remember!

Mine came back yesterday but I'm on a business trip for the rest of June so I won't get a chance to see if its fixed better this time around until July.

I might be interested in a 120Gg upgrade guide also, especially if my Entre won't boot-up again (for the third time!)

Now that I've upgraded my hard drive, I'm trying to get my music on the Entre. I created a data CD on my Mac and the Entre recognized the files, but not the id tags. I'm using iTunes for my ripping. Any ideas on what is wrong?

Also, I tried ID3X (http://www.three-2-one.de/321apps/) to verify that the tags are present, which they are, but it doesn't display the image. When you guys import data to the Entre, does it pick up the cover from the id3 tag?

Thanks,
Jason

I wasn't able to get iTunes to create a CD-RW that the Entre would recognize. The Entre tries to read it, but it doesn't show any track information, I believe it just says "NO CD".

Anyway, I find that if I want other devices (other than Apple) to recognize the ID3 information, I:

(a) select all the tracks
(b) Advanced
(c) Convert ID3 Tags,
(d) ID 3 v2.4

As for images, iTMS will use PIM or something like that, instead of JPEG images for coverart. You'll have to find the JPEG image and use that instead. I usually get all my coverart from Amazon.

hm

Thanks hmatos,

The Entre did recognize the files just listed "Unknown Tack" instead of the titles from the id3 tags. I used toast to burn the CD since it appears that iTunes burns the CD differently. The cover art for the tracks I tried did come from Amazon. However I'm wondering if iTunes converted them something other then gif or jpg.

Does anyone know what version of the id3 tags the Entre supports? I'll try converting them to something earlier like 2.2 and see if the Enter then recognizes the titles.

One last thing, anyone know of good utility for OS X that will convert the images inside the id3 tag to some other format?
-Jason

From the main thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2553126#post2553126

For you guys looking at (now/past) all the MP3/tag/cover stuff it should would be nice if you found various post and a short description in the format of the quasi FAQ I'm working on.

Doesn't seem like anybody wants to help with this!

FAQ/link post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3761126#post3761126)

Scott,

I too, was compiling a quasi faq for the Entre. You can get it at http://homepage.mac.com/jbryer/entre.txt I was mostly collection info that is useful for me, but am willing to formalize it some to be useful for everyone.

Jason

[edit: fixed the link, entre.txt should be all lower case]

Originally posted by stickman
Scott, I too, was compiling a quasi faq for the Entre. You can get it at http://homepage.mac.com/jbryer/entre.txt I was mostly collection info that is useful for me, but am willing to formalize it some to be useful for everyone. Jason [edit: fixed the link, entre.txt should be all lower case] Sorry for the delay. We need to figure something out. In some cases I like pointing to the original link then they can read the words unedited and surrounding post. Hmmm

Scott,

I agree. That's why I included links to the original topic. However, I like the idea of having the conclusion of a discussion in one place. I converted the faq to html, I find a little easier to read. Here's a link: http://homepage.mac.com/jbryer/sovereignfaq.html

I finally got a chance last night to try importing music from CD again. This time I converted the id3 tags to version 2.2 in iTunes (on my Mac) before burning the mp3 to CD using Toast. Again, the Entre could play all the files but wouldn't display any of the info from the id3 tag.

For now I've copied a couple of CDs using Media Manager. Doing a batch of 2 or 3 CDs at a time seems to be working so far. But boy is it slow.

-Jason

stickman,

Download Tag & Rename -- do a google and say you're feelin' lucky -- it should be the first link.

Use it to remove all ID3 v1 tags -- this might be your problem.

Also, check the contents of the tags for any special characters (like tilde, question marks, pound signs, you know anything out of the ordinary). I found that the Entre does not like these characters. The special characters shouldn't be in the file name either.

If that doesn't work. We can talk privately and you can upload one of your mp3's to me. I'll look at it and see what the problem might be.

hm

hmatos,

Thanks for your suggestion. So if I understand you the Entre is getting confused with ID3 v1 tags present. I'll copy some files to my PC and try what you suggested and let you know how I make out. However, all my music is on a mac. Does anyone know of a similar product for the Mac?

Thanks,
Jason

OK, I've downloaded ID3X for Os X (http://www.three-2-one.de/321apps/). According to it, there is no ID3v1 tag. My first pass had a v1 and v2 tag. My next experiment will be to remove the v2 tag and try only a v1 tag.

-Jason

stickman,

I loaded approximately 100GB of music onto the Entre (off of my Macs), I initially had ID3 V1 tags in the files (because they were originally stored on my PC). I used a PC to run the Tag & Rename program against files on my Macs (via file sharing). I personally don't like having to use a PC, but I have an old P3 in a closet for those stubborn programs that won't run on the Mac or Virtual PC.

But anyway, did you check for special characters in the file name or ID3 tag? Okay, and this might be stupid, but since you're on a Mac, do you have file extentsions on the files that were transferred?

btw, my offer to help still stands -- let me know if you need a place to put one of the smaller mp3 files. I can look at it and see if I can get it to work.

more info that finally got this working --

Some background, which I'm not sure everyone is aware of --

Whenever the Entre reads a disc in the drawer, it will cache the information to 7.0.5/Database/Music/DataCDs or ../CDs -- if you have ftp access to the Entre you'll see it.

It thinks it's smarter than you are -- it determines whether it's got a match on the CD, by the total time on the disc and I believe the total number of tracks. Just like what CDDB uses. So in otherwords, if you recorded the same album to a disc. It won't re-read the title information. Easy way around this is just put more songs on the disc than you had before or take out a few.

Also, the Entre will not display coverart information for a "dataCD" until after you've recorded it to the harddrive.

Hopefully that all makes sense.

When I loaded his file into iTunes, it read it fine -- including coverart. I converted the tags to ID3 V2.4 off the Advanced menu. Just for the sake of sanity, I also quickly pulled the coverart from Amazon and I deleted what the art that was already there. I then burned it to CDRW using Toast 5.2.1.

It worked fine -- the Entre read the tag information and after I recorded it to my harddrive, it did show the coverart for the track.


hm

hmatos,

there is a thermal resistor that controls the fan. you notice it on the board next to the fan. jumping the resistor causes zero resistance, thus the fan runs full speed and all the time.

I did this about 6 months ago. Its about time I take some compressed air to the fan to clean it out.

also, please please please forward info on how I can get my hands on your cd image. my email address is (j_sampo at hotmail.com) I'd love to upgrade my Entre to 120g. I tried editting a fireball image in the past, but gave up due to getting busy with work.


to everyone else,

sorry i've been out of the picture for too long. a few personal issues, my unbackedup hd dying on me, and me workin on an dvd control interface for winxp mce has kept me extremely busy these last few months. the dvd control to winxp mce is about 90% complete. i started a venture with a friend and we are going to release the app commercially. We intend to have it support as many of the dvd changers on the market currently. also, i am at a point where i can resume work on mediaedit. expect a beta within 2 weeks.

-Niteowl

NiteOwl,

I've emailed you the instructions - let me know if you require further assistance.

hm

I got sidetracked and will have to try it tomorrow. I need to go out and purchase a new drive first. The only drive I have laying around is an old maxtor 5400rpm 80gb. Any one keeping a list of drives that work?

I am going to look for the cheapest 5400rpm 120gb hd.

-NiteOwl

Nightowl, Check PM!!

Hey Hmatos... you are the MAN!
I bow before you... the upgrade worked like a charm.

But unfortunately I still have a problem that pre-existed. I was hoping that by upgrading and fresh installing all the system files, it would solve my problem. Basically here it is. About 2 weeks ago when I tried to play some of my mp3s, nothing would happen. i could select the album, get the list of mp3s but when i select one nothing would happen. After examining some files via ftp, i found that the xml files were ok and the mp3s where in the specific location where the xml files were pointing. I even checked the mp3s and they would play fine on my computer.

After all this, I said the heck with it... I will deal with it later. When I read about your upgrade. I was really excited because I thought that not only would I be able to upgrade, the clean install might fix my mp3 problem. Unfortunately it doesnt. Right now I only have those free mp3s that come with a clean system. They too do not play. I checked my radio stations. They too do not play. I ripped a cd to the hd and they play fine. But they are still uncompressed. If I turn off the entre, the blue lights do not flash (indicating the mp3 encoding process). Has this happened to anyone else?

I am ready to send my system to cerritos... cause I have pretty much given up trying to fix it myself. If you guys can think of anything, let me know. I will call the service center on Monday.

-NiteOwl

NiteOwl,

Thanks for the compliment!

Why don't you just re-initialize the drive? In otherwords, use the other set of files, rather than an upgrade. I doubt Kenwood will return your unit with the music files on it -- they'll probably just reinstall the software and initialize the drive.

Your problem is very similar to what happens when you have a database that had it's corresponding MP3 files removed from the disk.

I saw the exact same thing when I initialized my partitions, I believe I finally just gave up and reinitialized the whole drive (fresh install).

You could try slocko's trick of removing some of the xml files. I can't remember which, but it's in here somewhere.

I stumbled upon something by accident -- if you delete say, the CD's or DataCD's directories (entire thing, including the slices) and then reboot the Entre -- it will rebuild the database, indexes, and maybe the xml files. It must somehome perform a full resync.

Anyway, you might want to give that a try.

hm

To all those that have upgraded their Entre to 120GB --

Once you get your Entre loaded, go ahead and let it do a play all/repeat. I belive you just select the "All" category and then Menu, Play Mode, Repeat Group? I'd like you to let it run for at least 12 hours.

I'm having an issue where my Entre rebooted after about 12 hours of constant use. This isn't usually an issue, but I just want to be sure that it's my particular unit and not the upgrade. Although, it's not a big deal, I could probably live with this.

Here's what happened :

At about 6am I was creating some playlist and deleting some duplicate music. I played some of the music for about an hour and then I loaded an additional 4 albums.

At around 9am, I then started the Entre playing and it was doing so, until about 6pm.

I stopped it at about 6pm, but did not turn it off.

At around 8pm, I started watchng a movie and the Entre rebooted itself a few minutes into it.


This was happening about once a day while I was loading the music onto the Entre, it was running 24x7 and it was using a 7200 RPM Seagate. I've also noticed this on my Fireball, there was some sort of drive corruption in that particular case.

Funny thing is, of course all of this would start happening now. After I loaded the unit with all my music and after I put my Fireball away ;)

hm

I made some minor changes to the instructions (thanks JonDeutsch). I added some information on how to physically remove the drive (screw locations -- if I have time, I'll include pictures). I also put a note in there about how long you should expect each step to take.

hm

I'm having an issue where my Entre rebooted after about 12 hours of constant use. This isn't usually an issue, but I just want to be sure that it's my particular unit and not the upgrade. Although, it's not a big deal, I could probably live with this.


Yikes! Well, I started loading my music in around 2PM yesterday, and it's still burning tunes as we speak (8:30AM). So, I've exceeded the 12 hour limit. I probably should have been less aggressive, though, on my first batch of burns. I chose all my "A" discs (discs that start with "A"), and there was 1110 minutes of content to burn (in real-time).

During the burning process, I heard some nasty gaps between tracks that really concern me (ie., cutting off the first few seconds of tracks). I haven't had the heart to stop the burning, though, so I'm crossing my fingers that it's burning better than it's sounding. Will know more this afternoon when the "A"s are complete.

For the record, I'm using a Samsung SV1204H 120GB (5400RPM).

That's interesting, are you using the changer to load the music? I've never done that. I honestly never thought it would work as advertised, so I never tried it. I already had all my music encoded in iTunes, so it was easier for me to create MP3 CD's and load it that way.

hm

Yes, I'm using the "record" button, selecting the "rip music to HD" option (I love their phrasing), selecting discs from the megachanger by clicking the "repeat" button on each disc, and then hitting "record" again to begin the recording process.

I sure hope it *does* work as advertised! I've invested 18 hours or so in this process so far (or will have by this afternoon). And if this doesn't work, then it'll take for-friggin-ever to burn my music to the HD -- one disc at a time via the Entre itself. I don't have my music in any other format than CD at this time.

Sounds like a nightmare -- You might be better off using something like iTunes (Mac/Windows) or Musicmatch (Windows). This way, you'll at least have a good backup, should the Entre decide it doesn't wish to cooperate. I've already backed up my Entre drive, but it was a real pain in the @*s. Caution, I have about 1000 albums and it took me a really long time to rip/encode them. Getting them on the computer is the easy part. Cleaning up all the poor information you get back from CDDB & FreeDB was the difficult part.

The nice thing about using a computer to rip/encode the music, you'll be able to easily edit all the tag information that comes back from CDDB. The genre information is usually not exactly correct. You can't really change a lot of the information that comes back from CDDB on the Entre. For example, if the genre comes backup as Rock and you want to change it to Alternative. You really can't. You can change the "Group" that's it's in, but you can't change the actual Genre (without using that horrible Media Manager application, that doesn't really work). You would have to select the Group you want to add the album to, select the Album, save it. Then you have to go back and edit the Group that the album was in to remove it from that group. This has is pros and cons, you can have an album in more than one Group, there aren't many applications that let you do this. Unfortunately, it creates a lot of extra work. The bigger your library gets, the longer it takes to do this type of updating.

It's a pitty that the Entre doesn't let you create dynamic playlists (like iTunes). For example, select 200 tracks, where the genre is Alternative and the Year is from 1999 to 2002. It would be so much easier to generate playlists with this type of feature. I'd even settle for it being able to import m3u files (exported playlists). NiteOwl, that was a hint ;)

Anyway, best of luck with ripping/encoding process -- let us know how it goes.

hm

But using a PC application at this point in time would still relegate me to inserting 300+ discs into the PC for individual ripping. I really would rather not get into that game.

Oh, I see what you're saying: if the bulk-load doesn't work, then instead of ripping 1-disc-at-a-time to the Entre, do it to the PC for a backup and more meta-tag control. Right?

And, yes, dynamic playlists would really be nice... as would alternate sort orders of the menus! I'm sure Entre II will have all of these features and more... for another $2k.

It's also a shame that you can't search on disc title or track title. The data is IN THERE. Let me QUERY it! :)

I hear ya! It's funny, the Fireball does let you sort the Guide by coverart, Artist, Album, and I think Song Title. But oddly enough, I never used the other options. It just seemed easier to use the way the Entre does it (Artist/Album).

The other cool thing the Fireball does, is allow you to pull up the allmusicguide.com (AMG, also another Escient property) information about an album. I believe it does it directly via the info key, similar to what the Entre does for DVD's. I believe the Entre let's you press the OG button and then, Now Playing.

A question, when you press the OpenGlobe button while a song is playing. Is your homepage screwed up -- do you show frames but no pictures (only on the homepage)?

hm

Originally posted by hmatos


A question, when you press the OpenGlobe button while a song is playing. Is your homepage screwed up -- do you show frames but no pictures (only on the homepage)?

hm

Varies. Most of the time, the full homepage does appear with images intact. However, very often, the "now playing" feature doesn't bring up any results. I really like how the Fireball integrates this content into the experience via the "info" button!

Any way of just running the Fireball OS/software on my Entre? :)

OK, my 1100 burn session is complete. Now I have some comments and questions.

Comments:

Overall, burning massive numbers of discs is pretty convenient with this approach. If you have a week vacation, you could select all 400 discs and burn away. However, if you're home, this takes a lot of time and keeps your system busy the entire time.

However, there are some drawbacks:

1. It seems that about 1/4 second is clipped from the beginning of each track. This is actually more annoying than it sounds. For all of those songs that kick in with a big pop, you really do miss that initial sound. It's unacceptable for someone who appreciates music.

2. The quality at 320kbs seems good, but I can't help but thinking it could/should be better at 320. I have no idea if this is just my brain telling me it isn't the same as the CD or if the encoder built-into the Entre is substandard. It's more than likely the former (ie., it's in my head), but the fact remains that you can't select your own encoder with this process. Don't get me wrong: it sounds virtually identical to the CD. In fact, it may be identical-sounding, but at times I scratch my head wondering if I'm hearing a bit of a compressed soundstage as a result.

It is reason #1 that I find this approach to be unacceptable, and this is a shame, because I kind of like the hands-off approach to burning.

I now need to ask the wise forum-roamers what the best approach of music mass-burning is. HM mentioned that encoding on the PC and then buring songs to MP3 discs and then copying them to the Entre is the best approach. HM, what MP3 encoder do you use on your PC? And, when you move the files to the Entre, are they being re-encoded, or just copied?

How is the MP3 metadata imported into the Entre via this process? What I mean by this is that there are a few "standard" MP3 genres, and some editors don't let you select other than the pre-set standards. How does Entre handle others/non-standard MP3 tag info? What software do you use on the PC to label the MP3s? Is there anything you need to do on the Entre once it's copied?

Thanks in advance.

Jon,

I have used LAME at the old --r3mix setting, it creates large files, but it sounds pretty good. The MP3's will never sound as good as your CD. I especially notice it on Rock (aka., Melissa Etheridge/Lucky, usually heavy guitar) -- that's just one example. The Electronic, Classical, Latin, and Pop genres sound pretty good. I belive R&B also might suffer a little.

For the most part, it all sounds pretty good, just never as good as the CD via digital to your A/V receiver. The Entre does seem to have really good analog outs, so it's not too bad.

About 35% of my collection has been encoded using iTunes @ 320 -- it's just easier and this way I don't have to mess with a PC.

There are programs out there, like EAC (Exact Audio Copy) in conjunction with the LAME Encoder. This is what I used for the rest of my collection. Nice benefit, it's all FREE. Just google it.

The Entre will handle the meta-data just fine. It doesn't seem to complain. The trick, never use ID3V1 tags and ID3V2 tags, it'll screw it up. You will have to also remove any special characters in the tag information and/or file name (i.e., accent marks, question marks, etc -- you can put them back in after you've loaded them onto the Entre).

What's great about doing the encoding somewhere else, is that once you get bored with the Entre and the next great thing comes out, you'll be able to once again copy the music over to it.

btw, the Fireball is also much better with MP3's -- you can actually send digital out to your receiver. Unlike the Entre, which for some odd reason will only use Analog. hmmmm, I'm starting to convince myself to just continue to use the Fireball -- I just really need the rack space.

Also, the idea of using the Fireball's O/S on the Entre probably won't work. Even if it did, you'd lose DVD functionality. The Fireball doesn't support DVD, only CD.

Hope I've given you some good info.

hm

I have been burning CDs into my PC using MusicMatch at 320k and transferring them over to the Entre on data CDs ever since I upgraded to a WD1200AB drive last month (Thanks, HM!). The process works fairly well, HM's hints about taking out the special characters in file and tag info are spot-on. I get about one out of every thirty or forty albums where the cover art doesn't come through to the Entre, but MusicMatch keeps a copy of the cover art in a subdirectory so it is pretty easy to grab the cover art with Media Manager and transfer it over.

I've done about 300 CDs so far (I had all my music burned at 128kbps but decided to reburn it at 320 for better quality and to fix all the tag information that didn't come through right when I burned the collection back in 1999). ~300 down, another 250 or so to go.

A year or so ago I tried burning a CD to the Entre via the changer - for some reason all the music was slightly sped up. Never tried it again, but I don't recall having any problems with parts of the song being cut off.

This process would be faster if the Entre/changer would read DVD-ROMs with MP3 content... Anyone ever try putting a DVD R/RW drive into the Entre?

Mike

About how many albums fit on a data cd if it's burned at 192K?

All my music on the pc is at 192k.

slocko,

It really varies, but on a 700MB CD/R, I can get about 5 to 6 albums at 320 CBR, 11 to 12 at 192 VBR. It all depends on how many tracks in the album, how long the tracks are, etc.

Originally posted by slocko
About how many albums fit on a data cd if it's burned at 192K?

All my music on the pc is at 192k.

I was thinking the same thing -- I was going to try it at one point. But I've already put the Entre back together and it's in my rack. NiteOwl, do you have a DVD-ROM drive you can temporarily replace the CD drive with? I'm assuming your machine is still open and easy to get to.

It would be interesting to see if this works, although once you've ripped the music onto it, I'm not sure how useful it would be. I do remember seeing references to a DVD in the internal slot. I believe one of the PRP files, or maybe some of logs mentioned it.

hm

Originally posted by Mkellyvich
This process would be faster if the Entre/changer would read DVD-ROMs with MP3 content... Anyone ever try putting a DVD R/RW drive into the Entre?

Mike

I don't think it woud work. The operating system most likely doesn't have any kind of drivers to talk to a dvd-rom drive.

Originally posted by Mkellyvich

A year or so ago I tried burning a CD to the Entre via the changer - for some reason all the music was slightly sped up. Never tried it again, but I don't recall having any problems with parts of the song being cut off.

Mike

Do you recall how you had your system setup/connected? I don't have any issue with 'sped up' sounds, but if there's a way to remove the slight clipping in the beginning, then I could burn my entire library next week when I'm on vacation. :)

Any info greatly appreciated.

hm,

My Entre is indeed still open. Although, I did revert back to the old 20g.. solely for purposes of sending the Entre to the service center. I will try using a dvdrom drive in place of the cdrw. I'll try it this afternoon after work.

-NiteOwl

Do you need also need analog output from the changer to the entre for this method?

It's fascinating. I never knew this was possible. A 1209cd mega ripper under my nose and I didn't even know it :)

Originally posted by JonDeutsch
Do you recall how you had your system setup/connected? I don't have any issue with 'sped up' sounds, but if there's a way to remove the slight clipping in the beginning, then I could burn my entire library next week when I'm on vacation. :)

Any info greatly appreciated.

First, I want to thank hmatos for helping me with my importing problem. The problems I was having with the Entre not recognize the ID3 tags was due to iTunes putting the total tracks in each tag. That is, in iTunes it puts 1 of x. I removed all those and it now works great.

Jason

Well, you may need to do analog changer -> entre to avoid the clipping, but I won't know this until I test it. As of now, I can confirm that the connection between my Changer and Entre is digital, and it ripped fine other than the slight clipping in the beginning of each track.


Originally posted by slocko
Do you need also need analog output from the changer to the entre for this method?

It's fascinating. I never knew this was possible. A 1209cd mega ripper under my nose and I didn't even know it :)

First of all thanks again to Hmatos! My 120g 7200rpm Western Digital is running like a charm. I set the fan on all the time and have not had any heat issues that I know of. My entre does seem to reboot every now and then, but I believe it did this before the upgrade.

I have also considered the DVD drive change to the entre. Does anyone have a fireball DVDM-100? I wonder if we could make something work using some of its config info.

I have been reading through the past posts and unfortunately do not have much to offer about using a PC to encode, as I just inserted each of my discs into the entre one at a time and encoded at 192kbps. I am not a true audiophile and I do not notice too much of a difference between bit rates other than low end response, although I have not tried 320kbps. I have been more interested in space than bit rates. Some of you had mentioned searching by artist or track title. I realize I am one of the few using crestron, but this can be done through TCP/IP type control on port 226. There were some post awhile back that discussed the control protocol and where to find it. I do not think it is something that could be added to the on-screen GUI but maybe thru a PC.

I must caution those encoding from the entre's drive about a situation I ran into. It seems that some enhanced CD/ROM's are troublesome. If the Entre can't find the music it may hang and after awhile reboot. I was watching the serial port when this happened and after the reboot it tried to boot off of the CD because it found files rather than music. So it just sat there flashing for hours and would not eject the CD or move on in the boot process. The only way I could remidy this situation was to remove the CD Drive just enough to press its own eject button, that of course you can't reach from outside the entre. It would have been nice to have a little paperclip hole in this case.

I must say thanks to all that contribute to this forum, it has made my ownership of the entre much more interesting and enjoyable!
:cool:
Fred
:)

Well it seems that Kenwood has never seen the problem that I am experiencing with my Entre. I am going to send it in to the cerritos service center. Does anyone know what the service rate is? I am sure my Entre is out of warranty.

-NiteOwl

FZ

I have a DVDM-100, it uses some kind of flash memory rather than a HD and does not have a CD or DVD drive in it. I don't know what type of config info you could possibly extract from it that would be usable on another system.


Tom

Who do you think I can contact to inquire about the clipping in the beginning of my MP3 ripped tracks? Do you think there is anything anyone possibly could do?

I really wish this little bug was fixed in the multiple software upgrades.

Any info greatly appreciated.

Jon

at this point, i doubt that any more updates would even come down the pipe.
sorry to have to say that... i just bought my Entre a year ago and believe me it hurts.

-NiteOwl

hm,

you might want to include in your doc how to setup the a terminal session via serial port to see the progress of the upgrade. i somehow set my drive to cableselect and the entre was not booting because it couldn't find the hd and cdrw. by looking at the terminal session i quickly saw the message and fixed it right away.

-Niteowl

NiteOwl,

Great idea! I haven't done this in a while and I don't remember the exact hyperterminal settings. If you could throw together a paragraph, I can easily add it to the doc and credit you (of course).

Better yet, I know someone's working on an FAQ, it could go there and I could just reference that.

What do you think?

hm

Originally posted by NiteOwl
hm,

you might want to include in your doc how to setup the a terminal session via serial port to see the progress of the upgrade. i somehow set my drive to cableselect and the entre was not booting because it couldn't find the hd and cdrw. by looking at the terminal session i quickly saw the message and fixed it right away.

-Niteowl

Hmmm well if its covered I guess it will work. If the FAQ has a write up on it, maybe you can credit them and include it in your doc. I am thinking from a user's perspective. I think it would be best to keep it simple.

-NiteOwl

Jon,

My Entre/DV-5900/VR-5900 were connected by the book at the time I tried ripping from the changer. DV-5900M was connected by optical and 6-channel analog to the VR-5900 receiver, Entre was connected by both optical and analog record/playback connections to the VR-5900. As I recall the Entre was set up to record via the optical digital port.

I don't recall any clipping at the start of the recorded tracks, but I only ripped one CD this way and have not tried it since.

I don't think I can rip digital with my current setup (coaxial digital from changer to receiver, optical digital to/from Entre/Receiver). Analog is still hooked up - if I get a chance over the next day or so I'll try an analog rip.

Mike

Mike

Jon,

As I suspected, digital record from the changer doesn't work with the connections I have now. Analog record isn't relevant since best as I can tell all you can do for analog recording is just capture a time slice (xx number of minutes) rather than capturing CDs track-by-track with the information. This is based on a few quick minutes playing with the unit tonight - I may look at the manual later to see if I missed something.

Mike

All you need is a digital (optical or coax) from the changer to the Entre to do this. Since the Entre passes all audio through its digital domain, I have all audio (except 5.1) going via the Entre to the pre/pro.



Originally posted by Mkellyvich
Jon,

As I suspected, digital record from the changer doesn't work with the connections I have now. Analog record isn't relevant since best as I can tell all you can do for analog recording is just capture a time slice (xx number of minutes) rather than capturing CDs track-by-track with the information. This is based on a few quick minutes playing with the unit tonight - I may look at the manual later to see if I missed something.

Mike