Thanks for the review KeithADV - the more reviews I read the more I consider buying now and maybe buying another one when the DVI version comes out ;)

Are people really wanting to do that much WMV and WMA? I've always considered those too Microsoft-ish and wouldn't really expect / want to use them in my HT. As previously mentioned, there isn't lot of hardware support for them, so I would think you need to be looking at HTPC or media center extenders (or whatever they are).

But for ME, DVD upscaling, jpgs, and lossless audio support are my targets. And I don't see how people can't be happy with the featureset being offered at this price point. NONE of the mainstream consumer electronic manufactuers are really in this space yet, are they?

I was SO close to getting a slimdevices music player for $279. But then, HD display of my digital pictures became a nice-to-have. $300 Roku HD1000, but doesn't do decent audio & has horrible support. So I was starting to look at the philips streamium stuff, when I saw the iodata. Looks like my picture & music player, PLUS an upscaling DVD player.

All the DivX / WM-whatever / other gunk I consider just that, gunk. Let me play DVDs, show JPEGS, and listen to MP3s or CDs. Now that is a desireable product in my book, and probably alot of others. The only thing I'm missing right now is lossless support, but I expect to eventually have that when the uPnP software gets better. If it doesn't, I'll just resort to WAV files and need to buy another 250gig drive or two.

So I don't think its Sigma's fault, as a supplier telling a customer how to use their products won't be a customer for too long, and I don't think its IO Data's fault cause they have a feature rich product that will probably be appreciated by alot of people. Perfect? Of course not. You can either build an HTPC, buy multiple components that probably total 3x the price, or consider a small handful of 1 box solutions.

But we're getting REAL close...chips look to be there...implementations are getting close to comprehensive, ...software needs to make some progress (but at least a networking standard has emerged).

So things are looking up people!

It's as I suspected with the boards, the traces and solder points for all the components are on the board. Even the traces for the multi-channel audio connector appear to be there.

I think this webpage shows how to connect the IO-DATA NAS drive using a router (not USB).

Quesitons:

--Are these drives avaiable?
--What the heck protocol are these drives using? It looks like some hacked up UpnP Interface (from the Drive setup screens)..

http://www.iodata.com/manuals/uhdl-u/htm/avel-1.htm

Fabian.

KeithAdv,

How did you get the LinkPlayer to play I-Radio streams? Could you give me a list of ones that were successful?

Thanks for the review!

Hi:
Is anyone using the optical out on the linkplayer to the optical in on their AV receiver successfully? I can only get it to work with commercial dvd's. I have tried avi's, mpeg1's, mpeg2's, mp3's, and commercial audio CD's and I get no audio. I tried changing from dolby to stereo in the setup and even tried rolling back the firmware all with no improvement. I know I must be missing something simple but I cannot figure it out.
Thanks,
Joseph

Originally posted by Kermee
KeithAdv,

How did you get the LinkPlayer to play I-Radio streams? Could you give me a list of ones that were successful?


I was able to use INTERNET radio by using the Neuston Media Server (http://www.neuston.com/en/mc500download_mac.asp) for the Macintosh. I run a shoutcast radio station on my work intranet and it streams out 160, and I was able to get the AVEL to play it, I was also able to play streams from the INTERNET at 128.

YMMV,

MB1010

Originally posted by jnardone
Hi:
Is anyone using the optical out on the linkplayer to the optical in on their AV receiver successfully? I can only get it to work with commercial dvd's. I have tried avi's, mpeg1's, mpeg2's, mp3's, and commercial audio CD's and I get no audio. I tried changing from dolby to stereo in the setup and even tried rolling back the firmware all with no improvement. I know I must be missing something simple but I cannot figure it out.
Thanks,
Joseph

I have used both and was unable to get it to pass a DD stream to my Sony amp. DTS worked fine on either coax or optical.

mb1010

Originally posted by monkeyboy1010
I was able to use INTERNET radio by using the Neuston Media Server (http://www.neuston.com/en/mc500download_mac.asp) for the Macintosh. I run a shoutcast radio station on my work intranet and it streams out 160, and I was able to get the AVEL to play it, I was also able to play streams from the INTERNET at 128.

YMMV,

MB1010

Wow. I get an 'Unauthorized Access. Please Try Again' in the Windows 2.5 version. Bummer. Are you just making .pls files with the URL to the ShoutCast stream?

Originally posted by Kermee
Wow. I get an 'Unauthorized Access. Please Try Again' in the Windows 2.5 version. Bummer. Are you just making .pls files with the URL to the ShoutCast stream?

Nevermind. Just got it to work with my Shoutcast 128 kbps stream using the AVeL Link Server. SWEET! I ended up reading the FAQ at Neuston.

Thanks!

Originally posted by Dolfo
Thanks for the picture, Tom. It looks like they are ready for the DVI port (you can see the solder marks where the connector will one day be installed) - just waiting for the licensing now I guess. The same can be said, for the 1No missing pair of phono connectors: -

http://img123.exs.cx/img123/1162/missingphonos1qw.gif

Now I've looked at some of these images again...

It seems rather odd to me that if I-O DATA wanted to save money, they opted to install "two pairs" of phonos for the analogue audio, instead of just "one pair"....

You are all two thirds there. With just a "tiny" bit more effort, you could have all had 6Ch analogue... how sad is that!


Cheers

Originally posted by Dolfo
Thanks for the review KeithADV - the more reviews I read the more I consider buying now and maybe buying another one when the DVI version comes out ;)

Yeah, the technology train moves so fast, you never know exactly when to jump on. It's impossible to buy something that isn't superceded by something exponentially better in a month or so. The vaporware folks tend to screw you up, though. KISS had everyone waiting forever on their stuff. (Maybe that's a good thing, though. My waiting for the KISS unit I wanted gave iodata time to sneak into the market and steal me as a customer.)

I tend to share your logic. Although $250 isn't chicken feed, it's a price point that makes it possible to think about grabbing the thing now, and when somebody DOES release something closer to nirvana--huge functionality, DVI, etc., I can replace the XBox on my DLP set with that and be happy with both units.

Originally posted by monkeyboy1010
I was able to use INTERNET radio by using the Neuston Media Server for the Macintosh. I run a shoutcast radio station on my work intranet and it streams out 160, and I was able to get the AVEL to play it, I was also able to play streams from the INTERNET at 128.

YMMV,

MB1010

Originally posted by Kermee
Nevermind. Just got it to work with my Shoutcast 128 kbps stream using the AVeL Link Server. SWEET! I ended up reading the FAQ at Neuston.

Thanks!

Well, that's certainly encouraging, although success hasn't exactly visited my house yet. I can often player lower-rez stations (I'm listening to the 32 kbps version of Radio Paradise right now). I do not know if it is coincidental or not, but the three or four stations I have tried at 128 haven't played.

(By the way, if you are an alternative music fan, you should check out Radio Paradise. I think it is about as good as it gets.)

Testing is difficult, because it seems (once again, only seems) as if one failure requires a reboot before any other station will play. Could be my imagination.

I've eliminated my wireless network as a potential culprit. I have Road Runner and the wireless is running sufficiently fast enough to stream all local network video without a problem. And, of course, my Xbox streams internet content flawlessly enough that I'm experimenting there with internet TV.

I'm doing further exploration as I type this and have just achieved a first 128 kbps success with a station called Dainbramage. (I copied the I-tunes Alt/Modern Rock directory into a folder and am working from that).

When I clicked on Dainbramage, the screen said "Connecting to radio station," while the unit said "Network." It hung out there for a few minutes. Perhaps it was buffering. Finally, the screen changed to "Dainbramage" and the unit changed to "I-radio" and away it went. Subsequent connections have seen a shorter time between the first screen and second, so maybe the first part really is just connecting and the buffering happens second.

I have followed that with yet another unsuccessful attempt at Radio Paradise. Then without rebooting I went back to Dainbramage. Not hearing any noise as I'm typing this.

If there is a lengthy buffering time, I can't imagine what that is all about, as, again, XBMC doesn't need to do anything like that.

I have rebooted and am picking up Dainbramage at 128 again.

Is my Radio Paradise .pls the problem? I don't know--I have created my own from Winamp and am also using the one that I-tunes creates. Neither works. Maddening.

I just got "Radio.Wazee" to come in at a bitrate of 128, but "Virgin Radio UK" will not. In between were random failures with stations at lower bitrates. Following the failure with "Virgin Radio UK," "Radio.Wazee" no longer works.

Following reboot......there, Radio.Wazee is back! Strange.

Unless you guys are CONSISTENTLY banging away at 128 or higher stations, I have to stick with my two original conclusions: (1) the server software is not ready for I-radio prime time (which is fine--I don't think iodata has made the big promise on that for this version of the firmware), and (2) I hope iodata comes up with a "webradio.iodata.com" ala Kiss-technology and provides with greater information in the server software (station bitrates, etc.) I think webradio tends to demand live menus.

Originally posted by jnardone
Hi:
Is anyone using the optical out on the linkplayer to the optical in on their AV receiver successfully? I can only get it to work with commercial dvd's. I have tried avi's, mpeg1's, mpeg2's, mp3's, and commercial audio CD's and I get no audio. I tried changing from dolby to stereo in the setup and even tried rolling back the firmware all with no improvement. I know I must be missing something simple but I cannot figure it out.
Thanks,
Joseph

You guys are way over my head with the tech-stuff, so I'll just make a dumb-guy observation and get out. I have a Toshiba DVD player with optical and 5.1 analog outs. In the docs, they say they have PURPOSEFULLY restricted the optical out to DVDs only. DVD audio disks will only use the analog outs. It's a piracy prevention measure. Would that information have any relevance here?

Originally posted by jnardone
Hi:
Is anyone using the optical out on the linkplayer to the optical in on their AV receiver successfully? I can only get it to work with commercial dvd's. I have tried avi's, mpeg1's, mpeg2's, mp3's, and commercial audio CD's and I get no audio. I tried changing from dolby to stereo in the setup and even tried rolling back the firmware all with no improvement. I know I must be missing something simple but I cannot figure it out.
Thanks,
Joseph

There have been a number of posts regarding this and the problem seems to be receiver dependent. I am using optical out on my pioneer receiver and everything works fine, including ripped DVD-R's and audio CD's. However, some people with pioneer receivers report the same problem as you are having. Mine is an elite series, so that may make a difference though I don't know why, specifically. If you want more detail, you might want to search back to a post I made yesterday, along with what others have posted here.

Originally posted by Tom Roper
This is how it worked on mine:

- I would select 720p or 1080i output on the setup menu.
- From the DVD settings tab, choose 16x9

Thereafter, a DVD-Video played from the rom drive would display pillar boxed if 4x3, or full frame if 16x9. Pressing the zoom button on the remote would toggle between Zoom1, Zoom2, Zoom3, Zoom4.

If the DVD-Video was played from a hard drive on the server, (i.e. vob files), it worked a little differently. The zoom button on the remote gave different choices, Actual Size, Fit to Screen, Full Screen.

- When I selected Actual Size, it played inside its own small window in the middle of the 1280x720 DLP native panel, i.e. black bars top, bottom, left, right.

- When I selected Fit to Screen, the 4x3 played pillar boxed.
- When I selected Full Screen, it played stretched to 16x9, i.e. short people fat faces.

If it's not working this way for you, I would try connecting directly to your monitor, bypassing the AV receiver and its scaler, and see if that makes a difference.

Thank you for taking the time to answer this Tom. I figured something out w/ my TV, but it is a stop-gap, not the ultimate solution. My Sony KLW9000 50" widescreen monitor upstairs has two modes for high-res inputs: "normal" and "full." When I watch my HD TiVo, "full" works for all sources. HD content is full screen, and 4:3 is pillarboxed. For some reason, when I use the I-O with this set, it will not show the 4:3 content pillarboxed unless I select "normal." When the set is on "full", 4:3 is zoomed to fill the screen. The odd thing is, the normal setting does not work for HD/16:9 content. It looks anamorphic- in other words, the whole widescreen frame is squeezed into a 4:3 space, and everyone looks tall & skinny. When I hit "full" on the set, it fills the screen properly. It is as if the I-O is never outputting a true 16:9 output, but always squeezing it into a 4:3 area. Very odd. I will need to check with my projector to see how it does. All of this is at 720p, 16:9 set on the I-O setup page.

If someone has a widescreen display that can show "actual pixels" or "actual size" (in other words, no stretching or fill introduced by the set), can you check some HD widescreen content to see if it fills the screen. I find it odd I need to use the "full" mode of my set to make the HD images widescreen but that mode will not show 4:3 without cutting off the top & bottom.

At one point I had the setup on 4:3 mode in the I-O. I wonder if it somehow is not switching out of that mode when I save it? Looking at the setup page, DVD section, it now shows 16:9, but it sure looks like on files it is trying to cram them into a 4:3 frame. I also find it odd that the TV type is under the DVD tab- shouldn't this be a universal setting, applied to files as well as DVDs? Is there a way those of you with widescreen sets can make HD or 16:9 ripped files appear squeezed into 4:3 with any of the I-O settings & no fill on your monitor? Perhaps mine has a glitch it cannot get out of.

When I get a chance I will try this with my projector or another monitor to see if it is a strange Sony thing. I would have just expected this to work the same way at 720p on the same set as HD TiVo works at 720p.

Originally posted by monkeyboy1010
I have used both and was unable to get it to pass a DD stream to my Sony amp. DTS worked fine on either coax or optical.

mb1010
I think the player is passing it, your receiver just isn't able to decode it correctly. The other possibility is that you have a defective player. Do you have another receiver to test it on or can you take it to a buddies house and see if it works there?

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
It seems rather odd to me that if I-O DATA wanted to save money, they opted to install "two pairs" of phonos for the analogue audio, instead of just "one pair"....

You are all two thirds there. With just a "tiny" bit more effort, you could have all had 6Ch analogue... how sad is that!


Now I think we're on the same page - IODATA could very easily have done it right, but opted not to for some strange reason. With a device like this, is it really necessary to provide 2 sets of stereo analog outs?

I know people have mentioned that a Pioneer receiver can decode WMA, but I wonder how much it cost for them to do it (is Microsoft keeping that hardware decoder proprietary and charging a fortune for it?). Are there even any hardware decoders out there for this (does the Pioneer receiver decode WMA in hardware or do they have a software decoder?)? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I would like to believe that a company like IODATA had good reasons for doing things the way they did .:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Dolfo
Now I think we're on the same page - IODATA could very easily have done it right, but opted not to for some strange reason. With a device like this, is it really necessary to provide 2 sets of stereo analog outs? I must admit if I had bought one of these players, I would be seriously tempted to add the two phono sockets and even the DVI socket.


Cheers

BTW, the Pioneer model that offers WMA decoding is part of their Elite line and has an MSRP of $4,500. It is the VSX-59TXi for those interested in purchasing one. ;)

Adolfo,
I believe that Microsoft licenses the technology pretty cheaply, for now. Microsoft is like a crack dealer, they get you hooked for cheap and then stick it to you for your future "fixes".

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
I must admit if I had bought one of these players, I would be seriously tempted to add the two phono sockets and even the DVI socket.


Cheers

Probably wouldn't do you much good unless you also plan on writing your own firmware.

Originally posted by gtrogue
Probably wouldn't do you much good unless you also plan on writing your own firmware. True!

That said, when it comes to the DVI connector, maybe the firmware for the AVLP2/DVDG (with DVI) would work with the AVLP2/DVDLA (without DVI).

Or are they using the same firmware already?


Cheers

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
True!

That said, when it comes to the DVI connector, maybe the firmware for the AVLP2/DVDG (with DVI) would work with the AVLP2/DVDLA (without DVI).

Or are they using the same firmware already?


Cheers

I doubt it. The english version for the DVI model due out in the US may work.

Originally posted by Shoebox
There have been a number of posts regarding this and the problem seems to be receiver dependent.

Thanks Monkeyboy and Shoebox and others. My receiver is a HK AVR 230 and I can't get the optical audio to work on any setting for anything except DVD's played in the Linkplayer. Will I have a better chance if I set it up with the coax?

Is there any chance they can fix this problem with a firmware upgrade? This receiver is not out of date and it has all the certifications (as does the linkplayer)

Thanks,
Joseph

It seems we may not have to wait very long for high-def players featuring Mpeg4/AVC playback: -

http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=650419&source=home

BCM7411
AVC/MPEG High-Definition Decoder

The BCM7411 introduces the advantages of the H.264 video compression algorithm to today's advanced consumer and broadcast applications. The BCM7411 is a dual-channel AVC/MPEG-2 decoder chip capable of full HD realtime decoding.

Broadcom's H.264 Compression Advantage™ architecture provides three times the compression power of MPEG-2. Systems incorporating the BCM7411 have superior image quality, improved system performance, and larger storage capacity with the reduced bit rates of H.264—also known as MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC). The BCM7411 fully supports the MPEG-2 standard, so that compatibility with existing media can be maintained.


Features
* Multi-standard video decoding support for MPEG-2 MP@ML
* Multi-standard audio decoding MPEG2 AAC-LC- Stereo and 5.1
* Dual-stream decoding with independent program clock reference (PCR) clock recovery
* Video post-processing with scaling, 3:2 pulldown, clipping, and padding It might be worth waiting for....


Cheers

Originally posted by mikemav
The odd thing is, the normal setting does not work for HD/16:9 content. It looks anamorphic- in other words, the whole widescreen frame is squeezed into a 4:3 space, and everyone looks tall & skinny. When I hit "full" on the set, it fills the screen properly. It is as if the I-O is never outputting a true 16:9 output, but always squeezing it into a 4:3 area. Very odd. I will need to check with my projector to see how it does. All of this is at 720p, 16:9 set on the I-O setup page.

If someone has a widescreen display that can show "actual pixels" or "actual size" (in other words, no stretching or fill introduced by the set), can you check some HD widescreen content to see if it fills the screen. I find it odd I need to use the "full" mode of my set to make the HD images widescreen but that mode will not show 4:3 without cutting off the top & bottom.

At one point I had the setup on 4:3 mode in the I-O. I wonder if it somehow is not switching out of that mode when I save it? Looking at the setup page, DVD section, it now shows 16:9, but it sure looks like on files it is trying to cram them into a 4:3 frame. I also find it odd that the TV type is under the DVD tab- shouldn't this be a universal setting, applied to files as well as DVDs? Is there a way those of you with widescreen sets can make HD or 16:9 ripped files appear squeezed into 4:3 with any of the I-O settings & no fill on your monitor? Perhaps mine has a glitch it cannot get out of.

When I get a chance I will try this with my projector or another monitor to see if it is a strange Sony thing. I would have just expected this to work the same way at 720p on the same set as HD TiVo works at 720p.

One thing I forgot to mention...did you try enabling HD Browser mode? <-- Doing that also changes the behavior of the scaler on the full screen, actual size, fit to screen settings.

On mine, if I don't have HD Browser mode checked, the "Actual Size" selection make a 16x9 image squeezed vertically, short people, fat faces.

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
True!

That said, when it comes to the DVI connector, maybe the firmware for the AVLP2/DVDG (with DVI) would work with the AVLP2/DVDLA (without DVI).

Or are they using the same firmware already?


Cheers

The board is missing the socket for an ASIC, so I don't think it would work even if you had the connector and firmware in place.

@SMD

It might be worth waiting for....

My thoughts exactly, although it doesn't say anything about MPEG4 ASP, does it?

-Suntan

Originally posted by Suntan
...My thoughts exactly, although it doesn't say anything about MPEG4 ASP, does it? I would have thought Mpeg4 ASP was a given!

But what type of Mpeg4 ASP implementations, is open to debate, just like it is now.

Most users are familiar with players supporting, multiple B-VOP, Qpel and 1warp-point GMC (aka: S-VOP). However, 1warp-point GMC (as used by DivX) is quite useless and does not really do anything at all. 3warp-point GMC on the other-hand (as used by XviD and NeroDigital), does do something... but as yet... there are no stand-alone players supporting it!

By contrast, Mpeg4/AVC, does not bother with GMC at all. It does use B-VOP and Qpel. And also far more powerful 'new' implementations such as: In-loop (de blocking) Filtering, Sliced Based Motion Prediction, Multiple Reference Frames, Rate Distortion Optimisation, Weighted Prediction to name but a few!


Cheers

Has anyone figured out how to get DivxHD files to work with the new firmware? I know there were a couple of people with this same problem. I have rolled back the firmware and the clips can play again. When I reinstall the new firmware, DivxHD locks up my player.

Originally posted by uofmtiger
Has anyone figured out how to get DivxHD files to work with the new firmware? I know there were a couple of people with this same problem. I have rolled back the firmware and the clips can play again. When I reinstall the new firmware, DivxHD locks up my player.

I haven't tried any since I upgraded the firmware. I'll try it tonight and see what happens.

Originally posted by gtrogue
I think the player is passing it, your receiver just isn't able to decode it correctly. The other possibility is that you have a defective player. Do you have another receiver to test it on or can you take it to a buddies house and see if it works there?

If it's defective player ..there would be lot's of them around
There is many people with the same problem

I guess "many" is a relative term.

Have tried the player on another receiver?

No, but I tried the receiver with:
KiSS508
Phillips DP642
Yamada 6600
and couple other DVD players
All working without problems ....

See the poll about the AVEL:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=479273

This may be way off the wall (I'm just thinking out loud for now), but I wonder if the problem that some people are seeing with the digital audio decoding can be traced back to power quality coming into the player? Is there a pattern of line filter usage (some surge supressors and UPS's provide a "cleaner" power than other surge supressors and, of course, directly connected to the wall)? I'm just wondering if a noisy power system can propagate into the digital audio bitstream and throw the receiver out of synch. I know it shouldn't happen, but who knows?

I run all my AV equipment of APC UPS - still have the problem

Originally posted by lifeisfun
I run all my AV equipment of APC UPS - still have the problem

well, then, nevermind ;)

I haven't tried any since I upgraded the firmware. I'll try it tonight and see what happens. Thanks! I have sent I-O data an email and they are researching the problem. Everything else works the way it did before the update.

To test it, I downloaded a movie clip (Shark Tale) from the HD Divx website.

Originally posted by gtrogue
Some adventurous coder out there needs to take up the mantle and development us a homegrown server app that will do what we want.;)

There's already an open source server app that works with the LinkPlayer2, but I'm guessing it would take a firmware update to support .IFO files.

http://openshowcenter.sourceforge.net

It would be nice to see if it can be installed on Baffalo's Linkstation ...

Folks,
all of you with non working AC3 can you please post make and model model of your receiver to this post :
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=479273

I-O DATA is asking for this info so thay can work on it

THANKS !

I-O Data received my returned AVLP2 late today. I know because I was tracking it. Hiromi Kaneko already responded, and shipped out a replacement today.

They have been more than responsive to me. Even in today's world, with email, voice mail and machines people still make the difference.

Their customer service is excellent.

Originally posted by Cyclone
There's already an open source server app that works with the LinkPlayer2, but I'm guessing it would take a firmware update to support .IFO files.

http://openshowcenter.sourceforge.net

So you have tried the openshowcenter and it works with LinkPlayer2? I thought someone mentioned that the LinkPlayer2 does not work with UPnP software currently.

I have tried it, it works but is not quite prime time yet

Originally posted by lifeisfun
Folks,
all of you with non working AC3 can you please post make and model model of your receiver to this post :
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=479273

I-O DATA is asking for this info so thay can work on it

THANKS !

Do you want working ones also?

Hi:
If you may recall I was getting no audio out through the optical except for from DVD's. I thought I was missing something simple and I guess I was right - the little volume button on the remote seems to work for some audio sources and mine came set at 0. When I turned it up to 4 (the highest setting) I now get audio from all types of files and sources. Occasionally an mpeg2 file served off of my computer will give video only but if I re-start it I can get the audio going. None of the Dolby lights on the linkplayer seem to light up for any of the sources. I am now back to loving the Linkplayer.
Joseph

Originally posted by uofmtiger
Thanks! I have sent I-O data an email and they are researching the problem. Everything else works the way it did before the update.

To test it, I downloaded a movie clip (Shark Tale) from the HD Divx website.

I tested a bunch of Divx HD files from the Divx site including Shark Tale and they all play fine.

On a sort of related note, what "zoom" mode should the player be set to when playing back these files on a 16:9 TV? Fit to screen, fullscreen, actual size? I have a hard time telling for sure but the fullscreen mode looks like it's the right setting.

I tested a bunch of Divx HD files from the Divx site including Shark Tale and they all play fine. Thank You! Are using the new firmware? If so, I believe that the problem is sporadic. This is going to make it very difficult for them to resolve my problem. :(

Originally posted by Wolfgang
So you have tried the openshowcenter and it works with LinkPlayer2? I thought someone mentioned that the LinkPlayer2 does not work with UPnP software currently.

Yes, it works.

I-O DATA updated list of compatible receivers on the FAQ page:

http://www.iodata.com/usa/products/AVLP2_FAQ.php#ML_AR

Originally posted by lifeisfun
I-O DATA updated list of compatible receivers on the FAQ page:

http://www.iodata.com/usa/products/AVLP2_FAQ.php#ML_AR I wonder how up to date this FAQ is?

I only ask because, it's still showing the maximum bit-rate for Mpeg4 (DivX/XviD) as being just 1.5Mbps!


Cheers

The info about working receivers was updated yesterday.

A quick question. Many pages back someone posted some video file information from a program in windows -- I'm asking because I have a bunch of files (music videos, tv encodes, etc) that are encoded in a variety of ways (some even my PC has issues with sometimes depending on my mpeg-2 codec). What's the best program to determine file information, so that when I try them with my player (I get it today!) I know what I'm testing?

Originally posted by eddiefg
What's the best program to determine file information, so that when I try them with my player (I get it today!) I know what I'm testing? On of the better file readers for Mpeg1, 2 and 4 content is Gspot 2.52 BETA (http://gspot.headbands.com/gspot252dl.html).


Cheers

Originally posted by gtrogue

On a sort of related note, what "zoom" mode should the player be set to when playing back these files on a 16:9 TV? Fit to screen, fullscreen, actual size? I have a hard time telling for sure but the fullscreen mode looks like it's the right setting.

This goes back to my original questions about aspect ratios and Tom's info HERE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4785119#post4785119)

I played around more last night. Indeed, changing to HD Browser did effect the way zoom works. While before it seemed to do almost nothing on ripped DVD files, now it really changes between the three modes when on HD Browser. First of all, this should be corrected. HD Browser mode has text that is too small for my smaller display, but I need this zoom function to work on file playback to be useful. Anyway, there is still another issue. As I mentioned before, my Sony professional widesceen monitor has two modes for high-res content: full and normal. I use full w/ my HD TiVo @ 720p, & widescreen HD content fills the 16:9 screen, while 4:3 is pillarboxed as it should be. Only low res widescreen that is letterboxed does not fill the screen (since it is broadcast in 4:3, with 16:9 smaller image inside the 4:3, I do not expect it to fill the screen. Examples of this are Rescue Me on FX...)

So I left my set in full mode, and set the I-O to HD Browser mode to see if it changed things. As you may recall, before, 4:3 ripped DVDs were zoomed out normally in the full mode on my TV to fill the screen, which does not seem right (and is different than the HD TiVo @ same settings.) Aspect on the player is set to 16:9. When I switched to HD Browser mode, I could use the zoom button on the remote to switch between 4:3 pillarboxed or zoomed, so I thought this solved it. The pillarboxed 4:3 looked a little wide though, like it is overscanned by 10% or so. BUT THEN....I tried some 16:9 movies ripped to the HD, and there was a problem. Of the 3 modes, one zoom mode (actual size) showed a 16:9 window about 1/2 the size of the screen, as expected (720x480 source on 1280x720 output.) However, the second zoom mode (fit to screen) showed the 16:9 movie filling about 85% of the screen, but it did not go nearly to the edges- on any side. On my 50" monitor, there was about 3" black around all four sides. Aspect ratio looked right. The third I-O zoom mode, full screen, just stretched that same signal wider, so it now filled the width, but not height. It was obviously stretched when I looked at a circle. This happened on most of my 16:9 movie rips. The really odd thing is, on a few (Nemo 16:9 version, for example) the exact same settings filled the whole screen! Also, true HD content filled the screen no problem. It seems the scaler to up-convert to 720p is having some issues with the ripped files. I tried Adaptation, Broadcast News, and several other rips. I rip the normal way, file mode in Decrypter or DVD Shrink (no compression.)

I believe (but cannot recall for sure) when HD Browser was off the night before, the 16:9 stuff filled the screen fine. As I said before, there should be no difference in the zoom modes & output sizes either way. 720p is 720p.

if anyone has a 16:9 set and some ripped widescreen DVDs, can you try them and see what happens? Also, are the server menus supposed to be widescreen when the player is set to 16:9 and 720p? The only way I can get widescreen is to put my monitor in full mode instead of normal mode, so I am not even sure it is truly putting out a widescreen signal.

EDIT- okay I did some research on my (older) Sony monitor. "Normal" means 4:3, and "Full" means 16:9 in the high-res mode. So I should be set to "Full." In that case, the concern I have is that on HD Browser mode, my 16:9 movie files to not fill the height of the screen on "fit to screen", or are smaller overall than the 720p frame on "full screen" as described above. Also, with HD Browser mode OFF, the zoom control hardly changes anything, and 4:3 material is not pillarboxed, but zoomed to fill the 16:9 space. Any ideas? I wonder if I change the default zoom mode to actual size or fit to screen in the setup page, the reboot, what will happen? Perhaps even though zoom seems to have no effect on the remote in non-HD browser mode, it will fix itself if default zoom is set to one of the smaller sizes. Hope that does not mess up my 16:9 stuff, though. Frustrating!

Originally posted by Cyclone
There's already an open source server app that works with the LinkPlayer2, but I'm guessing it would take a firmware update to support .IFO files.

http://openshowcenter.sourceforge.net

Good point. I still have not heard a reply from Keith or anyone from Sigma or I-O to see if the chipset can even handle .IFO files from network. If it is not a hardware limitation, then someone should take a stab at this. A lot of PC software DVD player can play .ifo files from the network or hard drive.

Originally posted by uofmtiger
Thank You! Are using the new firmware? If so, I believe that the problem is sporadic. This is going to make it very difficult for them to resolve my problem. :(
Yes, latest firmware.

Enter another player in the DVD/media streaming market.
Zensonic announced the Z500 Networked DVD player (http://www.zensonic.com/press_z500.php) today.
This thing is possible based on the same platform as the LinkPlayer. It sounds like the same feature set.

Originally posted by gtrogue
Enter another player in the DVD/media streaming market.
Zensonic announced the Z500 Networked DVD player (http://www.zensonic.com/press_z500.php) today.
This thing is possible based on the same platform as the LinkPlayer. It sounds like the same feature set.

It is the same platform - they mention the same Sigma chip toward the bottom. This player sounds like an interesting competitor to the Linkplayer. It sounds as if they might have included multi-channel analog outs for Digital Audio. Too bad they don't have any info on the Zensonic website yet :(

Is the LinkPlayer controllable by the PC with the server Sw installed? I wonder how functional that feature is...

ok i just pulled the trigger on this one. Was trying to decide between all the upconverting sub $300 players and this one, but they all seem to have execution issues, so i figured may as well get one that has the capability to stream files off my network. Plus it definitely helped to see customer service was so responsive to you guys.

At the very bottom of that link for the Z500 (#12 in the Specifications) it states

Audio
Stereo out
Coaxial out (5.1)
5.1 Optical out

:( :( Unfortunately, it does not look like it has multi-channel analog outs.

It does state support for FLAC FWIW :).

-Suntan

Originally posted by Suntan
:( :( Unfortunately, it does not look like it has multi-channel analog outs.
Bummer... Will they never learn !

The main limitation to the Zensonic at the moment, is that they are behind, and focusing on the home market (Australia) first.

Is this correct? on their comparison chart it says NO to 5.1 ch audio.

Coaxial Audio
Yes
Optical Audio
Yes
5.1ch Audio
No

What does his mean? 5.1ch input or 5.1 output?

http://www.iodata.com/usa/products/AVLP2_Compare.php

Originally posted by Suntan
At the very bottom of that link for the Z500 (#12 in the Specifications) it states



:( :( Unfortunately, it does not look like it has multi-channel analog outs.

It does state support for FLAC FWIW :).

-Suntan

But then it says this:

"...advanced sound decoding capabilities allow direct playback of 5.1 channel Dolby Digital soundtracks through analogue outputs."

I'm not sure how to interpret some of the info in that article.

Edit:
I wonder if the 5.1 Coax out is really 6 coax connectors (some audiophile receivers use these rather than RCA or banana plugs) for the 6-channel analog outs rather than a DIGITAL coax output?

@Dolfo

yeah, after I posted that I was wondering if mybe they ment that. We can hope, but I won't hold my breath until I see a pic of the backside of that thing.

@SpeedyHTPC

I understand it to mean that the player supports 5.1 from a digital coaxial and digital optical output (IE Dolby D and DTS output for the average receiver to decode) The thing that is wanted are 6 individual analog outputs so that (for instance) 5.1 AAC LC could be decoded in the player and then sent to the Pre-Amp inputs of the receiver as few receivers will decode these newer multi-channel formats.

-Suntan

Originally posted by SpeedyHTPC
Is this correct? on their comparison chart it says NO to 5.1 ch audio.

Coaxial Audio
Yes
Optical Audio
Yes
5.1ch Audio
No

What does his mean? 5.1ch input or 5.1 output?

http://www.iodata.com/usa/products/AVLP2_Compare.php

It means no 5.1 ch ANALOG audio

Originally posted by Dolfo
...I wonder if the 5.1 Coax out is really 6 coax connectors (some audiophile receivers use these rather than RCA or banana plugs) for the 6-channel analog outs rather than a DIGITAL coax output? You mean these: -

http://img79.exs.cx/img79/2054/51chconnectors1za.png

When you see the expression "5.1" it always means "six" channels. The "point one" referes to the sub-woofer channel....

And yes, when you see "six" RCA/phono jacks like this... they are "analogue".


Cheers

That was king of cruel SMD, right after the page loaded, before I read through your post I thought for a minute you had a pic of this Z500's backside showing it to have 5.1 analog outputs. But alas it was just an ordinary picture of 5.1 analogs...

-Suntan

Sorry to get your hopes up Suntan,

I've got to admit... when it comes to A/V gear, one of the first things I look at, is the back of the equipment :D


Cheers

Originally posted by Suntan
At the very bottom of that link for the Z500 (#12 in the Specifications) it states



:( :( Unfortunately, it does not look like it has multi-channel analog outs.

It does state support for FLAC FWIW :).

-Suntan

It looks like it does.
From the press release, "...while advanced sound decoding capabilities allow direct playback of 5.1 channel Dolby Digital soundtracks through analogue outputs."

It also has an MSRP of $321 US.

although that could just mean that it has a coax output for sending 5.1 along with the optical out....we need pics!

Originally posted by aditya
although that could just mean that it has a coax output for sending 5.1 along with the optical out....we need pics!

SPDIF and optical outputs do not send analog signals.

S/PDIF stands for Sony/Philips Digital Interface.

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
You mean these: -

http://img79.exs.cx/img79/2054/51chconnectors1za.png

When you see the expression "5.1" it always means "six" channels. The "point one" referes to the sub-woofer channel....

And yes, when you see "six" RCA/phono jacks like this... they are "analogue".


Cheers

No, those are RCA, not coax. For coax connectors, you push the cable end (with the coax female connector) over the coax male end on the player and give it a 1/4 turn twist to lock it down.

I know very well what 5.1 refers to, but the 6 channels can be implemented in a single digital connection or discreet analog connections. The specific implementaion on this player is the unknown at this point (no pictures of the back panel as far as I could find and the prelim specs were a little ambiguous).

what would be cruel is if they did include 6 discreet analog audio outs, but only supported DD/DTS through those (not WMA9) ;)

@ Dolfo
"Coax" actually discribes the cable, not the termination. Coax means Coaxial. As in the signal is passed through the center of the wire while the ground runs around the outside of the wire. This is done to shield the signal from external noise. In common most people refer to RG-6 with F type connectors as "Coax" and it is most commonly used for RF (TV antenna or cable signals.) Although RG-6 cable works great for transfering composite, S-vid, component, etc.

The RCA connectors are common for video and audio connections (non RF based). The audio and video connections that look like this but have the 1/4 turn locks are BNC connectors. They do pretty much the same thing as RCA connectors, but they feature positive locks versus rely on friction to hold them together.

Pretty much every A/V cable, except speaker wire (which you can plainly see is two wires side by side) and the optical Toslink terminated "wire" is coaxial.

-Suntan

Originally posted by Dolfo
No, those are RCA, not coax. For coax connectors, you push the cable end (with the coax female connector) over the coax male end on the player and give it a 1/4 turn twist to lock it down.



Actually, the turn & lock connectors for coax cable are called BNC connectors. They look like this pic.

Originally posted by mikemav
Actually, the turn & lock connectors for coax cable are called BNC connectors. They look like this pic.

That's right. Not sure why I associate BNC connectors with coax (I'm sure it has something to do with Engineering Labs back in College ;) ).

Originally posted by mikemav
Actually, the turn & lock connectors for coax cable are called BNC connectors. They look like this pic. That's indeed correct Mike.

And nice pictures too: -

http://img100.exs.cx/img100/4472/bnc2ki.png

Dolfo might be interested to learn that BNC is still the prefered method of connection with "commercial" equipment.

BNC is even used now to transfer "digital" signals between commercial equipment. This connection is known in the A/V industry as, SDI.

An industry I have been involved in for over 20 years... All around the world ;)


Cheers

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
That's indeed correct Mike.

Dolfo might be interested to learn that BNC is still the prefered method of connection with "commercial" equipment.

BNC is even used now to transfer "digital" signals between commercial equipment. This connection is known in the A/V industry as, SDI.

An industry I have been involved in for over 20 years... All around the world ;)


Cheers

They are actually used in a number of industries. There are several variations of BNC connectors that are used in Aerospace and we used them a lot when I worked at a major CE company a while back. I just never had much occassion to refer to them by name ;)

Originally posted by Dolfo
These kits often cost $5k EACH at least

$35k. All that you have to do is ask.

So i just tried to read all 53 pages of your posts.....wow you guys have done a lot of research...basically I am a moron and can't follow half the conversations.....So I am going to ask some questions that you probably already have discussed.....

The first is with the DVI out.....this is a kit that you have to buy to add on? I just bought my player on Monday and should have it by next wed....I would like to use one of my apple monitors as my video output....We have 2 plasma screens that I could use, but id rather use the dvi out....if this is an add on where do I get it?
question #2
We work in HD here and I just bought software to convert my HD content from my Mac to WMV 9....I should be able to just burn these files onto a dvd and play directly from the dvd player right?

If so Id love to give you guys samples of some of our HD stuff to see how big I can make these files when I am coverting them to wmv 9

Can I make them 1920X1080?
Does it matter what the bit rate is?

Thanks for your help guys


So I just looked at thier website again and foun dout that only the Japan model has dvi out???? Damn I want the Japan model then...errrr...If mine is being sent from CA I can only assume it is not the japan model right?

Originally posted by ryanservant
So i just tried to read all 53 pages of your posts.....wow you guys have done a lot of research...basically I am a moron and can't follow half the conversations.....So I am going to ask some questions that you probably already have discussed.....

The first is with the DVI out.....this is a kit that you have to buy to add on? I just bought my player on Monday and should have it by next wed....I would like to use one of my apple monitors as my video output....We have 2 plasma screens that I could use, but id rather use the dvi out....if this is an add on where do I get it?
question #2
We work in HD here and I just bought software to convert my HD content from my Mac to WMV 9....I should be able to just burn these files onto a dvd and play directly from the dvd player right?

If so Id love to give you guys samples of some of our HD stuff to see how big I can make these files when I am coverting them to wmv 9

Can I make them 1920X1080?
Does it matter what the bit rate is?

Thanks for your help guys

1. The DVI output isn't an add-on. A DVI and 802.11g equipped version of the player is due out Q1 2005.

2. Yes

As for 1920x1080.
I haven't had any trouble playing back 1440 x 1080p (1.85:1 with no black bars) WMV files with bit rates of 8.38 Mbps.

So I will have to use the D4 to hook it up to my flat screen with component?

Originally posted by ryanservant
So I will have to use the D4 to hook it up to my flat screen with component?

Yes.

Thanks T....it sucks that I just bought this one and there will be a new one as early as next month....Will I need to hook thi sup to a pc even if Ijust want it to play wmv hd files directly from the dvd? SHould I get the updated software as soon as I get the player?

You don't have to hook it to a network if you don't want to use the feature.
I'd update the firmware because it seems to have fixed some audio issues.

Thanks man...really appreciate the help...even though im getting hosed with the dvi connector I cant wait to get the player

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
The thing I find most bizarre is that, prior to the I-O DATA payers release, Sigma was promoting their chip-set as offering WMA9 Pro 5.1 and AAC.

So, this begs the question, how the hell did Sigma think 6Ch audio was going to be heard by the end user..... telepathy perhaps!

What was in their minds when they allowed the manufacture and distribution of an "half-assed" development kit.

In my opinion, some people over at Sigma f**ked up big time. And they are too embarrassed to admit it! Nothing like being quoted out of context...

I indicated that nobody had asked for AAC-LC 5.1 until now. Nothing else was implied.

A version of the development kit that supports 5.1-channel analog outputs is available. Read the web page. If a customer doesn't want to pay the additional royalties to support 5.1-channel outputs, it is out of our control.

The chip will do (and is doing in the lab) WMA Pro 5.1 decoding. It hasn't been released to customers yet. Again, it is up to the customers to decide whether or not to pay the royalities and use it.

I await your apology for the profanity and thinking I'm stupid... :)

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
In support of your post. What I was trying to point out is that... Yes, the 6Ch analogue output "development kit" exists. But according to Keith Jack, nobody has asked for it! Wrong. I said nobody asked for AAC-LC 5.1.

My argument is... why should they have to ask for it. It should be supplied as standard. If it was, none you guys would be in this mess. You would all have lovely players capable of spinning, HD WMV DVD's with WMA pro 5.1 audio, or HD Mpeg4 with 6Ch AAC-LC.!

We have complete, detailed listing of available kits -- customers tell us which one they want.

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
It seems rather odd to me that if I-O DATA wanted to save money, they opted to install "two pairs" of phonos for the analogue audio, instead of just "one pair"....

You are all two thirds there. With just a "tiny" bit more effort, you could have all had 6Ch analogue... how sad is that! Many of the audio codecs have a per-channel fee, so 2-ch can be much cheaper than 5.1-ch once you add all the codec fees up....

Some codec fees reach $2 or more per channel.

Originally posted by mikemav
Good point. I still have not heard a reply from Keith or anyone from Sigma or I-O to see if the chipset can even handle .IFO files from network. If it is not a hardware limitation, then someone should take a stab at this. A lot of PC software DVD player can play .ifo files from the network or hard drive.

Knew I forgot something -- sorry, I'm buried getting ready for the CES show while going to a zillion standards meetings...

Aha !
kjack is back :)
Btw: you also forgot to answer my PM too :(

Btw: what you mean by :

The chip will do (and is doing in the lab) WMA Pro 5.1 decoding.

Does it mean :
1. You can play WMA Pro 5.1 content in meaning that you decode DRM and send out WMA signal thru digital ?
2. You can downmix WMA Pro 5.1 to stereo ?
3. You can decode WMA Pro 5.1 to 5.1 analogue outs in case 5.1 analogue design used ?
4. You can convert WMA Pro 5.1 to DD 5.1/PCM or something simular and output thru digital out?


Another thing, you say :

Many of the audio codecs have a per-channel fee, so 2-ch can be much cheaper than 5.1-ch once you add all the codec fees up....

Some codec fees reach $2 or more per channel.



How then most of sub $100 MTK based players have this 5.1 analogue outs, some of them decode not only DD but DTS too and still cost that cheap ?



Personal opinion : If you (Sigma) provide cheaper designs for (ultimatly) cheaper players you have to make sure that ALL 5.1 codecs you "can play" at lest can be downmixed to analogue stereo AND stereo PCM thru digital out . Or make sure manufacturer removes ACC 5.1 , WMA 5.1 oe what ever logo and specs.

P.S.: Good luck with CES :).

Btw: Guys , I have a question :

So far all Sigma based players had two simple but very annoying problems -

1. no FF/REW on MP3 and other audio files...

2. Freezes with some DVD/SVCD menus.

Is AVER2 suffers from the same flaus ?

Thanks for your posts Keith...

The Sigma development kit (on your web site), clearly shows 6Ch outputs.... does it not!

If we put aside the issues of 6Ch "AAC" and "WMA" audio output aside for a moment and just imagine that the player offered DolbyDigital/DTS only. I find it very odd, why, when I can walk into a store and buy a cheapo (£40.00/Euro 40.00) DVD player with 6Ch analogue outputs, you've allowed your Dev-kit to be built and distributed without such an option..... It just seems madness to me!

Many people will have bought this I-O DATA player thinking that it will be able to offer them 6Ch WMA (and AAC) audio implementations, when it can't... They've also found out "to their cost" that this player never will be able to offer them true 6Ch WMA or AAC output.

So unless this oversight is sorted out before players based around your chip-set hit the European market, the idea of being able to buy and spin WMV9 HD DVD titles, is a non starter

I really don't think this is aceptable... and one in all conscience, I can't apologise for it!


Cheers

I-O DATA watch out !
Momitsu DVD-V880N Networked DVI DVD Player is now available in US/Canada ( Network and DVI on board !)
http://www.extremephono.com/momitsu_dvd_v880.htm

I sent this email to I-O regarding the aspect ration ("zoom") limitations of the player for network files that differ with HD Browser on or off. It makes no sense to me that I cannot have the zoom control unless I have HD Browser on (which makes text too small for me setup. The email is below
Hello-
I have recently received your DVD player, and am a regular contributor to the long review thread on the AVS Forum. I have a question about the zoom button on file play and differences on HD Browser Mode and normal mode. For some reason, the only way zoom does anything to .vob files from server playback is if the HD Browser mode is on. I need to use the zoom feature so my 4:3 movies can be played at "fit to screen", which keeps the right aspect ratio. However, 16:9 files need to be on "full screen." This is fine, but the zoom button does not make any visible change unless HD Browser mode is on. I cannot keep HD Browser mode on since the text is too small for my TV. Can you please make zoom function the same way on normal browser settings for file playback on the next firmware release? The browser setting should not effect what file playback functions are available, only the size of the menu text. if this cannot be resolved I may need to return the unit, as I cannot use it now since the text is too small to see on my smaller HDTV. All this is at 720p, by the way, which is the only one that looks right on my HDTV.

Also, I noticed even when HD Browser is on, and I can set "fit to screen" for a 4:3 movie, the movie is a little wider than true 4:3. I am not sure why that is. It looks like it is about 15% wider than it should be, but this is the closest setting to correct (actual size does not fill the height, and full screen stretches it too wide for 4:3 content.) An example of this is the 4:3 version of Bug's Life, ripped to PC with no additional compression.

One more question- is it possible for you to add support for .ifo files in the future so we can access DVD menus from the server?

Thanks


I will post if there is a response.
Keith, thanks for acknowledging my question about .ifos. If you come up with an answer please let us know. I assume all this aspect ratio/zoom stuff is a function of the I-O code, not the Sigma chip, but if you have any insight please let us know as well. I'd hate to have to send this back, but I really need the zoom adjustment to work outside of the HD Browser mode.

-Mike

Anybody's drive really loud when it loads up and plays a disc? I can't even watch a movie it's so distracting.

I downloaded the Momitsu version of the windoes media server. It works much better for me than the IOdata version. It includes working internet pages/links and the internet radio works with no extra fooling around. It allowed me to ff at multiple speeds through network content avi's etc and also the mp3 player actually shuffled through my 4000 plus mp3's You might try it if you have issues with the iodata version limitations.

Originally posted by blackmax2k1
Anybody's drive really loud when it loads up and plays a disc? I can't even watch a movie it's so distracting.

Same here ( loud spinning sound ) I presume the loader would benefit from slowing down to 2x via firmware update

Originally posted by snoots
I downloaded the Momitsu version of the windoes media server. It works much better for me than the IOdata version. It includes working internet pages/links and the internet radio works with no extra fooling around. It allowed me to ff at multiple speeds through network content avi's etc and also the mp3 player actually shuffled through my 4000 plus mp3's You might try it if you have issues with the iodata version limitations.

Can you point me to the download ?
The momitsu website sucks :)

Got it :
http://www.momitsu.com/dvd_880n_mmc.html

The web site is like puzzle:p

Originally posted by lifeisfun
Same here ( loud spinning sound ) I presume the loader would benefit from slowing down to 2x via firmware update

And they are planning on this right?

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
Thanks for your posts Keith...

The Sigma development kit (on your web site), clearly shows 6Ch outputs.... does it not!

If we put aside the issues of 6Ch "AAC" and "WMA" audio output aside for a moment and just imagine that the player offered DolbyDigital/DTS only. I find it very odd, why, when I can walk into a store and buy a cheapo (£40.00/Euro 40.00) DVD player with 6Ch analogue outputs, you've allowed your Dev-kit to be built and distributed without such an option..... It just seems madness to me!

Many people will have bought this I-O DATA player thinking that it will be able to offer them 6Ch WMA (and AAC) audio implementations, when it can't... They've also found out "to their cost" that this player never will be able to offer them true 6Ch WMA or AAC output.

So unless this oversight is sorted out before players based around your chip-set hit the European market, the idea of being able to buy and spin WMV9 HD DVD titles, is a non starter

I really don't think this is aceptable... and one in all conscience, I can apologise for it!


Cheers

Here you go again, SMD.

Keith probably can't say because of NDAs with IODATA, but I am willing to bet that IODATA decided to not buy ANY of the offered dev kits because of the $35k pricetag (thanks for calling and asking about this Ursa). If they decided to not buy a dev kit of any flavor, why does it matter that Sigma has multiple flavors (in this case)? How can Sigma's decision to offer a few flavors of the dev kit without 6ch audio outs be the cause of IODATA's oversight if IODATA didn't purchase a dev kit in the first place? I've asked this question before, but you keep avoiding it.

Originally posted by lifeisfun
Got it :
http://www.momitsu.com/dvd_880n_mmc.html

The web site is like puzzle:p

Does the Momitsu software let you still play high def files? Any limitations over the I-O software?

So far I didn't find any limitations......

Everything I tried worked, with the IODATA version I could not get internet or randmo play of my whole music collection. Also the Momitsu versions got search function in the browse windows of the video folder and seems to have more menu movemement options.

Yeah my unit is a picece of crap. DVD's don't play for crap. The picture jumps, streaking lines, and the video goes completely out where I get a blue screen like the TV is getting no signal. Time to send it back. :mad:

Originally posted by mikemav
Does the Momitsu software let you still play high def files? Any limitations over the I-O software?


It plays MP3, and VOB's

but

the Dvix files I downloaded from divx.com hangs the system. When I tried them I cannot even shutdown the system with the remote.. :(

When you play a VOB file that has 5.1 audio, does it play the audio correctly as 5.1 channels?
Could it play PAL VOB files?

Thanks,

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
[B]Thanks for your posts Keith...

If we put aside the issues of 6Ch "AAC" and "WMA" audio output aside for a moment and just imagine that the player offered DolbyDigital/DTS only. I find it very odd, why, when I can walk into a store and buy a cheapo (£40.00/Euro 40.00) DVD player with 6Ch analogue outputs, you've allowed your Dev-kit to be built and distributed without such an option..... It just seems madness to me!

/B]

Hopefully I'm not gonna say anything too silly. I know many of you are way over my head with this stuff. I just want to store DVDs on my PC and play them on my home theater with good video quality and 5.1 sound.

That being said, I would like to present a couple of reasons I (many others?) have little to no interest in having 6 analog outputs while very much desiring 5.1 sound from DVDs streamed from a PC:

o I much prefer connecting 1 slender optical cable vs. 6 bulky/expensive RCA audio cables to my preamp.
o I much prefer my beloved/expensive THX Ultra certified preamp doing 5.1 DD/DTS decoding rather than my DVD player. I believe that most anyone with signifigant $$$ invested in their preamp/receiver would feel the same.

However, I find myself a bit stuck on getting this accomplished...

On one hand I could use DivX AVI files with AC3 retained, but I've run into much trouble regarding audio syncing problems. FF/RR isn't very good either for the video. Finally, DrDivX doesn't offer much help backing up DVDs.

On the other hand, I love the ease of use and results of Nero Recode, but sadly I have to settle for 2 channel with mp4 audio, at least as far as the LinkPlayer2/8620L is concerned.

It would be freak'n wonderful to see the feature kjack mention aways back regarding transcoding AAC 5.1 to DD on the fly come to life. I think everyone could be happy with the optical/coax output then. :) Any chance of this being ressurected???

Or maybe Nero Recode could provide the option of AVI output files with the original AC3 retained. That would be great option for me as well. Is this a possibility?

Thanks for listening!

Posted from my AVLP2 :)

istreamdvds , Your reasoning is solid but base assumption is false :)

We all want our players just to play from digital out.

The problem is that 99% of recievers can't decode WMA Pro or AAC audio - Dolby or DTS only. And the 1% that can cost $4,000 and up :(

So let's say you buy AVLP2 and , WMVHD disk and want to play them - you will get no sound at all :(
It's more then just backuping/riping DVDs, you know...

Originally posted by Dolfo
How can Sigma's decision to offer a few flavors of the dev kit without 6ch audio outs be the cause of IODATA's oversight if IODATA didn't purchase a dev kit in the first place? Well... the fact that I-O DATA makes boards that just happen to "very closely resemble" Sigma's development kits, would suggest to me that I-O DATA still has to build them "under licences" tightly controlled by Sigma!


Cheers

Originally posted by irgaac
Posted from my AVLP2 :)

How? using the URL/Code button?

nishantha

When I tried the hd divx movie trailers like shark tail and meet the fockers it played them back just fine on my machine. Downloaded trailers from the hd divx site.

Originally posted by snoots
nishantha

When I tried the hd divx movie trailers like shark tail and meet the fockers it played them back just fine on my machine. Downloaded trailers from the hd divx site.

Whats your firmware? Its the latest firmware that I think locks up on HD material.

Originally posted by eddiefg
How? using the URL/Code button?

I used the Momitsu server software.

Originally posted by Lord KiRon
istreamdvds , Your reasoning is solid but base assumption is false :)

We all want our players just to play from digital out.

The problem is that 99% of recievers can't decode WMA Pro or AAC audio - Dolby or DTS only. And the 1% that can cost $4,000 and up :(

So let's say you buy AVLP2 and , WMVHD disk and want to play them - you will get no sound at all :(
It's more then just backuping/riping DVDs, you know...

Hmmm, I really think that we do agree here. As you say most receivers only decode DolbyDigital or DTS and because of that Nero Digitals AAC format or
WMA for that matter are mostly unusable. What I want is to be able to backup DVDs with either native AC3 (reliably) OR have devices such as the LinkPlayer2 convert these newer formats into DD/DTS so our current home theater receivers can use them. kjack, consider that a formal customer feature request! :)

eddiefg

I am running the latest firmware with the Momitsu server side apps. All of the divx hd trailers I have ( 8 or 9 ) play fine with audio, also tried networked vob and straight mpg files. This may be a network problem. I am running a gigabit ethernet switch. My server pc is also gigabit. Don't know if that helps or not.

I wonder what the Dolby license cost is to recode WMA or AAC to DD 5.1?

I would probably be willing to pay for that option as a downloadable firmware upgrade.

- Tom

I am running the latest firmware with the Momitsu server side apps. All of the divx hd trailers I have ( 8 or 9 ) play fine with audio, also tried networked vob and straight mpg files. This may be a network problem This problem is not related to the network. I have the same problem playing DivxHD with the new firmware from my USB port. I can play those same files with no problem when I use the old firmware. I have actually rolled it forward and back several times and the problem only occurs with the new firmware on my machine. I-O Data is looking into the problem now. They realize that it does not occur on every machine.

I used the Momitsu server software.
I am downloading the Momitsu software now. How do I get it to work with the Linkplayer?

just install it and start it, it is identical to the iodata software just different web pages and options

Originally posted by uofmtiger
I am downloading the Momitsu software now. How do I get it to work with the Linkplayer?

Just install it, it is based on the same Syabara software as the linkplayer server software. If you used the default port on the linkplayer aoftware you won't even have to reconfigure your server settings in the player. If you want tobe able to run both at the same time you would need to change the port in the momitsu software.

Originally posted by uofmtiger
This problem is not related to the network. I have the same problem playing DivxHD with the new firmware from my USB port. I can play those same files with no problem when I use the old firmware. I have actually rolled it forward and back several times and the problem only occurs with the new firmware on my machine. I-O Data is looking into the problem now. They realize that it does not occur on every machine.

You are correct . I rolled back my firmware to the factory installed and now the HD files work fine with the Momitsu MMC software.

Now only if they would fix my DD 5.1 problem I'd be a happy camper with this player.

You are correct . I rolled back my firmware to the factory installed and now the HD files work fine with the Momitsu MMC software. You may want to go ahead and send I-O data an email to let them know that you have the problem, too. The more people that tell them about the problem, the more likely they will rush to get it fixed!Just install it, it is based on the same Syabara software as the linkplayer server software. I got it and I love that it will surf the internet and shuffle play my music! How do I get radio stations set up on it? I usually just listen to Rhapsody stations when I am at my computer.

I tried to open Accuradio in the browser but I got an error message when I went to play it. I guess I could mess around with it and figure it out, but if you know off hand that would be great! Thanks

What's the status on iodata providing a longer D4 component cable? It sounded like they would do it soon, but I haven't heard or seen anything. I did find this on their website:
http://www.iodata.com/usa/products/products.php?cat=HNP&sc=AVEL&pId=MA-D4%2FCP10

It doesn't look like there's a way to order it yet though. I hope they'll be offering a shorter one as well. 33 feet is too long. How about just a good old 6 or 10 foot cable?

Does the cable above look like it is any better made (shielding) than the current one?

Hopefully whatever option they provide will be cheaper than spending $50 on the JVC one.

Is it time to try and do something to organize/breakup this thread?

I've just ordered on of these units, and the information contained here is invaluable, but it's just too much. Reading through 57 pages took me hours, and much of the info did not apply to what I'll be doing.
Now I have to face the reality of going back through the 57 pages to try and find answers I will need when I actually get the unit. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful to have all this info from folks smarter than me that are doing more advanced things but...

Couldn't we at least start some specific threads about say networking, or pixel sizes, or firmware update problems etc?

Plus, much of the info that's at the beginning of this 57 page opus deals with the Japanese player because the U.S. one wasn't even out yet. Therefore, as I read along post after post, some things that seemed to be problems were figured out or corrected.

Is there anyone out there that would be willing to do an FAQ about what this player can and can't do? Or what the steps needed are for networking and encoding different types of media?

It seems as if there are enough of us that we could start are own board/forum for this unit.

I for one would love to talk in more specifics with folks that will (like me) be using this thing with a Mac or an HD Tivo.

Originally posted by JaredB
What's the status on iodata providing a longer D4 component cable? It sounded like they would do it soon,

I wonder why IODATA do not put the normal component connectors on this unit. Is it too much for the cost ?

In Japan, most people live in small house or apartment so a short cable is OK, but in US, many of us have projector and TV many meters away from the player and we already have the long component cable. It would be much easier if they just replace the D4 with the component connectors at the back :confused: It would be a waste of money if I need to buy the long D4 to component cable.

I did a bunch more tests this weekend trying to make and play Xvid/ac3 recordings and did not have much success. Usually I'd lock up the box, requiring a press of the hardware OFF button.

For those interested, see the Doom9 thread on this box (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84003&perpage=20&pagenumber=3).

- Tom

This player needs a FAQ site...

Anybody have a problem with 1080i? My picture jumps every once in awhile. In 480p it's fine.

How long does the firmware upgrade take. I select the firmware upgrade option, the screen says "detecting firmware" and just hangs there for a long time with no response. I am using a wireless bridge setup, but I verified that I can access the internet from my other computer connected to the wireless bridge.

I've watched plenty of Xvid/AC3 files with zero problems, on both firmware, over the network.

Hi:
Can the other server software from momitsu play files directly from web pages to the LinkPlayer? Are there any disadvantages to this software over the LinkServer?
Thanks,
Joseph

Originally posted by blackmax2k1
Anybody have a problem with 1080i? My picture jumps every once in awhile. In 480p it's fine.

No matter what you play?

I have an HD mpeg2 file that jumps a bit while playing.

My unit died just a few minutes ago, I have emailed IO for refund not a replacement.

It was playing along fine, and then lost sync at any resolution (horizontal lines, and high pitched sound), tried another TV, same.

I have had the unit for 4 weeks, and I wasn't thrilled with it's quirks, but was willing to work through and wait for the late December firmware release to see if it would fix problems, the main one for me being the AC3 problem.

I don't think this a bad product, it's just "immature" at this time, hardware failure aside.

And it is back to MCE 2005, which in the end is still my favorite interface and easiest for my wife and 2 yr old son (He points to the cover art of the film he would like to watch in "My Movies", I do all the heavy lifting)

Best of luck to all of you,

mb1010

Originally posted by blackmax2k1
Anybody have a problem with 1080i? My picture jumps every once in awhile. In 480p it's fine.

Output on my box @ 480p is way better than the 1080i
1080i is not sharp and 720p isn't any better :(

Originally posted by trbarry
I did a bunch more tests this weekend trying to make and play Xvid/ac3 recordings and did not have much success. Usually I'd lock up the box, requiring a press of the hardware OFF button.

For those interested, see the Doom9 thread on this box (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84003&perpage=20&pagenumber=3).

- Tom
Most of my Xvid files are AC3 ( they play perfect on my KiSS player)
no AC3 on AVEL :(

1080i looks and plays fine on mine.
I don't really use mine for DVD's, I've only played one, so I can't comment any further than to say the one I played worked fine.
Network files have mostly played back without a hitch save a few.
Sometimes there's audio breakup after jumping ahead using the arrow keys or fast forwarding. Jumping back a percent or two usually corrects it. Hopefully this issue will be addressed in future firmware.
I also noticed that sometimes when I rewind a streaming file it actually fast forwards insteads.

From a playback standpoint the player has worked pretty well for me.

The UI definitely needs improvement. The whole browser/server software needs to be beefed up to allow cover art, descriptions, etc.
There needs to be a way to get info on a network file while it is playing, such as time, remain time, title, file name, etc.
A bookmark feature for network files would also be nice. The bookmark could be saved on the server and when you played the file again the player would ask you if you wanted to start from the stop location.

Also, the screensaver doesn't kick in when you pause a network file.

Wow... the momitsu software installed and works perfectly. I can't bring up a prompt to input a URL, but so far all of the favorites it imported from Firefox work fine. No problems streaming files, either. and Internet Radio works great on the lower bandwith stations.

Plus, I found the theme directory (which I assume is the same as on the LinkPlayer directory, but I dunno, I uninstalled it) and the new theme I created works great. build your own interface!

It's a lot of fun...all it takes is a little knowledge of photoshop (if you want to change the images) and some html skill. I gave it a completely different interface in about 15 minutes.

Can you get my AC3 working in 15 minutes ? :D

Plus, I found the theme directory (which I assume is the same as on the LinkPlayer directory, but I dunno, I uninstalled it) and the new theme I created works great. build your own interface! I am curious if the AVEL software will ever catch up with the Momitsu software. For the people that were going to buy the UHLD series with the built in software, it is going to be a step down in functionality when we have to switch back to AVEL!

I was able to play some internet radio from Itunes, but I am curious how I can set up radio stations to play without the Itunes software. It is easier for me to navigate through my music collection using my folders and I do not think it is possible to have Itunes up and also be able to open folders on my hard drive. If they would use numeric numbers to go from page to page, rather than numbers, the problem would be solved.

I found out that I-O data is expecting to release a new beta version of their "advanced server" this week. It should make it possible to play all files that can be played on "Windows Media Player". The new software (from what I understand) will "transcode any files to MPEG2 and send to LinkPlayer".

I dunno. I'm entering tinker mode with the player since my office is dead until after christmas. I'm curious what would happen if a drive got stuck as slave on the ide cable. I know that Kiss is coming out with a version with hard drive...it probably won't do anything, since IOData isn't looking for it, but who knows.

I'm also curious about DVI. I've got a connector coming in. It may not work until they release firmware for the dvi version coming out, or it may never work at all, but it's worth a shot since I'll never go wireless, and the DVI is the only add-on I need.

Well, except for a new dvd drive. but that's forthcoming.


Edited to add: About the "dolby" issue - I have the same problem with audio on mine when the output is set to Dolby Digital. however, my reciever allows me to assign the digital inputs to whatever device I want. I plugged the toslink and assigned it to the "dvd" input, which will play DD 5.1 and DTS fine, but gets no audio when i play non-ac3/dts sources.

When I ran a coax cable from the digital out on the IOData into the reciever and assigned it to "CD", i get audio from Non-AC3 sources.

So I think I know what the problem with the IO Data's output is. My reciever won't acknowledge dolby (only PCM) when it's in CD mode, so it plays the audio fine. If I stick it in DVD mode, it picks up the Dolby stream info and tries to play it as dolby digital 2.0, which doesn't work. I think IOData is converting the non-dolby/dts sources to PCM, not dolby, and sending it out as Dolby Digital 2.0, which is confusing the recievers that pick up the stream type from the stream itself instead of auto-sensing it. Does that make sense? I'm not an expert on digital audio transports by any means, but this is the only thing that makes sense.

My television has toslink in as well. If I set the toslink in as bitstream, it plays AC3 but no stereo from xvids or whatever. If i set the toslink in as PCM, it doesn't pick up any of the Dolby or DTS, but plays everything else fine...so i'm pretty sure the LinkPlayer is still sending out PCM stereo and NOT dolby 2.0 whenever the machine is set to "Dolby Digital" as the audio out type and it's transcoding another format. However, if it's sending it out with a Dolby marker, most dolby-ready equipment isn't going to detect that it's PCM and not Dolby.

More EM8620L based player target spring :)
You all know about KiSS DP-6xx series , now this two :

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.transtechnology.co.jp/products/hard/det/dvx6001.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3DTransgear%2BDVX-600%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG

(damn , same D4 connector on picture and no analogue 5.1 :( )


http://www.zensonic.com/press_z500.php

looks like this one have 5.1 analogue (not sure) ,DVI HDCP , plays FLAC and even Matroska (.mkv) file format but it's in Australia :(

The strange thing is that I was able to play audio with the AC3 mode sellected in audio setup on AVEL but after couple movies it no longer works. The receiver still detects Digital signal but there is no sound at all.
( Works fine with KiSS )

Originally posted by Lord KiRon
...looks like this one have 5.1 analogue (not sure) I had a look at this playes specs a couple of days ago and saw this: -

http://img87.exs.cx/img87/6928/zensonicz5000ht.gif

So it looks like there will not be 6Ch analogue outputs afterall :(


Cheers

My replacement LinkPlayer2 came in today. (Thanks Hiromi!)

Unfortunately, it works identically to the first one. No problem with AC3, but DVD-R media freezes on the same scenes. Yes, I know it is a problem with marginal media,

...but it plays on my:

Panasonic RP82
Pioneer DV563A

has problems on my:

I-O Data LinkPlayer2
Toshiba Satellite Portable
**************************

Anyway, I'm keeping the LinkPlayer2. It's too darn useful for the things it does do right, and it's taught me not to be too trusting of DVD media. I should probably get the 300gb network hard drive when I-O Data comes out with it.

Just for your reference, the I-O DATA had just released a new beta version of "AVEL LINK ADVANCED SERVER 2.0" for Japan version(from 1.5--1.51--.1.52--2.0) which included the following changes(translated to English by software)

1.Correspondence to mAgicTV5(TV capture card in Japan).
2.The addition of a play list function. (A slide show and BGM specification are possible)
3.The addition of - reference (I think it should be SEARCH)function.
4.The addition of a function which shares a play list betwee AdvancedServer(s).
5. The addition of Watch holder ability

You can download the beta version software from here.
http://www.iodata.jp/lib/

According to I-O Data, they have a fix for the people that are having problems playing the DivxHD files with the new firmware. They will fix it with the next update. I am assuming they are referring to the firmware that will be available this week.

Just got my Linkplayer today. TV comes tomorrow so right now I can only listen to music on it. Have any of you noticed the player making a constant "clicking" noise while spinning CD-R's, as if it is constantly slowing down and then spinning up the CD again?
This is very unscientific, but I put a CD-R in and the music played fine but the player kept making this clicking noise while the CD plays fine, then just for comparison i stuck a DVD in and no such clicking. I will test with more CDs/CD-Rs but just wondering if anyone else noticed this?

Haven't tried the CD-R yet...

I swapped out the loader for an IO Magic DR DVD16. It spun-up right away, faster seek but noisier, tray opened/closed properly from the remote control, FF/FR worked...

...but ultimately is even worse at playing back marginal DVD-R media. It played region free disks only. What do I have to do to make it region 1 compatible, flash it in a PC?

Anyway, I put the factory EPO-306D back in there, but the search is on for something better.

If you plan on playing lots of burned DVDs, I strongly recommend you test your DVD collection thoroughly after it's good and warmed-up. You may find a unsatisfactory percentage of your burned DVD collection won't play through to the end without freezing, skipping or stuttering. This is what I've learned from two LinkPlayer2's that behave identically.

I do not know how it will perform on AVEL2 but Asus' E616P2 is something amazing, very quete despite x16 speed and reads very marginal disks, may be you should try it.

Originally posted by Tom Roper
My replacement LinkPlayer2 came in today. (Thanks Hiromi!)

Unfortunately, it works identically to the first one. No problem with AC3, but DVD-R media freezes on the same scenes. Yes, I know it is a problem with marginal media,

Tom, Sorry to hear about the problem persisting... Mine same as yours with skipping, etc. The tech person I have been in contact with, Akita Mitsuo, in Japan. Hesaid he talked with the engineers there and they felt the problem was based on a drive speed issue and asked me to wait for a firmware update that should be out later this week that is suppose to fix it, before RMA'ing my system. He felt that the stuttering, dropout problem was firmware based, and not a hardware problem per se.

Did you get any of that info from your contact?

I was thinking about this - I had similar dvd hiccup problems with my Lite-on which was based on the previous generation of Sigma chips. I took a drive from my pc that would read everything fine, put it in the Lite-on, and would still have problems reading certain discs that read fine (in the exact same drive) in the PC. While the loaders themselves may be extra cheapy junk, maybe the sigma chips are just too touchy about the data they take in.

I will say I'm really happy with how quickly IOData seems to be responding to questions via tech support. Seems like they're actually trying to get things working, something that never happened with my Toshiba stuff I used before I switched over to Sigma-based players.

According to I-O Data, they have a fix for the people that are having problems playing the DivxHD files with the new firmware. They will fix it with the next update. I am assuming they are referring to the firmware that will be available this week.

Hey, that is extremely good news if also fixes my Xvid problems.

- Tom

Shoebox, thank you for that information! Tech support reacted quickly in my case, offering an immediate exchange which I accepted. They may not have been aware of a potential firmware problem at that time. I will email them.

Jakob, that's extremely interesting about you swapping out drives and getting the same result in both. Perhaps you are right.

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital


So it looks like there will not be 6Ch analogue outputs afterall :(


Cheers [/B]

The Z500 will have 5:1 analogue outputs. I have also posted in this thread (Zensonic new Sigma based dvd player) for those of you interested ot know more about this unit.

The player is working just fine this morning, I had gotten an RMA from IO. I turned on the player to eject the DVD that was in it before I packed it up and it was working fine. Guess it needed a nap ;)

I'm going to hold on to it and see what happens with the firmware updates.

mb1010

Originally posted by Shoebox
...The tech person I have been in contact with, Akita Mitsuo, in Japan. Hesaid he talked with the engineers there and they felt the problem was based on a drive speed issue and asked me to wait for a firmware update that should be out later this week that is suppose to fix it, before RMA'ing my system. ...

This makes some sense most of the players that People say have no problems with DVD-R will automatically play video at 1x or 2x speed both to be quieter and because high speed isn't needed for playing compressed video like DVD. If your burner is even slightly out of alignment the players ability to correct will be much worse at high speed (8x or 10x probably) than it will be at 1x or 2x. This could also explain why some people are having no problems with their own recordings .

Just saw on the iodata website that there is a 5m D4 to component cable and a D4 to component adapter (in addition to the 10m cable I mentioned earlier). Both say unavailable but hopefully the fact that they've been added to the website means that they'll be available soon.

In fact, the D4 to female component adapter says 'Free for each' and '(from Jan 2005 stocks)'. I hope that means that all of us who have already purchased one will also get it free and not just people ordering in January.

http://www.iodata.com/products/products.php?cat=HNP&ts=2&tsc=&sc=AVEL

That would be nice !

That would be great.
I also found a D4 cable in my cable stash box that came from my Toshiba Portable DVD player. Its 6' long and works great with the IO player. So for those looking for a longer cable other than the JVC might want to check out the Toshiba web site

Got an email this afternoon for IO-Data - Japan... Indicated that the firmware update that is to address the DVD player speed issue;

"Our next update can support "DVD speed control" on end of this month"

I have some mixed feelings as to whether the firmware is going to fix the problem. I understand what others are saying that the speed issue could be the cause of the problems I am having at chapter and layer breaks with audio dropout or freezes. If I hop back a chapter and forward again it will more often than not correct the problem... again this is on commercial DVD's

If any of the most knowledgeable people would care to comment if this may be a valid cause of this problem, I would appreciate it...

As I get new info from IO-Data I will pass it on here.

Shoebox, you're having that problem on commercial DVDs, not just disks you burned yourself?

I am talking to Jack Akita too. Please advise...
Thanks,
Tom

Originally posted by Tom Roper
Shoebox, you're having that problem on commercial DVDs, not just disks you burned yourself?

I am talking to Jack Akita too. Please advise...
Thanks,
Tom

Yes... Exactly. Take your pick. Blackhawk Down, 5th Element, Star War Episode I and II, Man-on-Fire, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Ringing series. The Whole 9 yards... on and on. Plus my DVD-R's. I use good quality DVD-R's (MAM cost a buck a piece in 50's) I get the drops consistently... without exception at layer or chapter breaks... Either no sound or stuttering sound. If I hop back a chapter and forward again that will usually correct it. Some time it happens and some times it doesn't. But if it does happen it will happen at the same break points, e.g chapters 1 thru 11 are always fine but the chapter 12 break will cause the player to drop the audio signal completely or stuttering. But this is random. one time it will play fine and another it will dump or trash the audio.

Personally I think the drive is crap. Because all my my DVD's commercial or burned DVD-R's play fine in not only my pioneer 525 but in a cheap $70.00 Toshiba DVD player. I have never had a problem with streaming audio or video from my server. My Vids are Mpeg2, mostly TV shows recorded from my wintv card in the server. I can FFW or RW all the time and it never misses a beat. I am running and Intel 875PBZ board with a 2.8e P4 and Gig of ram and 2 250mb SATA HD's. I think some of the streaming video problems some people are reporting.... jerky video, etc. is being caused by a slow networks, drives, processors, low memory or any combination... When you get into streaming video on a network especially if you want to jump around using FFW and RW. you need loads speed and memory in the server. Wireless isn't going to work well especially if you are running high bit rate videos. The bandwidth isn't there and if someone turns on a microwave or uses a cordless phone in the house forget-it. because the Wireless bandwidth just went in the toilet from the EMI

Hope this helps. FWIW I have sent for an RMA. if the Firmware doesn't fix it then it is gone for a refund. If I have to use the Pioneer on this setup then I may as well get the Linksys or HP for my streaming video and audio-and be done with it. I have 2 component inputs on our big screen TV. So I am set.

Do you have any thoughts on this problem that I may be missing?

Am I the only one running the Momitsu server software? I really like the internet capabilities.

Anyway, anybody using HD Browse mode that's willing to critique a new theme for me? It works with the iodata stuff as well, though it's english only. I was hoping for a more media-center/tivo look to make things easier on the eyes.

I am using the Momitsu software also. It works pretty well. I would like how to configure the radio stations that shows up under Internet Radio and also the RSS feeds. I am not sure whether there is a configuration file.

If you have a theme, upload it and I will give it a spin.

If for some reason the zip doesn't work, let me know. A few thoughts:

This is designed for HD Browsing mode. Normal mode won't have enough screen space.

This is the Momitsu server version of the theme. It won't work under the IO Data server without significant removal of code.

The welcome.png under the home folder can be any standard PNG. The current is pretty generic. On my dvd player, I use the file "mywelcome.png". Anyway, just find a png image file that you like, and copy over the welcome.png and you're set.

I hate the hilight green, and originally had a yellow, but even when I set the hilight text under the theme.xml, the text stayed white. So i went with the ugly green you see here. I might go dark blue - I'm still tweaking it.

Unzip the folder to the /webapps/ROOT/theme directory located whereever you installed the software (on my machine, C:\Program Files\MOMITSU MEDIA CENTER\) and it will show up the next time you stop/restart the Momitsu server software.

You may have to do a hard reboot of the LinkPlayer the first time you load it. Once that's done, you can change the theme as many times as you like and it should work no problem.

The IO Data forces 256 color mode, so if you build one of these yourself, you're limited in what you can do.

Lastly - If this doesn't significantly improve your server usage experience, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

http://ragamuffinpress.com/mediacenter.zip

Originally posted by jakob1321
If for some reason the zip doesn't work, let me know. A few thoughts:

This is designed for HD Browsing mode. Normal mode won't have enough screen space.

This is the Momitsu server version of the theme. It won't work under the IO Data server without significant removal of code.

The welcome.png under the home folder can be any standard PNG. The current is pretty generic. On my dvd player, I use the file "mywelcome.png". Anyway, just find a png image file that you like, and copy over the welcome.png and you're set.

I hate the hilight green, and originally had a yellow, but even when I set the hilight text under the theme.xml, the text stayed white. So i went with the ugly green you see here. I might go dark blue - I'm still tweaking it.

Unzip the folder to the /webapps/ROOT/theme directory located whereever you installed the software (on my machine, C:\Program Files\MOMITSU MEDIA CENTER\) and it will show up the next time you stop/restart the Momitsu server software.

You may have to do a hard reboot of the LinkPlayer the first time you load it. Once that's done, you can change the theme as many times as you like and it should work no problem.

The IO Data forces 256 color mode, so if you build one of these yourself, you're limited in what you can do.

Lastly - If this doesn't significantly improve your server usage experience, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

http://ragamuffinpress.com/mediacenter.zip

Jakob-
Thanks for the theme! I will try it out tonight. Without having run it yet, I do not know if it will be more legible on my smaller (29") high-res monitor. My problem (as outlined before in this thread) is that I need to run HD Browser mode because for some stupid reason, the zoom mode on the player only works for server 4:3 material in HD Browser mode. Problem is I cannot read the smaller text on my 29". It is fine on my projector, of course. Is the text in your theme any larger? (Or if not, is that something that can be edited?)

Yes, it's larger. If it's not large enough still, I can make a special large-print version.

There's two places it needs to be changed: template.html (which has all the stylesheet formatting) and the theme.xml would have to have the pagesize attribute adjusted so everything will fit on one page. I'm sure this will be plenty readible, though.


Wolfgang - I hate to say it, but I don't think the RSS/Web Radio stuff is editable. When I was digging around trying to get it to see if I could get it to pick up other filetypes, I noticed all of the content is set to some pluto.someserver.com/content URL, which leads me to believe that they're using one 3rd party content provider to manage everything. If that's the case, I don't see how it could be changed. I haven't yet added an RSS feed to my favorites, yet, and maybe the IOData will properly handle it when I do.

Originally posted by jakob1321
Lastly - If this doesn't significantly improve your server usage experience, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

http://ragamuffinpress.com/mediacenter.zip [/B]

I'll try it out when I get home. I was poking around too, and it definitely looks like themes can be edited for a better experience. I have a 30" tube HDTV, and I also use the HD browser, but want the space to be utilized more efficiently.

What I'm definitely interested in however, is a better file browser for when you have many files. and that's certainly very possible; I was looking at what the file urls look like, and they look fairly simple. It looks like the whole "only show 10 files at a time" or however many they show is simply a matter of changing a few files here and there. I think.

In the theme.xml file there is an attribute called pagesize that dictates how many items are shown when a page is in "list" mode. I use 15 in this theme versus the 9 in the default theme. I did try playing around with the configuration trying to get it to show the music listings in photo album mode, but haven't gotten it to work correctly.

Shoebox, I share your frustration. I am documenting this for Jack. I haven't tried very many store bought DVDs in it. The few that I did worked okay. I am having more problems with burned DVDs, not always just at the chapter breaks, but often it is. And usually after chapter 12, or toward the outer circumference of the physical disk.

That's not to say I wouldn't see more problems with store bought DVDs, I'll have to experiment some more. Again, I thought it was mainly just burned DVDs, but maybe not.

I tried earlier swapping some different IDE-ATAPI DVD-ROM loaders, an IO Magic, Plextor, Cyberhome and more or less, they all have some strange and different quirks. But they all freeze or lockup at some point, certainly after FF through chapters. My $0.02 is that something is awry in the communications of the ATAPI interface, possibly the I-O Data firmware. Seems implausible to me that (3) new loaders all can't properly read/play DVD disks.

HAS ANYONE GOTTEN AN "ASF ERROR" WHEN TRYING TO PLAY WMV FILES? I CONVERTED MY OWN HD MATERIALA AND CAN'T GET IT TO PLAY

Originally posted by Tom Roper
...I tried earlier swapping some different IDE-ATAPI DVD-ROM loaders, an IO Magic, Plextor, Cyberhome and more or less, they all have some strange and different quirks. But they all freeze or lockup at some point, certainly after FF through chapters. Just as a matter of interest. Can you confirm whether the DVD-ROM drives you've tried are region-locked or region-free?

Also, did you try installing the IO-DATA DVD-ROM drive in a PC to check whether it's locked or free?


Cheers

Originally posted by Tom Roper
Shoebox, I share your frustration. I am documenting this for Jack. I haven't tried very many store bought DVDs in it. The few that I did worked okay. I am having more problems with burned DVDs, not always just at the chapter breaks, but often it is. And usually after chapter 12, or toward the outer circumference of the physical disk.

That's not to say I wouldn't see more problems with store bought DVDs, I'll have to experiment some more. Again, I thought it was mainly just burned DVDs, but maybe not.

I tried earlier swapping some different IDE-ATAPI DVD-ROM loaders, an IO Magic, Plextor, Cyberhome and more or less, they all have some strange and different quirks. But they all freeze or lockup at some point, certainly after FF through chapters. My $0.02 is that something is awry in the communications of the ATAPI interface, possibly the I-O Data firmware. Seems implausible to me that (3) new loaders all can't properly read/play DVD disks.

Hi Tom, The DVD-R's you have tried did you do the rip and re-author, or did you rip and do a backup copy with DVD shrink and then burn with DVD-Decryptor? I don't re-author myself. I do an ISO read and rip with DVD-Decrypt then a backup to and ISO image with DVD Shink then burn the image using DVD-Decryptor. I have even done flippers and combined the ripped ISO's with DVD shrink to an ISO image and then burned as above... It has been 100% bullet proof since I started using MAM DVD's... TDK and Verbatum were causing me problems (I ID'd them and they were manufactured by Ritec).

The more I hear the more I think that this isn't a loader problem. If it is they must have got a shipment lot that didn't even get QC'd. You would think with a release to a new market here in America they would have been meticulous with the product they were shipping. That worries me... how the drives got out the door set to run at high rotational speeds only. To me it seems it was just plain dumb. These guys are trying, but...

Like what happened to you with your replacement unit. I would have thought when they got the first one back from you they would have benched it to see if they could duplicate your problems... then be damn sure the one they sent you worked as it should. I mean we are talking about putting out a DVD player that works. This ain't rocket science. I wonder what they are doing with the RMA'd units?? Also wonder if they are even putting these units on a burn rack to cull out any marginal units that are going to fail, or just boxing them?

It is sure discouraging... One thought... when you next write them, ask if they pre-tested the unit they sent you... I mean pulled it out of the box, hook it up and test it with some DVD's? You must have the patience of a saint. I know I would have been going Ape S--t, if I got a replacement that was doing the same thing... especially if I had paid the return shipping. Not pretesting the unit they sent you as a replacement is either laziness or stupidity. Point being that if the DVD's you have work in your stand alone non-computer based player, then they should work in their player, if their act is together...

Anyway... Keep me posted and I will do likewise.

Not pretesting the unit they sent you as a replacement is either laziness or stupidity I am not sure agree with this statement. If they thought it was an isolated event, they would not necessarily test the replacement. I had my HDTivo stop working a few months back and I exchanged at Circuit City. I did not expect them to test the new unit, because it was assumed to be an isolated problem.

My advice is to let their customer service know if you are having similar problems. This way they will be aware that several people have the same issue. This company has bent over backwards answering every question I can think of. Not only did they answer those questions, but they replied to them quickly. That does not indicate laziness on their part.

One last comment is that Tom said he did not have problems with commercial DVDs. Unless they had a copy of the DVD-Rs that he has problems with, it would be hard for them to test for the problem.

Originally posted by TUFU
Just for your reference, the I-O DATA had just released a new beta version of "AVEL LINK ADVANCED SERVER 2.0" for Japan version(from 1.5--1.51--.1.52--2.0) which included the following changes(translated to English by software)

1.Correspondence to mAgicTV5(TV capture card in Japan).
2.The addition of a play list function. (A slide show and BGM specification are possible)
3.The addition of - reference (I think it should be SEARCH)function.
4.The addition of a function which shares a play list betwee AdvancedServer(s).
5. The addition of Watch holder ability

You can download the beta version software from here.
http://www.iodata.jp/lib/

I tried downloading it, but cannot make any sense of the characters on their page. I guess the original web page must be in Japanese. How did you manage to download it? Thanks!

I tried downloading it, but cannot make any sense of the characters on their page. I guess the original web page must be in Japanese. How did you manage to download it? Thanks!
I have the direct link, but can't post because I haven't reached the required post count. From the link that TUFU provided click on 'A'. Then on 'AVLP2/DVDG' or 'AVLP2/DVDLJ'. Then on the OS version. There you can find AVeLLink Advanced Server Ver.2.00 listed. Click on the link with yellow background and red triangle.


To download the new version, serial number of the unit is required. Don't know whether the US version serial number will get through or not.

Originally posted by uofmtiger
I am not sure agree with this statement. If they thought it was an isolated event, they would not necessarily test the replacement. I had my HDTivo stop working a few months back and I exchanged at Circuit City. I did not expect them to test the new unit, because it was assumed to be an isolated problem.

My advice is to let their customer service know if you are having similar problems. This way they will be aware that several people have the same issue. This company has bent over backwards answering every question I can think of. Not only did they answer those questions, but they replied to them quickly. That does not indicate laziness on their part.

One last comment is that Tom said he did not have problems with commercial DVDs. Unless they had a copy of the DVD-Rs that he has problems with, it would be hard for them to test for the problem.

Sorry that you think I am being hypercritical.

I have been in touch with them since day one. They knew before Tom sent his player back that there were a significant number of people having problems with commercial DVD playback and they felt that the issue was firmware related.

Circuit-City is a retailer. I-O DATA is manufacturing, the buck stops with them.
When a newly released product has problems like are being reported here the first thing the company wants is to bench test the returned unit... The next thing they want to do is be sure the replacement being sent out to the customer isn't exhibiting the same problem. The customer service person I have been dealing with told me that he was told by engineering that the problem was firmware related and replacing the unit would solve the problem because everything in the pipeline had the same firmware. A manufacturer sending a replacement to a customer that has the same problem as the one he sent in isn't a good CR move. Remember, our problems weren't isolated they appear to be a wide spread issue

Yes the customer service people are very helpful and swamped... But they are not the people who engineered this player...

To be clear I am criticizing design and component issues. Not customer service or even the I-O Data's desire to market a good product.

The D4 is another problem that shows lack of engineering, design and planning for global marketing. Why? I don't really know... My guess is they didn't want to retool for RCA's and have to run two assembly stations. Wanted to keep it as one size fits all, so to avoid the cost of domestic and international manufacturing difference. Don't have to inventory two different back plates. If they can pull it off great... if the consumers start having a fit when they trying to get cables... Then they got an Edsel on their hands marketing wise.

I think it was rushed for the Holiday season sales. The sad thing is this can eat them alive as far as returns alone due to defective DVD player. All of us appreciate that they are trying... but some of this never should have never gotten out the door in its present state. IMHO

Part of the problem too, was they are operating with minimum staff here in America, and there is no system beyond S&R and a small staff. If you ordered a unit here then you no-doubt notice that their shipping invoice uses metrics. The fact that the player is turning at high speed and not throttling as it should is a QA/QC problem. They have said as much already.

There is certainly a lot of value for the dollar if it all worked as advertised. But for those who it doesn't work and some of it's features are DOA, it is a problem.

Thanks for the info, but you were right about the US serial number. It does not seem to work. Guess I will have to wait for the new US version of the firmware.

Originally posted by rscariah
I have the direct link, but can't post because I haven't reached the required post count. From the link that TUFU provided click on 'A'. Then on 'AVLP2/DVDG' or 'AVLP2/DVDLJ'. Then on the OS version. There you can find AVeLLink Advanced Server Ver.2.00 listed. Click on the link with yellow background and red triangle.


To download the new version, serial number of the unit is required. Don't know whether the US version serial number will get through or not.

Thanks for the info. FWIW my US version serial number doesn't work.

My IO Data player has been running flawlessly for almost a week now. I have played ripped DVD-R,DVD+R and store bought DVD's with no problems. My blanks are all mixed manufactured disc's. The network plays all the shows that I have recorded to the HDD with MyHD 100 card. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that NOT everyone who bought the IO Data player are having trouble. I am one happy camper

How many people here havn't been having DVD issues?
Do We need a poll?

Originally posted by boatman
My IO Data player has been running flawlessly for almost a week now. I have played ripped DVD-R,DVD+R and store bought DVD's with no problems. My blanks are all mixed manufactured disc's. The network plays all the shows that I have recorded to the HDD with MyHD 100 card. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that NOT everyone who bought the IO Data player are having trouble. I am one happy camper


Happy camper with working AC3 ? :D

Originally posted by MF70
Thanks for the info, but you were right about the US serial number. It does not seem to work. Guess I will have to wait for the new US version of the firmware.

"AVEL LINKE ADVANCED SERVER 1.52" did not need serial number to download. Maybe you can try to test the advanced server software 1.52 in US version while waiting for a new advanced software.

How many people here havn't been having DVD issues?I have only watched one commercial movie off of the drive and one movie burned to a TDK DVD+RW (for testing) and both played without problems.

For the most part, I bought this machine for playing media off of the network or external hard drive and these tasks have had no problems. I guess I am on the "Happy Camper" side of the aisle.

PS I am having a problem with the new firmware playing DivxHD and the company said this will be fixed with a new update. I guess I should hold off my final judgement to see if it fixes the problem. :D

Sorry that you think I am being hypercritical. If I implied you were being hypocritical, I apologize. I really did not mean it that way.

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
Just as a matter of interest. Can you confirm whether the DVD-ROM drives you've tried are region-locked or region-free?

Also, did you try installing the IO-DATA DVD-ROM drive in a PC to check whether it's locked or free?

Cheers

I'm sure they were region locked but I did not check to see by installing them in a PC. I thought I could get around that problem by playing region-free DVD rips, and WMV9.

I was able to get 2 of the 3 drives to play region free DVD rips, but unsuccessful with WMV9. They also froze when using chapter FF.

Am I right (or wrong) in my thinking concerning locked or free? In the case of the Cyberhome, the AVLP2 would report "No Disc" when there was one in there. But if I did a cold boot with a region free DVD in the drive, it would start. Just one of several odd quirks. Was this because it was "locked?" Again, it was a region free DVD rip.

Originally posted by Shoebox
Hi Tom, The DVD-R's you have tried did you do the rip and re-author, or did you rip and do a backup copy with DVD shrink and then burn with DVD-Decryptor? I don't re-author myself. I do an ISO read and rip with DVD-Decrypt then a backup to and ISO image with DVD Shink then burn the image using DVD-Decryptor. I have even done flippers and combined the ripped ISO's with DVD shrink to an ISO image and then burned as above... It has been 100% bullet proof since I started using MAM DVD's... TDK and Verbatum were causing me problems (I ID'd them and they were manufactured by Ritec).

I sometimes re-author, sometimes not. I use DVD Shrink and burn with Drag 'N Drop.

The more I hear the more I think that this isn't a loader problem. If it is they must have got a shipment lot that didn't even get QC'd. You would think with a release to a new market here in America they would have been meticulous with the product they were shipping. That worries me... how the drives got out the door set to run at high rotational speeds only. To me it seems it was just plain dumb. These guys are trying, but...

Like what happened to you with your replacement unit. I would have thought when they got the first one back from you they would have benched it to see if they could duplicate your problems... then be damn sure the one they sent you worked as it should. I mean we are talking about putting out a DVD player that works. This ain't rocket science. I wonder what they are doing with the RMA'd units?? Also wonder if they are even putting these units on a burn rack to cull out any marginal units that are going to fail, or just boxing them?

It is sure discouraging... One thought... when you next write them, ask if they pre-tested the unit they sent you... I mean pulled it out of the box, hook it up and test it with some DVD's? You must have the patience of a saint. I know I would have been going Ape S--t, if I got a replacement that was doing the same thing... especially if I had paid the return shipping. Not pretesting the unit they sent you as a replacement is either laziness or stupidity. Point being that if the DVD's you have work in your stand alone non-computer based player, then they should work in their player, if their act is together...

Anyway... Keep me posted and I will do likewise.

I thought it was a firmware problem, possibly related to rotational speed. Now I suspect it isn't. I'm going to state my findings shortly. And no, I'm sure they didn't do any testing, Hiromi turned around my replacement the same afternoon she received my return. I can't complain. Customer support is fantastic. They did exactly what they promised when they issued the RMA, which was to say they would immediately send out a replacement when they received mine. That tells me they think, or thought it was an isolated problem.

Originally posted by Shoebox
Got an email this afternoon for IO-Data - Japan... Indicated that the firmware update that is to address the DVD player speed issue;

"Our next update can support "DVD speed control" on end of this month"

I have some mixed feelings as to whether the firmware is going to fix the problem. I understand what others are saying that the speed issue could be the cause of the problems I am having at chapter and layer breaks with audio dropout or freezes. If I hop back a chapter and forward again it will more often than not correct the problem... again this is on commercial DVD's

If any of the most knowledgeable people would care to comment if this may be a valid cause of this problem, I would appreciate it...

As I get new info from IO-Data I will pass it on here.

Stay tuned. I have some observations coming up.

Originally posted by jakob1321
Yes, it's larger. If it's not large enough still, I can make a special large-print version.

There's two places it needs to be changed: template.html (which has all the stylesheet formatting) and the theme.xml would have to have the pagesize attribute adjusted so everything will fit on one page. I'm sure this will be plenty readible, though.


Wolfgang - I hate to say it, but I don't think the RSS/Web Radio stuff is editable. When I was digging around trying to get it to see if I could get it to pick up other filetypes, I noticed all of the content is set to some pluto.someserver.com/content URL, which leads me to believe that they're using one 3rd party content provider to manage everything. If that's the case, I don't see how it could be changed. I haven't yet added an RSS feed to my favorites, yet, and maybe the IOData will properly handle it when I do.

Thanks jakob! I think the theme is great. Much faster, and looks cleaner too. I have never edited HTML before, but before bothering you for a special HUGE text version, I just messed with it for 1/2 hour and managed to get the list of files text size changed to 20pt, which looks better still on my smaller monitor (more TiVo style large text...)

The fact that this whole server is based on HTML/XML is really exciting. For those that know a lot more about this stuff than me- would it be feasible in the future to do things like have cover art (pics for each of the file listings?) An extension beyond that would be to have that tied to the manage media section of the PC-side server app, so when new files are added, they can be linked to cover art jpg files, etc.. In an ideal world, the server would include (or communicate with) a great media manager suite. So when I put a DVD in my HTPC, it would pop up a message that says do you want to rip this disc or play it on the PC. If you select rip, it would envoke DVD Decrypter (run via command line, as is possible) and then do a DVD lookup for cover art/ desription, ala DVD Profiler. This info could be linked to the server XML so the basics (thumbnail pic of cover art) appeared on the I-O player file list. When you select a DVD (or CD) file, it would go to a smaller list (VIDEO_TS, AUDIO_TS) and a section of fixed info w/ larger cover art & description. That would be awesome! I'm curious if people think this would be possible given the structure of these server apps. I thought when I read about the Nero UPnP server, that it had some kind of tagging & importing ability (at least for music.) That is a step in the right direction.

Mike:

I'm not sure if that's possible or not. The first concern is getting it to use the album view versus the list view for music/videos. I believe it's possible to add all kinds of information to the page. However, that information would have to be in whatever directory the content is in.

My only opportunity to mess around with the server software is when my wife and kids are in bed, so it may take me a few weeks to get it all sorted out. I definitely want to add weather/news headlines to the home/start page (where I just have the 'select media' image now), but I'm not sure how I'm going to go about accomplishing it.

It does appear that each media type is a separate application and they're all tied together through the web config xml. If that's the case, it could be possible to write entirely new "media types" to add into it. I plan on trying that out tonight.

Originally posted by uofmtiger
I have only watched one commercial movie off of the drive and one movie burned to a TDK DVD+RW (for testing) and both played without problems.

For the most part, I bought this machine for playing media off of the network or external hard drive and these tasks have had no problems. I guess I am on the "Happy Camper" side of the aisle.

PS I am having a problem with the new firmware playing DivxHD and the company said this will be fixed with a new update. I guess I should hold off my final judgement to see if it fixes the problem. :D

If I implied you were being hypocritical, I apologize. I really did not mean it that way.

Thank you for your consideration, but there is really no reason to apologize.

If you go back in my posts...I did point out that what was happening to me was random and it didn't happen every time.

Even if the first go around with the firmware isn't a complete success, what needs to be done is make an absolute determination that the drive hardware isn't the root of the DVD play back problems for some people.

From what limited information I was able to find on the EPO drives they seem to fall into the lower end of what is available out there. To their credit, the customer service person at I-O Data tacitly admitted as much and it was a cost consideration in the choice of the drive to use... the same one being used in the Japan market too. Just hope they didn't pinch the pennies/yen too much in a new product release like they have here, and it winds up coming back to haunt them.

One of their biggest strong points is their responsive customer service

I have some mixed findings, mostly encouraging but not all.

First the bad:
1.) I have been testing burned DVD-R disks with Nero ScanDisc. A significant percentage of my collection of 152 burned DVDs appear to be suffering from rot and surface-read errors. Although they have been stored in the cool, dry, dark, it's happening anyway. It's happening to disks with labels and disks without labels. The common denominator appears to be the nut loose behind the wheel...me in this case, for not adhering to advice to avoid Memorex media. All of the bad Memorex disks were made by CMC magnetics. Some of the newer Memorex media is made by Prodisc, and these seem okay. I'm guilty of poor QC measures, including burning without testing. From now on, it's test and copy with byte compare.

Now the good:
1.) I have been unable to duplicate Shoebox's DVD playback problems with commercial, store- bought DVDs. I've stuffed many into the AVLP2, FF'd to chapter stops, layer breaks, simply can't reproduce any problems, including "THE FIFTH ELEMENT." More about this to follow.

2.) I am also unable to reproduce any problems with DVD-R media that passes the Nero ScanDisc check. If it reads without error, it plays without problem on the AVLP2. That said, a high percentage of the bad disks with surface read errors play fine anyway on alternate players, including the Panasonic RP82 and Pioneer DV563A. I conclude that the AVLP2 is less forgiving, and intolerant of questionable or marginal media containing surface read errors. The ScanDisk screen capture below, showing 30% unreadable is an example of a disk that plays without any noticeable problems on the Panasonic or Pioneer, but is unwatchable on the LinkPlayer2.

http://vsdrives.com/graphics/scandisk.jpghttp://vsdrives.com/graphics/scandis2.jpg


3.) These observations support what Boatman (the other Tom Roper - lol) observed. He reported no problems with store bought DVDs or burned media.

4.) Shoebox, I think it would be worthwhile for you to seek a replacement for your LinkPlayer2. I believe there is reason to believe you can get one that plays store bought DVDs without problems. That said, I also believe if you are inclined, you can adjust the optical pickup on your current DVD-ROM loader, and adjust it for a 100% improvement. I was able to do this on the first LinkPlayer2 (the one I returned), to play to the equal of the second LinkPlayer2 which I have not tampered. Bottom line for me, it comes down to the reliability of the media.

5.) I've posted a picture of the optical pickup which I removed from the first EPO 306D loader. It is not necessary to remove it to adjust. The optical pickup can be thought of like a flashlight, with a lightbulb in the center representing the laser diode, and a parabolic reflector representing the optical lens and photo sensitive receiver. If you shine the flashlight at a mirror, it is properly aligned when the reflected beam of light falls back onto itself. The thin laser beam reflects off the mirrored surface of the DVD, and reflects back onto the photo sensitive receiver. It's all contained behind the lens. Your job Mr. Phelps, should you decide to accept it, is through trial and error, to bend and re-bend as necessary the optical pickup lens until you get steady playback, indicating proper alignment of the optical pickup. Even though the laser light is a coherent beam, alignment is more forgiving than you would think. The focus must be tight onto the surface of the DVD reflective foil, but the reflection includes scatter and dispersion that the photo detector is responsive to, since it's only interested in 1's and 0's.

http://vsdrives.com/graphics/optical.jpg

To restate, by trial and error you can bend and re-bend the optical pickup lens until you get reliable playback.

The optical pickup is suspended on guy-wires, that are also the electrical conductors. It's more robust than you think, and takes quite a bit of overbending to take a set. Picture the orthodontist tweaking on dental braces, well maybe not THAT robust, but you get the idea.

There are also (2) tuning capacitors on the bottom of the pickup. You do have to remove the optical pickup head to get at them. I don't recommend this. Tweaking them made no observable difference for me.

To get to the optical reader, you have to remove the cover from the AVLP2. Remove (2) screws on each side, (3) on back. Lift up at the rear corners and tilt the cover upward to a 45 degree angle. Then grasp it with one hand, and yank it up and away while holding the front faceplate with your other hand. It's held in place under a spring tension.

Open the DVD drawer (eject) and unplug the AVLP2. Four small phillips screws hold a metal coverplate on top of the EPO 306D loader. Remove them, and lift the cover away. Make sure it's unplugged so as not to get a dose of laser emissives in the eye. The optical reader is now exposed. Clean it with a Q-tip swab and some diluted ammonia or Windex.

As you bend on the pickup lens, be careful not to scratch it. You can use needle nose pliers. Don't pull UP. The focal plane of the lens requires it to be away from the DVD disk. You can push down on it until it bottoms out, and this is recommended. It will spring back. Pay attention that the surface of the lens is square to the holder, and by extension, the DVD disk surface. If it's not, twist on it at 12 o'clock/6 o'clock, or 9 o'clock/3 o'clock to make it square.

Trial and error, and a bit of patience. It will work. The alignment is easier and more forgiving than you think. So if you get it wrong and lose the picture, try again. You'll get it back. When you are successful, you will notice the DVD loader spins at a LOW speed, because it no longer needs to hunt for missing data before the buffer runs empty. When data are readily identified by the optical reader, the buffer remains full, and the workload on the spindle motor is reduced so that it runs at a low speed. It's extremely quiet. If it's noisy, that's a sure sign it's having trouble reading the disk except for brief bursts after FF'ing chapter stops.

All of the above measures, or exchanging the AVLP2 for a new one, will not make it read marginal, questionable media with surface read errors as reliably as a Pioneer DV563A or Panasonic RP82, and I'm sure many others.

The EPO 306D loader is a serviceable, reliable unit with quality construction, but is fundamentally unforgiving, intolerant of bad media.

Originally posted by Tom Roper
I
4.) Shoebox, I think it would be worthwhile for you to seek a replacement for your LinkPlayer2. I believe there is reason to believe you can get one that plays store bought DVDs without problems. That said, I also believe if you are inclined, you can adjust the optical pickup on your current DVD-ROM loader, and adjust it for a 100% improvement. I was able to do this on the first LinkPlayer2 (the one I returned), to play to the equal of the second LinkPlayer2 which I have not tampered. Bottom line for me, it comes down to the reliability of the media.


Great piece of work Tom!

Problem... maybe I missed something.... After reading your report I ran Nero's ScanDisc on one commercial 5th Element, and one DVD-R. They were both 100%. I know that isn't much of a sample.. but these are two DVD's that had the problems I described in earlier posts.

So, if i understand your report correctly then the optical pickup on the DVD player I have is misalindged. Hence the reason for the overspeed and audio drops/stuttering even thought the media is 100% readable. Yes??

However if there are no faults found on the 2 samples I tested. Then, according to conclusions you reached based on your tests, my player should play the disks without problems. Yes??

Let me know if I am on the same page with you?

Thanks again for you excellent work and contribution...

Originally posted by Shoebox

So, if i understand your report correctly then the optical pickup on the DVD player I have is misalindged. Hence the reason for the overspeed and audio drops/stuttering even thought the media is 100% readable. Yes??

However if there are no faults found on the 2 samples I tested. Then, according to conclusions you reached based on your tests, my player should play the disks without problems. Yes??

Let me know if I am on the same page with you?



Yes and yes. We are on the same page with one possible exception, the occasional audio stuttering (or dropout after FF or chapter FF) remains. THAT would seem to be a problem that could be firmware related. But the freezing, lockup, high speed spinning spindle are indicative of misalignment/dirty optical pickup.

It does sound to me like your optical pickup would benefit from some massaging, or replacement. Again, the improvement on my 1st player was night and day. I have no doubt about the dependability of playing store bought videos.

Another thing that comes to mind about Scandisc, is the surface scan report in reality is indicative of not just the surface quality of the DVD, but also the quality of the optical reader of the PC drive. It helps in my case, that the optical reader in my PC burner is at least as fickle and unforgiving as the EPO 306D, because if instead it had Superman's X-Ray vision and could read really bad disks, they might report good on the surface scan test where the same disk could read bad on a poor reader like the one in my PC. So what I'm pointing out, is the possibility that Scandisc might not be a reliable indicator of what plays properly in your I-O Data if the PC reader was really good at reading bad media.

But either way, getting the alignment right on your EPO 306D optical pickup (and cleaned) can make a 100% improvement, and you should expect nothing less than 100% performance from store bought DVDs. I got the first one as good as it can be, which means when I sent it back it was reading as good as the replacement unit I have now. (Still not as good as it should be, but worlds better.)

If you're inclined and have patience, I'd give it a go. Otherwise, I'd recommend a replacement.

This is indeed interesting work Tom.

I guess we've all taken it for granted that components such as the DVD-ROM drive would be fairly consistent between manufacturers!

Your tests have shown otherwise.... and makes one wonder about how well aligned any of our DVD-ROM drives really are!

If you are able, I still would really like to know if the IO-DATA drive is region locked or region free?


Cheers

Originally posted by Tom Roper
Yes and yes. We are on the same page with one possible exception, the occasional audio stuttering (or dropout after FF or chapter FF) remains. THAT would seem to be a problem that could be firmware related. But the freezing, lockup, high speed spinning spindle are indicative of misalignment/dirty optical pickup.

I don't have any video problems per se (Freezing, breakup/pixilation) Everything on mine is audio related on DVD play; Dropout, stuttering/choppy that can be cleared by a chapter hop back or forward then returning. Everything on the network streaming works fine. So looks like mine is firmware related as Jack at I-O Data indicated.

Oh, last night, I grabbed 10 commercial DVD's and DVD-R's and scanned them. They were all 100%. My burner is a Plextor 708 (before that used a pioneer). If you are looking for good media MAM is the best out there. I came across it by recommedation from photographers for use in digital photo archiving. I know there is cheaper media out there Their labeled DVD-R's are a $1.00/ in cake boxes of 50 or 100. I buy direct from MAM

Thanks again for all of your input.

is anyone encoding there own files to WMV to play back on there linkplayers? I am encoding my own files and I am getting a "ASF ERROR"......can anyone enlightne me?

thanks

Ryan

Originally posted by ryanservant
is anyone encoding there own files to WMV to play back on there linkplayers? I am encoding my own files and I am getting a "ASF ERROR"......can anyone enlightne me?



I am encoding my own files to WMV9 720p30 with TMPGEnc 3.0 Xpress without any errors. They play properly.

Your doing this on a pc Im guessing?....so I cant just burn the file direclty to a dvd like normal data??? what are the higest encoding settings that still play on the link?

I encode the file at 1280x720, 29.97 fps progressive, 2 pass CBR, highest quality setting, 9200kb/s video, 192 kb/s audio 48 khz.

The file plays properly over the network, or I can burn it to a DVD disk and it plays fine from the AVLP2 DVD-ROM drive.

So yes, you can burn the file directly to a DVD like normal data.

I have not tried any higher encoding settings because there is only marginal benefit going any higher than I am at now.

Originally posted by Tom Roper
I encode the file at 1280x720, 29.97 fps progressive, 2 pass CBR, highest quality setting, 9200kb/s video, 192 kb/s audio 48 khz. I'm not familiar with TMPGEnc 3.0 Xpress. What container does it output to, WMV or AVI?


Cheers

It encodes to WMV, AVI, mpeg2, DVD-Video etc. It's got a great set of filters too.

Nothing is playing of all the files that I have encoded.....i even have 2 wmv hd professionla dvds ( step into the liquid ) and ( the discoverers )...all I can do is look at the folders that the disc has and watch small parts of the dvd like the trailors and the menus and stuff...i cant figure out how to play the feature on either

help

I encoded a couple short (5 minute) 1 pass 720@24 avi files with WM9/VCM and AC3 using the Vdubmod/Avisynth method and they worked fine except for the usual ac3 audio problems after FF. And even these seemed to be fewer.

I kinda like Xvid and don't really want to switch but for me and the Linkplayer I have so far had much better luck with WM9 than Xvid.

- Tom

The WMV Dvd's won't work yet, because they require DRM that the LinkPlayer doesn't yet support. It's on the list of things that will be fixed in updates.

I find it so weird that everyone is having problems with AC3 in xvids. I've played several (more than Dvds, even) and have yet to have a problem.

I've had problems with several mpegs and such that I didn't have in the original, shipping firmware release, but that's because the new firmware checks for copyright bits on everything now, and those had the copyright info set. For mpegs, it gives me an error that it's encrypted. For WMV with DRM, it plays it back heavily distorted. For non-drm WMV that's copyright-set, and everything else, it gives me a stream error.

Originally posted by jakob1321
The WMV Dvd's won't work yet, because they require DRM that the LinkPlayer doesn't yet support. It's on the list of things that will be fixed in updates. Even if/when DRM support is added to this player, HD-WMV DVD's wont work properly with this player anyway!

As there's no "affordable" way you'll be able to listen to the disc's 6Ch WMA pro audio :(


Cheers

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
Even if/when DRM support is added to this player, HD-WMV DVD's wont work properly with this player anyway!

As there's no "affordable" way you'll be able to listen to the disc's 6Ch WMA pro audio :(


Cheers

I believe it has not yet been confirmed that the new solution will not convert the WMA Pro to AC3 on the digital out. At least one comment thought it was possible. We all know from your previous posts that it really burns you this player does not have 6 ch analog out. I don't think that point was missed by many, but I think your assertion above is a little premature until we see the I-O solution. I find it hard to believe they would tout adding DRM capabilities and expect people to watch & not have a way to listen. Even if it is 2-ch PCM, Dolby Pro Logic IIx is fine IMO for the very limited WMV-HD content out there. Sure, 6 channel discreet would be better; we all know that. But it does not want to make me throw my player in the trash or return it, especially without knowing exactly what they are going to do.

Originally posted by mikemav
I believe it has not yet been confirmed that the new solution will not convert the WMA Pro to AC3 on the digital out. At least one comment thought it was possible. We all know from your previous posts that it really burns you this player does not have 6 ch analog out. I don't think that point was missed by many, but I think your assertion above is a little premature until we see the I-O solution. I really do hope I-O DATA/Sigma develop some form of compromise solution for player owners to be able to listen to 6Ch WMA Pro audio streams. Hopefully, they'll be able to do the same for 6Ch AAC-LC audio streams too!

If WMA pro streams are going to be converted "on-the-fly", I would have preferred to be given the choice of converting to either DolbyDigital or DTS. At least DTS has the capability of offering "full frequency" audio over all 6No (or even 7/8No) channels. In much the same way WMA Pro can!


Cheers

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet but I-O Data's website is now showing that the December firmware release will not add WMA Pro support. It now says early 2005.

I dont give 2 shits about the audio.....but i want my wmvhd files to play from dvd damnit

Originally posted by ryanservant
I dont give 2 shits about the audio.....but i want my wmvhd files to play from dvd damnit What a thoroughly useless comment.... As the player has already got a proven track record at being able to spin (and network stream) HD-WMV content at both 1280x720 and 1440x1080 pixel frame sizes!


Cheers

then why 6 posts up does it say "The WMV Dvd's won't work yet, because they require DRM that the LinkPlayer doesn't yet support. It's on the list of things that will be fixed in updates. "

Does that mean I can play WMV HD files from a DVD see more digital?
If so do I need to change any settings on my player?
If the player has a proven track record of being able to spin HD_WMV content why does it not work for my 2 professionly burned WMV HD DVD's?

I have tried my best to keep up with this growing topic but…

I just received my IO player yesterday and I’ll be, but I cannot get my Denon 3802 to output DTS from fiber playing commercial DVD’s. I have read about some Sony’s that might have a problem, but does this have a fix?

BTW, after updating the firmware and 1 hard lock up on SpiderMan 2 SuperBit, it rocks!


:)

but I cannot get my Denon 3802 to output DTS from fiber playing commercial DVD’sDo you have the receiver set to "auto"?

Where are you guys finding out the info on what the new firmware updates are going to do? I looked on the website and couldnt find anything.....I need to know when these players will be able to play the WMV HD files...I read here somehwere about Windows Media DRM? What is this? Why does it affect whether or not I can play WMV HD dvd's?

Originally posted by ryanservant
then why 6 posts up does it say "The WMV Dvd's won't work yet, because they require DRM that the LinkPlayer doesn't yet support. It's on the list of things that will be fixed in updates. "

Does that mean I can play WMV HD files from a DVD see more digital?
If so do I need to change any settings on my player?
If the player has a proven track record of being able to spin HD_WMV content why does it not work for my 2 professionly burned WMV HD DVD's?

Commercial WMVHD DVD's do not play in the LinkPlayer because of DRM and the lack of support for WMA Pro which is the only audio codec used on commercial WMVHD DVD's.

Homegrown WMV's with HD resolutions and bit rates play fine.

Firmware information is available on I-O Data's website (http://www.iodata.com/usa/products/AVLP2_SW.php).

Hi Ryan,

You can already play HD WMV content stored on DVD... provided you encode it yourself or it doesn't contain WMA Pro audio!

What you failed to mention was you meant, commercial HD WMV DVD content... ie: the sort of material that's now available in Euroland.


Cheers

Thank you GTROGUE......Do you know anyone who has done this homegrown process with their own HD content? If you have I would love some help....Im using a mac..final cut pro...then Im using flip for mac to convert to wmv hd..ive tried burning to dvd's cd's, tried playing it through the network, I always get a ASF ERROR...any clue?

thanks man

SEEMOREDIGITAL.....neither is working for me right now.....I have both kinds of WMV HD...Commericial and personal...although i may be encoding my HD wrong or something

Originally posted by uofmtiger
Do you have the receiver set to "auto"?

I didn't know it had an "auto" setting. I use the remote and select DTS, or DD. Yes, I did switch the setting to DTS. I did manage to try other DVD's and none play the DTS format. I hooked up the trusty ol' Denon 1600 and it works like a champ.

:)

Do I read the graphic right that there will be a new AVEL player "H.264 LINK PLAYER"? Demo will be shown at CES.

http://www.iodata.com/news/events.php?ts=21&tsc=23&newsID=18

Originally posted by ryanservant
SEEMOREDIGITAL.....neither is working for me right now.....I have both kinds of WMV HD...Commericial and personal...although i may be encoding my HD wrong or something Well that certainly should not be the case!

Provided your personally encoded content does not exceed the chip-sets video pixel and audio limitations, you should be okay...

As confirmed by many player owners here!


Cheers

so if I'm thinking right then the firmware update next week will be pretty useless for commercial WMV-HD discs as if they only have WMA audio they may play okay but no sound..is that right?

well, I just made the jump to purchase this; should be arriving tommorw. Hopefully I made the right decision. I don't have dvi/hdmi inputs on my plasma, so it's going through the component. Looking forward to it!

mooshoo, you will enjoy it.....

Originally posted by ryanservant
Thank you GTROGUE......Do you know anyone who has done this homegrown process with their own HD content? If you have I would love some help....Im using a mac..final cut pro...then Im using flip for mac to convert to wmv hd..ive tried burning to dvd's cd's, tried playing it through the network, I always get a ASF ERROR...any clue?

thanks man

I hate to say it but the mac is probably the cause of your WMV problems. Try downloading some of the non DRM content here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/ContentShowcase.aspx and see if it will play on your AVLP2.

didn't know it had an "auto" setting. I use the remote and select DTS, or DD
For your reference, when I tested the files you guys sent to me, I used optical digital connecting to AV amplifer DENON 3802 and set the sound to auto detection. PioNewbie, the above quote by TUFU is why I asked the question.

Originally posted by ryanservant
Thank you GTROGUE......Do you know anyone who has done this homegrown process with their own HD content? If you have I would love some help....Im using a mac..final cut pro...then Im using flip for mac to convert to wmv hd..ive tried burning to dvd's cd's, tried playing it through the network, I always get a ASF ERROR...any clue?

thanks man

I'm a Mac person myself but encoding Windows Media is something I never use it for. In fact, I do all my video encoding on a PC so I really can't help. The PC just has more, easy to use, free tools for encoding video. Plus, I have a really fast PC that sits around doing nothing most of the time, while my Mac is always in use.

Originally posted by uofmtiger
PioNewbie, the above quote by TUFU is why I asked the question.

I'm with you now! :)

Okay, so I have a 4802, not a 3802... I just checked.. doht..

So I can set the Denon to auto-detect? I do this through the setup menu I'm thinking. It's scary when I think..

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital

If you are able, I still would really like to know if the IO-DATA drive is region locked or region free?

Cheers

I used a "IDE TO USB" cable connecting the DVD-ROM(EPO-306D) to PC
and verifed that the 306D is all region/RPC1 as shown in DVDINFOPRO.

I had heard complaints about the remote for this thing - and you were all right. It's very slow and sometimes does not respond at all.

Has anyone tried using a universal remote instead? Does that solve the problem? (i.e. is it a cheap remote, or is it the linkplayer itself that is the problem?)

I tried programming the remote into my Marantz universal but it didn't take for some reason.

I use a OfA Kameleon....the remote sensor is just very touchy. I have to be in a straight line from the front of the dvd player to get it to pick up the remote signal, and even if i'm right in front of it...very, very slow to respond. Does it with the supplied remote as well.

Originally posted by TUFU
I used a "IDE TO USB" cable connecting the DVD-ROM(EPO-306D) to PC
and verifed that the 306D is all region/RPC1 as shown in DVDINFOPRO. Interesting....

This might suggest that any "replacement drive" should also have to be region free!

Wow, the information in this thread has been extremely informative! It's amazing the number of posts!

Anyway, we get our review unit of the AVLP2 in tomorrow, and will be writing a full review next week. The review will be primarily from the standpoint of HDV producers looking for a low-cost distribution format.

Look for the review at:

hdsource.highlydef.com

I will post back here when the review is up.

Regards,

Ben

Originally posted by EHUFF
Do I read the graphic right that there will be a new AVEL player "H.264 LINK PLAYER"? Demo will be shown at CES.

http://www.iodata.com/news/events.php?ts=21&tsc=23&newsID=18

Whoah. It sure does say H.264 LinkPlayer.

Unless Sigma Designs is holding out on us in H.264 hardware info, the only other company that has announced H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10/AVC) hardware early enough for I-O Data to use in 2005 is Broadcom's BCM7411.

When it comes to Mpeg4/AVC (H.264), keep a look out at what Ateme are doing!

They already have a "working" development kit (http://www.ateme.com/products/thunder.php) for standard-def Mpeg4/AVC. And have managed to develop and release a superb 1pass/2pass encoder!


Cheers

Originally posted by jakob1321
I use a OfA Kameleon....the remote sensor is just very touchy. I have to be in a straight line from the front of the dvd player to get it to pick up the remote signal, and even if i'm right in front of it...very, very slow to respond. Does it with the supplied remote as well.

Same here with URC 9910 :(

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
Interesting....

This might suggest that any "replacement drive" should also have to be region free!

I'm just guessing, but I don't think the I-O Data IDE/ATAPI interface is fully compliant with the command set.

When I hooked up other DVD-ROM drives, I could read the DVD-ROM manufacturer and firmware version on the LinkPlayer2 setup page. I could also play non-region locked DVD-Video disks, more or less.

But I was unable to read WMV9 disks that played on the EPO 306D.
And WMV9 doesn't care about regions.

Just my $0.02

Sorry if the question was already answered, but I could not find the answer on recent posts.
Did the DVI upconvertind problem get fixed?
Since I will be watching store bought DVDs (region 1 & 2),
I was wondering weather it is now possible to send an unconverted signal via DVI, and weather I could make the player region free?

Thanks in advance,
DBD.

Originally posted by JS - DBD
Sorry if the question was already answered, but I could not find the answer on recent posts.
Did the DVI upconvertind problem get fixed?
Since I will be watching store bought DVDs (region 1 & 2),
I was wondering weather it is now possible to send an unconverted signal via DVI, and weather I could make the player region free?

Thanks in advance,
DBD.

The current IO-Data player in the US does not have DVI.

Originally posted by gtrogue
I'm a Mac person myself but encoding Windows Media is something I never use it for. In fact, I do all my video encoding on a PC so I really can't help. The PC just has more, easy to use, free tools for encoding video. Plus, I have a really fast PC that sits around doing nothing most of the time, while my Mac is always in use.


So you transfer your files to the PC then encode?......Do you work in HD at all G?

thanks

Originally posted by JS - DBD
Did the DVI upconvertind problem get fixed?
I was wondering weather it is now possible to send an unconverted signal via DVI, and weather I could make the player region free?
DBD.

DVD playback to DVI does not yet work on the AVLP2/DVDG since IO Data has not yet any HDCP license. Hopefully this will be fixed in a later firmware upgrade.

It is not yet known how, if it is ever possible, to make the AVLP2 region free.

Originally posted by ryanservant
So you transfer your files to the PC then encode?......Do you work in HD at all G?

thanks

Nearly all my data is stored on NAS so I don't really have to transfer anything.
I have only messed around with encoding HD stuff. Most of my HD stuff is in the form of TS streams recorded using a MyHD 120 card and the LinkPlayer will play them back directly with the shortcut trick described elsewhere in this thread. I don't have an HD video camera or any other sources of true HD content so I haven't had much need for encoding HD video.

Originally posted by gtrogue
Nearly all my data is stored on NAS so I don't really have to transfer anything.
I have only messed around with encoding HD stuff. Most of my HD stuff is in the form of TS streams recorded using a MyHD 120 card and the LinkPlayer will play them back directly with the shortcut trick described elsewhere in this thread. I don't have an HD video camera or any other sources of true HD content so I haven't had much need for encoding HD video.

I must have missed something. What is the shortcut trick for MyHD? I've done a search and can't find anything.

The shortcut trick:

You place a shortcut to the TS file inside the VIDEO directory you are viewing with Link Server.

The shortcut shows up in the Link Server video folder on the AVLP2.

Can someone please explain the rules on mpeg2 file size limitation?

When does it apply?

I ripped a DVD-Video to a single 5gb vob file on my pc hard drive, and it streamed just fine over the Link Server network to the AVLP2.

If I added a USB external hard drive formatted NTFS, can I just connect it to the USB on the AVLP2 to play a 5gb vob? Or to play it would I have to connect it to the pc and stream it over the Link Server network to the AVLP2?