Sorry, I don't think that the hard disk will be used for buffering network streams so unless you're talking about copying the movies to the internal hard disk it's not going to help. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

However, I fixed my stuttering problem by simply changing my anti-virus software. I'm currently running Avast 4 (free software for personal use from www.avast.com) but also recommend NOD32 (www.eset.com). These both seem to use much less system resources than others. If you can, stay away from McAfee, Symantec Norton, and Kaspersky.

Lee

Norton / Symantec causes no stream problems, but the point is well made. If the throughput on your PC is limited, that could be an issue, but I'll bet its your switch or hub, or loss on your cable.

Perhaps Norton doesn't cause any problems in your sample of one, but I doubt you can speak for the rest of the world! :-)

I know through Saerom Kim at AlTech they were testing a new firmware that had M3U capability...Not to mention that the NDAS firmware was never officially released in English (V1.43 was leaked with approval to us)...

So if anybody at ALTech reads this group...How about a NEW AND IMPROVED firmware...

1. M3U Capability
2. Expand Photo File capability to include the formats proposed for the
MG-350HD.
3. Officially release the NDAS code (And hopefully improve the speed).
4. Additional file formats (Video) would also be welcome.
5. A spiffier interface would be nice as well but the above items are more
important (to me).

I think it's been going on almost 3 months since the last "officially" released
firmware. That's never a good thing when firmware updates slow/stop...Usually
means they're done making improvements and want to sell you a whole new
product (Apple iPod is perfect example)....

I'm afraid that you're right, they're probably wanting to sell you the MG-350HD unit. I suspect I'll jump ship and consider other products if they abandon this one, but it sure won't be an AI-Tech product! When the company thinks a half-baked product is obsolete and walks away from it shortly after it hits the market, it says a lot about their commitment to their customers. :rolleyes:

I recently bought a Freecom Mediaplayer 3.5, which is equivalent to the MediaGate MG-35. Everything seems to work fine, only I have trouble with the playback of hr HDTV avi´s.

For example if I load "24 S05e03 Hr Hdtv Ac3 5 1 Xvid Nbs Eztv", it doesn´t show any image, but the sound is playing. I have connected the player throughout a analogue HDTV connection, and I´m seeing the menu´s so the connection is working. The file isn´t corrupt as it works on my labtob. I´m using the latest firmware, version 1.4.3.

Can anybody help? thx!

MJWolf, I'd suggest you start a new thread for your query, since tagging onto an existing thread may get your post overlooked.

Perhaps Norton doesn't cause any problems in your sample of one, but I doubt you can speak for the rest of the world! :-)


I'm also running Norton AV without any problems. I stream my DVD images from a server in my closet to the MG-35 without any skips. Nothing special about my network. A PC with a few drives holding the media, a couple of old 10/100 netgear switches, and the MG-35....works great.

I've been encoding my own movies using fairuse wizard 2.2. With the longer movies I like the final size to be over 2GB. They play fine on my computer, though when I go to play them on my mg-35, it loads the movie but starts playing towards the end of the movie. Anyone else have this problem or know why it's doing this? Thanks.

Yes, I too am running into this 2GB barrier. It appears the MG-35 ends up truncating the first 2GB and only plays the scenes after that.

I am guessing some sort of counter is looping back to zero after 2GB. As a total wild guess maybe the counter is related to supporting the limitations in file size with a FAT format and it is not checking to see that the disk is actually formatted NTFS.

In any case, I have had to limit all my encodings to 2,048,00KB or less.

..IG..

Interesting problem. I encoded some DVD's to store on the MG-35, but I took the default of limiting each VOB file to 2gig, and I've watched several of the movies with no issues. I'm glad this came up, because I'll be careful in the future! :)

I asked Saerom Kim at ALTech why their website was still showing version 1.42 and not 1.43 English since we've had that code distributed through members here with permission by AlTech for more than a month...Here was Saerom's answer...
------------------
We officially release 1.4.3 firmware in domestic market.
But we have more than 10 different distributor in different country.

Some of them didn't decide to release NDAS ID and Key and we didn't release 1.4.3 firmware yet.
Before all of them decide to buy NDAS ID and Key, we will not.

Best Regards
Saerom Kim
-------------------

He followed this up with another email where he sent me 1.43 but I had already had it (and my ID and write key) for at least a month. I answered back that if in the future they have subsequent firmware updates and don't want to officially release them due to their distributors they can release to us directly and we will disseminate via our personal websites (Like I have on the one on my signature).
He didn't answer that one back but hopefully we have not seen the end of firmware updates simply because of a disagreement or lack of interest on the part of the distributors. The MG-35 is a good device and meets my needs however there is room for improvement and there are bugs that need to be worked out still. :(

That sure sounds like a stupid policy! If there's a market demand, smart companies try to meet it. By holding back on something that everyone knows they have, they just damage their own company. I know that I will not be likely to buy another of their products, given the poor support this one receives.

Just fyi ... although I have sent my $20 for NDAS keys, I took a tip from a forum member and hooked my MG-35 up to my Linksys NSLU2's USB port. Works perfectly! I now have full access the MediaGate MG-35 hard drive from any PC on my network - read, write, delete ... full file copy ... decent transfer speeds as well. I'll test the NDAS functions when the keys arrive, but I may end up just leaving it this way ...

Interesting idea, too bad I don't have one of those units. I have the Hawking HNAS1, but it doesn't offer USB external drive support. However, I'll keep that in mind, since full speed access would be nice. :D

What isthe point in plugging it in into a usb port on a NAS? Once its plugged in the Media player is disabled right? So you have to plug/unplug the usb when you want to transfer files. It doesn't seem that much easier than carrying the unit over to the pc.

You know retrorex, you have an excellent point! :D I didn't think that idea totally through. I also did some looking at the Linksys unit, and it's claimed throughput doesn't sound much better than the NDAS access, so I think I'll stick with what I have. :)

Hi
just found this forum ,excellent articles I have emailed freecom (uk distributers of mg-35) to ask for my NDAS device key and they replied with the following

Hi,

The Media Player 35 doesn't use the NDAS software!
There is no write key etc for the Media Player, only the Classic Network
drive
uses this software.

Does anybody know how I can get my device key in the UK,also when I updated the firmware I can no longer fast forward through mp3's but I can still rewind ,has this happened to anybody else

Cheers
Adi999999999

Did you try the references in this thread? Since they email the key, either Waggle or the other place should be delighted to sell it to you.

Just ordered key from PC4USA .It says on their site they only deal in the USA but I emailed them and thy said UK would bo no problem,so any UK users can now get their keys

Adi999999999

There you go, another satisfied customer! :D

Hi all. I recently got my write keys and device id and went thru the wizard to set it up. It's not working yet. The orange network light is on and occasionally shows a little blink like there may be activity, but I can't see it in My Computer. I have it directly plugged into my Linksys B router. I have installed the newer firmware and have the NDAS running, but can't get it going. I'm using Win XP Pro SP-2. Any ideas?

Thanks.

breckbone

Does the MG-35 show up as connected from the NDAS Driver? If not, it's not being seen by the system. Can you PING the MG-35's IP address? Did you register a device so that it shows up when you right click the NDAS tray icon?

Hello guys,

I have been away, so sorry in advance if someone already answered this question. I searched through the forum but couldn't find anything about this question, so here it goes.

I read here before that if you format the harddrive after mounting it as read/write using the ximeta NDAS management software, you get a better transfer rate when you want to copy files to it. Is this still true with the 1.4.3 firmware?

If it is, why does my harddrive format till almost 99% and than says unable to complete the formatting? Is there a special way to format the drive? Is there a tool to format it when its mounted using the Ximeta management software? Cause i just did, right click on the drive and format.

What upsets me is that it continues to format and waits till the last minute to give me the error. Is it trying to unmount it or something?

Any help would be appreciated... :)

I never tried to format it in the box, I just formatted it and stuck it in after the fact. I must have missed that speed tip. :D

I never tried to format it in the box, I just formatted it and stuck it in after the fact. I must have missed that speed tip. :D

Thats what I did before. And it works great when it connected to the USB. But I am trying to relocate my computer and it wont be close to the MG35. So I wanted to rely on just copying files over the network. But with the speed as slow as approx 1.7 MB/sec. its not worth it sometimes when you want to copy a movie quick and not wait 20 minutes for it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am just impatient. Maybe I will just suck it up and deal with the slow speed.

If someone else has a solution for formatting it over the network, it would be great.

I hope someone else has tried to format it over the network and I am not the only one. :)

Thanks in advance.

Hi All,
Thought id let you know that im selling my MG-35 w/320 GB hd. I bought it a couple of weeks ago but decided to move up to an HD capable player instead. PM me if anyone is interested. *sold*

Regards,
Ricky

I've read all the posts and the MG-35 looks like it might be what I am looking for (with one possible exception). I want a NAS that I can put photos on as well as use for automated backups. I want to show the photos on TV. Playing music and videos is a plus but not required. I don't need wireless.

I was thinking of getting a LinkStation 250 gig NAS (non-multimedia version) and their mini LinkTheater. Then I read about the MG-35 and it sounds like I can get what I need in one box. The only potential problem is that I have two computers I want to have connected to the MG-35. Both would need to do nightly backups to it.

From reading the posts, it seems that having two computers (both WinXP) connected at the same time with read/write access doesn't work that great. Has anyone had success with this setup? One of the computers is my wife's so I really need it to work well and not require mounting/unmounting.

If the MG-35 is not a good fit, any recommendations?

Thanks!
Bruce

ok i know...wrong forum, but there seems to be some intelligent people in here that could answer a very quick question....how many watt power inverter would i need to use my mg-35 in my car??? how many watts does the mg-35 pull

thanx in advance

also if anybody knows of a car adapter kit that would work for us...let us know

I've read all the posts and the MG-35 looks like it might be what I am looking for (with one possible exception). I want a NAS that I can put photos on as well as use for automated backups. I want to show the photos on TV. Playing music and videos is a plus but not required. I don't need wireless.

..Snipped...

Thanks!
Bruce

I think the MG-35 excels at one thing and that is the playback of uncompressed ripped DVDs with full menu structure (it's also pretty good at playing divx/xvid movies - but can have problems due to all the different audio formats, compression rates etc).

I certainly wouldn't recommend it if the primary purpose is to view photos or play mp3s. The interface is a bit clunky when dealing with hundreds of files (photos / mp3s) and I'm sure there are better solutions out there.

But if you want to rip your entire DVD collection on to a NAS I don't think there are many other units that will play them with full menu structure (due to DVD forum licencing issues).

Don

It is true that you cannot have multiple R/W connections to the MG-35, only one at a time. I only use mine for movies and music, so that's not a major issue. For backups, I recommend one of the many NAS units. I have the Hawking HNAS1 here, and it's worked pretty well for me. I agree with the previous poster, it does movies best. I just put the MP3's I want to play on it and turn it loose, picking and choosing is a PITA with their clunky interface.

gunrunnerjohn - have you been using your HNAS1 to stream to the MG-35? I am looking at this as a solution for the poor transfer rate via NDAS. Have you tried playing a full dvd via streaming from the HNAS1? Does it stutter at all? Does it support files > 4GBs?

Here in Australia we can get the repotec RP-NA210 which looks exactly like the HNAS1 (suspect it is just rebranded)

I am wanting to link up the MG-35 to the NA210 via a switch (hardwired) and play files directly off the NA210. DO you see any problems with this?

www.repotec.com/nas/RP_NA210.htm

Now that I have 5 posts :)

Looks suspiciously like my Hawking box, I guess they make it for them as well! :D

I don't know what its IP would even be. It does not show up as connected in the NDAS. I did register it, but during the registration, it tried unsucsessfully to connect. It shows up when I right click as being registered and unconnected...not sure what I need to do to resolve this...thanks for any help.


Does the MG-35 show up as connected from the NDAS Driver? If not, it's not being seen by the system. Can you PING the MG-35's IP address? Did you register a device so that it shows up when you right click the NDAS tray icon?

gunrunnerjohn - any ideas on the questions in my post above?

I don't know what its IP would even be. It does not show up as connected in the NDAS. I did register it, but during the registration, it tried unsucsessfully to connect. It shows up when I right click as being registered and unconnected...not sure what I need to do to resolve this...thanks for any help.If it doesn't show up as connected, you aren't going to get any farther. Did you configure it with the remote with a TV connected? You need to get the network config correct before you'll see it. What kind of network topology do you have? Do you have a broadband router with DHCP enabled? If so, that's how you should configure the MG-35.

gunrunnerjohn - have you been using your HNAS1 to stream to the MG-35? I am looking at this as a solution for the poor transfer rate via NDAS. Have you tried playing a full dvd via streaming from the HNAS1? Does it stutter at all? Does it support files > 4GBs?THe NHAS1 uses the Linux efs2 filesystem, and does indeed support large files, I have some 5gig image backups on it.Here in Australia we can get the repotec RP-NA210 which looks exactly like the HNAS1 (suspect it is just rebranded)Yep, I think that company is the actual manufactuer from the looks of things on their website.I am wanting to link up the MG-35 to the NA210 via a switch (hardwired) and play files directly off the NA210. DO you see any problems with this?The speed of transfers to the NA210 won't win any awards, I'd just put the disk in the MG-35 and run them directly, that's what I do. I think the HNAS1 is probably a bit faster on the link than the MG-35, and I did watch one video off it before I started moving them onto the MG-35 directly, and it didn't have any problem. However, you still have to get the videos onto the NA210, so I don't see why you don't just put them onto the MG-35 directly.

If I want a bunch of videos on the machine, I pack it up here and connect it via USB and move them across. For one or two, I just set it to copying them from a spare machine and keep on working. :)

thanks!

I copied 5 dvd images (about 20 Gbs) via the MG-35 software and it took almost 20 hours :S, just too slow to do, plus I have to use another computer to do it. Was hoping a NAS would solve the problem - be quicker to copy to and hopefully fast enough to stream from. There is a wireless connection in the mix from my main computer which can cause problems when streaming directly to the MG-35, this is not in the mix though if the NAS is on the local switch with the MG-35.

Wireless connections are not ideal for any of this, other than my laptop and some testing, my entire network is wired. Since I have a WAP, TiVo, and the MG-35 all in the entertainment center, it makes a lot more sense to run a wire down there. :) I think you'll find everything is faster with a wired connection, remember that 802.11g/b is half-duplex in addition to the slower connection speeds.

Received my device ID and write key today from pc4usa ,all up and running transfer speeds seem OK about 4-5 mins per 700mb film ,a lot more convenient than unplugging the MG35 and moving it to the PC .Thanks to everyone on the forum for info etc

Guys im sorry to be a pain
but i've been waded thru about 20 pages of posts and now im really confused.

I have the MG-35..i wanna put it on the network.

What are the steps and who do i go to to buy the id/keys etc and what information do i need to give them?/

Thanks a ton and im sorry to make you repeat it.

Sharon

Also
Frys as the NSLU2 in stock now..in teh store...is it worth buying?

will it deliver cmpressed dvds across my network for my ext usb hrds?

how many hd's can i hook up to it?

wha ti want to do is put my mg35 on the network ..copy files to it, but also have the files on it available if i end up buying another mg35 to put on another tv.

Thanks!

Sharon

Hi,

I was curious if anyone has tried hooking the mg-35 up to the network via a USB to Ethernet adapter? Thanks

The USB port is not a controller, it's a USB device. This attempt is doomed to failure. :)

I ended up running a long 15' USB cable ($5 via ebay) through the wall alongside my ethernet cable. It isn't quite as convenient as a purely ethernet solution, but its adequate speed wise.

looks like firmware 1.4.4 has been released in Korea - the google translation of the fixes are:

1) the photograph remaking hour photograph the effect which it goes over it was under the fringe land with Fade in/Out.

2) that outside inside some bug was amended.



Personally I have not experienced the outside inside some bug but it sounds nasty.

Yes, but where can we find the download for this firmware? :)

MediaGate MG-35 Firmware v1.4.4 (Korean Language Version) (http://www.airlinktek.com/corean/atboard_view.php?section1=firmware&section2=mediagate&prod=0521)

Maybe our fellow AV'er KAS, can find out about an english version of V1.4.4 and if it can be released like he did for V1.4.3 ...... :p

just got my write key from pc4usa (and i live in the UK) took a couple of days but works fine when i plugh the MG35 into my hub upstairs.

However i've just found out the NDAS software wont talk to the MG35 if its connected to a wireless ethernet bridge ( it's mentioned in a earlier post - teach me to read all the posts i suppose) couple of questions.

I now know NDAS doesn't work over a wirless bridge (i'm using a belkin F5D7330) but should the PC - Network function of the MG35 work with one?

I have a static ip's assigned to both the belkin and the MG35. Everything is on the same subnet. I can ping and access the belkin but i cant ping the MG35. If i try to use the PC_Network function on the MG35 to pick up some files on a shared directory on my PC i get an error saying there are no PC's found in the network. The belkin was previously used with a mini-itx pc i used to use in the living room, which the MG35 replaced. Any ideas?

If as previously mentioned to use NDAS i need a wireless bridge with a repeater function, i've got an old USRobtics 22Meg wireless access point somwhere. I seem to remember that had a repeater function, anyone knoe if this might work?

All this when i'd just started to like the MG35 again :(

Maybe our fellow AV'er KAS, can find out about an english version of V1.4.4 and if it can be released like he did for V1.4.3 ...... :p

I should be able to post it next week. Unfortunately, 1.4.4 only fixes a few bugs (although I am not sure which ones). They have not finish M3U play list support yet, but they are still working on it. Also, development on the MG-350HD continues, but no update on a US release schedule.

KAS,

Any chance of receiving and posting the MG-25P 1.4.6 firmware in English as well? Sorry, I know this question is off thread topic.

Thanks...IG.

just got my write key from pc4usa (and i live in the UK) took a couple of days but works fine when i plugh the MG35 into my hub upstairs.

However i've just found out the NDAS software wont talk to the MG35 if its connected to a wireless ethernet bridge ( it's mentioned in a earlier post - teach me to read all the posts i suppose) couple of questions.

I now know NDAS doesn't work over a wirless bridge (i'm using a belkin F5D7330) but should the PC - Network function of the MG35 work with one?

:(


See the following message. I was able to make it work with a repeater function.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6797733&&#post6797733


jhaveri

I'm also confused about the statement that the MG-35 won't work through a wireless bridge. I haven't tried it, but I can't imagine a standard protocol knowing, or caring about what the physical transport layer is.

I don't understand it either John
I can kind of understand the NDAS device manager s/w having problems with the bridge. But it looks like the whole device doesnt work with the bridge (unless someone here can tell otherwise)
If thats the case I suppose its what we've come to expect from mediagate. :mad:

In a number of discussions with Techincal Support working with AirLinkTek, I was informed that the NDAS deployment on the MG-35 is not a "standard chip based NDAS" ... more like an NDAS emulator introduced as an afterthought via firmware. This accounts for the low transfer speed, and also something they are "working on".

Without having the actual configuration to test, it's impossible to know what was going on. Since the network here wasn't an issue, I never actually did anything like look at the packets on the link.

I don't know why software or hardware NDAS would make a difference, but who knows. :)

hey guys..im new to this forum..and ive scrolled through this forum and my heads spinnin' right now..lol..btw, i just got my mediagate 35 today and had setup everything....but some of my .avi files that play perfectly in my PC wouldnt play in the mediagate...i copied it in the HD= didnt work....i tried to play it via network (wired)= didn't work....then i tried to play it in the pc= worked flawlessly...is this a firmware issue or a video/audio codec problem because i have another video that plays but w/o audio....i have firmware 1.4.3..

thanks in advance..

most likely it would be a codec issue. i've had some files where it popups up a message and informs you it cant handle that codec, other times just wont play.

grab gspot from http://gspot.headbands.com/ to check what codecs are being used in your avi.

AVI not playing problem get a program called vitual dub Mod

open your AVI
click no to rewrite header
click Streams from menu
click stream list
right click over the source
click interleaving
change preload to 96
change interleaving audio to 96
OK
OK
File save as give it a new name
down the bottom change to video to direct stream copy
Save

I've had about 99% success with this thanks to skymatrix for posting it in the first place!!!

Let me know if you cant get it to work

most likely it would be a codec issue. i've had some files where it popups up a message and informs you it cant handle that codec, other times just wont play.

grab gspot from http://gspot.headbands.com/ to check what codecs are being used in your avi.Why would the CODECs in use on his machine affect playback on the MG-35? :confused:

It wouldn't John
But i think what Frenik is getting at is not all Avi's are the same in the same way as not all divx files are the same. Gspot will just confirm the file is one not supported by the MG or possibly not what it says it is.
I recently had what was supposed to be an AVI which wouldn't play on my MG35 a check with gspot showed it to be encoded with a weird Mpeg4 codec which wouldn't play on anything I had till i managed to find a codec for it. Still doesn't mean it will work on the MG though

OK, I'll buy that. :) However, I think the VirtualDubMod (http://virtualdubmod.sourceforge.net/) might be the solution here.

OK, ommm...i tried your tip and it gave me this error: "The source video stream uses a compression algorithm which is not compatible with AVI. Direct stream copy cannot be use with this file" ..here's what i did, i burned the .avi file to a dvd, then played it in my stand alone liteOn Divx player= it worked...i really wonder what the algorithm error is?? thanks..

Ok..i opened another .avi with VirtualDub that wouldnt play in MG 35 and gave me this error: "[!] Couldn't locate decompressor for format 'MP42' (Microsoft High-Speed
MPEG-4 V2).
VirtualDub requires a Video for Windows (VFW) compatible codec to
decompress video. DirectShow codecs, such as those used by Windows Media
Player, are not suitable. Only 'Direct stream copy' is available for this
video."

what doesn this mean guys?? do i have to download some codec? sorry guys for being such a PITA but i really want to get this file working...btw, i tried burning in DVD and this time it wouldnt play in my liteOn divx player...thanks again..

Any news on the english version of 1.4.4 yet?

Any news on the english version of 1.4.4 yet?I'm kinda' eager to see this too. :)

has any1 even tried the korean firmware? i was thinking about it since you would still be able to navigate easily, and it would be easy to go back to the old firmware....i hope they fixed the file structure, and added the ability to browse songs while listening to music

I think I like my menus in English. :)

Feel free to try it and let us know how you make out.

I just got my MG-35 today from Shop4Tech and it already shows the firmware as 1.4.4. Strange thing I am encountering though is that sometimes when I hook up the device to my PC via USB it fails to show up in the drive list. I ended up having to unplug it completely, wait a few minutes, then plug it back in.

ok i made the jump...i am running the korean 1.4.4 firmware, unfortunatly they still have not addressed the 3 most annoying and needed features, the number 1 thing...sad to report that you still cannot browse while listening to music (i am wondering if this is a memory issue and is not fixable) also the filing system still sux, and lastly...playlist's are not saved...they need to get on these issues...in my opinion these are more important than the ndas functionality...and they should be adrressing these 1st. the pictures do seem to be faster when browsing by the next button, that is all i notice so far...i have seen only 1 bug so far...when i stopped viewing the pictures the bottom half of my backround wallpaper turned grey. this was remedied by going back to the media selection screen and then when you go back to your root dir the screen is refreshed, i will run this firmware for awhile to see what i find.

also for those who were worried about using the korean firmware....it has english words under all the korean characters...the only time there is no english...is when you go into setup...but you can tell what you are choosing because of the icons, and whenever a message box pops up...it is in korean...like the "would you like to resume this movie" it is only in korean..but you know what it is telling you.....so basically this firmware is the same in language as ours it just looks cooler cuz it has korean characters above all the english...it is easily navigatable!

Maybe we can get a dump of PanzerBoxb's firmware for our units. :)

Excellent idea John !

All we have to do is figure out how to extract firmware from the MG-35. ;)

If someone can host the file, pm me your email and I will send 1.4.4 to you.

As I mentioned in a prior post, this only fixes some bugs. Playlist support should be coming soon.


KAS

Here's the English version of MG-35 Firmware 1.44 (http://mediagate.will-enterprises.com/) for anyone that's interested. I've yet to try it, but that will come soon. :D

Edit, I installed 1.4.4 and it works just fine here. :)

hmm the file is named "MG35_ANYWHERE_AUS_1.4.4.zip" wonder why they changed there naming....AUS does that mean australian?

Last time I heard, they speak English in Australia. :D

Thanks!

I just upgraded to 1.4.4. Haven't played a movie yet, but I did notice that pictures now scale correctly. Previously, they were zoomed to fit my 16:9 screen without regard to the picture's correct aspect ratio. Now they display with whatever black border is necessary and look much better.

MP3s play the same - but never had a problem with them.

The upgrade itself took less than a minute. Thanks gunrunnerjohn for hosting the file.

You're welcome. :)

Firmware mirror at http://mediagate.csppl.net

Maybe we can get a dump of PanzerBoxb's firmware for our units. :)

Yeah, I was scouring all over to try and find a way for that to happen. Thanks to the folks who are hosting the 1.4.4 firmware files now. I love this place but my brain (and pocketbook) are having a hard time keeping up.

My one real big complaint about this unit. The UI. Fuuuugly. At least they could have done like the TVix and had custom background images. :)

I can't see how to dump firmware, but we solved that problem with a new image. Now if they'd only come up with a meaningful update that solves some of the basic issues the unit has. The playlist is really poor, I'd like it to be saved, and I'd also like a way to select a whole folder, not one damned item at a time!

hmm the file is named "MG35_ANYWHERE_AUS_1.4.4.zip" wonder why they changed there naming....AUS does that mean australian?

ANYWARE is the Australian distributor for the MG-35 (think they misspelt it).

Panzerboxb - I think you can have at least 1 customised background. According to the manual save a file called 'mybg.jpg' to the root directory of the hard drive. recommended size is 720x480

Gunrunnerjohn: you can select a whole folder by pressing the no. 1 key, de-select a whole folder with the no. 2 key and randomize with the no.3 key.

Gunrunnerjohn: you can select a whole folder by pressing the no. 1 key, de-select a whole folder with the no. 2 key and randomize with the no.3 key.GASP! :eek: I wish I knew that earlier! We had my daughter's anniversary here and I had a whole bunch of pictures playing. I stupidly selected them one at a time. I don't see anything in the manual about this, where is it buried?

GASP! I wish I knew that earlier! We had my daughter's anniversary here and I had a whole bunch of pictures playing. I stupidly selected them one at a time. I don't see anything in the manual about this, where is it buried?

I read about it on the support page from airlinktek.
It's Korean-English.... :) But you'll understand what they mean.

MG35 support play all in making Play list. If press 1, all file selected. If press 2, selection dismissed.
Random play function added. If press 3, list is changing randomly. Press more, change more. Press [Play] key, you can enjoy random play. (Changed list is not saved- arraying alphabetical order again.)

Thanks for the info, folks. I did not see anything in the manual detailing making a background image. That is part of why I am disappointed with this unit at times. The documentation is lacking to say the least. My friends Tvix seems to be a much friendlier unit in general. I may take a look at the new Tvix 5000U but I doubt I will bite at the current price.

EDIT: Nevermind, I am a dyslexic idiot for not seeing that in the manual.

I was also trying to figure out if there was any way to repeat the play list once it completes. I had a party, and I had pictures displaying, but I had to keep starting the list again.

ok i had e-mailed AL Tech asking for the ability to browse songs while listening to music, and also a better file structure...and also told them that there is worry in this forum that they are focusing more on the new mg-35HD and that they will stop supporting firmware updates for our mg-35...here is the 2 e-mails that they sent in return

e-mail 1

Dear Sir,

1. M3U play list firmware
Regarding firmware supporting M3U play list, we already made this.
But we need confirmation from our customer.

We are OEM provider for some customers and making product best fit for worldwide customer.
(We don't have many channel and this is best way for now.)

Regarding M3U firmware, please wait.


2. Folder direction function.
Your request is noted to our R&D team.

3. Firmware upgrade
We used to make MG-100 model but this model was not popular but we are still upgrading firmware together with MG-25 and MG-35.
Please tell people in your forum do not afraid firmware upgrade problem.
Before AL Tech vanished or we phase out MediaGate Biz, we will continuosly do firmware upgrade in the future.


Best Regards
Saerom Kim

e-mail 2

Dear Sir,

We just review folder function.
Regarding this function, we decide not to insert this.
We think this also cause customer's difficulty.
Tivix, our competitor in Korea, make this but many customer complain this.

Best Regards
Saerom Kim

Iv seen some issues as to what will play in this thread, so i thought id shed some light on videoinspector from KC software

place url here

http://www.kcsoftwares.com/index.php?vtb

i have downloaded the firmware. the userguide says browse to the upgrade file on your tv. how can i do this: via music, video, photo and playlist i can't find the upload file. my current firmware is 1.4.2.

Well, if you have the unzipped raw update file, when you browse to it, it'll automatically recognize it in any media mode. I put it into a separate folder on the local drive on the MG-35.

thanks, it seems I have overlooked the upgrade file.
I also have antoher problem: both mg-35 and pc are connected to my lan via a router. HOwever if i use pc-network to play my filse i get the message 'no pc in network'. However, from my pc i can ping the mg-35, and i've shared my folders (W98-2). any ideas?

W98 runs pretty wide open, I can't imagine why the MG-35 can't find it. I had permissions issues with my XP boxes. Is that the only machine you have in your network?

problem: both mg-35 and pc are connected to my lan via a router. HOwever if i use pc-network to play my filse i get the message 'no pc in network'. However, from my pc i can ping the mg-35, and i've shared my folders (W98-2). any ideas?

Do you have a firewall blocking netbios or SMB traffic (ports 137/138, 445)?

I have fixed the problem with connecting to pc-network by setting the subnetmask in my router from 255.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.0.

Wow, it's curious that it ended up with a subnet mask like that! That had to be a manual entry, SOHO routers are strictly class C devices as a rule.

Gunrunnerjohn,

Your link to the Aus MG-35 v 1.4.4 firmware actually says MG25 firmware upgrade after saving the download even though the download selection says MG-35 v 1.4.4. What gives?

Regards,
TCIII

Hello all,
Since I received my Freecom last week, I've been reading up in this forum. Excellent info here!

I also found an alternative unit from a different supplier: HD-3510 Modix player from DTSinfo from korea. Their firmware looks nice, with M3U playback and all.

Question: would this work on the Mediagate?

There is also some extra software in their download area wich I found very useful: the DivxManager & converter. This tool does not only check your media collection for use on the media player (the modix uses the Sigma EM8511 as well so this should be pretty close) but it also converts to a usable format!

I can't place a link to the download section with firmware and software (there is also a neat way to restore the firmware with the use of a iso file and a cd-rom player, who is willing to try this??)

but you can google it with:

dtsinfo modix download

it's a .co.kr domain.



Greetings from Holland,

Zappacat

is anyone else having problems downloading 1.4.4 from the above links?
The zip file never comes through complete.

If you're using my link, I moved them and they're no longer ZIP files, they're the image of the firmware. I downloaded it myself and compared it to the original I installed, they're identical.

I renamed the files, I must have said MG-25, I'll have to fix that. :) Oh, the troubles of hosting a couple of files! :D

If you're using my link, I moved them and they're no longer ZIP files, they're the image of the firmware. I downloaded it myself and compared it to the original I installed, they're identical.

I renamed the files, I must have said MG-25, I'll have to fix that. :) Oh, the troubles of hosting a couple of files! :D

Sorry to be a pain... I got the file but I am wondering what the extension should be so the the MG-35 will recognize it as a firmware update.

It seems like other firmwares have had the extension " .upgrade ", but this one is " .eng_firmware ".

Will it work as is or should we rename upon downloading?

If you're using my link, I moved them and they're no longer ZIP files, they're the image of the firmware. I downloaded it myself and compared it to the original I installed, they're identical.

I renamed the files, I must have said MG-25, I'll have to fix that. :) Oh, the troubles of hosting a couple of files! :D

Thanks for the hosting.. I will give the upgrade a shot.

You guys are really keeping me on my toes! :D I didn't realize the file extension of .upgrade would be significant, but shame on me. I've changed the names, and added an MD5SUM to each file, and a pointer to the MD5SUM utility to the page. Now you can download them, and have a means to check if they're correctly downloaded. I think I've finally covered all the bases. :)

Mediagate MG-35 Firmware Mirror (http://mediagate.will-enterprises.com/)

Thanx gunrunnerjohn!

For mac users, here is a nice utility to check MD5 sum of gunrunnerjohn's firmware files.

http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Business/MD5shot.shtml

I forgot the Mac users! :D

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. I just wanted to share some updated information on the Mediagate from Saerom Kim at Al Tech with his permission and the response.

Regards,

markusx


Saerom Kim wrote on 03/07/2006 08:08:37 PM:

SK>>NDAS ID, Key & CD will included from April production.
SK>>These product will be deliver to end-customer May or June.
SK>>At that time MG-350HD will be released too.

SK>>Regarding NDAS speed, there is just a little room for improving speed.
SK>>We tested a lot of ways but we got just a little improvement.
SK>>Please do not expect much.


markusx wrote on 03/07/2006 05:43:46 PM:

m>Dear Saerom,

m>Thank you for the information provided. I have a question which was based on
m>a conversation I had with an online vendor regarding your product and the
m>device key. The representative mentioned that the Mediagate will include the
m>device key with future units sometime in June, as well as new firmware which
m>will improve speed similar to the Ximeta. Is there any truth to this claim?
m>Thank you...

I bougt my 35 from freecom. It had firmware 1.3.2. After reading in this post I upgraded to 1.4.4 and now it's a Mediagate. I emailed Ximeta for a NDAS key, but they told me to contact my manufacturer. So I did and I emailed Freecom and asked them if they would publish another firmware telling them that the mediagate firmware was way ahead of them. I asked them for a NDAS key and supplied them with my Mac-adress and my serial number. A few hours later I received a reply with the NDAS software and key attached. They didn't sypply me with a new firmware so I assume they agree with putting a Mediagate firmware on the device. The NDAS software works like a charm. I use a combination of a US robotics switch and a Belking wireless G router. Everything works great!!

Hi!

I'd like to update mi MG-35 to the last version but don't want to install a HD inside, as I'm streaming the files from another NAS...

It is possible to update it from a share in a PC, or is installing a HD compulsory in order to upgrade the fw?

Thanks!

It is possible to update it from a share in a PC, or is installing a HD compulsory in order to upgrade the fw?

Thanks!

I upgraded mine from a Samba shared on a Linux box. Worked great.

Seems I've come in 5 days late...
So I just upgraded to 1.44...The picture is scaled better...
I assumed this upgrade would be the one capable of reading
.m3u files... I made a .m3u file with all 2500 of my mp3s and put it in
the root of my music folder but I can't see it with the MG-35...
So they gave us an upgrade without the .m3u capability that
the Korean Market has had for some time? (Or am I doing something wrong?)...

Will update my webpage with the v 1.44 software...

Paternostertje

Glad you had more luck with Freecom than I did ,its nice to know they have finally caught up,when I asked the for my NDAS key they refused to belive the MG35 had the NDAS functionality and I ended up having to pay for my key fro pc4usa

I upgraded mine from a Samba shared on a Linux box. Worked great.

Thanks, already upgraded, also worked great! :)

I made a webpage with some nice MG-35 background files.
Would be nice if we could share some of your backgrounds.
So if you have a nice one, send it to me and I will put it on the page.

mg35.liebra.net (http://mg35.liebra.net)

e-mail to: liebra [at] gmail.com

I made a webpage with some nice MG-35 background files.
Would be nice if we could share some of your backgrounds.
So if you have a nice one, send it to me and I will put it on the page.

mg35.liebra.net (http://mg35.liebra.net)

e-mail to: liebra [at] gmail.com


Here are a few more(720x480).....(not as nice as the ones above)....but if you like Star Wars or Airplanes, enjoy....

http://www.hi-nrg.net/personal/mgbg/mg_starwarsjango_720.jpg
http://www.hi-nrg.net/personal/mgbg/mg_desert_720.jpg
http://www.hi-nrg.net/personal/mgbg/mg_Starwarsclone_720.jpg
http://www.hi-nrg.net/personal/mgbg/mg_jango_720.jpg
http://www.hi-nrg.net/personal/mgbg/mg_Airplanes_720.jpg
http://www.hi-nrg.net/personal/mgbg/mg_sunset_720.jpg

By the way, I haven't tried these on the unit, so I don't know what the existing MG-35 icons will look like against these backgrounds.

Hi Everyone..

I am a MG-35 Newbie - Have been considering buying a MG-35 for a while and have tried to keep up with the posts here and also have done a few searches but cant see to find a definative answer to the following question..

Out of the box,can I simply plug a mg-35 into the hub of my home WIRED Windows XP NETWORK, and YRANSFER files to the MG-35 to fill the hard disk inside it.. Or Do I need the NDAS software and key? Or is the NDAS only needed for a wireless network?

I have seen quite a few post that seem to indicate that I can stream media FROM my home network without NDAS , but cant seem to pin down if it easy to copy data files TO the MG-35 hard disk directly from my PC.

Sorry for such a Newbie question,but I guess we all have to start somewhere and thanks in advance for any answers..

Regards to all

Teddy

Greetings. Out-of-the-box you use a USB connection between a PC and the MG-35 to "format and load the MG-35's HDD with files". After the MG-35 is setup, you can then also stream Video/Audio from a networked PC/NAS to the MG-35 to your TV. The NDAS option lets you copy/delete files on the MG-35 without a USB connection - as if it was just another attached storage device on your network. Be advised that the NDAS file transfer can be quite slow - I experience about 2gb/hour.

nice work liebra

@Grumpa

Many thanks for your answer - made it alot clearer for me..

One of the Ads I read some where (seen alot over the last few weeks looking) did suggest that you just plug in the MG-35 and either your Network assigns it a ip address automatically (via DCHP) or you can set a IP For it manually,but it did not mention the fact that you need to be running the NDAS software on or Pc - is this the case? or is DCHP not involved at all here?

I plan on "updating" the hdd in the mg-35 on a regular basis - so it looks like the NDAS is my only option (will do overnight , so the speed might not be a real pain)

Just had a thought - what will be interesting, is to see if I can "update" the mg-35's hdd via USB when the MG-35 is connected to one of the NEW "2-way" OTG products that have just come to market - such as the E-Look AK-A6 - featured on my Yahoo Group..

Go to Yahoo Groups...

/group/hddplayers

(Board wont let me include the full url until I have made Five Posts)

When I get my Mg-35 I will report if the "2-way" enclosure works when plugged into the MG-35's USB port..

Thanks again for your help here... I am VERY grateful..

@ teddystacker

Although I have yet to connect my MG-35 to the network, I believe that this is how it works out of the box:

Plug it in to the network and an IP is assigned to the MG-35 (via DHCP I believe)

The MG-35 can then "see" any computers on your network that have a shared folder.

Upon power up of the MG-35 you then select network mode (one of the only 2 options) and then you can then navigate to the shared folders.

BUT, without the NDAS software and latest firmware, none of you computers on the network can "see" your MG-35 because it is not a shared drive/folder.

I think this is it, in a nutshell. If I'm wrong somebody please correct me.

Dave

DHCP is one of your Setup choices (On or Off). Either choice allows the MG-35 to join your network - the NDAS software allows your network to access the MG-35.

DHCP is a method by which the Mediagate can be automatically assigned an IP address on your network, providing you have a DHCP server running somewhere (ie, router). If not, you must manually configure an IP address. Either of the two must happen if you want to use your mediagate on the network, regardless of whether you're using NDAS.

NDAS allows the Mediagate's HDD to be shared over the network, although you must have the NDAS client software installed on your PC to be able to mount the mediagate HDD as a local drive.

One thing to note is that when the mediagate is connected via USB, it disables the media player functions, and simply becomes an external hdd. So if player functionality is required while transferring files to the mediagate, although its extremely slow, NDAS is the only way to do it.

If its an option for you, not having a hdd in the mediagate at all and simply playing directly over the network is probably the easiest way to do it. If you dont want to leave a PC on all the time you could also get a proper NAS. A good starter enclosure such as the Repotec RP-NA210 would do the trick. http://www.repotec.com/nas/nas.htm

Guys , ok one more question along similar lines..

I do also have a Linksys WE11 "Wire;ess Bridge" connected to my hub , to extend my network to a computer three floors up , this works VERY well..

I do plan to hardwire the mg-35 to the hub,being as its only a floor above , but if at some point I want to add it to the wireless part of my network , will this be possible also? - The only reason I ask,is again I read in one of the many ads for the MG-35,that you can use it with a WET 11 wireless device - If so, what else would I need apart from the NDAS software and key?

Thanks to all of you here - a real fountain of knowledge...

You should not have a problem connecting to your network with the Linksys WET54G, it will provide wireless access to the MG-35. Keep your expectations in check if you plan to play video files over the wireless link - music and photos may be fine ... video could be a problem, but then again that is what the HDD is there for. Let us know how it works.

Yeh, I've found wireless is only good for low bandwidth stuff. I've got a wireless link with my next door neighbor, and even though copying files in Windows shows the speed should be fine, we just couldn't get DVD's to play smoothly over the wireless link. DivX avi's were generally ok.

Hi guys

Same some talk regarding NAS boxes for storing content on, I use my MG-35 with a program called NASlite USB running on an old PC I had lying around (PIII 500mhz 128mb ram). it is basically a small Linux ISO specifically designed to work as a NAS. It is very easy to set up and does not require the PC's bios to be able to see the drives. The PC runs as an SMB Share and is accessible from any PC on the network. Works like a bomb and I currently have 1 x 320, 1 x 60 & 2 x 40Gb hard drives installed in it. The thing I like about it the most is that it is so simple.

The stiffy drive version is free of charge but has some sustained transfer rate problems due to limited drivers available. USB version runs of a USB memory stick and transfers at usually between 6000-10000kb/sec. I have had no issues with stuttering or anything like that. You can get it from serverelements, have a look at the stiffy version as it is for free to get a feeling for the software.

JohnB

@ teddystacker

Although I have yet to connect my MG-35 to the network, I believe that this is how it works out of the box:

Plug it in to the network and an IP is assigned to the MG-35 (via DHCP I believe)

The MG-35 can then "see" any computers on your network that have a shared folder.

Upon power up of the MG-35 you then select network mode (one of the only 2 options) and then you can then navigate to the shared folders.

BUT, without the NDAS software and latest firmware, none of you computers on the network can "see" your MG-35 because it is not a shared drive/folder.

I think this is it, in a nutshell. If I'm wrong somebody please correct me.

Dave

Just to confirm, you need to have the NDAS software installed witgh the correct key on the PC that you wish to access the MG-35 from before it will see the MG-35.

JohnB

I bougt my 35 from freecom. It had firmware 1.3.2. After reading in this post I upgraded to 1.4.4 and now it's a Mediagate. I emailed Ximeta for a NDAS key, but they told me to contact my manufacturer. So I did and I emailed Freecom and asked them if they would publish another firmware telling them that the mediagate firmware was way ahead of them. I asked them for a NDAS key and supplied them with my Mac-adress and my serial number. A few hours later I received a reply with the NDAS software and key attached. They didn't sypply me with a new firmware so I assume they agree with putting a Mediagate firmware on the device. The NDAS software works like a charm. I use a combination of a US robotics switch and a Belking wireless G router. Everything works great!!

@Paternostertje

Can you please supply the exact email address at freecom where you got the NDAS Key?

Regards

James

I am considering buying the MG-35. Where do I get the key and software to make it available for file transfers over ethernet? How much does it cost? Thanks!

Hey john, thanks for the info on the NAS distro. I'd been looking for something like this.. Your info eventually led me to another one, which is completely free for all the features of NASLite+ and also includes software raid. Easy to use web interface for configuration (no http file sharing though) and can be run from LiveCD (with floppy disk for config file), flash memory, or hdd. I've just installed it to give it a try and so far so good. Its called FreeNAS and is available from http://www.freenas.org

@Paternostertje

Can you please supply the exact email address at freecom where you got the NDAS Key?

Regards

James

at james_bond_xx7

I sent a mail to supportnl_at_freecom_dot_com and got a reply from martin_dot_ jansen_at_freecom_dot_com
All was sent in Dutch.
Don't forget to send your serial numer and Mac-adress and if you want a freecom firmware ask them to send it along. They only go as far as 1.4.3.
Greetz,
Paternostertje

No sense in using the 1.4.3 software now that 1.4.4 is out and working. I used the software from my hosting link to upgrade my unit, works fine.

I am really hoping that a firmware upgrade will address some of the more basic issues with the MG-35, more NDAS speed would be REALLY nice. :) I do a bit better than some folks reports on the NDAS speed, I get about 1.6 mbyte/sec transfer rates on mine, using HD Tune 2.52 to measure it. It's interesting that the access time runs up to 18.4ms average, but it's still usable if you're not in a hurry. Having about three times the speed would be super slick! :D

I read earlier in this thread where people were having problems playing vob files over 2GB in length. However, I never saw where anyone confirmed this is a limitation of the device. Was this just a problem for that user or will the device not play files larger than 2GB. I like to rip DVDs into one large file. Thanks!

I think that's a basic limitation of the DVD file format. I believe the ISO 9660 format only allows for a maximum 2gig individual file size.

Although I haven't tried > 1GB VOB's myself and can't confirm any problems, might be useful to know that the MG-35 can play dvd's from ISO files, so if you like to keep your dvd's neat and tidy in one file, thats a good way to do it.

I use 1gig VOB's, so I haven't tried it either. I'm thinking of doing the ISO's, but it's an extra step, too lazy. :D

I used DVD Shrink to rip DVDs. One of the options is to create one large VOB file instead of breaking it up into separate files < 2GB each. I have lots of movies that I've saved this way. I was considering buying the MG-35 to replace my PRISMIQ. Can someone verify that this device will play files ripped with DVD Shrink onto 1 large VOB will play? Thanks! Also, where it the best place to get one of these devices that will also sell the software and key for ethernet file transfers.

I always just use the default 1gig VOB, why do you create them that way? I'm surprised that it lets you make VOB's larger than 2gig... I confess I've never turned that option off, what size VOB files do you get?

Usually over 5GB files. The PRISMIQ has no problem playing these large files. I'd just like to have the MG-35 so I can put a hard drive in it. Thanks!

If you use dvdshrink you can rip straight to ISO so there's no extra step john. You just get one file which can be named after the movie so it's Kid/Girlfriend friendly which has to be a bonus.

Why not use DVD Shrink and save directly to an iso file MG-35 plays iso's brilliantly and you have all your menu structure intact

So, I can rip a DVD with DVD Shrink to one ISO file and the MG-35 will play that file like it's a DVD? Seems strange that it will play 5GB ISO files but not 5GB VOBs?

I dont think a 5 gig VOB should be a problem, but tell you what, I'll give it a try this evening for you and let you know..

I don't have any problems playing vob or iso files >2GB, via my network. However, there is a 2GB limitation when playing DivX or XviD files.

Hi I'm satisfied about Freecom Network Mediaplayer drive in kit and I have been upgrade firmware to 1.4.3 from Freecom and I have purchased key at 20 € and now all is ok and I can use Mediaplayer as NDAS. Is FANTASTIC
nmp.forumup.it

Hey john, thanks for the info on the NAS distro. I'd been looking for something like this.. Your info eventually led me to another one, which is completely free for all the features of NASLite+ and also includes software raid. Easy to use web interface for configuration (no http file sharing though) and can be run from LiveCD (with floppy disk for config file), flash memory, or hdd. I've just installed it to give it a try and so far so good. Its called FreeNAS and is available from http://www.freenas.org

I am confused. My PC running Windows XP Home can already share NTFS Drive with shared folders that can be seen by MG-35. What is the advantage of running FreeNAS on my PC?

Thx,

jhaveri

With NDAS access, you can see the drive in the MG-35 from your PC. Many times, storing media on the MG-35 hard disk will give you better performance and fewer playback issues.

Guys/Gals - I'm having a bit of trouble with my MG-35, specifically with playing files over the network.

I've got the MG-35 connected to a netgear 10/100 router, and have properly shared a folder on my PC and given the guest account read rights. The MG-35 can see the shared folders, but no files or sub-folders appear within it (even though both exist). The MG-35 gives no errors when browsing these folders over the network, and the screen even changes as though there should be a file listing, but nothing is there. Another curiosity is that the time and date fields at the bottom of the screen are filled with non-english filler characters... I've tried all firmware versions from 1.3.2 through 1.4.4 with no change at all in results.

From what I can find on this forum, finding and playing files over a wired network shouldn't require jumping through this many (if any) hoops, and I need to know if it's me or my setup before I contact the retailer for a replacement.

Thanks in advance,

JJ

Are you using the NDAS driver to access the local hard disk on your MG-35? If do, do you have any problems accessing files there?

I had some issues initially sharing folders with the MG-35, but it simply gave me an error when I tried to connect to any of my systems except the Network Attached Storage server. I ended up going through almost all of this network checklist before I got them sharing correctly.

Checklist for networking Windows Machines with TCP/IP
-----------------------------------------------------
- PCs which are not XP must have TCP/IP installed.
- Each PC must have a unique computer name.
- Each PC must have a network share defined.
- ALL NICS must be on the same subnet (e.g. IP 192.168.0.* subnet mask 255.255.255.0).
- XP PCs must have Netbios over TCP/IP enabled (only essential for XP to talk to W9X PCs).
- MS Client and file & printer sharing must be enabled on each machine.
- All NICs must have their node type = anything except p-node (peer to peer, or point-point).
* To check, open a command prompt and type IPCONFIG /ALL.
- XP's ICF firewall is permanently disabled. (Only necessary for pre XP SP2).
- All 3rd party firewalls are disabled, uninstalled and deleted (until connection is working).
- PCs have the same workgroup (helps, but not essential for XP/2K, necessary for 9X/ME).

Allow 15 mins after rebooting a PC for that PC to appear in the workgroup, or
for it to see all other PCs. Or you can search for the PC by its computer name.


Additional things to check if you still have problems:
-----------------------------------------------------
- Check your Services are Started on all PCs: Workstation, Server, TCP/IP Netbios helper, Computer Browser.
- XP gives access to its shares via the Net Guest Account. (Note, not the same as the local guest account in user accounts which should be off). Net Guest Account is enabled by default in XP, but to check it, open a command prompt and type: NET USER GUEST
Should return a line with 'Account active yes'.


Check XP Security policies:
--------------------------
- Access this computer from the network: add guest
- Deny logon locally: remove guest
- Network access:Sharing and security model... -> Guest only
- Deny access to this computer from the network-> check Guest is not here.

jhaveri, freenas is Network Attached Storage server software. It is installed on another standalone PC that only shares file. It wouldnt be installed on your Windows XP PC.

The NAS I'm talking about is a standalone Hawking HNAS1 box.

Are you using the NDAS driver to access the local hard disk on your MG-35? If do, do you have any problems accessing files there?

No NDAS access (I haven't obtained a device ID/Key)


I had some issues initially sharing folders with the MG-35, but it simply gave me an error when I tried to connect to any of my systems except the Network Attached Storage server. I ended up going through almost all of this network checklist before I got them sharing correctly.


There is only one other PC on the network (the target machine, named 'fatman')

All items in the checklist you posted are correct/present/yes.


Check XP Security policies:
--------------------------
- Access this computer from the network: add guest
- Deny logon locally: remove guest
- Network access:Sharing and security model... -> Guest only
- Deny access to this computer from the network-> check Guest is not here.

I'm unsure how I check these security attributes, but other pcs have no trouble browsing my shared directories using the 'Guest' account.

No luck so far -- still intrigued by the random characters that fill the description fields at the bottom of the screen when I'm in a directory that should have files (but none appear). I've tried randomly sharing a variety of folders on the PC, and these folders appear immediately in the MG-35, but none of their contents are present.

Also, when I'm in one of these directories and no files or sub-folders are showing, I get the two up/down arrows in the lower right corner indicating that there are multiple pages of files, which would be true if they were showing.

Thanks for your help Gunrunner, I hope you've got a few more ideas up your sleeve.

JJ

I'm out of ideas. Your symptoms don't sound like the classic file sharing issue, I've never seen that kind of thing happen.

The last items are for XP-Pro, you may be running XP-Home and not have those.

I presume you tried turning off Simple Sharing?

Problem found and fixed! -- As is often the case with computers, this was 100% user-boneheadedness... I had added 'Guest' to the share, but failed to add 'Guest' to the security. Thanks for your help Gunrunner, apologies for wasting your time.

Tchau,

JJ

No sweat, it's interesting that you'd get those odd indications. :confused: :)

When I watch a picture slideshow, I always get MP3 music at the background. Very nice, but I get sick of the first 10 tracks now. Is it possible to stop or to shuffle MP3's during a slideshow? In music-mode you can shuffle tracks by pushing 3. When I push 3 during a slideshow, the time interval gets 3 seconds.

If you move the MP3's out of the music folder in the root of the drive, they won't play with the slide show. If that folder is not present, it won't automatically play. From the manual:
Make a 'music' folder (in a small letter not a capital letter) at root directory of built-in HDD and save MP3 files at the folder. If the HDD is divided into two or more partitions, make a 'music' folder at first partition.
When you play one or all photo files, you can listen mp3 and see photo slide show together.

Thanks grj, I considered that. The reason I put mp3's in the music folder is that in that case you can also use the MG-35 as a standalone MP3 player without a TV set. Now I'm just wondering how to stop or shuffle tracks during photo slideshows.

When the slide show is running, press the Mute button.

Does anyone know how to delete a complete folder?
Like to remove a complete folder after I've seen a movie ;)

Hope someone knows the key to use...

The interface is R/O with the remote, you need to either use the NDAS interface, or connect it via the USB to a computer and do your file management that way.

I noticed that MediaGate have recently (20-Mar-2006) included the NDAS s/w and manual on thier download page.

I emailed Freecom (twice) but have been unable to get the NDAS 'key' - anybody else had any joy?

I have asked for the NDAS key from the two addresses Paternostertje has given and from Freecom Support Switzerland 10 days ago. No response.

James

Has someone attached the MG35 to a Maxtor Shared Storage NAS? What are the experiences?

Instead of using (the slow) NDAS, I am thinking of buying a 500 GB Maxtor Shared Storage. But I am afraid of spending the money if am not sure if it really works. And does it also work with ISO Files > 4 GB?

Regards

James

I've used my Hawking HNAS1 unit with the MG-35, no reason to believe that the maxtor would be any different. The Hawking NAS uses Linux as it's base O/S, so large files are not an issue. Since they say that the Maxtor unit uses GPL code, my guess is that it's also Linux based.

I noticed that MediaGate have recently (20-Mar-2006) included the NDAS s/w and manual on thier download page.

I emailed Freecom (twice) but have been unable to get the NDAS 'key' - anybody else had any joy?They also have the 1.44 software mis-labeled as 1.42 in the list. I compared it to the previously obtained Australian 1.44 version, and it's not the same.

Has anyone tried the NDAS S/W from the MediaGate site? I'm curious if it's the same as what we have, or perhaps better or worse.

*** Question answered, I compared it to the Ximeta S/W we have, the file is identical. ***

One would think that maybe MediaGate will start giving out the keys, since they've posted the software. I wonder if I can get a refund on my key? :D

Has someone attached the MG35 to a Maxtor Shared Storage NAS? What are the experiences?

Instead of using (the slow) NDAS, I am thinking of buying a 500 GB Maxtor Shared Storage. But I am afraid of spending the money if am not sure if it really works. And does it also work with ISO Files > 4 GB?

Regards

James

Hi James,

I bought a Maxtor Shared Storage 500 gig two weeks ago. I download movies (VOB files) on the Maxtor en play the files with the mediagate over my network, works fine. Sometimes while browsing through the movie folders on the maxtor, they seem to be empty, but this is nog the case. Restarting de Mediagate solves the problem.

I normally download the movies to the MG-35 hard disk, so I haven't experienced the empty folder issue. I have used the network capability, and I've never seen that, but maybe it's just because I haven't used it enough.

One other issue that comes up with the NDAS. If you reboot a machine that's connected, the MG-35 won't let you mount R/W until you restart it, the memory of the connection never expires.

I asked Freecom for the needed information to register the NDAS S/W on 16.03.. I am still waiting..

Erpel42

i asked for the codes some days and it them about 10 days to answer, but they gave me the codes together with a note stating that "there may be some problems with your warranty if you have installed a Mediagate firmware in your Freecom MP-35".

Hi, does anyone what the file size limit is for jpeg files? I dumped a folder of the kids pictures in and it'll display some and the rest gets a not enough memory error. Seems only the one that were cropped were displayed. The full 6MP pixs (3MB+-) error out. Thanks

Hello Planky

Thank you for your reply.

Does the Spin Down of the Harddisk in the MSS work reliable? My intended use is to have the MSS running 24 Hours/7 days. For saving power and longer life of the harddisk, the harddisk should spin down after a certain time unused. I have read in review in a german magazine (c't), that their drive did not wake up. What is your experience.

By the way, there is open source firmware for the MSS: http://www.openmss.org.

In this thread (http://www.openmss.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=265)
the seam to confirm that the MSS supports files larger 4GB.

Regards

James

Hi, does anyone what the file size limit is for jpeg files? I dumped a folder of the kids pictures in and it'll display some and the rest gets a not enough memory error. Seems only the one that were cropped were displayed. The full 6MP pixs (3MB+-) error out. ThanksI'm running the 1.44 firmware, and I can display a picture 5832x4560 and 6.5mb in size. I have seen pictures error out, I can only assume that either there's something about the picture, or flaws in the JPG decoding on the MG-35.

@catbui99

I have seen this error too. I appeared with some pictures, which I had optimized with Photoshop or Minolta Dimage Master. The original pics are displayed (8 MB resolution) without error.
Up to know I did not look for the reason when this appears. Most of optimized pics show up normally.

regards erpel42

thanks for the info, all my pix were edited in photoshop and saved as jpeg. The only difference is the image size because of the cropping. That's why I thought it had something to do with the file size. I guess I'll experiment some more to see. Thanks again.

To answer a question earlier about the NDAS software someone posted, I got an email from Airlinktech and they said I'd have to buy the key from the vendor where I got my MG-35 from. So no freebies:)

I ordered my NDAS key from pc4usa , I was totally amazed when it arrived in my email box 21 hours later!! - Now that is good service..

Hello all, great forum!

After reading everything I have here it seems that I either have a new issue, or that this bug bothers no one else....

When I make a PC / MG-35 connection the blue, indigo backlight continues to flash unendingly (the same frequency that it does when booting up). I am worried that this is an indication that my USB port has not connected at full 2.0 speed. Does this make any sense? In any event, the usb speed is typically 10 to 15 mbps avg. for very large files. Not what I expected, although still comfortably speedy. Would you all call this typical? I've tested my USB ports, and they seem to be up to spec. with other devices.

This unit is new, and as long as it is supposed to flash when connected via USB I'll drop my worries and throw it back on the network.

Thanks in advance!

@GasMan337

My Mg-35 works exactly the same way when connected to my Pc's USB port.I just presumed that this is the way it work (A bit strange I agree).I was suprised however,that when connected to the USB port the only way to turn off the MG-35 is to disconnect the USB cable or actually pull the PSU from the wall outlet,I would have liked to see a "hard switch" on the back of the unit..

I just got my new MG-35 installed today. I put my hard drive in with all my movies. Everything was going great... until. Several of my movies won't play the audio. They were all ripped the same way using DVD Shrink. It's just a VOB file. Has anyone else seen this problem. About half or more of the movies play perfect. The rest won't play the audio, the video is fine. I also have one of the movies that will NOT play audio on my computer. When I try to stream it from my PC, the audio won't play there either. I can play the movie on my PC OK. Any ideas?

jeffmotes,

Did you record the audio in DTS format on the movies that will not play the audio on the MG-35?

The MG-35 may not be able to decode DTS if you are using the stereo analog output of the MG-35 for the audio.

I believe that the MG-35 decodes Dolby AC3 and will output a stereo analog signal on the MG-35's stereo output.

Just a thought.

Regards,
TCIII

As far as I know, I ripped the all the same way. I just disconnect the MG-35 and connected it to my computer. All of the movies that won't play audio will play perfect from the MG-35 connected to my PC via USB. This is very discouraging!

jeffmotes....ever tried DVDFab??
Is it possible it's a digital audio signal and you need to use the optical out?
USB may have the ability of digital audio.

just a guess.... :)

Hi all, I downloaded and installed the 1.4.4 firmware from the AL TEch site. I also downloaded the 'NDAS software for a PC' and the PDF manual.
When it came time to 'register' the NDAS device, the manual and the dialog box says there is a 20 character device ID and a 5 character write key on a sticker on the bottom of the unit.
Well on my sticker is this:

N12107
Z335
P20311000700

and also the sticker with:
model: Mpeg4 player
S/N: FAALKMG35D00777

NOTHING 20 characters long.

Also, no write key 5 chars long!

Is this what others have on the bottom of their MG35 units?

Has anyone installed and used the NDAS from AL Tech site? Their doc implies these IDs and keys is all that's required.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

I connected my MG-35 up to my receiver using the digital input and these files still will not play. Any ideas of other things I can try? Thanks!

Hello all, great forum!

After reading everything I have here it seems that I either have a new issue, or that this bug bothers no one else....

When I make a PC / MG-35 connection the blue, indigo backlight continues to flash unendingly (the same frequency that it does when booting up). I am worried that this is an indication that my USB port has not connected at full 2.0 speed. Does this make any sense? In any event, the usb speed is typically 10 to 15 mbps avg. for very large files. Not what I expected, although still comfortably speedy. Would you all call this typical? I've tested my USB ports, and they seem to be up to spec. with other devices.

This unit is new, and as long as it is supposed to flash when connected via USB I'll drop my worries and throw it back on the network.

Thanks in advance!15m/byte a second is reasonable for a USB drive, I get from 15-20, depending on the specific USB drive and the machine it's connected to. I think that's normal operation.

I just got my new MG-35 installed today. I put my hard drive in with all my movies. Everything was going great... until. Several of my movies won't play the audio. They were all ripped the same way using DVD Shrink. It's just a VOB file. Has anyone else seen this problem. About half or more of the movies play perfect. The rest won't play the audio, the video is fine. I also have one of the movies that will NOT play audio on my computer. When I try to stream it from my PC, the audio won't play there either. I can play the movie on my PC OK. Any ideas?I used DVDShrink to do all the movies on my MG-35, haven't had any that won't play yet.

Hi all, I downloaded and installed the 1.4.4 firmware from the AL TEch site. I also downloaded the 'NDAS software for a PC' and the PDF manual.
When it came time to 'register' the NDAS device, the manual and the dialog box says there is a 20 character device ID and a 5 character write key on a sticker on the bottom of the unit.
Well on my sticker is this:

N12107
Z335
P20311000700

and also the sticker with:
model: Mpeg4 player
S/N: FAALKMG35D00777

NOTHING 20 characters long.

Also, no write key 5 chars long!

Is this what others have on the bottom of their MG35 units?

Has anyone installed and used the NDAS from AL Tech site? Their doc implies these IDs and keys is all that's required.

Thanks in advance for any replies!When you send them your MAC address, they return a 20 character ID in the form of: xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx and a 5 digit write key. That came in the email from www.ewaggle.com, where I bought the key.

@GasMan337

My Mg-35 works exactly the same way when connected to my Pc's USB port.I just presumed that this is the way it work (A bit strange I agree).I was suprised however,that when connected to the USB port the only way to turn off the MG-35 is to disconnect the USB cable or actually pull the PSU from the wall outlet,I would have liked to see a "hard switch" on the back of the unit..The correct way to "turn off" the MG-35 when USB connected is to use the "Safely Remove Hardware" from the system tray, then unplug the unit.

Hi,
I got my new mg-35 from Shop4Tech on friday and when i first started it it was showing the initial menu on the TV and everythig was fine until that time. Then, I added my WD 20 GB harddrive and tried to access the hard drive from my xp pro laptop and i was able to access it using the usb. As expected it when you connect to usb the light started blinking ( an the TV went blank ) and i was able to see the drive on my laptop and i copied some divx and some pictures to the hard drive. I was able to watch the movie on TV. but, the problem started when i cliked on one of the pictures. First it showed the picture and then screen went blank and the mg-35 started blinking. thats it i was never able to see something on the TV ( not even the startup menu). But, when i conected to the pc using usb it is working as expected.

Right now mg-35 is just like an external hard drive. Nothing else is working.

Did i do some thing wrong or the Is this a defective item ?

Disconnect the MG-35 from the USB connection, and power it off, then back on. If it still doesn't display, I'd try removing the hard disk and see if that changes it. It could just be defective, hard to say from here.

Greetings. My MG-35 works fine. NDAS is stable (slow), Firmware is v1.44. ISOs play great, and they are made using DVDShrink. DivX .avi is the problem. Using the latest DivX Bundle codecs (6.1.1.3) ... when I convert from DVD to DivX the MG-35 plays the movie starting somewhere in the middle ... any movie. Any ideas what could cause this to happen? Nothing plays from the beginning. Thanks.

I haven't tried DivX conversions yet, have you gotten any DivX movies made elsewhere and played them?

I noticed that MediaGate have recently (20-Mar-2006) included the NDAS s/w and manual on thier download page.

I emailed Freecom (twice) but have been unable to get the NDAS 'key' - anybody else had any joy?


Dear DColeman you can have a key word for NDAS to internet page freecomstore.it in "Media Player" section at 29 € (Euro)
Bye

I have asked for the NDAS key from the two addresses Paternostertje has given and from Freecom Support Switzerland 10 days ago. No response.

James

Dear Lames_Bond you can have a key word for NDAS to internet page freecomstore.it in "Media Player" section at 29 € (Euro)
Bye

I've encoded files using DivX 6.1.1.3 and they played back fine. Come to think of it now though, that might have been with firmware 1.4.3. I'll have to check again with v1.4.4

Greetings. My MG-35 works fine. NDAS is stable (slow), Firmware is v1.44. ISOs play great, and they are made using DVDShrink. DivX .avi is the problem. Using the latest DivX Bundle codecs (6.1.1.3) ... when I convert from DVD to DivX the MG-35 plays the movie starting somewhere in the middle ... any movie. Any ideas what could cause this to happen? Nothing plays from the beginning. Thanks.

Would be VERY grateful if anyone could help me with this "sharing" problem I have with my MG-35 on my home network..

I have my Mg-35 hooked up to my hardwired home network running windows XP.I can stream from most of my shared drives fine,eveything works great.The only problem I am having is that I cannot stream from a USB2 Enclosure I have connected to one of the PC's on the network.I have this shared out correctly.with both read and write enabled and only a short share name.The share name appears in the list of shares when I browse my network on the Mg-35,but I just get a error message from the MG-35,when I actually try and access it, saying that "there is a problem connecting to the drive or sharing is not enabled correcly".I have checked all settings on the USB2 enclosure and nothing is any different (sharewise) to any other of my shared drives,and it is working correctly when I browse to and from it from the XP machines on the network..

Does anyone have any idea what I may be doing wrong , or is it just not possible for the MG-35 to connect to other USB2 drives connected to a network??

Thanks in advance..

I tried the mentioned. I am not getting even the first menu. Looks like a defective item. I am going to return it to Shop4Tech.

Thanks,

Disconnect the MG-35 from the USB connection, and power it off, then back on. If it still doesn't display, I'd try removing the hard disk and see if that changes it. It could just be defective, hard to say from here.

@Teddystacker

It is a USB slave port. You can only copy files from your network to this MG35 drive!!
When you want to spread data over your network via MG35, it is only possible with TCI/IP AND NOT USB. Besides that, there may be a NDAS-Connection available for future use.

regards...erpel42

I haven't tried DivX conversions yet, have you gotten any DivX movies made elsewhere and played them?
---
Apparently my DivX .avi dilemma was caused by AutoGK v2.2.6 ... installing v2.2.7 fixed the DivX problem and the movies encode just fine. Thanks for all of the responses.

@erpel42

no , you have miss understood my post - I am streaming via my mg-35 network connection from a USB2 external drive connected to my Wired XP Network - I am NOT using the USB port on the MG-35 - its another USB2 drive connected TO my network that i want to stream from..

Ah.. yep, I used 2.2.7 when encoding..

---
Apparently my DivX .avi dilemma was caused by AutoGK v2.2.6 ... installing v2.2.7 fixed the DivX problem and the movies encode just fine. Thanks for all of the responses.

For those having trouble accessing Windows shares, it could be related to a problem with Windows update KB885250.

In my own experience, when the folder was viewable sometimes just the .ifo files would be missing when viewing shares across the network, but then again sometimes the whole subfolder was missing.

Microsoft has released another update for this problem, although I haven't tried it.
Check out http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=896427 for the updates.

I fixed my problem using the workaround of re-enabling 8.3 filename creation. (copy and paste below and save to a file such as ntfs83.reg, then double click to import into registry. Also be sure to keep the extra blank lines at the end)

PS. For some reason spaces keep getting inserted in the word FileSystem. Be sure to remove them so its all one word.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSyst em]
"NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation"=dword:00000000


;

You can also uninstall KB885250, although now that an update is available its probably best to use that.

Hope this helps.

FYI, you should NEVER disable 8.3 filename creation! This breaks a host of applications, and there's really no reason to do so. This is what is usually called a self-inflicted wound. :)

---
Apparently my DivX .avi dilemma was caused by AutoGK v2.2.6 ... installing v2.2.7 fixed the DivX problem and the movies encode just fine. Thanks for all of the responses.Glad you found it. I did encode a DivX with the same 6.1.1.3 version and it played fine on my MG-35, I came here this morning to tell you that, but you beat me to it. :D

Hi,
I got my new mg-35 from Shop4Tech on friday and when i first started it it was showing the initial menu on the TV and everythig was fine until that time. Then, I added my WD 20 GB harddrive and tried to access the hard drive from my xp pro laptop and i was able to access it using the usb. As expected it when you connect to usb the light started blinking ( an the TV went blank ) and i was able to see the drive on my laptop and i copied some divx and some pictures to the hard drive. I was able to watch the movie on TV. but, the problem started when i cliked on one of the pictures. First it showed the picture and then screen went blank and the mg-35 started blinking. thats it i was never able to see something on the TV ( not even the startup menu). But, when i conected to the pc using usb it is working as expected.

Right now mg-35 is just like an external hard drive. Nothing else is working.

Did i do some thing wrong or the Is this a defective item ?

I used to have a similar problem when I first got my MG-35. Turned out that I had the jumper setting on my hard drive set to MASTER. The MG-35 requires it to be set to SINGLE for it to work in both USB mode and movie/media mode.

FYI, you should NEVER disable 8.3 filename creation! This breaks a host of applications, and there's really no reason to do so. This is what is usually called a self-inflicted wound. :)

Yep, but when a windows update goes and does it without your knowledge thats even worse!

@teddystacker

what you want to stream may be little too much for the USB-specification. Remember it is daisy-chain technologie AND NOT IP.

regards erpel42

USB2 should be more than adequate for streaming movies. With a theoretical transfer speed of up to 480mbps, and DVD specs maxing out at 9.8mbps, USB2 shouldn't be the bottleneck. (In theory even USB1 with a transfer speed of 12mbps should be enough).

Of course, in practice, there is hdd transfer speed, and then loss between the ATA to USB conversion. Having said that though, all USB2 enclosures I've ever used have had a minimum transfer rate of 10MB - 20MB ps. (80 - 160 mbps).

@teddystacker, back to your problem. It seems to me that its a Windows access rights issue. The MG-35 shouldn't be able to differentiate a USB2 shared drive from any other across the network.

Since you can access other shares ok, I guess its specific to this USB2 share.
So, a bit more info..

Are you sharing the root of the drive?
Windows XP Pro or Home?
Do you have another PC on the network, and are able to access the share with that?
Are you using simple file sharing?

@Frenik and other people trying to help me..

Well, I solved the problem , it was a Windows Shares problem as Frenik suggested..

Soloution is detailed here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;177078

Its one of those problems that seems to crop up from time to time and noone knows until they encounter it - I found it after about 2 hours of google searches..
Good old Bill and Peter Norton eh? , god only knows how your average home user is supposed to deal with this kind of thing...

Anyway I can now confirm this it *IS* possible to use the MG-35 to stream FROM another USB2 enclosure connected to your Wired network.All workls perfectly with no stutter - I am using XP pro via a Wired hub..
The only slight problem I still have, is that after a computer reboot the USB2 Enclosure is no longer shared and I have to go in manually again and re-share it,but once that is done all is ok.Would be VERY grtaful if anyone knows why it "un-shares" itself after a reboot..
This is great, as I now have abother 300gig of storage I can use,as I did not want to have the Disk spinning all the time in my PC , I can now just power up when I want to access my extra content..

Regards to all...

Teddy

Just got my MG-35.

I can't get it working over the network. I'm using a G5 OS x 10.4. If there are any Mac users out there that can give me some help I'd be very grateful.

In the meantime I want get a USB drive to transfer and play files. Can you play video from a USB drive attached to the MG-35? email is ok.

Just got my MG-35.


In the meantime I want get a USB drive to transfer and play files. Can you play video from a USB drive attached to the MG-35? email is ok.

NO you CANNOT play video off a USB drive connected DIRECTLY to the mg-35's USB port.. - that is a slave port only , and is only used to connecting the MG-35,so you can access its internal hard disk from a computer..

BUT you CAN play video of a EXTERNAL USB2 drive connected to another PC , and then connect that pc to the Mg-35 via the RJ45 port..

I myself do this,as per the post above.. works well...

Just got my MG-35.

I can't get it working over the network. I'm using a G5 OS x 10.4. If there are any Mac users out there that can give me some help I'd be very grateful.


You need to configure samba to accept anonymous guests.

You should use an entry like


[Movies]
path = /Volumes/Movies
public = yes
read only = yes
only guest = yes


In the global section you may need


auth methods = guest opendirectory
guest account = nobody


The samba daemon (or the host) may have to be restarted in order to
take effect.

When oh when is someone going to crack the mediagate so that we can use more codec's in it? It's starting to get harder to watch a range of things because it does not like the format :(

I don't think it's going to happen...All the people with the knowledge to do this stuff all seem to be interested in Xbox...And I don't see much improving on the MG-35 in the future from the manufacturere either...They seem more concerned with getting approval from their distributors than the end consumer...
Example...M3U capability has been out in domestic market/firmware since I think about November...Still not in English version and their excuse was needing some sort of approval from their distributors...Oh well...It does a good enough job until something better comes along...


When oh when is someone going to crack the mediagate so that we can use more codec's in it? It's starting to get harder to watch a range of things because it does not like the format :(

DivX .avi is the problem. Using the latest DivX Bundle codecs (6.1.1.3) ... when I convert from DVD to DivX the MG-35 plays the movie starting somewhere in the middle ... any movie. Any ideas what could cause this to happen? Nothing plays from the beginning. Thanks.

What is the size of your files? I find that with Xvid files over ~2GB in size, I get this problem.

My DivX / XviD files are all over 2gb ... I thought I had the problem solved with AutoGK 2.2.7 ... but not so ... some worked (they were < 2gb, but the others > 2gb just start in the middle ... FYI ... a similar thing happens with DVDs encoded with FairUse, only the movies start at the end!

Thanks for the help. But, I was not able to do anything becase even if i removed the hard drive, the menu on the TV was not showing up. I returned it anyway.

I used to have a similar problem when I first got my MG-35. Turned out that I had the jumper setting on my hard drive set to MASTER. The MG-35 requires it to be set to SINGLE for it to work in both USB mode and movie/media mode.

Hello Planky

Thank you for your reply.

Does the Spin Down of the Harddisk in the MSS work reliable? My intended use is to have the MSS running 24 Hours/7 days. For saving power and longer life of the harddisk, the harddisk should spin down after a certain time unused. I have read in review in a german magazine (c't), that their drive did not wake up. What is your experience.

By the way, there is open source firmware for the MSS:
In this thread the seam to confirm that the MSS supports files larger 4GB.

Regards

James

Hey James,

To save power, the Shared Storage drive may be placed be in a "sleep" mode after a period of at least 15 min of inactivity. The Shared Storage drive will be ready again whenever you try to access it. It works fine. When there is network traffic on the same router as were the MSS is pluged into, sometimes it stays awake. But in full operation mode it only using 12 watts. In sleep mode it is using 4 watts. Waking up the drive is never a problem.
Thanks for the tip for MSS open source firmware. I don't think i am gonna use it, not too many benifits :)

Regards
Ron

Hi there,
I have recently purchased the Mediagate MG-35 and I have a Maxtor 300 gig HD in there. Its formatted to NTFS, and I can access it via USB.
My problem is that when I try to transfer a large file it hangs, and computer becomes non-responsive. Has anyone else had this problem? I really like the unit and I am hoping someone can shed some insight to this.
Please and Thanks.

Are you using an nForce4 motherboard and a dual core CPU?

Are you using an nForce4 motherboard and a dual core CPU?

Motherboard - Asus P5AD2-E Premium
P4 3.4Ghz Intel (Socket 775)

I tried doing tonnes of searches on USB issues and Mass media storage and it appears to be a common thing. I may try a PCI-USB card and hope it rectifies this. Possibly NEC chipset.

I was hoping others could shed some light on this.
Other option is to get this unit working NDAS and I should be able to transfer via LAN.

Yeah my Abit AN8 Ultra with a dual core AMD won't transfer large files via USB, had to get myself a separate pci USB card. :(

Yeah my Abit AN8 Ultra with a dual core AMD won't transfer large files via USB, had to get myself a separate pci USB card. :(

I assume the card corrected the problem?
What manufacturer of card did you get? Do you know the chipset the USB runs on?

Update: As a last resort before going to purchase a PCI-USB card I tried something. I safely removed my Enermax Multifunction unit from in front of my computer. This device used 4 ports. Once I released this I am able to transfer flawlessly to the unit.
Turns out the Enermax was taxing the resources.
Im so happy this is functioning normally now.

I assume the card corrected the problem?
What manufacturer of card did you get? Do you know the chipset the USB runs on?

Yep, card corrected the problem - can still run the on-board usb if it is set to 1.0/1.1 in the BIOS (not 1.0/2.0). Don't think it matters what the chipset was on the pci cards, I have used 2 different ones (2nd one had more ports). I think one was realtek, other was VIA.

I was wondering if any knows if I have two mg-35's with NAS access can they access and stream the files to each other or is that for transfers only? Also I have a Dlink DSM-520 does anyone know if it will stream through the Dlink server software from a mg-35 with NAS?

Hi there,
I have recently purchased the Mediagate MG-35 and I have a Maxtor 300 gig HD in there. Its formatted to NTFS, and I can access it via USB.
My problem is that when I try to transfer a large file it hangs, and computer becomes non-responsive. Has anyone else had this problem? I really like the unit and I am hoping someone can shed some insight to this.
Please and Thanks.

It's possible you have a bad sector on one of your hard drives, either the one you're copying to or the one you are reading from.

A quick test to find out if it is the one you are reading from is to try to make a copy of that file, but not to the hard drive in your mediagate. If that freezes up your computer, it's probably just a bad sector on your source drive. If it doesn't, then it's possibly a bad sector on your destination drive. Typing the following command in from command prompt window (start, programs, command prompt) can fix bad sectors. In the below example I am going to use P drive (driver letter P), you would change this to the drive letter you need to fix.

chkdsk p: /f /r /x

The process can take 2 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the drive, number of files on it, and the number of bad sectors it will attempt to mark/fix. If the drive is being used by windows, chkdsk will ask you to schedule a repair, and the next time you reboot, it will do it while windows is starting up.

Just a bit of background knowledge for you, a bad sector is a part of the drive that has weakened / difficult to read. By running chkdsk to mark the bad sectors, you're telling Windows that it should avoid those weak parts of the drive, so that Windows doesn't freeze while trying to read or write from the weak part.

Of course the above is all assuming that you have a bad sector on one of your drives, if you don't, there is no harm in trying chkdsk anyway.

EDIT: oops I should have read further as I see you've solved the problem already. This is still good advice anyway, as trying to read from a file that has been written on a bad sector can cause freezes as well, and this may help someone else.

Definately good advise. I also did what you mentioned prior to finding the solution.
Thanks for the post.

Is the new firmware posted on the AirLinkTek site for the MG-25 or MG-35 ???
I am confused ... it is posted as a MG-25 with a MG-35 number scheme ...?

How about a screen saver after a certain amount of time of non activity.

Really sucks when you own a plasma and you want to stop movie for a few mins (answer phone, have a smoke etc). Most current DVD players have screen savers for this reason.

Does not even need to be a screen saver just a blank screen will do !!!!!!!!!!!

@Grumpa

I have been happy to read your posting. Very excited, I tried the original file -> upgrade failed.
Today I renamed the file (removing sqare brackets and AI_Tech) -> same result!
But the name of this file is still long and that may be the reason why an upgrade dosn`t happen.
I stay waiting for additional posts confused as you.
regards erpel42

erpel42:
I think you just answered the question wether the firmware is for the MG-25 or MG-35. Your update failures makes it look like it is indeed a MG-25 firmware with a big jump in version numbers.

Yeh, it would be for the MG-25. If you check the Korean site, you'll see that there have been updates between 1.4.0 and 1.4.6 for the MG-25, seems its just been a while since they released an english version. (1.4.6 was released 17/Feb on Korean site)

http://www.mediagate.co.kr/corean/atboard.php?section1=firmware&section2=mediagate

Is there a good contact here for Mediagate? yoh-dah at Infrant (of ReadyNAS fame) wants to work with them on SMB throughput issues for the MG-35 similar to what they did working with Roku fixing some glitches in firmware. I figured this model's day has almost passed so I wanted to get them set up ASAP. I just got the MG-35 myself since I just wanted it for SD content, but it would also probably help for the HD box which Infrant plans on testing with in-house (not sure why they don't have a MG-35 to test with, although they do list it as a compatible device).

Anybody noticed that you can't scroll anymore while playing a song with this upgrade?

you never could scroll...could you? never tried anything under 1.44

Yep, in the previous version you could scroll through the songs while playing a song with the <enter> key on the remote, not with the <play> key. It was possible to search for a next song while playing one. In general I find the interface adequate for movies but it's a dissapointement for playing music (in comparison with windows mediaplayer).

guess i am switching to old firmware then...because this is a huge deal to me...i hate not being able to scroll while playing a song

Anybody noticed that you can't scroll anymore while playing a song with this upgrade?
That's more like a downgrade than an upgrade. :(

Just received my MG-35 yesterday. Am very disapointed that it does not support playing m3u based playlists.

Even more so that it appears not to retain Remote Control Generated Playlists after you power off the unit.

These limitations make this a critically flawed product for those interested in using this as an MP3 Player on your home stereo system.

Are there any solutions out there for either of these problems?

Thanks,

Perry

guess i am switching to old firmware then...because this is a huge deal to me...i hate not being able to scroll while playing a song
Don't bother, none of the upgrades allows you to scroll while playing a song, only the original firmware does (where can i find it?) but then you have the problem that you jump to the first file every time you switch directory (Very annoying with aprox. 15000 mp3's in a "jukebox" directory layout).

This thread had me worried about how hard it would be to get a pin and key set for the NDAS functions on my new MG-35, but low and behold -- they were on a sticker on the bottom of the unit, as the manual and software suggest. The manufacture date on mine is March/06 (shipped with bios 1.4.4), so the must have started providing them sometime at or before then. Reports that NDAS transfers are slow are not exaggerated, however.

Good to hear the NDAS key is included now..
Reading through the MG-35 NDAS manual, I see that it states maximum speed is 10mbps.

Yeah, 10mbps seems about right. I've learned just to let large files transfer overnight. It's not ideal, but it saves pulling all the A/V cables out and running the unit over to my server at the other end of the house to use USB.

I wonder whether the 10mbps limit is a hardware limitation, or a measure to prevent NDAS functions from interfering while the Mediagate is playing a LAN stream? Nice feature, in any case.

I bought the mediagate 2 weeks ago. I am almost ready with putting al my cd's on it's intern hdd. When i play an album/song, it looks and sound if the mediagate skips seconds at the start of each number. Have other people the same problem?

This thread had me worried about how hard it would be to get a pin and key set for the NDAS functions on my new MG-35, but low and behold -- they were on a sticker on the bottom of the unit, as the manual and software suggest. The manufacture date on mine is March/06 (shipped with bios 1.4.4), so the must have started providing them sometime at or before then. Reports that NDAS transfers are slow are not exaggerated, however.

I also just got my MG-35, but I don't think I have the NDAS key. Can you give me an example of what to look for?

Also, is anyone else having trouble downloading s/w and the manuals? Tonight it just doesn't work for me.