I used the USB method OK. The Blog is a bit slim on describing the process. Did you turn the DSM-520 on with the stick in place as I believe it is only during powering up that it looks for upgrade via the USB?

What version does your DSM report it is using? Is it 1.06eu or 1.06.01 (with or without eu at the end)

Whether it is significant or not, before using the USB upgrade method, I had done my change to the Amerivan V1.04 firmware by using my own ftp server and changing the DSM's ftp settings.

I have done subsequent upgrades using a USB stick upgrade and files from ftp://ftp.dlink.com/medialounge/DSM520/ which is currently V1.06.

I have not tried to upgrade using the zipped file from ftp://ftp.dlink.com/Medialounge/DSM520/Firmware/ which, I believe, is the V1.06.01.

From memory, I think my DSM reports the version as 1.06, but I will check tonight.

Hi - Uk/Us Ftp site/Usb download/poweron/poweroff - no response!

I think the problem may lie in the fact that the 1.06eu firmware has

been removed from both ftp servers. Can you or anyone confirm that they've

managed to get 1.06 (us versions of which are still available) without the eu

suffix to work on a uk model???? If so how did they get it to read and what

adjustments were needed to upgrade to the us firmware from a uk dsm 520?

Another longshot here: has anyone kept a copy of 1.06eu on their

computer? - I would be eternally greatful if someone could take the troubleto

send me a copy of it as I reckon this is the only way I'm gonna be able to

upgrade and finally use my active tv server (which is the reason why Ibought

my box in the 1st place) A million thanks to whoever can help!

A bit of a long shot, but is it worth renaming the "DSM520-VerInfo.txt" to "DSM520eu-VerInfo.txt".

Maybe check that your USB stick is FAT16 formatted.

Yeah I tried that a while ago too. Any idea if d-link plan to reissue a revised 1.06eu firmware anytime soon- from what I've read they don't seem very helpful or interested in uk users issues? I've looked for postings on how to make uk models accept us firmware that spatzuk tantalisingly mentioned but can't find anything so far. Know any links?
many thanks

Hey that could be the problem-vista only lets me format my usb stick to either fat or fat32 but not fat16. Is that for sure it has to be fat16 for upgrade files then?

Sadly I agree - I have looked through many of the dlink ftp sites worldwide and cannot find 1.06 outside of the US. Across many European Dlink ftp sites I can only find 1.04.05eu (and this is only on a few European Dlink ftp servers so not every country even gets 1.04.05eu) - so it is looking increasingly more likely that the 1.06eu version was removed since I upgraded.

Sebw changed his DSM520 to the US mode - the instructions are on this site somewhere but I remember thinking it was a bit too much like hard work.

I didn't download the 1.06eu firmware - it automatically installed after I followed those steps I wrote to connect to new dlink server. I can confirm now the hqftp.dlink.com server no longer works - this was the original location stored in the DMS520 which was used to point to the firmware.

I don't know if it is possible to remotely connect to the DSM520 to extract its firmware but can take a look.

Hi - Uk/Us Ftp site/Usb download/poweron/poweroff - no response!

I think the problem may lie in the fact that the 1.06eu firmware has

been removed from both ftp servers. Can you or anyone confirm that they've

managed to get 1.06 (us versions of which are still available) without the eu

suffix to work on a uk model???? If so how did they get it to read and what

adjustments were needed to upgrade to the us firmware from a uk dsm 520?

Another longshot here: has anyone kept a copy of 1.06eu on their

computer? - I would be eternally greatful if someone could take the troubleto

send me a copy of it as I reckon this is the only way I'm gonna be able to

upgrade and finally use my active tv server (which is the reason why Ibought

my box in the 1st place) A million thanks to whoever can help!

I think Fat is Fat16. I know the format of the stick I used was FAT16.

Link here about upgrading DSM-320 which I used for my initial DSM-520 EU to US upgrade.

http://dsm320.yuku.com/topic/383/t/HOWTO-Manually-upgrade-downgrade-firmware.html

I just noticed one of the steps was: Rename DSM320-VerInfo to DSM320ww-VerInfo (note the "ww" that we added). THIS IS A KEY STEP.Maybe try DSM520ww-VerInfo.

Sebw7561-you are a genius a million thanks! I just re-read you're earlier post I'd been stupidly trying to rename the files inside the verinfo text but when I renamed the actual file itself it worked! I now have ver 1.06 at last and endless hours of active tv ahead I can't thank you enough for your help my friend! My dsm 520 is at last online!

Is the DSM reporting it as 1.06EU?

Sebw7561-you are a genius a million thanks! I just re-read you're earlier post I'd been stupidly trying to rename the files inside the verinfo text but when I renamed the actual file itself it worked! I now have ver 1.06 at last and endless hours of active tv ahead I can't thank you enough for your help my friend! My dsm 520 is at last online!

Sebw7561-you are a genius a million thanks! I just re-read you're earlier post I'd been stupidly trying to rename the files inside the verinfo text but when I renamed the actual file itself it worked! I now have ver 1.06 at last and endless hours of active tv ahead I can't thank you enough for your help my friend! My dsm 520 is at last online!Glad to help.
Enjoy:)

Yep firmware version now says v1.0601eu (even though it's not really the eu version just the us renamed). Works a treat so I'm not complaining! Thanks again guys for all your quick replies and help-I hope to return the favour one day!

Just one more quick question-I don't know if anyone else downloaded the browser plugin for mce-it works a treat with active tv but the only difference between using it on pc and tv is that my website favourites don't appear when playing through the dsm. Do I need to authorise access anywhere in order to get my favourites on tv?

What version does your DSM report it is using? Is it 1.06eu or 1.06.01 (with or without eu at the end)The version shown on my DSM is - 1.06eu

I recently bought a DSM-520 a few weeks ago and have been fairly pleased with it so far. There are a couple of issues that I've run into and was wondering if anyone on this forum has seen anything similar.

1) When you open the Artist Folder under My Music, all of the artist names are in lower case even though the IDTag info shows that the first letter of the artist names is capitalized. Is there anyway to change this so it appears the way it is in the IDTag?

2) When you view movie filenames under My Videos, the movies include the filetype (Example: Top Gun.VOB). Is there anyway to display just the movie name without the filetype? I realize I can do this by running Tversity but I would rather run the D-Link software if possible.

3) Anyone know if D-Link is planning a firmware upgrade to fix the cover art problem. Currently I can only get cover art to show up if it's 200 x 200 or under even though D-Link's website states that the 520 will show 300 x 300 and anything larger will be scaled down to fit. I find that 200 x 200 cover art really looks bad when viewed on the TV and really cheapens what in my opinion is otherwise a pretty nice media player.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Roku just announced their Netflix box but it's $99. Other companies are planning on incorporating Netflix streaming into their products.

Will the DSM-520 ever stream Netflix?

Will the DSM-520 ever stream Netflix?

I thought someone had mentioned that Active-TV may have this capability in the future.. Can anyone add to this?

Yes, MediaMall (the company that develped Active-TV) is working on adding Netflix Watch Now! to the DSM-520. There is still a bit more work to do, so it is a few months away, but will happen this year.

The MediaMall Team

Just got a D-link DSM-520 and while it is almost what it is advertised to be, I'm having three problems I hope people can help me with:

(1) First, when displaying photos, all photos are distorted regardless of which option you select including fit to screen or original size. Most of my photos are 3:2 and some are 4:3. Regardless, there is no way to display photos on the DSM-520 without severe distortion.

(2) I get no sound out the HDMI port at all. I had to connect a coax cable and then it worked.

(3) In downloading a few samples like coral reef from the WMVHD site to test 720p video, I get no sound at all with both HDMI and coax connected. Those videos are in WMV format. My own (camcorder) videos in MPG format work fine: I get sound from those.

Are there any known solutions to these problems? I'm running 1.06 on a TH-50PZ700U plasma with the DSM-520 set to 16:9.

Thanks,
Mike

Just got a D-link DSM-520 and while it is almost what it is advertised to be, I'm having three problems I hope people can help me with:

(1) First, when displaying photos, all photos are distorted regardless of which option you select including fit to screen or original size. Most of my photos are 3:2 and some are 4:3. Regardless, there is no way to display photos on the DSM-520 without severe distortion.

(2) I get no sound out the HDMI port at all. I had to connect a coax cable and then it worked.

(3) In downloading a few samples like coral reef from the WMVHD site to test 720p video, I get no sound at all with both HDMI and coax connected. Those videos are in WMV format. My own (camcorder) videos in MPG format work fine: I get sound from those.

Are there any known solutions to these problems? I'm running 1.06 on a TH-50PZ700U plasma with the DSM-520 set to 16:9.

Thanks,
Mike

With regards to displaying pictures (1920x1080i) in full-screen stretched horizontally, I have reported a bug to DLink technical support via e-mail (never answered), but att1234 has acknowledged the problem, and hopefully put a request for it to be fixed in the next firmware (1.07).

sergioe

The simple solution to the WMV files download is to use TVersity as the server.

Alan

The simple solution to the WMV files download is to use TVersity as the server.

Alan

Does that mean WMP11 (which I'm using on Vista: didn't even install the D-link software) is to blame for my wmv9 files not having audio?

Mike

I recently bought a DSM-520 a few weeks ago and have been fairly pleased with it so far. There are a couple of issues that I've run into and was wondering if anyone on this forum has seen anything similar.

3) Anyone know if D-Link is planning a firmware upgrade to fix the cover art problem. Currently I can only get cover art to show up if it's 200 x 200 or under even though D-Link's website states that the 520 will show 300 x 300 and anything larger will be scaled down to fit. I find that 200 x 200 cover art really looks bad when viewed on the TV and really cheapens what in my opinion is otherwise a pretty nice media player.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

#3 has been a problem for a while. Larger album art worked unreliably in earlier firmware builds (up to 500x500), but the supported size got reduced in 1.05. It was supposed to be fixed in 1.06, but for some reason, no one has seen any improvement (although att1234 claims that it is supposed to support 300x300). My guess is that the released version is different than the one he tested. Maybe a configuration management problem?

Anyway, the last I heard, he was going to check into it - but it has been a while and I haven't heard anything more on it.

Does that mean WMP11 (which I'm using on Vista: didn't even install the D-link software) is to blame for my wmv9 files not having audio?

Mike


I never really looked into it. I've used TVersity for quite a while and noted that none of the other servers I have used plays the audio portion of the WMV files found on the Microsoft site. In fact, last night I was trying out the latest version of Twonky and it doesn't play the audio from these files. My guess is that TVersity is transcoding the audio to something supported by the DSM-520. The good news is that TVersity is free and will run on a service assuming you are using a PC to stream content. The bad news is that if you are using a NAS, the cpu in most NAS devices don't have the horse power to transcode.

Alan

Yes, MediaMall (the company that develped Active-TV) is working on adding Netflix Watch Now! to the DSM-520. There is still a bit more work to do, so it is a few months away, but will happen this year.

The MediaMall Team

Given that the Roku is out there already, it would seem to me that this should be a high priority for the Media Mall team. Furthermore, given the success Infrant had with using a beta forum to test the ReadyNas, and the similar success that Netgear has had with the EVA 8000 and it's beta forum, I would like to suggest that Media Mall start a beta forum to test the Netflix software out. I think it would generate a lot of interest in your software, and in the DLink.

Alan

I've been trawling through all these posts trying to work out if the xvid issues I had with 1.04 are fixed. I notice aargh, poet_imp and cdrsteve all seem to report issues. But is it widespread?

I get a lot of my video from torrent sites and I remember when I was on 1.04 xvid issues were driving me mad. Can you confirm if 1.06 is any better or is 1.02 still a better experience? It's pretty much flawless in 1.02. For me video playback is of primary importance, I can live without active-tv and the FF/resume features and don't playback pictures or music. I'm using WMP as my server.

In my attempt to downgrade to 1.02 (July last year) I actually bricked the box, but was fortunate enough to get a replacement (it was within the warranty) when I pleaded ignorance and said the box no longer powered on. So I don't want to go through that process again if it's just not worth it. Should I just stay put on 1.02?

Thanks

I've been trawling through all these posts trying to work out if the xvid issues I had with 1.04 are fixed. I notice aargh, poet_imp and cdrsteve all seem to report issues. But is it widespread?

I get a lot of my video from torrent sites and I remember when I was on 1.04 xvid issues were driving me mad. Can you confirm if 1.06 is any better or is 1.02 still a better experience? It's pretty much flawless in 1.02. For me video playback is of primary importance, I can live without active-tv and the FF/resume features and don't playback pictures or music. I'm using WMP as my server.

In my attempt to downgrade to 1.02 (July last year) I actually bricked the box, but was fortunate enough to get a replacement (it was within the warranty) when I pleaded ignorance and said the box no longer powered on. So I don't want to go through that process again if it's just not worth it. Should I just stay put on 1.02?

Thanks


V1.06 still remains problematic for me when playing many of my avi's. My work around is that only one of my three 520's is running V1.06 with the other two still running the ever-faithful V1.02. I have recently added a NMT Popcorn Hour to my army of media tools and so far it plays almost everything I throw at it though it is really still in its infancy and undergoing a very active firmware upgrade program. I still love my 520's but wish D-LINK would get serious and fix its shortcomings.......but I suspect there is not much hope for that after all this time.

At risk of beating a dead horse, I want to dust off an old topic.

DVR-MS on the DSM-520.

I bought my DSM-520 almost a year ago because the marketing literature claimed (and still does, by the way) to support DVR-MS files. It doesn't. Never has. Maybe never will. The picture comes up initially... the audio is all choppy. The audio comes up initially but instantly gets out of sync with the picture and gets progressively farther behind the picture. Instead of "HELLO, WORLD", what I hear is "H|E|L||L|||O|||| W||||O|||||R||||L||||||D", where each | is an annoying ticking noise. The whole mess slows down more and more until it just croaks. Within about 30 seconds, typically.

I have tested wireless and wired. 100MB and 1GB ethernet. Network served files and USB stick. All the same. All chopped audio, all slows and drags to a halt. I have used different hardware, software and tv card platforms to record the dvr-ms files. No dice.

I bought the thing specifically for this reason - to play DVR-MS files. I had a DSM-320 which had it's own problems (which the DSM 520 fixed) but the 320 couldn't do DVR-MS and never will. So I thought the 520 would do it.

I have gone back and forth with Dlink support at least half a dozen times on this issue. I have been told time and time again that they're working on it. I have gone through several firmware updates since then, the most recent being a couple weeks ago.

Still no joy.

My last rant to Dlink support (about a week ago) ended in a promise for the lead support person for DSM520 to call me back. You know the saying - when the phone don't ring...

I have sent Dlink several sample little dvr-ms files from MCE 2005 and also Vista Ultimate, at all three resolutions. None of them play on my DSM520. The most informative response I've gotten from Dlink on this was "yep... you're right... they don't work..."

So I'm right. Good for me.

I've used servers on win2k server and xp, I've used the dlink server software (both v1.09 and 1.10), Tversity (both delivering 'native' dvr-ms and 'transcode on the fly'), Twonky (won't stream dvr-ms), and Windows Media Player (streams native dvr-ms).

Only Tversity works because it does the transcode on the fly. But the PC drags to do the transcode, and ff/rew don't work real well in a transcoded stream. And my PC starts glowing red from all the work to transcode.

None of the platforms / server software solutions that feed native dvr-ms work properly.

I have tested the heck out of this thing with as many permutations as I can think of. I have spent hours on this thing. All I get out of Dlink support is "well... it plays SOME dvr-ms files and not others". Well I have yet to find a single dvr-ms file that it WILL play. And with the recent arrival of Vista SP1, I tried again, just for giggles.

Nope. Not gonna do it...

I'm fuming over this. I spent $200 for a device that, since July 2007, has served merely as a dust cover for my DVD player. I realize that it can do lots of other things, but _I_ bought it to play the TV shows I've been recording on my Media Center PC.

If I bought something that said "toaster" on the box, I'd expect it to make toast. If it turns out that it doesn't make toast, I would have expected the manufacturer _at some point_ to at least take the "makes toast" claim off of the box. Dlink hasn't fixed it to make toast, nor have they stopped claiming that it's a toaster.

I thank all of the sympathetic eyes that have read through my rant.

Anyway... I am hoping that someone on this list has some more hopeful information for me. All... I.... want.... is.... for.... the.... thing.... to.... do.... what.... it.... says.... .

Has ANYONE been able to play DVR-MS files on the DSM-520 using the dlink-supplied server software? If so, can you tell me what the config of the MCE computer looks like?

Does anyone have some advice beyond what I've already tried (please please please don't anyone mention Nero Recode... ugh)???

Download VLC and you should be able to extract the audio and video streams then remux them into another container. Something like this should do it:

vlc <inputfile> --play-and-exit --sout "#standard{access=file,mux=ps,dst=<outputfile>}"

You can probably do it through the GUI as well.

DVR-MS on the DSM-520.What is the source of your DVR-MS files? If they're OTA recordings e.g. transport streams originally, why are you converting these w/TVersity or MCE or whatever. Why not use instead the original format?

Honestly I don't know DVR-MS files, but the chipset in the DSM-520 supports WMV, not "DVR-MS" whatever that is. I'm not arguing if the DLink lit sez it's supposed to support it, but sometimes in life if you find yourself beating your head against a wall, then you should consider stopping...

If you can't cap in a DSM-520 friendly-er format, maybe you should edit w/something like VideoReDo that can output as mpg.

Honestly I don't know DVR-MS files, but the chipset in the DSM-520 supports WMV, not "DVR-MS" whatever that is.

I understand his rant. Look...if you spend $200 for a device that states that it plays DVR-MS files you want it to work as advertised. The data sheet found on D-Link's own website states that the format is supported.

Re-encoding files from one format to another is not a joy, either. Depending on the format it could take twice as long as the original runtime of the video.

If you paid $200 for a DSM-520 recently you got hosed!

Actually...I don't know the going rate for a DSM-520 these days. I paid $200 about 2 years ago.

I understand his rant... Re-encoding files from one format to another is not a joy, either. Depending on the format it could take twice as long as the original runtime of the video.My point was that it seems unlikely to me that his video STARTS AS (is recorded as) DVR-MS so why use that in the first place?

I didn't see his original recording mechanism--maybe I missed it?

For example, I have an HD HomeRun and my software is GB-PVR. GB-PVR defaults to DVR-MS format, but I've changed that to just cap the original Transport Streams from the HDHR. These will play directly on the 520.

What is the source of your DVR-MS files? If they're OTA recordings e.g. transport streams originally, why are you converting these w/TVersity or MCE or whatever. Why not use instead the original format?

Honestly I don't know DVR-MS files, but the chipset in the DSM-520 supports WMV, not "DVR-MS" whatever that is. I'm not arguing if the DLink lit sez it's supposed to support it, but sometimes in life if you find yourself beating your head against a wall, then you should consider stopping...

If you can't cap in a DSM-520 friendly-er format, maybe you should edit w/something like VideoReDo that can output as mpg.

My dvr-ms files came from Windows Media Center 2005 and also Vista Ultimate (aka Vista Media Center). As vanilla as it gets. And they don't work...

:(

Actually...I don't know the going rate for a DSM-520 these days. I paid $200 about 2 years ago.

I just sold mine for $150 shipped on Ebay.

I just sold mine for $150 shipped on Ebay.

Congrts...that's the pricing over at Best Buy online. Are you using a different box now?

Congrts...that's the pricing over at Best Buy online. Are you using a different box now?

With the latest firmware, my PS3 does an excellent job with XVID/DIVX and it obviously plays music very well as well. Sony really dragged its feat with XVID/DIVX support, so I am grateful I had the 520, but don't really miss it. :p

I also have an ASUS EEE hooked up to my receiver so I can play music off of my file server without turning on the power hogging PS3/RPTV. The lack of a secondary screen (along with all of the unaddressed firmware quirks on the 520) has bugged me for a long time.

I've been trawling through all these posts trying to work out if the xvid issues I had with 1.04 are fixed. I notice aargh, poet_imp and cdrsteve all seem to report issues. But is it widespread?

I get a lot of my video from torrent sites and I remember when I was on 1.04 xvid issues were driving me mad. Can you confirm if 1.06 is any better or is 1.02 still a better experience? It's pretty much flawless in 1.02. For me video playback is of primary importance, I can live without active-tv and the FF/resume features and don't playback pictures or music. I'm using WMP as my server.

In my attempt to downgrade to 1.02 (July last year) I actually bricked the box, but was fortunate enough to get a replacement (it was within the warranty) when I pleaded ignorance and said the box no longer powered on. So I don't want to go through that process again if it's just not worth it. Should I just stay put on 1.02?

Thanks

i've been using the dlink for about 2 years. what i find is the big problem with xvid is when the files are encoded with VBR MP3 as opposed to CBR MP3.
What i have been doing is reencoding the avi with virtualdub. (it takes about 1 mintue for a 30 minute show.

For some reason the 520 hates VBR. it will run fine on the pc but not the 520 with 1.06 firmware.

i've also tried the dlink software, wmp11, orb and tversity. they all do the same. i stuck with tversity because of the number of containers and i can stream to my wii.

PS - in some cases i have to do a fast recompress in vdub with some videos that use the older xvid codec to fix sync problems as well. if all else fails, i change the interleave to make it work.

My dvr-ms files came from Windows Media Center 2005 and also Vista Ultimate (aka Vista Media Center). As vanilla as it gets. And they don't work...

:(

i totally gave up on the DVR-MS container on the 520. i downloaded DVRMSToolbox. it translates it to an mpg file. then i use virtualdubmpeg to translate the mpg into xvid. it's work but i'm pretty happy with the results.

My dvr-ms files came from Windows Media Center 2005 and also Vista Ultimate (aka Vista Media Center). As vanilla as it gets. And they don't work...

:(

Yep. Dvr-ms does not work. Actually I don't know why they ever said it did. It wasn't an original feature, only added a few firmwares ago. Don't even think about playing HD dvr-ms files.

I have an automated process that uses VideoRedo to do a quick save to of the dvr-ms file to mpeg2. One wonderful thing about the 520 is that it plays 1080i HD with no problems (at least, none over the wired port. I took wireless out of the mix long ago when trying to troubleshoot other issues)

Has anyone heard anything about the next software release? 1.07?

V1.06 still remains problematic for me when playing many of my avi's. My work around is that only one of my three 520's is running V1.06 with the other two still running the ever-faithful V1.02. I have recently added a NMT Popcorn Hour to my army of media tools and so far it plays almost everything I throw at it though it is really still in its infancy and undergoing a very active firmware upgrade program. I still love my 520's but wish D-LINK would get serious and fix its shortcomings.......but I suspect there is not much hope for that after all this time.

I'm fascinated by the NMT Popcorn Hour--I just checked it out based on yoru post. How do you like it?!

One big thing for me is that it plays MKV--I see a lot of torrents posted that are 720p and only come in MKV.

Have you (or anyone else for that matter), gotten MKV to play on the DSM-520?

mkv does not and probably will not ever play on the 520

mkv does not and probably will not ever play on the 520

Anyone know how to convert mkv to play on the DSM-520?

Anyone know how to convert mkv to play on the DSM-520?


I have been successful with the Vista version of Windows Movie Maker converting them to HD-WMV, They look exactly the same and are the same file size.

Anyone know how to convert mkv to play on the DSM-520?
I've been converting them with avidemux to xvid files. They play with no problems.

Not sure if this is the right place for this a question on Active-Tv install for use with my
DSM-520.. but here goes..
I'm trying to install the Active-Tv sw on my Pc running Windows Vista SP1.
The Active-Tvsetup2.57.3034 program complains that I don't have enough memory and
fails. It recommends at least 512Mb on the system. I have 1Gb of memory on my pc.
Has anyone seen this type of install failure? Is there anything I can change on on windows to make it install OK? Thanks.... jimb..

Contact MediaMall for support (they write the program). MM has the best support in the universe and they will fix your problem. My system works fine with 1Gb, tho 2 might be better . Yours should work.

Craig

I may be wrong about this but I thought ActiveTV doesn't support Vista.

Alan

Active-TV works perfectly fine on Vista, and has since its launch in October.

Try this link to address your memory/install issue: www.themediamall.com/downloads/dlink/beta

Sorry about that, maybe it was the 64 bit version? Anyway, I've got a question. Is Media Mall going to support Netflix in the near future? That would rejuvenate the Dlink boxes if it worked well.

Alan

That is correct, 64-bit is not supported (on XP or Vista). Netflix is in the near future...the hold up is currently MSFT supplying us with the proper DRM component. It is not a matter of if, it is only a matter of when. :)

In my opinion that is your "killer" app. Especially if Active TV will work with any uPnP compliant device. Now if you only had Transcoding like TVersity, I would only need one PC based uPnP server.

I don't suppose you could merger? Just a thought.....

Alan

Speaking of which, I would be happy to beta test Netflix on Active TV.

Alan

Hi all, I've been looking at these 'media extenders' or what ever they are called. I was going to get the Popcorn Hour, but I don't have digital coax audio on my pos stereo. The DMS 520 seems to be the only one I can find that has optical audio and component video.

Also I didn't read the 60 some pages in this thread, I think most is not relevant anymore with firmware etc updates..

I'm mainly wanting a DVD jukebox without the computer. I'm getting a 1TB usb drive to store the files on. I really don't want to 'stream' over the network from the pc. If someone has a better box than the DMS-520 please let me know.. I need component video and optical audio..

My internet router is right next to the tv, so any box will have wired or wireless internet with no problem.

So I really looking at the DMS-520, what is the best format and application to copy a standard and blu ray DVD for viewing on the DMS box, with 5.1 audio?
I've familiar with DVDFab HD Decrypter and DVD-Shrink, so that is my preferred application. I really not that familiar with the codecs and formats such as what the differences are.

I don't really have any preferred format or codec to use, so what is best for the DSM-520?

Also I see there is talk of Netflix support with the dms box, that would really be awesome !!

Thanks a lot
John

I was going to get the Popcorn Hour...If someone has a better box than the DMS-520 please let me know..John don't get a 520--it's got what is now an old processor chip in it. If Popcorn Hour's coaxial digital output stops you from buying that, look for one of the other Networked Media Tank (NMT) boxes that use the new EM8635 chip from Sigma Designs.

Laserfan is correct that the DSM-520 uses an old chipset. That said I own one and it will most of what you want it to do assuming you put the latest firmware on it. It plays VOB's, AVI's (AutoGK, Xvid), and divx without a problem over a wired connection from my server (Infrant). I have not however tried a blue-ray movie. If you can grab a good price, it might be worth it. Dlink is still supporting the box and it looks like there will be at least one more upgrade of the firmware. Furthermore, Active TV has committed to supporting Netflix on the DSM-520, so if you are a Netflix user you should be able to download movies from Netflix to your TV this fall.

If you want something newer, I suggest you look at the Netgear EVA-8000. It doesn't need server software and will pull right from a network drive. There is an active beta forum and there have been significant upgrades to the box since it came out. It's not supported much on this website, so check out the Netgear forum.

Alan

thanks for the replies..
The DSM-520 is like $150 including the $50 rebate, the EVA8000 is about $320, I looked at the other network media tank boxes priced around $200 and they all seem to work.
I think the Netflix support is a great selling point, to have the subscription to Netflix and basically have 'on demand' movies. I know they are not new movies, but they have a very large #, and you still have the normal mail order movies.
The NMT boxes seem a little early in there life, and the DSM box is more mature.

I think I'll go with the DSM box for now, and look back again in a year or so and see how the NMT boxes and others are doing..

Since is thread is for the DSM-520 can someone tell me the best format to made my DVD copies with, for the DSM-520.

thanks
John

I can play VOB's and AVI's (Xvid). I can also play divx. I tend to play the VOB, because of the time it takes AutoGK to convert to XVid.

By the way, I don't want to mislead you, Active TV does run on a PC. So you will need a PC on to stream Netflix. The other thing I use a PC to stream is Rhapsody. My wife loves having her channels available on the stereo system.

Alan

Active TV does run on a PC. So you will need a PC on to stream Netflix.

Alan

well that sort of sucks.. will it work over wireless G ? The pc is wireless, but the Dlink box will have lan connection to the router.. What will I need to run on the pc for this to work?

All you will need is the Active TV software which is available for download on the DLink web site. Running video over wireless is always problematic and depends on the quality of the signal and the data rate. I have an excellent signal from my office to the family room and I can run movies without issues. HD stuff will not run wireless. I believe Netflix is compressing the download. If so that should help some.

Alan

Active-TV works perfectly fine on Vista, and has since its launch in October.


Not quite....
Every time I try to run settings manager it crashes.....
Is there a runtime library needed that I don't know about?

This is usually because the media server discovery issue. If the server does not identify itself within 30 minutes, we will delete it from the server list and close all session which use it.
I am encountering this same issue with the 30 minute timeout. I am using tversity to share out music and videos, I can acccess the media share from a Directv DVR and play music all day long from tversity, but from the DSM-520 it lasts 30 minutes, music stops, then a "You have become disconnected from the media server" is displayed. I have the latest 1.0.6 software. Both the DVR and DSM are connected to a Dlink DAP-1522 communicating to a DIR-655. Is there a known issue with D-Link on this DSM device?

Not quite....
Every time I try to run settings manager it crashes.....
Is there a runtime library needed that I don't know about?

If you haven't installed the latest version from MediaMall, you should try it,
it works fine for me, (Vista Ultimate 32), see:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14285138&postcount=1802

If you have, then contact MediaMall Support they have been very helpful the
several times I have had issue. Good Luck.

If you haven't installed the latest version from MediaMall, you should try it,
it works fine for me, (Vista Ultimate 32)


If you have, then contact MediaMall Support they have been very helpful the
several times I have had issue. Good Luck.


Did both, they have yet to contact me back...

It's an awesome app, I've been playing around with adding my own channels to Active-TV; I'd really like to be able to add a "channel" for http://www.cbs.com/video/ and specifically the "TV Classics" section. I've been spending quite some time attempting to understand the process at http://www.active-tv.org/tech_info.html#installchannelfiles ; I've emailed Daniel, but thought I'd post here also for any insight. Thanks

I just got my DSM-520 and I'm not able to install Active-TV, on a WinXP SP2 pc, remote desktop and

.net are updated from windows update. The mediamall server service is not starting, I do have SSDP

Discovery Service enabled and running. I have the remote desktop and all .net updates installed

from Windows update.

I have another pc that was able to install Active-TV, it's not able to find my dvdshrink backups,

that are backed up to 1 vob file, the active-tv server was able to find it, but it wouldn't play.

Something about the format not being correct.

I installed the dlink media server ( on the pc that wouldn't install active-tv), and it's not able

to find any of my dvdshrink backups, nor any of my mp3's..

While watching active-tv, it seems the screen format is a little incorrect sometimes. I have my tv

connect via componet and the dsm is set to componet also with 1080 P. Also I think the audio may not be synced

with the video sometimes.

The Dsm box has the latest firmware.

Also the buttons stick down sometimes on the remote.

so few more days using the dsm-520, I just called DLink support... they are useless and not very helpfull. I have the dsm connected via componet cables to my tv, when I set the dsm to 1080i 16x9 and start active tv, the screen aspect changes, so the picture goes past the top of the screen on the top. All the normal dsm screens are fine, only the problem is with active tv.
ActiveTv works fine at 480i, just not 1080i..

my mp3 issue was that the files are m4a files and they are not supported

still have not resolved the DVD file issue, stupid UPS lost my new 1TB hard drive..

I have 20 some days to send back to Amazon, it might be going that way.

Is there anything in the same price range that just works for video, pics, and music.. I really don't want to mess with this thing all the time, looking for 'dial tone' type function..

The short answer is no. From what I can tell, most of these boxes are really in the beta stage except maybe Apple TV and that's limited by design. That said, the DLink should be doing what you want it to do. For the Active TV issue, contact MediaMall. They have been very knowledgeable and helpful to other users. For the VOB problem you may have a permissions issue. I play 7 or 8 Gb VOB's without any problems. As server software, one of the better ones is TVersity even though it's only a release candidate, assuming you are going to use a PC to serve your movies. Best of all, it's free, and has a reasonably active forum to get help from.

Hope some of this helps.

Alan

Not quite....
Every time I try to run settings manager it crashes.....
Is there a runtime library needed that I don't know about?


By the way, I had the same issue with the Settings Manager crashing every time I opened it, but fixed it by running SERVICES.MSC and enabling SSDP Discovery, which was disabled. I seem to recall that the TVersity Media Server turned off SSDP during its install. I also recall previous talk of conflicts between TVersity and Active TV. Anyway, that simple adjustment stopped the crashes completely.

By the way, I had the same issue with the Settings Manager crashing every time I opened it, but fixed it by running SERVICES.MSC and enabling SSDP Discovery, which was disabled. I seem to recall that the TVersity Media Server turned off SSDP during its install. I also recall previous talk of conflicts between TVersity and Active TV. Anyway, that simple adjustment stopped the crashes completely.


I thought I almost had a handle on it.....
Active TV works, TVersity works, but when I use the TVersity link from within ActiveTV it only plays Music or Pictures and not Video....
Plus ActiveTV doesn't seems to want to refresh all the files and folders I added to it.....

And the whole TVersity vs SSDP is weird, ever other server plays nice with it, but in the TVersity installation they want it off, that kinda breaks WMC for Xbox and a few other things don't it? TVersity should utilize it instead of fighting it. So far I like the GUI and interface of ActiveTV the versatility of adding stuff in TVersity and the FFW control of WMC, of course WMC is only on Xbox, the DSM-520 has crap controls, regular or 2x, while WMC let's you go up to 16x and XBox has nice
visualizations during music, I hope that new thing MediaMall is working on for consoles is at least as good as ActiveTV. Now I have to look into adding custom channels to ActiveTV and see if it can be customized at least a little like TVersity.

I agree about the SSDP issue. If I install TVersity and leave SSDP off I cannot then install Active-TV/MM. I am suprised that you even get sound and photos thru the TVersity link in MM -- I seem to recall TVersity saying that the link needed to be to another computer as the MM link "broke" the TVersity codecs -- maybe this is why no video???

Has anyone heard anything about the next software release? 1.07?
I see that nobody has responded to the question. I too would like to know. I am frustrated by the sound sync problem and the lack of ability to play .mkv files. If 1.07 (which is rumored to be the last update) does not address these issues it will be eBay time for the 520 and some new box coming in to replace it.

I have had the box since Christmas 2006 and it has been a good box. With each firmware upgrade, though you gain a little and loose a little. The losses are starting to out pace the gains at this point. I hope 1.07 turns this around.

I agree about the SSDP issue. If I install TVersity and leave SSDP off I cannot then install Active-TV/MM. I am suprised that you even get sound and photos thru the TVersity link in MM -- I seem to recall TVersity saying that the link needed to be to another computer as the MM link "broke" the TVersity codecs -- maybe this is why no video???


I've just about given up on tversity, support is abyssmal.
Play-on seems promising however. It's from the active-tv guys.
Not fully completed yet but what is done is excellent.
I even paid the 30 bucks for it....

I agree about the SSDP issue. If I install TVersity and leave SSDP off I cannot then install Active-TV/MM. I am suprised that you even get sound and photos thru the TVersity link in MM -- I seem to recall TVersity saying that the link needed to be to another computer as the MM link "broke" the TVersity codecs -- maybe this is why no video???

After using TVersity for a while, I finally gave up and unstalled it. It prevented me from opening Active-TV nor could I run Windows Media Server which worked for me on different levels.

Uninstalling it was no fun either as now my codecs are screwed up and I can't open some videos in any media server that I could play before. I think it took off or "broke" the codecs on it's way out. I'm trying to fix that now. I am really disappointed in TVersity as it was once my favorite media server.

After using TVersity for a while, I finally gave up and unstalled it. It prevented me from opening Active-TV nor could I run Windows Media Server which worked for me on different levels.

Uninstalling it was no fun either as now my codecs are screwed up and I can't open some videos in any media server that I could play before. I think it took off or "broke" the codecs on it's way out. I'm trying to fix that now. I am really disappointed in TVersity as it was once my favorite media server.

You might wanna get vistacodec pack...
I always use that and then once it's set up, export the ffd settings, that way when something f's with the codecs like that you can come back to where they were.

You might wanna get vistacodec pack...
I always use that and then once it's set up, export the ffd settings, that way when something f's with the codecs like that you can come back to where they were.

Thank you, I might try that. I thought of reinstalling Dlink Media Server hoping that would fix it. I hate fooling around with these codecs or over-installing. Someone else mentioned K-Lite codec pack, but I just didn't want to start installing a bunch of stuff I don't need. I'll look into the vistacodec pack and see if it'll help.

Thanks!

DSM520 will NEVER play dvr-ms files. This has been confirmed by insiders at Dlink.

I recently got a DSM750.

THE DSM750 KICKS BUTT.

All of the annoyances from the DSM320 and DSM520 have (finally) been repaired. The Media Center Extender functionality works great, and the Dlink server software will successfully play DVR-MS files.

FF/REW works correctly, and there is a skip forward 30 / skip backward 5 (or was it 10) seconds function.

It FINALLY works correctly.

I used it with Vista Media Center, with the Dlink server software, and with Twonky.

Hello, I was looking to get a DSM-520. The product sheet here: http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=438 says that it does support DVR-MS but you are saying it doesn't. So which is it? I want to use this to play HD video I recorded with Vista Media Center.

I m not sure , but since i installed Windows SP3 my dsm doesnt work properly. i cant or have a lot of trouble getting the dsm opening my files ( music picture or video), its looking longer for the directory and when at the file, it say cant connect to the directory.

Anybody have same problem ?

Hello, I was looking to get a DSM-520. The product sheet here: http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=438 says that it does support DVR-MS but you are saying it doesn't. So which is it? I want to use this to play HD video I recorded with Vista Media Center.

I fought with this for a year. I spent HOURS messing with this POS, and many hours on the phone with Dlink. After 10 months of "it will work with the next firmware" and several new firmware releases, I finally spoke to a very knowledgeable Dlink tech who admitted that DSM520 NEVER worked with DVR-MS and most likely NEVER WILL.

Throughout all of this, the chuckleheads at Dlink have failed to remove the reference to DVR-MS support from the marketing materials, or even from the web site.

Like you, I bought this thing to play DVR-MS files. For a year I had nothing but a dust cover for my DVD player. I finally got my money back and got a DSM750.

The DSM750 works BEAUTIFULLY. It will do everything the DSM520 does, and will play DVR-MS thru the Dlink server software. It will also serve as a Vista Media Center Extender (vista only... not XP).

FORGET THE DSM520. Get a DSM750.

I did a test capture off of VMC, copied the dvr-ms file to my XP system running XP Pro & the Dlink upnp server, and was able to stream the dvr-ms file to the DSM-520 with no problems other than some stuttering (It appeared to have a bitrate of 26396Kbps, so the stuttering was probably due to my VMC capture settings). I have the latest (1.06) FW and the latest Dlink Media Server SW. I also run the MediaMall playon SW on the same XP system and it is working great for Hulu on the DSM-520.

I still like my 520, but I do still find many videos that just won't stay in sync right from the start but play fine on the computer. Forget about FF or resuming as that almost always results in bad sync. But I deal with it.

I also have a rather large collection of videos that sound won't come over at all on the 520. Those all happen to be WMV files but other AVI and WMV files will play ok.

I was interested in getting the DSM-750 but after reading the 750 thread it sounds like lots of problems right now.

I haven't found any feedback on the DPG-1200 but the "pc on tv" sounds like something good but maybe to good to be true and it doesn't do HD. http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=1&pid=655

Does anything just stream right off the computer so you can have the correct codec installed?

Anyone guessing if we will see a final update to the DSM-520 firmware?
I wish they would fix the low-res Album Art issue.

Mike

Anyone guessing if we will see a final update to the DSM-520 firmware?
I wish they would fix the low-res Album Art issue.

Mike

And I wish that they would fix the issue that prevents HD pictures (1920x1080 pixels) being displayed in full screen.

Sergio

I've had the DSM-520 for a while now and am somewhat happy with it. I still have some issues with audio sync and the skip / FF only sometimes works w/o losing audio sync. Seems to work better with some formats but my questions are this.

Is there an encoding format that works best with the DSM-520 ?

Has anyone found a handbrake profile that works with the DSM-520 ?

What actually does the codec decoding? The media server software or the 520? Would using TVersity or another software play formats the D-Link media server doesn't?

Like if I had a few different server programs installed and I come across a file that won't play could I select one of the other server programs and have better luck?

How does using a PS3 or XBox as a media server compare to the D-link now? Have those come far enough with updates that they do as well or better then the 520?

Yes, TVersiry with the right codecs on your pc will transcode to something that the 520 can use. The DSM-520 is probably in the last six months of support for new firmware. Everything I have seen from people that seem to know suggests we will see one more firmware update. Whether that will fix the remaining bus is open to question. Active TV is supposed to have support for Netflix streaming in the fall. With that the DSM-520 is not a bad deal if you can pick it up for around $150. Just be warned there are newer boxes out there with more upside potential, at a higher price.

Alan

The DSM-520 audio sync problems seem to be related to b-frames. If you don't use them in your xvid encodes, I believe your audio will work properly.

Is anyone else having problems using the 1.10 version of media server? I downloaded the 1.10 version and it will not run. Everytime I click on the icon to start it nothing happens. I also have a problem with version 1.09 getting an error with sqlite.dll. I don't know why. It just occurs at random. I'm running the code on win XP PRO sp2.

Thanks RAC

Yes, TVersiry with the right codecs on your pc will transcode to something that the 520 can use. The DSM-520 is probably in the last six months of support for new firmware. Everything I have seen from people that seem to know suggests we will see one more firmware update. Whether that will fix the remaining bus is open to question. Active TV is supposed to have support for Netflix streaming in the fall. With that the DSM-520 is not a bad deal if you can pick it up for around $150. Just be warned there are newer boxes out there with more upside potential, at a higher price.

Alan

Installed Tversity and now most of those problems files play. I think D-link's media server is more user friendly but at least now I can watch those other files when I need to.

And I wish that they would fix the issue that prevents HD pictures (1920x1080 pixels) being displayed in full screen.

Sergio

And I wish they would fix the font issue so that a larger portion of a file's title can be shown across the screen. Att mentioned this was planned for the previous firmware, then accidentally didn't make it in, and it's really the one feature I want.

Having a brand new issue.
The last patch fixed the HDMI issues and it's working great for the most part.
but a feature that used to work, never does anymore.

say I have two or more files in a folder, I hit the PLAY button on the first one on the list to watch them in order, this has always worked in the past, now it just plays the one file over and over and never goes to the next.

anyone know of a setting somewhere that will set that right again?

Use the repeat button on the remote?

I don't want it to repeat, it just does..
I want it to move to the next file in the folder.

Just to check that there is no confusion on the Repeat button.
You can use it to switch between Repeat / Repeat All / Repeat Off.

A friend has one of these. He is reasonably with it but the limited codec support is a bit of a constraint. Folks on this thread say it does Dolby Digital but looking at the web site DD or AC-3 is not mentioned. Does this unit play say files in an AVI container with MPEG4 video and AC-3 audio? Clearly it doesn't play files in the MKV container but I guess there are ways around that as noted by other posters on this thread.

I myself use a Popcorn Hour which I find to be very flexible and powerful but they want to stick with their 520

Thanks

Larry

The DSM-520 can do MPEG4 ASP with AC3 in an AVI. It does not support MPEG4-AVC/H.264

Well that's going to mean some recoding to be able to view the MKV files out there which have h.264 video and AC-3 audio. I did try Windows Movie Maker and passed in a MKV file with the above attributes. Selecting the HD format option, it created a wmv file with good PQ but reverted the audio to stereo.

[Update] - ran the MKV file through avidemux, two pass outputting a divx encoded file with the original AC-3 audio. On my (admittedly slow Athlon 2600+) it took 9 hours for a 2hr20min file! Might go better on my dual core box which I will try later.

It seems that all my .avi files with corresponding .srt subtitle files (of the same name: foo.avi and foo.srt) seem to have stopped working.

I'm running 1.06 of the firmware on the DSM-520 and currently running Tversithy 0.9.11.4. I tried downloading the latest RC of TVersity and couldn't get subtitles to work with that either.

It's been a while since I watched a .avi with subtitles and now I can't remember if it NEVER worked or if the subtitles I had seen in the past were just embeded in the video itself.

Can somone please help with the following:

- Have .sub and/or .srt ever worked?
- If so, what might I be doing wrong that's keeping the subtitles from appearing
- Does anyone know how to take .srt or .sub and "put them inside" the .avi file so they're embedded in it?

Thanks in advance.

The HP MediaSmart Connect support H.264 and AC-3 (MP4, MOV, TS). They support many other video formats using AC-3 as well (plus DVR-MS). Support for MKV files is on the horizon with Divx 7. According to a blog I reviewed recently, HP has Divx 7 support planned. All the standard codecs/formats are played now and AVI with AC-3 is possible as well (Divx).

It seems that all my .avi files with corresponding .srt subtitle files (of the same name: foo.avi and foo.srt) seem to have stopped working.

I'm running 1.06 of the firmware on the DSM-520 and currently running Tversithy 0.9.11.4. I tried downloading the latest RC of TVersity and couldn't get subtitles to work with that either.

It's been a while since I watched a .avi with subtitles and now I can't remember if it NEVER worked or if the subtitles I had seen in the past were just embeded in the video itself.

Can somone please help with the following:

- Have .sub and/or .srt ever worked?
- If so, what might I be doing wrong that's keeping the subtitles from appearing
- Does anyone know how to take .srt or .sub and "put them inside" the .avi file so they're embedded in it?

Thanks in advance.
I have never tried subtitles, but according to the dlink FAQ:

The DSM series media players supports the display of the SRT subtitle file format. To use it, make sure that it is in the same folder as your movie file and that they are both named exactly the same.

Obviously, if Tversity is transcoding the file(s) in question, they are most likely not getting streamed out of the original directory or with the same name. I seem to recall that Tversity would sometimes unnecessarily transcode files that my DSM-520 already had native support for. If this seems to be the case for you, you could try telling Tversity not to transcode those particular files, or run the Dlink UPNP server in addition to TVersity and connect to the Dlink server for Upnp

Thanks patnalli -- I confirmed that the DSM-520 is supposed to handle SRT files in the downloadable user manual as well.

Great suggestion about the D-link Media Server. I'll give that a shot and see how it works and report back.

I take it noboby is using version 1.10 media server or noboby is having a problem with it.
I either can't get it to startup or I get an error with something called sqlite.dll.
version 1.08 seems to work fine. version 1.09 randomly gets an error with sqlite.dll.

...
Obviously, if Tversity is transcoding the file(s) in question, they are most likely not getting streamed out of the original directory or with the same name. I seem to recall that Tversity would sometimes unnecessarily transcode files that my DSM-520 already had native support for. If this seems to be the case for you, you could try telling Tversity not to transcode those particular files, or run the Dlink UPNP server in addition to TVersity and connect to the Dlink server for Upnp

Patnalli, I gave the D-Link UPNP server a shot, and you were right, it did display the subtitles from the SRT files.

My short-term fix is to use the D-Link server for files that require a SRT, but I'm starting a thread on the TVersity forums to discuss this issue further: http://forums.tversity.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12505&p=52008#p52008

Hi,

I am about to permanently fix the problem by throwing the damn thing out the window. However, being a patient man, I give it a final shot and... ask for help. :)

Problem is: no sound with AC3 5.1 files.

Firmware: 1.06eu
UnP server: Twonkyvision, tried with mediatomb as well, but no cigar

HD stuff with either ffmpeg MPEG-4 or xdiv hangs/stutters if in an .avi with AC3. With no audio track, same video plays perfectly.

Audio output is set to digital, cable connected to AV receiver via coaxial.

It must work, as I see several people stating "The DSM-520 can do MPEG4 ASP with AC3 in an AVI."

Can someone give me any pointers (and maybe some test clips)? Thanks!

Hi,

I am about to permanently fix the problem by throwing the damn thing out the window. However, being a patient man, I give it a final shot and... ask for help. :)

Problem is: no sound with AC3 5.1 files.

Firmware: 1.06eu
UnP server: Twonkyvision, tried with mediatomb as well, but no cigar

HD stuff with either ffmpeg MPEG-4 or xdiv hangs/stutters if in an .avi with AC3. With no audio track, same video plays perfectly.

Audio output is set to digital, cable connected to AV receiver via coaxial.

It must work, as I see several people stating "The DSM-520 can do MPEG4 ASP with AC3 in an AVI."

Can someone give me any pointers (and maybe some test clips)? Thanks!

Are you sure there isn't any sound? I get left/right/surround, but no center (that means no dialog) when playing MPEG2-TS streams w/ 5.1 DD (AC-3) audio.

I think I remeber the DSM-520 supporting digital out on a previous firmware, but as of the latest firmware, I only ever get LPCM output from the DSM-520. All the streams I regularly attempt to play are DD (AC-3), some are 5.1 which has the center channel, others are 2.0, but in all cases with the latest firmware, I now only ever get LPCM out from the DSM-520 (the DD light on my amp never lights up).

Yes, I am sure (well, as far as my AV receiver is not deceiving me). It detects no input signal in any of the channels.
What confuses me is a previous poster (and is not the only one, I have seen such claims elsewhere on the web) stating that yes, the DSM 520 does support 5.1 sound...

A friend who is a HT fan has a DSM 520. He is pretty happy with it but the inability (or lack of ease) of playing HD content does restrict his media choices a bit. I wonder if I should purchase a Popcorn Hour for Christmas for him? I have one and love it - perhaps the GUI isn't as nice as the D-Link one but there are numerous GUI's out there including the one supplied Swisscenter etc.

He's pretty technically literate, has a home LAN and builds his PC's so setting up a PCH is no problem for him. His only other HD sources (going to a Panasonic 50" HD LCD TV) is a HD cable box that decodes the QAM HD broadcasts on his cable system which are not encrypted.

Yep, I play 5.1 audio via optical out to a Sony STR DE698 sound system all of the time.

Hi all!

Well, I've been very happy with my D-Link DSM-520, and I actually got a second one. So now I have one for the bedroom and one for the living room.

All great!

However, I recently invested in an xBox 360 and as it turns out it can do all of the functions of the DSM-520 (and then some).

I was so impressed that I even purchased a second xBox 360. So I have one for the living room and one for the bedroom, same setup.

My problem now!

I would like to sell the D-Link DSM-520's at a fair rate (they are used) but I have no idea how to go about selling these things. I've never used eBay.

I was wondering if someone here in the forum might be interested in these units and or has any info on the best way and place to try and sell them.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with these boxes, they are in perfect condition (minus the original box that they came in). I am only selling them because of getting the xBox.

And I did not get the xBox to replace them, until I discovered that they do the same thing, which I was unaware of. So it's only that the Xbox does do the same thing that I want to part with the DSM's.

Thanks again for any info (or interest in the units)

Rob

if interested I will give you my personal contact info.

Hi just wondered if anyone else has been experiencing "video unavailable for playback" messages for every video when trying to access Youtube? The Mediamall sever on both my computers and dsm 520 all showing the same message for a few days now. Has Youtube recently changed it's method of streaming does anyone know?

I knew that MediaMall was negotiating with Netflix to stream their Instant movie content, does anyone have any updates on when, if, this is going to happen? I see Netflix is adding this content to Blu-Ray players and Tivo now, and was hoping it would be added to the 520.

Thanks.

Yes! I sent an email to MediaMall support on Sunday but haven't heard from them. It was working the weekend before.

Hi just wondered if anyone else has been experiencing "video unavailable for playback" messages for every video when trying to access Youtube? The Mediamall sever on both my computers and dsm 520 all showing the same message for a few days now. Has Youtube recently changed it's method of streaming does anyone know?

Hi
The answer to my previous question seems to be yes but it's the other way round. I got a very abrupt and short reply from mediamall saying that "since recent youtube server changes certain videos no longer play" but they'll will on Play On their new (and more importantly for them) money making server. I downloaded Pay On - this completely removes active tv as it installs and it's just a basic menu file system like home content videos music and pictures. It's also full of crap content that is only available in the U.S. and guess what -no youtube access there either. So U.K. users like myself who bought a dsm primarily for youtube on tv are frankly.. stuffed. Ever get the feeling you've been cheated.

I dug around on YouTubes website. Apparently they came out with a new API on the 20th. So I'm guessing that this is what broke MediaMall's app?

Uh, no...at the moment it will not play on their new Play On server program. There are postings on MediaMall's forum that they are receiving an unsupported content message with Play On. Maybe fixing one will fix both.

Hi
The answer to my previous question seems to be yes but it's the other way round. I got a very abrupt and short reply from mediamall saying that "since recent youtube server changes certain videos no longer play" but they'll will on Play On their new (and more importantly for them) money making server.

Well here's hoping. It looks like mediamall aren't interested in active tv anymore since PlayOn came along so the only way we'll get access to youtube again will be by default. I really hope the other services on the server don't go the same way.

I would think that they would make an update with their ActiveTV app as well. D-Link is using it as part of their marketing. Besides, Play On is technically not supported by MM. Their primary target was PS3 and Xbox users.

Well here's hoping. It looks like mediamall aren't interested in active tv anymore since PlayOn came along so the only way we'll get access to youtube again will be by default. I really hope the other services on the server don't go the same way.

...I would like to sell the D-Link DSM-520's at a fair rate (they are used) but I have no idea how to go about selling these things. I've never used eBay.

I was wondering if someone here in the forum might be interested in these units and or has any info on the best way and place to try and sell them.
...

I bought mine brand-new on sale from BestBuy for $120. It's now selling for $200.

Google Shopping has them going for around $150:

http://www.google.com/products?client=opera&rls=en&q=d-link%20dsm%20520&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wf

My recommendation: eBay them w/o a minimum price. Research has shown that auctions not requiring a minimum bid actually sell at higher prices than those w/ minimum bids.

If anyone from Media Mall is listening, are you still going to support Netflix with Active TV?

Thanks

Alan

I've emailed with Media Mall engineers in the past. I was having difficulty with PlayOn and the 750. The person I emailed with said they do not plan to support the 520 in any way (this includes PlayOn). In addition, they do not plan to support ActiveTV anymore. This is why the 750 no longer supports it and no longer appears in the advertising. They are moving forward with PlayOn as their only streaming software.

Well that makes the 520 officially dead from my perspective. It's kind of unfortunate that the PS# and the XBox markets are killing development for uPnP boxes.

Alan

It has been a while since it was asked so I might as well be the one to do it. Will there be a 1.08? With the talk of the 520 being dead I want to know if I should be looking at eBay for a buyer. If 1.08 is a possibility I will hold out a little longer. I like the box. just wish some of the issues it has would be addressed.

Will there be a 1.08?Did I miss V1.07?

Ok... I goofed. I mentally added one to the version I wanted instead of the version I had.

So, any possibility of there being a 1.07?

I've emailed with Media Mall engineers in the past. I was having difficulty with PlayOn and the 750. The person I emailed with said they do not plan to support the 520 in any way (this includes PlayOn). In addition, they do not plan to support ActiveTV anymore. This is why the 750 no longer supports it and no longer appears in the advertising. They are moving forward with PlayOn as their only streaming software.

The new version of PlayOn came out the other day and it works with the DSM-520 beautifully, I think it's a good replacement for ActiveTV myself, never liked AT much at all..

with Playon all of these services are now put to you with a file structure instead of bloated slow loading menus..

Netflix, Youtube, Hulu.. they all work quickly and flawlessly.

it's really fantastic, the difference since the last release is staggering.
I found it worthless, but with this weekends update.. I'm buying the software. it went from Meh to Wow with that release.

The new version of PlayOn came out the other day and it works with the DSM-520 beautifully, I think it's a good replacement for ActiveTV myself, never liked AT much at all..

with Playon all of these services are now put to you with a file structure instead of bloated slow loading menus..

Netflix, Youtube, Hulu.. they all work quickly and flawlessly.

it's really fantastic, the difference since the last release is staggering.
I found it worthless, but with this weekends update.. I'm buying the software. it went from Meh to Wow with that release.


Sounds like it's worth trying to beta test, I wonder if one could presume
that the bits are the same regardless of the media server...


http://www.mikedame.net/dsm-520/SNAG-47.jpg

The SW is running on your XP and streaming the video to your player, so it's not really media-player dependent. I think as long as you're Upnp capable, you might(?) be good to go.

The new version of PlayOn came out the other day and it works with the DSM-520 beautifully, I think it's a good replacement for ActiveTV myself, never liked AT much at all..

with Playon all of these services are now put to you with a file structure instead of bloated slow loading menus..

Netflix, Youtube, Hulu.. they all work quickly and flawlessly.

it's really fantastic, the difference since the last release is staggering.
I found it worthless, but with this weekends update.. I'm buying the software. it went from Meh to Wow with that release.

I've got the new version as well. Netflix plays well for a few minutes, then says "end of video". MM feels this is a 520 bug. Hulu is fine. CBS will not play smoothly. I am sorry to hear that there is no longer any interest in the 520 by MM. Perhaps TVersity will fill the gap??

I would suggest going back into playon and retesting your accounts..
Netflix for me has been working like a charm as has Hulu..

CBS I tried once and it did not work so well. but I did not try again.

I would suggest going back into playon and retesting your accounts..
Netflix for me has been working like a charm as has Hulu..

CBS I tried once and it did not work so well. but I did not try again.

Thanks -- My Netflix results are variable. For example, I tried playing "Singin in the Rain". Played for a couple of minutes, and then quit. I sent the log to MM who felt it was a DSM-520 bug. I tried again today with the new software (and Vista). Same movie played quite a bid further, but then began to have severe buffering problems. I exited out and restarted - movie played thru just fine. After that I tried "US Marshalls" Plays great for a few minutes and then I get the "End of Video" message (the 520 bug it appears).

My account works fine. What is your quality setting? My computer is an Athlon 2400+ with 1 meg of memory. Any other thoughts would be helpful as MM really doesn't seem to have time for the 520 at present. BTW, MM says the Popcorn Hour box is reported to work well/

I have also been testing PlayOn. I have had the same end of file message from Hulu on two movies. I have also been able to play from my Netflix account without a problem.

Alan

Downloaded and test it tonight, works just fine. I did not test Netflixs
do not have an account. I did see the end of video message, on several of the sites, I think that is a norm.

I noticed now theMediaMall website does have an "other" server checkbox on the download now.

The only couple of downsides if you install it on your PC is, one it uninstalls the MediaMall(AKA Active-TV), may if I installed the D-Link version instead
of the MediaMall version, it probably would not un-install it.

The one lacking features on PlayOn is there is no search capabilities. Granted the method in Active-TV was a little hard to do, it still allowed searching.
But this is the Beta version, so I would guess that is in the works... (hopefully ;)).

PlayOn will uninstall Active TV regardless if it is the MediaMall app or the D-Link version of this app.


The only couple of downsides if you install it on your PC is, one it uninstalls the MediaMall(AKA Active-TV), may if I installed the D-Link version instead
of the MediaMall version, it probably would not un-install it.

Netflix currently working pretty well for me. I am suprised -- but pleasantly so!!!

I will also add that with netflix movies if you are having problems with freezing for a while and such, pause the movie and let it sit for a while, it will buffer up and that will make everything run more smoothly.

I've also had success watching Netflix movies on my 520. I've watched three or four so far, and they've played smoothly on my 52" LCD. The quality, while not great, is definitely acceptable.

I was disappointed that PlayOn uninstalled my Active TV software without warning me, especially since it took so much effort to get it running, but if I can watch Netflix, that would be good. I hope they can add local files to the mix, and I'll be happy. It would be nice to have one server that works well, rather than several for different reasons. I guess I will reinstall TVersity again as I stopped using it since it conflicted with Active TV.

So far, I'm satisfied with PlayOn. And with a few of the planned addons, it could be a pretty decent product.

This looks like it will work but I haven't watched enough YouTube videos with Active Tv to see if something needs to be tweaked as things look a little blocky. In any case, here is a zipped file called onlinemeda.zip with a file called onlinemedia.html file inside it.

Rename the onlinemedia.html file in the MediaMall folder.
Unzip the new onlinemedia.html file into the MediaMall folder.
Watch Youtube.

Enjoy.

Note: This fix is not supported by MediaMall. So don't go crying to them if something breaks again on Youtube's end.

See here:

http://active-tv.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-youtube-channel-for-dsm-520.html

It works!!! thanks for this. Is it safe to delete the old onlinemedia html then do you know or is it best just to leave it there? Daniel Mann's new plugin looks fantastic, plays a lot faster and has great new feature but unfortunately I can only get it to work on my pc. Any other uk/eu users managed to get it working?

The old one isn't being used anymore so it is safe to delete. The file is not that big so it doesn't hurt to leave it there, either.

It works!!! thanks for this. Is it safe to delete the old onlinemedia html then do you know or is it best just to leave it there?

Hi -Just to let everyone know the issue with the new plugin not working on some vista pcs has now been fixed. The autoplay function and ability to search friends and family makes this a far superior way of enjoying youtube video on the dsm 520 compared to the old mediamall version. Loading time is near instant and the interface looks incredible - a brilliant piece of work in my opinion.
In order to get dlink to support this officially it'd be great if as many people as possible could send their feedback to Danile Mann at
Daniel@active-tv.org -the 520 deserves more great plugins like this!!

DSM-520 dead???

DSM-520 dead???

what does this mean?

It means that it seems that DLink has stopped all development on the DSM-520. I have all but given up any hopes of a final firmware update to fix some remaining bugs.

It means that it seems that DLink has stopped all development on the DSM-520. I have all but given up any hopes of a final firmware update to fix some remaining bugs.

I haven't used mine in over a year because I bought a HTPC, but I'm about to move and may start using it again. I"m trying to avoid paying a cable or satellite bill.

I assume they are still supportive of the newer model? dsm-7xx

It means that it seems that DLink has stopped all development on the DSM-520. I have all but given up any hopes of a final firmware update to fix some remaining bugs.
Though I still have three DSM's in the house, I gave up on any hope of any serious issue resolutions from DLINK looooong ago. It seems they shot themselves in the foot by not listening to users in resolving the core issues we are all aware of affecting the DSM line. If I was a betting man, I suspect the 750 will follow the other products with dismal support from DLINK. All of my DSM's, replaced by NMT Popcorn Hour players, will be up on EBay soon which is really a shame since the DSM-520 and 750 really had potential.

Though I still have three DSM's in the house, I gave up on any hope of any serious issue resolutions from DLINK looooong ago. It seems they shot themselves in the foot by not listening to users in resolving the core issues we are all aware of affecting the DSM line. If I was a betting man, I suspect the 750 will follow the other products with dismal support from DLINK. All of my DSM's, replaced by NMT Popcorn Hour players, will be up on EBay soon which is really a shame since the DSM-520 and 750 really had potential.

Not to get into too much discussion, but I have a couple of questions about the popcorn hour thing.

Can it play 1080p content with dolby truehd(or whatever it is called) and the new DTS format, and can it be connected to a network to stream the HD content?

All of my content will be digital (meaning not on a disc/bluray) and I just need a way to get it to my receiver and TV.

I have written some scripts to create a Hulu TV html file for the DSM520.
This basicly takes the original one that MediaMall created, and add
the javascript for all of the Hulu TV Episodes.

Your can download the attached zip. There are 4 files. You need to unzip
them in the dir that they were zipped.

Archive: hulu.zip
Length Date Time Name
------ ---- ---- ----
21803 12-26-08 10:58 program files/mediamall/hulu.jpg
34106 12-26-08 10:36 program files/mediamall/mymedia1.html
86902 12-26-08 10:35 program files/mediamall/hulu1.html
190 12-26-08 10:13 program files/common files/tv-websites/hulutv.mcl
------ -------
143001 4

This works fairly well to take all of the RSS feed and create the menus for
the DSM and build the tree. But..... One part is missing, it is setting out
the Hulu login and password so the DSM can authenicate. I know it is
possible, because the original version worked, except is was very limited.
And the "PlayOn" uses the same technology to do the same.

:confused: So does anyone out there got some good suggestion on some javascript
code to pass the account and password to Hulu? I figure it is probably
a cookie that needs to be set, I have just not had the time to dig into it.

So why not use Playon? Well here is my rub, PlayOn is a neat tool, when I
used it thru the trial period. But it is missing 90% of the features that were
available in ActiveTV. Two it is not officially supported on the DSM520,
therefore I hate spending money on something that is not even offically
supported. Third, ActiveTV is extensible, such as what I am trying to do.
When I installed PlayOn, (as I remember), there was no source code loaded
to the PC. For the MediaMall, this probably makes sense to protect there
development, but those of us that like to tweak the code, we can no longer
so, with PlayOn.

Once you install the files, you will access it via the screen below.

http://www.mikedame.net/MediaMall/hulutv.jpg

Regards,
Mike

I didn't think Hulu was working in Active TV anymore. At least, I'm not getting anything to playback. Just an error message that it is unplayable.

I didn't think Hulu was working in Active TV anymore. At least, I'm not getting anything to playback. Just an error message that it is unplayable.

I believe the initial version of Hulu on ActiveTV had an embedded account
and password (But I am not positive) which has since been inactivated.
But this what I believe is why it is failing or you receive the "unplayable" message.
Hulu can not authenticate your DSM, since it did not provide the account
information. As you can see below, you can get all the way down to
the episodes, you just can't view them.

http://www.mikedame.net/MediaMall/30rock.jpg


I have been doing a little more digging on Daniel's ActiveTV site
http://active-tv.blogspot.com/ . I need to look at what Daniel is
doing with his new YouTube interface from his site.

I have a friend who still uses a DSM 520. It can't play MKV of course but seems to handle divx okay. Just wondering can it hand avi files with divx and DTS audio? Thanks

I believe the initial version of Hulu on ActiveTV had an embedded account
and password (But I am not positive) which has since been inactivated.
But this what I believe is why it is failing or you receive the "unplayable" message.

This is all speculation on my part...Technically, you don't need a username/password. Monitoring the network traffic to Hulu seems to confirm this.

When using the MediaMall app on the PC Hulu's widget shows up with the unplayable message. However, you can search within the widget and play content. This widget does not work on the DSM-520 and even if it did I'm not certain if the remote could control the widget.

Maybe this will give some clues...

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/post/314743.aspx

I have written some scripts to create a Hulu TV html file for the DSM520.
This basicly takes the original one that MediaMall created, and add
the javascript for all of the Hulu TV Episodes.


This is very cool. Great job.

Have you tried to use something like Tamper Data (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/966) for Firefox to monitor the request when you access hulu to observe the parameters being sent over?

Secondly, do you need a login/password? I think I've been able to go to hulu and watch vids there w/o ever logging in. Just a thought.


Rgs,

Aurangzeb

I think it is cool as well. The main issue now is to find the fix so that we can watch the Hulu video on the TV. Without that this is all academic.

While I understand the desire to tinker and the interface is better than PlayOn, I've been playing Hulu over a wireless connection for a while now with no issues. I find PlayOn to be a much more satisfying experience than ActiveTV. Combine that with Netflix access and I will never go back.

Alan

How is fast forward function on DSM 520? The function is good on my DSM 510 - it can do 100x, 50x, I usually use 20x. By comparison, it is miserable on my DSM 320, I think it is 2x only. (I am sure someone already asked, but this is a long thread. Lazy me. Thank you.)

How is fast forward function on DSM 520? The function is good on my DSM 510 - it can do 100x, 50x, I usually use 20x. By comparison, it is miserable on my DSM 320, I think it is 2x only. (I am sure someone already asked, but this is a long thread. Lazy me. Thank you.)

FF is decent using USB media. RW sometimes fouls up.

Over UPNP, FF is hit or miss and RW does not work often. FF/RW almost always screws up audio/video sync over UPNP. I just don't do it- the 10-90% jump buttons work ok and I will just jump to the nearest spot and wait to get back to the point where I was watching.

Actually I have taken to using thumbdrives for just this reason.

Actually I have taken to using thumbdrives for just this reason.

Can you elaborate? Are you putting a show/AVI on a thumb-drive and plugging that straight into the DSM-520 for better control over ff and rw?? I never thought of doing that, and have just struggled watching some shows out of sync after initially having down a ff (or worse, rw). Do tell!

Can you elaborate? Are you putting a show/AVI on a thumb-drive and plugging that straight into the DSM-520 for better control over ff and rw?? I never thought of doing that, and have just struggled watching some shows out of sync after initially having down a ff (or worse, rw). Do tell!

Yes, I just copy the movie or tv show to a thumbdrive and plug it in the front. Good ol' fashioned sneakernet.

As you have no doubt experienced, RW just does not work over the network, and FF is hit or miss.

--Joachim

This is me paying it forward for all the answers I found online and couldn't figure why someone took the time to put it there.



If you lose audio video sync when you either :

Fast Forward (ff)
Rewind (Rw)
Jump Skip
Resume
Seek
Use the channel up/down button for quick hops


you can fix this problem fast -- this assume that the file would have played fine had you not done any of the above actions. If the file you have plays out of sync on your computer this is not the solution for that.


To fix the file, you basically just need to copy it using a piece of freeware called virtual dub, available at virtualdub.org. I use version 1.8.5 but I'm sure later ones will work too. I'm assuming you already have the appropriate codec installed (it's x-vid for all the stuff I download).

To FIX:

Open file with virtual dub
click the "video" drop-down and make sure "direct stream copy" is selected.
3. Click the "audio" drop-down and make sure "direct stream copy" is selected.
Click the "file" drop-down and select "save as avi"
save the file to the folder you share with the dsm 520
Erase original file. DONE


When you open the file in v-dub it should give you a 1 or 2 warning about your video - this is the problem with the video that the DSM doesnt like. Basically we're not actually re-encoding the file with v-dub, we're just making a duplicate while removing the problem ---- this makes the process very quick. I can fix a 45 min video in 30 seconds. On a slow computer, I'm sure it wont take more than 2 or 3 minutes. It's well worth it.

If you have a question, hit me at-- fina355 at hotmail

Can anyone share their procedure for converting .mkv files for display on the DSM-520?

I've tried a couple different ways, but I get "unsupported format" or something like that.

What version and what settings do you use? I notice the recent builds are very PS3-specific and I wonder if they are doing something that is not compatible with the DSM-520.

TIA

Can anyone share their procedure for converting .mkv files for display on the DSM-520?

I've tried a couple different ways, but I get "unsupported format" or something like that.

What version and what settings do you use? I notice the recent builds are very PS3-specific and I wonder if they are doing something that is not compatible with the DSM-520.

TIA

What software are you using?

What software are you using?

mkv2vob

I can not get HULU videos to play on my DSM-520 either. I downloaded and installed the hulu.zip (thanks wa4qfy!) and HULU videos play in my D-Link Active-TV browser on my PC. However, via my DSM-520, I get the HULU screen wa4qfy shows, click on a video and it buffers and displays the sponsor "this presentation is brought to by E-Insurance..." but then just goes back to the HULU screen. I do get any kind of error msg. Daniel Mann's YouTube configured channel does work for me, but it's spotty. Sometimes the menu does not go away and video plays behind it. Weird.

Hulu stopped working in Active TV in late October, 2008 due to a change on Hulu's end. It was only a beta in Active TV but it worked pretty good for me.

I've investigated the local web page that would play the content from Hulu but do not have enough knowledge in programming in the Windows MCE language and how Hulu interacts with it to have it working again. The RSS feeds and the search function still work. Just the playback is broken.

In a nutshell the content is grabbed from Hulu and then transcoded on the fly. This transcoded file is then sent to the DSM-520 by Active TV.

Install PlayOn on your PC. It will show up as a server and stream Hulu, Netflix (if you have an account), CBS and ESPN. I actually like it much better than Active TV. Furthermore, PlayOn will coexist with TVersity, so you can switch between Hulu and your own media easily.

Alan

Install PlayOn on your PC.

I'll second that. I was using PlayOn during the beta period and got hulu to play fine through the DSM-520. Haven't used it in a while, though I suspect it's only gotten better.

Not quite ready to jump on the PlayOn bandwagon just yet. I still have issues (like others) that have Hulu content cut off 2 minutes early or what appears to be (real or imagined) issues with Hulu not functioning anymore.

I have tried to get the dsm520 working with both tversity and playon. No luck. Forget support.

Anyone gotten the 520 to work with tversity or playon?

I also have not gotten the two to work together. I finally removed Tversity, although I did like it on it's own. Others have reported getting them to work side by side, but not on my machine.

I use Playon but not tversity, instead I use TwonkyMedia, neither without issues.

I have tried to get the dsm520 working with both tversity and playon. No luck. Forget support.

Anyone gotten the 520 to work with tversity or playon?


Yes, I have the latest version of Playon with the latest firmware on the DSM-520. Install playon on your computer/server, set up and test your accounts on playon and make sure it links up, then just bring up your DSM-520, his Media and choose the playon server, and you should connect right up.

when you launch a video it will take a good 2 minutes or so before it starts, the performance you get out of it will be relative to your internet connection, I have a blazing fast connection but I tend to start the movie up, soon as the opening comes up I pause it and go do something for a bit, I tend to let it cache up on the server then watch it, if you do this you won't have any pauses or interruptions during playback.

I use Hulu a lot with my DSM-520, for the most part without problems. I believe the problems are due to speed changes in your connection. I find my connection (measured from speedtest.net) can be highly variable in the evenings. When the connection gets down to about 2 mbps I will sometimes have a program end early. I am assuming that it's due to a timeout. When my internet connections is above 3 mbps I never have that problem.

I just bought a Netgear EVA 9150, and haven't seen any problems with Hulu, but I haven't tested it enough to be sure yet.

Alan

Just got a DSM-520 and have spent over 3 hrs trying to get this thing to connect to my PC. I get it connected to the internet wirelessly & updated the firmware as well as listed to some radio stations, but I keep getting the "no server found" message and am unable to connect to the content on my PC. I installed the D-Link server software as well as TVersity and pointed them to the media files on my PC. I turned off the windows firewall, uninstalled Norton, tried using a Static IP as well as DHCP. Please can someone help before I throw this thig up against a wall ?

Thanks, Ed

Just got a DSM-520 and have spent over 3 hrs trying to get this thing to connect to my PC. I get it connected to the internet wirelessly & updated the firmware as well as listed to some radio stations, but I keep getting the "no server found" message and am unable to connect to the content on my PC. I installed the D-Link server software as well as TVersity and pointed them to the media files on my PC. I turned off the windows firewall, uninstalled Norton, tried using a Static IP as well as DHCP. Please can someone help before I throw this thig up against a wall ?

Thanks, Ed

Which media server did you install? d-link? tversity? twonkymedia?
What is your OS? xp? xp64? vista? vista64?

This thread has many different issue that could be possibilities. As for
norton, I haven't had any issues once the proper apps/ports were opened.
NAV 2009 now uses the windows firewall exclusion mappings, instead of
maintaining it's own list, so this should not be a issue. I remember that some people had a issue with one windows configuration, I think that
the ssdp (below) was an issue, but that may not be the only one.

but fixed it by running SERVICES.MSC and enabling SSDP DiscoveryYou can also check out the d-link forum
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?board=158.0

Good Luck & Regards,
Mike

Hello. I've tried everything to get this thing to play certain video files such as H.264, but nothing seems to want to work. I've recoded them dozens of times, I've tried different media servers (TVersity yielded the highest success for playback, but it only detected about 2% of my media files). I posted on TVersity forums about the lack of detection, but it's been months and I have yet to hear back. I've done MPEG2, MPEG4, DivX, Xvid, etc etc and still, no success. What am I doing wrong?

I'm using the standard Windows Server on Vista Ultimate 64 bit and D-Link media server running concurrently. As I'm typing this, I'm trying to convert a video using handbrake on my Mac, but I'm sure I've used these settings before. Does anyone know the precise settings for handbrake, perhaps?

Hello. I've tried everything to get this thing to play certain video files such as H.264, but nothing seems to want to work. I've recoded them dozens of times, I've tried different media servers (TVersity yielded the highest success for playback, but it only detected about 2% of my media files). I posted on TVersity forums about the lack of detection, but it's been months and I have yet to hear back. I've done MPEG2, MPEG4, DivX, Xvid, etc etc and still, no success. What am I doing wrong?

I'm using the standard Windows Server on Vista Ultimate 64 bit and D-Link media server running concurrently. As I'm typing this, I'm trying to convert a video using handbrake on my Mac, but I'm sure I've used these settings before. Does anyone know the precise settings for handbrake, perhaps?

Unless TVersity is doing some transcoding of the H.264 the D-Link will not play this format. It is high bandwidth that the D-Link is not capable of playing back. The D-Link will play back bitrates up to 19mbps. You definitely should have no issues with MPEG2. Xvid is hit or miss depending on the encoding used.

The D-Link Media Server will work for sure on WinXP 32. Not sure on Windows server.

Unless TVersity is doing some transcoding of the H.264 the D-Link will not play this format. It is high bandwidth that the D-Link is not capable of playing back. The D-Link will play back bitrates up to 19mbps. You definitely should have no issues with MPEG2. Xvid is hit or miss depending on the encoding used.

The D-Link Media Server will work for sure on WinXP 32. Not sure on Windows server.

I'm not using Windows Server, I'm using the Windows Media Server. I should've clarified that before posting. I'm running Vista 64-Bit Ultimate. I've tried MPEG2 and that has yielded odd results. It usually is compatible, but it outputs non-watchable media. Usually there is either no audio or the video playback is very jumpy. What is the best way to recode HD H.264 videos for playback?

I will try one of the latest non H.264 video I have and see if that works. The jumpy playback happens on some other formats, but is pretty much guaranteed on H.264 recoded to MPEG2.

Are you running wireless or wired connection?
I know there are alot of complaints that when running wireless
unless you have a very good signal, the video is choppy.
That is why I connect mine wired with good results, but
basicly I only use divx's and the original VOBs. So can't
speak to other formats.

Yes, I have the latest version of Playon with the latest firmware on the DSM-520. Install playon on your computer/server, set up and test your accounts on playon and make sure it links up, then just bring up your DSM-520, his Media and choose the playon server, and you should connect right up.

when you launch a video it will take a good 2 minutes or so before it starts, the performance you get out of it will be relative to your internet connection, I have a blazing fast connection but I tend to start the movie up, soon as the opening comes up I pause it and go do something for a bit, I tend to let it cache up on the server then watch it, if you do this you won't have any pauses or interruptions during playback.

Still no worky. I have given up on Playon and it's support team.

If you can't get either TVersity or PlayOn to work, the problem is in your setup. I've had both working trouble free with the DLink. If you want some help with this post your operating systems and describe your network in detail.

Alan

If you can't get either TVersity or PlayOn to work, the problem is in your setup. I've had both working trouble free with the DLink. If you want some help with this post your operating systems and describe your network in detail.

Alan

The problem with Playon is that my server disconnects after about 15-20 minutes. I worked with Playon support, but they just say it is the 520, and since I am the only one with this problem, tough luck, more or less.

Tversity is a different problem. The videos are jerky.

I am using a Synology DS108J server with the 520, no problems.

I have a fast Intel i7 computer with Vista 64. Playon does not like that system at all. So I don't use it.

The system I am using uses an Intel Core Duo dual core 2.66ghz processor, 4 gb memory, and a nvidea 8800 gtx 320mb video card. The router is a wireless linksys wrt54g, less than a year old. Vista 32 with SP2.

I also installed my Window XP on this system and tried both streams, with the same problems.

Signal strength seems to be ok to all devices. Wifi that is.

Internet connection is usually very good, at 3m download.

Using the Dlink Media Server everything works flawlessly.

Playon just has the server drop problem and Tversity picture is jerky.
I have tried MANY MANY combinations of settings with Tversiy.

I really want to get Playon working so I can use CBS and Hulu.

I would appreciate any help or suggestions. I have only recently put this problem on AVS Forums. It has been ongoing for a month and a half.



I used to be a software engineer with IBM before becoming disabled.
I am pretty sure the problem is Playon for that problem. I think since not many people are having the problem Mediamall is not going to use resources to fix it.

The problem with Playon is that my server disconnects after about 15-20 minutes. I worked with Playon support, but they just say it is the 520, and since I am the only one with this problem, tough luck, more or less.

Tversity is a different problem. The videos are jerky.

I am using a Synology DS108J server with the 520, no problems.

I have a fast Intel i7 computer with Vista 64. Playon does not like that system at all. So I don't use it.

The system I am using uses an Intel Core Duo dual core 2.66ghz processor, 4 gb memory, and a nvidea 8800 gtx 320mb video card. The router is a wireless linksys wrt54g, less than a year old. Vista 32 with SP2.

I also installed my Window XP on this system and tried both streams, with the same problems.

Signal strength seems to be ok to all devices. Wifi that is.

Internet connection is usually very good, at 3m download.

Using the Dlink Media Server everything works flawlessly.

Playon just has the server drop problem and Tversity picture is jerky.
I have tried MANY MANY combinations of settings with Tversiy.

I really want to get Playon working so I can use CBS and Hulu.

I would appreciate any help or suggestions. I have only recently put this problem on AVS Forums. It has been ongoing for a month and a half.



I used to be a software engineer with IBM before becoming disabled.
I am pretty sure the problem is Playon for that problem. I think since not many people are having the problem Mediamall is not going to use resources to fix it.

Some more questions. What version of the firmware are you using on the DSM-520. If you aren't using the latest, update it.

I'm confused. You say PlayOn is dropping the server? You mean it's losing the connection to the internet don't you? The first thing I would try is to run a cable from your router to the PC that is running PlayOn, and see if that helps. If that helps, I would play with the channel, and see if interference is causing your wifi problem. You could also call your ISP and have them check the connection. As an aside, do you have trouble streaming Hulu to your destop?

Or do you mean it's losing the connection to the DSM-520?

I am assuming that you can stream things from your server with the DLink software and it isn't jerky, but with TVersity it is. That's really funky, because TVersity is usually the better of the two servers. Usually a jerky picture implies interference with the wifi connection.

One last thing, if you find that the problem is with the router, try DDWRT firmware for the Router. It gives you much more control and I had fewer connection problems with it.

Just some ideas.

Alan

Thanks for the suggestions.

I was using my wifi internet radio function on my archos 605 and noticed a ticking sound in the audio. I live very close to a small airport. So.....

I went to Officemax and bought and ethernet over powerline setup by linksys.

Tonight, It actually worked! Played a full show of Bones no problem! I think it was the wifi. I hope it is finally permanently working.

Great. Just a suggestion though, before the Linksys purchase is final, check out the netgear, and belkin(?) brands. If I remember correctly they are both faster than the Linksys. If you ever want to do HD, you will need all the speed you can get.

Alan

I have two DSM-520's, one running the latest EU firmware, the running the latest US firmware. Both devices have been running fine for many months with no issues to speak of.

Suddenly one day on the living room DSM-520 video files started to jump and stutter and the device stopped responding to keypreses. It was as if it was suffering from a severe memory leak. The problem happens with files played wirelessly, over ethernet and even from files on a USB memory stick. In case there was some change in newly encoded files I tried playing an old file I had played many times before. Same problem.

This is where it gets weird.

I tried my other DSM-520 and got exactly the same problem.

I cannot understand why two machines with different firmware should each refuse to play files they had played before either on the network or from USB.

Any suggestions?

Are both DSM-520's on the network when you play through the USB? If so then remove the 520's off and try your old file on the USB drive again.

Anything else change? New router? Change location? New gear?

Yes, the DSM-520's were on the network when the problems happened.
I have recently upgraded the firmware on my router (AVM Fritzbox 7270), although I did think this was a few days earlier - but I might be wrong.

I will try testing again this time with the network disconnected. Why this would make a difference I am at a loss to figure, but there are no other factors common to the scenario when the error happens.

Thanks for your help. I will let you know if this cures it.

Well, I'm in the final days of my DSM-520, having ordered a Popcorn Hour C-200. That said, I just managed to hook my DSM-520 up wired for the first time (not a matter of ability as much as a previous router incompatible with the switch I was using on another floor). While the DSM-520 could be improved, attaching the string has greatly improved its performance.

It was my first media extender, and when it hasn't frozen up, it has been a fairly good one. Perhaps I can find a friend who will take good care of it.

I have owned the 520 for more than 4 years now. I have never had problems with it, and for streaming music and video wirelessly from my PC, it's been perfect!

My problem is with streaming video or audio from the Internet is where I have problems. I subscribe to Live365 radio, and Netflix. Live365 plays perfectly on my PC, but when I try to stream it to my home theater, it breaks up\stalls so bad that I can't listen. Video streams, using PlayOn stall and freeze, making the experience not feasible. My router is upstairs, home theater down. Netflix and Hulu work sporadically.

Is this problem with my Internet provider (Time Warner Cable) or with my wireless router (DLink 634M)? All are running the latest firmware. Since I can stream music and video from my pc flawlessly, it seems my router is fine. Live365 plays fine on my pc which seems like my Internet connection works fine.

How do I troubleshoot where the exact problem is with this? I want to use my home theater for Internet streaming. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

I have owned the 520 for more than 4 years now. I have never had problems with it, and for streaming music and video wirelessly from my PC, it's been perfect!
...
How do I troubleshoot where the exact problem is with this? I want to use my home theater for Internet streaming. Any thoughts?
More likely than not your computer running PlaynOn is underpowered.

Wireless internet streaming is pretty iffy, just the nature of the way data comes in, and buffering should be expected. To troubleshoot, you might want hook the 520 via ethernet to see if there a significant difference, if you have enough cable, or can move your display device closer to the 520.

Take a look at PlayOn and test your network speed. What you are describing is most commonly caused by slow network speed. You can also see what your download speed is by going to http://www.speedtest.net. If that shows the download speed is good, test your internal network by copying a file across the network and timing it. If I remember correctly PlayOn requires about 3 mbps to stream. If you find it's your wireless connection, you can try changing the channel or running a wired connection.

It should work well. I used to run PlayOn to a DSM-520 on a "g" network without a problem, but I had a strong connection. On the other hand with an "n" network I was recently having problems. Turned out Cablevision was running out of capacity in my network and the speed had degerated to 0.5-3 mbps in the evenings. After they fixed their problems I am routinely getting 8-12 mbps download speeds. Problem solved.

Alan

Thanks for the replies and help everyone.

More likely than not your computer running PlaynOn is underpowered.

My PC has an Intel dual core 1.86 ghz. This is a bit under the recommended requirement. Is it enough to cause this problem?

To troubleshoot, you might want hook the 520 via ethernet to see if there a significant difference, if you have enough cable, or can move your display device closer to the 520.

I'll try this as it is something I thought about doing. This could help me troubleshoot, but as a permanent fix, it wouldn't be feasible as I mentioned, the 520 is on the first floor so running cables across the house wouldn't work too well.

Take a look at PlayOn and test your network speed. What you are describing is most commonly caused by slow network speed. You can also see what your download speed is by going to http://www.speedtest.net. If that shows the download speed is good, test your internal network by copying a file across the network and timing it. If I remember correctly PlayOn requires about 3 mbps to stream. If you find it's your wireless connection, you can try changing the channel or running a wired connection.

PlayOn reports:

Online Bandwidth - MAX
CPU Performance - High
Disk Space 126 GB
System Mem 4096 mb

Speedtest reports:

Ping 72 ms Los Angeles to New York
D/L speed 15.19 mb/sec
U/L speed 0.96 mb/sec

I'll try running the ethernet cable and see what happens.

Thanks again!

My PC has an Intel dual core 1.86 ghz. This is a bit under the recommended requirement. Is it enough to cause this problem? I went from Athlon XP 3000+ to Celeron D 3.2 to Pentium D 3.4 and I saw a clear difference in "jerkiness". Actually the last one run smooth in video and audio albeit not the best video quality. The last CPU test is still medium. I believe the last two systems also have a faster hard drive.
Everything else was the same.

I have an issue similar to post 1929 above.

I am having problem with connecting a DSM-520 with a computer. The twist is that the devices have worked well previously until a change in intermediate equipment.

The DSM-520 was connected by wifi to a Linksys WRT54 router which was connected by ethernet to a PC. The computer's media server software fed media files to the DSM-520 just fine for the past year+.

Just had a change in equipment where the router (and separate modem) was replaced by a D-Link triple play modem (router, modem, switch all-in-one) supplied by Telus (Cdn telco). Note that this modem is supplied hardware and doesn't come with any instructions.

What has happened now is that the media player says no server is found, but it is connected to the network. I have checked the computer for uPnP and firewall issues. The wi-fi connection setup is the same. Uninstalled and reinstalled the server software to no avail.

However, when I install the server software in a laptop connected by wifi, it can be seen by the media player and feeds. It just cannot be seen on 2 computer hooked up on the same combo box via ethernet.

I have rigged a bypass where the laptop is running the server and is reading voa network the computer (which previously linked to the media player) drive with the media files.

The only thing I can see is that the Telus box separates the wi-fi and ethernet router enough so that some wi-fi connected and ethernet connected devices cannot see each other.

Ideas, anyone?

What has happened now is that the media player says no server is found, but it is connected to the network. I have checked the computer for uPnP and firewall issues. The wi-fi connection setup is the same. Uninstalled and reinstalled the server software to no avail.
Many routers today provide two network segments: internal network and guest one: one assigned addresses, e.g., 192.168.1.xxx and another one like 192.168.2.yyy. None device from the former can see any from the latter and vice versa.If someone comes to your house you can allow them an access to the Internet, but hide your own network.
You need to disable that feature. D-Link is very good to provide all manuals online.

Many routers today provide two network segments: internal network and guest one: one assigned addresses, e.g., 192.168.1.xxx and another one like 192.168.2.yyy. None device from the former can see any from the latter and vice versa.If someone comes to your house you can allow them an access to the Internet, but hide your own network.
You need to disable that feature. D-Link is very good to provide all manuals online.


Haven't seen anything that resembles such a feature (internal and guest network segments) on the router menu yet. The router is crippled by the Telco so that adds a twist. The manual is over 600 pages and I haven't started to go through it yet.

Hi guys,

I use DSM-520 media player with DNS-323 storage, and the avi's subtitle .srt only shows when i see the avis from USB stick. from the storage is is not shows...
Anybody has an idea about it? And if in the subtitle are áéőúóüöí characters (these are Hungarian letters) , it is not shows all of the sentence...