Questions on DLink DSM-520 [Text View]

adean1979

10-20-05, 10:48 PM

I was doing a search on wireless media extenders today and came across the new DLink one: http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=1&pid=438

I was wondering if anyone had new information on this. It looks like you can purchase it from DLink and a couple other online retailers but they don't give a release date. On Best Buy's website, it just says "coming soon".

This sounds like the perfect solution for me except for one thing. The supported audio file list doesn't include AAC. I could care less about being able to stream DRM protected AAC files from the iTunes Store since I've never bought one song there but a lot of my music files are in the unprotected AAC format since I use an iPod and imported a lot of my CDs in iTunes. Does anyone know if it'd be possible to play AAC songs with the DSM-520?

Additionally, does anyone know if it's capable of streaming VOB files from DVDs that I've ripped on my computer? If this thing can play AAC files and VOB files, I'm definitely picking one of these up.

onstar

10-20-05, 11:55 PM

Look like a very promising device.

ginso100

10-23-05, 07:55 PM

I just ordered one this week. Although they are backordered, it look about as close as it comes to an easy plug and play solution to streaming music, rhapsody, napster, and pictures in HD as is out there.

We'll see - i'll let you know when (if it ever gets off backorder) i get it.

onstar

10-24-05, 01:38 AM

I really like the look of D-Link DSM-520. I hope it works like advertised. If it does, I will buy one.

chrixx

10-24-05, 10:23 AM

Will this play vob files over the network? I am looking for a sleek device with HDMI to cleanly hook up to my LCD display. I can't find anything on the spec sheet.

cleblanc

10-25-05, 09:12 AM

I had just bought a DSM-320 which works great but I was interested in the 520 because of the HD. I emailed D-Link and they told me that it would NOT support HD photos, only video. This was very disappointing. They did say there was no technical reason why it could not. So hopefully a firmware upgrade in the future will allow this. Since I only use the 320 for pictures and music, I see no reason to upgrade at this time. And I would advise holding off until it can be verified that HD photos will work. I am actually shocked that D-Link would omit this feature.

slocko

10-25-05, 01:07 PM

now that has to be the most retarded thing ever. you would think the first thing they would do is see what the competition has and at least equal the features. he roku has been doing hd photos for what a year now?

Souki

11-13-05, 04:01 AM

Like the DSM-320, this DSM-520 supports VOB under the Mpeg2 file type of the Server software. Look in the manual under server installation and you'll see VOB file type listed. Also supports WMV9 (not WMV8 or earlier) (720p only), AVI (MPEG4 layer only, 1080i), and MPEG2 (1080i). All this thing is missing is an ATSC tuner and 802.11n, then it would be close to perfect!

hooked4life

11-13-05, 08:56 PM

This looks like a cool device. My only issue is since it doesnt have an internal hard drive would a USB 2.0 Hard Drive be able to keep up with the speed of a 8GB VOB? My problem is I need to go wireless and Wireless G just isnt going to be fast enough most likely.

I have an MG-35 on order, but this device looks pretty sweet.

Souki

11-14-05, 02:52 AM

Yeah, I was thinking of buying a USB 2.0 spec external HDD. According to the USB2.0 specs, it's faster than standard firewire, 480Mbps vs 400Mbps. That's roughly 60 MB / second!! Firewire standard improvements has increased to 800Mbps, but that's just a side note.

As a point of reference, Ethernet (wired) 10/100 LAN transfer rate is 100Mbps or 12.5MB / second, Blu-Ray transfer rate is 36 Mbps and HD-DVD transfer rate is 36.55 Mbps. DVD only requires 1,350 KB/s or 1.35 MB/s. I doubt the HDMI is the bottle neck since it can transfer uncompressed HD signals. In a way, I'm glad it doesn't have an internal HDD, it keeps the price down initially, and when you feel like upgrading, you could hook up an external USB2.0 HDD for your media storage.

spalkowetz

11-14-05, 05:13 AM

Does it play .IFO files for dvds? IOW..does it support menu and chapter navigation for ripped DVDS like the mg-35??

Thanks
Sharon

hooked4life

11-14-05, 05:47 AM

Okay so the Extermal USB HD shouldnt be an issue. How does this unit compare with the MG-35? I have an MG-35 but I would be tempted to return it for this. The only thing I dont like the USB port is in the front of the unit.

Souki

11-15-05, 06:10 PM

AFAIK the Dlink DSM-520 doesn't support IFO files, but they may implement that feature in a future firmware update or perhaps next years model. Since it already supports VOB files, there are ways around that issue.

As for a comparison, I like the DSM-520 more due to the HDMI connection, WMV9 support, MPEG Playlist file (m3u, pls), SRT subtitles, more photo file types (JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, PNG), fits into any audio cabinet due to it's slim design, optical/coax audio pass-through not limited to only DTS, no issues with < 6GB HDD (AFAIK), support for 802.11b/g, USB port is standard size in front for easy access to USB thumb drives (for photos I would imagine, and optional wireless network configuration), nicer remote, packaged with S-Video cable, CAT5 network cable, and wireless antennae, and it's priced quite similiar.

So yeah, it doesn't support IFO files, but based on the other things it does support, I'm willing to give that up. So it depends on how important IFO support is for you guys.

I'm ordering mine later this week. I'll try to answer more questions in detail when it arrives.

chrixx

11-16-05, 12:49 PM

Any idea when there may be an internal dvd version of this device available? I really like the device, but I want to be able to replace my DVD player with it and not have an additional device.

juandixon

11-16-05, 02:47 PM

will this support divx 5/avi ?

k-y

11-17-05, 12:18 AM

Any idea when there may be an internal dvd version of this device available? I really like the device, but I want to be able to replace my DVD player with it and not have an additional device.

Maybe you can use an external DVD player w/ the USB port...

Yves Smolders

11-17-05, 02:39 AM

Paul_PDX

11-17-05, 02:22 PM

This device (and all related ones) always list "WMA" audio compatibility.

I was wondering if this automatically included WMA lossless? Can't find any info on lossless playback of these machines, for me this is very important.

Thanks for the info!

We won't know til we see one -- all of the other Sigmabased players don't playe WMA lossless so I expect we won't see it here either.

k-y

11-18-05, 02:26 PM

Maybe you can use an external DVD player w/ the USB port...

Woot!

I got this from the D-Link product info ppl:
Hello,
Yes, according to D-Link`s Multimedia Department this application can
be implemented. Please contact me if you have any additional
questions or product inquiries.

ADMIN NOTE: Conctact information removed

Gigabit Ethernet would be cool to have in a future product, too.

Kabanero

11-18-05, 03:25 PM

I have concern about this unit playing HD video.

Manual says it plays MPEG-2 HD 1080i up to 8Mbps.

As far as I know HD broadcast (1080i or 720p) and JVC HDV (720p) is @ 19Mbps, and Sony HDV (1080i) is @25Mbps.

There is no MPEG-2 HD video with 8Mbps.

What's up with that?

Jeff_DML

11-18-05, 04:27 PM

correct 19.2Mb is what they send OTA but the actual video is not that high, they pad it out with Null packets. My local PBS stations send as low as 10Mb HD content, never seen as low as 8Mb though. There are programs out there that you can use to strip out NULL packets, here is one

http://www.hometheatersoftware.com/

But you are right, kind of dumb you cannot send the normal streams you get OTA .

I have concern about this unit playing HD video.

Manual says it plays MPEG-2 HD 1080i up to 8Mbps.

As far as I know HD broadcast (1080i or 720p) and JVC HDV (720p) is @ 19Mbps, and Sony HDV (1080i) is @25Mbps.

There is no MPEG-2 HD video with 8Mbps.

What's up with that?

Souki

11-18-05, 05:25 PM

Yves Smolders : The manual specifically says it doesn't support WMA Lossless or WMA Pro. Not sure what the reasons are, other than copy right issues.

Well, I tried to order this thing, and it's "back ordered" everywhere. Even D-Link themselves don't have any in stock. Most online retailers will say "In Stock" until you order the unit. Any one know when there will be more stock available?

k-y

11-18-05, 06:18 PM

Souki, did you try buy.com yet?

Yves Smolders : The manual specifically says it doesn't support WMA Lossless or WMA Pro. Not sure what the reasons are, other than copy right issues.

Well, I tried to order this thing, and it's "back ordered" everywhere. Even D-Link themselves don't have any in stock. Most online retailers will say "In Stock" until you order the unit. Any one know when there will be more stock available?

Souki

11-19-05, 01:35 AM

No, but I doubt they have it either. Several large sites states that this item is back ordered. I purchased this unit off one site that claims to have it in stock at the time of order placement, but next day they notified me that it's in fact back ordered. And since the D-Link site is out of stock as well, I think I'll wait til stock is replenished before purchasing. It could be months before stock level is up again. Hopefully not, as this unit fits perfectly for my needs. I wrote to D-Link about the back order status, haven't gotten back to me yet. I'll update this thread once the stock is available for those interested.

cat6man

11-23-05, 04:47 PM

I've got one as well as a JVC SRDVD-100U.

The JVC is great for HD streaming, including OTA TP files....unfortunately the
DVD player has many problems (as do Linkplayer2 from IOData, which it is based
upon....hope they fix that soon).

As for the DSM-520, I have been unable to get it to work with any media server except the DLink one.....the JVC sees and uses the IOData advanced server, the DLink media server, the Buffalo Tech server (on a networked linkstation drive)
and WIZD. It is not a firewall problem but for some reason the DLink can't see
the other servers at all. Tech support says it is UPNP capable but they don't
guarantee compatability with any specific software, which is just nonsense to me.

Any ideas on why the DLINK can't see the other servers? The DLINK server says
it supports playback of MPG HD files but not in TP format, which is what my BTV4 recordings are in.

Kabanero

11-23-05, 05:11 PM

cat6man

1. so, you couldn't play any Hi-Def video file, could you?

2. Did you try to connect external hard drive to USB port?

Paul_PDX

11-23-05, 05:17 PM

Any ideas on why the DLINK can't see the other servers? The DLINK server says
it supports playback of MPG HD files but not in TP format, which is what my BTV4 recordings are in.

Pinnacle and Kiss used to both lock their players to only see specific server software. It wouldn't surprise me to see Dlink try that also. All it will do in the end is cost them customers if the out of the box software isn't able to make people happy.

How did Dlink do with audio files -- did they make the UI any friendlier than the other Sigma/Syabas players.

abricko

11-24-05, 02:05 PM

I've read through the posts and manuals I have to know if anyone has been able to play TS files (or files pulled from OTA HD Broadcasts). If you have this unit please reply back. I know the manual doesn't list TS files, but i was wondering if you rename the file to a .mpg if the media server will pick it up and if the player will play it then. thanks any info will help, i'm about to purchase this unit.

Souki

11-24-05, 11:23 PM

abricko : you're gonna to have to convert the hi-def TS file to MPEG2 format before this player will play the file at 1080i. It does not support TS files natively. Just assume that if it ain't in the manual, it won't do it.

mrtcpip

11-25-05, 03:20 PM

gbirk

11-25-05, 08:25 PM

We won't know til we see one -- all of the other Sigmabased players don't playe WMA lossless so I expect we won't see it here either.

The User's Manual on D-Link's web site states: "Does not support WMA lossless, WMA Pro"

Souki

11-27-05, 01:35 PM

Could you explain or point me to some of the ways around this issue?TIA

Well, I've read in other forums (can't remember which one) where you could create directory structures to navigate through the various menus. Yeah, it's a pain, but you get a crude menu structure of the DVD. Also someone successfully used the DSM-320 with another server software, so I would assume that the DSM-520 would be the same, since they both use the same D-Link server software, and both use the industry standard uPnP soap/sddp protocol.

Btw, any Canadians interested in this product would probably like to know that it won't be available, according to a DLink sales rep, until March 2006. Actually he said, "check back in March 2006". So, only way to get this thing is to order it online for now. I'm thinking they were not prepared to committ that much resource until shipments are higher. Keep in mind it only came out like October 2005..

As a side note, I've discovered that D-Link in fact was suppose to release the DSM-5208R, "the new MediaLounge Wireless Media Server..with high-definition support and 80 Gigabytes of on-board storage for music, video and picture files."

According to TomsNetworking reports of CES 2005 :

"Next out in "early Q2" should be the DSM-5208R Wireless Media Server. This one will support WMV-HD as well as other formats that haven't been finalized. It will have a rather small 80GB internal hard drive and 5-in-1 card reader and USB 2.0 port to support attachment of external drives. No pricing has been set.

http://www.tomsnetworking.com/myimages/Features/ces2005/dlink_DSM-5208R.jpg
D-Link DSM-5208R Wireless Media Server

Further out in "Q3" is the DSM-520 which is essentially the replacement for the DSM-230. It will be a high definition media player that includes upconversion with a target list of $249."

Just checked D-Links website, and I don't seem to see this product available..wonder if its just the DSM-520 with an 80GB HDD built-in? Weird why the DSM-520 with no HDD is released in Q3, while the one with the HDD is supposed to release in Q2 and there's no sign of it.. I'm thinking the next upgrade would be the DSM-520 with a DVD drive, just like what they did with the DSM-320RD.

Also D-Links January 2005 press release below :
http://hiddenwires.co.uk/resourcesnews2005/news20050124-15.html

Magendanz

11-29-05, 03:30 AM

I've had my DSM-520 for about 10 days now, and I purchased the device primarily to play DivX/XviD downloads. For this one purpose, the DSM-520 really delivers. Video and audio quality exceeded my expectations, and the CPU load on the server is significantly less than the previous Media Center Extender that I owned. I set up the media server in about 5 minutes using Windows Media Connect that was already on my Windows XP machine. (Later, I upgraded to WMC 2.0, which was just posted.) Best of all, there's no need to transcode from DivX/XviD to WMV just so that I can play them back remotely.

That said, I really miss the Media Center user experience. Of course, I can live without the glitzy animations and dynamic backgrounds, but some of the basic navigation functions are missing on the MediaLounge that make playback awkward at best. For example, there's no obvious way to resume playback of a partially viewed movie. Since the playback index isn't saved, you're forced to fast forward from the beginning. While the FF is nice and smooth, it's limited to a 4x speed, which means you'll be waiting 15 minutes to index an hour into your movie. The manual describes a mode you can set to index to a specific time, but it can't be used in conjunction with FF/Rev...and I've never been able to get that feature to work. (Unlike FF, Rewind is extremely jerky and can hang for 20-30 seconds.) Whatever you do, don't slip on the remote when you hit Play/Pause, since 6 of the 7 surrounding buttons will lose your playback index and you'll be fast forwarding from the beginning again.

Of course, when you're finally done and want to delete the show, there's a button on the remote marked "Delete"...but it doesn't seem to work.

In general, I believe that the Windows Media Connect strategy is more elegant than Windows Media Extenders, which place such a large CPU burden on the server, but I've really begun to appreciate the software design efforts that goes into a good media playback experience. These initial firmware releases are lacking some essentials that I'd been taking for granted, and I hope that many of the usability issues will be addressed in the next set of firmware updates.

Kabanero

11-29-05, 08:27 AM

Magendanz,

did you try to play Hi-Definition video files?

Magendanz

11-30-05, 03:47 AM

Kabanero: Unfortunately, practically all of the truly high-resolution (HR) DivX/XviD content out there is compressed with AC3 5.1 audio, which the DSM-520 currently doesn't support. For grins, I converted an episode of Rome to MP3 audio and it seemed to work, but the bitrate was at the limit of my 802.11g wireless network and it was dropping frames like crazy. I don't have Ethernet wired, but I can repeat the exercise off a USB 2.0 hard drive and let you know how it goes.

Kabanero

11-30-05, 09:15 AM

Kabanero: Unfortunately, practically all of the truly high-resolution (HR) DivX/XviD content out there is compressed with AC3 5.1 audio, which the DSM-520 currently doesn't support. .
That's lame! It's probably Microsoft thing.

It would be interesting if you can play files from external HDD connected to DLink via USB port without using a server.

Also, can you try Hi-Def MPEG-2 transport stream files @19Mbps.

Magendanz

11-30-05, 12:11 PM

It has nothing to do with Microsoft. The Windows Media Connect feature is just an implementation of a standards-based UPnP AV media server. It really doesn't care what type of media files it serves up, but the client built into the DSM-520 firmware needs to be able to decode any file formats and codecs used. My guess is that the AC3 decoder requires a license that D-Link was unwilling to pay.

You can definitely play files from an external HDD connected via the USB 2.0 port with no media server at all, which is what they're calling their USB Direct feature.

Kabanero

11-30-05, 12:42 PM

You can definitely play files from an external HDD connected via the USB 2.0 port with no media server at all, which is what they're calling their USB Direct feature.

Thanks Magendanz,

That's good to hear. How the drive was formatted: FAT32 or NTFS?

Also, could you try to play MPEG-2 HD TS files from the attached USB drive? Please?

k-y

11-30-05, 02:52 PM

For example, there's no obvious way to resume playback of a partially viewed movie. Since the playback index isn't saved, you're forced to fast forward from the beginning.

I hate this "feature". My Philips DVP642 has this same issue... so there's no way to start a movie from a point in time on the DSM-520?

Might have to re-check the Snazio in that case.

Magendanz

12-01-05, 04:42 AM

Well, I just tested some more HR content (>480p) and am pleased to report that the AC3 5.1 audio is now working just fine, over both 802.11g and USB. My only guess is that I had been dealing with some wireless network interference when I experimented with that episode of Rome. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any 720p or 1080i samples, so I just grabbed 3 popular HR HDTV AC3 5.1 XviD TV torrents that were all about 960x544 at ~2300kbps. The worst case was a stuttering start, but the buffering was adequate within about 20 seconds to avoid any more dropped frames.

I tried both NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives, and the NTFS wasn't detected. Throughput even from a USB flash drive was more than sufficient, although I wouldn't expect that to be the case with USB 1.x.

Kabanero: If you can point me to a goot MPEG-2 HD TS file, I'll give that a try.

gupta_ash

12-01-05, 02:51 PM

abricko

12-01-05, 03:33 PM

I'm mostly concerned with the ability to playback TS files, i'd be using it over standard Ethernet so i guess wireless issues wouldn't be a problem... Does the unit properly display 16:9 content or do you have to use your tv's Zoom or stretch feature to make it display nice?

If you have newsgroup access there are HDTV binary groups filled with TS files...
While browsing around google, i found this small TS file...

ftp.via.ecp.fr/pub/testing/bbc_news_24.ts

Good luck, i'm looking forward to hearing results, i want to buy one of these units...

Well, I just tested some more HR content (>480p) and am pleased to report that the AC3 5.1 audio is now working just fine, over both 802.11g and USB. My only guess is that I had been dealing with some wireless network interference when I experimented with that episode of Rome. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any 720p or 1080i samples, so I just grabbed 3 popular HR HDTV AC3 5.1 XviD TV torrents that were all about 960x544 at ~2300kbps. The worst case was a stuttering start, but the buffering was adequate within about 20 seconds to avoid any more dropped frames.

I tried both NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives, and the NTFS wasn't detected. Throughput even from a USB flash drive was more than sufficient, although I wouldn't expect that to be the case with USB 1.x.

Kabanero: If you can point me to a goot MPEG-2 HD TS file, I'll give that a try.

Magendanz

12-02-05, 04:37 AM

Okay, here are the results:

The TS file didn't seem to be recognized by Windows Media Connect as a known media type, and so it wouldn't even show up when browsing by folder. However, changing the extension to .mpg allowed it to play.

I also ripped a DVD and tried to play the VOB files, and had the same situation. Changing the .vob extension to .mpg allowed it to be recognized by the media server and it played just fine. (BTW, nothing I could do to the IFO files seemed to allow it to play back with DVD menus.)

My guess is that a registry tweak may allow TS and VOB files to be played unmodified, but I haven't had the time to research that theory. It's also possible that D-Link's version of the UPnP media server may recognize these file types.

As for aspect ratio issues, you set the native resolution and aspect ratio for your display in Setup, and it seems to handle the scaling pretty intelligently, fitting the content within the display surface without distortion. There aren't, however, built-in scaling options to fit the display surface within the content or stretch the content, which some people prefer to eliminate the black bars, but you could probably use your TV's stretch or zoom feature to satisfy that requirement. Personally, I prefer it's default scaling method.

e268

12-02-05, 09:55 PM

Cucuy

12-02-05, 11:08 PM

I also came across the 520 while browsing the web. I know that one poster said the dlink support told them the it will no support pictures in HD. But has anyone with the DSM-520 tried displaying pictures in HD? What happens when you try? Are they displayed at a lower resolution?

I see from the manual that the photo settings do not include resolution? Resolution is only included in the audio/video settings screen.

Can the poeple that own one of these puppies try it?

Magendanz

12-03-05, 01:33 AM

Magendanz: I am new to this media server business, so please bear with me. I have built a pc with htpc front end, but have not moved the pc to where my plasma tv is, since I keep this pc in my study. I play dvd movies thru ffdshow. Would I be able to stream this output to 520 via wireless g, hence achieve improved dvd display?

That's the general idea. You can play media stored on your PC hard drive on your plasma TV and AV Receiver. It places a UPnP AV Media server (Windows Media Connect or D-Link's own version) on your PC that serves up the files, and the DSM-520 pulls those files and renders them to your AV components. It's different from a Media Center Extender, which tries to remote the entire Windows Media Center experience out to the living room. Windows Media Connect devices drive all of the browsing and playback features on the device from the local firmware, and this means a much lighter CPU load on the PC and in general a broader list of supported media formats and codecs. On the downside, I have yet to find a WMC device with a UI as powerful and visually compelling as Windows Media Center.

The DSM-520 works great for DivX or XviD compressed TV episodes or movies that you would download with your favorite ********** client, but I don't recommend it for DVD playback. Really, the resolution of your DVD playback is going to be limited to 480p, so you're not going to get any better quality streaming from the 520 than you would with a cheap progressive scan DVD player. That said, the 520 might be useful if you archive your DVDs to your PC hard drive. Unfortunately, it looks like raw DVD rips (IFOs and VOBs, or even the ISO or BIN/CUE images) aren't supported, so you can't reproduce the menus and extra DVD features. However, you could archive main titles using a utility like DivX Converter and achieve much better compression than the original MPEG2.

e268

12-03-05, 09:57 AM

Thanks for your explanation. Do I download DIVX converter from divx.com or are there other open source programs? Thanks.

Magendanz

12-05-05, 02:07 AM

DivX Converter is available from divx.com, but I'm no expert on the best DivX/Xvid encoding tools. For more info, I'd browse the following forums:

http://forum.digital-digest.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20
http://forum.digital-digest.com/forumdisplay.php?f=38

cat6man

12-05-05, 10:28 AM

magandanz,

i also have a dsm-520 but have not been successful playing any HD files at all.
things i'm dealing with (and calling dlink tech support today)

1. dsm-520 only sees dlink server reliably.......usually sees twonky also....sometimes sees TVersity.
my JVC SRDVD-100U sees the Avel advanced server, twonky, dlink, wizd, TVersity, buffalo tech/pcast networked drive-server.
it could be a coincidence but the dlink, twonky and tversity servers are named 'mediaserver.exe' while the others aren't.......definitely not a firewall issue as they jvc sees them all, plus i've tried turning XP firewall off

2. i can play 480i mpg recordings made with BTV with no problem. however, i find
FF unusable....it has a lag of 5-10 seconds and doesn't work reliably.

3. i cannot play any 1080i or 720p recordings from BTV. BTV saves them as .TP
files. with the JVC, i can play them with no problem on a wired home LAN. even if i rename the .TP to .mpg, the dsm-520 won't play them. if you can play HD mpg files, maybe mine is just broken.

4. what output are you using for the dsm-520? i've tried composite out to an old analog TV (i'm interested in seeing if the HD files, if they ever play, can be down-rezzed for the old tv) and also hdmi at 1080i to a sony hdtv.

5. have you had success streaming HD with the dlink 1.05 media server?
i've found the dlink server to perform poorly in my system with the JVC which works great with all of the other servers....perhaps the 1.05 server is my problem?
from you posts, i assume you have only had the dlink working with windows media connect? maybe i should try that?

The JVC works really well streaming video files and two of the servers (avel advanced server and wizd) recognize .TP files. The others also work well but don't recognize .TP format files so I only use them for .mpg and .vob.

cheers

HenwayDTV

12-05-05, 11:09 AM

I have one of the wireless audio streamers from D-Link and it won't randomize songs when there are more than 9 songs in a folder.

Have they gotten better?

Paul_PDX

12-05-05, 02:45 PM

ftp.via.ecp.fr/pub/testing/bbc_news_24.ts

I think this DVB transport stream is just digital PAL res and not HD.

abricko

12-05-05, 03:00 PM

You're correct... for sure you could find a HD-TS file in alt.binaries.hdtv newsgroup, i was hoping to find something easy for you to d/l for testing real quick... i think this unit will not fit my needs... i guess it's time to look into another unit for HD streaming... too bad this one was priced good too...

Magendanz

12-06-05, 02:38 AM

Okay, I found a real 1080i TS file on alt.binaries.hdtv and retested. The result was basically the same (needing to change the extention to .mpg), except I was severely bandwidth limited. I don't have a wired 100Mbit connection, but running off a USB flash drive was dropping frames and running off the 802.11g network hung within a few frames. I guess this is understandable, since even PowerDVD and Windows Media Player were dropping frames when playing it back on my 2.8GHz P4.

One other thing I should note: The aspect ratio when running of the TS and VOB files with the modified extension was slightly stretched, as if it guessed 4:3 aspect ratio and guessed wrong.

cat6man: I'm afraid that I'm just not willing to go through all the hassle of installing all those other UPnP media servers. Sorry, but WMC is working just fine for me and I'm not about to risk messing anything up. I have been using the component output set to 1080i and I have also noticed some strange behavior on FF. While mine is always smooth and responsive, after fast forwarding several minutes I'll sometimes notice it will shoot ahead of the index when I resume playback. You might want to try WMC 2.0, which was just released.

abricko

12-06-05, 12:56 PM

so i guess for those of us who will be using wired ethernet connection, this is good news... i wonder if the skipping is purley due to wireless / usb drive... maybe it's the unit and it can't handle the high bitrate (like it states in the manual, i still think it's a type-o)

Magendanz

12-06-05, 07:10 PM

I should note that if the DSM-520 is based on the Sigma Designs EM8620L chipset (which I believe it is), the highest picture quality supported is 720p. At that point, the scaler would take over to drive a 1920x1080i output.

So, you really shouldn't be seeing any quality improvement between 720p and 1080i content.

northernlights

12-06-05, 11:30 PM

Just got the 520 and the first question i'm confronted with before setting this thing up and customizing it (likely countless hours) is which UnPn client is preferred, the D-link proprietary server versus WMC? Has anybody compared their features, reliability, etc. to decide which is better?

k-y

12-07-05, 02:20 AM

usernotfound

12-07-05, 12:42 PM

FYI, I set up a whole bunch of "when it is in stock, tell me" reminders and this unit is popping up in stock for a bunch of the online retailers that are listed on D-Link's web site for those who missed it 3-4 weeks ago.

I went through the whole purchase proccess besides submitting my payment info on Amazon for the 520, and it didn't at any point tell me it was backordered or out of stock. Seeing as my mom wants to get it for me for the holidays, i'll have to wait until she orders it to find out if it's really REALLY in stock.

Souki

12-10-05, 06:15 PM

I've finally gotten my hands on a DSM-520. They seem to be available for online purchase now. However, March 2006 has been quoted by a DLink official for retail availability in Canada.

Here are some findings recently.

Firmware v1.01
MediaLounge v1.05

USB HDD Drive
===========
Unable to detect NTFS (doesn't even boot up when plugged in), works with FAT32
Doesn't support 1080i BMP (see below, haven't tried lower rez)
Doesn't see AVI files

10/100 Ethernet
============
Supports 1920x1080 BMP/JPG (strange, eh?)
Supports AVI files
Supports Mpeg2@1920x1080 (see below)

The HD sample 1920x1080 Mpeg2 files I tried using is very choppy and there's no audio. Works fine on my AMD 64 3000+ (100% cpu utilization, 45-55% cpu with Nvidia PureVideo). I've tried using the wired Ethernet and USB Fat32 USB2.0 drive connections. Same thing.

I've also noticed that the unit does down sample 1920x1080 material down to 480i/480p, as when I first got it, I didn't make the video output change, and noticed that the HD material didn't look quite as sharp ( a lot of staircasing ). When I switched it to 1080i via component out the image looks amazing with HD. I even switched the rez to 720p and did noticed that the picture was a bit softer. Strangely enough, the menu also looks softer, maybe my Sony HDTV is native 1080i. Unfortunately my TV doesn't support HDMI, so I can't test that feature.

Streaming via 10/100 Ethernet is just as fast at the USB drive. Unit is really thin, like those new flat DVD players. The front is shiny and protected with a clear plastic sticker. The remote IR emitter isn't very sensitive. You pretty much have to point directly at the IR receiver on the unit. But once done, it's pretty responsive.

FF/Rev button's seems to only move the XVID file forward (at 2x) only? I'll have to double-check that. Wish they could implement a 4x or 6x speed. Can't figure out how to use the JUMP setting for the Search button. I can enter the time for the search, but can't figure out how to initiate the search. Tried pressing FF/Rev, OK/select, Play/Pause button, Search button again, Left/Right, no effect. Other than that and HD material, I'm pleased with it's performance of AVI/Mpeg, and JPG/BMP HD rez pictures. Also the manual states that the MediaLounge software has a file type called WMV9, but looking at the included software, it only shows WMV. Wonder if they decided to keep it generic?

Anyway, if you're using component (or any other type of cable) use a good shielded one to prevent interference. I've seen ghosting using a cheap RCA A/V cable for the component connections. But once switched to a good quality (doesn't have to be Monster) component video cable, no more ghosting.

If anyone has any questions or experiments for me to try please ask. I'm still playing around with it.

Souki

12-10-05, 06:31 PM

I went through the whole purchase proccess besides submitting my payment info on Amazon for the 520, and it didn't at any point tell me it was backordered or out of stock. Seeing as my mom wants to get it for me for the holidays, i'll have to wait until she orders it to find out if it's really REALLY in stock.

Actually, I did that with one online retailer and I went through the whole process, and wasn't notified until the next business day, that the product is back ordered. So don't take that info seriously until you go through the entire purchase process. Most sites don't automatically check their stock level. Good news is that I've been notified that the product has been stocked since last week, so it looks like they've increased the production on these units based on demands.

Kabanero

12-10-05, 07:34 PM

USB HDD Drive
===========
Unable to detect NTFS (doesn't even boot up when plugged in), works with FAT32

10/100 Ethernet
============
Supports 1920x1080 BMP/JPG (strange, eh?)
Supports Mpeg2@1920x1080 (see below)

The HD sample 1920x1080 Mpeg2 files I tried using is very choppy and there's no audio. Works fine on my AMD 64 3000+ (100% cpu utilization, 45-55% cpu with Nvidia PureVideo). I've tried using the wired Ethernet and USB Fat32 USB2.0 drive connections. Same thing.
Souki,

Couple questions for you.

1. What what the size of FAT32 hard drive.

2. So, D-Link DSM-520 is not good for HD 1920x1080 playback, isn't it?

Souki

12-10-05, 09:32 PM

Souki,

Couple questions for you.

1. What what the size of FAT32 hard drive.

2. So, D-Link DSM-520 is not good for HD 1920x1080 playback, isn't it?

1. The FAT32 drive is 20GB. Will upgrade to 300GB later.

2. I've tried several different clips of 1920x1080 Mpeg2 format, and they all do the same thing. I'll try looking for 1280x720 clips. So far the 1920x1080 clips are choppy with no sound. But at least I can see the image. Wonder if it's the decoder chip? I'll try finding more 1080 clips for further testing. I still haven't found a HD WMV file, maybe I'll see if HALO2 trailer is still available somewhere.. I'll update my findings. I'm still wondering why the unit doesn't detect AVI XVID files when using the USB HDD option? Yet it works when I'm streaming it..

Kabanero

12-10-05, 10:29 PM

I still haven't found a HD WMV file
Here are some WMV HD for you:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/ContentShowcase.aspx

Magendanz

12-11-05, 01:14 AM

By the way, I took cat6man's advice and tried another UPnP media server and was pleased with the results. It seems that Window Media Connect's lack of complete AVTransport support was the cause of the Jump feature previously not working. With TVersity <www.tversity.com>, that functionality is restored. In addition, I've now got transcoding for unsupported media types and a catalog of Internet streamed content.

Note: TVersity doesn't have official support for the DSM-520 yet, but the DSM-320 profile works fine with only a few minor tweaks. I expect the next release will include a separate DSM-520 profile.

Even with the Jump feature working, however, it's not clear to me why FF/REW and Jump modes need to be mutually exclusive. Losing the wireless network connectivity or hitting a key that drops the playback index isn't as catastrophic anymore, since I can use Jump to get back close to where I was, but after changing modes I can no longer use the Fast Forward or Rewind features without returning to Setup and losing my playback index.

If I were to make a request for the next firmware update, in would start with the following:

- Eliminate the separate modes for FF/REW and Jump
- Assign remote control keys for +30 and -7 sec Skip functions
- Allow FF/REW speeds up to at least 16x
- Enable pressing the Delete key to delete files in the media library
- Publish the remote codes for discrete power on/off and play/pause

If they can do this, they'll have one kick-ass player on their hands.

Souki

12-11-05, 05:06 AM

Just wanted to write an update on the 1080p streaming/playback of the DSM-520. I've discovered that the Mpeg2 clips I was using is infact not supposed to be supported by this unit. Here are the details :

MPEG 2 1920x1088, 25 fps, 19,000 kb/s video bitrate, 256 kb/s audio bitrate @ 48 KHz
MPEG 2 1920x1088, 25 fps, 19,000 kb/s video bitrate, 112 kb/s audio bitrate @ 48 KHz
MPEG 2 1920x1080, 29.970 fps, 20,000 kb/s video bitrate, 256 kb/s audio bitrate @ 48 KHz

As you can see, the 19Mbps-20Mbps video bitrate is at least twice what the manual says as supported (8 Mbps). So that explains the stuttering and no sound, :D But man, those clips are so clear and detailed, it's like looking through a glass window..

I managed to get the following clip to play just fine :

King Kong 720p trailer w/AC3
XVID 1280x720, 23.97 fps, 2972 kb/s video bitrate, 384 kb/s audio bitrate @ 48KHz.

I've downloaded the Microsoft WMV9 demo files, thanks to Kabanero for reminding me about the link. The following clips have been successfully streamed via 10/100 Ethernet wired connection with no issues.

Dolphins_1080.wmv
WMV9 1440x1080, 128.923 fps, 8087 Kb/s video bitrate, 384 kb/s audio bitrate @ 48 KHz

MP10_Striker_10mbps.wmv
WMV9 1920x1080, 59.195 fps, 8465 Kb/s video bitrate, 440 Kb/s audio bitrate @ 48 KHz

Robitica_1080.wmv
WMV9 1440x1080, 123.350 fps, 7730 Kb/s video bitrate, 384 Kb/s audio bitrate @ 48KHz

So far, I've only noticed a few instances where the video frames drops/skips, but I assume it's the irregular fps of the clips that may be the culprit.

Now all I gotta do is find an AVI file that's 1080i. Apparently the manual doesn't specify the bitrate limit for this format?? Neither did it specify the bitrate limit for WMV9.

itsxrayelk

12-11-05, 05:08 AM

Here are some WMV HD for you:

Kabanero,

I've been lurking here for a while and have had my dsm-520 for a couple of weeks now and have slowly been trying out its different features.

I downloaded all of the non-DRM videos off this page tonight, and found that although the video played smoothly over my wireless network, I had no sound whatsoever.

I've been going back and forth with d-link technical support this week regarding various FF/Rew issues and the absurd alphabetical sorting of music albums instead of by track number so I'll bring this up when I get their next reply.

itsxrayelk

12-11-05, 05:12 AM

Souki,

Weird that those 1080 versions of those clips worked for you. According to the webpage they're at 1080p resolution which, according to the dsm-520's documentation, is not supported for wmv9.

FWIW, the ones that I downloaded, but had no sound for were the 720p versions.

Souki

12-11-05, 05:13 AM

- Enable pressing the Delete key to delete files in the media library

Although I would agree with all the other things you've said, I would have to disagree about the delete button feature. To me, it's a safety feature not to be able to delete any files remotely. No piece of equipment is perfect, but so far, I'm quite impressed.

Souki

12-11-05, 05:23 AM

I downloaded all of the non-DRM videos off this page tonight, and found that although the video played smoothly over my wireless network, I had no sound whatsoever.

I've been going back and forth with d-link technical support this week regarding various FF/Rew issues and the absurd alphabetical sorting of music albums instead of by track number so I'll bring this up when I get their next reply.

Actually, did you download the latest firmware? It's supposed to fix the WMV playback issues. I'm currently on v1.01 firmware, and those WMV files played back just fine via 10/100 Ethernet connection. Sorry, I don't have wireless to confirm that type of connection. But this player does stream the audio just perfectly.

Could you tell them the following issues as well?

BMP file reported as not supported via USB HDD, but works while streaming. And I believe AVI files are not supported via USB HDD. Also could you confirm with DLink that this unit streams pure 1080i rather than scales 720p to 1080i when the source is 1920x1080? The manual says pure 1080i, but we like to hear it from the DLink techs.

itsxrayelk

12-11-05, 05:36 AM

Actually, did you download the latest firmware? It's supposed to fix the WMV playback issues. I'm currently on v1.01 firmware

I'm on v1.01 too.

and those WMV files played back just fine via 10/100 Ethernet connection. Sorry, I don't have wireless to confirm that type of connection. But this player does stream the audio just perfectly.

I suppose the issue could be my wireless connection, but I would think there would be at least some sound, or rather a mixture of choppy video and sound. I'm seeing smooth video and no sound and unfortunately my router is too far away from the dsm-520 to connect them physically.

All the regular (non-HD) video that I've streamed has worked flawlessly (except for the issues with FF/Rew).

Could you tell them the following issues as well?

BMP file reported as not supported via USB HDD, but works while streaming. And I believe AVI files are not supported via USB HDD. Also could you confirm with DLink that this unit streams pure 1080i rather than scales 720p to 1080i when the source is 1920x1080? The manual says pure 1080i, but we like to hear it from the DLink techs.

I'll forward your questions / comments on. I'm still not quite sure how "technical" these guys are though.

Meanwhile I'm going to download the 1080p versions of some of these videos and see if I see anything different.

Souki

12-11-05, 04:36 PM

Weird that those 1080 versions of those clips worked for you. According to the webpage they're at 1080p resolution which, according to the dsm-520's documentation, is not supported for wmv9.

FWIW, the ones that I downloaded, but had no sound for were the 720p versions.

Yeah, actually, I didn't even think about the limitations, just throught I'd throw those clips at the DSM-520, and it played them no problem. I haven't tried any 720p WMV files, but I would assume they would work due to lower requirements.

DLink does recommend 802.11g, not sure what type of wireless connection you currently have..

Hopefully they'll fix the FF/Rev and Jump feature on the next firmware release, since they're different buttons, it shouldn't be a problem.

itsxrayelk

12-11-05, 11:33 PM

Yeah, actually, I didn't even think about the limitations, just throught I'd throw those clips at the DSM-520, and it played them no problem.

They played for me, albeit without sound, as well. They were noticeably jerky too, but they did play. I guess when d-link says they don't support 1080p they're not saying it won't work, but they're just not guaranteeing it.

DLink does recommend 802.11g, not sure what type of wireless connection you currently have..

I have a 802.11g wireless network. The connection number/level that the dsm-520 says is in the mid-40s. I'm guessing this is a percentage, but that's not clear and there is nothing in the documentation about it.

Hopefully they'll fix the FF/Rev and Jump feature on the next firmware release, since they're different buttons, it shouldn't be a problem.

You might want to check out the thread on the dsm-320. I don't think it's fixed there yet and that product is a couple of years old.

Another new "feature" that I discovered today is that if you add the artwork id3 tag (I'm using iTunes) to mp3s then they flat out will not play on the dsm-520. Remove the artwork reference and it'll play again.

Kabanero

12-11-05, 11:37 PM

So, it look like this DSM-520 is not good for my purpose because I am looking for the unit to play TS HD files recorded from Motorola 6412 cable box, which are 1920x1080i at 14~19 Mbps, and I have M2T HDV files that I trasfer to PC from my Sony HDV camcorder. And those files are 1440x1080i (played 1920x10810i) at 25 Mbps.

I guess I will have to order JVC SRDVD-100u.

Souki

12-12-05, 01:21 AM

They played for me, albeit without sound, as well. They were noticeably jerky too, but they did play. I guess when d-link says they don't support 1080p they're not saying it won't work, but they're just not guaranteeing it.

I have a 802.11g wireless network. The connection number/level that the dsm-520 says is in the mid-40s. I'm guessing this is a percentage, but that's not clear and there is nothing in the documentation about it.

I wonder if a wireless signal booster might help in this situation? Strangely enough my unit came with advertisement for the DLink DWL-M60AT. The advertisement says "The D-Link Directional Indoor Antenna enhances the sensitivity and extends the range of your HD Media Player's wireless signal."

Magendanz

12-12-05, 02:11 AM

Although I would agree with all the other things you've said, I would have to disagree about the delete button feature. To me, it's a safety feature not to be able to delete any files remotely.

Of course, a confirmation dialog should be required. The standard, "Are you sure you want to delete that file from your media library? [OK][Cancel]" should eliminate inadvertant removal. If you're concerned about hostile media hubs deleting all your media content, then you probably need to work on your network security.

It just seems awkward that after viewing a TV episode or movie that I should have to go to the other room to remove it from my media library. I was able to delete files on my Media Center Extender (just like my PVR), and I miss it on the DSM-520 practically every evening.

jmarkley

12-12-05, 08:03 AM

I wonder if a wireless signal booster might help in this situation? Strangely enough my unit came with advertisement for the DLink DWL-M60AT. The advertisement says "The D-Link Directional Indoor Antenna enhances the sensitivity and extends the range of your HD Media Player's wireless signal."

I've 'streamed' HD TS files from my machine with my old Sasem OnAir usbHDTV (I now have a Fusion F5USB) tuner (via windows shares) and played it on my laptop. When doing so with a wireless G network the video was jerky, and hardly any sound. When doing so with a 100Mbps ethernet connection, it worked flawlessly. Honestly, just because 802.11g SAYS it's 54Mbps, that doesn't mean that you can actually GET 54Mbps of THROUGHPUT out of the connection. Most estimates that i've seen are that 802.11g will get roughly 15-25Mbps of throughput, and that's when there's nothing else on the channel, and you have a GREAT signal. So, hands down, 802.11g just IS NOT fast enough for streaming HD files that are 19Mbps, because the network link itself can't sustain that kind of throughput. The wireless link on the dsm-520 is nice, but not practical for HD content in my opinion.

My $0.02

-Jason

MeatHead88

12-12-05, 01:44 PM

Has ne1 had luck setting it up to play free internet readio streams? I bought a DSM520 for my dad and wanted to set it for him with his favorite streams.

What media server is best? The MS one seems to be slow, the DLink does not support all file types well. Do I have any other options as far as media servers?

ADV(thanks)ANCE

usernotfound

12-12-05, 02:00 PM

Woot!

I got this from the D-Link product info ppl:
Hello,
Yes, according to D-Link`s Multimedia Department this application can
be implemented. Please contact me if you have any additional
questions or product inquiries.

Jason Walker
Channel Sales Representative

Gigabit Ethernet would be cool to have in a future product, too.

Would an external DVD drive with a USB2.0 connection have enough bandwidth to pass HD files?

Kabanero

12-12-05, 02:21 PM

Would an external DVD drive with a USB2.0 connection have enough bandwidth to pass HD files?
This is interesting idea. Can somebody try it?

Souki

12-12-05, 02:45 PM

Would an external DVD drive with a USB2.0 connection have enough bandwidth to pass HD files?

I would assume so, as the bottleneck would be the USB2 specs, not the HDD. Currently it's 480 Mbit/s. That's way fast enough for any HD content, even Blu-Ray as it's currently sitting at 36Mbit/s. Only problem is whether the DSM-520 can process that kinda data at HD 1080i. I'll try some more clips later to find out.

usernotfound

12-12-05, 02:53 PM

This is interesting idea. Can somebody try it?

I bought an external USB enclosure for my DVD burner with the intent of trying this, but the DLink is safely under the tree until the 25th.

Souki

12-12-05, 03:41 PM

Just discovered that the DSM-520 can play Divx HD files. They played flawlessly. You can download clips below. Check it out!

http://www.divx.com/hd/

http://www.divx.com/movies/browse.php?categoryID=3&src=movietab_hd_from__movies_index_

usernotfound

12-12-05, 03:58 PM

[QUOTE=Souki]Just discovered that the DSM-520 can play Divx HD files. They played flawlessly. You can download clips below. Check it out!

This is great news, as i can easily convert the Quicktime h.264 HD files into Divx HD, as well as easily encode my DV movies to play on the 520, as well. In fact, I'm converting the Batman Begins 1080p trailer right now to test the encoding times. it's looking like 45 minutes of encoding time for the 2 and a half minute trailer. Thats on an old powerbook, i bet my amd64 3700+ could churn that out faster, we'll see.

ALso, on second thought, does it support DivxHD at 1080??? That's what i'm encoding, the 1080 versions.

Souki

12-12-05, 04:09 PM

ALso, on second thought, does it support DivxHD at 1080??? That's what i'm encoding, the 1080 versions.

I'll see if I can find any Divx 1080p files for testing..

usernotfound

12-12-05, 05:33 PM

Turns out the Divx codec doesn't integrate into the windows version of quicktime, even with the Divx Create program installed, so on a PC i might have to go from mov>avi>divx :\ there's like 8 gigs of raw avi in a 2 minute trailer, that's gonna take forever

as far as testing files go, these seem to work fine (free registration):
HDclips.net

Souki

12-12-05, 05:35 PM

usernotfound

12-12-05, 05:45 PM

Souki

12-12-05, 06:06 PM

Do you have a USB2.0 DVD drive to see if the 520 can use a DVD drive the same way you can use an external HDD, ie plug it directly into the front, and pull random avi's, mpeg, divx, mp3, jpeg from a data disc?

Sorry, I don't have one available, but someone said DLink mentioned this would work. I do have an IDE-to-USB2.0 external HDD case I could try...it just might work, won't look pretty though.. :o

Souki

12-13-05, 02:33 AM

After looking forever for any 1080p Divx clips, I've discovered that currently Divx is only going as high as 720p for now. Here's their take on it :

"For now, DivX has chosen to endorse the 720p standard because 720p allows for reasonably priced platforms."
http://www.divx.com/corporate/solutions/certification/FAQ/hd.php#13

Here's a list of some HD clips in various formats :
http://www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=6537

PAL vs HDV is an awesome demo, it splits the screen in half, PAL on left, and HD on right. You can clearly tell the difference in quality. Awesome demo material! 720p Approx 75 MB. Works flawlessly with the DSM-520.
http://www.hd-channel.com/videos/pal_vs_hdv.wmv

usernotfound

12-13-05, 04:20 AM

I took an h.264 1080p movie today and converted directly to divx with the same resolution ~ 8mbps, if you you have access to a mac for an hour, you should try it, the 1080 trailers offered by apple are very impressive.

Gippa2005

12-13-05, 05:59 AM

Is there any option to select subtitle language?
According to specs .srt subtitles are supported, but no word of supported languages...

abricko

12-13-05, 03:37 PM

I can't seem to do it on my pc, is this a mac specific process? I'd like to convert the trailers to DIVX to play on my tv, and retain the multichanel sound... is this possible?

Souki

12-13-05, 03:59 PM

Is there any option to select subtitle language?
According to specs .srt subtitles are supported, but no word of supported languages...

On page 67 of the online manual, it says you just put the SRT file with the same name as the video file, and voila, it works. I would assume it supports whatever languages are available for SRT file format.

Souki

12-13-05, 04:02 PM

I can't seem to do it on my pc, is this a mac specific process? I'd like to convert the trailers to DIVX to play on my tv, and retain the multichanel sound... is this possible?

There are programs out there that converts QT to any file format for the PC. Just remember that Divx currently only supports 720p.

itsxrayelk

12-14-05, 01:49 AM

I wonder if a wireless signal booster might help in this situation? Strangely enough my unit came with advertisement for the DLink DWL-M60AT. The advertisement says "The D-Link Directional Indoor Antenna enhances the sensitivity and extends the range of your HD Media Player's wireless signal."

I saw that when I set up my box and had been thinking the same thing. I've just added it to my Amazon wish list so perhaps Santa will bring me one if I'm good.

I think I'm going to get some high gain antennas for my WAP too.

Right now I'm seeing ~50 for my connection on the DSM-520's site survey. It'll be interesting to see at what point, if any, I'll start getting sound on those HD files.

By the way, another thing I noticed the other day was that after trying out those HD clips and no sound was present, the sound was also gone when I then went to play some mp3s. When I rebooted the DSM-520 the sound was back.

cowan

12-14-05, 11:10 AM

Will this play vob files over the network? I am looking for a sleek device with HDMI to cleanly hook up to my LCD display. I can't find anything on the spec sheet.

Just checked out on my DSM-520...

If you're hooked up via 810.11g, it will start to stall after about 2 minutes.

If you're hooked up via 100TX or Gigabit, it works just fine.

cowan

12-14-05, 11:13 AM

Does it play .IFO files for dvds? IOW..does it support menu and chapter navigation for ripped DVDS like the mg-35??

Thanks
Sharon

yes, if they are not encypted.

JohninLA

12-14-05, 01:38 PM

The 520 seems to be just what I've been looking for.

Does anyone know if any of the B & M stores have the 520 available yet? Best Buy still shows if coming soon, even though they show it "On Sale" this week. I see it available at the online stores, but not knowing if it will serve my needs, I prefer to buy it where I can return it easily. If not, which online stores have the easiest return policy just in case.

Thanks.

usernotfound

12-14-05, 02:07 PM

I can't seem to do it on my pc, is this a mac specific process? I'd like to convert the trailers to DIVX to play on my tv, and retain the multichanel sound... is this possible?

When you download the divx program for a MAC, Avi/DivX is an option when you try to export the movie, and you can chose to keep the original resolution. The audio, i'm not sure about, i think that might be in the h.264 codec as well? i dont know how that ends up.

for windows, sorry, you have to convert from quicktime to another format, and then into divx, and i can't find very many settings on the windows program.

Cucuy

12-14-05, 02:46 PM

MeatHead88

12-14-05, 08:29 PM

I learned you can set streaming presets using tveritsy's media server, then stop the tversity server and conect to say, the dlink media server and the presets will still stream inet radio....

marcowoman

12-14-05, 10:59 PM

I'm enjoying my 520, but have some video format questions. I'm trying to take my decent torrent-download selection (mostly RAR files which open to .TS format or easily convert to ISO format) and play them on my 520 with the *best* video and audio possible.... I have lots of storage (connected via 100MB and using the DLINK server sw) so that's not the issue.

I've tried using NERO to convert the .TS to MP4 which looks GREAT when I play the movie... but can't get any sound to work.... tried all sound options in NERO. Anyone have some good conversion recommendations for me, for best audio/video (HD TV using component hookups) and hopefully 5.1 audio?

I like this unit... just need to get my movies going with best quality possible.

Souki

12-15-05, 12:01 AM

I have some questions about the 520. I tried getting some answers from D-LInk via email but they replied back saying I had to call them. I dont have the time to be wating on hold to get some of these answers so I thouhgt I would ask fellow avs memebers who have the 520 in their house.

1. Does it show HD pictures (scales pictures to 1080i and 720p via component or DVI)?
2. How is the GUI andy pictures to share?

1. I was able to display 1920x1080 BMP image via Ethernet connection just fine. Looks prestine and sharp. And the unit does scale down to whatever resolution you set the unit to, 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i. There's an option to scale to fit to the screen in the setup menu.

2. huh?

Cucuy

12-15-05, 02:34 PM

1. I was able to display 1920x1080 BMP image via Ethernet connection just fine. Looks prestine and sharp. And the unit does scale down to whatever resolution you set the unit to, 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i. There's an option to scale to fit to the screen in the setup menu.

Thanks. Was that via component or via DVI

2. huh?

I wanted to know about the GUI - Graphical User Interface. Some people also call it Front End. It's pretty much what you see when you navigate the software

Souki

12-15-05, 02:55 PM

Thanks. Was that via component or via DVI

Component

I wanted to know about the GUI - Graphical User Interface. Some people also call it Front End. It's pretty much what you see when you navigate the software

It's pretty easy to navigate, like using the cursor buttons on a DVD player, and it retains the file structure of your folders when browsing for media files, and allows you to create music play lists from the remote.

Here's the manual, it should give you a good feel for the menu structure.

ftp://ftp.dlink.com/Medialounge/DSM520/Manual/DSM520_manual_110.zip

usernotfound

12-16-05, 01:48 AM

Ok, bit of a silly question here, does anyone know if the USB port will power devices? Such as an MP3 player could be charged off of it, or one of those nifty lights that could illuminate my reciever controls? Also, I can't seem to find whether or not it supports a USB hub?

avs101

12-16-05, 08:48 AM

Question on VOB playback on USB HDD.

When playing the VOB files, does it pause (for one or two seconds) between the VOB files?

Please help. Thanks.

Magendanz

12-16-05, 10:52 PM

Ok, bit of a silly question here, does anyone know if the USB port will power devices? Such as an MP3 player could be charged off of it, or one of those nifty lights that could illuminate my reciever controls?

I've used a bus-powered 80GB USB 2.0 drive (based on a 2.5" laptop mechanism) that it powers just fine.

Souki

12-17-05, 08:24 PM

Here's an update on my experiment with an External USB2.0 drive.

First off, I ran into an issue with Fat32 limitation of 32GB under Windows XP. Microsoft is pushing their NTFS format, which is fine as it's more efficient, however, the DSM-520 doesn't support NTFS file format. I hope DLink fix this, as 32GB ain't much when we're dealing with HD video files. It would appear I have to partition and format the drive under Win98, not sure how much drive space I would end up with on Fat32 with my new SATA 300GB HDD, probably will lose a lot of storage. I've tried small partitions, but the DSM-520 only recognizes one primary parition. Haven't tried making a logical drive partition.

Good news is that the DSM-520 supports most of the audio, photo, and video file as stated in the manual via USB2 port. Bad news is that WMV9 files stutters, MPEG-2 refuses to be played or listed, and BMP is unsupported. I'm not sure what the manual means by "non-compressed" for BMP. I've used MS Paint to save the image to BMP to all the BMP options available, but non of them would display. The image is 1920x1200 and works fine with all the other supported formats. I doubt it's related to resolution.

I haven't been able to test SRT or M3U playlists. If there are any sample freeware SRT files on the net for testing let me know.

WMV9 (even with 1080p) & MPEG2 works fine with streaming via 10/100 Ethernet. WMV9 files used from Microsofts WMVHD site.

Summary
=======

Pros -
WMA, WAV, AIFF, OGG, MP3 : supported
JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG : supported (tried 1920x1200)
AVI (DVIX HD 720p, XVID HD 1080p), MPEG-1 : supported

Cons -
BMP : Not supported
MPEG-2 : not listed and/or doesn't play (tried all file extensions)
WMV9 : works but video/sound stutters

usernotfound

12-18-05, 03:49 AM

IIRC, it's not difficult to make >32g fat32 partitions, and there is NO problems using a fat32 partition that large once it's made, but will the DLink have an access size limitation?

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm

ebloke

12-23-05, 01:55 AM

I just got a DSM-520. Purchased it from Amazon (though the local BestBuy did offer to order it for me). The installation of the software and initial setup of the wireless network and settings went very well. No troubles there.

The problem I am having though, and I am not sure if it is a setting on my TV or the DSM-520. All of the TV shows that I have downloaded from ********** are displayed in widescreeen despite the format they were recorded in. 4:3 shows are stretched and WS shows are either zoomed (can see the top/bottom or sides) or pinched; 1:85 ratio show that should fill the whole screen but black bars show up across the the top and bottom and the picture looks flatten. Any ideas on this?

When watching cable, the 4:3 shows have the bars on the sides like you expect and when watching DVD movies, the picture fills the screen perfect on 1:85 and bars on top/bottom on 2:35 like you would expect.

Sony KDF-55XS955
DLink DSM-520
HDMI cable connecting from the 520 to the TV

Much obliged!
eBloke.

FrugalRacer

12-23-05, 06:35 PM

JimMac

12-27-05, 11:33 AM

Has anyone tried to use the DSM-520 with the movielink HD application ?
Right now they (movielink.com) only have HD trailers (free!), but I'd really like to know if this application will function with the d-link media server.

Thanks !

usernotfound

12-27-05, 03:23 PM

This is an issue with the DSM-320 unit also. On the 320, you have to open up the unit ( **voiding the warranty?** ), remove the clear insulating/bonding gunk, disconnect the wireless cable from the connector labelled "Main" and move it to the connector labelled "Aux".

I made this change to my DSM-320, and saw my signal strength numbers go from the 40's to the 80's. I can also now see my neighbors' wireless networks :p

Here is a picture: Picture of inside of DSM-320 (http://www.barelyaverage.com/temp/dsm320_wifi.jpg)

Here is a link to the post discussing the mod to the DSM-320: DSM-320 Forum (http://p214.ezboard.com/fdsm320frm14.showMessage?topicID=2.topic)

**DISCLAIMER**
I do not own the 520, nor have I seen it's insides. However, this problem sounded too familiar to not chime in.

To me, the 520 is simply a 320RD, with the upgraded sigma chip, and minus a few hardware features

DSM-520=
Front
http://img309.imageshack.us/img309/5427/pc2600326rb.th.jpg (http://img309.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pc2600326rb.jpg)
Back
http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/801/pc2600332tk.th.jpg (http://img290.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pc2600332tk.jpg)

Main board
http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/8082/pc2600347yq.th.jpg (http://img290.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pc2600347yq.jpg)
Note the two connectors for the wireless adapter
http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/2558/pc2600368hl.th.jpg (http://img290.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pc2600368hl.jpg)
and where the other wireless (antenna?) goes. also note the PCB is etched for an IDE controller, as well as there is a molex plug for CD drive from the power supply (DSM320 remnents)
http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/8726/pc2600371pi.th.jpg (http://img290.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pc2600371pi.jpg)
As well as the board with USB in detail. Note this is were the 6in1 card reader is on the 320. Etching still in place.
http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/1361/pc2600382oi.th.jpg (http://img290.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pc2600382oi.jpg)

Dissasembly is no problem, 2 screws each side, 2 in the back. No warrenty seals, and no tamper sensor. Not a whole lot you could mod hardware wise, not enough componants installed to gain funtionality of it's little brother.

About all i can think to do would be to mound a USB powered/adapted laptop HDD in the space in the middle, and an extra USB port in the back. Use a toggle switch to select between activating the internal HDD, or connecting the internal disk to the extra usb port so you can change the content without removing the drive. Also, i would make that switch enable the front USB port as normal when the HDD isn't selected, so you dont lose that functionality.

I have a 60 gig laptop drive, i'll order a usb adapter for it and rip a usb port out of an old computer and i'll be ready to dive in.

(edited links)

Souki

12-27-05, 05:08 PM

To me, the 520 is simply a 320RD, with the upgraded sigma chip, and minus a few hardware features
...
I have a 60 gig laptop drive, i'll order a usb adapter for it and rip a usb port out of an old computer and i'll be ready to dive in.

Awesome, I hope to hear some more about your mod experiment, I think there will be people here that will be interested in what we can do with this machine!

I wonder if we could simply solder an IDE connector and attach the connection via IDE cable to an external HDD or DVDROM? There's already a power source. There seems to be enough room in the middle of the machine to allow for a laptop based drive mechanism. Of course we'd have to move the USB2 port somewhere else...

Also I noticed that the unit uses the Sigma Designs EM8620L (http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products/em8620Lseries.htm). According to the company web site, "The EM8620L family provides highly-integrated solutions for products requiring high-definition MPEG-4.10 (H.264), VC-1, WMV9, MPEG-4.2 and MPEG-2 decoding." It appears this chip is quite flexible in terms the hardware applications, "Incorporating flexible, advanced audio/video processing, the EM8620L family enables cost-effective solutions for consumer products such as digital media adapters, IPTV set-top boxes, networked DVD players, portable media players and HDTVs."

Theorectically this unit could also support Quicktime 7 HD MOV's, right? I wonder if the reason it's not being supported because Apple would require royalties for using their software?

Would you happen to have that interal wireless card picture of the right side of the USB board?

usernotfound

12-28-05, 01:12 PM

Souki

12-28-05, 04:18 PM

Soldering on an IDE connector (if done properly) couldn't hurt anything. I have to open it back up again and see if i can find an IDE controller on the board, though, that may have been left out to save money as well.

it does not have h.264

http://www.sigmadesigns.com/news/press_releases/050418.htm

"announced that the EM8622L and EM8624L media processors now add full H.264 and VC-1 decoding support to the popular EM8620L series. The EM8622L is a direct pin- and software- compatible upgrade to the EM8620L, while the EM8624L extends functionality for high-definition display products"

Could you be more specific as to what else it was you wanted pictured?

Darn, but perhaps H.264 can be implemented in software via the MediaLounge. Replacing the chip probably wouldn't work, eh?

In regards to the IDE, even if we managed to solder the parts in, the firmware might not recognize it.

The picture is the one of the mainboard. Just wondering if there's anything of importance on the right side of the USB2 board?

ginso100

12-28-05, 09:51 PM

Souki

12-29-05, 12:58 AM

Someone posted a little while back about talking to support about the fact that audio tracks show up sorted alphabetically, not by track number.

i thought i was just missing something obvious to fix that.

Has anyone else noticed this, or know the fix to this???

It's probably sorted by the name of the file. Find a way around that by making folders for each CD or genre and rename the file so it's sorted the way you want listed. Perhaps by making the file name "01-song name", "02-song name".

PhxMike

12-29-05, 12:50 PM

Well, just tried streaming a DVD directly through a DVD-ROM drive in my computer and noticed a few things. The unit crashes when loading the VIDEO_TS.VOB file. This is the intro file that includes the FBI warning label. Confirmed on two DVD's. On "the Rock" DVD, here are the results :

VTS_01_0.VOB - Main menu items, flashes through most/all menu images.
VTS_02_0.VOB - Start of movie, sound and video stutters, video bitrate is at 10k.
VTS_03_0.VOB - Plays in French, but otherwise perfectly, bitrate is 10k.
VTS_04_0.VOB - Plays English perfectly, bitrate is 10k.

Noticed that when playing this movie (non-anamorphic), it shows black bars around the entire picture on my Sony HDTV. I'll try an anamorphic DVD later tonight.

I currently have a 320 and when I play VOBs, the picture quality coming from it via the component video outputs is rather poor (player is set to output 'progressive'). A lot of red push in faces, etc. Compared directly to my inexpensive panny dvd player, I was very disappointed. I'm looking to put my dvd's on a hard drive for easier access, but I don't want to sacrifice on picture quality.

Do you or anyone else have a comparison to how things look on the 520? I am hoping to hear that it's at least as good as via a regular (non-upconverting) dvd player. Also, does it output 1080i over the component cables? or just hdmi? I only have 1 hdmi input & it's in use by hd-tivo right now.

Did you ever try an anamorphic dvd? Did it output properly (i.e., 16x9 or 2.35:1)?

thanks.

usernotfound

12-29-05, 05:52 PM

Souki

12-29-05, 05:52 PM

I currently have a 320 and when I play VOBs, the picture quality coming from it via the component video outputs is rather poor (player is set to output 'progressive'). A lot of red push in faces, etc. Compared directly to my inexpensive panny dvd player, I was very disappointed. I'm looking to put my dvd's on a hard drive for easier access, but I don't want to sacrifice on picture quality.

Do you or anyone else have a comparison to how things look on the 520? I am hoping to hear that it's at least as good as via a regular (non-upconverting) dvd player. Also, does it output 1080i over the component cables? or just hdmi? I only have 1 hdmi input & it's in use by hd-tivo right now.

Did you ever try an anamorphic dvd? Did it output properly (i.e., 16x9 or 2.35:1)?

thanks.

Actually I didn't even check the picture quality, just noticed that it actually played the VOB files. The VIDEO_TS folder was streamed via my DVDROM through MediaLounge. I've set the unit to 1080i, and it appears to scale everything up to that resolution. The aspect ratio is just as good as any DVD player. It can output 1080i resolution via HDMI or Component. So far, I've tried Component, and I can't complain about the output, it's rather quite nice, especially with WMV9 HD 1080p material.

szatkoff

12-30-05, 12:49 AM

Hi all,

I'm new here and just received my 520. I have been experimenting with the DVD playback and I seem to be experiencing choppy playback from both audio and video. I am testing with Batman Begins and experience this for example at the beginning of the movie. It seems to be worse with TVersity. Any suggestions?

TIA,

Steve

Souki

12-30-05, 10:36 AM

szatkoff : Are you using wired or wireless?

szatkoff

12-30-05, 10:39 AM

Wired 10/100.

tyerad

12-30-05, 12:30 PM

Hi All,

I'm very new here, bought a DSM-520 after reading this thread. Quite happy with it at the moment, but wondering if I could get some advice please.

I'm not a real power-user, I have some DVD's that I've backed-up to my hard drive using DVD Decrypter. I prefer to watch DVD's from the files to preserve my actual disks. On my PC (Windows XP Media Edition 2005 w/ SP2) I can play the movies just fine by just launching the Video_TS.ifo file. It seems to me that you can't do that with the Linksys MCE or the D-Link DSM-520. I can give up the DVD menu features for a decent playback solution, (unless someone has any ideas here), but my central question here is - what file format would you all suggest I convert to? I can play the individual VOB files, but they're not in any order, some are empty and it's just not a nice user experience.

Here are some of the options I'm consider, but I'm looking for something relatively easy. Any ideas would be appreciated:

DivX
AVI
Windows Media file (WMV? using Windows Media Encoder)
One big VOB

Here's what I'm using:
P4 2.0ghz w/ 512MB RAM
300GB Seagate external USB 2.0 drive (considering connecting it to USB port on the DSM)
ATI All-in-Wonder Card (Raedon 9600)
D-Link Media Server (although I do have TVersity and Twonky)

Playing my movies on a DSM-520 hard-wired 100 to my network

TV: A regular (non-High Def) Sony Flat Panel Trinitron (using the TV's speakers)

Thanks for your time!

Tye

Souki

12-30-05, 05:05 PM

tyerad : Since you got 300GB, why not save time and just make them native Mpeg2 formats?

Souki

12-30-05, 05:19 PM

Wired 10/100.

Try converting the VOB files to a single MPEG2.

szatkoff

12-30-05, 06:32 PM

Souki,

Thanks for your response. I will try this and let you know the results.

Thanks,

Steve

tyerad

12-30-05, 10:37 PM

Try converting the VOB files to a single MPEG2.
Thank you Souki! Do you prefer any particular app for encoding MPEG2's?

Thanks again,

Tye

gupta_ash

12-31-05, 02:22 PM

I bought my DSM-520 from Dlink a week back but then also bought xbox360. So don't really need or have space for DSM-520. If somebody wants to buy it I can sell for $200. That's saving for more than $50 dollors for NIB device and unused.
Let me know.

itsxrayelk

01-01-06, 09:26 AM

It's probably sorted by the name of the file.

You'd think this would be how it was implemented, but it isn't. That's just way too logical.

Here's what I've observed navigating from the various options on the 'Music' area of the dsm-520...

By Album - tracks sorted by id3 tag track number. id3 tag track number, however, is not displayed.

By Artist - alphabetical listing (by id3 tag track name) of all tracks by that artist (i.e, no subdivision by album)

By Folder - alphabetical listing (by id3 tag track name) and *NOT* by file name!

I could not believe it when I saw this. It simply defies belief that you would navigate by folder (perfect for navigating artist -> album if you have your mp3s set up this way as I do) and then it not actually sort by filename.

Find a way around that by making folders for each CD or genre and rename the file so it's sorted the way you want listed. Perhaps by making the file name "01-song name", "02-song name".

The only way to get around this is to edit every single id3 tag track name to include the track number (that you already have in id3 tag track number!). Either that or navigate 'By Album', but that is just a list of all your albums in alphabetical order, with no indication of the associated artist... not good if you have several thousand albums as I do.

On top of this the dsm-520 does not support album art (this is a multimedia player, right?), and if you do have album art associated with a track (as all of mine did so they would look cool on my iPod) then that mp3 will not play on the dsm-520.

D-Link technical support answer was something along the lines of 'we are aware of all the problems you have listed, but we have no idea of when they will be addressed or fixed'.

itsxrayelk

01-01-06, 09:37 AM

I wonder if a wireless signal booster might help in this situation? Strangely enough my unit came with advertisement for the DLink DWL-M60AT. The advertisement says "The D-Link Directional Indoor Antenna enhances the sensitivity and extends the range of your HD Media Player's wireless signal."

So I bought one of these the other day to hook up to the dsm-520, along with two 8dBi omni-directional antennas for my wireless router and, according to the site survey on the 'Wireless' page in the 'Setup' area, my connection has gone from ~50 to a perfect, and consistent, 100.

This didn't, however, solve the issue with the lack of audio on HD videos, but I do at least now know that this isn't a wireless network issue because I subsequently tried hardwiring the network connection at 100mb/s and I'm still getting no audio... so something else is amiss.

But, for those wanting an improved wireless connection, the above solution will improve things. The directional antenna is very *directional* though, so be sure to point it exactly in the direction of your WAP.

itsxrayelk

01-01-06, 11:12 AM

You'd think this would be how it was implemented, but it isn't. That's just way too logical.

Just a caveat on the various issues that I'm seeing, I'm using Windows Media Connect v2.0 as my media server. This morning I downloaded TVersity and am playing with that a little because the extra internet streaming functionality it has looks pretty cool, but I did immediately notice that all of my content is listed differently than it was with WMC and the D-Link media server that came with the DSM-520.

So, for example, browsing by Folder using TVersity does display files in order of filename, and not using id3 tag Track Name as I observed in the other two media servers. I am, however (and this is early days) seeing a lot of 'Unknown Artist' and 'Unknown Album' stuff when browsing by Artist, Album, or on the screen when an mp3 is playing despite all of my id3 tags being present.

What configurations do people have that are using TVersity? For example, I see it has an entry for the DSM-320, but not the 520.

JohninLA

01-02-06, 12:49 PM

I just purchased a DSM 520 from Buy.com. So far it's living up to my expectations. I have a question though regarding Media Servers.

I am using the D-Link server software included with the 520, but I also see reference to the Windows Media Connect server, and above, TVersity. Can you have and use more than one server? What are the advantages to the different servers, and is there somewhere I can view a comparison of them? Are the servers I can use limited to what the 520 can work with?

Sorry if this is pretty basic, but I'm still learning. Thanks!

itsxrayelk

01-02-06, 09:15 PM

Same here, still learning. For the past couple of days I've been playing around with the different media servers and so far I'm liking the TwonkyMedia one the best.

The main reason for this is that is serving my mp3 collection *exactly* the way I want it in terms of the sorting of tracks and it is also highly configurable in terms of what you see in, what it calls, the 'navigation tree'. Its UI is a little more complicated than the others, but it's worth it IMHO. TwonkyMedia also gives you iTunes library, and adobe photoshop photo library suppoer as well as Shoutcast internet radio... which is nice.

TVersity gives you internet radio and more (internet TV streams) though I have yet to get the TV functionality to work and the product doesn't seem quite as polished (it's still in beta) than Twonky.

Windows Media Connect and the D-Link media server are simple and easy to use, though WMC definitely is better implemented and automatically and quickly refreshes when you add media content which is not the case with the D-Link version.

So I'd rate Twonky highest, followed by TVersity, then WMC, and finally the D-Link product. For some reason my trial version of TwonkyMedia has yet to expire even though it says it terminates after a 30 minute trial. Even so I'm going to buy a full copy tomorrow and this is what I'm going to be using.

To answer your other questions, I had WMC running on one PC and Twonky on another yesterday, the DSM-520 could see them both, but you can only select one at a time at this time (I believe they say something about this in the manual).

Also you should be able to use any UPnP enabled media server with the DSM-520.

itsxrayelk

01-02-06, 09:28 PM

Someone posted a little while back about talking to support about the fact that audio tracks show up sorted alphabetically, not by track number.

i thought i was just missing something obvious to fix that.

Has anyone else noticed this, or know the fix to this???

Ginso, as I mentioned above after trying out the D-Link, WMC, TVersity, and Twonky the TwonkyMedia media server definitely has what we're looking for in terms of sorting by track number or filename.

The TVersity media server also sorts correctly, and even appends track number to the track name display field so you can see where you're at in an album, but I really like how configurable Twonky is.

cat6man

01-03-06, 11:27 AM

szatkoff

01-03-06, 02:41 PM

Souki,

I have tried your suggestion to create one VOB file. I transferred the movie only and this seems to work for me. Thanks.

Anyone,

My next issue is using the FF\RW. It would seem that once you have pressed the either the FF or RW button, once you press the Play button, the movie starts over.
I have tried the D-link, TVersity and TwonkyMedia media servers with the same results. Any ideas why this happens?

TIA,

Steve

tyerad

01-03-06, 05:40 PM

Has anyone tried to use the menu/chapter functionality in Divx 6 on the DSM-520? I'm guessing that the menu functionality won't work when playing videos on the D-Link, but I'm just curious if anyone has tried.

Also, is anyone using Video Vault with the DSM-520?

Souki

01-03-06, 05:46 PM

i tried the 520 and found it could not stream 19mbps 1080i hdtv files over a wired 100mbps wired lan.....seemed bandwidth or buffer limited....the spec even says limited to about 8mbps, which is inconsistent with supporting hdtv files.

when you played 1080i files, was it over a network or from a dvd?

I've been playing around with 1080p WMV files from microsoft.com and they are usually 8Mbs video rate, looks fantastic! There's an Xvid King Kong 1080p trailer that looks sweet on this unit. It won't, however, play TS Mpeg2 files, as you've found out. The manual also states this clearly so we can't blame DLink for this one. You'll need to convert & play Xvid or WMV9 compression to those files if you want the file to display with the DSM-520.

JimMac

01-03-06, 07:40 PM

supes

01-03-06, 07:45 PM

HEY GUYS!

Im really excited, I just got my unit today! I have been playing around with it since I got it. So far here is that I can tell yous. I can play 624x352 and 960x528 (both avi) files flawlessly (meaning no skipping what-so-ever). When I try to play 720p (1280x720) avi also it skips a lot. It is impossible to watch.

I tried pictures and they work great and look good too (although they could load a little faster).

Music was a huge plus. It worked great and sounded great on the TV. I was very impressed and did not initially plan to use it for music but may do so now anyway.

I have yet to try a DVD (vob files) or 5.1 sound. I will let you know how it turns out.

BTW: I am connected via wireless G, HDMI-DVI for video, and coax audio for 5.1 / cheap composite audio for stereo.

Is there a big difference in the skipping and no skipping between a 10/100 connection and wireless? It would really be impossible for me to run wire this length. In any case I guess I better start looking for a USB hard drive.

Thanks for spending the time to read!

supes

Souki

01-03-06, 08:09 PM

Souki

01-03-06, 08:14 PM

...When I try to play 720p (1280x720) avi also it skips a lot. It is impossible to watch.
...
BTW: I am connected via wireless G, HDMI-DVI for video, and coax audio for 5.1 / cheap composite audio for stereo.

Is there a big difference in the skipping and no skipping between a 10/100 connection and wireless? It would really be impossible for me to run wire this length. In any case I guess I better start looking for a USB hard drive.
supes

10/100 ethernet is definitely better (12.5MB/s), and USB2 drive is even better (60MB/s). I haven't had any issues with it stuttering with HD material up to 1080p WMV9.

supes

01-04-06, 09:20 AM

I guess I start looking for a USB HD then :)

Thank you for the quick reply! I updated to 1.09 firmware yesterday.

Also I tried a wvm8 file and only the audio came through. Bah oh well :(

UPDATE:
Okay, I started looking for a USB HD and was wondering if anyone with this unit had any problems with power (meaning the player doesnt recognize the unit)? Also did anyway buy and encolser and a internal HD and try that, because that id the route I wanna take.

JohninLA

01-04-06, 10:03 AM

I guess I start looking for a USB HD then :)
Also I tried a wvm8 file and only the audio came through. Bah oh well :(

UPDATE:
Okay, I started looking for a USB HD and was wondering if anyone with this unit had any problems with power (meaning the player doesnt recognize the unit)? Also did anyway buy and encolser and a internal HD and try that, because that id the route I wanna take.

I had an external HD that I tried on my new 520 yesterday. It would not recognize it, and I received error messages that the USB device would "not load." I then discovered that it was not formatted using FAT32, which is the only format the 520 will recognize.

Also, I had a WMV9 file, a movie trailer, that I tried to view, and the 520 will not play it. I get an error message that the file is in a format that is not recognized. I'm not sure why, but I could not get it to play.

bimmerboy750

01-04-06, 05:03 PM

Wired 10/100.

double check for a port mismatch. all network components (PC, 520, router/switch) should be at 100MBps and Full Duplex. Force this on each interface if in doubt (i.e. not using auto negotiate). i've seen many GIG-E Lan switch ports running actually at 10 meg and half duplex because of auto negotiation.

bimmerboy750

01-04-06, 05:14 PM

JimMac

01-04-06, 06:50 PM

hide the loss

Easy to hide when there is nothing to compare with.
Yes that is the problem, technology advances to provide us with stunning video and unbelievable sound, then we squash the hell out of it so that we never get to enjoy it in all its engineering glory. I guess I would rather have the real thing or at least a coke.

JonV

01-04-06, 06:52 PM

I had an unfortunate experience with my 520. I just received it last Thursday and it ran like a charm. On Friday morning it asked if I'd mind if it installed the firmware upgrade (1.01). In the middle of the upgrade the screen went black. The front panel blue lights were still lit. I sat there for 15 minutes waiting until I called Dlink.

With Dlink's support on the phone, I unplugged and plugged the unit for a reboot. Now even the front panel was black. Support had me try a reset with no luck. I've returned the unit to the purchase point and am waiting for a new one.

My question is whether you owners have all upgraded to 1.01 with no trouble? Did I just have a bad unit and I need not fear upgrading the new unit? I'm a little gun-shy now having had to suffer the expense and loss of use from my last attempt. If everyone here has indeed upgraded, I'll feel more confident.

Thanks.

JohninLA

01-04-06, 06:59 PM

JonV

01-04-06, 07:24 PM

I just installed my 520 two days ago. After a few minutes, I had a screen that said there was new firmware, and did I want to install it. I ok'd it, and in a few minutes, I had the new firmware installed without problem. You must have had a bad machnine. Sorry to hear that....good luck with the next one!

The level 2 tech had me worried when he mumbled something about "other people with the trouble" and that "maybe there's something wrong with the firmware upgrade". The level 3 guy thought that it was just my box though. I figured they'd pull the upgrade if it was really frying machines left and right.

I wanted to make sure "real people" are ugrading without incidence. Thanks.

supes

01-04-06, 07:41 PM

I upgraded yesterday w/o a problem. It took ~8 minutes.

Sorry to hear you got a bad machine :(

ablevy

01-04-06, 08:19 PM

Just a thought. TVersity is a transcoding UPnP server. If it has a profile for the 520, you should be able to play anything it supports and it supports a lot of file formats.

Alan

JohninLA

01-05-06, 10:24 AM

Just a thought. TVersity is a transcoding UPnP server. If it has a profile for the 520, you should be able to play anything it supports and it supports a lot of file formats.

TVersity doesn't have a specific profile for the 520 yet, so I am using the 320 profile. There is an option for "Other," but I thought the 320 might be closer. What are others using?

Magendanz

01-07-06, 01:19 PM

Has anyone discovered the discrete power on/off codes for the DSM-520 remote control yet?

The Harmony guys didn't have them in their database, and neither the D-Link or Sigma Designs support contacts have been willing to share them with me so far. Even a search of the RemoteCentral.com forums couldn't find any clues.

Just to be thorough, I tried Harmony's DSM-320 discrete power on/off codes on the DSM-520, but that didn't seem to work. The next option seems to be a brute force search, if I can identify the device/subdevice they're using.

This is a great unit, but the OEM remote is poorly designed. A universal remote is really essential.

usernotfound

01-08-06, 02:56 AM

I just use my PalmPilot for a fully programmable remote.

supes

01-08-06, 02:45 PM

I've been playing around with 1080p WMV files from microsoft.com and they are usually 8Mbs video rate, looks fantastic! There's an Xvid King Kong 1080p trailer that looks sweet on this unit. It won't, however, play TS Mpeg2 files, as you've found out. The manual also states this clearly so we can't blame DLink for this one. You'll need to convert & play Xvid or WMV9 compression to those files if you want the file to display with the DSM-520.

coule of things....first, why cant we blame DLink?
second, can you recommend any good convertors that do .ts to [wmv or xvid].
I have this Superman Returns trailer .ts files and im dying to try it on my hdtv. :)

Laserfan

01-08-06, 09:12 PM

coule of things....first, why cant we blame DLink?
second, can you recommend any good convertors that do .ts to [wmv or xvid].
I have this Superman Returns trailer .ts files and im dying to try it on my hdtv. :)AutoGK will convert your .ts files to Xvid very nicely.

I agree w/your sentiment about "why cant we blame Dlink". I have a Pinnacle SC200 which is based on the same Sigma Designs chip as the 520, and it plays .ts files to 19.2Mbps w/no trouble.

Souki

01-09-06, 01:08 AM

...Thank you for the quick reply! I updated to 1.09 firmware yesterday. ...

I'd like to know where you got v1.09 of the firmware. Currently only v1.01 is available for download.

Souki

01-09-06, 01:13 AM

coule of things....first, why cant we blame DLink?
second, can you recommend any good convertors that do .ts to [wmv or xvid].
I have this Superman Returns trailer .ts files and im dying to try it on my hdtv. :)

Microsoft offers a free Windows Media Encoder 9 Series (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/encoder/default.aspx) encoder software. There's 32bit and 64bit download available for free. It allow you to encode Mpeg2 to WMV9 file format upto 1080i/1080p.

supes

01-09-06, 01:24 PM

I'd like to know where you got v1.09 of the firmware. Currently only v1.01 is available for download.

Maybe I was seeing things. It probably was v1.01. Ill check to confirm this later on. :)

bimmerboy750

01-10-06, 01:53 PM

JonV

01-10-06, 02:00 PM

I hope you didn't attempt to flash it over the wireless connection!

No I was wired. I have a wireless network but I set the 520's config to use the wired setting since I had the cable sitting there from my former use of a MediaMVP.

You bring up an excellent point though. DLink is selling this as a wireless player and they're the ones trying to make flashing as easy as listening to an audio file.

If the flash is dangerous if done wirelessly, why would they support it?

JonV

01-10-06, 02:02 PM

I hope you didn't attempt to flash it over the wireless connection!

My replacement unit is supposed to arrive tomorrow. As you can imagine, I'm nervous as hell about flashing the thing to 1.01 even though many of you all have done it without trouble.

I'll be sweating bullets until I see the think reboot itself!

supes

01-11-06, 10:17 AM

I had an external HD that I tried on my new 520 yesterday. It would not recognize it, and I received error messages that the USB device would "not load." I then discovered that it was not formatted using FAT32, which is the only format the 520 will recognize.

Also, I had a WMV9 file, a movie trailer, that I tried to view, and the 520 will not play it. I get an error message that the file is in a format that is not recognized. I'm not sure why, but I could not get it to play.

Did you ever figure out the FAT32 thing. Were you able to format with FAT32 and use it with the 520?

JohninLA

01-11-06, 11:58 AM

Did you ever figure out the FAT32 thing. Were you able to format with FAT32 and use it with the 520?

Well, the drive I was using was a 60gb drive, and it appears WINXP won't format FAT32 any drive over 30gb, or something like that, at least that I can figure out. I did have another, older 6gb drive sitting around, and it's formatted FAT32. I plugged it into the 520's USB port, and it worked fine. I was able to see the files and play them. However, I still can't get the WMV9 video file to play, and I can't figure out why.

usernotfound

01-11-06, 04:23 PM

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm

format tool for large fat32 partitions

bimmerboy750

01-11-06, 04:33 PM

No I was wired. I have a wireless network but I set the 520's config to use the wired setting since I had the cable sitting there from my former use of a MediaMVP.

You bring up an excellent point though. DLink is selling this as a wireless player and they're the ones trying to make flashing as easy as listening to an audio file.

If the flash is dangerous if done wirelessly, why would they support it?

I wonder if it's best to flash it with the code stored on a USB thumbdrive and plugged directly into the unit?

JohninLA

01-11-06, 09:22 PM

Question, I have had success streaming most of my music that's on my pc. I say most, but there is one of my cd's that I ripped to the hard drive, but it absolutely refuses to stream. I can see it in my server, but when I select the first track, it sits there, then moves to the next one, and continues all the way through each track until it reaches the last one, then stops. No error, no message, just won't play.

I can play the tracks in Winamp and in WM9 on my pc, no problem. Any suggestions why I can't get these tracks to stream to my 520? They are all .mp3's.

Thanks again to everyone that's helped with my questions up to now!

Pharell68

01-11-06, 10:33 PM

After reading this from cnet HDTV world

bit rate - Typically measured in megabits per second (Mbps); used to express the rate at which data is transmitted or processed. For digital television, including digital satellite and cable TV, DVD and HDTV, the higher the bit rate, the more data that is processed and, typically, the higher the picture quality. The DVD format allows up to 9.8Mbps, while HDTV requires 19.25Mbps for full- bandwidth transmission.

So how is it possible to get a great picture at only 8Mbps @1080p ? Must be quite the compression algorithm. Something must be lost right ?

There's no algorithm, god I wish there was!

DO NOT buy the DSM-520 if you plan on streaming DVD quality content. I have ripped all my DVD's to my hard drive using DVDShrink. Lower quality content that is 4:3 such as the episodes of "That 70's Show" and my wife’s "Charmed" work great. However, when you try to play a higher resolution DVD video folder like ANY 16:9 movie, the screen will stutter and lose sound at some point in the movie. Most of my DVD movies run between 8 and 9.6Mbps, which come to find out this unit can not handle.

I have tried connecting through wireless G, wired through my gigabit home network, directly from my server to the unit, 2 FAT32 USB hard drives (both not found), and 1 NTFS USB hard drive (also not found). I got a replacement from D-Link thinking that it was defective, and have tried both 1.00 and 1.01 firmware versions.

Furthermore, this unit does not recognize DVD menus or chapters. Skipping forward takes you to the next VOB file, and is unable to "rewind" back to the previous VOB file. This unit will only play the "default" audio track in the movie, which means that some movies you get the Dolby 5.1 sound, some movies you get 2-channel, and some the directors commentary. There is NO way to switch the audio signal.

My only other option with this unit is to compress the DVD's I have to a different format (which some of you have suggested), but I have so many that it would take an extremely long time to do (and I like having the DVD's in folder available to burn quickly). I did try last night to compress Star Wars Episode III (using professional software) to a maximum of 7.5Mbps. Still, a little while into the movie it started stuttering and I lost the audio. Bummer :(

The support rep for D-Link knew nothing about the unit or limitations. So now, I will be selling my unit on eBay (as ZipZoomFly will not refund my money), and purchase a different unit. I have been looking at models such as the AVeL LinkPlayer2, but have not done any real research yet.

Can anyone please recommend a networked media player (from personal experience) that will properly play DVD folders with the menus, chapters, and stream faster than this 8Mbps limit? Any help is greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I just looked and found the speadsheet in another topic, which helps a lot!

JimMac

01-12-06, 12:11 PM

Pharell568, great post, very informative and exactly what I expected when I read the 8Mbps limit. If you find a unit that is satisfactory, let us know. Sorry to hear you could not return the unit.

Laserfan

01-12-06, 12:59 PM

...DLink is selling this as a wireless player and they're the ones trying to make flashing as easy as listening to an audio file. If the flash is dangerous if done wirelessly, why would they support it?I believe that the way the flash is done, first the instruction file is transferred to the unit, and then that file is checked for errors before any attempt is made to re-program the unit. Any issues with the wireless transmission SHOULD therefore be caught before re-flashing is even attempted.

Mischa

01-13-06, 12:57 AM

Does anyone know if gapless playback of audio files is possible?

thanks,

JonV

01-15-06, 11:29 AM

Anyone using Rhapsody radio with their DSM-520?

My first 520 was accessing Rhapsody via uPnP just fine. Unfortunately my unit died during my attempt to upgrade the firmware. I received my replacement last week. I tested basic functionality however I neglected to test Rhapsody before I upgraded the firmware (apparently successfuly this time).

Now all attempts to invoke Rhapsody from the 520 say that the 520 cannot find a Rhapsody server. Everything appears set up OK in Rhapsody. The uPnP server is started. The 520 is listed as a compatible device and its IP address displayed.

Does anybody have a troubleshooting tips?

Magendanz

01-16-06, 03:05 AM

As is probably typical for HD plasma displays, I've set up my DSM-520 video output as follows:

Audio/Video Settings:
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Video output: Component
- Display resolution: 1080 Interlaced

Additional Settings:
- Photo Scaling: Fit to Screen

Unfortunately, I've noticed that photo scaling ignores the 16:9 aspect ratio setting and assumes 4:3, causing photos to appear squashed. Since my display doesn't support aspect ratio conversion from 4:3 in 1080i mode, I can't even work around the problem on the display side.

Video playback seems to honor the aspect ratio setting fine and is undistorted.

Has anyone else noticed this problem? Any ideas for a workaround while they fix the bug?

supes

01-16-06, 06:37 PM

Okay, so I got my encolsure/hard drive and formatted it FAT32. I then proceeded to load a bunch of HD trailers on it (all 720p) and also a 1080i (maybe 1080p) LG HDTV Demo. All the trailers played flawlessly, even the ones that stuttered massively over wireless G. Then, the demo started out fine but then it started stuttering big time to a point where I wasnt able to watch. I hope it was 1080p and that would be a good excuse and relieve me of frustration. If not, THIS SUCKS! I cant watch 1080i stuff without it skipping from a HD? I am trying more stuff.

BTW if it helps I used autoGK to convert all I had (.ts files) to Xvid with100% quality. If I find this maybe why 1080i is stuttering, Ill do 75% quality.

Souki

01-17-06, 12:36 AM

Souki

01-17-06, 12:37 AM

Unfortunately, I've noticed that photo scaling ignores the 16:9 aspect ratio setting and assumes 4:3, causing photos to appear squashed. Since my display doesn't support aspect ratio conversion from 4:3 in 1080i mode, I can't even work around the problem on the display side.

Video playback seems to honor the aspect ratio setting fine and is undistorted.

Has anyone else noticed this problem? Any ideas for a workaround while they fix the bug?

Strangely enough I haven't noticed this problem, maybe my sony hdtv works differently? Try a different scaling option for the pictures.

bimmerboy750

01-17-06, 01:53 PM

Microsoft offers a free Windows Media Encoder 9 Series (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/encoder/default.aspx) encoder software. There's 32bit and 64bit download available for free. It allow you to encode Mpeg2 to WMV9 file format upto 1080i/1080p.

Souki,

do you know of a good thread elsewhere that deals with MPEG2 to WMV9 transcoding? I'm experimenting with VOB to WMv9 using MS's 9-series encoder, but am having issues. I cannot get a to a successful transcode yet:
I have both the 32-bit and 64-bit (I have a xp pro x64 partition) versions of the encoder. I have a play-able VOB file (plays in wmplayer) as a test file right now.

Thanks

Magendanz

01-17-06, 03:09 PM

Strangely enough I haven't noticed this problem, maybe my sony hdtv works differently? Try a different scaling option for the pictures.
All the scaling options seem to be distorted as though the DSM-520 assumes it's rendering to a 4:3 surface, even Keep as Original. I'd blame it on TVersity, but the same thing occurs when displaying images off a USB drive.

Souki, do you also have your A/V Settings at 1080i Component and 16:9?

stormsj

01-17-06, 04:02 PM

TVersity question. Thinking maybe Magendanz has my answer, but wanted to know if everyone is have a bit of a hard time getting this media server to show up over a wireless connection to the server computer. I have to restart TVersity each time I goto use the 520 for it to see it. It will then work, but that is the only way. Also finding that only Twonky will show up concurrently with the other servers. Just want verification this is similar to everyone elses experince with wireless setup.

roreman

01-18-06, 05:34 PM

Xvid should work just fine, as I was able to play the King Kong Xvid 1080p trailer in Xvid, it's over 2.5 mins long, via HDD. You can also try converting them to WMV9 using the free MS 9 encoder, I posted the link earlier in this thread. Don't do Divx, as it currently only supports 720p.

Souki, you've mentioned the MS encoder twice now, but have you successfully managed to get it to convert .ts files? If so, how?

supes

01-19-06, 06:08 PM

Just a quick update. Remember the 1080 file I had that was messing up well it was 1080i. So 1080i didnt work for me at 100% Xvid via AutoGK (hard drive). Furthermore I tried 1080i @75% through Hard drive and it was STILL choppy!!!! Man this sucks. Could it be my hard drive (Hitachi 250GB 8MB cache)? I am gonna try 1080i@ 50% now. I hope it still looks half way decent though. BTW I tried a bunch of 720p material and it is flawless and ROcKS!!

WAIT a minute:
Something isnt making sense. I just did a quick check. My Superman trailer I converted is 77MB (75% via AutoGK) and it is 94seconds. Rougly speaking this is LESS than 1 MB per second so WHY the hell cant the drive transfer it fast enough??!!? This goes for all my vids? Any ideas?

Magendanz

01-20-06, 10:51 PM

Thinking maybe Magendanz has my answer, but wanted to know if everyone is have a bit of a hard time getting this media server to show up over a wireless connection to the server computer. I have to restart TVersity each time I goto use the 520 for it to see it. It will then work, but that is the only way.
No, I haven't seen anything that extreme. Maybe once or twice I've had a discovery problem and had to reset TVersity for the service to be found by the DSM-520, but nothing like every time.

My unit is pretty close to my access point, though. If you've got weak wireless signal strength, then what you're seeing might make sense.

itsxrayelk

01-21-06, 08:49 PM

Question, I have had success streaming most of my music that's on my pc. I say most, but there is one of my cd's that I ripped to the hard drive, but it absolutely refuses to stream. I can see it in my server, but when I select the first track, it sits there, then moves to the next one, and continues all the way through each track until it reaches the last one, then stops. No error, no message, just won't play.

John, I had this exact same problem for mp3s that had album art associated with them. The DSM-520 does not yet support album art, which is stupid considering it's marketing itself as a media player.

The only solution I could find was to remove the album art tags from all my mp3s, which is annoying for when I then go to load stuff onto my iPod.

Could this be the issue you're having?

PhxMike

01-23-06, 11:41 AM

WAIT a minute:
Something isnt making sense. I just did a quick check. My Superman trailer I converted is 77MB (75% via AutoGK) and it is 94seconds. Rougly speaking this is LESS than 1 MB per second so WHY the hell cant the drive transfer it fast enough??!!? This goes for all my vids? Any ideas?

I have tried using AutoGK to convert VOBs to Xvid-avi (so I can use the 'jump to time' feature), but only am seeing 2 channel audio even though the avi I created has the 6ch AC3 stream in it (and that's the only audio stream I selected). When I play the avi on my pc, I don't get sound, which makes sense given my sound card (basic one on the motherboard).

When you transcoded your stuff, did the 5.1 audio come through to the dsm-520? If so, any ideas here on what I'm doing wrong? I'm streaming via Twonky and the Dlink servers and get similar results.

JohninLA

01-23-06, 11:50 AM

John, I had this exact same problem for mp3s that had album art associated with them. The DSM-520 does not yet support album art, which is stupid considering it's marketing itself as a media player.

The only solution I could find was to remove the album art tags from all my mp3s, which is annoying for when I then go to load stuff onto my iPod.

Could this be the issue you're having?

I don't think so, I just ripped my cd to my hard drive, without adding any graphics, that I know of. I'll look deeper to see if Nero adding anything more, but I don't think that was the problem. Thanks for the suggestion!

supes

01-23-06, 04:14 PM

I have tried using AutoGK to convert VOBs to Xvid-avi (so I can use the 'jump to time' feature), but only am seeing 2 channel audio even though the avi I created has the 6ch AC3 stream in it (and that's the only audio stream I selected). When I play the avi on my pc, I don't get sound, which makes sense given my sound card (basic one on the motherboard).

When you transcoded your stuff, did the 5.1 audio come through to the dsm-520? If so, any ideas here on what I'm doing wrong? I'm streaming via Twonky and the Dlink servers and get similar results.

Honestly I didnt even bother checking (listening). I mean the audio was skipping so bad that I couldnt check if it was 5.1 or not by listening to it. I am sure that the HD demos I encoded were 5.1 BUT the receiver showed 2 channels if I remember correctly. So yes AutoGK did the same thing for me. I will when I get time verify that this is indeed what happened.

Dennis-R

01-24-06, 07:21 AM

I have tried using AutoGK to convert VOBs to Xvid-avi (so I can use the 'jump to time' feature), but only am seeing 2 channel audio even though the avi I created has the 6ch AC3 stream in it (and that's the only audio stream I selected). When I play the avi on my pc, I don't get sound, which makes sense given my sound card (basic one on the motherboard).

When you transcoded your stuff, did the 5.1 audio come through to the dsm-520? If so, any ideas here on what I'm doing wrong? I'm streaming via Twonky and the Dlink servers and get similar results.

You're doing nothing wrong. I asked D-Link support the same question and this was their reply:

As for XVID files they are only supported with MP3 or PCM audio.

A properly encoded AVI should pass through Dolby Digital just fine.

Should you require further assistance with your D-Link products, please reply to this message, or call toll free at 877-453-5465. Thank you for networking with D-Link.

Sincerely,
Patrick Cline
D-Link Technical Support

Since we can hear the audio it's obviously being converted. AC3 will passthrough if you play the VOBs. However, I joined multiple VOBs into a single file and the playback froze at about 1 hour.

bimmerboy750

01-24-06, 08:19 AM

I tried AutoGK on a few transcodes. I liked the automation of the process, but didn't like the results. Since, I've been following a more manual process that I got from videohelp.com:

http://www.bobsomers.com/articles/dvdmoviefiles.php

I preserve the AC-3 on my conversions and I'm using Xvid to make H.264 ASP L5 encodes. I like the quality (with about a 3:1 reduction in HDD space) and can confirm AC-3 passthrough, and the jump feature.... this on a DSM-320 not a 520.

PhxMike

01-25-06, 11:12 AM

I preserve the AC-3 on my conversions and I'm using Xvid to make H.264 ASP L5 encodes. I like the quality (with about a 3:1 reduction in HDD space) and can confirm AC-3 passthrough, and the jump feature.... this on a DSM-320 not a 520.

Thanks for the info. However, after a quick try last night, I still wasn't seeing 5.1 sound (on the 520). Bummer. If only ff/rew or jump to time worked for vob/mpeg2, I wouldn't have to try & jump through these hoops.

randym431

02-03-06, 12:45 AM

JonV

02-03-06, 03:35 PM

I have the older dms-320 which works great but only plays media off your pc (personal media). I see the DSM-520 lets you connect a usb drive. Can you play media right off this usb attached drive without even using a pc. Is it standalone in playing media from an attached usb drive????
Also, I have the ati hdtv wonder that records HD ota tv. Anyone know if the DSM-520 can play there stored recorded hd files made by hdtv wonder???

The 520 does indeed play media right from a USB drive. I've always had my 520 connected to my PC network also but I would assume it could work without a PC at all. I'm just not 100% sure the setup wizard would survive if no network or media server was found at all though.

The main menu of the 520 though lets you play media from the network, media from the USB or media from online sources (Rhapsody, etc.).

Sorry I can't help with your Wonder question. I assume you've scrolled though this thread back to where several folk discussed sending HD content to the 520.

supes

02-05-06, 04:24 PM

So to play my .ts files this is what i tried to do.
I tried converting them to Xvid (avi) and they stuttered a lot. I tried converting them to MPEG2 and again they still stuttered. I want .ts support dammit!

I bought this unit for HD, and hoped a harddrive would solve all bandwidth problems. It hasnt for me. I think some people here say they got 1080p to work without stuttering. For that I think they used wmv 9. I havent tried this and I fankly cant try this becuase I dont have anything that will do the conversion. All my normal streams on audio/video (non HD) do work fine though :)

Does anyone think it could be my harddrive (Hitachi 7200rpm, 250GB, 8MB cache) PATA?

Jeff_DML

02-06-06, 12:56 PM

supes

02-07-06, 08:43 AM

usb harddrive :)

bimmerboy750

02-08-06, 12:46 PM

randym431

02-09-06, 12:23 AM

On the dsm-520, using the HDMI cable output, does this connection also display non HD video (mpeg1) thru the HDMI cable?

cjcote

02-09-06, 11:24 AM

I use an HDMI cable with the DSM-520 and have been sucessful with playing mpeg1 files.

The only issue that I have is that I don't get any audio playing any of the WMV HD 720P files mention here in this thread.

My DSM-520 setup:

Video - HDMI
Audio - Digital Coax
Network - Wired 10/100

Laserfan

02-12-06, 10:22 AM

...The only issue that I have is that I don't get any audio playing any of the WMV HD 720P files mention here in this thread...They probably are encoded with WMV Pro which requires a new amp that can decode this special format.

I don't mean to inflame anyone, but I'm surprised the 520 has trouble w/HD files. I am here because I understood the 520 used the Sigma EM8620L chip, which my Pinnacle SC200 has as well. I can play-back transport streams all the way to 19.2 (though if only one stream is capped it's usually less than 15Mbps), and this over a 100Mbps wired ethernet network. I've never tried its USB port.

supes

02-12-06, 10:53 AM

did the transcoded xvid's play fine on the PC, or did it stutter there as well? if so, then the transcode wasn't done right.

All my coded material works fine on the PC but the DLink just has a hard time with it IMO.

JonV

02-12-06, 03:31 PM

I have tried using AutoGK to convert VOBs to Xvid-avi (so I can use the 'jump to time' feature), but ...

Am I missing something concerning Jump mode? I am trying to use it with basic MPEG-2 files and it doesn't work for me. I changed the setting to jump mode. While watching the video I hit Search, type in a time (00:05:00) and press Enter. I see the "Play arrow" displayed but I don't jump.

MeatHead88

03-06-06, 11:00 AM

Have you found a fix for the picture "squishing" I'm having the same issue.

Magendanz

03-06-06, 03:55 PM

Have you found a fix for the picture "squishing" I'm having the same issue.
No, I haven't yet discovered a workaround for that.

cjcote

03-14-06, 11:12 AM

They probably are encoded with WMV Pro which requires a new amp that can decode this special format.

You're right, they are encoded in WMA Pro!!! I finally got audio when I attached the analog outputs (YUCK!!!). I guess I will need to connect digital and analog outputs of the DSM520 to my Yamaha receiver. Thankfully, my receiver has an auto mode to select between the two.

Laserfan

03-14-06, 06:15 PM

WMA Pro!!! I finally got audio when I attached the analog outputs (YUCK!!!)...I got a Pioneer amp w/WMAPro decoding capabilities, and was dismayed to confirm that my SC200 doesn't output the WMAPro on the digital-out at all. Probably the DSM-520 is the same, an issue of the underlying Sigma Design(s). :(

GimmeMP3

03-15-06, 01:30 PM

Am I missing something concerning Jump mode? I am trying to use it with basic MPEG-2 files and it doesn't work for me. I changed the setting to jump mode. While watching the video I hit Search, type in a time (00:05:00) and press Enter. I see the "Play arrow" displayed but I don't jump.

You're doing it right. I've only tried XviDs, the button pushes you're using works on those. Maybe it's something about how the MPEG2s are encoded? Does FF work on the MPEGs?

GimmeMP3

03-15-06, 01:36 PM

Does anyone else have a problem with the DSM-520 disconnecting on idle? I'm using the DSM-520 over an 802.11g wireless connection to JRiver Media Center's UPnP server. The DSM-520 consistently disconnects after it's been idle for a certain amount of time (15 minutes?). When I start using the DSM-520 again, it takes me to the "Server Connect" screen, where I can always reconnect. We don't have any 2.4Ghz phones and the microwave isn't between the AP and the DSM-520 (and there doesn't seem to be a correlation). My connection strength hovers around 80%.

I've also tried the TwonkyMedia 3.1 UPnP server, and it actually disconnects while browsing menus. I haven't had any problems streaming music or video with the JRMC UPnP server.

I noticed that DLink fixed a similar problem in one of the DSM-320 firmware upgrades. Anyone else having this problem with the DSM-520? What UPnP server are you using?

ablevy

03-15-06, 08:10 PM

GimmeMP3

03-16-06, 04:45 PM

Just got mine a week ago to replace a pinnacle Showcenter 200 so I don't have a lot of experience with it. I've been using TVersity and the DLink software from my computer and the Wizd UPnP server built into my Infrant server. The short answer is that it hasn't disconnected on me yet. Not sure what you mean by idle though. Whenever it's been on it's been streaming music or sometimes video.

Alan

Thanks for the response. I sometimes leave the DSM-520 on while I'm not using it. If I leave it on long enough while it's not streaming, it disconnects from the UPnP server and I have to reconnect.

ablevy

03-16-06, 08:28 PM

Just left mine on for 20 minutes connected to the Infrant running 'Wizd. No problem. I'm running wired and with the latest firmware for the DLink.

Alan

serfrat

03-17-06, 08:42 PM

I posted this in another thread, but haven't had much luck. When I play a full my DVD rips (which are already done with Smartripper with all the languages) it plays either the French or Spanish soundtrack on a lot of my movies. Has any else have this problem and knows of a work around to play the English track on the 520 without having to re-rip all my movies?

Chris Young

03-19-06, 08:19 PM

Hi All,

I received an D-link DSM-520 in December 2005 but I question if I should sell this unit. Wanting to be able to stream DVD/HD Video content to it on our wired network but find it to have may problems. Squishing the video, HDMI not passing blacker then black test, Component output colors are not correct but passes blacker then black signals. D-link didn't know what to tel me. DVD Menu use is not required just chapter up down would be a must. Streaming Video.ts or .iso file would be a plus. Downloading Full HD content to my knowledge there's not much available at this time. Please point me in the right direction if I'm wrong. I would have returned it within the 30 days to the website which it was purchased from but we only had the receipt and they required the shipping label plus the receipt. Don't understand that one.

Any thoughts?

C

casino187

03-21-06, 12:15 PM

coroner

03-21-06, 12:44 PM

A couple of questions/problems:

1. When scrolling through my files with the DSM-520, it lists a lot(probably all) files twice. So I have to scroll through the duplicates. I think it may list them 3 times. Anyone else having this problem?

2. I've read a lot about this thing supporting 5.1, but I can't find a clear answer. I want to know if it supports AC3 5.1 encoded Xvids/Divx files? I tested a couple, but it didn't seem to work.

Connected via HDMI and SPDIF/optical out.

1. this is weird, mine works fine!
2. i haven't got a lot of 5.1 files, but i tested several of them and they are correctly decoded by mine receiver as dolby digital...

i've just got mine dsm-520, it's really working better than i expected, reads almost every video file that i've got... one week of testing showed only one strange thing - sometimes sound completely disappears and i have to power off/on it...

and i can't understand why it is not possible to use ff & search at the same time!?

JohninLA

03-21-06, 12:50 PM

casino187

03-21-06, 12:57 PM

1. this is weird, mine works fine!
2. i haven't got a lot of 5.1 files, but i tested several of them and they are correctly decoded by mine receiver as dolby digital...

i've just got mine dsm-520, it's really working better than i expected, reads almost every video file that i've got... one week of testing showed only one strange thing - sometimes sound completely disappears and i have to power off/on it...

and i can't understand why it is not possible to use ff & search at the same time!?

What media server are you using? The one that came with it? Are you using the optical of coaxial digital audio out?

GimmeMP3

03-21-06, 01:57 PM

I have had my 520 for a month or two now. I was playing with it over the weekend, and streaming some videos. Suddenly, the picture froze, and I couldn't get it to restart. I checked my computer, and noticed that it was rebooting! I tried again, and when I played any video, after a few minutes, my computer would reboot again.

My computer is a Pent III, 3.0, with 1gb of RAM. I have no idea what is causing this as the videos play fine on my computer. I have both the D-Link and TVersity Servers and seem to have the problem with both servers. My computer runs fine otherwise.

Any thoughts as to why this is happening suddenly?

Check your CPU usage while playing a video. It could be that the media server software is using 100% of the CPU for some reason and the PC is rebooting due to heat problems. Also, make sure your fans are working and that you've got an adequate power supply (at least 350 watts or so). If this was a machine that used to house a slower processor and older motherboard, it may be that the power supply can't keep up.

casino187

03-22-06, 01:20 PM

1. this is weird, mine works fine!
2. i haven't got a lot of 5.1 files, but i tested several of them and they are correctly decoded by mine receiver as dolby digital...

I tried a few more Xvids/Divx movies and TV Shows with AC3 5.1, but it shows up on my receiver as 2 channel. Is anyone else able to get 5.1 with Divx or Xvids?

coroner

03-22-06, 03:40 PM

What media server are you using? The one that came with it? Are you using the optical of coaxial digital audio out?

yes, the default D-Link Media Server, i've read a lot of reviews and i know that TVersity works better, but my dsm-520 can't detect it as a media server - i'm sure that i will resolve this problem - simply haven't got enougth time to tune it!

i'm using optical audio out...

littlereddog

03-31-06, 05:29 PM

I have the DSM 520. I have suffered will all of the non-functionality described here regarding HDTV transport streams and mpeg2 files. I.e. will play video but no audio, will play garbled video and some audio, etc. I have a capture card that captures .ts files ota and then I use HDTV2MPEG to convert (not much converting to do).

Interestingly, I found that if my clips are about 30 second long or less, and my AC3 settings are right, I can actually get full HDTV 1080 files to play, audio and video. So the DSM 520 has the capability, someone just needs to fix it.

jguy52

04-07-06, 12:24 PM

casino187

04-07-06, 12:37 PM

I'm sorry I read all 8 pages of the thread and I dont see a clear answer to my question. Are the Xvid HDTV torrents with 5.1 sound suppose to play in Dolby Digital on the 520? I get audio from them but its not digital. I do get 5.1 when I play Vob files. Is there a way to get 5.1 working with the Xvid?

I've been waiting on an answer to this too. I am in the exact same boat as you are.

My guess is that it does not play the AC3 5.1 from XVIDS, but I have read differently.

someone please help.

cjcote

04-12-06, 02:08 PM

I've been waiting on an answer to this too. I am in the exact same boat as you are.

My guess is that it does not play the AC3 5.1 from XVIDS, but I have read differently.

someone please help.

Check out post #191.

In addition, the manual on page 62 states

Supported Video Formats

The following video file formats are supported:

 MPEG-1 (up to 8Mbps, Resolution up to 480p)
 MPEG-2 (up to 8Mbps, Resolution up to 1080i)
 MPEG-4 (ASP - Advanced Simple Profile)
 AVI (MPEG4 layer only, does not support uncompressed AVI, Resolution up to 1080i)
 XVID (with MP3 and PCM)
 WMV9 (Resolution up to 720p)

I have tried xvid with ac3 5.1 in an avi file and only got 2 channels of audio :( The video portion looked great :)

It is confusing because people who own the DSM320 can get 5.1 audio with xvid, but DSM520 owners can't.

The only formats that I have been able to get ac3 5.1 audio are vob and mpeg2.

jguy52

04-13-06, 12:06 PM

Thanks cjcote. What program do you use to convert video to mpeg2?

cjcote

04-14-06, 12:25 AM

I used NeroVision to create mpeg2 from a mpeg4 file I created with Nero Recode as a test case for 5.1. My original goal was to use Nero Digital format, but you can't get 5.1 since the audio is AAC. The DSM520 does not support 5.1 AAC.

I'm not sure what the best program is for mpeg2. I believe vob is basically mpeg2, so I would look into DVD Shrink and Nero Recode.

itai

05-15-06, 07:01 AM

looking to convert the unit to PAL\
and subtitals in hebru fonts

larrysano

05-18-06, 11:31 AM

casino187

05-18-06, 12:02 PM

Just wondering if anyone thinks that the basic functionality of this unit will be limited if it's connected to a network that's not online. An internet connection doesn't appear to be required, but curious to know if it'd be a pain. I'm used to dealing with no internet at home, therefore I'm also used to limited functionality of certain products. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

TIA!

If you don't have internet access it is no big deal. I don't use it with the internet. I do have it on my home network and use my computer as a server. I put all my movies, tv shows, and music on there and can access it from the TV.

If it's not hooked up to a network, I'm not sure what you would use it for, maybe just the USB port.

larrysano

05-18-06, 02:08 PM

If you don't have internet access it is no big deal. I don't use it with the internet.Cool, that's what I wanted to know. It'd be on my network, but without internet access. Thanks!

Changing gears here, but I was glad to see that there's a new version of the D-Link media server (1.07) posted on May 1st that includes support for TS video files. Linky (http://www.dlink.com/products/support.asp?pid=438&sec=0#applications)

casino187

05-18-06, 02:24 PM

Cool, that's what I wanted to know. It'd be on my network, but without internet access. Thanks!

Changing gears here, but I was glad to see that there's a new version of the D-Link media server (1.07) posted on May 1st that includes support for TS video files. Linky (http://www.dlink.com/products/support.asp?pid=438&sec=0#applications)

Thanks I didn't know that there was a newer version. I just wish this bastard would support AC3 when playing Divx/Xvid files.

bdlee420

05-24-06, 04:13 PM

I currently am using the ATI HDTV Wonder card to record my programs. The problem is that the D-LINK 520 won't play the native recording in HD, I have to encode it. What encoding should I use in order to get HD quality from my 520??

priyankur

05-26-06, 01:17 AM

casino187

05-26-06, 12:01 PM

Hi Guys:
I want to watch winamp streaming video over the internet, usually live sporting events, using this device. will i be able to do that? winamp uses h.264 codecs and .nsv streams. thanks for your help.

p

I haven't done this, but I think it may be possible. You may have to download a different mediaserver software than what comes with it. I would go check out the tversity forums and ask. I know you can put your own URLs in that mediaserver software, but I haven't actually done it.

Souki

06-13-06, 03:01 PM

DenGuru has a recent review of this product, it looks mostly positive, and may answer some of our questions in this thread :

http://www.denguru.com/2006/06/13/dlink_dsm_520_media_player_w_hdmi/

bimmerboy750

06-21-06, 04:52 PM

AndrewScott

06-22-06, 10:24 AM

I currently have the DSM-520 hooked up to an Infrant ReadyNAS NV. I am watching photos on a Sharp 45GX6U. When the 520 is set to 16:9 or 4:3 the photos are always stretched. Is there a way to get these photos to load properly.

Another issue I noticed is when you choose a playlist or a music folder from the NAS drive over the 520 the 520 will only play one song and stop. It will not play the whole playlist nor will it play all the songs in the directory. Even when it shows a song listed under next. (This is only when also watching a slideshow of photos. When just playing music it seems to work fine).

I also have copied a few DVD's to the NAS drive. The 520 starts to play them properly I even see the menu for a split second. But it will only play the first file. After 10-20 minutes the file just repeats. Is there a way to get the 520 to allow you to properly use the DVD menu and play the whole movie just by using DVD Decrypter or similar software backing up your DVD to a NAS Drive?

And is anyone else using an Infrant NAS drive a 16:9 screen and getting photos to appear properly not wide or stretched?

Any help would be appreciated.

ablevy

06-22-06, 09:42 PM

I'm running an X6 hooked up via a DLink DSM520 to a Panasonic Plasma. I haven't seen the photo problem that you are speaking of. I'm using composite, mostly because I ran out of component inputs on the Yamaha receiver I'm using. I have the DLink set to 16:9. There is also a another menu called "other options" if I remember correctly. You have to set this to keep the original scaling. That could be your problem.

With regard to music playlists, I basically don't use them. All my music is set up by artist with subdirectories for each album. If I go to the album directory and hit play the DSM will play all the music in the directory. I also have .m3u playlists in the directory. If I try to play the play list it doesn't work for the ones I've tried. I haven't tried hard though. It may be related to the path in the .m3u file. Note that the .m3u playlists are simple text files which can be edited in any text editor. If you set the path correctly they may work. Infrant has a server directory in their forum which may be able to help you.

With regard to movies, I would consider updating the Radiator software to the latest beta if it's important to you. I think they went from Wizd v13 to at least 19 in the latest beta. Version 3.0 should be out in the next month or so. Movie support should improve dramatically then. I think someone mentioned the latest version of Wizd supports .TS files which should give you menus. Another alternative is to use TVersity on your PC to stream movies. It's pretty much the best uPnP server software I've found so far, and it's only a beta! Better yet, it's free. It's got an active forum which supports the DSM hardware. Still it doesn't currently support DVD menu's. In fact I believe the Roku is the only server that does, and you haven't been able to buy one for quite some time.

Hope some of this helps.

Alan

casino187

06-27-06, 05:32 PM

I was just prompted by my dsm-520 to upgrade the firmware. I'm not sure what the new firmware has, but just a heads up.

Firmware version 1.02 is the new one and as of right now, it's not listed on their website.

JohninLA

06-27-06, 05:57 PM

Firmware version 1.02 is the new one and as of right now, it's not listed on their website.

It doesn't appear that you can avoid upgrading. As soon as the screen came up, I only have the option to upgrade. The "Cancel" option is greyed out.

Magendanz

06-27-06, 08:55 PM

Has anyone discovered any release notes for the v1.02 firmware update?

JohninLA

06-27-06, 09:09 PM

It's on the website now. Here's the details:

Version 1.02:

* Online Media screens have been reorganized.
* Added support for Yahoo Music Engine.
* Added support for the vTuner Internet radio service.
* Radio@AOL service has been removed.
* Support for UPnP AV Control Point that allows a compliant server to gain playback control of the DSM-520.
* Picture-in-Picture (PIP) can be enabled/disabled from the Setup menu.
* Improve Live365 playback quality.
* Improved Wireless Site Survey performance.
* Improved support for DLNA-compatible media servers.

itsxrayelk

06-27-06, 10:44 PM

It's not listed on those release notes, but I tested adding album artwork to some mp3s and they actually played.

The album art still does not, however, display on the music screen on the DSM-520.

It's a step in the right direction though, I suppose.

itsxrayelk

06-27-06, 10:45 PM

There is also another thread where someone mentioned that there is now 5.1 sound on Xvid files, which ought to please some posters on this thread.

casino187

06-27-06, 11:08 PM

There is also another thread where someone mentioned that there is now 5.1 sound on Xvid files, which ought to please some posters on this thread.

I hope so. I'll test that in a few minutes.

casino187

06-28-06, 12:04 AM

well, after the new upgrade, I've noticed that it won't play all of my xvid/divx files. I've been trying to test out the AC3 audio, but they won't even play now.

jmgfree

06-28-06, 01:31 AM

I just upgraded my DSM-520 to 1.02, and I can now play an AVI w/ Xvid and ac3 tracks in it and get the digital all the way to my amp (previously I couldn't) over optical.

It also plays a shuttle launch mpeg file that is ~20Mbit 1080i, though it doesn't play the audio for some reason. The launch looks really nice. Plays some other ts files that previously I'd only get audio, but now get audio and video.

The DSM-520 doesn't appear to have any deblocking or artifact hiding for damaged TS files. ffmpeg does a decent job doing it when transcoding, but I haven't found a way to coax it to do that when copying the mpeg2 stream (and I don't want to waste time/quality transcoding). Anyone know of a good program to help fix things up? (My ATSC set top box does a find job hiding the errors/reception troubles from me.)

At least it's finally getting closer to being usable as an HD media player.

Wow, that was interesting. I turned on PIP, and while playing the shuttle mpeg video, I got "disconnected from the media server" even though the video was still playing (probably consuming too much cpu), it came back to the media server menu, and then promptly reset/crashed. Came back though.

casino187

06-28-06, 11:48 AM