I rebuilt my interent radio stations yesterday and I got cover art for all of them. generic, but the logo of the provider is on the cover art.

is this something new?

David,

Good to see you here....I am glad you have not gotten caught up in the hysteria and are waiting to give facts! I have taken my shots at Kenwood because they set the date and then said nothing when it passed....kind of unprofessional IMHO

"....kind of unprofessional IMHO"

Yes, but sadly they are not alone. I have yet to find a manufacture that has hit a deadline. :) I look at it this way...let them test, test, and test and roll it out when they feel it is good to go. After all, they are not the programmers, Openglobe is.

I do not say anything unless I have something to say on it. I jsut contiune to enjoy what I have and wait for the "goods". But I am glad the info button is working.

Originally posted by DerekFSU
And here's a little more info for what it's worth...

Per the Virginia Beach service center, all the upgrades will be done at the Cerritos service center. They are the only ones with the jig (sp?) machine that can do the upgrades. Per the Cerritos service center, they are waiting on the ok from Japan to do the upgrades. The last they heard was April nothing since. Once the upgrades are available, we will have to contact the Cerritos service center to get an appointment to send it in.

Not to get too excited here, but is everyone's understanding the same as mine, i.e.:

1. The the Entre Unit will not require a hardware upgrade, and won't have to be shipped anywhere.

2. That the only unit that will require a hardware upgrade are the changers themselves, and that is what will require shipment?

3. If my understanding is correct, what is the nature of the hardware corrections that need to get made (and to what).

4. I am assuming that nothing else, like a Kenwood receiver, requires an upgrade

Any help here?

By the way, other than for the DVD-Audio capability, assuming one uses a 5050 as a CD playback changer (feeding the digital output to an outboad processor), can anyone think of of any reason why the 5900 would be a superiorior purchase, speaking strictly audio?

Nick :cool:

Originally posted by Nick Satullo
Not to get too excited here, but is everyone's understanding the same as mine, i.e.:

1. The the Entre Unit will not require a hardware upgrade, and won't have to be shipped anywhere.

2. That the only unit that will require a hardware upgrade are the changers themselves, and that is what will require shipment?

3. If my understanding is correct, what is the nature of the hardware corrections that need to get made (and to what).

4. I am assuming that nothing else, like a Kenwood receiver, requires an upgrade

Any help here?

By the way, other than for the DVD-Audio capability, assuming one uses a 5050 as a CD playback changer (feeding the digital output to an outboad processor), can anyone think of of any reason why the 5900 would be a superiorior purchase, speaking strictly audio?

Nick :cool:

#1, #2, #4: My understanding is that of yours

I do not know about #3.

From what I know, the 5050 would be the cost-effective purchase if you only see CDs in its future. The only 'gotcha' is if you used the internal DAC, which you've said you're not.

Since it's just a transport for you, then I think it's the smarter purchase for CD-only playback.

I’m getting close to filling my 5900 and will be in the market for a second unit pretty soon. The problem is I don’t want to buy one and then immediately have to send it in for the upgrades (I know - assuming there is an upgrade). Does anyone know if the units now shipping have the upgrades or when new units with the upgrades will start shipping?

P.S. I wonder if the upgrade eliminates the auto-play-last-disk-on-power-up nuisance?

i am in the same boat, except mine is full.

Originally posted by slocko
well there is no mention of an entre like device, but sony's new dvd player does look interesting. wouldn't match my other equipment though. at least it shows somebody continues to improve their dvd jukeboxes. rumor is that it might cost $400.

http://www.agoraquest.com/article.php?sid=155

Too bad Sony won't get rid of the disc manager metaphor. It they are smart they will get the RS232 protocol details out to everyone who asks for it.

The Sony looks like a serious candidate to give the 5900 a run for the money. It will be interesting to see if it has any price impact on the 5900 and also to see how Pioneer and Dennon will respond.

Just think, for what many of us paid for the 5900 we could have had almost 2 Sony units.

Overall, I am happy that someone is finally starting to push things forward again.

Originally posted by OscrDGrch
Does anyone know how the VR-5700's line-out (DIGITAL OUT, MD/TAPE1 REC OUT, CD2/TAPE2 MONITOR REC OUT, etc.) is sourced when multiple inputs carry a signal?

For example when I play a DVD-A disc a signal is present on the 6CH INPUT, DVD COAXIAL DIGITAL IN, and even the CD1 inputs. If I listen to the CD2/TAPE2 MONITOR REC OUT I hear an analog source. I deduced this was an analog source from the lack of ability to mix 5.1 channels to 2.0 as I can do with the digital source.

Is the bus configurable? Is it possible that multiple sources are live at the same time? Can a digital only source be routed to the bus?

Thanks in advance for saving me a lot of cable swapping!

Namaste,
McE

SIGNAL PATH

DM-5900M (SUB1) - DIGITAL COAXIAL OUT + MIX LINE OUTPUT ==>

DM-5900M (MAIN) - DIGITAL COAXIAL OUT + MIX LINE OUTPUT + 6CH OUTPUT ==>

VR-5700 - CD2/TAPE2 MONITOR REC OUT ==> Grado RA1 headphone amp

You can change the input source signal type on the 5700. By default it is set to 'Auto' but you can lock it to digital or analog via the remote or front panel.

As far as source preference the 5700 (and I assume the VR-5900) is pretty intelligent.

I wish Kenwood would make it a matter of policy to A) make all products with RS232 interfaces support all of the functions available via the IR/RF remote and B) Publish said data.

There are a ton of functions on the DV5900 that are not available via RS232 (power and cursor control really stand out) and likewise the 5700 has a somewhat limited feature set available via RS232.

If we had both A and B we'd have considerably more control over our equipment.

Anyone want to jump ship?????

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3030780075&category=32860


Tom

I am about to set up my new dvd changer and kenwood sovereign entre together with a Netmate Link to a tv as a temporary hookup to see if things run the way they should. My request is what is the Kenwood TECH SUPPORT telephone number just in case. I dont see this number on any of my manuals. Help please

Originally posted by Clingpeach
[snip...] My request is what is the Kenwood TECH SUPPORT telephone number just in case. [...snip]

1 (800) KENWOOD

You know, I set a cutoff date for end of June before I decide in my mind that we're just being had. To those who have privately contacted me and know my intentions, those deadlines remain very real in my mind. I want to repeat something I've said before: Warranties are running on these products, and, from the perspective of a court, heaven help the consumer who waits until after the warranty expires to complain.

I don't for a moment suggest that the renewed "assurances" of upgrade have a thing to do with what I've said. But, you know, it's the same old system--the old Kenwood method of assurance without any commitment.

Don't get me wrong--I am the most avowed prisoner to the Entre/Sovereign system that the world knows. Even if the upgrades don't come through--which is a distinct possibility--I remain likely to stick with the system, though the Entre, which is its main attraction, is only headed for obsolesence without multichanger support.

Make no mistake, Kenwood, while perhaps having some good intentions (which are often used as a paving material for a familiar destination) continues to play the same non-commitment game: Let the people on the forum talk about Viriginia Beach Center, let others who have well-earned credibility talk about the "progresss" that is bing achieved in other areas, but just don't do one thing: Don't let Brian Towne, or Kenwood, or anyone capable of rendering assurances that amount to more than $.02, say anything on the subject.

Everyone should remember that their own warranties are running, and everyone should draw a line in the sand as to how far you go before deciding that further belief in Kenwood is unreasonable. What you--or I--(or we)--decide to do once those lines in the sand have been crossed remains a personal choice.

Kenwood, I''ll venture to say that you can't come up with 5 customers in the world that have more invested in Sovereign Products than I do, and I'm still talking about buying more. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that my investment means a damn thing to you, and so my thoughts must turn to making you perceive people like me as a financial threat if you don't come through. I recognize you operate as a business, and, as consumers who shelled out a few dollars and might even demand a refund, it means nothing to you.

If you want to convince me or any other consumer that you are committing to make good on Entre/Sovereign, then put out a more specific press release immediately that you're going to make good. Otherwise you're just reserving the right to leave us all in the lurch.

Hope I'm clear, here. I want more than anything for the Entre/Upgrade program to be instituted. Talk remains the cheapest commodity available, and that seems to be the only thing you're willing to give so far.

If something has really changed in the last month in terms of the reality of the commitment of Kenwood, then a simple statement to that effect, by Kenwood, can give that assurance. Otherwise, people should understand that practically, logicially, and--alas, legally--the more time that passes, the more logical the conclusion that nothing will happen. I want this to happen as much as anyone, but that doesn't mean that my desires should cloud my judgment on business/consumer experience.

C'mon Kenwood, prove me wrong. Put out a statement, not from a third party, but, dare I say it--from Kenwood. Tell us the upgrade is coming and when. Just commit.

Nick :cool:

Nick,

We all know that "Kenwood" follows the forum closely. Who at Kenwood, I am not sure.

I suggest you take that letter and and send it USPS to the President of Kenwood USA, certified. It'd be nice to know that the right person read about your -- and our -- concerns.

Oh how we all tend to focus on ourselves. Men and women are at war in order to protect us and our families while I wonder how many more weeks I'll have to wait for DVD's to change a few seconds faster. What a rough life I must have waiting to control 800 or 1200 DVD's instead of 400. I'll put in my "$.02" per Nick- the sovereign system is by FAR the best there is in my opinion, with or without any upgrades. Kenwood, take your time and just get it right. I'll never sue you over multi-changer support. Just don't abandon us.

Please help me understand what the negativity is about. I hooked up my entre to my Kenwood 5900M DVD Changer using the Preferred USB ethernet adapter... loaded 110 DVD's and everything worked very very well recognising at least 90% of my DVD'S.
So heres the question.
Do the problems occur when there is other changers added. I will only be using this one for DVD Play. I'm sure I will not be daisy chaining any extras. But then again..... who knows.
The other problem is that i have an Escient Fireball and Kenwood's software conflicts with that so i cannot have both sets of software on the same computer. I will have to put it on another networked computer. However, the software only seems to deal with music and not dvds.. am i correct on this.

So for the 10% cover art that i need to import... how do i go about doing that. Any help out there please

Originally posted by Clingpeach
Please help me understand what the negativity is about. I hooked up my entre to my Kenwood 5900M DVD Changer using the Preferred USB ethernet adapter... loaded 110 DVD's and everything worked very very well recognising at least 90% of my DVD'S.
So heres the question.
Do the problems occur when there is other changers added. I will only be using this one for DVD Play. I'm sure I will not be daisy chaining any extras. But then again..... who knows.
The other problem is that i have an Escient Fireball and Kenwood's software conflicts with that so i cannot have both sets of software on the same computer. I will have to put it on another networked computer. However, the software only seems to deal with music and not dvds.. am i correct on this.

The negativity is essentially around frustration at Kenwood for:
1. selling features that didn't exist
2. being a horrible communicator

Re #1: When first on sale, Kenwood said, in their product literature, that the Entre would support up to 3 mega-changers. This would give enthusiasts the ability to have up to 1200 CDs and DVDs, all controlled by 1 interface. For enthusiasts, this is a killer feature. Many bought it based upon this feature. Turns out, though, that the Entre only works with 1 changer. This functionality must have been tested NOT to work before release, so we are left believing that Kenwood was intentionally misleading its customers.

Re #2: Throughout the Sovereign Saga (ok, a bit over-dramatic, but what the heck), Kenwood has leaked, dripped, and refused to follow-through on communicating with its early adopters (us). For instance, at one point, a rep from Kenwood actually posted on this thead. We were all very excited, but very quickly, he gave up, pleading with us to "focus on the good stuff" when speaking with him. Then, this Feburary, Kenwood surprised us all by officially announcing multi-changer support (relieving issue #1) -- along with other awesome features -- to be delivered in April of 2003. We've heard NOTHING from them since. If you check your calendar, you'll see why people are pretty peeved.

We love our Sovereign systems -- it's just that we're this close to having them reach their full potential. We can see it, hear it... but Kenwood is holding back on letting us touch it. This is why there's negativity. It's borne out of frustration.

Originally posted by Clingpeach
So for the 10% cover art that i need to import... how do i go about doing that. Any help out there please

To answer your previous question, yes, the Media Manager is only for music CDs.

To answer the above question... it's fairly simple, but you need a tad of a technical background to do it.

For CDs, you can upload cover art by clicking on the empty cover art icon in the media manager software, and then browse your hard drive for the cover art.

Go find your cover art (scan it, or just go to google image search and type the name of the album). Once you have your art, you need to resize it to 200x200, and save it as a .jpg.

Hi John
Thanks for your reply. That Media Manager is going to be no good to me if it only is for music. I am only using the Entre for a DVD Manager.. I have the Fireball for the music. So that piece of software is really no good. I constantly import cd cover art for the Escient, a relatively easy operation.
I hope Kenwood come through on all their promises. Its very frustrating i know.
Heres one gripe from my end if they are going to tout it as a dvd changer why not make the software applicable to dvd as well as music. Its also bad that it interferes with the Escient Pipeline Software

Originally posted by Clingpeach
So for the 10% cover art that i need to import... how do i go about doing that. Any help out there please

Sorry, I didn't see your subject. :)

For DVD cover art that it can't find, it becomes an art of creative search terms using the Entre interface. Try various variations of the movie title and see what the Entre finds. It's like a game. Though, unlike a game, it's not a whole lot of fun. :rolleyes: But it can be rewarding if you stumble across cover art that matches, and you've found it soley thru your cleverness and sticktoitiveness.

How very true Jon. How very true :)

Very nice summation too.

Kenwood has ensured that as soon as a competitor comes out with a better product, we will abandon this system without one shred of regret. And we will probably tell people not to buy Kenwood of anything.

As it is, i am seriously considering starting down the road of converting all my movies to hard disc media. It will cost as much as the entre and 2 or 3 changers, and it will be time consuming, but in the end it will be a flexible system that can be easily improved as the technology improves.

Of course kenwood will release the upgrade and we will all be happy campers and i will forget all about it :)

Originally posted by DerekFSU
Oh how we all tend to focus on ourselves. Men and women are at war in order to protect us and our families while I wonder how many more weeks I'll have to wait for DVD's to change a few seconds faster. What a rough life I must have waiting to control 800 or 1200 DVD's instead of 400. I'll put in my "$.02" per Nick- the sovereign system is by FAR the best there is in my opinion, with or without any upgrades. Kenwood, take your time and just get it right. I'll never sue you over multi-changer support. Just don't abandon us.

You're right, Derek. For that matter, the relative importance of any of these matters pales in comparison to those risking their lives at war. If we had a conscience, we would abandon the forum and not talk about such mundane things as home theater. Kenwood, in light of the world's problems, how dare we complain over the relative luxuries of a a decadent culture.

How shameful of us. Or maybe we can leave the soapboxes where they belong, and recognize that this is a home theate forum, and the nature of it makes the topic rather appropriate.

Nick :cool:

It's not a soapbox, it's a point. The point that you and a relative few others b*tch way too much about things like layer changes, multi-changer support, and how many seconds it takes to change disks.

It's kinda like those people who always complain about what a certain radio station or tv station is playing, or that Direct or Dish use too much compression in their broadcasting. State your point and then either get over it, or CHANGE THE STATION. The only reason you are still with Kenwood is because it is the best option you have. Either sit back and wait for the update, or put your Kenwood stuff on Ebay. Hell, I'll buy it.

I am as anxious as anyone for the update (see previous posts) but the endless b*itching on this topic makes it less of a "Kenwood Sovereign System Issues and Answers" thread and more of a "let's sit around and endlessly complain like a bunch of women in need of therapy" discussion.

Here's an idea- Start a new topic for anyone who just wants to complain about the extra months it'll take to get the upgrade, and how you can join a lawsuit against Kenwood over DVD management. Get a grip.

Derek,

I think for the price we paid for the equipment we are entitled to complain, beach and moan.

David who moderates the forum has never told us we are out of line. I am sure that kenwood reads this forum and realizes there is a level of discontent. Without this forum Kenwood might have never comitted to these so called upgrades.

Slocko, I agree with you 100%. I just think that once you reach a certain point, those offended parties should either fish or cut bait. That may also be true for Kenwood. Simply, I think the b*tching gets a bit much.

Originally posted by slocko
...I think for the price we paid for the equipment we are entitled to complain, beach and moan<snip>. Without this forum Kenwood might have never comitted to these so called upgrades.
I understand Dereks point and have made similar remarks but I have moved to the other side of the fence when an official release date was set and then missed without a peep. Incredulous! I don't think it would have even gotten done without the "reminder" grips.:rolleyes:

Originally posted by DerekFSU
It's not a soapbox, it's a point. The point that you and a relative few others b*tch way too much about things like layer changes, multi-changer support, and how many seconds it takes to change disks.

It's kinda like those people who always complain about what a certain radio station or tv station is playing, or that Direct or Dish use too much compression in their broadcasting. State your point and then either get over it, or CHANGE THE STATION. The only reason you are still with Kenwood is because it is the best option you have. Either sit back and wait for the update, or put your Kenwood stuff on Ebay. Hell, I'll buy it.

I am as anxious as anyone for the update (see previous posts) but the endless b*itching on this topic makes it less of a "Kenwood Sovereign System Issues and Answers" thread and more of a "let's sit around and endlessly complain like a bunch of women in need of therapy" discussion.

Here's an idea- Start a new topic for anyone who just wants to complain about the extra months it'll take to get the upgrade, and how you can join a lawsuit against Kenwood over DVD management. Get a grip.

No, it's not at all about that. It's a consumer transaction being discussed on a forum whose manufacturer participates and actively uses the forum to disseminate information on the product, and actively intends to profit, particularly from a viewpoint like the one you just expresssed--that it's somehow petty to complain over them not delivering.

Your point might have had had some validity nearly two years ago (when the product was first released, with those same promises). It is is unreasonable and even a little insulting to suggest, in light of the time and intervening assurances that Kenwood has made, to suggest otherwise.

Derek, I believe your intentions are good, just not well thought out. I don't think you want to be associated with your ultimate message which is that it's petulant to complain about being treated like a sucker.

This isn't the petty moaning you're ascribing to it. It's gone on nearly two years. Do you want to see the original product literature I bought my Entre on, saying that then it offered multichanger support.

I dare say that lots of people on this thread have the means to scrap the Entre/the Changers, and spend a few thousand for a better mousetrap if it just comes out. That doesn't make complaining about being had somehow "immature" or "unenlightened," or any of the other descriptions you've used.

Nick :cool:

i just confirmed this wireless keyboard work with the entre. I am using it.

it's nice because it's black.

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2737578445&category=15389

Originally posted by slocko
i just confirmed this wireless keyboard work with the entre. I am using it.

it's nice because it's black.

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2737578445&category=15389

slocko, Sorry but neither this link not the previous one you posted work. I'm not sure how you are copying them to your clipboard but the *'s do not appear to be valid. Sometimes you can right click on a link and pick "open as new window" for those websites that maintain the same URL (hide the actual one you are on). Anyhow I'd like to see your link. Thanks.

While it may seem annoying and petty to real all the complaining and whining on-line, the whining has been all about Kenwood's inability to come through on promises and inability to communicate with its customers in a professional, courteous manner.

With the ammount of money we've collectively given Kenwood for our equipment, I think we deserve better treatment.

You know, way back, I had a compatibility problem between my B&K Reference 30 pre/pro and my Kenwood DV-5900M changer. I called both manufacturers. Kenwood blew me off, and B&K sent me a new ROM for the pre/pro within a month which resolved the problem. I spent about the same amount of $$ with each vendor.

Vendors like B&K help set the customer service standard at this level of retail. B&K will get my repeat business. B&K has a loyal, profitable following. Kenwood, on the other hand, is obviously still stuck in car stereo land, unfortunately. Kenwood certainly had the product vision/strategy to breakthrough into the hi-end, high-margin arena, but, classically, they haven't followed-through on the service aspect. The service side of high-end/high-margin requires a culture change from mass-marketering to boutique marketing. Difficult to do.

So, the point I'm making here is that of customer expectations of vendors playing in this market space. We have a right to expect a level of service commensurate with the cost/sophistication of product being sold.

Maybe if Kenwood would provide us with a viable input to their organization, we wouldn't be left complaining about them in a forum.

do a search on ebay for:

ibm wireless keyboard

without checking title and descriptions. you will only get two hits.

the previous link was boobie's. i didn't work for me but i guess it was either an entre of 5900m. so when i searched for those i found it. it seems avsforums is truncating long urls.

Addendum to my post:

Let me add, in Kenwood's quasi-defense, that when they do come through with a free firmware upgrade for the changers, and all the features they promise for the new Entre software, this act is very much like the level of service we expect at this level.

But, here we are, with a standing promise for April upgrades, and nothing else released to update us. This is the problem with Kenwood service.

The difference between B&K's ROM upgrade and Kenwood's promised upgrade are:

- a year or two in delays
- B&K trusts me to self-install a chip

So, Kenwood certainly understands the concepts of high-end service (kudos), they just don't seem to have the ability to execute on it on a regular basis (lame).

Maybe they won't quit. Maybe they're learn from this experience and redouble their efforts?

Unfortunately, we have no idea what's going on behind the "Wall of 'Wood." They won't let us know them. Apparently, only David gets that opportunity for some reason. Notice how loyal, forgiving, and happy David is with Kenwood system? That's because they let him in. He knows them. That's the entire difference people. If we all had the same access David does (include the opportunity to lobby for future features, etc.), then we'd all be out there evangelizing away. And you know that would turn into additional sales dollars. That's a no-brainer.

Originally posted by slocko
the previous link was boobie's. i didn't work for me but i guess it was either an entre of 5900m. so when i searched for those i found it. it seems avsforums is truncating long urls.
Sorry about that. Thanks for the ebay search tip.

To make a "usable" short URL you can try either http://www.snurl.com/ or http://*******.com/

Originally posted by ScottF200
Sorry about that. Thanks for the ebay search tip.

To make a "usable" short URL you can try either http://www.snurl.com/ or http://*******.com/

Scott! Thanks for the cool nugget of info! I had no idea a service like this existed. Very cool.

In fact, I just created a snurl for us:

http://snurl.com/ksavs

(as in kenwood sovereign avs forum)

which takes you to the most recent post in our thread.

njoy.

Originally posted by JonDeutsch
Scott! Thanks for the cool nugget of info! I had no idea a service like this existed. Very cool.
In fact, I just created a snurl for us:
http://snurl.com/ksavs
(as in kenwood sovereign avs forum)
which takes you to the most recent post in our thread.
njoy.
You are most welcome. I think your long URL pointed to a specific post. You needed the URL that has "newpost" on the end. actually I think you are right. There seems to be a couple ways to get to the last post

Like this one: http://*******.com/ezli
Pointing to: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2353953#newpost

Originally posted by JonDeutsch
Maybe if Kenwood would provide us with a viable input to their organization, we wouldn't be left complaining about them in a forum. This is the key point. The reason for the bitching is that Kenwood has failed to learn that in a world in which forums like this one exists, any negative opinion that goes unanswered gets amplified and becomes a major problem. If Kenwood had posted in April that the date for the upgrade would slip to August, there would be no messages bitching and moaning. The problem isn't the delay, it is the silence.

Wow - serious thread! I wish I'd found you guys earlier...

I just finished upgrading my home theater - I now have an Entre working with the DV-5900M and the VR-5900 receiver (with an MX-5000 amp connected for the rear speakers).

It seems like all the regulars here are beyond being excited about what this system can do and are hung up on the features it hasn't delivered on yet. I can understand that - the promise of this system is really, really strong.

But, generally, I'm amazed and impressed. I love this system and can't imagine how I'll ever be able to go back to more mundane tech.

Having said that, there are a couple of things that I'm having trouble with and I'm hoping some one here has already worked out a solution.

1) When I turn the system on or put it in standby using the Power Touch III or the button on the Entre, all the components toggle their power mode automagically EXCEPT for the DVD player - it stays on or off as the case may be...

2) I cannot seem to perform DVD menu navigation functions through the Entre via remote control. Ideally, I want to only be using one remote - the Power Touch III that came with the receiver...

I'm suspicious of how I've got things connected since the power toggling isn't automatic *and* I'm not getting complete DVD control. The documentation for hooking up Soveriegn components is sketchy between each of the manuals (I want a master sheet that shows exactly how to connect each piece to each other - just so I can be sure).

But I can't totally suspect the connection between the Entre and the DVD player because I am getting all of the other features I'd expect and I've double checked everything against the documentation I do have. So I can't help but wonder if there's some flaw in the Entre remote passing navigation (arrows and menu) commands to the DVD changer because I noticed some other posts in this thread along those lines.

So, does anyone here have a system like mine that has their power mode automagically toggling for all components. And, has anyone been able to operate all of their components using only the Power Touch III remote?

If so, please enlighten me, or at least let me know that it's possible :)

Much thanks in advance!

- Randy Pitchford

Guys

It's interesting that if I edit my message the link is all there but once its posted it gets truncated??? The linkwas to 2 Escient power plays with 4 changers and 2 touch screens, the auction ended at $4700 but you can just do a search for escient and look in the completed items if you want to see it....


Tom

Tom,

I think that the deal is that if you just cut and paste in the URL and have "Automatically parse URLs" checked, it will get truncated, but if you manually insert the [-URL][/URL] codes, then it will be complete. Note that I've entered a - after the leading [ in order for the codes to display and not get processed. Try inputting the URL manually and see if it works that way.

Originally posted by DuvalMagic

Having said that, there are a couple of things that I'm having trouble with and I'm hoping some one here has already worked out a solution.

Hahah... this is where it all starts... :)

1) When I turn the system on or put it in standby using the Power Touch III or the button on the Entre, all the components toggle their power mode automagically EXCEPT for the DVD player - it stays on or off as the case may be...

Unfortunately, I do not have the 5700 or the Power Touch, so I can't help here.

2) I cannot seem to perform DVD menu navigation functions through the Entre via remote control. Ideally, I want to only be using one remote - the Power Touch III that came with the receiver...

Again, I don't have the Power Touch remote, but I do know that you cannot control your changer via the Entre remote, so I would assume the same for the Power Touch III. It's one of those crazy design flaws that just leaves you :confused: .

So, it looks to me like you have everything hooked up properly. It just wasn't designed properly, that's all.

I use a Marantz RC-5200 (Pronto-type remote) that integrates my changer and entre controls into 1 screen/panel. That's the way I integrate the "integrated" Sovereign system. My "on" and "off" buttons are macros that turn my entire system on/off as well. Maybe the Power Touch has macro capabilities?

That was one of the first items listed by David at the beginning of this thread. It might even be the first post. Imagine that David has probably pushed for this to be fixed along with the info button in the next mythical release. So you see, you already have a vested interest in this coming upgrade.

I solved the problem by using a shifted macro on the select key that initiates the select, dvd, key presses. This begins the movie and switches my remote to dvd mode. I then put another shifted macro on the guide key that iniates the entre, guide key presses. This switches my remote to entre mode and brings up the guide.

Not the most elegant and requires a period of time to get used to hitting shift select and shift guide, but it works. The reason they are shifted is so that unshifted they can perfrom their original functions in the other modes.

The Entre Remote will not control the nav of the DVD menu I am sorry to say. Never has, does not seem it will. Something with IR cross over or something. (I really do not know.) It is a bummer that I reported right from the start. For the remote for the "entertainment hub" should control the functions of what it needs to control.

I use a SL-9000 for upstairs and a Niles Inteli Control in the theater. I never did like the Power Touch remote I am sorry to say.

All I can say is....INFO BUTTON!!!!! :D

Originally posted by David Bott


All I can say is....INFO BUTTON!!!!! :D

Info button working for video is cool, no doubt. But I'd trade 3 features in to disable the "auto play" feature of the changer. This "feature" has caused more disc jams for me with my Entre then anything else. It is a very undesirable feature that I truly, truly hope they've addressed in this single firmware upgrade to the changer!

My second "hope" is that they've addressed DVD-Audio and those discs end up in the MUSIC section of the Entre, not the MOVIE section, where they simply do not belong.

David, any ideas on these?

wouldn't be funny if the info button is the only thing that kenwood delivers :)

DVD Audio is not part of OpenGlobe from what I know...so...Don't look for it.

I get around the "Auto Play" by keeping the DVD Player on all the time. It does go into low power mode when not in use.

thinking about it a little more. the entre has to use a standard IR protocol which is probably based on a VCR or DVD protocol. I don't think there is anyway to represent two sets of transport controls within one IR protocol.

the only way for them to implement that transport control would be through the serial connection. So that is the avenue they need to explore.


Originally posted by David Bott
The Entre Remote will not control the nav of the DVD menu I am sorry to say. Never has, does not seem it will. Something with IR cross over or something. (I really do not know.) It is a bummer that I reported right from the start. For the remote for the "entertainment hub" should control the functions of what it needs to control.

I use a SL-9000 for upstairs and a Niles Inteli Control in the theater. I never did like the Power Touch remote I am sorry to say.

All I can say is....INFO BUTTON!!!!! :D

Originally posted by b00bie
Guys

It's interesting that if I edit my message the link is all there but once its posted it gets truncated??? The linkwas to 2 Escient power plays with 4 changers and 2 touch screens, the auction ended at $4700 but you can just do a search for escient and look in the completed items if you want to see it....


Tom

Heh, my brother won that auction. That last minute spiker cost him $1700. :|

Originally posted by David Bott

I get around the "Auto Play" by keeping the DVD Player on all the time. It does go into low power mode when not in use.

Hmm... is this your way of letting me know that this wasn't addressed in the firmware upgrade?

I can't leave mine on all the time, unfortunately. The constant background screen interferes with how I have things setup with my iScan Pro line doubler. If it detects a video signal, it defaults to that video input. So, the changer becomes a video hog when it's on (unfortunately, the Entre passes the changer thru when the Entre is OFF). And, since there's no screen saver, it would burn-in my HD RPTV.

Okay, I know this issue has been done before, but the search engine on here
needs some work.


The 'Disc error' message has started popping up on my Dv-5050M. I called
Kenwood's corporate # (800-536-9663) to get some insight. They told me I
had to contact a national service center. Now, this is AFTER I've talked to
a local center who referred me to the corporate #. Well, I explained that
this is a known problem with the 5050/5900, and that I wanted to be sure
that they acknowledged the issue before I sent my changer in. The problem
is VERY intermittent, and I didn't want to receive my changer back with no
work done on it.

Well, the guy I talked to said there was no known issues with these
changers. He refused to even ask someone else..just kept saying, "I know
DVD's skip sometimes...we get players in that do that."HAH!!! THEN he
referred me back to the #&#*@& corporate #!!!!!!

Can ANYONE share with me a name and phone number of someone at Kenwood I
can call to get my changer fixed? An added bonus would include someone who
knows about the expected "upgrade" that is supposed to take place soon. I
am REALLY starting to get frustrated, and I thought it best to ask you
guys/gals for help first before I lose it and let Kenwood know how p!ss
poor their support is.

Thanks for your help,

Udell

Uh2,

Their section that deals only with Sovereign systems has always been very helpful IMO. As for the upgrade, I've yet to talk to anyone who knew anything specific about it. They always put me on hold and get back to me after a few minutes with, "it's coming."

DuvalMagic,

As was posted by Dave and others, I get around the changer power-up issues by just leaving it on all the time. In nearly a year I've only powered it off when I'm going out of town for several days. No apparent ill effects.

As far as the Entre/DVD menu control issue, I got around that using the Powertouch. By identifying one of the unused inputs on the system as an Entre, the Powertouch will give you an additional Entre menu screen which you can customize as desired. I did this, then cleaned off all the non-movie related Entre commands. Then I created new buttons with an up-down-left-right-enter pattern as well as DVD menu, changer OSD, and changer exit buttons. Finally, I had the Powertouch "learn" the DVD commands from the DV-5900m remote. This setup lets me use the joystick to surf the Entre menus and also lets me use the touchscreen to surf the DVD menus without having to switch between screens on the Powertouch. I did this same sort of customization for Radio and Music modes, and set up the HOME 1 screen with buttons to select "play music", "listen to Radio", and watch a movie". Pressing the appropriate button toggles the corresponding mode on the Entre, then pressing a "go" button under each mode button switches to the corresponding customized source control screen on the Entre.

Slocko -

how did you assign a macro to a button on the Powertouch home screen? I've only figured out how to run macros from the macro list or the dedicated buttons buried in the source menus. Any insight would be appreciated!

Mike

Originally posted by DerekFSU
Uh2,

Their section that deals only with Sovereign systems has always been very helpful IMO. As for the upgrade, I've yet to talk to anyone who knew anything specific about it. They always put me on hold and get back to me after a few minutes with, "it's coming."



How did you reach this group?



uh2

I'll need a little help here guys. I erased my contacts and have not had to call since. I used to just call a general Kenwood number and either ask for them or use their extension, when I had it.

I haven't been seduced by the dark side yet so I am still using a cheap 30 dollar Universal Remote from Radioshack. I am a jp1 user so I able to configure the remote and assign macros directly to device keys with the software and special cable.

I wonder if the power touch remote from kenwood is jp1 capable. if it is, you would be able to use the same cable and software to configure the remote via the computer. You might want to post over in the yahoo groups for jp1. Basically, if you see in the battery compartment some pins, it usually means it's jp1 capable. those pins are used by the factory to flash them with default codes. a group of people reverse engineered the process and gave us the power to manipulate these types of remotes.

Originally posted by Mkellyvich
DuvalMagic,

As was posted by Dave and others, I get around the changer power-up issues by just leaving it on all the time. In nearly a year I've only powered it off when I'm going out of town for several days. No apparent ill effects.

As far as the Entre/DVD menu control issue, I got around that using the Powertouch. By identifying one of the unused inputs on the system as an Entre, the Powertouch will give you an additional Entre menu screen which you can customize as desired. I did this, then cleaned off all the non-movie related Entre commands. Then I created new buttons with an up-down-left-right-enter pattern as well as DVD menu, changer OSD, and changer exit buttons. Finally, I had the Powertouch "learn" the DVD commands from the DV-5900m remote. This setup lets me use the joystick to surf the Entre menus and also lets me use the touchscreen to surf the DVD menus without having to switch between screens on the Powertouch. I did this same sort of customization for Radio and Music modes, and set up the HOME 1 screen with buttons to select "play music", "listen to Radio", and watch a movie". Pressing the appropriate button toggles the corresponding mode on the Entre, then pressing a "go" button under each mode button switches to the corresponding customized source control screen on the Entre.

Slocko -

how did you assign a macro to a button on the Powertouch home screen? I've only figured out how to run macros from the macro list or the dedicated buttons buried in the source menus. Any insight would be appreciated!

Mike

Kenwood Sovereign: 1-800-536-9663, opt 1, then ext 8500. California time 10:30am - 6pm

Report Entre bugs e-mail address (EntreReports@kenwoodusa.com)

Report missing DVDs e-mail address (dvdtitles@kenwoodusa.com)

that problem will progressively get worse until the unit will stop responding. you will not be able to even open or close the door.

go to:

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/frame/locator.jsp

and select service centers at the top.

This will give you the closest service centers to you divided in two groups.

The top list contains kenwood service centers that are the preferred choice of kenwood. They mostly work exclusively on kenwood products and stock parts. You want one of them from this group to work on your unit. In this case the part that needs to be replaced is the one that spins the dvd I believe. I am going by memory. My unit has not given me one disc error since it was repaired. only on one badly scratched disc that also would not play on my pioneer player. the difference is really amazing. i can't believe i put up with that error for so long.

The bottom list are electronic shops that repair anything, and are authorized to work on kenwood products, but i wouldn't trust that list. i looked at a few in my area and they looked like pop and mom shops that probably wouldn't even carry the parts.

good luck.


Originally posted by uh2
Okay, I know this issue has been done before, but the search engine on here
needs some work.


The 'Disc error' message has started popping up on my Dv-5050M. I called
Kenwood's corporate # (800-536-9663) to get some insight. They told me I
had to contact a national service center. Now, this is AFTER I've talked to
a local center who referred me to the corporate #. Well, I explained that
this is a known problem with the 5050/5900, and that I wanted to be sure
that they acknowledged the issue before I sent my changer in. The problem
is VERY intermittent, and I didn't want to receive my changer back with no
work done on it.

Well, the guy I talked to said there was no known issues with these
changers. He refused to even ask someone else..just kept saying, "I know
DVD's skip sometimes...we get players in that do that."HAH!!! THEN he
referred me back to the #&#*@& corporate #!!!!!!

Can ANYONE share with me a name and phone number of someone at Kenwood I
can call to get my changer fixed? An added bonus would include someone who
knows about the expected "upgrade" that is supposed to take place soon. I
am REALLY starting to get frustrated, and I thought it best to ask you
guys/gals for help first before I lose it and let Kenwood know how p!ss
poor their support is.

Thanks for your help,

Udell

Derek, Scott, Slocko:

Thanks! That # was the one I called, but i didn't pick a specific extension. I'll give them a call tomorrow.

Does anyone remember what the turn-around time is?


Thanks again,

Udell

if the place stocks parts, it will be less than a week depending on their work load.

Does anyone have a discrete IR code for changing the camera angles on the 5900? It's a pain having to bring up the OSD, scroll over to the angle icon, select it, then finally pick a different camera angle. Not to mention slow. I know someone found the IR code for toggling subtitles on the 5900 on a different Kenwood DVD player's remote. I have that one safely stored away. I was just hoping someone might have done the same for the camera angle button as well.

Thanks,

Bob

can you give me the device code and the advanced code for toggling subtitle. Thanks.

i have been meaning one day to try all 255 advanced codes for the kenwood devided code i use for the 5900m, but i still haven't.

Bob_422

Please post the subtitle toggle code for the rest of us .....Thanks



Tom

I called Kenwood asking them for the AMX Protocols for my programmer. They gave me the run around saying if im not a dealer i cant have it. Man some companies are so difficult to deal with. AMX Posts this on their web site for goodness sake. I have called my dealer he will get the protocols.. Why do some companies make it so difficult and some so easy
Escient has ALL their protocols listed on their web site. This is so bizzare

I got it last year from somwhere deep within this thread....lol Here ya go.

Subtitles On/Off

8000 0000 0002 0000 0006 0216 0030 0000



I never actually got around to trying it myself. I just started building a new ccf from scratch (color version) and will add this along with the Camera Angle if someone can find that one.

Thanks,

Bob

Slocko,

The Powertouch has a mini-headphone jack labled "Data IN/OUT". I assume that this is what Kenwood uses to reprogram the unit (such as updating the remote's software to support the Entre. Does this sound consistent with JP1?

Mike

Slocko,

Disregard - I found the jp1 pages and it does not look like the Powertouch is set up in a similar fashion.

Mike

Tried to load 5 different DVD's without success. Each time it would start to read the disc, send a message that it was unplayable, and then flip the disc over, and then repeat. Any thought on how to break this cycle on my 5050M?

Well that is not a good sign. Take yours in for repair. That problem will only get worse.

I used to power it off until the next day, and that usually would fix it for a while. One day I let it continue to see how many discs it would read and flip over and then it died for good.

Tonight, a disc got stuck (you can hear it jamming as the DV-5900 tries to initialize) and the door to the changer won't open, either through the open or eject button. I know I've seen this changer-jam issue before, any chance of a quick fix. I've tried initializing and reinitializing the changer a few times.

Thanks.

Nick :cool:

Okay, Brian, now the pin doll got stuck in my changer. The oor won't dopen. It's jammed. I can't make it work. I wold have no problem telling you to take it bit back and send me a new one, but not unless it's a new one with an "upgrade" ("Elves, Reindeeer, Upgrades?)

Door won't open with open/close or eject. Tips?

Nick :cool:

If it's only a jam, you are going to have to open the case and removed the disc that is jammed. It's fairly simple. Just a few screws and the cover pops out.

If it's not a jam, then you need to send it in for repair. I think either Zinja or Derek along with myself has experienced the problem of the unit not opening or closing due to a malfunction. But this was proceeded by frequent disc error messages. Since I haven't seen you complain about frequent disc errors, it probably just got jammed.

It's strange, but I have never suffered a disc jam yet. And my unit gets a lot of work and it's full. It might be because I never power it off.

Not to be a stickler, but I do believe removing screws officially voids the warranty. Not that that's ever really enforced, but with Nick's "relationship" with Kenwood, I wonder if Nick would just as well not even tempt fate?

Nick doesn't have a choice. Especially if he has to ship the unit somewhere.

I would never ship or leave my unit at a facility full of discs. Especially if it has DVD-Audio discs which I think tend to be more expensive than regular DVDs.

Yep, just got mine back yesterday. It only took them about 6 days to turn it around. Of course it is always easier to fix something when they do not fix it all the way. They got it to work again but the eject STILL does not work.

The participants in this thread who have had NO trouble with their 5900 seem to be few and far between. Am I one of the few lucky ones? I've never had a disk jam, my eject button works fine, and my unit is as quiet as a mouse while playing - spinning the carousel and loading the disk don't count ;) This is after 8 months of very consistent use. I guess I should count my blessings since I got the unit from an unauthorized retailer (at a substantial discount) and basically have no warrantee to fall back on if there's trouble.

Ken

Sorry Nick, I have never had a jam with the 5900. Now if you want to hear about Pioneer multichanger, thats a different story, I think I had to return five of them over a three month period. I finally got a full refund from Sound Advice, which I than used to buy the two 5900's and the entre.

As to fixing the jam, thank goodness I have not had to, I only have two tools to use on the Kenwood - a sledge hammer and a crow bar. I definitely think that would probably and most likely cause Kenwood to void the warranty. Of course who cares, aren't we all about to join a class of actions to politley request Kenwood to either deliver the promised functionality or refunds us all our money.

By the way Derek, if you just got your Kenwood back, did they by any chance "upgrade" and your just not telling us :D or are you going to have to take all those dvd's out again in April when the upgrade is rolled out :eek:

Derek,

Initially, they didn't fix mine either. Luckily my center was only an hour away, so I told him to please check the eject button because I didn't want to come all the way back. So he plugged it in and of course it wasn't fixed.

So he called me to the back and the guy fixed it on the spot. It's a spring that pops out of place. He popped it back in and glued it. You might open it up and see if you see a spring that looks out of place.

I hope it doesn't break again because my warranty is up in October.

Scott,

My wireless keyboard stopped responding. So I guess it's not 100 percent compatible. I have tried resetting it, but it ain't working. I'll keep you posted if I figure out what's wrong.

What's your secret? Do you kneel down before it and meditate before operating it :)

Originally posted by K_Thompson
The participants in this thread who have had NO trouble with their 5900 seem to be few and far between. Am I one of the few lucky ones? I've never had a disk jam, my eject button works fine, and my unit is as quiet as a mouse while playing - spinning the carousel and loading the disk don't count ;) This is after 8 months of very consistent use. I guess I should count my blessings since I got the unit from an unauthorized retailer (at a substantial discount) and basically have no warrantee to fall back on if there's trouble.

Ken

Had to force the door open; the jammed disc was in the back--took out ALL 400 of them--restocked them; redid the library; all is wel. I was tempted to just leave the discs out for the inevitable moment when I sent the changer in for modification. But then visions of skeletal remains and spiderwebs covering the stacks of discs prompted me to go the route I did.

Nick :cool:

Nick, Ken T,

No significant mechanical problems from my changer in 14 months of operation. Maybe two disc flip errors. Other than the disc 255 problem (which seems to be more of an Entre control issue than a changer problem) the unit has worked fine. I had to power it off once after it got out of sync with the Entre.

Mike

I have rebooted more times than I can count and am still getting the "DNS failure testing internet connection" message. Spent hour on phone with Kenwood and they haven't a clue, and blame it on the router (2Wire, Homeportal 100 HPNA). Problem is, all other computers on the network are working fine. It's been going for over three weeks now and has passed point of being an annoyance. Help!?!

give it up. i had the same problem with a customer of mine. no matter what setting I used on the Homeportal or the Kenwood, it would not connect. had to call the dsl company and ask for a "regular" dsl modem and sent back the Homeportal - problem solved, Entre connects flawlessly.

good luck

Originally posted by slocko
What's your secret? Do you kneel down before it and meditate before operating it :)

Funny you should put it that way. I've always had exceptional luck when it comes to home electronics of all types. I can't remember ever having to send anything in for repair other than the remote control for a Sony XBR400 TV I use to have. Also, being the head of the IT department at my company, in many cases when employees call our help desk and I come to their office to check things out their problem mysteriosly dissapears as soon as I sit down to take a look. I can't explain it. Everyone around my office says I have the magic touch.

In contrast, I have a friend who constantly has problems with his gear. I dread having him over to my house because when I do then I start having problems too! Everything returns to normal once he leaves though. The whole situation really is pretty strange.

Ken

Mystery is that the Homeportal/Entre combo worked fine for more than a year and then suddenly stopped. Nothing changed in the system: one day it worked great, the next it didn't and hasn't since.

Originally posted by JNelson
Mystery is that the Homeportal/Entre combo worked fine for more than a year and then suddenly stopped. Nothing changed in the system: one day it worked great, the next it didn't and hasn't since.

It has happened to me. No real tried and true way of rectifying it. Sometimes the reboot works right away, sometimes on the 15th try. Pulling the plug from the Entre has worked in the past. So has switching the usb/ethernet adapter (only to find that the old way winds up working again).

It will work again. It's sort of like golf. Some days things go very well and you haven't the faintest idea of what made the difference.

Nick :cool:

Originally posted by JNelson
I have rebooted more times than I can count and am still getting the "DNS failure testing internet connection" message. Are you pulling the plug? A warm boot (holding in the on/off button) will not reset the Entre's internet connection. Also, I've doscovered that one thing that will almost always make the internet connection go down is using the changer to select and play a disk not through the Entre.

Originally posted by rbienstock
<snip> Also, I've doscovered that one thing that will almost always make the internet connection go down is using the changer to select and play a disk not through the Entre.
You have absolutely got to be kidding ... hehehe I almost fell for that. This is bringing back nightmares of the .10 release...thankfully changing from dynamic to static IPs solved that mysteries it worked yesterday but not now problem.

slocko, too bad about the wireless keyboard not working all the time...but what does. I was thinking Nick had one...then I was thinking he wanted a long cable...oh heck I can't remember. I also think others use wireless. I''l have to search the thread when I get serious about buying.

All, I have to join Ken in that I don't think I've had a problem with the DV 5900. But then I've admitted my memory is going. I have just knocked on wood, however.

well i have had no problems with my internet connection, unless that is what causes the occasional lockup. i have never had to unplug the entre. i never play anything through the changer.

i use a linksys hpna bridge with a dlink wireless router.

I have done a complete reboot--unplugged everything in the system except the overhead light--to no avail. I went the static route from the beginning and had no problems till of late. I have tried a variety of DNS entries per instruction from 2Wire (including those being used by the pc's in the network) and nothing. BTW, i can ping the entre from any of the other pc's in the network and all the others "see" the entre.

When the connection was working the entre would "lock up" 6 times out of ten when I would try to connect to an internet radio station. Has never locked up any other time.

ADVICE- I am about to hook up the changer now that it is back from the service center. Is there anything special I should do other than reloading DVD's and then hooking it up?

if you reload them in the same order, make sure the entre is off before you connect the changer back. i think the idea is for the entre to think that you never unplugged the changer.

that sounds about right. that is why i sort of gave up listening to stations.

Originally posted by JNelson
When the connection was working the entre would "lock up" 6 times out of ten when I would try to connect to an internet radio station. Has never locked up any other time.

Originally posted by ScottF200
You have absolutely got to be kidding ... hehehe I almost fell for that. This is bringing back nightmares of the .10 release...thankfully changing from dynamic to static IPs solved that mysteries it worked yesterday but not now problem. Scott,

I'm not sure what your point is, but, no, I'm not kidding. My kids are constantly putting discs in the rental slots and playing them when the Entre still thinks it is on whatever the last DVD I played was. This brings down the internet connection (Belkin USB to Ethernet adapter) every time necessitating a cold reboot.

And the hits just keep on coming...

Just hooked up the 5900 from being fixed and it ain't workin'. It plays DVD's in the rental slots but not in the others. It "reads" the disk for a few minutes, gives me an error message that "this type of disk is invalid" or something like that. It then says that it is flipping the disk and commences to read it for several more minutes to no avail. Anyone heard of this one?

Originally posted by ScottF200

slocko, too bad about the wireless keyboard not working all the time...but what does. I was thinking Nick had one...then I was thinking he wanted a long cable...oh heck I can't remember. I also think others use wireless. I''l have to search the thread when I get serious about buying.



My wireless keyboard works . . outstanding. I did start out with one that wasn't wireless, but that was only because I didn't realize the wireless would work. The original one is now the keyboard I type from on my computer.

If you try to be anal, er, meticulous, about disc managment from the Entre (especially if you are entering DVD-Audio titles), the keyboard is a must. I once posted the corresponding commands from the remote to the keyboard (F2, I think is edit disc), but the Entre is far more sensistive to its commands than from its own remote, or even a Pronto/Marantz universal remote.

Even for the discs that have no "real" corresponding cover art, there are better choices than the generic ones offered by Entre. In some cases, someone has entered the very cover art for the DVD-Audio disc (Deep Purple, Machine Head, e.g.), while there are several R.E.M. discs on DVD that make for a much better cover art logo than what Entre gives you. Compromises, to be sure, but it gets you a lot closer to where you want to be.

Just for kicks, I called Kenwood to see when the upgrade would be offered. The message now is more hopeful than ever--they're definitely going to do it, someday, they were just talking about it the other day--but, when . . .well, c'mon Nick (he knew it was me) let's not ask silly questions here. This is after all Kenwood Customer Support.

I'm in a hopeless dilemma. I have to call them to task for it soon, but that's not even because I care enough about the investment. What I care about is making sure I can have the disc management intact that I've come to find I can't do without.

The "best" dvd player I am aware of out there is the Samsung DVD-HD1000, and I had one for a week. Problem is that I can't have a non-changer competing in my system. I was just offered an astounding deal on a new (albeit discontinued) Proceed PMDT, and the answer is the same . . . . no can do. No changer, doesn't work.

Too bad Pioneer, or Sony, or one of the usual suspects hasn't taken Kenwood to task on the whole concept and created that most wonderful of motivations, competition. As it is, I almost see Kenwood's point when they essentially tell me not to ask stupid questions when I want to know things like, when?

Nick :cool:

Originally posted by rbienstock
I'm not sure what your point is, but, no, I'm not kidding. My kids are constantly putting discs in the rental slots and playing them when the Entre still thinks it is on whatever the last DVD I played was. This brings down the internet connection (Belkin USB to Ethernet adapter) every time necessitating a cold reboot.
rbienstock, I guess I didn't understand your statement but your new explanation is better. I use the rental slots regularly without the trouble you are referring to. However, I normally leave the Entre off when I play rentals. Silly for it to look up a rental (which from past remarks by other) it does when it is on or off.

i like loading up the rentals as soon as i get them from netflix so the entre can look them up. as soon as i watch one, i pull it out so the entre can look it up to erase it. it works well this way.

Originally posted by JNelson
I have done a complete reboot--unplugged everything in the system except the overhead light--to no avail. I went the static route from the beginning and had no problems till of late. I have tried a variety of DNS entries per instruction from 2Wire (including those being used by the pc's in the network) and nothing. BTW, i can ping the entre from any of the other pc's in the network and all the others "see" the entre.
Did you try a direct connection from your cable/DSL modem ie. without going through a hub just as a test? Also you may want to try the shareware http://www.extratools.com/extradns.htm and have it use your computer as the DNS server so that you could see if the Entre is talking. I wasted a weekend on this crap. I was using dynamic without problem for months then it stopped. I think it was the .10 release or a strange coincidence then had to use static. Try the simple approach (direct connect) as a "levelset". Sorry I'm not more help as I know it is maddening!

Originally posted by slocko
i like loading up the rentals as soon as i get them from netflix so the entre can look them up. as soon as i watch one, i pull it out so the entre can look it up to erase it. it works well this way.
Hmm...a new perspective I have. I suppose with all 3 rental slots full you then can pick the one you want to watch without remembering which went into which slot. Still I rent, I watch promptly then I return to avoid the late fee lest I kick myself <grin>....then if I had netflix my flow and habits may change since things come in and go out the mail. Curious.

Heres an interesting dilema. (I know its off thread) I have an Escient Fireball and the Entre hooked up to the 5900M. I cannot use both the Pipeline Software and the Kenwood Software together on the same computer. It just installs on top of each other. Also wiered that if the DVD does not find cover art you cannot import it into the entre via their software.

Originally posted by Clingpeach
Heres an interesting dilema. (I know its off thread) I have an Escient Fireball and the Entre hooked up to the 5900M. I cannot use both the Pipeline Software and the Kenwood Software together on the same computer. It just installs on top of each other. Also wiered that if the DVD does not find cover art you cannot import it into the entre via their software.
From past post in this thread I recall this software being the "same". Both by/for OpenGlobe.

I've just started having a new strange behavior on the Entre. Here's the pattern: (1) put in some new DVDs into the changer and wait for the Entre to do a Quick Lookup. As is typical with new releases, they don't get found. (2) Find each relevant "Unknown Disk" in the Guide and do Options>Edit Disk Info. (3) Lookup the disk -- the disk gets found and the cover art gets displayed, but after the lookup completes, the title and disk info isn't shown, but, instead, the default Unknown Disk information is shown. (4) Hit Exit to cancel and, miraculously, the disk is entered into the database with the correct title and all of the other information intact. If, on the other hand, you hit Rec to save, then the disc gets saved as "Unknown Disk." It started doing this with every new disk I got in the last month. The amazing thing is that all of the disks I bought the day they came out, Led Zeppelin DVD, The Right Stuff, T2 Extreme, and Die Another Day were all found, though each exhibited this strange behavior.

If you record instead of cancelling, does it display the correct cover art but still leave the name as Unkown? If so, I have had the same.

Scott,
Thanks for your suggestions. As it turns out, I had to change the primary and secondary DNS from those that had been working for months on end. Using the DNS's that attach to the IP direct connection. I suppose that means I will have to change every time Comcast changes the DNS. Oh well. At least it's working again. And, interestingly, the lockups have stopped.

Originally posted by DerekFSU
If you record instead of cancelling, does it display the correct cover art but still leave the name as Unkown? If so, I have had the same. That's exactly what occurs. Wierd annoying bug.

R,

That's happened to few times to me on new ones as well. The one that comes to mind is the bonus disk for Spiderman.

Well, about 5 minutes ago, my Entre downloaded the new software update. I'm now at version 2.0.0.8. And, as promised by David, the Info button now works. Didn't notice much else that was different. I have a problem with about 60 MP3 files that won't delete (i.e., they delete from teh database, but not from the hard drive, and still get counted by Delete Music). They all came back with the upgrade, but remain unplayable. I deleted them again, but they are still on the HD as before. Oh well. It would be nice, but clearly too much to hope for, for Kenwood to produce some release notes.

Anyway, things are looking up -- they didn't make April, but they just got in one part under the wire for June. Over to you, Nick.

We all knew April was April Fool's Month anyway :)

I assume you went into utilities and instructed the Entre to update the software package? Tried with both Entre units, didn't work first time. I'm trying again now, and the result is . . . .

"Update cannot be completed at this time. Please Try Again Later." (Entre 1). BUt the new sofware got downloaded anyway (and yes, the info button is cool).

Something now appears to be working with Entre II. Looks like we'll get there too.

Nick :cool:

Originally posted by rbienstock
2.0.0.8. And, as promised by David, the Info button now works. So far it downloaded, restarted and now is "Checking Library ##%" for the 5th iteration. Once it hits 100% it just starts again. Curious if this is normal.

Yes I think its normal if you look carefully its DIFFERENT libraries. ie music, raido, movies. It did myne at least 6 times.
Down to 4 DVD's that I cannot find
Britney Spears Live In Las Vegas
One Love - Tribute to Bob Marley
Shania Twain - The Platinum Collection
Earth, Wind & Fire - Live in Japan

Originally posted by Clingpeach
Yes I think its normal if you look carefully its DIFFERENT libraries. ie music, raido, movies. It did myne at least 6 times.

Down to 4 DVD's that I cannot find
Britney Spears Live In Las Vegas
One Love - Tribute to Bob Marley
Shania Twain - The Platinum Collection
Earth, Wind & Fire - Live in Japan
Thanks. Doh! My 12" little TV hooked to the Entre went into screen saver mode and I was just looking at the LCD on the Entre. I was looking closely at it. It only shows "Checking Library.". Guess it was a lot of work to fit the library name on the LCD <grin>.

Hope you sent your 'not founds' to the e-mail Not Found (dvdtitles@kenwoodusa.com)

Yes I did... I wonder how often they update them or whether they actually take notice of the emails we send

Also another question my programmer (AMX) will be programming this via .irl.. I dont suppose there is anyone out there with the 232 protocol??

Originally posted by Nick Satullo
I assume you went into utilities and instructed the Entre to update the software package? Yeah. I lose my internet connection on an almost daily basis and I use software update to check if it is working because it is the fastest way to return a DNS error if the internet is down. To my great surprise, yesterday, it was working and also found new software.

Originally posted by rbienstock
Yeah. I lose my internet connection on an almost daily basis and I use software update to check if it is working because it is the fastest way to return a DNS error if the internet is down. To my great surprise, yesterday, it was working and also found new software. Check to see if your hub / router has a feature to automatically renew every X minutes. I use NexLand (pricey but feature rich and supports multiple VPN connnectoins at once as well as allowing my other computers to surf while I VPN to work). Without this (renew every x) I would have smashed the Entre and the Axcess long ago...ANNOYING how it loses connections all the time and has what seems to be 0 (zero) renew capability on it's own (ie. no automatic like most OSes and not even a manual like WINIPCFG). Thanks for letting us know about the update.

Originally posted by ScottF200
Check to see if your hub / router has a feature to automatically renew every X minutes. I don't think that my router (LinkSys BEFW11S4) does this. Does this feature work even if you don't use DHCP? I always thought that the problem was that the Entre's USB ports were unstable, because frequently, when the internet goes down, my USB keyboard stops working too.

Originally posted by rbienstock
I don't think that my router (LinkSys BEFW11S4) does this. Does this feature work even if you don't use DHCP? I always thought that the problem was that the Entre's USB ports were unstable, because frequently, when the internet goes down, my USB keyboard stops working too. RE: IP RENEW
The NexLand renew every X minutes feature tells the hub / router to RENEW the IP info from your ISP. Same, I believe, as if you have your PC connected directly (no hub) to your DSL/Cable modem and you use WINIPCFG/IPCONFIG to renew. I am using static. The NexLand allows me to assign an IP to a specific MAC. Without the renew feature the Axcess would be 'dead' every morning. I think my ISP would drop for > 1 minutes or something and it would freak out the Axcess and Entre. Most OSes don't fret and just automatically renew!

Wait a second...I just double checked the Entre Setup TCP/IP screen...and I'm 99.9% positive the was no "test connection" option there before. Now they are thinking! (assuming it works well and provides good messages). See attached (sorry it is blury...I must have moved but it shows the button).

RE: Info Button
I am surprised by it. Better than I expected. It is fullscreen and gives you the larger DVD cover image. I like it. Recall the pictures on Clutchfield and in magazine reviews where they showed the DVD info as being a feature from day 1. In those pictures it was just text on the menu screen in place of the other info in the upper right quadrant.

I'm a bit surprised and wishful that they would have allowed the OpenGlobe button to be pressed at that point that the DVD Info information is now displayed and to be taken to information (further actor details etc). That exist today as I recall when you just surf using OpenGlobe and drill down. Perhaps they were thinking sales angle and if you already have the DVD then they couldn't entice you to buy it on-line...unless you were buying it for a friend or relative.


RE: Axcess
This got upgraded to 2.04 after I rebooted it. My pulse quicken when it didn't work at first (before reboot) as I as worried about the "Checking Library." processing of all my MP3s on the Entre harddisk. That was running when I went to bed last night.

Scott,

Do you still get lockups of any kind? I wonder if dropped connections from the ISP could be the cause of all the lockups?

Originally posted by ScottF200
RE: IP RENEW
The NexLand renew every X minutes feature tells the hub / router to RENEW the IP info from your ISP. Same, I believe, as if you have your PC connected directly (no hub) to your DSL/Cable modem and you use WINIPCFG/IPCONFIG to renew. I am using static. The NexLand allows me to assign an IP to a specific MAC. Without the renew feature the Axcess would be 'dead' every morning. I think my ISP would drop for > 1 minutes or something and it would freak out the Axcess and Entre. Most OSes don't fret and just automatically renew!

[/edit]

Originally posted by ScottF200
The NexLand renew every X minutes feature tells the hub / router to RENEW the IP info from your ISP. Same, I believe, as if you have your PC connected directly (no hub) to your DSL/Cable modem and you use WINIPCFG/IPCONFIG to renew. I am using static. The NexLand allows me to assign an IP to a specific MAC. Without the renew feature the Axcess would be 'dead' every morning. I think my ISP would drop for > 1 minutes or something and it would freak out the Axcess and Entre. Most OSes don't fret and just automatically renew! Thanks for pointing me to the NexLand router. As you point out, it can asssign a specific IP to a specific MAC as well as do Loopback, both of which features are very important to me for my ReplayTV units: by assigning a specific IP to a specific MAC, I can use DHCP with them and still have them work as servers for Internet sharing and get the faster boot times that one gets from RTV units that use DHCP. And with loopback, I can copy shows from one RTV unit to the other as well as stream. Nice.

As to the Entre, I'm not sure how this helps. The refresh feature that you are referring to is the WAN IP assigned by the ISP to the user's modem. The router then uses NAT to manage the private addresses of the devices on your network. With static routing, there are no leases, so there is nothing to refresh. Even if the router temporarily loses its WAN IP, the connection between the router and the local devices should stay up, and, if static addresses are used, not need refreshing. I always assumed that the problem was caused by the USB to Ethernet device and that if there was a momentary interruption in the signal from the Entre's USB port, that the connection failed at that device.

Originally posted by ScottF200
Wait a second...I just double checked the Entre Setup TCP/IP screen...and I'm 99.9% positive the was no "test connection" option there before. Now they are thinking! (assuming it works well and provides good messages). See attached (sorry it is blury...I must have moved but it shows the button). Great catch Scott! This is a very useful new feature. Even more interesting is that if you do the test, it might well "wake up" or refresh the local connection, solving the problem that we were discussing in the previous paragraph. Cool if it did that.

Argh! I was really hoping that the software update would fix the "Slot 255 Bug" some of us have on our Entres. Looks like I will be forced to reset to factory defaults and start all over. I think I will wait until our changers are updated and start from scratch. Guess I won't have to worry about putting my discs back in the same slots afterall. This is going to be a lot of #@%*ing work to get my library back to the way it is.

Bob :mad:

Maybe it's not the software maybe it's the changer.

I think they are upgrading the changers starting in July.

Please report back to the forum after your changer has been upgraded.


:rolleyes:

The 255 disc problem is NOT the changer. The RS232 changer software I wrote loads and plays disc 255 just fine. Also, there was also no problem with the earlier entre' rom versions.

~D

Originally posted by rbienstock
Thanks for pointing me to the NexLand router. As you point out, it can asssign a specific IP to a specific MAC as well as do Loopback, both of which features are very important to me for my ReplayTV units: by assigning a specific IP to a specific MAC, I can use DHCP with them and still have them work as servers for Internet sharing and get the faster boot times that one gets from RTV units that use DHCP. And with loopback, I can copy shows from one RTV unit to the other as well as stream. Nice. Cool setup. You are very welcome. It is a pretty feature packed device but has cost to match. I have the Pro800 it it works well even handles both mmy wife and me both VPN'd to work (different companys and different VPN software).

As to the Entre, I'm not sure how this helps. The refresh feature that you are referring to is the WAN IP assigned by the ISP to the user's modem. The router then uses NAT to manage the private addresses of the devices on your network. With static routing, there are no leases, so there is nothing to refresh. Even if the router temporarily loses its WAN IP, the connection between the router and the local devices should stay up, and, if static addresses are used, not need refreshing. I always assumed that the problem was caused by the USB to Ethernet device and that if there was a momentary interruption in the signal from the Entre's USB port, that the connection failed at that device. I have my cable modem connected to the hub (Pro800) and that connected to the NetGear PE102 for HPNA access for the Axcess. It was my Axcess that I had *daily* problems with which went away after doing the Nexland RENEW every X minutes. So there are several pieces of equipment involved because I have the
a) Entre connected to the
b) USB to Ethernet device connected to the
c) NexLand (Ethernet connected to Cable Modem) which talks to the
d) PE102 (HPNA) which talks to the
e) Axcess (HPNA)

Daily I had to reboot the Entre (I don't think unplugging just the USB worked) and then the Axcess. I didn't know if it was the Entre or the Axcess or one of the devices (PE102 or USB<->ethernet).

Back when I used ExtraDNS I saw the Entre talking to openglobe site every 30 minutes or so when it was not in use. So I don't know if it (Entre) and the Axcess also communicate every Y minutes. Doesn't really matter if it was static or dynamic if the connection is down it is down and perhaps the Entre just gives up instead of retrying like most OSes do!

I realize that the RENEW was for my IP from my ISP but not sure what timing issue (ISP down for maint for Z minutes each night) seemed to cause the problem. All I know is it now is virtually eliminated and my Axcess and Entre did NOT then get smash by my hammer!!:D

has anyone had problem with the update?

mine tried to download and then said there was a problem. so i rebooted the entre and now it's been 30 minutes and it's still blinking its red light.

how long should i wait before i unplug it?

It took a couple of tries--and when it wound up working it first said that it hadn't worked--but keep doing it.

Nick :cool:

ouch. I hope that it wasn't downloading and my reboot left it in a half-baked state.

so far it doesn't look good. i tried a second reboot and the tray opened and the hard drive stops spinning. I unplugged it and the same thing. the tray opens and it just keeps blinking. i am not getting to a screen of any kind.

let me let it go for an hour to see what happens.

i hope i don't have to star all over. i have recorded more than a 100 cds to the darn thing and spent a lot of time setting up the groups to my liking.

that will be so painful.

Folks,

I ran the update last night - no problems, but it took about 15 minutes to download the update, about 10 minutes to reboot, another 25-30 minutes to rebuild the libraries, and about 3 hours to rebuild the 130+ MP3 albums on the HDD. Checked it out this morning, everything is fine. Watched a movie this evening (and yes, I did surf the INFO screens on several movies just to play with the new toy).

Mike

Slocko,

The behavior you describe (plug it in, HDD spins up, tray opens, HDD stops, nothing happens) is the exact behavior I got when I attempted to put a foreign hard disk drive into the Entre. Seems to be a default behavior of the unit if it can't boot from the drive. I wish you luck...

Mike

double ouch. i really think i hosed the thing by rebooting it after i got the message that it had problems downloading the update. maybe it was still updating despite the error message.

i rebooted it one more time and it has been 20 minutes with blinking light, but the hard drive is still spinning. the tray didn't open this time. finger crossed.

if i lose every thing, then rest assurred that i will cry and cry and cry. seriously, if i lose everything, i will defintely rip (backup) all 400 plus dvds to hard disk media and never look back.

this will be my htpc case:

http://www.atechfabrication.com/products/HTPC_case.htm

Originally posted by slocko
Do you still get lockups of any kind? I wonder if dropped connections from the ISP could be the cause of all the lockups? I haven't yet but then again I didn't lock up a lot.

Hope to heck your system is OK. I just about unplugged the Entre for a few days and was going to take the wait and see...but couldn't.

RE: Internet Radio
I was able to add a radio station that worked...well sort of. It is choppy. It is http://www.msnbc.com/news/asx/audio/28/MSNBC_ie5radio.asx and aliased as http://snurl.com/msnbcasx (but don't know if the Entre wants to find a trailing ".asx" and I haven't tried the alias). I set it to 16K and mono just like plays prefectly find in Media Player. I may try others but get tired of typing...er...pecking on that remote.

does anyone know if there is a way to reboot back to some base operating system?

i am wondering if maybe i held the power button for too long and it's re-initializing everything? kenwood wouldn't do something like that would they?

hard drive still clicking away. fingers crossed.

Don't know if anyone noticed, but the new version of the software also appears to fetch names of the main actors of the movie from the online database. I like that, since the name of the stars are visible while scrolling the movie titles, and not just at the bottom of the "Info" screen.

This actors info can be added for movies already in your database/changer, if you have the patience to run a new lookup on each one of them (highlight a movie title, then click Options - Edit Disc - Lookup this disc).

--
Umberto

Hello One and All,

I have just finished reading all 132 pages of this thread (2636 posts) and whew! what a saga. I come to this thread because I brought home an entre and a dv5900m and wanted to see what I had gotten myself into. I am a long time dvd jukebox user and am currently using 2 sonys, the 860 and the 875 controlled by a pronto (using supernudelist). I am very, very happy with this solution with the exception of the picture quality of the 860 and the IR confusion when running the 860 in addition to my single disc player sony 9000es (they use the same IR codes - no problem with 875 as it has 3 sets of IR codes that you can choose from). I have been very interested in the dv5900m because of it's reputation for a great quality picture and advanced features (dvd-audio) and large capacity. Local retailer was heavily, heavily discounting the sovereign line as they were no longer carrying it. The dv5900m was the floor model but wasn't connected to anything and seemed to be like new while the entre was brand new. It was too good of a deal to pass up.

So, I get the sovereign stuff home and program the pronto to control the 5900 (thank you supernudelist!!!). I load up a few discs and voila! playback time! But, this thing is LOUD (not talking about carousel spinning or loading discs but when a dvd is being played - CD playback is quite as has been reported by others). I played it in the store and couldn't hear a thing but in my living room - holy cow, is there a little motor boat in this thing? I read all the posts and it seems there is a range of feedback on the noise from none at all, to it's loud, and kenwood put in a fix, to it's in a cabinet and I can't hear a thing. For those who had it fixed - how bad was the sound before and how was it after??? Did I get a bad one??

I want to decide on the future of the dvd changer before I figure out what to do with the entre (keep it or ebay it).

Thanks,

Mitch

p.s. I really, really believed that the software and hardware mods would have been announced / completed before now. I felt like I was reading a novel - where you know that by the end everything has to wrap itself up.

Looks like the hard drive is dead or the software got corrupt. Unplugging the unit and plugging it in, makes the tray open. This happened right after the first reboot.

I opened the unit and the hard drive was super hot. Not sure why. My shelf unit has plenty of clearance on top and it's right next to an A/C duct.

I am going to leave it unplugged over night to see if it cools down and might start working again.

Has anyone been able to clone the hard drive using NT tools? I know hmatos once mentioned you could make a unix dump of the drive, and put it back on the same drive and it would work. But i don't have a unix setup. if i can take a dump of the hard drive, i can send the unit in for repair, and then just image it back to the replacement drive, assuming there was no corruption.

this really sucks.

the entre is not coming back to life. RIP. the irony that the upgrade has started and i can't enjoy it. sigh.

can anyone confirm if the upgrade has fixed the lockup problem that occured when transferring more than 6 mp3s at a time?

kenwood, please allow us to backup these drives. sigh.

i have some friends coming over next weekend that i was dying to show off the system to. double sigh.

Any information on the support of TCP/IP? Can you now FTP music files to the Entree? My Entree is currently unplugged. I needed to send my changer back to Kenwood to fix the disc flipping problem it was experiencing.

Originally posted by aauno
Any information on the support of TCP/IP? Can you now FTP music files to the Entree? My Entree is currently unplugged. I needed to send my changer back to Kenwood to fix the disc flipping problem it was experiencing. When I point IE to the Entre's dotted IP I get "403 Forbidden
The requested URL '/' resolves to a file which is marked executable but is not a CGI file; retrieving it is forbidden." and a link to:
http://www.acme.com/software/thttpd/

I could also use CUTEFTP to connect to it and look around. There is a 'Database' directory that when drilled down had a MP3s directory with more levels below that. I ended up on an XML file that I downloaded (to my PC) and viewed. Looks like it had groups, etc in it. I don't plan on messing with any of this tho lest I break it but good!

CuteFTP Signon showed "220 192.168.0.10 pSOSystem FTP server (@(#)(#)pVER IA/MIPS, Version 3.1.0, Built on 12/03/1999) ready.
331 Guest login ok, send 'psos' as password.
230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply."

Never in my life have I called a companies customer service department and recieved a message "We are out to lunch, please call back later", untill I called Kenwood today. What a company. I wish, I would have known the type of company I was dealing with before I spent $3,000 dollars just to play a DVD.

Aauno,

There is another way to look at it. Most companies I deal with have 3000 people in some room, often in a different country, that offer "support" to several different products. After several transfers, disconnects, "it's their problem not ours", and more calls, you usually get it done.

I love that Kenwood seems to have a section that does only Sovereign stuff. They speak english, rarely have to put me on hold or transfer me, and compared to other tech supports with whom I deal, do a great job.

spoke with support. there is only one service center that can fix an entre. The Cerritos center in CA. The fix is to replace the entire Entre.

So I will have to enjoy the new upgrade vicariously through you guys for now :)

support said the dvd changer hardware upgrade is still 3-4 weeks away. but i wouldn't put much faith in that. i asked more as a reflex than anything else.

Slocko, I suspect Kenwood service people have been trained to say 3-4 weeks for just about anything. Call up and ask how long will it take to fix the entre? ans: 3-4 weeks. Ask: How long will it take to fix the DVD changer when it stops working? ans: 3-4 weeks. Ask: How long will it take an attorney to file a class action? ans: about 3-4 weeks. :)

Is it my imagination, but are more things starting to break down as the warranty periods end? Could it be the new download is causing the machines to break? Could I just be getting paranoid?

Slocko, I'm afraid you might be right about Cerritos' policy on broken Entre "repairs". My experience with them a year ago left me with the distinct impression that they just don't have a clue on how to even test, let alone repair them.

I brought my brand new Entre over to them last year (I live very close to Cerritos) because I could not get any output from component video, while SVHS and composite worked just fine. After a couple of weeks of waiting and calling on the status of the repair, UPS delivered a new unit.

Incredibly, the new Entre had the same defect... ;)
It turns out that I was miswiring/inverting two of the three component video cables from the receiver - Kenwood Sovereign as well - to the Entre. I am sure that the original Entre was just fine and the "problem" was my color-blindness all along. Of course, I did not care at the time since the unit was brand new (I actually ended up with a spare remote and set of cables out of the switcheroo), but had my hard drive been as full of MP3's and DVD info as it is today, I would have felt your pain.

--
Umberto

i think it was just plain bad luck, instead of Kenwood strikes back :) maybe they thought I was Nick????

but i do wonder how much Kenwood would charge for a drive replacement including labor once the unit is out of warranty.

sooner or later the drives will begin to fail. i guess the hope is that by then we would all have moved on to something else.

I just got my e-mail notice from Kenwood that the upgrades for the changers starts today. From July 1st through the 31st the upgrade will be free (except shipping). After that, there will be a "nominal" fee. Time to make your appointments and start unloading discs fellas. :D

By any chance did they say how can we tell if a changer we buy is upgraded or not? If I decide to stay with the entre/5900 combination, I will buy another 5900 and unload my discs into it in the same order. Problem solved. But the 5900 has to have the upgrade already.

Sorry Slocko, but they make no mention of how to tell if a new changer will have been uprgaded. They give some info about the 2.0 software for the Entre, which we have already figured out mostly, and an e-mail address to send in your request for an appointment. It says you will receive further instructions after you submit your request for the appointment.

I doubt they are still making these changers and that anything you buy will have to be upgraded for their "nominal" fee. Unless you buy one now and send it in before July 31st. But I am just speculating, no facts to back it up.

Mark your calendars, ladies and gents... I just got the email we've all be waiting for.

The official timing of the changer upgrade program was not as much July 1st as it was T + 1 days after to the deadline set by our very own Nick.

I think I can speak for the Sovereign community when I say, thank you, Nick, for putting a line in the sand, and forcing a form of competition upon Kenwood that they would otherwise not have.

Only competitive forces (traditional marketplace is preferable, but consumer lawsuit is a suitable substitute) create real deadlines and real business prioritization.

Now, onto the official 'rules' to get our changers upgraded.

According to the announcement email I received:

- I need to send them 3 alternate available dates for my upgrade appointment, but no primary date? Strange.

- I need to ensure that my changer arrives exactly 1 day prior to my appointment. If I don't, I have to pay for the upgrade???? What? I guess this is forcing me to pay for some special 2 or 3 day shipping option. Gosh, what happens if UPS gets it there a day earlier than planned?

- 30 day window for free upgrade. I guess this is an OK policy, but it certainly sounds like they're trying to minimize the costs of this process.

And you gotta love the very special final paragraph: "If you haven't yet 'maxed-out' your mega changer's capacity, there's no reason to send it in to be upgraded...."

HAHAHHA!!! Precious! I just love this company.

A not entirely legit or fair analogy would be something like "Ford invites you to participate in the recall of the braking system in your Focus. If you haven't yet had a problem with the breaks, however, there's really no reason to send it in for fixing, is there? So, just go on and enjoy your Focus!" :)

Yes, it's not really a fair analogy, but I couldn't help but to think about it when I read the Kenwood email.

Now, on to what the email doesn't say:

It doesn't talk about the TCP/IP control features promised back in February. One wonders, other than info button and mulit-changer update, what the 2.0 upgrade provides???

And, as I read, the 255 slot problem was not fixed. This is very unfortunate. It would have been terribly nice if they took the opportunity to fix the real bugs that existed in the old software.

Also, I have yet to hear if the uploading of mp3s from the PC has been improved. I would just love to see release notes. Kenwood? David?

Overall, though, I am glad we are now all made "whole" from day 1 when we were all promised this awesome expandability. 1200 mixed disc access is truly remarkable. And, with the price of 5050s, a fairly reasonable proposition.

Thank you Kenwood, David, and Fellow Fervent Forum Folks.

Hi All...For those who did not get on the Kenwood mailing list because they did not register...here is the details in PDF format. Kenwood asked me to post this so no one on this site would be left out who did not register.

Why do I feel underwhelmed??? Must be cause my freaking entre died!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am glad Kenwood FINALLY got this update done, I actually forced the update yesterday. It is nice to have some key features. Thanks to this forum for the heads up. :)

But DAMM I would have appreciated some notice :mad: to get prepared for the DVD upgrade. We don't even have 30 days to get it at no charge since it started today and we will have to wait for our turn. Plus the fact that we will be without a changer for what I feel will be at least a week. You notice they do not say how long they will have it just that it has to be there 1 day prior and will be shipped back via 3-day ground.

Oh yeah and the last paragraph is a crock !! Who would want to spend this kind of $$$$ and not get all of the features that have been advertised since the products introduction.

My dvd player is currently being repaired by Kenwood. It had to be shipped to them from the local repair shop. The faruja (sp?) stopped working a long time ago and just recently the drive system died. Do you think there is any chance that the upgrade will happen while it is away?

Thank you all for sticking it out and not giving up! I am doing the happy dance tonight!

Munch . . . munch . . . .gulp (gasp!!! choke!!!!)

(the sound of a hat being eaten).

I have Sent in instructions to upgrade 3 changers. And, Kenwood, just to show I wasn't kidding . . . .I just bought three more changers. This will give me 2 DV-5900Ms, 4 DV-5050Ms, 2 Entres.

My complaining has been worth it. I intend to send these in for upgrade as soon as they arrive.

Nick :cool:

David, do you know if the *other* improvements to the Sovereign changers are going to be implemented (secretly, I guess) along with multi-changer upgrade when we send our unit(s) to Kenwood?

For instance, I believe the pre-alert letter from Kenwood from last February (I'll be darn if I can find a link to the original post) talked about improved disk change speed and dramatically faster layer change.

I realize Kenwood may not want to announce these improvements as part of today's free upgrade announcement (otherwise EVERYONE and their brother would likely send theirs in for the upgrade), but since you are among few trusty friends here... feel free to share! :-)

--
Umberto

Originally posted by Nick Satullo

I have Sent in instructions to upgrade 3 changers. And, Kenwood, just to show I wasn't kidding . . . .I just bought three more changers. This will give me 2 DV-5900Ms, 4 DV-5050Ms, 2 Entres.


Dude, have they actually made 2400 different CD's and DVD's since they invented them?!? You own a really large video/music store, right? If not, well, you could! ;)

I'd love to scroll through your collection when all changers are finally daisy-chained tp the 2 Entres. It must be quite a library you have.

--
Umberto

1. Noisy player - my player (newly purchase 5900m) is loud, too loud to use as dvd player (it is quiet on cds). Can anyone who has gotten this fixed report that it was once quite noisy and is now quite quiet?

2. Same 5900m - no subwoofer output on dvd audio. Test tones on speaker setup in setup menu are good for all 5 speakers but not sub. Test tone from receiver (denon avr5800) work fine. Tried using a different cable. Tried going to different set on analog inputs without success. Tried speaker settings of both large and small and subwoofer is set to Yes. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mitch

Well, I sent in my email for my three changers...Let's see what happens now. It would be great if Kenwood would address ALL of the changer issues while they have them in their repair center, but I am not optimistic.
I guess I can no longer say I have a setup like Nick, but if I keep acquiring DVD's at my present rate, I could go there in the future, I would like to believe that Kenwood did this upgrade on their own regardless of any action that was being contemplated but I also want to express my thanks to Nick for his willingness to help us all and keep Kenwood honest.


THANK YOU NICK!!!!!!


Tom

Posted by David Bott on 01-09-03 09:56 AM:

>>> HERE IS THE WORD I JUST RECEIVED <<<

Ok...you heard it here first...I just received this from Brian directly....

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear David,

Today, Jan. 9th, Kenwood announced that a software upgrade is under development for the Kenwood Sovereign Entre' Entertainment Hub. Some highlights of which are as follows;

* Support for 3 Kenwood Sovereign DVD changers, DV-5900M and DV-5050M
in any combination
* Control from external devices via TCP/IP. Control specification
will be made available to authorized Kenwood Sovereign Dealers
* Easier access to DVD information. Owner's will be able to access by
simply pushing the "info." button

The program will also include upgrades for the Changers themselves. In addition to allowing for Daisy Chain control with Entre', layer change speed has been improved an astounding 58% and disc change time has been improved by 20%. [italics added by ScottF200]

The Entre' software will be available in April of 2003 and will be downloaded automatically via the Internet. And in what I believe shows Kenwood's real commitment to not only moving performance and ease of use forward, but also to not leaving our loyal customers behind, a program will be put in place to upgrade both hardware and software for current owner's of Kenwood Sovereign DVD changers. Further details will be announced later this month.

Thank you once again for you continued support and all of the constructive discussion on the AVS Forum.

Regards,

Brian

Brian D. Towne
Director, Product Management
Kenwood USA Corporation

Originally posted by chefmitch
1. Noisy player - my player (newly purchase 5900m) is loud, too loud to use as dvd player (it is quiet on cds). Can anyone who has gotten this fixed report that it was once quite noisy and is now quite quiet?

2. Same 5900m - no subwoofer output on dvd audio. Test tones on speaker setup in setup menu are good for all 5 speakers but not sub. Test tone from receiver (denon avr5800) work fine. Tried using a different cable. Tried going to different set on analog inputs without success. Tried speaker settings of both large and small and subwoofer is set to Yes. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mitch

All I can say is that I have a 5900m that was never noisy for DVDs, so it's certainly physically possible for these units to be quiet.

Also, my sub works on my 5900M, though it's much quieter than the .1 output on my receiver. I'd say almost 10x quieter.

Does anyone know if newly purchased changers will have the upgrade already applied? Is there any way to tell from the serial number or some other indicia whether the upgrade has been applied on a new changer?

One changer was sent in for repair last week. My second changer is packed and waiting in my truck. I wonder how long it will take for Kenwood to send the reply email? Looking forward to accessing 600 DVD's at one time.

Who has these for sale? Anyone know the best place to buy another one?

try:

http://search.shopping.yahoo.com/search/all?p=5900m&Y=0&mid=&did=&pf=&pt=&X=2&r=&f=14489115&q=&rkeys=&is=&clink=&__yltc=s:14489115,d:14489115,w:sbp-lh,x:2,k:5900m

but isn't kenwood asking for a receipt? if they are, then these are not authorized resellers.

Well i bought myne online as well. Fully retail. There is no way that Kenwood can NOT upgrade no matter where it was bought. As their advertising was wrong to begin with.

Slocko

As far as I understand as long as you registered it with Kenwood you are eligible for the upgrade. I bought one of my units used and had to go through a bit of an ordeal with Kenwood to get it registered but the people I spoke to said if it is registered you can get it upgraded.


Tom

Has anyone actually gotten a reply to their upgrade request e-mail yet?

Email replies won't be sent out until July 29, 2003. This way they can charge for the upgrades. As a matter of intrest, why send the emails out at all. Cheapest upgrade program in history, send out a email and have people think the upgrades are ready.

I still say 3-4 weeks.

by the way - is there any way to get the serial number of the dvd5900m without looking in the back (means I have to spend about two hours getting to the back) i.e. is there a way to view the serial number via the menu?

Justice requires . . . I received my response today. Copied, it reads:

Dear Mr. Nick Satullo,



Your changer upgrade appointment date is: Friday, July 11, 2003.



If your changer is received after the above scheduled appointment date, we will re-schedule the upgrade for the first available date and time.



In the event we detect a problem with your changer during the initial examination, we will automatically send it for evaluation and contact you prior to making repairs. We will then perform the upgrade on the first available date and time after your changer has been repaired.



Shipping instructions:

· Use the original factory box and packing for shipping (or an equivalent carton and sufficient packing material to protect your changer from shipping damage during transit).

· Print the attached PDF label out and tape it to your shipping carton. If you are unable to print the PDF, print all of the information in it onto a piece of paper in large letters and tape the paper to your shipping carton.

· Ship your changer to Kenwood via UPS with insurance - remember to keep your shipping receipt and parcel tracking number.

Note: If your changer is received with shipping damage we will contact you directly.



Ship your changer(s) to:

Kenwood USA Corporation
2201 East Dominguez Street

Long Beach, California 90810-1009

I actually did get a hat from Kenwood when I registered the changers, a million years ago. It needs ketchup.

Nick :cool:

Nick, so lets see, if your appt date is the 11th, it needs to arrive on the 10th, or it will get placed in the back of the line (probably three years down the road). This means if your sending it 3 day ground (is that three business days or regular days) you will need to send it out on the 7th, or does the three days begin running the day after you send it, which means you need to send it on the 6th, since thats Sunday, and the day before that is Sat and the day before that is the 4th, oops, holiday, that means you need to send it out tommorow :D I guess I know what your doing for the rest of the night - How many DVD's do you need to unload - 978? Suggest you take No-Doz or something similar. Good luck.

Mike:p

Uh oh, I put down Jul 14 about 10 minutes ago. Just got this response:

Your changer upgrade appointment date is: Monday, July 14, 2003.



If your changer is received after the above scheduled appointment date, we will re-schedule the upgrade for the first available date and time.



In the event we detect a problem with your changer during the initial examination, we will automatically send it for evaluation and contact you prior to making repairs. We will then perform the upgrade on the first available date and time after your changer has been repaired.



Shipping instructions:

· Use the original factory box and packing for shipping (or an equivalent carton and sufficient packing material to protect your changer from shipping damage during transit).

· Print the attached PDF label out and tape it to your shipping carton. If you are unable to print the PDF, print all of the information in it onto a piece of paper in large letters and tape the paper to your shipping carton.

· Ship your changer to Kenwood via UPS with insurance - remember to keep your shipping receipt and parcel tracking number.

Note: If your changer is received with shipping damage we will contact you directly.



Ship your changer(s) to:

Kenwood USA Corporation
2201 East Dominguez Street

Long Beach, California 90810-1009

Since UPS does not deliver on Sunday, am I automatically going to the back of the upgrade list? At least I have the whole July 4th weekend to unload my 680 disks, unlike poor ol' Nick who will have to work all night to get his machines out by tommorow. :)

Dear Mr. Tom Lally,



Your changer upgrade appointment date is: Wednesday, July 16, 2003.



If your changer is received after the above scheduled appointment date, we will re-schedule the upgrade for the first available date and time.



In the event we detect a problem with your changer during the initial examination, we will automatically send it for evaluation and contact you prior to making repairs. We will then perform the upgrade on the first available date and time after your changer has been repaired.



Shipping instructions:

· Use the original factory box and packing for shipping (or an equivalent carton and sufficient packing material to protect your changer from shipping damage during transit).

· Print the attached PDF label out and tape it to your shipping carton. If you are unable to print the PDF, print all of the information in it onto a piece of paper in large letters and tape the paper to your shipping carton.

· Ship your changer to Kenwood via UPS with insurance - remember to keep your shipping receipt and parcel tracking number.

Note: If your changer is received with shipping damage we will contact you directly.



Ship your changer(s) to:

Kenwood USA Corporation
2201 East Dominguez Street

Long Beach, California 90810-1009


However the attached PDF will not open, Adobe returns an unrecognized token error (I tried it on two machines with different versions of the reader with the same results). Nick did your label open OK??????


Tom

I was able to open the pdf file, but all its says is:

STAGE 3
Upgrade

STAGE 3
Upgrade

STAGE 3
Upgrade

Anyone get a different message?

Just curious, has anyone checked to make sure this is an official Kenwood upgrade? Or are we sending it to someone who is going sell them on E-Bay!! :)

I assume that if you print that out and fill in the necessary addresses and possibly your reference file number maybe that's all you need, could you email me a copy of your PDF file.


Thanks

Tom

bullfrog@frontiernet.net

The last thing I will do is complain about getting an early upgrade date. If I can find a place that ships Saturday, it'll get there by the 11th. If not, then I'll just have to ship tomorrow night. But I'm betting that this thing happens quite quickly. Remember, there's not a lot of people out there that "need" the upgrade now.

The PDF label opened fine. I downloaded it to my desktop and opened it from there. It just says "Stage 3" or something like that.

If you're going to buy any new changers, make sure you check with Kenwood as to serial #s that already have the upgrade. I have ordered more changers, and the vendor has agreed to hold off on shipment till the appropriate serial numbers get in.

Here is what Kenwood had to say in connection with the new and upgraded changers that people will now buy:

New Version started shipping this month. Probably not before 7/7.

Improvements
1. Speed of carousel greatly increased. It finds discs much quicker and
then plays them quicker.

2. Speed of Reading disc cut by 90%.

3. Seamless transitions when doing a layer change on a disc.

4. Ability to Daisy-chain 3 units together

Thanks

Sorry . . . this is one where I just don't see the glass being half full. They took their good 'ol time in getting here, but the odds of it happening after this long are staggering. I just don't see how Kenwood takes any heat on the upgrade thing. Unless we've been anticipating Star-Trek transporter technology over the past two years, I always knew that I'd have to unload the damned thing and pack it up. It will not be a big deal. DVDs are a lot sturdier than most give them credit for.

Nick :cool:

Thanks Zinja


Tom

Nick, I certainly am not complaining, I just got the original boxes out of my attic, cleared out the roach droppings and retaped it. My two will be going out shortly. All DVDs will be put on a dowl and then I'll wait.

Question: You mentioned that the new players will have all sorts of upgrades: 1. Speed of carousel greatly increased. It finds discs much quicker and then plays them quicker. 2. Speed of Reading disc cut by 90%.
3. Seamless transitions when doing a layer change on a disc.

Did your source say if our "upgraded" versions will have the same improvements? Just curious.

If anyone finds out how we can make sure a new player is upgraded already, please let us know.

Also, I am surprised no one has tried to copy more than 6 mp3s to the entre to see if stability has been increased.

The upgraded players should have all those benifits Nick listed since they were listed in the letter by Brian. That is the reason that Kenwood looks foolish in saying not to send the player in if you don't need multi-player support. everyone can benifit from those upgrades.

maybe they are going to introduce a separate upgrade plan for those features?????

David can you clarify this issue any further?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Version started shipping this month. Probably not before 7/7.

Improvements
1. Speed of carousel greatly increased. It finds discs much quicker and
then plays them quicker.

2. Speed of Reading disc cut by 90%.

3. Seamless transitions when doing a layer change on a disc.

4. Ability to Daisy-chain 3 units together

Thanks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I know this is a foolish question, but I'm going to ask it anyway:

Can I assume that the upgraded changers will have the same improvements as the new changers being sold as of 7/7/03?

I certainly hope so -- a 90% speed improvement on the "reading disc" process will be a most weclome upgrade! Not to mention the other updates. I can't wait.
Please, someone confirm my foolish question. Thanks.

Nick,

With whom are you communicating at Kenwood? Can you share the contact information? If not, could you please ask them a question for me: If one is buying a retail unit after 7/7, how does one tell whether the unit has the upgrade applied?

Regards,

Robert

Originally posted by slocko
<snip>Also, I am surprised no one has tried to copy more than 6 mp3s to the entre to see if stability has been increased.<snip> My old MediaManager was 1.2.4.2046 but it looks like there is a new one where the file name contains 2.0.0.3005 on this page: http://www.kenwoodusa.com/register/cddbnews.jsp#entre

I'm in the process...(it did tell me during the install my browser may not supported and I may have to configure manually...hmm...I use Avant Browser based on IE APIs but I still have IE installed although not my default).

Well, I went to use the Media Manager and got the following error upon opening it:

"The CDDB component is missing from your software." I guess someone took it. So I then downloaded the new version and now it doesn't see the Entre no matter what I do.

I just started having a strange problem.

First I DO have the new Entre' software.

Last night I added 2 DVD's to my 5900, no problem, they were auto detected and the Entre' looked them up on OG.

Today I pulled out about 20 DVD's (to take on vacation).

A bit later I went to play one of the remaining 300 or so and no matter which one I select it gets loaded and then shows SKIP on the 5900 LCD. Then it loads the next one in sequence and reads it then shows SKIP etc etc etc.

I loaded one extra's DVD into one of the +3 slots and it played no problem when I pushed the slot 1 play button on the 5900.

I have tried selecting DVD's via the Entre' and via the 5900 directly with exactly the same result.

Any clue?? I am leaving for vacation so I cannot troubleshoot it until Sunday night late.

Thanks for your help !!

sounds like you have the sequental feature engaged. does your lcd say sequential on or something like that. i think with that feature on, it will only play cds, not dvds.

Avant Browser is like the best piece of software on my computers. That guy is a genius.

Let us know the results. At least that will make loading up my entre with mp3s easier.

By the way I started down the path of building my own HTPC. I am planning on ripping everything to hard disk media and using dvdlobby. It's going to take me a long time to get everything built and integrated, but I will sure to post my experiences once it's done and how I find it compared to entre/changer combination.

I am still going to buy another changer so I can have a cutting edge system while I am putting my htpc together.

Why didn't anyone warn me this was an expensive hobby?????? :) I am starting to spend beyond my means!!!!!!!!!! :)

Originally posted by ScottF200
My old MediaManager was 1.2.4.2046 but it looks like there is a new one where the file name contains 2.0.0.3005 on this page: http://www.kenwoodusa.com/register/cddbnews.jsp#entre

I'm in the process...(it did tell me during the install my browser may not supported and I may have to configure manually...hmm...I use Avant Browser based on IE APIs but I still have IE installed although not my default).

I downloaded and installed the new Media Manager software. It worked just fine, but I don't really see any major difference from the previous version. I was hoping it would be able to edit DVDs, but that's still not a part of the program. I also wanted to be able to backup the database in case the Entre ever has to be wiped clean, but again...no can do. The only thing I noticed right away is that it says which changer and slot the CD is in. Oh well, maybe next year.

Bob

My 5900 works wonderfully, but it's the second unit for me.

The first one I got was jammed when I pulled it out of the box. I popped the case to take a look and it seemed as though a locking mechanism that keeps the carousel fixed while loading discs somehow had its state reversed (it moved into a locked position when it should've been letting the carousel free and it unlocked when the carousel should've been locked).

With the case top off, I was able to manually push the locking piece back into the correct position and get it working fine, but some combination of normal use behavior (which I can't recall) would reverse the state again and I'd have to crack the case to fix it.

I took that unit back and got it replaced with one that has been working perfectly in every way since I bought it. I've had it for about six weeks now and it's gotten heavy usage....

Bob,

Did you try copying more than 6 mp3s to see if the entre locked up?

Originally posted by slocko
Bob,

Did you try copying more than 6 mp3s to see if the entre locked up?

I just copied 12 MP3s at once without a problem. Takes forever. Maybe I got lucky, who knows. I'm sure I will be copying more while my changer is gone. I just don't have the time to try more right now.

Bob

Thxs Bob!!!!!!!

Unfortunately I didn't receive this email even though I am registered. Presumably this is because I don't have the Entre and only have 1 changer which suggests to me the other issues (disc read speed, etc.) are not being addressed with this upgrade. This is unfortunate because Kenwood is really dropping the ball here. I am having problems with one of their Sovereign receivers which they said they have been "looking into" for nearly the past year. I guess they have no desire to keep customers...

I registered and didnt get the email either. I sent an email to the address in the PDF and haven't got a response yet. I'm pretty much through with Kenwood at this point. I gave them almost two years to get their act together...and for the money I paid, I think that was more than enough time.

uh2

:rolleyes:

And thus the reason Kenwood asked me to post the file!

"which suggests to me the other issues (disc read speed, etc.) are not being addressed with this upgrade"

And I guess you know something we do not? Sorry to say, as stated above, it was referenced that Kenwoord started what was being addressed and they are part of the upgrade as stated by Brian.


"I gave them almost two years to get their act together..."

You gave them two years and now that you have the upgrade you say you are though. Oh my!

I am sorry, but messages like the above just get me every time. Quick to blame Kenwood for non receiving e-mails. Spam filter maybe? Can't tell you how many times a day I get a message that a new user has not received their activation e-mail only to find it was blocked. Not saying this is the case...but could be. All in all, again, the reason I was ASKED to post the message so those who want in have the info. REGISTERED OR NOT.

BTW...They only thing they really HAD to address was the multi changer issue. But nope, they took the time and expense to look into other issues reported. Know what.. most other companies just release a new model to address issues. Kenwood is taking care of us in this case. Again, the only thing actually owed to us, IMHO, was the three changer support.

Guys, I am sorry, you are long time members and all. But please take a look at the big picture with this. We all waited, but at the same time I have very much enjoyed my system. I would not give it up at this point for their is nothing else like it.

Originally posted by David Bott
[B
BTW...They only thing they really HAD to address was the multi changer issue. But nope, they took the time and expense to look into other issues reported. Know what.. most other companies just release a new model to address issues. Kenwood is taking care of us in this case. Again, the only thing actually owed to us, IMHO, was the three changer support.
[/B]

Are you saying that the "disc error"/disc flip issue is something they didn't have to address? I've called their tech support many times, only for them to tell me this issue didn't exist. Am I in la-la land here?! Am I the only one having a problem playing DVD's in my DVD player?

I can't believe you actually said that.

My previous email is concerning more than just the Entre "upgrade"...it's dealing with Kenwood support as a whole.

And yes, I think two years is WAY too long to wait for a feature that was promised from day ONE.

Just want to make sure I'm absolutely clear on this issue:

In order to daisy chain two or more players my current player has to have the updates? I thought there were owners participating in this thread that already had multiple changers daisy chained without any updates. I don't have the Entre and probably never will, so controlling multiple changers with an Entre is a non issue for me. But I would like the ability to daisy chain multiple 5900Ms together and use the sub1 and sub2 functions on the 5900M remote.

One more thing:
I didn't buy my 5900M from an authorized dealer and I never registered it. Am I still eligible for the updates if I want them?

Thanks,
Ken

And to add insult to injury, you have to PAY for this update if you don't do it before July 31st.

How do you defend that?

"disc error"/disc flip issue is something they didn't have to address?"

Sorry to say I for one have not had the issue. From what I have read, it is an problem that only a few have had. You could have sent it in for repair or replacement as a defective unit is my guess. Again, I have not had the issue.


Ken...I have not used two changes connected as you mentioned, so I really am not sure you really can not do it. The Entre control with multi changes is the fix along with the other updates. I am not even sure you can hook more than one up without the Entre for I have not tried or even read the manual. :) Get an Entre, you will never look back.

My guess is you would have no issue sending it in.

"How do you defend that?"

Simple....Get on the list and send it in BEFORE JULY 31st. Today is only the 3rd so it is not like you do not have time.

"Simple....Get on the list and send it in BEFORE JULY 31st. Today is only the 3rd so it is not like you do not have time."

So this makes it okay for Kenwood to charge for something they promised form day one?

Dave,

I'd have to say I agree with your post concerning all the gripes. Sure, the system has warts. So does my MCE PC, so does my DISH6000. However, they and the Sovereign system do things that other systems can't do yet. I've had many hours of enjoyment from each - having to reboot every once in a while or not being able to play "Hell Bent for Leather" out of slot 255 doesn't completely ruin my day. For the record, my changer has never died on me, there is only one disc in my collection that won't play (a badly mauled second-hand CD of Van Halen II), and my Entre has never taken a dump on me that a reboot or unplugging didn't cure.

Judging from the rate at which retailers like Tweeter and Crutchfield pulled the plug on the Sovereign line, I'd guess sales have been less than stellar. Given that, I'm quite pleased that Kenwood and OpenGlobe have continued to support the line. I bought another DV5900 this week, and will send both changers in for the upgrade.

My recommendation to all of you with horror stories regarding hardware and support is to post the facts and let us know how things work out (or if they don't), but pursue your chosen remedy without subjecting all of us to vitriolic diatribes against those who you percieve have done you wrong. Save that for direct communication with representatives from Kenwood.

Cheers!

Mike

David,

I don't want to beat up on Kenwood, but you have to admit that pdf caused confusion. It doesn't mentioned all the updates Brian stated, and even encourages you not to send in the player if you don't need multi-changer support. That suggest that is the only thing they are upgrading.

So I am still confused. Are we getting all the features promised by Brain or not?



Originally posted by David Bott
:rolleyes:

And thus the reason Kenwood asked me to post the file!

"which suggests to me the other issues (disc read speed, etc.) are not being addressed with this upgrade"

And I guess you know something we do not? Sorry to say, as stated above, it was referenced that Kenwoord started what was being addressed and they are part of the upgrade as stated by Brian.


"I gave them almost two years to get their act together..."

You gave them two years and now that you have the upgrade you say you are though. Oh my!

I am sorry, but messages like the above just get me every time. Quick to blame Kenwood for non receiving e-mails. Spam filter maybe? Can't tell you how many times a day I get a message that a new user has not received their activation e-mail only to find it was blocked. Not saying this is the case...but could be. All in all, again, the reason I was ASKED to post the message so those who want in have the info. REGISTERED OR NOT.

BTW...They only thing they really HAD to address was the multi changer issue. But nope, they took the time and expense to look into other issues reported. Know what.. most other companies just release a new model to address issues. Kenwood is taking care of us in this case. Again, the only thing actually owed to us, IMHO, was the three changer support.

Guys, I am sorry, you are long time members and all. But please take a look at the big picture with this. We all waited, but at the same time I have very much enjoyed my system. I would not give it up at this point for their is nothing else like it.

Originally posted by K_Thompson
Just want to make sure I'm absolutely clear on this issue:

In order to daisy chain two or more players my current player has to have the updates? I thought there were owners participating in this thread that already had multiple changers daisy chained without any updates. I don't have the Entre and probably never will, so controlling multiple changers with an Entre is a non issue for me. But I would like the ability to daisy chain multiple 5900Ms together and use the sub1 and sub2 functions on the 5900M remote.

One more thing:
I didn't buy my 5900M from an authorized dealer and I never registered it. Am I still eligible for the updates if I want them?

Thanks,
Ken

From day one you could daisy chain up to 3 changers together. You just could not control the Sub 1 and Sub 2 changers from the Entre. Nor would the discs in those changers be displayed on the Entre. But you could control 3 changers using the 5900/5050 remote. After this upgrade, all 3 changers can be seen and controlled from the Entre. You will still need the 5900/5050 remote for the transport functions and a few other things during actual playback of a DVD. How it will all connect is what we will soon find out. No info about how Kenwood is making this work has been made public yet, and the few people who have seen it in action have not said either. I'm sure we will be receiving a page or two of instructions with our upgraded changers explaining how to connect things together.

Bob

Believe it or not, I think Nick was patient zero. He was the first one to call support to try to get his two changers working. Of course, support couldn't figure it out and thus began the saga.

Originally posted by slocko
David,

I don't want to beat up on Kenwood, but you have to admit that pdf caused confusion. It doesn't mentioned all the updates Brian stated, and even encourages you not to send in the player if you don't need multi-changer support. That suggest that is the only thing they are upgrading.

So I am still confused. Are we getting all the features promised by Brain or not?

Exactly. Read the pdf and it is very clear that there is no reason to send in for the upgrade if you don't have multiple changers/Entre. So, when I did not get an email it seemed to also verify this statement. So, David, are you guaranteeing that if we send our changers in we will get these additional updates? It sure doesn't seem like Kenwood is...

I am sent in a request for info. As others already seemed to have done by reading some of the above posts.

My guess would be yes for sure. My guess on the wording is that they do not consider the other updates critical and thus not needed. Example...if we already had the 3 changer support...we may not have seen any other update offer made. Esp for no cost. IMHO

As I mentioned in a previous post, I anxiously await confirmation on what exactly we get when we send our mega-changers in for an upgrade.

My point being: If the upgrade only addresses multi-changer support, and not the other updates that Nick alluded to that new changers will have (fast access, etc.), then I will want a new, fast one. Not an old, slow one.

Please, can someone confirm this for me?
Thanks.

All this is very strange. If we only have one dvd changer now. We still have to send it in for the upgrade. I have 380 discs in there now. Soon I will want to add another changer. Soon not now. So why can't I take the option of sending it in for the free upgrade now

Originally posted by Clingpeach
All this is very strange. If we only have one dvd changer now. We still have to send it in for the upgrade. I have 380 discs in there now. Soon I will want to add another changer. Soon not now. So why can't I take the option of sending it in for the free upgrade now

I am in the same situation -- I have about 360 discs in 1 changer (hooked up to an Entre), and I'm sending my changer in for the upgrade because when I eventually do fill it up, I want to be able to easily just buy another changer, plug it in, and have it work.

In fact, since I do not know how long Kenwood will be selling changers, I'll probably end up buying a 2nd one later this year (a post 7/7 release - so it's already multi-changer ready) just to have in case they stop selling them.

So, I am not taking Kenwood's recommendation of not upgrading just because my changer is not full.

Here's a quote from the last paragraph of the upgrade offer:

"If you haven’t yet ‘maxed-out’ your mega changer’s capacity, there’s no reason to send it in to be upgraded. But if you have multiple mega changers and want the simplicity of controlling them all with your Entré —or— if you have lots of discs that need a home and were looking to add another changer to your system, Kenwood invites you to upgrade your current changer’s capability."

This statement implies that even if you don't have an Entre and want to add another changer to your system you will need the upgrade.

Ken

At the risk of incurring David's wrath , I must say I couldn't disagree with him more. Have I enjoyed my Sovereign equipment...absolutely, is there anything else out there that has the potential that Sovereign has...no. But the real issue here is customer commitment, yes they HAVE to fix the multi-changer support because they advertised the capability, but shouldn't it go beyond that, there are many other "issues" that have been raised numerous times on this board that detract from the overall performance and enjoyment of our equipment, we have now taken the time to unload all of our disks and ship our changers back at our own cost to Kenwood, can't they now attempt to address these issues, not only to provide a better product to attract new customers but also to insure that those of us who have gone through the various tribulations of Kenwood ownership can finally say that they have done the right thing, that they took care of the people who supported them. I truly believe that the cost of doing the right thing in this case would be more than compensated for in the word of mouth that would be generated by the high end users that would recommend Kenwood equipment to others. One need only look through the pages of this thread to get a glimpse of what has gone on in the last two years and all bitching aside there are a number of frustrated people out there that deserve to have their units operate properly without having to reboot or take off the cover or listen to a vibration. Now is the time for Kenwood to address all the issues so I won't have to disassemble my system again later on this year to send it out again to speed up my reading time or quiet down my carousel. PLEASE Kenwood do the right thing.


Tom

it can also read as saying that if you have mulitple changers and an entre send them in, or if you have an entre and one changer, send it in so that you can buy additional changers to accomodate those discs that need a home.

i remember reading of people who have successfully daisy chained their players without an entre. their complaint was that it doesn't aggregate the changers into one listing. you have to remember in which of the changers you put a particular movie.

Originally posted by K_Thompson
Here's a quote from the last paragraph of the upgrade offer:

"If you haven’t yet ‘maxed-out’ your mega changer’s capacity, there’s no reason to send it in to be upgraded. But if you have multiple mega changers and want the simplicity of controlling them all with your Entré —or— if you have lots of discs that need a home and were looking to add another changer to your system, Kenwood invites you to upgrade your current changer’s capability."

This statement implies that even if you don't have an Entre and want to add another changer to your system you will need the upgrade.

Ken

Good news. I dont believe I registered. I only have one DVD Changer (for now). I did not buy the Entre or the DVD 5900 from a dealer and I have just received my reply about shipping the unit back. It will only be at the end of July, as requested as my AMX Programmer first has to intergrate the Entre etc.

This is what was sent via Kenwood right after CES... I have no reason to think anything different at this time....

---copy---

Today, Jan. 9th, Kenwood announced that a software upgrade is under development for the Kenwood Sovereign Entre' Entertainment Hub. Some highlights of which are as follows;


* Support for 3 Kenwood Sovereign DVD changers, DV-5900M and DV-5050M in any combination
* Control from external devices via TCP/IP. Control specification will be made available to authorized Kenwood Sovereign Dealers
* Easier access to DVD information. Owner's will be able to access by
simply pushing the "info." button


The program will also include upgrades for the Changers themselves. In addition to allowing for Daisy Chain control with Entre', layer change speed has been improved an astounding 58% and disc change time has been improved by 20%.

---end copy---

(Note...the speed increase seems to have been reported by some to be faster. We will soon see.)

For what it's worth, the quote I posted from Kenwood was passed on to me from one of its authorized etailers. Kenwood does have the serial numbers which can identify the "already" upgraded units.

Since I have received no assurance that an upgraded changer will have these other features (greater speed, layer change, etc.), I have advised the etailer not to ship until the "new" ones get in. Given the scarcity of information we have on the subject, prudence dictates that any new orders should strictly specify "already upgraded" units.

I will ship my existing changers two day air on Monday, so they will arrive on time. I intend to hook up three changers (all "new" ones) to one Entre, and the three "upgraded" changers to the other Entre. That will give me the opportunity to offer comparisons on the differences, if any, between the upgraded and the new changers. Although freely admitting compulsiveness here, the "All Entre" system is going to give me the opportunity to ditch my Sony ES CD Changers, which have served well, but lack the glitz of the Entre. I'm "hoping" (but not counting) that the increased speed promised in the new changers will cure that problem. It also will eliminate the Nirvis/CDJ program from which I run the changers.

Unless Kenwood's willing to comment, we can only speculate on what the difference will be from an upgraded to a "new" changer. My bet is that the upgrade won't do all that the new ones do, but that's just my speculation.

By the way, if I had a changer with one disc in it, I'd send it in for the upgrade. Leaving aside the issue of it being "free" now, I would hop on the wagon while Kenwood's in an upgrading mode. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to get them to do it in the future, even if you are willing to pay for it. Hell, I've been willing to pay for it for two years.

Guys, it's been too long coming, but the good news part of this outweighs anything else. Now, to see if the upgrades actually work . . .

Nick :cool:

How long should it take to get an entre into standby mode when it is first plugged in???? I just plugged mine in and it keeps blinking and blinking and blinking. I can't get the entre to actually turn on...doh!

I hear a little hard drive noise when it is first plugged in and it does pass through the comonent video feed coming from the 5900m.

Thanks,

Mitch

the reboot takes like 5 minutes. as long as you don't have the tray popping open, just be patient.

if the tray is popping open, then most likely your drive died.

Originally posted by David Bott
This is what was sent via Kenwood right after CES... I have no reason to think anything different at this time....

---copy---

Today, Jan. 9th, Kenwood announced that a software upgrade is under development for the Kenwood Sovereign Entre' Entertainment Hub. Some highlights of which are as follows;


* Support for 3 Kenwood Sovereign DVD changers, DV-5900M and DV-5050M in any combination
* Control from external devices via TCP/IP. Control specification will be made available to authorized Kenwood Sovereign Dealers
* Easier access to DVD information. Owner's will be able to access by
simply pushing the "info." button


The program will also include upgrades for the Changers themselves. In addition to allowing for Daisy Chain control with Entre', layer change speed has been improved an astounding 58% and disc change time has been improved by 20%.

---end copy---

(Note...the speed increase seems to have been reported by some to be faster. We will soon see.)

I generally concur. It would have been nice if the email communication to us was consistent with the original press release.

David, I see your frustration with how people are reacting to this news. I think what's driving all of the frustration (before, during and after announcements) is not what Kenwood is doing/not doing... it's KenwoodUSA's ability to communicate in an effective manner.

I'm in corporate communications with my company, and I think I would have been fired by now if I conducted my communications strategy like KenwoodUSA has. Kenwood, let me know if you need a consultant. I think I may know someone who can help. :cool:

I think the reason we are paranoid is that multi-changer support was announced during the launch of the product and obviously, Kenwood never bothered to correct the announcement until people began complaining. So why would they not do the same thing again? Announce improvements, and then simply change their minds without telling anyone.

Even the dealers might have be going on the old information back in January. The serial numbers could simply be for units that have been upgraded to support multichanger control only.

So until we hear something official, I think we have every right to feel paranoid :)

My New entre is definitely not booting up. I plug it in and I hear a couple of chugs (hard drive stuck?) and then it goes into perpetual blinking light mode. I have tried unplugging and plugging it half a dozen times with the same result.

Any idea on what to try? Is it dead?

Thanks,

Mitch

I don't think there is ONE person on this forum who would be acting paranoid if Kenwood hadn't promised one thing, and then delivered another. That in itself wouldn't be too bad...but then they pretty much make no communication to the user community about what they plan to do to correct the situation.

If Kenwood is allowed to operate their business this way, without judgement (as some people on this forum would have it)...then we have every right to be paranoid about their intentions.

If Kenwood can make everything "ok", then GREAT! I'm not saying they will or won't. All I know is that two years is too long to wait with little to no comunication.

if it's taking more than 5 minutes it does sound like it might be dead, even though you say are not getting the tray pop open which seems to be an indication of failure to boot up.

how long are you waiting?

if your dealer is nearby just return it for a new one. if not, you have to ship it to Cerritos California and most likely they will ship you a new one.

at least you didn't get to save anything to it. I had the pupply almost full of mp3s and all my groups setup the way I like them. cover art for cds and dvds not found. in other words, i lost a lot of effort and time i had invested in the entre. i must be crazy to do it all over again :)

Originally posted by chefmitch
My New entre is definitely not booting up. I plug it in and I hear a couple of chugs (hard drive stuck?) and then it goes into perpetual blinking light mode. I have tried unplugging and plugging it half a dozen times with the same result.

Any idea on what to try? Is it dead?

Thanks,

Mitch

slocko,

While I am bummed that my entre isn't working I definitely agree that better now than after it is all setup.

btw - I used to live in Hazlet - right down the road from you.

I will talk to my dealer and see if I should exchange (they were clearing them out) or send into service.

Thanks!

I go to Hazlet all the time. They have a giant Costco there. This whole region is really nice. I am lucky I moved in before the real estate prices began spiking.

My advice is not to burn and cds like i did. burn them on a computer and then use the software to transfer them over. you might have problems with id tags, but at least you won't lose your mp3s.

OK - we're making progress. On a whim, I tried plugging the entre into a totally different outlet and it worked without a hitch. I moved it back to where it was and it still works.

Unfortunately, it doesn't like my usb-ethernet adaptor. I bought the belkin (which Kenwood says is compatable with the entre) and it doesn't work. The Link light doesn't light but I am not sure what that means (the activity light doesn't come on either but I think that's further down the road).

Hmmmmmm.......

This doesn't look good - I plugged the usb-ethernet adaptor into my computer and the link light starts blinking and changing colors which never happened when plugging into the entre.

Is there some way to jump start the usb port? Anybody got any suggestions?

Chef,

The Belkin worked for me for a while and then it stopped. It sometimes worked even with the light out. I eventually had to order the Netmate from Kenwood which took about a week.

The Belkin you have probably works with a later version of the software than you have installed in your new Entre. Your going to have to set it up on the dial-up connection first so you can log in and D/L a later version of the software and then go back to setting it up with the Belkin you have (YA gotta love Kenwood)

Tom

you just reminded something that support asked me when i called in my entre problem. they asked if i had any usb devices plugged in.

maybe the usb device was causing your initial problem. it could be you were not leaving it unplugged long enough to clear whatever was in memory.

Originally posted by chefmitch
OK - we're making progress. On a whim, I tried plugging the entre into a totally different outlet and it worked without a hitch. I moved it back to where it was and it still works.

Unfortunately, it doesn't like my usb-ethernet adaptor. I bought the belkin (which Kenwood says is compatable with the entre) and it doesn't work. The Link light doesn't light but I am not sure what that means (the activity light doesn't come on either but I think that's further down the road).

Hmmmmmm.......

bOObie is exactly right. Slocko, that was a problem for me once as well (having the Belkin installed). Question: When you folks reset the Entre, does it finish by turning itself on or does it finish in the off position?

Wow - that's frustrating. I can't use my usb-ethernet adaptor to login until I login and upgrade my software. Unfortunately, I don't have a dial up account in addition to my broadband acct.

When I reset the entre, it ends in the standby mode.

One other, very strange item. I wrote earlier about the problem getting the entre to boot, but by moving to another outlet the entre booted fine - I unplugged it and moved it back and it worked fine. I then tried to reboot (to help usb adaptor get recognized or ??) and it wouldn't reboot. I tried 5 or so times. Unplugged it and moved it to other outlet and it booted on the first try.

I have never had a device that only worked in certain electrical outlets. Could be a coincidence but it would be a very strange one.....

Anyway, I guess I will do something, just don't know what, yet.....

Don't plug in the USB adapter when you reboot it until you have the updated software, I think that is what is causing your problem.


Tom

Plus, isn't there something about the first time the Entre boots it will only work with a specific USB/Ethernet adapter (the CATC). After that, it will work with several others . . . but the first boot may need that specific one. I remember going through this from Entre II . . . I couldn't for the life of me figure out why it wouldn't boot up with the D-Link USB/Ethernet adapter . . . then someone reminded me of the "first time" rule.

It's in this thread somewhere, so happy hunting.

Nick :cool:

Chef,

Kenwood will let you use their Earthlink account to get the update. If you can find your local earthlink dial up numbers, the user name is entre1@earthlink.net and the password is kenwood. I do not know is the password is case sensitive. If you cannot find your local dial up for earthlink, you can use the ones I have for Tallahassee which are 850-222-0763 or 850-354-0020.

I feel as if I owe an explanation.

I currently own about 1300 discs, if you include DVD, DVD-A, and CDs (about 600 CDs). While that clearly means I only need three changers, and I'm investing in a total of 6, I'm clearly anticipating adding more discs.

I hate renting discs and, from time to time, I'll sell a whole bunch on eBay. My system is relatively "mature"--from an audio and video standpoint, it's where I want it to be. I'm even buying extra CRT tubes for my NEC XG135LC, for that day when it needs them.

I've already spent the "hard money" on my system--the good electronics, the speakers, the subs, and virtually all the toys are there. But I've learned an interesting lesson. One of the things that keeps me excited about this as a hobby is the interactive aspect of home theater. I'm proud to have a pretty cool Marantz RC9200 that's been programmed as a labor of love, specific to my setup (you actually press a picture of the component on the remote to access the unit) and the cool control factor is, well, one of the things that floats my boat. That's what has me so much in love with the Entre/Sovereign system.

So now, for less than I've paid for several components (less than certain single speakers), I can add three more changers and, as I've said before, I'm already used to a system with two Entres.

So am I compulsive? Admittedly so. But, in the end, now that we're working things out, this is the heartiest endorsement for the Sovereign system that it can get. My system is "good enough" that a "high end" player would seem more likely in it. But you know what? I'm convinced that the Kenwood is as good as virtually anything out there. And what the Entre adds is just unparallelled. Although we're a small bunch of devotees, the fact is that we've got something in our systems that no one on these pages has; it's been the same group from day one and, though there's been some differences, the fact is that we're onto something that goes way beyond the normal play-your-dvd-with-surround-sound-system.

So, now that I'm only really spending on software, I'm only too grateful that this system is going to be around. Believe me, if it wasn't the element of High Cool that I thought it was, I wouldn't have beefed and beefed (perhaps more than Kenwood liked). However, I'm glad that Kenwood is comitted to the system, I'm glad it will be there for others, and the people on this thread can boast an element of home theater that those who haven't experienced it simply cannot understand.

Nick :cool:

Nick - now it's that type of endorsement that has gotten me on the entre train. However, I am still trying to get the train to leave the station (so to speak).

DerekFSU - Thanks for the dialup info - I got a local number from earthlink's website.

I've connected via modem and connect to openglobe and get so far as Registering but that fails. Do I need to fill in the blanks on the dial up form called DNS?? Any ideas on why my registration would be failing?

Yep, so I am at a standstill. I could dial up but not register - so I skipped that step. I am now trying to update the software but can't (I do connect to open globe, but can't download).

Any more ideas???

Chef,

Unfortunately no. All I remember is using the Earthlink dial up info with the Kenwood password and username.

Can anyone help me on this. Cause I've had just about enough of trouble shooting an electronic device just so I can watch a movie.

My Entre now seems to be having a problem using DHCP after the upgrade. It has worked almost perfect for me till this. I have a D-link DI-713 wireless gateway so any help for this would be appreciated before I sell this crap on ebay.

Carbo,

I'm having the same problem since the upgrade - Entre gives a "DNS fail check network setup" message for any action that attempts to access OpenGlobe. My setup is Entre, Netmate USB-Ethernet adapter, Linksys BEFSR41 router, Comcast Cable Modem. IPs are via DHCP (dynamic). I've tried soft boot (front panel), unplugging the unit, unplugging then disconnecting the Netmate then plugging in power then plugging in the Netmate, swapping the Netmate to USB2 on the Entre, connecting the Ethernet directly to the cable modem. So far no dice.

When I test connections on the primary TCP/IP, I get a check mark on the "check HPNA/Ethernet...", then a check on "locate DHCP server", then it sits for a minute or so (the Status line reads "Start DHCP Process" during this time). Then the check on "locate DHCP server" changes to a red X and Status changes to "connected". The light on the Netmate blinks a few times during this process (and during reboots and connection attempts) and stays lit after the attempt fails. The router shows a good 10Mbps connection pretty much any time the Entre is powered and the Netmate is connected.

When I test connections on the secondary TCP/IP (which I do not use as I don't have the Axcess units), I get check marks immediately for the top four items, status reads "test network link", then after a minute or so I get a red X in place of the check on the "test web connection" line and status changes to "web connect failed".

The Media Manager cannot see the Entre on the network at all (I'm still using the pre-update version of the Media Manager software).

I've about exhausted my allowable time for fiddling around with this problem this weekend. Unless someone from the forum can offer additional ideas I'll probably call Kenwood Monday evening and see if they have any suggestions.

Suggestions would be welcomed,

Mike

Carbo et al,

One other note - I can play any movie, CD, or MP3 shown on the Entre menus. Internet radio fails DNS just like any other activity that needs to reach the Web.

BTW, my second DV-5900M showed up today!

Mike

Can anyone confirm of find out about the TCP/IP control features that were supposed to be added to the Entre upgrade? I would very much like to control my Entre via my Crestron with more that an IR driver, and this was the reason TCP/IP was promised. Any info is appreciated.

Mkellyvich plus plus,

Same here. It started after the upgrade where Media Manager could not see the Entre. It then would not play any internet radio but would play the local radio stations. When trying to play internet radio, it would try to locate the server for a minute or so and then say, "done with DHCP lookup."

Then my MP3's stopped playing altogether. I cannot get the entre to play one single MP3. Nor will it work with Openglobe on the Openglobe site or looking up cover art. Since my DVD player in being fixed as well, I cannot test it with the changer.

Just when I am defending Kenwood, BAM!! Trying to keep a brother down.

FYI, I am using the Netmate adapter and a Linksys wireless router. This setup has worked for the 10 months that I have had the Sovereign system. I reported the failure to play internet radio to Kenwood on Thursday to which they responded that this was a previously unknown of problem.

Mike(plus others),

After doing a hard reboot and loosing all MP3's and stored movies, it still doesn't work so don't do this.

I finally have it working with out DHCP and by setting a static IP address. For some reason when you look at its IP address in the DYnamic setting it assigns the wrong values to the settings.

So for a short term fix. Set it to static IP.

Peter,

PS

I am seriously thinking about getting rid of this crap. You should not have to go thru all this to sit down and watch a movie. I see a Denon 3800 in the near future if this keeps up. And if I do have to switch I will never buy another Kenwood product again. I've had enough of them.

Peter (Carbo),

Did you have to set your entire network (in other words the router and associated PCs) to static IPs? What settings did you use for subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS?

I played briefly with setting the Entre to static IPs yesterday without any luck - didn't have time to go research the static IP setup so I picked an IP within the router's acceptable range and copied the subnet mask, gateway, and DNS settings from my PC's current network config info. I didn't set the router to static IPs. I'd hate to have to do that as I can connect my work notebook to my home LAN as long as I keep the router on dynamic.

If you get a chance, I'd like to know the numbers you used for the static config.

Thanks,

Mike

Please check yourself, but this is what Kenwood told me last week regarding which serial numbers are "already" upgraded units.

SN: 30400400 AND HIGHER

I would still double check with Kenwood, but that's what they told me directly.

Nick :cool: