I haven't actually mounted the BNCs in the 5050 yet but I built a small switcher in the 5050. I'll mount two BNCs to the back panel, one is an input the other is an output. If the player isn't playing a DVD the switcher passes the input to the output. When it plays a DVD it passes its own SDI signal to the output. This works as I tested it last night. When you daisy chain the units only one plays at a time so this will work.

Unfortunatly from the service manual it doesn't look like the Entre can have an SDI mod on it. So you will either need to switch inputs on your display to see the Entre or have a second display for the Entre. I have a small LCD display in my theater for the OSD of my processor which will also work for the Entres OSD.

Shawn

SDI mod....is this more appropriately atech thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5111833#post5111833) conversation?

I don't know, this thread seems to be pretty much the collective knowledge of the Kenwood changers. And SDI mods have been discussed in it numerous times before.

Shawn

Originally posted by sfogg
I don't know, this thread seems to be pretty much the collective knowledge of the Kenwood changers. And SDI mods have been discussed in it numerous times before. Shawn This thread has had some pretty far fetched and personal only post that is for sure (I'm not refering to the SDI stuff). I understand part of what you are saying. I would say this thread is for usablity by normal usage and the tech thread is for the tinkers who want to open up the boxes physically or electronically (ie. FTP,etc). Other SDI discussions have been a link to go to get it done and not how to do it...as memory serves. I was mainly thinking of "users" of the system and new users who find this thred or get directed to it to learn about the quirky usablity issues. If they get pointed to the tech thread for the other tech stuff that seems to make sense to me. Just my 2 cents. Its obviously a public forum and I meant no offense in case I came across that way.;) You are obviously talented and have contributions

It shouldn't make a difference where the info is posted. I'm personally happy that Shawn is contributing to the Entre/Changer dilemma/solution/etc., as he has been a fabulous contributor in several forums, and offers much unselfish advice. We will benefit by his contributions, no matter where he posts. He personally helped me a lot with my audio processor when I purchased it.

But the same is true for Scott. Scott was the true pioneer of "cracking" the Entre, and then Joe Sampo took it from there. I'm happy to see great minds converging in one place.

Post here. Post there. These are discontinued products but they deliver a level of service that is unmatched by nearly anything current. Just keep the discussions moving.

But where is NiteOwl?

Nick :cool:

The Escient Fireball received an update last week making it IP addressable. The GUI comes up on your web browser, streams content (both MP3's and CD's), and most importantly, allows you to "drag & drop" MP3's to the Fireball within windows explorer.

Originally posted by Nick Satullo
<snip>as he has been a fabulous contributor in several forums, and offers much unselfish advice. We will benefit by his contributions, no matter where he posts.<snip> Indeed earlier today I had added my You are obviously talented and have contributions remarks (prior to your post) I noted his post count recalled his friendly/helpful post.

I was only trying to help current/future usage readers vs hardcore tinkerers. No worries mates!

Originally posted by DerekFSU
The Escient Fireball received an update last week making it IP addressable. The GUI comes up on your web browser, streams content (both MP3's and CD's), and most importantly, allows you to "drag & drop" MP3's to the Fireball within windows explorer.

Hold the phones. The Fireball? Does this include the DVDM-100 (which is and isn't a Fireball)?

Thanks,

Nick :cool:

Originally posted by Nick Satullo
Hold the phones. The Fireball? Does this include the DVDM-100 (which is and isn't a Fireball)?

Thanks,

Nick :cool:

The DVD-M (the manager of the movies) will receive the same software update at the end of the quarter.

Originally posted by DerekFSU
The DVD-M (the manager of the movies) will receive the same software update at the end of the quarter. Can you provide URLs to this info instead just text? That way people could get on-going updates directly. Pretty cool stuff. Potentially, although perhaps not likely, what we may expect in the Entre IIs.

Originally posted by ScottF200
Can you provide URLs to this info instead just text? That way people could get on-going updates directly. Pretty cool stuff. Potentially, although perhaps not likely, what we may expect in the Entre IIs.

Nope. It's from an email exchange with Michael Fadlevic at Escient. His exact text- "The D (DVDM) doesn't currently have a web interface. That is coming End Q1, Early Q2 2005."

http://www.escient.com/eupdate/

If we get another update on the entre this is what we can look forward to :)

REMOVED FEATURES

USB Support
OpenGlobe® Web Interface accessed via the OG remote button
WAV audio format replaced by FLAC
Pipeline support

So, if Escient is removing Openglobe from their products, does this mean that the OpenGlobe site will go away? That would be a bummer, as my wife and I regularly consult the site via the Entre after watching movies. Great way to get more info on actors and/or movies without getting our lazy behinds up off the couch, and sometimes leads us to select another related movie to watch.

Regarding the SDI mod, I don't care where you post about it, but please pass along any details you can - this seems like a great upgrade to the changers and potentially a great way to integrate the changers with an HTPC. My longterm vision for my theater is to have an MCE PC handling everything, with discs on the changer selected via the MCE GUI and played out the same DVI link as the PC. Seems like SDI from the changers to the PC would provide the best link for this...

Mike

Hi Mike,

" Regarding the SDI mod, I don't care where you post about it, but please pass along any details you can - this seems like a great upgrade to the changers and potentially a great way to integrate the changers with an HTPC."

As far as the SDI mod itself the 5050 uses BT656 parallel data so any of the standard SDI mod kits can be used with it. In the 5050 it is kind of nice in that the parallel video data out of the MPEG decoder isn't even used for interlaced analog video as all the interlaced video gets converted to analog in the MPEG decoder itself. The only thing that uses those signals is the progressive/dac. That should mean there is less chance of having the mod effect the analog outputs.

I'm planning on moving the mod tonight from my test 5050 to my main unit which is loaded up with DVDs. I did watch it a little on the test changer (to a Lumagen HDP Pro then JVC G10) and the picture looked better to me. Less background video noise compared to running component into my scaler. The changer is a nice setup with the Entre but the more I watched it the more I felt the picture quality was a step backwards compared to my SDIed Denon 2900 because of the extra noise. SDI on the changer should make up for that. If there is interest I'd consider doing this mod for others. Nice thing with the way I did the SDI passthrough is if a changer was already SDI modded there would be no need to do anything else with that changer... just put it at the end of the chain and use a changer with SDI switching ahead of it.

Shawn

maybe this will give you some ideas Shawn:

http://www.jvb.nl/jvb.asp?cur=2&level=sdi&page=title&title=100

By the way, my neighbor wants to buy an entre system but we couldn't find any changers anywhere.

If anyone finds any, let me know.

Originally posted by slocko
maybe this will give you some ideas Shawn:

http://www.jvb.nl/jvb.asp?cur=2&level=sdi&page=title&title=100

Here is the same thing but for a bit less. Granted on the mod price itself, they are really not that much less on the Kenwood's, but on two of them it would still amount to saving just over $100. But better yet, saving just over $300 on something like my two CX777ES changers. So I also would like to find something more along the lines of a DIY SDI mod kit.

http://www.msbtech.com/msb_home.htm

Guys, PMS Video sells DIY SDI cards if you want to DIY. You need to be a good solder as the connections you make to the DVD player are very small.

Shawn

Shawn,

Thanks for the reply - any chance you could post or PM a picture or two of your install in the 5050, and point out your daisy-chain mod? I had been looking at the PMS as source for the SDI cards.

Thanks,

Mike

Mike,

Sorry I didn't get back to this earlier... been working on a few different things.

I'll post a couple of pictures tonight and the pinout for the SDI mod if anyone is interested. That is in, works fine and looks good.

Because at the moment I'm only using one changer for DVDs I ended up bypassing the SDI switching for now. As far as that goes it is pretty easy to duplicate. I used a 5v SPDT reed relay (coil resistance 200ohm... 10ma current) and wired its coil in place of the DVD LED on the front of the unit. You have to replace the LED with the relay... you can't put them in series as the LED drops the voltage down to far which keeps the relay from switching.

The NC side of the relay attaches to the SDI Input I added to the rear panel of the changer. The NO side of the relay attaches to the output from the SDI card that was added to the unit. The other side of the relay is wired to the SDI Output I added on the changer itself. (If a person has no clue what I just said then doing a mod like this yourself might not be a good idea)

What this does is if the changer isn't actively playing a DVD (the DVD LED would be OFF on the front panel) the relay is passing the SDI Input striaght through to the SDI output. This lets you daisy chain the units since only one changer will have the DVD LED lit up at a time. When you select a disc to play in this changer the DVD LED would turn on which makes the relay pass this units SDI signal to the output.

Viola... SDI daisy chaining.

There are basically three things about this to be aware of.

First... is the Entre isn't SDIable. So to see the Entre's menus you need to either have another display or to switch inputs on your primary display. In my remote I made it so when I bring up the Guide it automatically turns on my secondary display as well as changes my scaler to the component input so I can view the Entre. When I then hit play or Select the remote automatically changes my scaler back to the SDI input.

Second... you can't see the setup menus of the changer itself via SDI if you build in the switcher. You only see the players output via SDI if/when the DVD LED would be lit up. Ditto when playing CDs or whatever. This isn't a big deal but worth noting.

Third... when you first start a movie while the Kenwood is loading the disc the SDI output will keep switching in and out. The reason this is is because if you watch your Kenwood while it is loading the disc the LED flashes on and off. This causes the switcher to keep moving between the internal SDI signal and the pass through. Once the DVD actually starts playing the SDI signal stays on the players signal.

"I had been looking at the PMS as source for the SDI cards."

These work as I used one in my SDIed Denon. For the Kenwood I used one of the cards from here:

http://221.169.10.62/sdi_index.html

And it worked fine too. If you are doing multiple units you will save a lot of money with those cards. The only thing to be aware of is if a person is using a HDL they are apparently very finiky about the SDI output. PMS has a special version of their card for HDL (changed something in their firmware) to make it work properly with HDLs. I don't know if the above card would work or not with one of them. Worked fine with my Lumagen though.

In both cases I didn't use the supplied wiring from the kits as they are to big to really attach to the DVD players card really well. I used wire wrap wire which fits through very small test point holes in the cards and can be soldered in that way. I'll post a picture or two of that tonight. I also mounted the card near the MPEG decoder to keep the wiring a little shorter and then put two new BNC connectors on the back panel and wired them to the SDI card/switcher.

Shawn

P.S. If someone has questions on DIY SDIing their changer please ask it here instead of through PMs. That will keep the info on this in one place to read up on it. That way I don't have to end up answering the same question loads of times through PMs.

The attached is the back panel of the DV-5050...

Connections between the MPEG decoder card and the SDI board...

Board installed in the unit and wired up.

Connections on the MPEG board are made at the ribbon cable on CN602.

The connections to the board has pin 1 marked. Every pin on that side of the connector is the odd pins... so they count up 1,3,5,7 etc..etc... the other side is the even pins starting at 2,4,6,8...etc...etc...

On that connector the pins we need are:

3 = Digital Ground
4 = Digital Clock (twist 3 and 4 together when making the connection to the SDI board)
5 = Video Data 0
6 = Video Data 1
7 = Video Data 2
8 = Video Data 3
9 = Video Data 4
10 = Video Data 5
11 = Video Data 6
12 = Video Data 7

24 = 5 volts
25 = Ground

On the SDI board I posted above its pin
B2 goes to Pin 5... Video Data 0 (VD0)
B3 = VD1
B4 = VD2
B5 = VD3
B6 = VD4
B7 = VD5
B8 = VD6
B9 = VD7

Then clock goes to clock, grounds go to grounds and vcc = 5v.

Shawn

Shawn,

Outstanding writeup, very clear. Saturday's task for me: dig out the backup 5900 and correlate your work to its guts. Great idea with the relay and DVD LED, by the way.

I use a Samsung 17" LCD monitor/TV to display the Entre GUI (run off the Entre's "for future use" video out to avoid Pass-Through issues, and plugged into the VR-5900's switched outlet so it comes on when the system powers up and turns off when you shut it down). With this setup there are no issues with not having the Entre on SDI.

Thanks again for sharing your work,

Mike

"Saturday's task for me: dig out the backup 5900 and correlate your work to its guts. Great idea with the relay and DVD LED, by the way."

I'm not sure the 5900 will correlate. The above is for the 5050. I'll take a look at the service manual for the 5900 and see if the data pins match up or not.

" Great idea with the relay and DVD LED, by the way."

Thanks, I'm a big believer in the KISS principal and that was pretty simple and straight forward IMO. Of course now one of the mod companies will start offering the above and charging an extra $200 for the pass-thru.... :(

Shawn

SDI for dummies description (http://www.cellarcinemas.com/cgi-bin/store/sdi.html)

Can't imagine my wife or any of the jaw-dropped guest being any happier than what they see from a DVD with a good transfer on the 135" Stewart Greyhawk. Interesting stuff tho and for future consideration for the videophile of the house.

Mike,

I took a quick look at the 5900 service manual. It doesn't really show the layout of the cards but I think the de-interlacer might be on the same board as the MPEG decoder as I don't think I see a ribbon cable between the MPEG decoder and the deinterlacer.

You might have to trace a few wires but off the MPEG decoder (MN677521HB) the pins you want should be

148 = VD0
149 = VD1
150 = VD2
151 = VD3
152 = VD4
153 = VD5
154 = VD6
155 = VD7

Clock is on pin 146 from the decoder.
Pin 147 should be a digital ground.

It looks like that chip runs at 3.3v as I don't see 5v any where to it. Pin 142, among many others, has 3.3v. If you have a 5v SDI card you might need to break out a multi-meter to find it in a useful place.

For the video data the board might be marked CP301 and CP300 for the resistors that are off these pins on the MPEG decoder.

To help orient yourself on that chip find the circle on the chip that marks Pin 1. Orient that so pin one is top left when viewing the chip. Go right across the top of the chip... the last pin on the top row all the way to the right is pin 157. On the row of pins going down on the right side the top pin there is 156 and each pin lower is one less. Those are where the video data pins are.

Hope this helps,

Shawn

Shawn,

Thanks yet again - that should be most helpful when digging into the 5900. I'll post what I find once I get the unit open.

Cheers,

Mike

Originally posted by JonDeutsch http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4975467&highlight=interrupts+me+because+about#post4975467
<snip>If I do that, my Entre "interrupts" me because about 5 mins into the film, it decides it wants to look up the info and takes me to the menu interface! So, I've stopped using the built-in "play" button, which would be just fine by me if it worked.<snip> Originally posted by ScottF200
I don't seem to have this problem. There is an common eject and play button and then there is an eject and play button for each of the 3 rental slots. I typically press the slots eject button, put in the disc and press the slots play button (as I recall then shuts the door). I don't recall the interruption. <snip> So I have watched several movies since these post. I use the individual rental eject and play button. It seems to work as expected - open/eject that rental slot and play that rental slot without any side effects.

Is there any reason to move from the entre to the dvdm-100? That is, I am perfectly satisfied with the entre, but ebay is selling a new one with a new 5900m. I already have an entre and two 5900m's. Just wondering if its worth $1,800 for the combo. For instance, what benefit does the dvdm-100 have over the entre.

I think the only major reason to move is to have an option of using Sony changers.

I would just wait until your changers head south, and then buy a dvdm.

Unfortunately, both may be in the south already. One is showing green streaks across the screen when playing a DVD and the door refuses to open on the other (I think it may be a stuck disc). I just have not had the time to pull both out of my rack and investigate.

I know once my changers die, I wouldn't get them repaired.

It would either be the dvdm or an htpc.

Which means that you would rip your dvd's to a hard drive (although the dvdm-100) does not have a hard drive and cannot rip or store cd's. Just read that hitachi is coming out with a 500GB hard drive, will be interesting to see how far technology will go this year.

Slocko and Mkelly,

The removed openglobe "features" was really just the button that took you there to buy stuff, etc.... All the online search and title access stuff works as before.

I hope the future DVDM-100 (and hopefully some future Entre upgrade for your sake) works as well. It already has a "movie" tab which is inactive for the fireball so it looks like the same layout.


Visibily very similar to the old interface, just faster and web-addressable.

BJBBJB

I have had my eyes on an htpc for a while now. Fortunately now you can buy them already assembled and they look like stereo components.

The latest graphic drivers are now also easier to configure. I even think the latest version of MediaPC offers a movie management feature for ripped dvds.

I've come to the conclusion that the only thing I will rip is the first rate animated stuff, and probably my first rate special effects action movies. That should bring down my collection to around 200 dvds probably. Very affordable to rip.

Netflix everything else. Most of my viewing now is HD material from regular television and HD Directv. The HR10-250 has made it possible to watch less dvds.

There is some great stuff here regarding the SDI mod!

I am wondering if anyone has found an efficient and econmical touchscreen control for the Entre -- I would love to be able to choose music without having to lower my screen. Of course an LCD monitor would solve the screen issue, but a touchscreen LCD would be fantastic. Anyone?

I've been using the PowerTouch III (RC-R1111) to control my system, and it just died. I've got all my equipment installed in the basement, and the RF is a godsend. Oops, *was* a godsend.

Do you guys have any suggestions as to what I can buy that would work with my basement install, or where I can trackdown a PowerTouch III?

Thanks!

I see that there is a PowerTouch III listed on eBay right now.

Thanks DWM, I saw that... But it's an RC-R1110, and I don't know what the difference is...

The RC-1110 doesn't have the ability to control Entre, or PL II capability, unless the owner has had it upgraded.

Looks like one too many indiscreet and googleable post like this (http://www.linux-hacker.net/cgi-bin/UltraBoard/UltraBoard.pl?Action=ShowPost&Board=technical&Post=2709&Idle=0&Sort=0&Order=Descend&Page=0&Session=) got the kenwood subdirectory yanked. I don't actually recall that kenwood.zip "utility" being mentioned before. I was thinking this was "reverse ngineered"...

Would seem like KW/E/OG would let us use it.

You would think they would allow us to use it seeing how the entre is barely being supported.

Shawn and other SDI'ers,

I finally got time to pull out and crack open the spare DV-5900M today. The MN677521HB chip is readily accessible on a PCB over the carousel. There are test ports for the eight video lines (VD0 on pin 148 runs under CP301 and 302, you can trace it easily by flipping over the board). The lines are also available via test ports at the input to the Analog Devices chip to the upper left of the MN677521HB chip (looking front-to-back on the installed board). There is a test port for pin 146 (clock), but pins 147 and 142 disappear under the decoder chip without test ports. Power (142) is not such a big deal since I need 5v for the PMS SDI board, but the digital clock (147) will be very difficult to connect directly off the chip.

Shawn, does the service manual show a trace from pin 147 to a test port location?

Following the video data traces does not show a clear path back to any of the edge connectors on the board (they run over to the Sage/Faroudja chips). I think I'm going to need a smaller soldering iron...

Cheers,

Mike

Has anyone experienced a video problem with their dv-5900m where the screen (whether playing a DVD or showing the Kenwood logo) is full of green horizontal lines. I really don't want to have to send this unit back for a fourth (maybe its fifth) time, especially since it means unloading four hundred stupid, to be obsolete, little silver platters that scratch and gather dust and dirt for the 8 weeks to get the machine back from Calif.

Has anyone experienced a video problem with their dv-5900m where the screen (whether playing a DVD or showing the Kenwood logo) is full of green horizontal lines. I really don't want to have to send this unit back for a fourth (maybe its fifth) time, especially since it means unloading four hundred stupid, to be obsolete, little silver platters that scratch and gather dust and dirt for the 8 weeks to get the machine back from Calif.

I see Sony changers in somebody's future :)

by the way Mark Rubin is selling his escient system to get the newer one that combines the fireball and dvm together. he is including the touchscreen.

Mike,

I'll take a look at the manual but it doesn't really show the test points in the schematics. You might need to test for continuity to find a decent place to tie into.

So the video dac and deinterlacer are all on one board in the 5900 right? In the 5050 for all the interlaced outputs (composite, S-video and component) that comes out of the MPEG decoder directly as analog. The digital video goes to the horizontal board at the back of the unit which has a 'progressive dac' on it which is just for the progressive component output.

"I think I'm going to need a smaller soldering iron..."

Easy way to make the connections if you are using the test point/holes and wire that fits through the holes. I used 28 or 30 gauge single strand wire wrapping wire which fits through the holes. If you buy precut/prestripped it makes your life easier. DigiKey and Mouser (among many others) sell it this way.

What you do is basically tin the wire right up at the edge of the insulation with just a touch of solder, it takes very very little. Then put the wire into the hole you want to solder it to and pull it through as far as you can go. The solder tinning might stop it from going through all the way to the insulation... that is good.

Now on the underside of the board grab the end of the wire with needle nose pliers and start gently pulling on the wire. Put your soldering iron onto the wire as close to the board as you want to risk it and wait. The wire will heat up enough to melt the solder which will then allow you to pull the wire through the board till the insulation stops it from going any further. When you get to that point just hold the heat there for a couple of seconds (so you don't get a cold joint) then remove the heat and let it cool.

This works great and lets you get *very* clean connections with little risk to the board.

Shawn

Just be sure you don't use too much solder when you tin the wire or it will bunch up on the top side of the board and might cause a short with another trace. When I did it you almost couldn't tell the wires had any solder on them.

Shawn,

Good tips, thanks. I'm ordering the service manual for the 5900 to better arm myself for this. Once that and the kit come in I'll be ready for some serious fun...

Cheers,

Mike

Hello All,

In December I posted refering to the Florescent display on my DV-5900. It was fading in and out and at times showed a bunch of "Jiberish" Well I brought the unit out for repair to a local authorized shop, it was 2 days out of warranty. A quick call to Kenwood in Long Beach, and a short conversation with "Jill", who faxed me an "Authorization" letter, and "Wallah" the warranty was honered. A word to the wise though, if you are experiencing the same problem, If the unit is not under warranty be prepared to shell out some cash for the repair. The entire display was replaced and also some ic circuits. There was no dollar figure on the receipt, because it was under warranty, but one of the parts alone was about $125, and the unit was out for 2 months. I now have the unit and it looks as good as new......

Originally posted by slocko
by the way Mark Rubin is selling his escient system to get the newer one that combines the fireball and dvm together. he is including the touchscreen.

I'm going to do the same. I have one of my DVDM-100s on eBay right now. It's got an attractive "buy-it-now" price of $1,000. If you contact me through a PM (assuming someone is interested), you'll save 10% off that.

Nick :cool:

Does the DVM-100 still daisy chain the changers, or do you need a separate serial connection to each changer?

Originally posted by rbienstock
Does the DVM-100 still daisy chain the changers, or do you need a separate serial connection to each changer?

With the Kenwood, you still Daisy chain the changers. With the Sony, each connects its serial port to the Escient.

P.S. Some savvy purchaser snapped up the Escient.

Nick :cool:

Originally posted by Nick Satullo
With the Kenwood, you still Daisy chain the changers. With the Sony, each connects its serial port to the Escient.

P.S. Some savvy purchaser snapped up the Escient.

Nick :cool:

That's not correct. I have the DVDM-100 and Kenwood changers. The changers are connected directly to the DVDM-100 (parallel via the RS232). Due to this setup you can use the Kenwood changers without having the latest firmware for multi-changers support, required for the Entre. /Lars

Jon and Slocko and ?

So have you guys determined that the 3 individual rental play and eject buttons work without lookups and other interruptions. I've used them numerous times before and after that post and they seem to work great.

I just finished my new theater/rec room and set up my system. My wife an I were watching Monster's Inc last night and the receiver shut off three times. When it shut off the red standby light would flash. I had to actually get up to turn it off and then back on. Any ideas as to why this would happen? Is it a power thing?

Thanks,
Jason

I always use the select button on the entre remote that has been copied to my univeral remote to play all my movies from the guide and never had a problem.

This works for me because I always place my rentals and look them up as soon as I get them.

I haven't tried the rental play buttons.

Originally posted by Lars158
That's not correct. I have the DVDM-100 and Kenwood changers. The changers are connected directly to the DVDM-100 (parallel via the RS232). Due to this setup you can use the Kenwood changers without having the latest firmware for multi-changers support, required for the Entre. /Lars

Only my main changer was connected via the 232 port. The others were daisy chained. The entire guide was available. I'm sure that it works the way you've suggested, but so does the daisy chain.

Nick :cool:

Originally posted by stickman
I just finished my new theater/rec room and set up my system. My wife an I were watching Monster's Inc last night and the receiver shut off three times. When it shut off the red standby light would flash. I had to actually get up to turn it off and then back on. Any ideas as to why this would happen? Is it a power thing?

Thanks,
Jason

Well, I watched some music DVDs (Joe Satriani and Eric Clapton) and a couple of episodes of Family Guy with no issues. Hope it doesn't return.

Those of you familair with the radio stations on the Entre...

I subscribe to XM and Sirius...can I program the url of the internet broadcasts into the entre?

Those of you familair with the radio stations on the Entre...

I subscribe to XM and Sirius...can I program the url of the internet broadcasts into the entre?

Well, it finally happend to me. My DV-5900M started acting wierd last night. We were watching Pulp Fiction and it starting freezing at random times. Sometimes it would stop and hitting play would recover. Then it would try to flip the disc. Then it stopped playing all together and the changer wouldn't respond to anything, including the buttons on the front. After killing the power to it twice, I finally got it to eject the disc. It'll be off for repair soon.

-Jason

Does anyone know where I can get a new or refurbished DVD changer? Either the 5900 or 5050.

Thanks,
Jason

Originally posted by stickman
Does anyone know where I can get a new or refurbished DVD changer? Either the 5900 or 5050. Thanks, Jason Doesn't look like Vanns carries them anymore. Did you try Jamal Ashraf [mailto:thelearner00@yahoo.com] ?

BTW, do you want to add the usage of the rental eject and play buttons to your FAQ. See starting here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4975467#post4975467

Thanks for the info guys.

Scott,

Not sure how to add this. My experience with the rental zone is that I hit the rental eject, put the disc in, then hit play. I've never had it inturrupt playing the disc to do a lookup. However, usually when I'm done watching the move, I turn it off (standby that is). Then, unless I remove the disc, the next time I go to the guide, it attempts to do the lookup then. So I'm not sure what the question is exactly.

-Jason

Scott is recommending that when you use the rental zone slots, you use the play buttons on the slot themselves, instead of the main play button.

That seems to avoid lookups in the middle of the movie.

Done.

Originally posted by ScottF200
BTW, do you want to add the usage of the rental eject and play buttons to your FAQ. See starting here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4975467#post4975467 [/B]

Originally posted by slocko
Scott is recommending that when you use the rental zone slots, you use the play buttons on the slot themselves, instead of the main play button.

That seems to avoid lookups in the middle of the movie.

Not in my world it doesn't. Unless I force a lookup in changer management, I will generally get interrupted by the Entre... even if I press the play button the unit itself. I have not tried this with the Entre off.

Do you push the big play button or the play button dedicated for one of the three rental slots?


Originally posted by JonDeutsch
Not in my world it doesn't. Unless I force a lookup in changer management, I will generally get interrupted by the Entre... even if I press the play button the unit itself. I have not tried this with the Entre off.

Originally posted by stickman
Do you push the big play button or the play button dedicated for one of the three rental slots?

I press the play button next to the rental zone eject button. I really thought that would work (it should!). But the Entre interrupts in a few minutes with a lookup. At least it did the last time I tried it (a year ago).

I have two daisychained 5900's off one one Entre with a disc total of about 650 and they both do the same thing - neither will play Shark Tales from a regular slot yet they both will play the same disc when loading it from the Rental Zone. Does anyone know why that would be? It's the same transport/laser/mechanism/etc....why would the source physical location of the disc have any bearing on how it plays once it reaches the platter? And only on a single, particular disc? It's dang consistant:

* 12 times from various slots in the 400 range (Player 1) results in "unable to read disc", auto-flip, and again "unable to read disc".

* 12 times from various slots in the 200 range (Player 2) results in "unable to read disc", auto-flip, and again "unable to read disc".

* 12 times from Rental Zone Player 1 - plays perfectly.

* 12 times from Rental Zone Player 2 - plays perfectly.

I've gone as far as making a copy of the disc using my computer (stripping out the extras so it fits on a single layer DVD-R) and using that keep in the player for Entre disc info, cover art, and movie playback for my son - and that works fine! I usually make DVD copies for the van and keep the originals in the Kenwoods, but I had to do the reverse for this one.

I'm stumped as to why the Rental Zone plays fine but the other slots don't on the same disc. Anyone know? I think Shark Tales is a DVD-9 disc but I have other DVD-9 discs that are loading ok from the regular Kenwood slots. I forget the Kenwood's FW versions off the top of my head, but both units were serviced and brought up to date about a year ago.

Thanx,
Kris

I've found that when I've had this problem, that if I turn off the Entre and press play on the 5900, the disc can be read by the changer. I don't know why. In some cases after doing that, the Entre / 5900 combination will then work.

I have no explanation for any of this.

could be the first symptoms that your player is dying. the alignment mechanism seems to slowly fail over time in these changers.

could be the first symptoms that your player is dying. the alignment mechanism seems to slowly fail over time in these changers.
Normally I'd think the same thing, but when two different players do the same thing to only one particular disc and not any of the hundreds of other discs in either player, somehow I don't think the problem is mechanical or at least alignment related.

sorry, i missed the part about the 2nd changer.

Robert has reported success sanding down the edges of some of the Disney discs that exhibit this problem.

Originally posted by slocko
Robert has reported success sanding down the edges of some of the Disney discs that exhibit this problem. I haven't had to do this in some time. Basicaly, what you need to do is to feel around the edge and, if it isn't completely smooth, to very lightly sand it down with the fine (white) side of an emery board until it is smooth. This solved the problem on one or two discs where the uneven edge caused the disc to stick in its slot.

Even tho Shark Tale is a Dreamworks disc as opposed to Disney, I tried the emory board to smooth out the edges, but no dice. However....

I've found that when I've had this problem, that if I turn off the Entre and press play on the 5900, the disc can be read by the changer. I don't know why. In some cases after doing that, the Entre / 5900 combination will then work.
....this worked!!!! Much thanx to DWM55. Here's what I did:

- with the Entre turned off, I loaded Shark Tale in a regular slot manually and not the Rental Zone. The disc played fine!! Then it occured to me that it likely played fine from the Rental Zone those many times before since I usually just directly hit PLAY to load the disc from there as opposed to going thru the Entre.

- Turned back on the Entre, but it still died stating it "cannot read the disc" during the lookup even tho just seconds before it was playing in that very slot.

- Then I figured "screw the automated lookup, let me do it manually". Now it won't manually look up because the slot is now tagged "unreadable", so I moved it to a different slot with the Entre turned off, manually played it (it loaded fine), turned Entre back on, and after it resolved the slots but before it could do the auto-lookup on the new disc, I killed the process. Then I did a manual lookup range for that one slot, and lo and behold the Shark Tale info downloaded from OpenGlobe.

- I've now gone back and forth a dozen times via Entre loading Shark Tale and other discs via the menu system and each time the discs load and play just fine, including Shark Tale.

I have absolutely no idea why Entre is puking on reading Shark Tale during an auto-lookup yet the player reads the disc just fine if you play it manually or you booger up the discovery process to load automatically like I did above. What a process! I'm now convinced this is some sort of Entre logic error with the content on this disc and not a mechanical, laser, or physical error on my changers.

Kris

except that the entre recognized my shark tales with no problems.

except that the entre recognized my shark tales with no problems.
What's your Entre version info? Mine is:

KMC: 2.0.0.8
PIC: 10
Bootloader: 1.12

Up until now I hadn't questioned whether or not my Entre is downlevel since it's worked somewhat flawlessly for the last 2 years (give or take the occassional documented Entre quirk here and there).

Kris

two quick questions:
currently available (like in BB/COMPUSA) usb to cat5e adaPtor that works for the entre ?
I have on dv5900 changer that was sent off @ a year or so ago, and another that I have yet to hook up and try that MAY have never been serviced/updated before...should I send it off or hook it up and try it first...my entre has had VERY few issues since it was sent to Kenwood @ a year ago too , but I don't know the latest version of the software/firmware or what other things to check to see if they're compatable?

Thanks in advance...I sell Fireballs now but haven't wanted to lay out for the new rig.......

What would an entre and two changers fetch on the open market (e-bay?) ?

well vanns still has the $300 entres and in case anyone hasn't checked, the axcess units are now $100.

the changers can't be found anywhere, so you might do well on ebay with them.

slocko,

Where are the axcess units for $100?

tweeterex,

Check the faq at http://sovereign.bryer.org for info on determining what firmware version you have.

just do a search on entre at www.vanns.com

it will pop up on the front page.

Just a little insight for those playing burned media or are planning to upgrade to the Dual Layer DVD+R format.

The 5900M will "NOT" play dual layer "burned" DVD+R's. I have had no luck watching and "Custom" DVD+R Dual Layered Discs.....

I have successfully set up my DV-5900M to power on when my Sovereign VR-5900 receiver and Entre are turned on, either with the remote or manually. It does require using some Xantech equipment but personally It is much smoother than having to handle two remoter or using a universal with a "work around" macro. Heres waht you need.

1 - Xantech Model 599-00 Programable Controler
1- Xantech Model 599 Pulsed Switching Module
1- Xantech Model 791-44 or other compatible connecting block.
1- Xantech Model Power Adapter

Wire the 599-00 and the 599 according to the directions. Using you VR-5900's relay control, wire the lead that is +12V when the receiver is turned on, to the 599's On terminal. Program the 599-00 with the comands for ON, OFF and STOP. Program two sequences into the 599-00 at any 2 of the 16 contact closures. Now when the system is powered on the changer will also power on and vice versa. Be sure to put some "Dummy" commands before the STOP command. If it sends the command out during the "Detection" process it will not stop the changer from auto playing. The nice thing about this setup is You can program the 599-00 for 2 different occurences. And using "Discrete" commands will not send out an incorrect command if the unit is already on or off. Finally connect a mono extension cable to the DV-5900"s DVD control Jack from the connecting block and your all done.....

PM me if you need any help......

I hope the report about Kenwood discontinuing there home electronics is just a rumor. I was looking forward to the new sovereign line.

and just what report are you referring do, not that I would doubt that Kenwood will put out of home entertainment - just too much competition and very little profit margin.

Originally posted by vaha
I hope the report about Kenwood discontinuing there home electronics is just a rumor. I was looking forward to the new sovereign line. Please point to actually sites/news stories and not vague post. That would make it much more useful, meaningful and responsible. Thanks much. Peace out.

Sorry, www.audioRevolution.com

Originally posted by vaha
Sorry, www.audioRevolution.com Thanks. Interesting. Dean was quoted in this article recently: http://www.cinenow.com/us/article.php3/id,1676/ about VRS-7200

And I just saw where the FAQ (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/group_info.jsp?categoryTypeId=110&productId=2357&productTypeId=147) was updated with info about the VRS-N8100 . An interesting point about this was the GPL/GNU open source aspect of this (KENWOOD PC SERVER) .

Kenwood Trims Home Effort Again

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 3/29/2005 6:49:00 AM

Long Beach, Calif. — A few months after outsourcing most of its home audio marketing functions, Kenwood USA will eliminate five key home audio sales positions on April 1 because “home audio sales are not what they should be,” executive VP Dan Petersen said.

Petersen will assume most of the responsibilities of the terminated sales positions.

Meantime, Kenwood Corp. of Japan is forming a Consumer Business Development Center whose primary task is to identify new technologies and new growth areas for Kenwood’s home audio business. The center will give Kenwood a chance to “fine tune” its home audio focus, Petersen said.

Because it is “stepping back” to identify new opportunities, Kenwood has put “on hold” its plans to re-launch the high-end Sovereign component series and to sell the industry’s first 400-disc universal DVD-Audio/SACD changer, which was to appear in its mainstream Kenwood component series later this year.

Although the company’s home audio sales have been lagging, Kenwood’s car audio sales are exceeding first-quarter estimates, Petersen said. Kenwood also said its fortunes have rebounded from just a few years ago, when it had a negative net worth, suffered a cumulative loss of $428.9 million and was $1.05 billion in debt. The company said it enjoys positive net worth and net income, has cancelled its cumulative loss, and has reduced its total debt to a third of its level of two years ago.

The sales positions to be eliminated are sales VP; the head of sales for the Rocky Mountain area, which is the home division’s only direct-sales territory; both regional sales manager positions; and one of two sales trainers. The national accounts VP position has been retained. “Our home business has been primarily with major chains and distributors,” Petersen noted.

The changes follow the elimination of four key home marketing positions several months ago. Their functions were outsourced primarily to DelphysWest/DDK, an advertising and public relations company. Other functions were outsourced to other contractors.

Despite the latest changes, Kenwood will maintain its existing complement of independent reps, who handle home and car audio, and its distributor base, including D&H, Ingram Micro, DBL, and the independent reps that also stock products. The company will likely appoint an independent rep to handle the Rocky Mountain territory, Petersen noted.

As a more nuts-and-bolts question - and I apologize if this has been discussed already - has anyone here played DualDiscs in the DV-5900M, and if so, successfully or no?

Originally posted by cwilson
As a more nuts-and-bolts question - and I apologize if this has been discussed already - has anyone here played DualDiscs in the DV-5900M, and if so, successfully or no?

I've had success with the DualDisc reissues of Back In Black and Kind Of Blue in the DV-5900M.

If you check out the kenwoodusa site, it specifically warns against using the dualdiscs in any of their products.

Zinja:

I'd already gone to the Kenwood USA site and searched for DualDisc - with no hits. Could you tell me where I can find that warning? I wouldn't want to think you made it up.

Craig

Originally posted by cwilson
Zinja:
I'd already gone to the Kenwood USA site and searched for DualDisc - with no hits. Could you tell me where I can find that warning? I wouldn't want to think you made it up.
Craig

Google is your friend :->

Put this in the google search: DualDisc site:www.kenwoodusa.com


General home audio
"Information Regarding the Use of DualDiscs on Kenwood Products"

Some music companies announced a new pre-recorded hybrid disc named "DualDisc" in August of 2004 and have already started releasing DualDisc titles.

The DualDisc is a two-sided disc made up of a digital audio disc on one side and a DVD on the other. However, it appears that the digital audio side does not conform to the standard industry technical specifications for compact disc digital audio.

Kenwood DVD players, CD players and disc drives fully conform to the standard industry technical specifications for compact disc digital audio. At this time, using a DualDisc on Kenwood products may lead to playback problems or mechanical troubles, and other unexpected problems including DVD players, CD players and disc drives. For optimum performance and to avoid problems, Kenwood recommends that consumers not use DualDisc titles on any Kenwood products, including DVD players, CD players and disc drives.

Kenwood has been reviewing technical specifications regarding the DualDisc titles which are already in the market. In accordance with the investigations, Kenwood will update this notice.

http://www.dualdisc.com/faq.html

Anyone have a copy of the DV5900 service guide in PDF format? I think my changer needs re-aligning and really don't want to send it in for repair again....

Zinja and Scott:

Thanks for that. Still don't know for sure if there have been real problems with the 5900M, or the warning was a lawyerly cover-your-ass. I guess I'll give it a shot and keep my fingers crossed.

HELP!!! PLEASE!!! My changer (the 5900M) does not respond to anything -- the door does not open open/close is pressed. Play has no response, etc. Anyone know what to do? It just seems frozen. I have tried unplugging, turning on and off. It remains with a disc # onthe screen, but nothing happening.

Originally posted by msb212
HELP!!! PLEASE!!! My changer (the 5900M) does not respond to anything -- the door does not open open/close is pressed. Play has no response, etc. Anyone know what to do? It just seems frozen. I have tried unplugging, turning on and off. It remains with a disc # onthe screen, but nothing happening.

How about try one / both RESETs:

From another of my post I called KW support this morning and they told me that you could also hold down the 'library' button [when cold starting using the power button] similar to the 'user-file' button for an "initialization". Apparently holding down the 'library' button is akin to a factory reset as it wipes out any customization you had on the DV5900m.

These should be added to http://homepage.mac.com/jbryer/theater/sovereignfaq/sovereignfaq.html

msb212, to turn on the dv5900 after you do the user-file restart requires that you press the power button on the remote supplied with/for the dv5900m.

hmmn. It's a bit hard, because I am not doing it myself -- it is my system in our rental property (a huge mistake in hindsight). I walked the tenant through it, and we got to the initialization ok on the screen, but it still does not open the door. So frustrating.

Originally posted by Adam Mrotek
msb212, to turn on the dv5900 after you do the user-file restart requires that you press the power button on the remote supplied with/for the dv5900m. Sounds like the remote power button works as well.

In this thread I describe the front power button.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3392061#post3392061

Stickman please add to FAQ.

Originally posted by msb212
HELP!!! PLEASE!!! My changer (the 5900M) does not respond to anything -- the door does not open open/close is pressed. Play has no response, etc. Anyone know what to do? It just seems frozen. I have tried unplugging, turning on and off. It remains with a disc # onthe screen, but nothing happening. When I was getting the Mech Err 13 I described squeezing the body. My door would freeze or stay partially open. The first few times I removed the cover but then realized it was a tight tolerance or some such thing and 'hugging it worked'.

See this thread and a few after it.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4617191#post4617191

thanks all. The tenant has gone to sleep, so that's all for tonight. I will try to walk them through it again tomorrow. I wish this system were not so finicky.

MSB212,

Renter? Do you have any other rentals that have a sophisticated home theatre setup? It must be one helluva rental.

sounds like a nightmare to support. not worth it in my opinion.

"Anyone have a copy of the DV5900 service guide in PDF format? I think my changer needs re-aligning and really don't want to send it in for repair again...."

There is nothing in the service manual about alignment.

Shawn

Originally posted by ScottF200
Sounds like the remote power button works as well.

In this thread I describe the front power button.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3392061#post3392061

Stickman please add to FAQ.

I'll make the updates tonight.

Hello, first time poster, fairly new browser of the forum.

Would appreciate any insights the forum posters would care to offer. I have a chance to pick up Kenwood DV-5900M (Kenwood refurb) and Kenwood Entre for ~$1200. Would you invest $1200 in that fashion compared to a Sony DVP-CX985V or DVP-CX995V and (something like an Entre)? I'd be pairing them with a Kenwood VR-5900 receiver. This system used 90% theater, 10% music.

The synergy of Kenwood components together attracts me, but the reports on quirks and price make me hesitate.

Thanks in advance.

Hi GFH
Watching movies in the comfort of your home is supposed to be fun,right? Well that didnt happen with the Entre and Kenwood changer. Its just not worth it. I gave up and since purchashing an Escient and Sony 400 dvd player have not looked back...

Scott, I was referring to turning the dv5900m back on after having to do a user-file/power-button restart. My changer would not turn on using the units front power button after the restart, it could only be turned on with the remote supplied with the dv5900m. I am not sure if the other remotes will substitute.
The reason I had to restart was due to a power failure which caused the Entre not to recognize the changer. Sorry if I was unclear earlier.

Originally posted by Adam Mrotek
Scott, I was referring to turning the dv5900m back on after having to do a user-file/power-button restart. <snip> The reason I had to restart was due to a power failure which caused the Entre not to recognize the changer. Sorry if I was unclear earlier. No worries.

gfh_knighlite,
the price would make me hesitate...I would think along the lines of $800-$900. I would also want warranties. I don't have 'unlimited' cash...at least if I want to retire at a reasonable age....so I don't mind tinkering a little. My family enjoys the system a lot...but my changers have been pretty stable and eject button works!

you can get a refurb entre with warranty from www.vanns.com for $300.

there was a person in this forum who was willing to part with his changer and entre for a lot less than $1200.

entre is a nice device to integrate your dvds and music, but there are other devices catching up that will manage your media if you have ripped it to digital bytes.

my entre is now mainly used by the kids. watching hd programming on my hd-tivo has pretty much taken over my leisure tv viewing time.

Originally posted by zinja
MSB212,

Renter? Do you have any other rentals that have a sophisticated home theatre setup? It must be one helluva rental.

No, just the one. It's a killer house in Palm Desert that we use for ourselves about 1/3 of the time. 4 bedrooms and a huge pool on a half acre. Really beautiful. Initially, it seemed like a great idea to have a movie & music library available for people (it rents for 600-750 a night)-- and since I wanted to have a great system when I am there I put it in. The system has a 50" HD plasma, mid level B&W speakers, deftech sub, and the Sovereing lineup. The issue has primarily been figuring out how to get people to understand how to use it. The powertouch seems to be too sophisticated a remote, and the Harmony I tried was great for me, but for most renters it always seemed to get out of sync in terms of what was turned on or off etc. Now that the changer has gone down (I tried everyone's suggestions to no avail -- still frozen on D001, T01) not sure what I am going to do.

Originally posted by ScottF200
When I was getting the Mech Err 13 I described squeezing the body. My door would freeze or stay partially open. The first few times I removed the cover but then realized it was a tight tolerance or some such thing and 'hugging it worked'.

See this thread and a few after it.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4617191#post4617191

Thanks, but no luck. Arrgh.

Why not just get a Tivo with two 300 gig drives and have it record all movies from HBO?

Originally posted by slocko
Why not just get a Tivo with two 300 gig drives and have it record all movies from HBO?

what's the fun in that? Plus, sound is crappy and picture worse. And, no music, and no sorting, and so forth. Mostl though, i want it for myself when I am out there.

Jon, is that you over at Acura TSX?

I finally hooked up my VR-5900 received to my Entre and Changer. I was barely using it in the basement for a year and half. But I have 1 question and 2 problems.

Question:

I bought a RC-9013 remote (like the smaller remote) how do you setup the marco's? Since I want to turn off the change with everything else.

Problem:

The audio has been dropping out during movies and I believe my SAT input also??


I hear a static echo from one of the speakers sometimes? I'm using all good cables (monster)?


Any idea?? Help is appreciated..

i have the 5700 receiver and it does the same thing.

i get audio dropouts with dts and dolby digital. it got a little better with monster cables, but it's still there.

if by static echo you mean like if the tweeter was fluttering in the rear, that I also experienced. it only happens if you have thx enabled. i ended up taking thx off because it was driving me crazy. seems to be a problem with the kenwood receiver and thx. it's been seen by others and there is even a small thread on it. nothing you can do about that.

somewhere buried in this thread there are discrete codes for on/off for the changer. but the easiest way would be to learn on/off from the keyboard for the changer.

Hmmm. Been using the VR-5900 since Sept 2002, never had problems with audio dropouts from any source, optical, coax, or analog. Never noticed tweeter flutter either. Maybe you should call Kenwood and see what they say?

I have used both optical and coax for the DVD, been using coax for the last year and a half - have you seen the dropout problem on both?

I have had two optical cables get pinched (run over by the TV when moving gear around) in the last five or six years - cable would look ok but signal would be intermittent. Replacing the cable fixed the problem.

Mike

the tweeter flutter only happens with THX enabled and if i remember correctly, only on the left side. switching the connections moves the flutter to the other side. it sounds like if the tweeter had ripped.

my dropouts are about 1 or 2 during a movie. never in the same place. i tried 3 different brands, both coax and optical. same thing.

Mine has the same flutter on the left side.. I doubt Kenwood will have anything positive to say. But the cutting out has got to stop.. It's killing..

ANY DANGER HOOKING UP AN NON-UPGRADED 5900 INTO ANOTHER ONE+ENTRE SYSTEM?

thanks......

Hi guys,
Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but this seems to be the "kenwood sovereign" thread.

I received a DV-5700 yesterday from a seller at Ebay and it seems to have "issues". First let me state that I am using the exact same config as I've used with every DVD player, same cables, receiver, projector. Progressive over component. BlueJeans cables from player to Elite 45tx, BlueJeans cables to Optoma H76.

DVD's look great, until I press OSD, or try to use the setup menus. Then the screen where the menu should be is just a mishmash of pixels. I determined that if I reduce Enhancement to +1, using a composite attached tv so I could read it!, I can use the menus. But I still can't view th AVIA disc. The main menu looks like a reflection in a carnival mirror and the Needle Pulse pattern causes my H76 to lose sync and will not display, period.

I'm contacting the seller about warranty or return, but I thought I'd ask the experts if you've ever heard of, or seen such behavior.

Thanks for the help,
Ken

First of all excuse my English i live in Germany!
In Germany the VR5900 has a other Modellnumber the call him KFR-X9995D
but it is the same. A User has write that he has trouble with digital signals. The Problem is not the VR-5900! The Problem is the Jitter of the Digital-Signal, I have connect a Behringer SRC2000 Jitter Remover Digital Patchbay between the Digital Line and the Problem was gone.

Hi Shortpulse. Good first post.

I still think there is an issue with the way the receiver handles the signal. Makes sense though that a device that removes Jitter will probably fix the problem.

Thanks guys. I have returned the player and have another one on the way. I truly hope there was a problem with that specific player. If not, the only thing I can think is that the signal from the 5700 is not as strong as all of the other players if used.

Ken

I am new to this forum, but I have owned an Entre, and 2 DV - 5900Ms for a while. I love the system, even though it is a little quirky at times. (don’t you love holding down the shift key to get lower case letters when using the keyboard remote!?) I just purchased a 60” HDTV, which made my older Kenwood VR – 3090 receiver somewhat obsolete. I have gotten very tired of using a chart next to my chair to match up which video input on the TV goes with which audio input on the receiver. I have decided to upgrade my receiver, and need the help of some of the VR -5900 users on this forum.

How good is the integration between the Entre, the DV - 5900Ms and the VR-5900? If you were buying a receiver now, would you get the VR-5900 or would you get something like the Denon AVR-3805? Both units have similar features. The VR-5900 is THX certified, the Denon AVR-3805 is not. The Denon AVR-3805 is a true 7.1 system, and the VR-5900 needs an additional amplifier for the rear surround channels. The VR-5900 is about three years old and the Denon AVR-3805 is about a year old. I am afraid that if I go with the VR-5900 I will be trading old technology for almost old technology. If there is truly useful integration with the VR-5900 and the Entre and DV - 5900Ms I may buy it.

Any insight that any of you may be able to give me would be appreciated.

Das961,

Get the avr3805. Wonderful machine. Problem with the vr5900 is that it integrates with the entre...too much. Especially with kenwood lcd remote. Pain in the bottom. Sometimes when you don't want it to. Also, AVR has on TV screen feedback, VR has in hand feedback. I don't like it. I used to be a sovereign dealer. I know from whence I speak.

Randy

I agree with RF1031 about the integration issue. I just ended up disconnecting the serial cable between the entre and the VR-5900. I have it set up so that the video from the entre and DV-5900 are routed throughout the house on the cable line (I just tune to channel 79). The problem I was having is that when I'm watching a DVD in another room, I don't want the receiver on. However, every time I turned the entre on, the receiver would go on. Kind of annoying.

Other than that, all things being equal, I would go with the newer technology. However, if the price is right, I wouldn't hesitate get the Kenwood. It really is a great receiver.

-Jason

RF1031, since you were a sovereign dealer, maybe you can shed some light on the reliability of the dv-5900m, it seems that my three players need fixing every couple of years for one thing or another. The biggest problem seems to be the alignment, which causes some discs to be unreadable. Just curious if you had many customers with the same problem.

I only sold about 6 systems with Sovereign in them. I have a small company doing custom install. Easier for me to integrate escient with crestron than kenwood. One outright failure of player after 1 1/2 yrs and another customer (he never had entre) who wants an escient says to pull dv5050 (he has $5k outboard faroudja NRS so he didn't need 5900) and put in sony 777. It works whenever I've been there, but he says it makes noises.
Randy

For a while all the dv-5900m's made a whirring noise. Turned out that the tolerances with the outer shell was too close and it was rubbing on the chasis. of the three i have now, one is starting, once again, fail to read some of the dvd discs. another dv-5900m just gave up the ghost and shows big green streaks across the screen, probably a bad video processor. All are out of warranty.

don't worry zinja, your fate awaits us all :)

Slocko, thanks for the sentiment. Fortunately, the dv-5900 just keeps appearing on e-bay. By the time my wife kills me, i'll probably own 10 or 15 units, that way I can scavange them for parts.

Stickman, I use the same set up as yourself, only my channel is 77. I was going to try something but haven't really had the time to try it. I am using Xantech equipment in each satellite viewing area to control the Entre and changer. I know if you turn on the system using the PowerTouch in Zone B mode, the receiver is muted by default. I have "Hardwired" the IR system to each the Entre, Changer and Receiver using each IR mini plug on each. I wonder though if just moving the mini that is connected to the VR5900 to the Zone B input would help with this problem. I also have the changer powering on and off automatically using a Xantech 599-00 it also sends out a stop command to the changer taking care of the auto play issues.

Thanks everyone for your comments. After much thought and consideration I went with the Denon AVR 3805. I needed the extra component input and liked the true 7 channel speaker ability. I would have liked the added integration though. Has anyone tried to use the RS-232C connection with another brand of reciever? The input from this forum was very helpful in my decision. If anyone is interested, Vanns has a great deal on a VR 5900 new in the box. This is a great forum, thanks for your help.

Hello,
This seems to be the repository of Kenwood Sovereign knowledge. I have posted a thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=534854) about my DV-5700 a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't get any takers. Maybe someone here could take a look?

Thanks,
Ken

Thanks for the info Danny. The real source of my problems is that I'm using the receiver to power my projector. I have a power conditioner that has a 30 second delay on it so that the power is killed to the projector after 30 seconds. When the receiver goes on, so does the projector. This is due to a limitation with the Infocus projector. It doesn't have a discrete power off command.

-Jason


Originally posted by DannyFresh
Stickman, I use the same set up as yourself, only my channel is 77. I was going to try something but haven't really had the time to try it. I am using Xantech equipment in each satellite viewing area to control the Entre and changer. I know if you turn on the system using the PowerTouch in Zone B mode, the receiver is muted by default. I have "Hardwired" the IR system to each the Entre, Changer and Receiver using each IR mini plug on each. I wonder though if just moving the mini that is connected to the VR5900 to the Zone B input would help with this problem. I also have the changer powering on and off automatically using a Xantech 599-00 it also sends out a stop command to the changer taking care of the auto play issues.

Originally posted by stickman
Thanks for the info Danny. The real source of my problems is that I'm using the receiver to power my projector. I have a power conditioner that has a 30 second delay on it so that the power is killed to the projector after 30 seconds. When the receiver goes on, so does the projector. This is due to a limitation with the Infocus projector. It doesn't have a discrete power off command.

-Jason

Stick, When you say your are using the receiver to power on your projector, do you mean the projector is plugged into a switched outlet on the receiver? If so this could be solved by using the "Relay" control on the receiver instead, if the projector or power conditioner is capable of being turned on by means of a 12v relay. (When the VR-5900 is powerd on by a Zone B command the relay is off by default). If this is not the case you could purchase a switched outlet that is controled by a 12v relay, and use the relay on the vr5900 to power that. Either way you still should be able to power on the receiver from a remote location using the Zone B inputs and not have the projector power on and have the vr5900 muted by default....

Sorry to ask this question, I know its in here somewhere but, how can I determine if an older dv-5900m has been level three upgraded?

http://homepage.mac.com/jbryer/theater/sovereignfaq/sovereignfaq.html

Anyone looking to get a 5050m changer give me a PM. I am going to put it on ebay but I figured I would once again give everyone here a chance just in case anyone needed one.

Its like new and has the upgrades.

Thanks slocko, I guess I am out of luck, the 5900m starts with a 1, which means it is not upgraded, although it works just fine. I bought it on ebay to add to my growing collection of 5900m. Maybe I can scavange it for parts to get my third 5900m working again, than maybe I should just put it back on ebay, or maybe i should just sell the whole setup and burn my 900 DVD's onto a really big hard drive, or... mayby i'll just put the thing in a closet and forget about it. Decisions, decisions, my gosh

Originally posted by zinja
mayby i'll just put the thing in a closet and forget about it.

:D C'Mon, Zinja, Who Are You Kidding !!!:D

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/536999593

maybe I'll pick up another back-up, for 350 how can you beat that? Plus it would be nice to have a third remote.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to give that a try.


Originally posted by DannyFresh
Stick, When you say your are using the receiver to power on your projector, do you mean the projector is plugged into a switched outlet on the receiver? If so this could be solved by using the "Relay" control on the receiver instead, if the projector or power conditioner is capable of being turned on by means of a 12v relay. (When the VR-5900 is powerd on by a Zone B command the relay is off by default). If this is not the case you could purchase a switched outlet that is controled by a 12v relay, and use the relay on the vr5900 to power that. Either way you still should be able to power on the receiver from a remote location using the Zone B inputs and not have the projector power on and have the vr5900 muted by default....

I use watchthatpage.com to monitor website changes and it noticed that the offical Kenwood tips page disappeared. I went to the main usa website and it is underconstruction. It does point to a 'home audio catalog' tho.

The page ten shows a GUI and if you blow up about 300% you can read much of it including 'MOVIES'. Not compatible it seems with anything we know but interesting none the less.

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/PDF/Home_Catalog_2005.pdf

Great Forum!

My HD on my Entre recently died and I have read in newgroups and forums that upgrading to a 120GB drive was not a problem. All I needed to do was get kenwood.zip file and then edit part.prp and update.prp file to accommodate the additional partitions. How do I go about doing this? I see its an ASCII text file with block sizes....How do I modify the part and update prp files to work with a Maxtor DiamondMax 16 120GB 5400rpm 2M cache.....

Any help would be appreciated.

GdnMatrix

:confused:

GdnMatrix, The process is fairly simple. However the hardest part now is getting your hands on the 90 Meg+ compressed folder that is no longer available on Escient's site..

Anyone else see the Kenwood Soveriegn mixer on ebay? Just the thing for those who've maxed out on changers, receivers, entres, and axcess portals.

Cheers,

Mike

Please check out

groups dot yahoo dot com slash group slash ipaqmusiccenter
(sorry, I haven't posted 5 times yet, so I can't post a link).

I am one of the moderators the Compaq Music Center Yahoo! group, where we also discuss the Entre. One of our members is being nice enough to host the file.

I obtained it from another member, uploaded it to his server, and I believe he is still hosting it.

In fact, we could REALLY use some help with a problem two of our members (the person hosting the file is one of them) are experiencing. We would consider that help more then fair exchange for a copy of Kenwood.zip.

Thanks!!!!

Jason

DannyFresh,

I have the kenwood.zip file, but can't seem to get part.prp and update.prp right...it always fails when it starts CD Update Utility...it says

Processing partition 7.0.1
Initializing partition
source file = KMC.ta
Uncompressing 7.1.1/KMC.ta
something bad happened:
Cannot open %s

and it just loops forever......

Any ideas???

Anyone else see the Kenwood Soveriegn mixer on ebay? Just the thing for those who've maxed out on changers, receivers, entres, and axcess portals.

Cheers,

Mike

:D I was wondering what they did with the parts from all those unrepairable Entre's. I wonder if it reboots while mixing cake batter??? :D

DannyFresh,

I have the kenwood.zip file, but can't seem to get part.prp and update.prp right...it always fails when it starts CD Update Utility...it says

Processing partition 7.0.1
Initializing partition
source file = KMC.ta
Uncompressing 7.1.1/KMC.ta
something bad happened:
Cannot open %s

and it just loops forever......

Any ideas???

GdnMatrix< Check PM

I revived this dead Entre by making image of the bad drive using
Winhex (minus the 12 bad sectors). I copied this image to a new drive.
Now system boots and plays everything fine. The only problem is when I
put in a new CD or a DVD in the DV-5900 the Entre won't download title
or cover art information. When I watch the dialog during the lookup
process it looks like it can't connect to the site it is trying to. I
would have thought it was an internet connection problem, but the
internet radio stations play fine. Plus, in the network setup test it
makes it all the way through. The only thing I can think of would be a
possible DNS problem and that the internet radio stations are listed
by IP address. Has anyone else had a similar problem or have an idea
to fix? Thanks.
By the way, I have the kenwood.zip file on my server:
68.15.120.11:8080/~kenwood/kenwood.zip

It could be that the entre needs to be re-regsitered.

There is a number sequence you enter with the remote to start the registration process.

You are going to have to search the thread. Search for backdoor. I think that will bring up the code.

the backdoor code might be a good candidate for the faq if it's not in there already.

the backdoor code might be a good candidate for the faq if it's not in there already.


To get to the back door press "Setup" on the remote then"5555". That will bring up the hidden menu!!!

Have had the full Sovereign system (VR5900, entre, DV5900M) in the home theater for approximately 2-3 years with no major problems whatsoever until now (have been following this forum since its inception...its fantastic...have read all 309 pages). In the last 2 weeks, have noticed that after the system has been in use for about 30-45 minutes, any digital audio inputs (satellite, dvd, etc.) begins to have annoying drop outs. During these drop outs, the fl display keeps wavering like it can't hold onto the digital input signal. I have tried switching optical cables (sat only has digital optical out), and coax cables (DV5900M has both optical and coax digital outs as you know) without any resolution of the problem. I have done a search on this in this Kenwood thread with only a couple of hits (all posts ironically within the last few weeks). A couple of questions for our more experienced users...1) is this a known issue with the VR5900 digital audio inputs/processor, 2) since this usually occurs after the unit has been on a while, is heat buildup contributing to this problem (it has never been a problem for the last 2-3 years, and 3) any potential solutions short of sending the unit in back to Kenwood for eval? TIA for all your help.

Thanks for the info on the secret menu! The forced registration did the trick and the entre is happily humming along on it's new hard drive.

Now if I could only figure out how to back it up via FTP without an Access portal. The procedure for FTPing to the entre has not been very public it seems... can anyone offer assistance?

JRinOKC , Check PM., for info on this subject....

My pc hard disk crashed and I lost media manager. when I went to the website to get it the site is down and the files are gone. Can anyone send me the latest version of media manager?

HI All, I hope someone can give me some guidance. I just got my new Entre lastnight. (After fedex lost it for 11 days). The unit has software version 1.1.0.10
PIC version 10
Bootloader Version 1.12
I dont have a supported net adapter yet but am on my way to compusa in pittsburg as soon as I finish typing this to get one.
I also have the VR-5700 and the 5900M and the MX-5000.
Anyway, my problem is that i cant seem to get the machine to register with openglobe or get any updates. I temporarly joined earthlink to use dialup until i get the usb adapter, and it seems to be connecting and logging in fine. But when it goes to "connecting to OpenGlobe" it just sits there for 4 -5 minutes before erroring out. If im missing something stupid here I appologize. I have also read many many messages and site and have not found any thing related to the registration problem.
Thanks in Advance.
Mike

<snip>Anyway, my problem is that i cant seem to get the machine to register with openglobe or get any updates. I temporarly joined earthlink to use dialup until i get the usb adapter, and it seems to be connecting and logging in fine. But when it goes to "connecting to OpenGlobe" it just sits there for 4 -5 minutes before erroring out. <snip> I had trouble a half hour ago looking up a movie from the individual edit/search menu option. It stated it could not connect to openglobe. Oddly the 'test connection' worked under the setup menu/tcp setting area (including the one that states testing openglobe connection). May not just be you.

Is it common for OpenGlobe to go offline? Ok well im out the door to get the usb adapter and mayme a 120 gb for it. Hopefully it will work when i return with ethernet capabilities. Any rumors when KenwoodUSA is supposed to return online.
Also, I found the Kenwood Entre`Media manager 2.0.0.3005 software if anyone is interested.
I also have the Kenwood.zip file for the 120gb upgrade. I assume its a newer version than 1.0.0.10, Should I just install it first or get the 20gb software updated via the net, then do the upgrade?
Thanks,
Mike

I just request that someone send me the kenwood file so I can do the upgrade.. Thx..

I have 2 other questions.. Lame ones I just can't figure out..

1. Marco's on Kenwood RC-R0913 remote. I am using the R0913 remote on my VR-5900 receiver (I hate the big one) but need to figure out how to setup the marco feature so I can turn off my CD Changer when I turn of the system (which turns off the receiver and enter automatically).

2. Having problems with the receivers IR repeater. I though I could use the receivers remote and IR repeater dual cable setup connected to my Sony HD200 SAT reciever and ReplayTV receiver to push IR commands to the units. The SAT and Replay are blocked by a chair a bit and sometime I have problems getting the rmeot signal to reach the units but I can easly get to the Kenwood receiver. I've plugged into the IP out port on the receiver and stuck the repeater ends over the units Ir receivers.. What am I doing wrong..

Thanks for any assistance sorry to interrupt a more seasoned discussion..

I bought an old 5900m in an attempt to replace the one that has video problems. But it has not been upgraded to level three (plays great though) and will not even connect as the third player in my setup. I once read that the level three uprgrade was only software. 1. Is it only software?
2. Anyone have the software to upgrade.

I do not particularly want to spen a couple of hundred $ on shipping and upgrade for an old unit, especially when refurbs seem to be making a comeback on ebay.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

It was hardware also. That is why we had to ship it to kenwood.

Slocko, that is not what I wanted to hear. Well I guess I will just relegate the non-upgraded 5900m to one of my other rooms -

Thanks for the reply

Hi All,

I got the USB adapter for the Entre and it seems to work ok. Seems i got registered with OpenGLobe as i got a password listed now. Although it will not sync and i cannot get an update does can some tell me if the site is down or if i have a problem on my end.

THanks

Mike

Have been using the full Sovereign system since its introduction, and until recently, have been very fortunate not to have many of the problems that have been posted since day one. Unfortunately, just recently, I have begun having trouble with digital audio signal dropouts. Also, I have been having trouble connecting to Openglobe for CD lookups (am burning my CD collection onto the HD). I have forced re-registration of the Entre and have had intermittent lookups successfully completed (every so often, the Entre will connect to Openglobe successfully, more often, it cannot successfully connect, even though internet radio stations connect). My network connection, adaptor and internet DSL connection does not seem to be at fault as all other internet devices connected my LAN works, and this has not been a problem in the past except for those times when Openglobe was down. Has anyone else been having this problem lately? Is there a risk of Openglobe phasing out their arrangement with Kenwood? Bewildered minds want to know.

My DSL connection is excellent and always has been. I have 11 computers in the house and no network problems. I tried to register my DVD and cd collection last night numerous times. About 50% of the CD were recognized and 0% of the DVDs were. there about 100 dvd in the 5900 and all of them are listed as unknown. I hope it comes back.
Mike

IS there anyone out there with the 5700 and MX-5000 combination. Am i correct that the 5900 is the only reciever with the relay output for the external amp switch. The 5700 doesnt appear to have this connection. Does that mean i should use the switched 110 source on the reciever to power up the mx-5000 when the vr-5700 is powered up. Im thinking not, as i think it may be underpowered. if that is the case am i stuck having to power it up manually (pushing the power button) when i bring the system up.

Thanks
Mike

Any chance your player is heading south?

It could be the laser is not reading the discs correctly.

It won't be the first time or last time these players break down. Just ask Zinja :)

These changers just don't stand up to constant use that well.

My DSL connection is excellent and always has been. I have 11 computers in the house and no network problems. I tried to register my DVD and cd collection last night numerous times. About 50% of the CD were recognized and 0% of the DVDs were. there about 100 dvd in the 5900 and all of them are listed as unknown. I hope it comes back.
Mike

Open Globe still appears to be working - I bought several DVDs this week, all looked up just fine. Have never encountered the audio dropout problem. So far, so good...

Cheers,

Mike

Well, i managed to get the 5900 to register about 75% of the DVD's. I just keep trying and once in a while it works for a few discs. eventually ill get them all i hope. I still cant get any radio station updates though. I keep getting the "Radio Sync Failed".

Mike

Is there a way to hard reset the 5900 dvd player? I bought one for use with the Escient piece but the Fireball seems to think the player has 32 DVD's in it and keeps trying to look them up when it only has 1 disc in it.

Hey All, I currently have 2 dv-5900 changers, AR-5900 Receiver, and obviously an Entre. Everything is connected to a Xantech IR repeater system. (All IR ports on every piece of Kenwood equipment I mention above is connected directly to a Xantech connecting block Via each IR mini input) This morning I powered up the system (Changers power automatically using a Xantech 590-00, A power command is sent first then a stop to defeat the autoplay function), and the message "Custom Installer Mode" appeared exactly where the word "Reading" appears on the video display. Has anyone expereienced this before?

i use to get that and it went away. never really affected the system in any way that i could tell.

No, Slocko, it doesn't affect the system other than if I remove the stop command that is supposed to stop autoplay, it never autoplays at all.

This would be interesting to see if Kenwood Tech's can enlighten us. Maybe your macro is so quick that the changers think it's one command, (like the reset command), putting it in some sort of installer mode.

Try inputting a pause and see what happens.

now that i think about it, the reason it went away was because once I got the entre, i just left my changers on all the time and stopped using the stop macro.

Was having problems connecting to OpenGlobe last week. All computers and network devices connected to the internet in my house LAN were working and internet radio on the Entre was connecting with no problems. In addition, testing the Entre's connection was completed successfully. Earlier this week, I burned several CDs to the hard drive and disk information was looked up successfully. Yesterday, tried to burn more CDs but couldn't get disk information. I tried to force registration and Entre went through the hoops but returned a "failed to register" message. Does anyone know what's going on? Again, all other internet connections (Entre radio stations etc. connect successfully, except for disk lookup).

This would be interesting to see if Kenwood Tech's can enlighten us. Maybe your macro is so quick that the changers think it's one command, (like the reset command), putting it in some sort of installer mode.

Try inputting a pause and see what happens.

The 590-00 is capable of a 10 command macro. I originally had it set up like so:

Changer power command.
Dummy Command
Dummy Command
Dummy Command
Dummy Command
Dummy Command
Dummy Command
Dummy Command
Dummy Commany
Changer Stop Command

I set it up this way thinking that the changer needed to go through the detection process before it received the stop command. The dummy commands were from another remote and acted like pauses drawing out the macro.. This didn't matter though because I could not extend the macro long enough for the detection process to end. I stiil expereiced the same results, no autoplay, stop command or not.

I added three new DVD's to my changer last night. Entre would not look them up. Internet radio works fine and a "Test Connection" comes up clean. Must be a problem on thier end. Anyone else expereience the same???

I added three new DVD's to my changer last night. Entre would not look them up. Internet radio works fine and a "Test Connection" comes up clean. Must be a problem on thier end. Anyone else expereience the same???

I had same problem last night (see my previous post) and intermittently throughout the last three years. The problem is, its a bit of a hassle to check if it is a local or a host problem (you never really know if its a host problem unless others are having the same problems under the same conditions, i.e., good test connection and operational internet radio, etc.). Makes you wonder about OpenGlobe stability, and more importantly for the future, long-term support for Kenwood products, given this feature is one of the best features of this system.

Even after restoring Fireball to factory defaults, it is still "seeing" 20 or so discs that do not exist. I bought it from someone on this thread MONTHS ago but just now tried to use it.

My other 5900 has stopped responding completely, only powering up. Looks like I have to send them both in for service. If I choose the "battered spouse syndrome" path and buy another Kenwood player, where can I find a working unit? Do normal folks see any difference in picture quality between the 5050 and the 5900? (Normal being not people like Nick and Rbienstock who have an eye that I do not have)

Does anyone know if Open Globe is having issues right now? When I log into their site via PC or my Entre some of the frames display ASP error pages.

I have been unable to lookup movies/ cd for over a week now. I know my Entre is connected to the Internet becasue the Internet Radio stations play fine. I am also unable to update the OS.

I've tried re-registering using the "special hidden menu" and that fails aswell.

Thanks in advance for the help! My Entre has been running like a top for about 10 months and this is the first issue I've had.

If I choose the "battered spouse syndrome" path and buy another Kenwood player, where can I find a working unit? Do normal folks see any difference in picture quality between the 5050 and the 5900?

Derek, I have used the battered spouse syndrome to purchase two more 5900m on ebay. One was refurbished and works great. the other was not a refurb and works great except that it is not upgraded. (it may end up back on ebay), I had two originals that were working, but one is now showing mostly green lines and needs to go back to Kenwood or an authorized repair place. So in short, I thought I had finally got three working 5900ms to find out that I am back to two that daisey chain and one that works but is useless. Boy, am I having fun. Only hope my wife is not around when ups dielivers the fifth changer (once I buy it on ebay).

Does anyone know if Open Globe is having issues right now? When I log into their site via PC or my Entre some of the frames display ASP error pages.

I have been unable to lookup movies/ cd for over a week now. I know my Entre is connected to the Internet becasue the Internet Radio stations play fine. I am also unable to update the OS.

I've tried re-registering using the "special hidden menu" and that fails aswell.

Thanks in advance for the help! My Entre has been running like a top for about 10 months and this is the first issue I've had.

I am having the same problems you are, I am wondering if we are the only ones. I can't do lookups either, and I have also tried re-reging with no luck.....

I bet we are not the only ones having issues. Does your Entre re-register properly? Mine gets hangs on "Registering" and then eventually fails.

I spent about an hour and a half on the phone w/ Kenwood and finally the tech said " I need to research this I will call you back later". I never heard from him again. He did say that OpenGlobe has changed decommissioned some of their servers. You can try this, it didn't work for me but he said it has for others.

At the initial screen after you tell the Entre to re-register and before you start answering questions enter "64000". The Entre will then reboot and you can try to register again. Like I said it didn't work for me but you might have better luck. He said the 64000 is a new server.

I haven't been able to look up CDs put in the Entre either. Good luck on KW calling you back. I usually call them everyday until I get an answer.

I called KW Yesterday afternoon, they said OG was having some problems. About an hour or so later, I re-reged and lookups were back on track...

I have a broken DV-5050M changer which I would pass on for only the shipping charges from Vancouver, Canada. This would be a great deal if you think you could get it fixed or if you need some spare parts.

My repair shop claims that two separate modules are broken and it would cost more to replace them than to buy a new one. I doubt the situation is as bad, because it still does a lot of things: the display works normally, the door opens and closes, the carousel turns properly, the disks are transported properly into the player, the video output is good, and the remote control works. It just fails to actually play the disk.

I don't know a better repair shop and I just don't have the time to deal with it. But it seems like a shame just to toss it. I would be happy if someone out there in Sovereign land could use it.

If you want it, send me an e-mail at kw@huster.ca and we can work something out.

--Andreas

I called KW Yesterday afternoon, they said OG was having some problems. About an hour or so later, I re-reged and lookups were back on track...

__________________
Danny

Did you have to use the "64000" code? I tried to re-reg this morning and it wouldn't go through again.

Did you have to use the "64000" code? I tried to re-reg this morning and it wouldn't go through again.


No, I did not use the 64000 code. I had no problems re-registering my unit...

Are you saying that we'll all have to re-reg our Entre's to get them to find new movies?? I have been having problems finding new ones myself over the past few weeks.

Thanks!

Are you saying that we'll all have to re-reg our Entre's to get them to find new movies?? I have been having problems finding new ones myself over the past few weeks.

Thanks!
Up until a few weeks ago, I never had any issues with the lookup utility. I verified that the entre and my network were working correctly. It wasn't until I tried the re-registration under the hidden menu that the lookup issue was corrected. I did use the 46000 code, but I don't know if that made a difference.

Krichter1,

I remember a post some time ago where you attached a picture of the modified version of your entre theme configuration. I'm currently using a fireball modified theme, but would like to play around with yours. Could you email me your configuration files? Thanks!

Are you saying that we'll all have to re-reg our Entre's to get them to find new movies?? I have been having problems finding new ones myself over the past few weeks.

I was having similar problems, but figured that whoever enters the movie information into the OpenGlobe database was out on vacation. New movies were not able to be found, but I buy a fair number of movies from the bargain bin and these were found when the Entre did its lookup.

I don't know if the person was really on vacation, but on Friday all of the Unknown DVD's were found when I attempted another lookup. An additional newly released DVD was also found.

Regards,
Dave

Entre looked up two new DVD's last night, but was unable to do look ups this morning.....

Entre, doing LookUps Again, but can't find King of Queens Season 4.....

I'm now getting the message:

The DVD information is corrupt please enter manually

The lookup appears to be working, a message that says that it is getting info from OpenGlobe shows up, then I get the DVD information corrupt message.

We did have a thunderstorm roll through here earlier and the power flashed on / off a couple of times. I wonder if OpenGlobe is the root of the problem or my Entre system. (Turned out to be an OpenGlobe problem.)

Dave

I finally hooked up my VR-5900 received to my Entre and Changer. I was barely using it in the basement for a year and half. But I have 1 question and 2 problems.

Question:

I bought a RC-9013 remote (like the smaller remote) how do you setup the marco's? Since I want to turn off the change with everything else.

Problem:

The audio has been dropping out during movies and I believe my SAT input also??


I hear a static echo from one of the speakers sometimes? I'm using all good cables (monster)?


Any idea?? Help is appreciated..
not sure if you have solved your problem yet, but I also was experiencing audio dropouts during DD or DTS 5.1 playback. I changed the optical cable to a new (better) cable, and problem solved.

Just when I was proclaiming to my wife how nice it was to have the Kenwood system running smoothly the two working dv5900m's I have stopped working.
I was engrossed in a season of 24 when the picture began to freeze then play for a few seconds then freeze again at which time the screen went black and I got the error message "this disc may not be played in this region" or something to that effect.
It turns out after opening up the unit and talking to someone at support that the problem lies in the powersupply unit as eveything works in the two units I opened up but once the discs are loaded into the center "player" they don't spin. The tech told me that the power supply has several different outputs and that this particular voltage had failed. Kind of strange that all 3 units have failed within a period of 3 months. Anyone have any ideas? Heat,power surge, or leaving them on constantly?
BTW, the rep I spoke to said he would try to get them all covered even though one is definately out of waranty and another I can not locate the receipt. Oh and some of the other tech's I spoke with assure me that Sovereign is not dead and will be ressurected at the end of the year with a lot of cool new features as well as a bigger hard drive and proprietary software (no more Escient) Yay! I don't know how Openglobe might figure into this though. It would be nice if they let us trade up!

Nick,
How are you liking that DVDM-300? Anyone have any concrete details of Kenwood's next offering?

Danny,
Any luck realigning that changer? I have the same problem. It is the third time this year that I have a DVD slip out of its slot and cause a jam. One of my changers has been jammed for about a month. I really do not want to send it out. Let me know what you had to do inorder to align yours.

-joe

Hi Joe:

The Escient units are generally very good. Both of them (the DVDM-300 and the DVDM-100) are now IP addressable (seems like they learned a trick from you, Joe), and the Sony changers really are much better built units than the Kenwood. You have to live with it for a while to know that.

I've still got 3 Kenwood changers (they're in fact attached to the DVDM-300), as my "music" changers. I'm starting my second stack of Sony changers to another DVDM-100 for movies. Again, more Sony changers.

Kenwood got me into the lifestyle, but Sony and Escient have picked it up nicely from there.

Nick :cool:

Nick,
How are you liking that DVDM-300? Anyone have any concrete details of Kenwood's next offering?

Danny,
Any luck realigning that changer? I have the same problem. It is the third time this year that I have a DVD slip out of its slot and cause a jam. One of my changers has been jammed for about a month. I really do not want to send it out. Let me know what you had to do inorder to align yours.

-joe


I never really go around to emptying out the changer to bring it in for repair. About 1 in every 20 plays results in the changer pulling the wrong disc. I did notice however that the caraousel seems to have more play than it should.. Maybe I'll get around to it sometime. I have been doing a lot of work on the future home of my A/V room, in the basement. I have the Middle Atlantic Rack installed and have already purchased some custom rack mounts for my equipment. I am going to hang the doors and closet's next week, trim them out etc. The next major step is the bathroom, which there is no way in hell I'll try myself. :)

I have had an Entre system workiing flawlessly for the last 3 years. Recently, it refuses to connect to the net to get my OpenGlobe DVD info. When I check the internet setting and run the test... it sits on the Checking DHCP and it will not move past that. Anyone have a solution how to get it to work correctly?

Abbas

DV-5900M market pretty dead!?

Hi guys,

Haven't been on for a while but I am now in the market for another V3 5900M for my second Entre set-up (looking for a 5th changer!) and I couldn't believe when searching the net (and ebay), how dry the availability is these days. My mail order buddy in NY can't even get'em anymore. Thought one of you vet's would know something that can help.

Anyone know where I can get a good deal on one? Any help would be MOST appreciated!!

Thanks
Kevin

I just bought a VR-5700 off ebay, and now i'm looking for a cd player that would be sufficient for the receiver and the setup that I have. While looking for sovereign products on ebay, i noticed that the Entre can be bought for a mere $250. Would the sound quality of the cd player be equivalent to that of a cd player costing 250?

Sound quality of the Entre is comparable to any other CD player I have owned, and you'll be getting a CD-recorder and MP3 music server as part of the package. Go for it!

I've had my Sovereign system for three years now (entre, 2 changers, VR-5900 receiver and 4 axcess terminals) and have been very pleased.

Cheers,

Mike

I am sad to say that I no longer own 5900s. Sold them to a nice forum member. Will probably end up getting rid of my 5700 receiver too since I have switched to digital displays and will end up dealing with audio delays.

If anyone is interested in the 5700 receiver and axcess, let me know. It was great participating in this thread and helping people out and receiving help in return.
Reading Nick's eloquent prose was indeed always a treat. I'll still remain subscribed for nostalgia sake :)

For those curious, I'm finally buying the windows media pc. I bought all the parts to build 2 of them at least 2 years ago, but never had a desire to build them. Now I can just buy it all ready to go. This will handle my mp3 and internet radio needs. It will also handle the kid and family dvds as I rip them to digital media. For now, I'll buy a upscaling dvd player and use that for the Netflix titles that I have no interest in watching more than once.

This approach fits better the way my family watches TV.

I am also looking to sell 1 Entre and 1 DVD 5900m changer. Anyone interested let me know. $600.00 for both is what I am looking for.

has anyone had problems playing dvd backups? i have burned some dvd backups onto DVD-R. the system looks them up just fine. they play fine on other dvd players. on the 5900m and the 50550m that I have, the video gets pixeled and jumps around. when this is going on, the audio comes and goes as well. any ideas or solutions? thanks

I had similar results with DVD -R discs. I've had no problems since using Maxell +R discs. So far I have not found a DL media that works reliably.

okay, so let me understand. the players i mentioned will read dvd+r? thanks

I can't speak for the other, but +R works in the 5900M.

Agree that DVD+R works fine - I have 30 or 40 of them in my changers and have had no problems in several years of playing them.

Slocko,

Hope you like the Media Center PC - I have the HP z555 and have been pleased with it. Make sure to put in all the patches if that is the one you end up with.

Mike

So, Im about to buy an Entre (yea, yea, I know...), but I noticed rumblings on the thread about OG being taken over, and questions about its future. Anyone have word on this one way or the other?

Mkellyvich, Nightowl, Slocko, All Who Still Care,

I finally got around to opening up the changer that was giving me the problems. I couldn't see anything wrong, so I brought in in for repair. (Everytime it went through its "Detection" process, Entre would act as if 200 or so disc's had been removed from the changer, when in fact the were still in there. Also 1 out of every 10 times it would select the wrong disc from the carousel. Either +1 or -1.) I got an estimate today for the repairs. $275.00 to repair the unit. They said the "Disc Sensor" needed to be replaced and that the carousel needed to be "Timed". Yes, I told them to fix it. I have become so dependant on the setup, I could not imagine not having it around anymore. Not to mention, what I would do with the 700+ DVD's that's in them.

PS. Its nice to see guys still monitor the thread. I can still remember the first day I received my Entre and calling KW tech support for help and them referring me here for answers. This thread has gotten me through some tough times if you know what I mean. I hope all are doing well, and Good Luck in the future.

Did anyone ever find a way past the dreaded "runtime error 6" from DVDEdit? I've accumulated a few discs that aren't in the database (Nuclear Rescue 911, and a few home-burned discs) and am having no luck getting DVDEdit to run.


Still enjoying the Sovereign after 3 years,

Mike

I know a long while back Joe was going to update the program for us, but think that all got "kiboshed" last year. It's too bad because the fix is a fairly simple one, (if I only had the source code).

I just use Cute FTP and update the pictures (dowloaded from Amazon) and the xml's manually. A pain but it does work.

Does anyone have the list of compatable usb adapters. Mine worked before the I upgraded the software from 1.0 to 2.0. Now I can not connect. Please help. I just want the look upfeature.

by the way i just saw an ad in HT magazine for an ELAN system that connects up to 4 Sony mega changers. Around $2600.

Does anyone have the list of compatable usb adapters. Mine worked before the I upgraded the software from 1.0 to 2.0. Now I can not connect. Please help. I just want the look upfeature.


http://homepage.mac.com/jbryer/theater/sovereignfaq/sovereignfaq.html

display brightness on DV-5050M?

i can set the display brightness to be the brightest by hitting "dsiplay" on the remote. as soon as I turn the unit off and then back on, the display is again "dimmed". How can i make the led display stay bright?

thanks

Amargiot,

Go into the changer's setup menu and set the display brightness parameter there - it defaults to whatever setting is chosen there.

Cheers,

Mike

Greetings,

I'm having an intermittent (increasingly frequent) problem with sound on my VR 5090. When turning the system on, sometimes there is no sound from *any* of the input devices. Other times it works fine.

When this first started (4 months ago) I could sometimes get sound back by doing one of the following:

* toggling between Input Modes
* switching between input devices (via Input Selector)
* power cycling the Receiver

Now none of the above have any impact. Even resetting the 5090 doesn't help (unplug/replug while holding down Power). Sound never cuts out during play; only when turning on the system or sometimes when switching between Input Devices (e.g. switching from DVD to Tuner).

I'm hoping folks in this forum may know if others have had this problem or if I'm just special.

My system includes: Entre, VR 5090, DV 5900.

Thanks!
Matt

Nick S,

What a long strange trip it's been....
It looks like I too am going to be making the switch from using the DV-5900M with my DVD-M100 to a Sony ES changer. Hey, have any from your inventory you are selling? :)

The quirkiness of the Kenwood is just getting the best of me. I was encouraged to see that your transition went pretty smoothly. If I recall correctly the DVDM-100 even "remembered" your discs and just recorded the new location in the new changer? So it had saved the cover art and ID info on a flash chip. I guess it would still have to read each and every disc, but then it should have the exact match on it's stored memory? It sounded like you were pleased with the picture quality vs. the 5900.

I saw your post elsewhere about trying to find out if Sony is coming out with a new ES changer with HDMI that works with the DVDM-100. I have checked everywhere and not seen anything on a new model have you? That would be nice to have. They did come out with a non-ES model with HDMI so I expected one soon.

Any tips for making the transition? I'll probably take the plunge over the next few months or so...
I run the changer exclusively for DVD's as I use a fireball for audio.

Thanks,

BJBBJB

check out this interesting offering from Sony. You can load 200 cds in the changer and leave them ripping overnight.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1872496,00.asp

More interestingly, you can load 200 blank DVDs and write recorded TV to DVD overnight. From the pics it also looks like there is an open slot available to add an HDTV tuner card. Looks like MCE may be coming of age.

Too bad I've already been enjoying MCE and changer management for 3+ years.

Mike
z555 media center
Soveriegn system with 2 changers.

Mike do you keep your htpc on all the time, hibernate, or power it off?

I haven't tried recently, but hibernation never seemed stable to me. If you power off, then you can't turn it on remotely.

I'm still trying to decide between a simple media player or a full fledged htpc. have you seen the unraid thread? very interesting product for storage.

I ran the z555 set up for standby for several months, but got tired of seeing it wake up periodically for no apparent reason. I reset the power management settings to use hibernation and have been happier with that. The unit will wake up for scheduled recordings and to update the guide, but no longer wakes up every time someone breathes near it. Have not noticed any stability issues with hibernation (I have been using that feature on my other MCE PCs since 2002) - but I rarely suspend the machine while the MCE UI is open.

I haven't seen the unraid thread, but I am using a Buffalo Linkstation to provide 500GB of NAS (250 internal plus a 250GB USB drive). I picked up a Linktheater media player and have had some fun with it but have not made it an integral part of the system. It has some great capabilities, but the UI makes it something my (very patient) wife has no interest in learning to use.

The z555 is a fun toy, but I still rely on a Dish DVR (510 now, thinking about replacing it with a 942) for most of my TV and use the Sovereign system for DVDs and music.

I think the real drawback with gear today is that you can buy components that will do one or several tasks well, but nothing that effectively integrates physical media, digital media, and broadcast/delivered media under a single effective UI without requiring a SysAd to keep it running. MCE is (in my opinion) the closest anyone has come yet, but it still falls short in integrating physical media and digitally-delivered (cable, satellite) TV. The Sony VAIO setup with the DVD changers looks like a step in the right direction, but it needs a digital TV solution to be complete.

Some folks have been successful in getting MCE to record TV via 1394. This could provide the remaining capability needed to make MCE a complete entertainment management solution - but it will have to to work with equipment from all cable and satellite TV providers and become plug-and-play to be a commercial success.

So, for now I'll continue to play with the toys while using the DVR and Entre/changers. After three years of use, the Sovereign system has become a fixture in the house - it's there when I want it, and doesn't ask for any significant maintenance beyond the occaisional new disk lookup or loading a new CD onto the hard drive.

Now, off to load Batman Begins and enjoy another couch potato afternoon...

Cheers,

Mike

Well after four years of flawless operation my DVD-5900m may have given up. Tried to play a music cd and all that happens is the 192kHz, 96kHz lights come on and the pure audio light and the blue light above the door. Anyone else have this problem and how did you correct it? Thanks Dave

Hi. I have a pair of DVM5900M 400 DVD Juke boxes. I started getting an error recently that the disk is unreadable. This wednesday nothing worked. I can press the open button, and it says open but nothing happerns. The only other screen is "disk 305 tr 1." I read a few pages back from someone with a similar problem. Is anyone familiar with this behavior? I believe the particular post mentioned a bad power supply. Has anyone had it repaired? Approximately what was the cost.

What is this hardware upgrade mentioned? How can I check to see if my remaining one has the upgrade? If the repair is too great I may just dump both of them.

Thanks, Rich

Rich, I have had to send all three of mine in recently for this power supply problem. It seems the unit would do everything but spin the disc, hence the error message. I was able to obtain a one-time warranty to have this problem fixed. Funny thing is two went out simultaneously then the third showed problems in that direction. One was sent back to me ostensibly fixed (my wife told me it froze and stopped while she was watching a movie, I have not observed any problems with it). The other two are still at Kenwood Cerritos repair center. They wanted to charge me until I reminded them of the warranty. Then they wanted to charge me $65 to fix a broken knob!! I balked and they said they would get back to me. Once I find out what the cost might be I'll post it. Also I'm wondering what the issue was that led to them failing like that . Heat? Power surge? Maybe leaving them on all the time.

I recently burnt a bunch of home movies to a memorex Dual layer DVD burn. The player would not reconize it. it has never had problems with any single layer dvd+r or dvd-r media. Does anyone know of any Dual layer media that works with this player? DV-5900M

Hi. I have a pair of DVM5900M 400 DVD Juke boxes. I started getting an error recently that the disk is unreadable. This wednesday nothing worked. I can press the open button, and it says open but nothing happerns. The only other screen is "disk 305 tr 1." I read a few pages back from someone with a similar problem. Is anyone familiar with this behavior? I believe the particular post mentioned a bad power supply. Has anyone had it repaired? Approximately what was the cost.

What is this hardware upgrade mentioned? How can I check to see if my remaining one has the upgrade? If the repair is too great I may just dump both of them.

Thanks, Rich

Rich,

This happened to me about a month ago. My AV guys suggested I take the unit to a local shop that fixes Kenwood equipment. They charged me $140 to fix it. My unit was out of warranty so no free work for me... Everything seems to work fine now.

Abbas

ProudX,

I've burned a few (two or three) Memorex DVD DL discs and successfully played them in the DV-5900M. I recall that the DV-5900M had trouble looking up at least one of them (gave me the dreaded "this type of disc cannot be played" along with a double disc flip. After a few tries it did successfully make it through the lookup and I was able to play the disc.

Cheers,

Mike

Hey Everyone, I too had the power supply problems with one of my changers. Jill at Kenwood was nice enough to grant a one time warranty fix for me also. (The unit was only days out of warranty). The Flouresent display was also replaced at the time, as that is why I brought the unit in for service in the first place. The local shop then told me it was being caused by "Open" connections on the power supply itself. My second changer was also recently repaired and was not under warranty. Upon turning on the unit(s) , the Entre would act as if XXX number of discs had been removed from the changer. I brought the unit to the same local shop, but they didn't have the resources to repair it, so they sent it to a place in Syracuse, NY called United Radio Repair. The 5900m's "Disc Sensor" was replaced to the tune of $265.00.
I could not imagine not having the setup anymore. I use the system so much that I literally could not live without it. I will continue to repair the units, no matter what the cost, until someone comes up with something better, because nothing simplifies selecting from a 800 disc DVD library like this does.

On a lighter note, I am almost done with a new home for "The Sovereign Setup" I have completed installation of the Middle Atlantic Rack (In Wall). I also have installed a Home Director structured wiring panel (Computer/Phone/Security). I am Attaching a Few Images if anyone is interested.

I am wonderingif anyone has succeeded in implementing a wireless (or wired for that matter) touchscreen panel that shows the Entre guide and allows you to select from it? If you have, I would love to know more about it.

I amusing the system in a front projection theater, but it would be great not to have to lower the screen to see the guide...

THanks very much!

Danny, why not switch to the Escient solutoin?

I am wonderingif anyone has succeeded in implementing a wireless (or wired for that matter) touchscreen panel that shows the Entre guide and allows you to select from it? If you have, I would love to know more about it.

I amusing the system in a front projection theater, but it would be great not to have to lower the screen to see the guide...

THanks very much!

Do you want cover art or just text?

Do you want cover art or just text?

ideally, I'd like the complete user interface on a smaller screen, but I'd settle for text. I know there is a way to accomplish this on the Kenwood powertouch, but I hate that remote.


I'm alos wondering what people think of the DVM300 from escient as a repacement to the entre ...advantages?