It's a testament to the idea that the Entre was that people still use it today and generally are willing to spend money to keep fixing their players.

But at some point you have to move forward.

So Rud, welcome to the other side :)

I use this with Media Center:

http://www.mymovies.name/home.aspx

It works pretty much like the Entre except I think the graphics are better.

I am not doing streaming yet, but if you use this, you would have to buy media center pcs as clients. I've read about media center extenders, but haven't played with them and have no idea what the interface looks like.

As for HD, it just became possible recently to rip movies from HD and Bray discs. The progress is still in it's infancy.

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=119871&page=52

Good luck!

also, the xbox hd-drive can be used on a pc, with some additional drivers you have to hunt down and install.

It's a testament to the idea that the Entre was that people still use it today and generally are willing to spend money to keep fixing their players.

But at some point you have to move forward.

So Rud, welcome to the other side :)

I use this with Media Center:

http://www.mymovies.name/home.aspx

It works pretty much like the Entre except I think the graphics are better.

I am not doing streaming yet, but if you use this, you would have to buy media center pcs as clients. I've read about media center extenders, but haven't played with them and have no idea what the interface looks like.

As for HD, it just became possible recently to rip movies from HD and Bray discs. The progress is still in it's infancy.

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=119871&page=52

Good luck!

Hi Hans:

Even the Entre embalming fluid has fumes that keep this thread going. I still have two Entres in use, but they're niche players, even in my household.

But I'm interested in this MyMovies 2 software. How does this compare to what Kaleidoscape is/was doing? Can you actually copy DVDs to a hard drive, and manage accordingly? Does this do economically what Kaleidoscape did uneconomically (at least in my view)?

Thanks,

Nick :cool:

Thanks Slocko that looks like just what I need. Now I need to find a way to distribute it throughout the house.

I loved the Soverign/Entre but I am having to many changer issues.

Plus I saw 750gb drives on EBAY for $190

Still running the Entre and changers, but I had my primary Entre die two weeks ago (looks like a HDD failure, haven't swapped in the original drive yet to verify) and had to go to the backup I bought in '04. Luckily, I had 500+ cds already loaded, but it has been a pain reloading the other 100 and looking up the 800+ discs across the three changers. I'd like to personally congratulate the individual who created the Disney/Buena Vista/Touchstone DVD copy protection scheme that hard locks the changers during lookups.

I've been playing with DVD rips and MCE and love the convenience and picture quality, but can't really justify the $ and time investment necessary to load 800+ DVDs in a RAID array. I'll probably stick with the Sovereign stuff until it all croaks, unless someone codes up a good control plugin to run the changers and switch a receiver through MCE in place of the Entre.

Cheers,

Mike

Hi Nick.

I had a nice reply all typed up when the browser burped. <sigh>.

Anyway, I think it will be a poor substitute for the K. system. I do not think the MyMovies software has automated ripping followed by automatic lookup.

While Vista will probably simplify the user experience for the HTPC platform, you are going to face two issues when switching to an HTPC solution. One, is the time spent on ripping your collection to your hard drive. Second, finding a backup solution to ensure you don't lose the time spent ripping dvds when your hard drives crash. There are many backup solutions but finding the one that is right for you is not easy. I believe Microsoft introduced at CES a new Media Server that is supposed to make this task easier.

My approach has been to abandon dvds in favor of HD content. To this extent I mostly record on my HD-Tivo HD movies from satellite and later on this year will probably switch to the Tivo Series 3 and FIOS TV to get more choices available for recording content. Also in my plans is an HD-DVD player with Netflix or BB. If the movie studios ever relax the 24 hour rule for downloaded content, the xbox 360 will become another avenue for watching HD content.

I mainly use my HTPC system for my childrens' dvds and have accepted that I will just re-rip them if the system ever crashes.

In short, I have stopped collecting shiny discs :)

I hardly ever watched movies more than once, so it was just a sick addiction :)



Hi Hans:

Even the Entre embalming fluid has fumes that keep this thread going. I still have two Entres in use, but they're niche players, even in my household.

But I'm interested in this MyMovies 2 software. How does this compare to what Kaleidoscape is/was doing? Can you actually copy DVDs to a hard drive, and manage accordingly? Does this do economically what Kaleidoscape did uneconomically (at least in my view)?

Thanks,

Nick :cool:

quite a common problem for these players. it's a simple repair because i think it's just one part that needs to get replaced.
It's been several weeks since they called so I need to get back with the repair center in KY ;( but the main gist of the conversation was that they told me the part I needed and labor would run close to $200 :eek:
Like I said earlier the guy who took the unit in thought it was a amp at first so I have little faith about these guys knowing what in the hell they are doing. I am afraid that they are just replacing the major guts of the unit in hopes that it would correct the problem. I guess I have no choice at this point but funds are in short supply, I may have to have it fixed and then sell it on eBay or something.
I know one thing I am going to insist that they give me the old part to make sure I am getting everything I am paying for.
Does anyone have any suggestions, PLEASE!!!!

I had to send mine in when it said it wouldn't play my DVD's. The Repair center in KY TEC21 Service Center says it costs about $180.
Anyone ever come across this problem? Is there anything else I should have them check like firmware updates while its being repaired?
Thanks for your help!!

I had to replace the laser assembly in one of my changers. The part was $127 and I changed it myself. Since I have more then 1 changer when one breaks down i start swapping parts between changers till i find the bad part and then order it online.

...

On to the next format, and the next thread. Stay well.

Nick :cool:

Why did it take you so long?? I always said that a changer for DVD did not make any sense in the first place as one watch a movie in its entirity instead of hopping from disc to disc like with CD.. Downloading movies is never going to work either if one is not just interested in blockbusters, and putting 2000 high definition movies on a hard drive is simply silly.

:cool: :cool:

Why did it take you so long?? I always said that a changer for DVD did not make any sense in the first place as one watch a movie in its entirity instead of hopping from disc to disc like with CD.. Downloading movies is never going to work either if one is not just interested in blockbusters, and putting 2000 high definition movies on a hard drive is simply silly.

:cool: :cool:

You know, Refugio, or whatever you're calling yourself these days (getting kicked off the forum requires such anonymity), you never seemed to figure out that not many cared what you had to say. If there were a few, I was not among them.

Nick :cool:

You are just bitter Nick. My user title says member "Depuis 1998". I have been posting here longer than you. Avatars don't matter :cool: :cool:

quite a common problem for these players. it's a simple repair because i think it's just one part that needs to get replaced.

My Kenwood DV-5900M stopped working and I had to take it to TEC 21 in Kentucky to be repaired. TEC 21 is the official repair facility for this area. When I dropped it off the guy taking the unit thought it was a amp so my hopes were not high. After sometime they called me and told me the unit needed a new pick up assembly. I gave them the approval to go ahead but as luck would have it they waited sometime before ordering as a later phone call would reveal. I just got the call from TEC 21 saying that the pick up assemby did not correct the problem and they had no clue as how to fix the unit. The player kept saying that the payer could not play that type of disk.
Their only suggestion was to contact Kenwood and send it off to them. What a bunch of losers!
Any suggestions?????

I've got the same problem with my DV 5700. Far as I can tell, the best suggestion is to scrap it and buy another player. It's not worth it to fix it.

Looking for a new remote to replace my Sovereign Power Touch III. Anyone know of one that uses IF/RF to send and will also accept signals from the amp so you can see on the remote which speakers are in use, and all that other good stuff, etc.
Thanks

This may have been asked before and answered. I am sorry for repeating but this thread is so very long. Is there a way to make the DV5900 region free...for free. I did find an old post abbout the site JVB. I went to the JVB site and it required you buying a software package for over a $100 Euros.

Looking for a new remote to replace my Sovereign Power Touch III. Anyone know of one that uses IF/RF to send and will also accept signals from the amp so you can see on the remote which speakers are in use, and all that other good stuff, etc.
Thanks


Ebay has one on sale.

I've got the same problem with my DV 5700. Far as I can tell, the best suggestion is to scrap it and buy another player. It's not worth it to fix it.

As it turns out you were right. I sent my unit off to Kenwood Atlantic to be fixed and they told me it would be around $260 plus shipping to fix it. Screw it. I'll get a new unit that upconverts.

Hey folks. Not much of a poster. Back in after a couple years. I have a full system, 5900 receiver, Entre, three changers. All in perfect working order. Went to a hard drive system. Any suggestions on how best to sell these items? Thanks.

Hey folks. Not much of a poster. Back in after a couple years. I have a full system, 5900 receiver, Entre, three changers. All in perfect working order. Went to a hard drive system. Any suggestions on how best to sell these items? Thanks.Selling them on Ebay would seem to be your best bet... but since I need a dv5900m audio/video processor board maybe you should sell just the parts from one of your changers.:D ;)

I remember having a problem with my Sovereign system not powering up on whatever selection I previously powered down. It would power back up to the Sovereign DVD changer. Then it started working fine, I believe after a firmware download.

Now it starts up with the DVD changer most everytime, sometimes video, sometimes the passthrough video, and sometimes just the DVD audio.

I usually shut it down after watching Sat. (Video 3) and would like for it power back up on the last selection I powered down ex. Sat. (Video 3). Anyone know if this is a Powertouch remote programing error, firmware change, or a macro problem. I haven't changed the marcros on the remote but have changed some inputs in back of the amp. Sometimes I have to use the passthrough on the remote to get the video, but not always. I always have to change it to Video 3 to get the sound.

Anyone know why if you shut down on the Video 3 selection it would not power back up on the same Video 3 selection rather than defaulting to the DVD changer?
Thanks-

Hey folks. Not much of a poster. Back in after a couple years. I have a full system, 5900 receiver, Entre, three changers. All in perfect working order. Went to a hard drive system. Any suggestions on how best to sell these items? Thanks.

Ebay is your best bet. I would be interested in one of your changers as mine started having " dreaded" processor problems last week (random green lines across the screen). Also out of curiousity what hard drive system did you go with. I don't have a whole lot of faith in a Kenwood facility being able to fix so I'm thinking about just selling and going the same route as you.

Count me in for a changer as well, if they are not all spoken for. I too have a unit with the green lines. Please PM me with your asking price.

Thanks,

Mike

I'm considering selling my changer (5900M) and Entre. Before I put it on Ebay, I wanted to let everyone here know first.

FYI - the Entre has a 120GB drive in it, and the LCD display on the changer has faded for some reason.



Count me in for a changer as well, if they are not all spoken for. I too have a unit with the green lines. Please PM me with your asking price.

Thanks,

Mike

Count me in for a changer as well, if they are not all spoken for. I too have a unit with the green lines. Please PM me with your asking price.

Thanks,

MikeWith so many people having the "green line" problem, I really wish that we could find out exactly what parts/chips need to be replaced to fix it.

I have narrowed it down to the audio/video processor board that sits on top of the carousel, but that complete board is not sold as a replacement part. :(

Had to take my rear speakers amp. to the shop. If anyone has a no issue Sovereign MX5000 for sale I might be in the market for one if mine can't be repaired.
Email me if interested in making a deal!
Thanks-

James,

There are two of them on e-bay now.

Cheers,

Mike

James,

There are two of them on e-bay now.

Cheers,

Mike
Thanks for the ebay heads-up but the guy will only accept a money order, no paypal, charge cards, etc. No too sure about a guy that wants same as cash with no protection for the purchaser. I asked him about a Buy It Now deal but he didn't reply. If you hear of any another MX5000 availability let me know.
Thanks again-

Has anyone had Kenwood tell them their problem with Entre not booting up is "loopback", and they had to call an independent service dealer? Can this be fixed at home? I'm a first time forum (any) user, am I posting in the right spot for my question?

Thanks for the ebay heads-up but the guy will only accept a money order, no paypal, charge cards, etc. No too sure about a guy that wants same as cash with no protection for the purchaser. I asked him about a Buy It Now deal but he didn't reply. If you hear of any another MX5000 availability let me know.
Thanks again-

My DVD Changer has been declared unfixable, too. I am looking to sell my Entree unit which is in terrific condition with very little usage and start over. If interested, let me know.

For those of you that, like me, got acclimated to the Entre/Changer lifestyle (and I wouldn't know how to go back), remember that Escient and Sony changers are still current, still plentiful, and an overall improvement over the Sovereign system.

With 1400 DVDs, trying to deal with them in anything less than an Escient/Entre GUI would strongly detract from the enjoyment of my system.

Nick :cool:

Remember that I have a full Sovereign system available.

VR-5900 Receiver 3,000.00
DVF-J6050 Identical to 5050 1,200.00
DVF-J6050 Identical to 5050 1,200.00
DV-5900M 400 Disc CD Changer w/Faroudja 1,800.00
Entre Entertainment Hub 1,800.00
Total 9,000.00

All changers have the original factory upgrade, which of course means that Kenwood stole my original boxes. Everything works perfectly and is cosmetically perfect. I drank the Kaleidescape Koolaide and no longer need this system. I'll let the whole package go for $2,500.00 plus shipping, or make me an offer. I don't want to sell it piecemeal if I can avoid it.

Jerry

Hi guys,
i just joined the forum. I hope to find here the answers i am looking for.
I bought last week at ebay a 200 cd-changer made by Kennwood. The problem i have is, that the player does not include the soft to connect a cddb database.
As i read, some of you specialists do have soft for those types of cd-changers. The soft i am looking for is netnamerdv.
Is it possible, that somebody of you can help me.

Thanks in advance.

Sir Kenwood

(poor helpless guy from germany)

.... :-)

PS: By the way, i tried to find a way to download it from several kenwood pages, without success. "Link doesn't exist anymore" or other messages i received.

Remember that I have a full Sovereign system available.

VR-5900 Receiver 3,000.00
DVF-J6050 Identical to 5050 1,200.00
DVF-J6050 Identical to 5050 1,200.00
DV-5900M 400 Disc CD Changer w/Faroudja 1,800.00
Entre Entertainment Hub 1,800.00
Total 9,000.00

All changers have the original factory upgrade, which of course means that Kenwood stole my original boxes. Everything works perfectly and is cosmetically perfect. I drank the Kaleidescape Koolaide and no longer need this system. I'll let the whole package go for $2,500.00 plus shipping, or make me an offer. I don't want to sell it piecemeal if I can avoid it.

Jerry

That's actually a great deal. I hate to admit that I have extra changers (no, not for sale), but the Sovereign system is still one of the best ways to deal with a large DVD collection that you can find.

Nick :cool:

...the Sovereign system is still one of the best ways to deal with a large DVD collection that you can find.

Nick :cool:
Absolutely!!

Hello everyone,
I also have a Changer and Entre that I was going to put up on E Bay but wanted to make it available here first. If anyone is interested please PM me. I can ship it in the original boxes or it can be picked up in the Los Angeles area.
Brian

Hello I am a new owner of a complete system. I got the 3 main pcs. for a very,very good price! I want to upgrade to 120gb hard drive. What would be a good one to buy ? and I need help doing it!! thanks in advance!!!

wow, haven't been here in a while, but i see that a lot of old members are finally moving on :)

my wife still misses the entre system, but my kids enjoy flipping through the dvd wallets and finding a dvd to watch. they do all the work :D

i never did finish ripping all the entre dvds. too much work, not enough time!!!!

as for me, i am content watching only HD material off the Directv, soon to be verizon FIOS. soon also will acquire an HD-DVD player and plan to netflix titles.

Does anyone know how to perform a hard reset (ie. wipe out drive and reset settings to factory settings) on the Entre? Also, anyone happen to have the link to the Entre definitive resource site?

Thanks!
_d

Greetings,

I have a 5050 changer that I haven't used in several years. I'm looking to sell it, but I have this recollection that there was some sort of repair or update that Kenwood performed on the units at one time, and I don't remember whether I had it done! Anybody remember what I'm talking about? I'd like to know also how this affects the resale value.

Thanks in advance!

Greetings,

I have a 5050 changer that I haven't used in several years. I'm looking to sell it, but I have this recollection that there was some sort of repair or update that Kenwood performed on the units at one time, and I don't remember whether I had it done! Anybody remember what I'm talking about? I'd like to know also how this affects the resale value.

Thanks in advance!

You need to search this thread for the "secret handshake" of commands that you enter on the remote, to determine if the unit is upgraded or not. The main advantage of the upgrade is that it permits the changer to be integrated into a full three-changer setup with the Entre. If you're just using the one changer with the Entre, then you don't need the upgrade.

Thanks,

Nick :cool:

Thanks!

I have three DV-5900M's that I attempted to use without the Entre. Kenwood never really did anything to support these players as stand-alone units. The "Netnamer" software stinks and has never been upgraded. After a while I just gave up on them.

If anyone, who has the entree, wants any or all of these changers, let me know. I no longer have the original boxes. But I have everything else, some of which is still in the original plastic wrap.

I have three DV-5900M's that I attempted to use without the Entre. Kenwood never really did anything to support these players as stand-alone units. The "Netnamer" software stinks and has never been upgraded. After a while I just gave up on them.

If anyone, who has the entree, wants any or all of these changers, let me know. I no longer have the original boxes. But I have everything else, some of which is still in the original plastic wrap.

You'll get interest on them, I assure you.

Nick :cool:

I am interested is these DVD players - Please let me know if you still have them

I have a DV-5900M. I was hoping to sell it together with my Entre, but let me know if you're interested in buying alone... and for how much.

I too have an Kenwood Soverieng system including the Receiver, Entre controller, as well as a DV-5900M DVD player. I have recently moved and don't really have a place in my new house for my home theater. Anyone with interest, please let me know.

I hooked up the Entre after several months down time due to our move, selected Update to check connectivity, and what did I receive? A software update to version 2.0.0.16! Last thing I expected to see, since I think the last major software update was in 2002 or 2003.

Internet radio now functions much better - typically connects in less than 5 seconds, stays connected longer, and now shows artist, song, and cover art while playing. Can't really tell what else (if anything) was affected by the update.

For those folks with DV-5900Ms that are having the green line video problem - replacing the top circuit board (the one with the Faroudja and Sage chips) fixes the problem. I recently bought several used changers - each one had problems, but it looks like with one parts mule I will be able to make three good changers from four problematic changers.

Anyway, that was good for some amusement on a hot Labor Day in Florida...

Cheers,

Mike

Hey guys, ive been searching and this seems to be the only thread that mentions the E1001 code for the DV5700. I just got one tonight and the DVD plaver seems to be frozen. Did anyone find out what the code means?

Mike,

How hard was it to change out the top circuit board? I have five changers with three now showing the green line. Also, has anyone tried to purchase the circuit board directly from Kenwood and if so, how much did they want? It may just be cheaper to do what Mike did, buy someone elses old one for parts.

Mike Arias

If the circuit boards have part numbers on them, you can check the availabilty and pricing on many Kenwood parts that are still available from partstore.com


http://www.partstore.com/Model/Kenwood/Kenwood/DV5700.aspx

http://www.partstore.com/Model/Kenwood/Kenwood/DV5900M.aspx?ModelAliasNumber=dv-5900m

Thanks, I guess I will have to crack one of the players open.

Mike Arias

To quote myself from the previous page.

With so many people having the "green line" problem, I really wish that we could find out exactly what parts/chips need to be replaced to fix it.

I have narrowed it down to the audio/video processor board that sits on top of the carousel, but that complete board is not sold as a replacement part. :(

Swapping out the board was a piece of cake - take the cover off (eleven screws on side and back), three snap-in flat harnesses, four screws to get the board loose, and reverse. Takes about ten minutes if you go for a beer in the middle. The board part number is X35-2290-10, but as mentioned above I have not found anyone selling it. Someone much smarter than me may be able to ascertain what component has failed on the board to cause the problem, but replacing any of the surface-mount ICs would be a chore and is far beyond my meager soldering skills.

Best bet is to buy someone's problem changer and swap boards.

I've finished swapping parts and now have three working changers and a lot of loose parts from the fourth :). I swapped carousels to fix one that had a big divet out of the track (made the carousel clunk as it spun and caused mis-loading of discs), and swapped the back board out of another to fix bad RS-232 comm and garbled title displays. The three repaired units are loaded and working fine with an Escient controller. I'm going to take the two additional good ones that are not hooked up right now and use them with the Entre for music.

Now I just have to build a cabinet that will hold five changers and two controllers (plus the receiver, and dvr, and computer)...

Anyone having questions on the repairs feel free to reply or PM me - I'll do my best to help.

Cheers,

Mike

Hey guys, ive been searching and this seems to be the only thread that mentions the E1001 code for the DV5700. I just got one tonight and the DVD plaver seems to be frozen. Did anyone find out what the code means?

:(:(

Anyone?
I emailed kenwood and they told me that it could not be fixed by me and I had to send it to a sevice center. I hate that response! Kenwood if you are reading this, when are you going to cut the embilical cord and realize that when I give you 1200$ for a dvd player it doesnt belong to you anymore and you cant tell me what I can and cant do with it. If I want to fill it shaving cream and take it to dinner, you should tell me the best way to do so:mad: I didnt ask if I should take it to a service center.

I did the whole stop/power thing so the unit could check itself and it said "Init Ok" then I finished the movie. I hope this doesnt happen again.

(snip)Swapping out the board was a piece of cake - take the cover off (eleven screws on side and back), three snap-in flat harnesses, four screws to get the board loose, and reverse. Takes about ten minutes if you go for a beer in the middle. The board part number is X35-2290-10, but as mentioned above I have not found anyone selling it. (/snip)

That is exactly what I did, but unfortunately the replacement board was from a player that was not upgraded so I have the slower layer change to deal with again (but it's better than green lines :)).

So you want to make sure if you have an upgraded player you get a replacement that has been upgraded because that board was modified/replaced as part of the upgrade.

If anyone has an upgraded player that is dead, I would be happy to take the video board off of your hands.

I have tried a few times to copy mp3 files onto a CDR or CDRW and then upload them to my entre - I have had very little success in my attenpts. When i put the disk in it starts to read it and then brings up a screen that looks like it is trying to figure out what is on the disk. Then it just stays there forever - until I press guide and it tells me there is no disk in the entre

Not sure what your Entre is doing - I've uploaded about 60Gb of MP3s to my Entre via MP3 CDRs. About 5 of the ~4000 songs didn't play and had to be manually recorded from the original CD via the internal CD drive. When I put an MP3 CD in the drive it reads it as an "unknown CD", then updates the tracks one by one as it reads the ID tags. I found I needed to let it read through all the tags before hitting "record" to copy the tracks to the HDD.

Don't know if this will help you...

Mike

Has anyone had any problems with the Entre just sitting on the record screen? It's been happening to me. Sometimes I can reset it, and it will go through a few CD's until it times out, other times it just won't actually do anything. Pressing Exit will bring me back to the guide, but still no-go on the recording. I've tried 2.0.0.8 and 2.0.0.16. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
~ David

I had lots of trouble trying to record multiple CDs to the hard disk sequentially. Seemed like if you did more than four or five without letting the Entre catch up (compress the files until the blue lights stopped flashing) the unit would get quite erratic. I decided to rip the discs on the PC, copy the MP3s to data CDs, then load the Entre from those data CDs.

Now that the Entre is loaded I do rip any new CDs directly in the Entre, but that is rarely more than two or three at a time.

Mike

I have an entre and DV 5900 that I'd like to sell. The entre unit works fine... always has. But it's been rarely used. I loaded all the discs into the changer and had trouble making it work. I got it repaired, loaded all up again, watched a few movies and had problems with discs getting stuck. May even be an easy fix, I don't know. Anyway, we moved and I haven't even connected either piece in over two years.

So, the entre works fine. The changer has an issue that can probably be fixed. Anyone interested? I believe I have the boxes, and I definitely have the remote, keyboard, manuals and everything. I will even leave the cds I've recorded on the system.
email to stephenlane at mindspring dot com. Make me an offer.

steve

Hey guys, I've been asked by a friend to setup his system....

He had the 5900m, the hub, and the main receiver (unknown model number, don't have it infront of me).

anways... Is it worth having him buy an ethernet adapter, etc and hooking it up online?

Is OPENGLOBE still around, or whatever he needs to get title information, etc?

I downloaded the manuals, but wanted to know what the current "status" of this stuff is. Thanks!

Hey guys, I've been asked by a friend to setup his system....

He had the 5900m, the hub, and the main receiver (unknown model number, don't have it infront of me).

anways... Is it worth having him buy an ethernet adapter, etc and hooking it up online?

Is OPENGLOBE still around, or whatever he needs to get title information, etc?

I downloaded the manuals, but wanted to know what the current "status" of this stuff is. Thanks!

It's absolutely worth it. Yes, "OpenGlobe" (Escient) is still there, and looks up titles, even new ones just released. There likely was some lifetime license deal purchased by Kenwood from Escient, since it's the Escient database that's used, with the nomenclature changed for the "Kenwood Sovereign" (RIP) brand. The Entre was always a tweaked Escient Fireball, and the support is still there.

Make sure you return to the early posts on this ancient thread to make sure that the right Ethernet adapter gets purchased, and for initial setup. I still run two Entre/Sovereign changer setups in my home, as well as several Escient/Sony setups. There's still nothing like it, short of something wildly expensive like Kaleidascape.

It remains a great, great niche product. Too bad the niche was just not enough for further refinement.

Nick :cool:

Well I received the usb-Ethernet adapter today. It was easy to set up just plug it in and change the settings in the Entre.

It works nice. Especially on internet radio. And it also makes the Media manager useful.

So far what I have recognized with the Entre. If you have the Entre and have it set to something other then cd's it stops the changer from automatically playing the last cd loaded upon start up.(I have a feeling that when they did testing they had all these puppies set up together, therefore the flaws where not noticed).

The media manager makes it easy to move MP3's from your hard drive to the Entree and makes for easier editing of titles, tracks, and other info.

One flaw is that upon taking two MP3's and sending them to the Entre. They were labelled unk. When I went to manually enter the names of the MP3's they where both changed to the same thing and I could not individually change them to some thing different.(It might be since I haven't played with it long enough)

Anyway I am totally happy with this set up so far. As early adopters we are going to have to hang in with the glitches(none which affect me, but I can see why others would mind) but if fixed this is one of the best setups out there.

I confirm what David said earlier about the layer change.( I am not sure that it was three seconds for me, I had less but it there).
On other movies also, but for some reason the layer change has never bothered me.

Hi:
I am looking at getting an entree , already have a 5090. Please furnish me with the name , brand and where to purchase this special USB -Ethernet adapter that works with this unit.
Thanks.

George T. Omoregie.

With the unit turned on and all recognition over, hold down the "Stop" button on the unit while pressing "0" (which is also the "x" button) on the remote.

4 sets of numbers & letters will be shown

A unit with the version 3 upgrade will look like this (the first 2 or 3 characters are all that matter):

M3
S3
DA3
TI3

Hi:
I have a 5900 Kenwood. Does anyone know why I can not play any DVD + DVD-r disc?
where do I get the firmware upgrade?
Name of the firmware and or link?
Thanks.
George T. Omoregie.

It's absolutely worth it. Yes, "OpenGlobe" (Escient) is still there, and looks up titles, even new ones just released. There likely was some lifetime license deal purchased by Kenwood from Escient, since it's the Escient database that's used, with the nomenclature changed for the "Kenwood Sovereign" (RIP) brand. The Entre was always a tweaked Escient Fireball, and the support is still there.

Make sure you return to the early posts on this ancient thread to make sure that the right Ethernet adapter gets purchased, and for initial setup. I still run two Entre/Sovereign changer setups in my home, as well as several Escient/Sony setups. There's still nothing like it, short of something wildly expensive like Kaleidascape.

It remains a great, great niche product. Too bad the niche was just not enough for further refinement.

Nick :cool:

Thanks Nick,

I found and ordered a Netmate for him.... Figured that was the best supported unit.

I've tried reading this (and other) threads, but so much of it is old its hard to follow.

Baiscly, after getting the Netmate in, I'll hook it up and set it up to his home network (I might end up getting an ethernet to wireless adapter).

How do I get the Entre to update its firmware/software? After doing that and loading all his current DVD's in, will it just automaticly update with new info when he inserts a new DVD?


Thanks guys...

As I remember the Kenwood's will not properly read DVD+r discs but I have had no problems with single or dual sided DVD-r discs. You must finalize the discs though.

Once you hook up the Entre to your network (keep in mind it only supports 10mbps not 100mbps hubs) it should update to 2.0.0.8. If you have problems then it's because it needs to update the ethernet driver which you'll have to do through a dial up connection first, then reboot the Entre which should connect to your home nework, (sans any firewall settings of course). The Entre has problems connecting to a wireless adapter although I think I remember long ago someone saying they got a wireless bridge to work with the supported USB adapter plugged in configured for a 10mbps port.

Once connected properly the Entre will go through a changer update and connect to OpenGlobe for the disc info and jacket pics. Keep in mind when reading this tread people have reported numerous problems after reading Disney discs. It somehow trashes the changers internal table requiring a reset of the system (sometimes it reports the wrong disc and you have to type the title manually and do a "search disc" function).

All newly added discs will trigger an OpenGlobe update. It can sometimes take them weeks to update newy released discs.

Current software version is 2.0.0.16 - there was an update back in the August-September timeframe. Seems to have added some new internet radio functionality.

I have about 275 DVD+Rs (single layer) from many different vendors in one of my changers - they play just fine. I have not had much luck with double-layer DVDRs - they don't play reliably. Agree that you must finalize the discs.

Cheers,

Mike

George,
My Kenwood played single layer Verbatim DVD+R's and Fuji DVD+RW's without issues.

BJBBJB

Wow... guess I have been away for a while! I didn't know about 2.0.0.16. Anybody notice any differences? Also when I try to use the update function the warning screen comes up but when I try to select "update" it's not recognizing when I hit enter. I can move the cursor over to "cancel" and it does get out; just nothing on the update button.

Anyone else having problems updating or if know if there's a special key sequence?

Kevin

No special key sequence - one of my Entres took the update first time. The second one had to be reset before it would take the update. Both are working fine with 2.0.0.16. The only real change I noticed was that internet radio stations now show the artist, song title, and coverart when playing (assuming the station is sending it). Haven't found any other new functionality yet.

Mike

I have been experiencing some problems with my Entre.

1. Could someone tell me when the DNS changed from? I called Kenwood for help receintly and to my surprise they informed me that the DNS I had entered in my internet setting was wrong. I asked when did this change happen and the Kenwood associate had ne records of another DNS address or any information regarding the address ever changing. This can't be since my Entre had been working for at least 2 years with no issue.

2. I had been using a HPNA for the past 2 years. It recently just stopped working. I have an AXCESS so I really need the HPNA to work as the AXCESS is useless without it. Has anyone experienced any problems and could let me know how they resolved it. I have called Kenwood’s helpdesk several times and regret to say that the experts I used to talk to aren’t there anymore.

3. Since the HPNA stopped working I switched to the wireless set-up so I could at least download CD covers, get movie info and transfer files and date through my home network using DVD Edit and Kenwood Entre Media Manager. The wireless appeared to be running fine at first but I am now not able to access the Entre remotely using the DVD Edit or Kenwood Entre Media Manager remotely. At first I would have to have the Entre ON and be in TESTING CONNECTION and while was pinging the router I would connect to the Entre with the DVDE or KEMM. Now I can’t access the Entre at all with DVDE or KEMM. Has anyone else had this problem? Is this due to Kenwood’s software upgrade to 2.0.0.16? Is there a newer version of DVDE or KEMM? Is there a solution to this problem?

4. I recently went to OpenGlobe to search for music and I received a message that “my certificate had expired” I was given the option to continue which I did. Has the arrangement between Kenwood and Open Globe changed? If there was a change is this the cause of my recent problems?

I want to thank whoever answers me in advance. This thread has been a great source of support and information.

Does anyone know how to perform a hard reset (ie. wipe out drive and reset settings to factory settings) on the Entre? Also, anyone happen to have the link to the Entre definitive resource site?

Thanks!
_d

Note this will wipe your hard drive clean. All saved files data, music, libraries will be deleted and the unit will be just like when it came out of the manufacturers box.

On Remote press
Ctrl
Setup
5555
Select "restore to factory defaults"


Then when it is done go back to Setup
Select "utilities"
Select "update software"

You're done.

George,
My Kenwood played single layer Verbatim DVD+R's and Fuji DVD+RW's without issues.

BJBBJB

Thanks, it must be the brand name of the dvd.
I am about to ship it to cerritos CA for firmware update.

George T. Omoregie.

Does anyone happen to have a dialup account that I could use for 5 mins or so?

I bought a USB->ethernet adapter but the entre im setting up must be outdated and doesn't see it. I'd like to connect via phone and just upgrade the software/firmware of my entre but I dont have a dialup account.

Does anyone happen to have a dialup account that I could use for 5 mins or so?

I bought a USB->ethernet adapter but the entre im setting up must be outdated and doesn't see it. I'd like to connect via phone and just upgrade the software/firmware of my entre but I dont have a dialup account.

I bought the CATC one from ebay, reset the unit and got the Entre up and online late lastnight!

Just an FYI on the .16 upgrade (which I now utterly regret!)... anyone who has customized their Entre (colors, gif's etc...) will loose almost everything; taking it back to default.

Anyone with a 120g upgrade have any issues?

Hasn't caused any problems with my 120g Entre - but I had no other mods/customization on it.

Mike

I'm looking for ANY information leading to the CD to set up a new hard drive for the entre ( my hard drive died). All Kenwood will do for me would be having me ship it to their service center

Try
ipaqmusiccenter@yahoogroups.com
also
WindRiver Systems, the company who's operating system powers the
> Kenwood Entre MR-H1 has been purchased by IBM. IMB is a supporter of
> open source software. Now might be the chance to try and ask IBM o
> release the source code for the Entre so that developers can start
> hacking it to improve it.
>
http://www.siliconv alleywatcher. com/mt/archives/ 2007/08/wind_ river_is_ o.php

"Nick Dynice" <nick@nsputnik.com>
who use to (and may still) work for Kenwood has been a great help to us Entree/Sovereign guys. He (at one time) while at Kenwood was gracious enough to help with Sovereign/Entree questions on ipaqmusiccenter@yahoogroups.com

Not sure I can post this much w/o causing problems but here goes. This is one of several emails I saved from
Nick Dynice at ipaqmusiccenter@yahoogroups.com

"Hi all. I am with Kenwood USA product support. In the past, my
management was against joining discussions or posting information to
things message forums and Yahoo groups because they did not understand
how they worked. These managers are gone and enough time has passed
that I think it would be OK for me to post this information here. I
am very sorry that this information was not available on the web
sooner. I did e-mail it to the owner of one Entre FAQ that was at a
.mac site, and he was to repost these, but I cannot find that site now.

If your group has a wiki, go ahead and repost this and then if there
are any errors, they can be corrected.

BTW, if you post an Entre question at Yahoo Answers, I'll answer it as
long as it does not have to do with any hacks or mod. This community
probably knows more about how to do that than I do.

For anyone using the Kenwood.zip file from OpenGlobe, we do not
recommend this. This software appears to have more bugs in it when
compared to downloading 2.0.0.8. directly through the Entre itself.

Entre FAQ

The Entre works only with specific USB to Ethernet adaptors.
Substitutes or similar models are not compatible. For a wireless
connection, you must use a wireless access point with an Ethernet
connection. This will connect to one of the compatible adaptors.

Compatible USB to Ethernet adaptors with original and later Entre
software versions:

-Netmate CatC (discontinued)
-Belkin F5U111 (discontinued)

Compatible USB to Ethernet adaptors (Entre software versions 1.1.0.7
and above):

-LinkSys USB100TX (discontinued)
http://www.linksys. com/servlet/ Satellite? c=L_Product_ C2&childpagename =US%2FLayout& cid=111541683395 9&pagename= Linksys%2FCommon %2FVisitorWrappe r

-D-Link DSB-650TX (discontinued)

-Belkin F5D5050
http://catalog. belkin.com/ IWCatProductPage .process? Product_Id= 104991

-SmartBridges SB1600 (discontinued)

Before the four adaptors above work, you must download the latest
firmware to 1.1.0.7 or later (2.0.0.08 is the last version). If you
do not have one of the two Ethernet to USB adaptors listed at the very
top of the list, you must update through a dial up connection. Do not
connect the newly compatible adaptor until the new software has been
downloaded. Connecting it before hand will freeze up the Entré. You
must use an Ethernet router between the USB to Ethernet adaptor and
the DSL/Cable modem.

To update the Entre without a Netmate CatC or Belkin F5U111, you must
use a dial up Internet connection, other than AOL, CompuServe, or a
free service such as NetZero. If you are trying to connect through
dial up, you must enter DNS addresses.

If you are not in the Quick Start (if the Entre is brand new and it
automatically goes into the quick start menu), dial 5555 on the
remote, and select Force Reregistration. When it comes back on, enter
the necessary information in order to register. You will need to set
it up for a dial-up connection. If you are not already set up with a
dial up connection, call Kenwood Product support a 800-536-9663,
extension 1420, M-F, 8:00am to 5:30pm, Pacific time, and we can set
you up with a temporary dial up account.

When it is done registering, go to Setup> Utilities> Update Software.
When it has finished, you can connect the LinkSys USB100TX , D-Link
DSB-650TX, Belkin F5D5050, or SmartBridges SB1600 USB to Ethernet
adaptors. Go to Setup>Internet Configuration> Network Connections and
change the connection to USB to Ethernet, save the setting. Entré
version 2.0.0.8. has a bug that does not allow the Entré to connect to
the Internet through dynamic addressing. You must set it up for
static. Here is how:

1.) Connect ENTRE to Network (Router, or hub, switch connected to
router).
2.) Go through quick start of the Entré (initial setup).
3.) Initially set the Entré to connect to the Internet using Dynamic
IP addressing.
4.) If DNS ERROR occurs, setup unit to STATIC IP addressing. If still
encountering DNS ERROR after setting to STATIC… see PINGING section
below.
5.) If DHCP ERROR, the Entré is not "talking" to the router. First
verify that all network equipment (USB adapters, HPnA bridges,
routers, switches, hubs, etc.) indicate they are "linking." If not,
STOP and check necessary cables and equipment. May be necessary to
power on and off router, modem, hub, switches, bridges to get link
light to come on.
6.) If all LINK lights are good, it may be possible the issue is the
Entré (DHCP client)…. SETUP THE ENTRE WITH A STATIC ADDRESS.

Setting Up the Static IP Address:

To find a static IP to use for Entré go to a PC on the same Network as
the Entré, if your Network has several switches and hubs, go to a PC
on the same router, switch, and/or hub.

1.Obtain the IP info.

Win 95/98/98SE/ME
a. Go to START > RUN > Type "winipcfg" in text box and then press enter.

Win 2000, NT, XP
b. Go to START > RUN > > Type "cmd". Then press enter.
c. At the command prompt type "ipconfig/all" , then press enter.

Mac OSX
a. Open TCP/IP in the Control Panels. A DNS will not be listed. You
can use 198.6.1.1

Next, find the Ethernet Adapter settings and write down
--IP address
--Gateway
--DNS Servers
--Subnet Mask of the Ethernet Adapter

2. On the Entre go to SETUP > INTERNET CONFIGURATION > PRIMARY
TCP/IP Settings.

3. Enter the Gateway, Subnet Mask, and DNS Server exactly as the
PC has that you wrote down earlier.

4. If they are using a non-Linksys router, add "5" to the total
number of PC's on this particular network. For example: There are 4
computers… add "5"… = 9. NOTE: End result must not be higher than 255.
Take this new number and add it to the last group of the IP address
you wrote down from the PC earlier. Using the same example as above-
lets assume the PC's IP address is 192.168.0.105. Since they have 4
total computers you will add "9" to the last group (.105). So the new
IP address to enter in to ENTRE will be 192.168.0.114. (4 computers +
5 = 9… 9 + 105 = 114)

5. If you are using a Linksys router, change the last part of the
IP address to 99.


Pinging

Once you have setup the ENTRE with a STATIC IP address, you should be
able to PING it from any local NETWORKED PC.

Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, NT, XP

1.) Go to a PC on the Network and click on "START"

2.) Click on RUN. Type in CMD or COMMAND You will then be at a DOS
prompt… now type "ping". Where " is if unit. For example: "ping
207.250.129. 8" Notice it says "…sent = 4, received = 4, lost = 0 If
you can't PING, it will read "…sent = 4, received = 0, lost = 4" and
"request timed out".

Mac OSX

1.) Open the Applications folder, then open Terminal. Now type
"ping". Where " is if unit. For example: "ping 207.250.129. 8"

We suggest establishing PING before trying to diagnose anything else.
If you are unable to PING, you know the Entre can't connect to the
Internet. But if you can PING, then connection to Internet SHOULD be
successful. If it is not, it may be because of your firewall. Entré
communicates over three different ports to OpenGlobe Servers and the
Internet for registration and disc lookups. Entré needs full time
access to ports 80, 443, and 1755.

If a firewall is being used, make sure that ports 80, 433, and 1755
have access out to the Internet at all times for Entré. These must be
set open in your firewall setup. See you firewall manual on how to
check and/or open these ports on your LAN (Local Area Network). In a
Linksys router, type 192.168.1.1 into your browser address field.
Leave the user name field blank, and enter admin (lower case) into the
password field. Next, look under Applications and Gaming in more
resent Links routers, or Port Range Forwarding or Port Triggering in
older Linksys routers.

You may want to perform a disc lookup if you have a DV-5900M or
DV-5050M. Do this by pressing Options> Get Movie Info.

Setting up addresses for the Axcess as of Entré version 2.0.0.8.

The Entré must be set to static, with a static address discussed
above. If a USB to Ethernet adaptor is being used to connect to the
Internet, set the primary connection to Ethernet and Secondary to
HPNA. Under IP addresses, set Secondary to the same address as
Primary, but change the last set of numbers in the address to
something else.

Set the Axcess for manual addressing, using the Entré's IP address,
but change the last part of the address to any number between 255 and
0 other than a number used for the Primary or Secondary IP address in
the IP settings menu. To get to this, press and hold Select for 5
seconds while the Axcess display shows Configuring.

Entré does not recognize some DVDs

While some DVDs are recognized by their table of contents, others
cannot be. For these discs, the names may be on the OpenGlobe server,
but the names will need to be entered manually.

Press the Options button on the remote, and select Edit Disc. Next,
enter the title of the DVD. Depending on the disc, you may need to
try entering the name a couple different ways. First, try entering
the name as you would think it should be entered. If it does not find
the name in the OpenGlobe database, try a hyphen or parentheses after
the name. Then, select Search For Disc. Here are some examples:

Gladiator(space) -(hyphen) is all that needs to be entered, and
Gladiator - (DTS) will appear
Perfect(space) Storm appears as Perfect Storm
Mission(colon) (space)Impossibl e(space)2 will appear as Mission:
Impossible 2
Fleetwood(space) Mac will appear as Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
Rolling(space) Stones:(colon) (space)Live will appear as Rolling Stones:
Live at the Max

Another method is to enter a key phrase in the title that is not the
first word in the title. This would mean at least two consecutive
words in the title that are unique to the title. For example, for
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, simply entering Two(space)Towers
will yield the correct result.

You may need to experiment with various other syntax to make it work.

For disc 2 in a two disc set that does not appear, accept the match
that worked for disc one, save it, then go in and edit the name,
appending it with Disc 2 or Bonus Disc.

Symptom: The Entre will not download DVD titles and cover art.
Solution: The Entre needs to be redirected to the "PROD" server.

Note: The Entre will still be able to download CD titles and cover art.

To verify whether or not the Entre needs to be redirected to the PROD
server:
Use the Entre remote control select: Set Up>Utilities> System Information

In the System Information screen find the heading "Server:" and verify
that PROD is present in the field.

Note: If PROD appears in the Server field, the problem is not related
to the Entre being directed to the wrong Server.

If PROD does not appear in the Server field:
(Using the remote control)
-Press the Set up button on the remote control to enter the "Setup Menu"
-Input 5555 to enter the "Advanced Utilities Menu"
-Select: "force re-registration (restarts unit)"
-Wait approximately 2-3 minutes for the Entre to power on
-Input 64000
-Wait approximately 5-6 minutes for the Entre to power on
-Proceed through the Quick Setup Screens.

Note: Re-registering the Entre is required

Once registration is complete, verify whether or not the Entre has
been redirected to the PROD server:
Use the Entre remote control select: Set Up>Utilities> System Information.

In the System Information screen find the heading "Server:" and verify
that PROD is present in the field.

Know the difference between "Lookup All" under Changer Management and
"Get Movie Info" under Options

"Lookup All" under Changer Management will look up the TOC that
already exists on the Entré's hard drive.

"Get Movie Info" under the Options button will read the disc AND send
the TOC to OpenGlobe/Gracenote .

If the TOC on the Entré for a disc is Unknown Disc, the result will
again be Unknown Disc.

What to do if CDs and DVDs will not begin to play in the changer when
the are selected by the Entré

Set one of the inputs under Setup>Audio and Video Settings> Audio
Input Selection to Changer. If they are set to anything else, the
changer will not be controlled by the Entré.

The Entré with 3 Sovereign DVD changers

Requirements (in addition to the requirements for a single changer and
Entré communication) :
-Entré 2.0.0.8 software, updatable through the Entré internet connection
-Version 3 Upgrade in DVD changer (models DV-5900M, DV-5050M, and
DVF-J6050)
-Daisy chain connection between changers, show on page 18 of the
changers manual

To get your changer upgraded, call Kenwood Service Center West at
562-483-8740.

How to tell if an Entré has the 2.0 software
While at the Entré's guide, press the Setup button on the remote. If
the version number in the bottom right corner of the screen is
2.0.0.8. or higher, the Entré is compatible with 3 changers.

How to tell if a changer has had the Mega Changer Update
With the power on, hold down the stop button on the changer. While
holding stop, press the Zero button on the remote. If the first set
us number stars with M3, the changer has had the update. A unit that
was in dealer stock during the upgrade period should have a V3
markings on the box that indicate it has received the upgrade.

If you do not have an Entré, you do not really need the upgrade.

Dial-up users

If you were able to connect to the internet through your dial up
connection, but now you cannot, it is because you need to enter some
DNS addresses.

198.6.1.1
198.6.1.2
198.6.1.3
198.6.1.4

For new and unregistered Entrés
1. Install and connect the Entré as usual by following prompts. If the
product connects to the ISP, but cannot log onto OpenGlobe then
proceed to Step 2. If connection is successful proceed as normal.
2. In the Quick Start, when you reach the Dialing Preferences screen,
input one of the following DNS addresses in the DNS1 field, and
another in the DNS2 field:

For installed/registere d Entrés that cannot connect to the OpenGlobe
Servers:
1. Press the Setup button on the Entré IR remote control.
2. Highlight and Select Internet Configuration.
3. Highlight and Select Primary TCP/IP Settings.
4. Leaving the TCP/IP settings at Dynamic, enter one of the above
listed DNS addresses in the DNS1 field, and another in the DNS2 field.
5. Highlight and Select the Save button.
6. Exit out of the Setup menu.
7. Reboot, and retry Get Music Info, or any other OpenGlobe function.

Using MSN Dial-Up

In the Quick Start Internet Login Info screen, or the Dial-Up Setting
screen, in order to log on to MSN, instead of entering
username@msn. com in the login name field, you must enter MSN/username"
Remember that this is old so some of the information is no longer valid such as software
updates/downloads, etc.
Hope this helps.

Hope this helps!

I have a RC-KB3 remote available. I'll take $60 plus shipping.

Email me at rifleman2830-stuff@yahoo.com with any questions.

I have the Kenwood.Zip file (needed if you replace or upgrade the HD), and the service manuals for the DV-5900M and Entre (MR-H1). I uploaded them to my ftp server incase anyone needs them.

Go to ftp.apmstandards.org

UserName: Kenwood@apmstandards.org

Password: Entre

I don't know how many Entre users are still using this equipment but those that do are probably close to a HD failure and/or would want to upgrade to the 120GB drive.

Also, if anyone has the PC Media Mabager software, or anything else that would like to share with other Entre owners, please upload to this site.

If anyone has a broken unit, I need the display panel for my second/backup Entre.

December 16, 2007
CountryBumkin (aka Mike)

Sorry the ftp site user name and password does not use capital first letters.
It should be ftp.ampstandards.org
username: kenwood@ampstandards.org
Password entre

You listed the FTP site 2 different ways,

ftp.apmstandards.org and ftp.ampstandards.org

I am assuming that it's ftp.apmstandards.org but that server is not accepting any connections at the moment.

I need to do a better job checking my typing.
It is apmstandards.org
I think my ftp server only allows one connection at a time. If someone is downloading you may need to wait a while to get on.

Thanks for offering this stuff for download!

It sounds like my ftp site may not be working. Another member e-mailed me that he could not connect. I'll spend some time investigating the problem. If I get it setup right. It could be a useful place to get/keep large files/programs related to the Entre and DV-5900M.

Attached is some info I collected from this form and others on upgrading the Entre.

For me the problem was that the case corrected user name had the wrong domain name. It worked with the following:

ftp.apmstandards.org

user name: kenwood@apmstandards.org

password: entre

Who said anything about an HD changer? If there was one, there is not an Escient out there now that would support it. No HDMI.

The Entre, as you know, is worthless without a DV-5900. I'm betting that, together, you might get up to $500.

If so, I'd keep them.

But the Escient/Sony combination is better than the Entre/DV-5900 or DV-5050 combination. But the latter aren't bad at all ;)

Nick :cool:

Could you explain the above statement as to why the Sony/Escient is the better choice? I am close to taking the plunge...

Well for one thing, the Kenwood setup is more or less a discontinued product, and pretty much has been for awhile now. And the Sony/Escient setups are still current products, and with a few different options of available products on the Escient side.

I was wondering why Escient/sony was preferred over Escient/Kenwood. It appears that the Sony DVP-cx777Es is on it's way out too.

I really am not too thrilled about either Sony or Kenwood brands.....I am getting rid of my Sony VGP-XL1b's for reliability concerns already, hate to find myself in the same predicament with another Sony product.

I was wondering why Escient/sony was preferred over Escient/Kenwood. It appears that the Sony DVP-cx777Es is on it's way out too.

I really am not too thrilled about either Sony or Kenwood brands......

The Sony changers still availble new, and at the very least also have the 5 year ES warranty to back them up.
New Escient's have 2 years warranty, refurbed Escients have 1 year.
While the entire Kenwood market is pretty much limited to finding used players and their controllers, so not much in the way of a warranty there...

If you don't like either Kenwood or Sony, then your remaining choices are more or less limited to very expensive options like a Kaleidescape media server system.
And those range in price from $23K-$30K!!

http://www.kaleidescape.com/products/

http://ultimateavmag.com/mediaservers/805kal/index5.html

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/audiovideo/1828/kaleidescape-movie-music-server.html

I know that this might be very slightly off-topic, but I am experiencing some strangeness with my VR5900 and after searching this forum, I've seen some posts about similar problems.

Of course I'm worried that I might have to take it out for a repair, which would be both a major pain (it'll take HOURS to disconnect & the reconnect everything, it's a heavy unit), and of course, I'd lose the ability to listen to music or anything else during that time. :(

My problem:
Recently my receiver inexplicably started losing sound when taking a digital input from a source. But sometimes it would inexplicably come back when switching sources and sound modes.

Right now, I get no sound with a dolby digital input, but if I take a PCM input, I get sound only with THX on or I set it to some surround mode like Dolby Surround. But if I select "Arena" or "Jazz club" modes I get no sound.

Note that I have the same issues even when I'm listening to the FM tuner, so it's not related to any input signal problems.

I had a similar problem not too long ago and it seemed to have gone away.

I've seen some posts with similar issues on here and wonder if anyone has found a solution? Had it repaired? And what their experience was with the repair once they did it?

Also, does anyone know how to perform a RESET on it? The manual says:
1. Turn the receiver off. (The Power button is OFF position.)
2. Press ON/STANDBY button while pressing and holding the Power button.


OK, but I've had this thing for ~5 years and haven't found the "Power Button" to put it in the off position. Am I missing something?

Thanks very much!

Scott

This is not a solution to your problem, but if you decide to buy a new a/v receiver, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that they are much lighter and smaller now and not as expensive. I bought a Sony 801 A/V receiver with 3 hdmi inputs and it supports the passing of audio over hdmi for only $250.

Does anyone know if the V3 upgrade is still available for the 5900M's? I picked up a used 5900M on eBay and the version is NOT at V3.

Keeping my fingers crsossed.

Thanks.

Does anyone know if the V3 upgrade is still available for the 5900M's? I picked up a used 5900M on eBay and the version is NOT at V3.

Keeping my fingers crsossed.

Thanks.

Yes, I did an upgrade a month ago and I just boxed up another 5900M for upgrade.
Here is the info:

Kenwood Service Center WEST
17300 Marquardt Avenue
Cerritos, CA 90703-8740.
It will cost $110.00

Thanks.
George T. Omoregie.

I've got a DV-5700 player that's started to display the "NO PLAY" error on all discs. Since I'm way out of warranty, can anyone tell me what Kenwood charges to perform the repair? I figure it's probably time to just replace the thing, but I like it enough to at least explore the option of repairing it.

THANK YOU George!

I was certainly relieved to see I'm not the only one to be confused about the reset instructions in the manual for the VR-5900....I would also appreciate any help in figuring it out.
We had this unit donated to our Church along with the Kenwood 400 Disc Changer and Kenwood DVD unit. Unfortunately there is no remote.
I plugged in the VR5900 to test it and pressed the on/standby button....All I get is the flashing red light and nothing on the display.
Is there something I'm missing in the power up sequence?
Any help at all will be appreciated.
The only history I know on the unit is that it looks brand new and has been in storage for probably about 5 or 6 years. All the items were donated by someone who owned a high-end A/V company back in about 2001 and closed shop. These were supposedly the demo units used at conventions/home shows, etc.
Everything else seems to work properly.

All I get is the flashing red light and nothing on the display.
Is there something I'm missing in the power up sequence?
I believe that the flashing light indicates that there is a short in one of your speaker connections. The manual indicates that you should unplug all of your speakers, unplug the amp, then try each speaker connection one by one until you figure out which one has the short.

Scott

I read that as well; however, there are no speakers connected. I just plugged it in by itself.

My Sovereign system has just developed a glitch that I can't seem to fix: I have an Entre hooked up to a 5900 changer. The Entre appears to be able to communicate with the changer, by which I mean that if I insert a disc in the changer, it is recognized by the Entre, and if I do a scan on the Entre, it does make the changer scan from disc to disc. But here's the problem: if I highlight a disk and press select, the disk doesn't play. The Entre menu disappears and the Kenwood splash screen appears, but the changer never plays the disk. Any ideas?

Robert,

I had kinda similar symptoms as the video board in one of my changers failed. I did a lookup and got results, but couldn't play any discs. Shortly thereafter I lost the Kenwood splash screen (just got a blank blue screen when the DVDM-100 switched video to the changer). Swapping the top video board out with one from a parts changer solved the problem.

Good luck,

Mike

Mike,

I have almost the opposite problem: the video board in my changer failed, but the Entre had no problem controlling it. So I swapped it for a known good changer, and only started having the playback problem with the second changer (which had previously worked fine when I was using both changers at the same time). Also, to clarify, the problem isn't that I don't get video. The problem is that the Entre never sends the Play command to the changer, so the disk never plays unless I select it manually (which kind of defeats the purpose of having the Entre).

Robert -

One quick thought - did you remember to set the changer ID switch on the back panel from 2 to 1 when you swapped the changer?

Mike

I had a similar problem which was explained elsewhere on this form as a bad component on the Entre motherboard. Having so much $ invested in this Entre/5900 system, I decided to take a chance and order a replacement motherboard and change it myself rather than take the unit to a service center. While waiting for the new MB to arrive, an Entre went up for sale on Ebay. I ended up winning that sale. Now I have a new Motherboard in my hands that I don't need. If anyone here wants it. I 'll let it go for a good price. E-mail me at mshumack@bellsouth.net Jan 30, 2008.

My Entre is not connecting. I suspect the internet configurations are not correct as Kenwood and Linksys are telling me different configuations to get it back up wirelessly. Any help (your current configurations, suggestions, etc.) would be much appreciated. It could also be my Linksys set up with the wireless bridge as some gal from Linksys did some really strange things with my settings remotely. The old settings posted here (some by me) don't seem to work. Help!! and Thanks!!!

Is there somewhere I can get the last version of Kenwood's media manager software before they quit offering it for download?

Nevermind. Found it.

Is anybody interested in a 5050? Mine has been in a box in the closet for the last several years, and I'd like to see it go to a good home.

Mike,

Remind me -- Does the 5050 support DVD-Audio?

Before the four adaptors above work, you must download the latest
firmware to 1.1.0.7 or later (2.0.0.08 is the last version)...

DNS addresses.

198.6.1.1
198.6.1.2
198.6.1.3
198.6.1.4

For new and unregistered Entrés
1. Install and connect the Entré as usual by following prompts. If the
product connects to the ISP, but cannot log onto OpenGlobe then
proceed to Step 2. If connection is successful proceed as normal.
2. In the Quick Start, when you reach the Dialing Preferences screen,
input one of the following DNS addresses in the DNS1 field, and
another in the DNS2 field:

For installed/registere d Entrés that cannot connect to the OpenGlobe
Servers:
1. Press the Setup button on the Entré IR remote control.
2. Highlight and Select Internet Configuration.
3. Highlight and Select Primary TCP/IP Settings.
4. Leaving the TCP/IP settings at Dynamic, enter one of the above
listed DNS addresses in the DNS1 field, and another in the DNS2 field.
5. Highlight and Select the Save button.
6. Exit out of the Setup menu.
7. Reboot, and retry Get Music Info, or any other OpenGlobe function.



I read your post and wondered why you did not note the current software version for the Entre as being 2.0.0.16? I have been having nothing but problems with my Entre connecting to Open Globe with my HPNA since the update to this the newest version. My Axcess is totally useless since the software update.

Also the DNS numbers you listed are inactive to my knowledge. When I started having problems with the Entre and the HPNA the Kenwood support tech gave me a new DNS # . When I used this new DNS # the Netmate wireless device worked. The HPNA works and stops and the Axcess still doesn't work.

Your advice to enter values into both DNS1 and DNS2 is something new to me as well. The Kenwood Techs had advised me to only enter values into the DNS1...which hasn't fixed my issues yet.

If there is something you know about getting an HPNA to work would be helpful. Also I would really like to get the Axcess working again. The steps to set up the Axcess would be great too.

There was a posting on the forum a while back with connection settings the worked for me. I will summarize them here.
1) You must be running version 2.0.0.8 to use the ethernet adapter (netmate or Linksys). I have the files on my FTP server if you need to upgrade.
2) The Entre's IP address should be set to Dynamic (first), if this doesn't work set to static even if your home home network is setup as dynamic IP addresses. I had to setup Entre and Static on my network.
3) For Static setup; Run IPCONFIG/ALL on all your network computers to get the IP, gateway, subnet, DHCP server addresses. For example, if your network gateway is 192.168.0.1, your subnet is 255.255.255.0, DHCP and DNS server are listed as 192.168.0.1, and your copmputers are 192.168.0.99 and 192.168.0.120
4) enter the Entre's IP address as 192.168.0.124 (add 4 to highest computer address.
5) Run the connection test on the Entre. Save the settings.
6) On the Entre setup screen (Utilities I think) you can view the Entre's network settings. Write down the MAC address. Some network routers allow you use the MAC address for connection. This is the easiest way to connect, if you have the option. Every device (computer, router, Entre) has its own unique MAC address so you can network by MAC address rather than assigning IP address.
Good luck.

something also to consider... and I'm in no means a computer techie so this might be obvious for most...

I spent two days trying to get my entre to communicate with Open Globe after a three month or so down period. My entre had received the .16 update...

Anyway, my entre would not respond. I did all of the steps above. renewed the ip addresses etc...

Finally - I noticed that the "device Name" field in the set-up was blank. I entered "entre"... finally the connection went through...

I've had 2.0.0.16 for the last 5-6 months and have had no issues with connectivity or using the Axcess portals. I have two Axcess units active now, and have had up to four running simultaneously with this most recent software. I use the Netgear PE102 HPNA-ethernet adaptor to connect the Entre to the internet and Axcess portals. The Entre is set up for static IP on the primary and secondary connections, and I have a network name entered.

If you are having problems with the Axcess make sure you have set the secondary network connection to the same parameters as the primary.

Mike

Thank you for the quick responses. I had some success. I followed the instruction about the IP address for non Linksys routers.


4. If they are using a non-Linksys router, add "5" to the total
number of PC's on this particular network. For example: There are 4
computers… add "5"… = 9. NOTE: End result must not be higher than 255.
Take this new number and add it to the last group of the IP address
you wrote down from the PC earlier. Using the same example as above-
lets assume the PC's IP address is 192.168.0.105. Since they have 4
total computers you will add "9" to the last group (.105). So the new
IP address to enter in to ENTRE will be 192.168.0.114. (4 computers +
5 = 9… 9 + 105 = 114)


Tada the HPNA worked and I connected to Openglobe without any issue.

Could you tell me what DNS value you are using? Also do you have values entered in the DNS1 and DNS2?

The Axcess is still not working though. The unit powers up, does its auto config, then downloads the software and then just says “network failure, reboot system”. It doesn’t even attempt to look for the network. If someone has a working Axcess what are your settings?

I read your post and wondered why you did not note the current software version for the Entre as being 2.0.0.16? I have been having nothing but problems with my Entre connecting to Open Globe with my HPNA since the update to this the newest version. My Axxess is totally useless since the software update.

Also the DNS numbers you listed are inactive to my knowledge. When I started having problems with the Entre and the HPNA the Kenwood support tech gave me a new DNS # which is 207.250.129.8. When I used this new DNS # the Netmate wireless device worked. The HPNA works and stops and the Axxess still doesn't work.

Your advice to enter values into both DNS1 and DNS2 is something new to me as well. The Kenwood Techs had advised me to only enter values into the DNS1...which hasn't fixed my issues yet.

If there is something you know about getting an HPNA to work would be helpful. Also I would really like to get the Axxess working again. The steps to set up the Axxess would be great too.

Thanks guys for the help but I have yet to get my Entre back up. The current software is 2.0.0.16 and that is what I show.

The information I posted was from the Yahoo HP/Entre forum (which is not current as it needs to be) and was written one of their main guys who was with Kenwood at one time.

I have been working with Kenwood for three weeks but they haven't figured it out either. They were going to email me after each of three calls I made over the last three weeks. Not sure they have anyone that stills knows there stuff. I have gotten contradicting information depending on who I talk to, including one who was sure the 2.0.0.8 version was the latest and the 2.0.0.16 was an earlier?? version!

I don't have Access but if I run across any information I'll post it here.

I read your post and wondered why you did not note the current software version for the Entre as being 2.0.0.16? I have been having nothing but problems with my Entre connecting to Open Globe with my HPNA since the update to this the newest version. My Axxess is totally useless since the software update.

Also the DNS numbers you listed are inactive to my knowledge. When I started having problems with the Entre and the HPNA the Kenwood support tech gave me a new DNS # which is 207.250.129.8. When I used this new DNS # the Netmate wireless device worked. The HPNA works and stops and the Axxess still doesn't work.

Your advice to enter values into both DNS1 and DNS2 is something new to me as well. The Kenwood Techs had advised me to only enter values into the DNS1...which hasn't fixed my issues yet.

If there is something you know about getting an HPNA to work would be helpful. Also I would really like to get the Axxess working again. The steps to set up the Axxess would be great too.

There was a posting on the forum a while back with connection settings the worked for me. I will summarize them here.
1) You must be running version 2.0.0.8 to use the ethernet adapter (netmate or Linksys). I have the files on my FTP server if you need to upgrade.
2) The Entre's IP address should be set to Dynamic (first), if this doesn't work set to static even if your home home network is setup as dynamic IP addresses. I had to setup Entre and Static on my network.
3) For Static setup; Run IPCONFIG/ALL on all your network computers to get the IP, gateway, subnet, DHCP server addresses. For example, if your network gateway is 192.168.0.1, your subnet is 255.255.255.0, DHCP and DNS server are listed as 192.168.0.1, and your copmputers are 192.168.0.99 and 192.168.0.120
4) enter the Entre's IP address as 192.168.0.124 (add 4 to highest computer address.
5) Run the connection test on the Entre. Save the settings.
6) On the Entre setup screen (Utilities I think) you can view the Entre's network settings. Write down the MAC address. Some network routers allow you use the MAC address for connection. This is the easiest way to connect, if you have the option. Every device (computer, router, Entre) has its own unique MAC address so you can network by MAC address rather than assigning IP address.
Good luck.

Thanks for the help. I've tried you configurations but am still doing something wrong. When I run IPCONFIG/ALL I do get a message from my computer that there is an IP address conflict trying to access the internet, a good sign I think. I only show one IP address which I assume is the computer I am using. When I change the IP add. on the Entre the computer message goes away. I have another computer in the house which is not on and the Entre is on but I don't see it listed. These are the only three devices we currently have, all wireless. I am (and always have) using a Linksys router and Linksys wireless bridge. I think my problem also started with the last software update. I have been able to hard wire and get on line but been unable to duplicate it since I disconected the cable and tried to go back to wireless.
I'll keep working on it and if anyone has any additonal suggestions PLEASE POST THEM.
THANKS!!

I've had 2.0.0.16 for the last 5-6 months and have had no issues with connectivity or using the Axcess portals. I have two Axcess units active now, and have had up to four running simultaneously with this most recent software. I use the Netgear PE102 HPNA-ethernet adaptor to connect the Entre to the internet and Axcess portals. The Entre is set up for static IP on the primary and secondary connections, and I have a network name entered.

If you are having problems with the Axcess make sure you have set the secondary network connection to the same parameters as the primary.

Mike

Thanks for the info. Mike.
Are you wireless?
I am using a USB ethernet adaptor with a cross over cable to a Linksys bridge and wireless Linksys router. I still think it is in my settings as the hardware hasn't changed. Is everyone still using the cross over cable? Could the lastest software no longer require a cross over cable??

That did it. I am working again. A thousand thank you.

I am using an HPNA Netgear PE102. Here are my settings.

At the internet config, network connection, I selected
Primary Network Connection - homePNA
Secondary Network Connection - homePNA (because I have an Axcess, use none if not using an Axcess)

Primary TCP/IP Settings
Static
IP address 192.168.2.13 (using non Linksys router and following the +9 rule)
subnet mask 250.250.250.0 (may differ depending on your home network)
gateway address 192.168.2.1 (may differ depending on your home network)
DNS1 value given to me by Kenwood and should be the same for all
DNS2 no values leave blank
DHCP Client ID no values leave blank

Secondary TCP/IP Settings
Same as above

Network Name
Entre (or whatever you want)

This is what has worked for me.

James,

My network is wired - the PE102 HPNA adaptor is plugged into an 8-port D-link GigE switch, which is connected to a 4-port D-link GigE router (the router also has wireless-N but I have the wireless disabled). The Entre is Static IP on both the primary and secondary interfaces, and the Axcess portals are set up in the default dynamic IP configuration.

I've never used a crossover cable to connect my HPNA to the router or switch (whether it was hooked to the D-link setup or the Linksys wired hub and router I used to run).

Cheers,

Mike

CKOB,

My Entre and Axcess portals have been and are still are running fine - no need to mess with anything at this point. The switch handles all the IP-connected gear I have in my office, while the router sits near the modem and handles the other gear at that location. I posted the info in case it might help others with troubleshooting.

Cheers,

Mike

That did it. I am working again. A thousand thank you.

I am using an HPNA Netgear PE102. Here are my settings.

At the internet config, network connection, I selected
Primary Network Connection - homePNA
Secondary Network Connection - homePNA (because I have an Axcess, use none if not using an Axcess)

Primary TCP/IP Settings
Static
IP address 192.168.2.13 (using non Linksys router an)
subnet mask 250.250.250.0 (may differ depending on your home network)
gateway address 192.168.2.1 (may differ depending on your home network)
DNS1 207.250.129.8 (value given to me by Kenwood and should be the same for all)
DNS2 no values leave blank
DHCP Client ID no values leave blank

Secondary TCP/IP Settings
Same as above

Network Name
Entre

This is what has worked for me.

Usually, the DNS1 is set the same as your gateway address (because the gateway i.e. router is the DNS on internal networks) and DNS2 would be the 207.250.129.8 that Kenwood uses.
Since yours is working - leave it alone.
Good luck.

Usually, the DNS1 is set the same as your gateway address (because the gateway i.e. router is the DNS on internal networks) and DNS2 would be the 207.250.129.8 that Kenwood uses.
Since yours is working - leave it alone.
Good luck.

Thats info is new to me. I guess it could be found somewher in these 200+ pages so thank you for responding and saving me the time. If I was to follow your instructions and since the Axcess has only one DNS which do you enter? The gateway to the home network 192.168.2.1 or to the Kenwood DNS?

When you set up a home network (aslo called a local area network; LAN) you connect your internal computers and devices (entre, DirecTV, etc) together through a router. The router is the gateway. When you connect to the Internet (the Wide area network; WAN) your router acts like a firewall to prevent other in the WAN from accessing your LAN. Your Entre must be able to talk with your router so you have to tell it what the gateway address is. Usually the gateway address is already programmed into the router. Most comon (that I have seen) are 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.2.1 (but you need to run IPconfig/all on your computer to see what you actually have. Regarding the Domain Name Server (DNS), this is the method the used to match IP address (the numbers) to each computers/devices name. If your LAN is set up for "dynamic IP" the router can automatically assign the IP address for each device. Now regarding the kenwood DNS address; I never used it. The Entre knows where to go once the internet access is granted. I only used the DNS 192.168.2.1 (built into my router) but since Kenwood provided an IP, I added it in for DNS2. It makes no difference on my setup whether DNS1 and DNS2 are both 192.168.2.1 or if I use the Kenwood address for DNS2. There may be some benefit to using the Kenwood address so I'm leaving it there - but I don't know when, or if ever, the address would be used. However, if I leave out the DNS 192.168.2.1 (and only use the Kenwood DNS address), I can not connect to the internet or see the Entre on my LAN.
I am not a computer network savy person - I'm only reporting what I have learned from setting up my own equipment.
Good Luck

My system is working but not as good as it used to. It could just be the sign of age. However if I can improve its performance by adjusting the settings, I'll give it a try.

Now you said you entered your gateway values in the "DNS1". I was just curious about that as you already enter it in the gateway address in the set up for the gateway. I read your explaination and wondered if the DNS value that Kenwood gives isn't their gateway to their network which gives you access to Openglobe etc. Without the DNS address from Kenwood the Entre wouldn't find its way home. I tried it the way you mentioned and I couldn't connect to Openglobe.

You never said what values you entered for your Axcess DNS as it can only have one set of values. I used the Kenwood DNS for mine. My Axcess unit has resently being acting up. When I set it to play all in group all it stops after few songs. It stays connected to the Entre, it just doesn't play the next track automaically. I want to make sure its not the setting that is causing this glitch.

I don't have Axcess, just the Entre and DVD changer. But I never used the Kenwood IP address before. If it was necessary, Kenwood would have put it in the manual. I retried accessing without the Kenwood address and have no problem connecting to OpenGlobe. Perhaps it is only needed when you have Axcess.

I can't believe how hard this all sounds, I picked up an Entre hoping it would make my life easier. But as I read these threads it sounds pretty tough.
I have two questions, do I need the kenwood media manager software and if I do could someone direct me how to get it, my googleing has failed me.

Also I want to use a wireless adapter to hook into a lynksys router is there any simple way to do that, after reading this the usb ethernet network adapter doesn't seem like the way to go. I picked up a cheap one the other day but I am afraid to try it.

Thanks in advance,
Ron

Mar. 7th. 20008
Just got an email followed by a phone call from a Kenwood guy who knows his stuff. I started calling Kenwood on Jan. 30th. On the third call they escalated my request for help to the "corporate" level, previously the "technical" level. At any rate I appreciate getting the following information which may or may not work with your system if you are having problems getting on the internet with your Entre. I do not have "Access" units so your settings will vary accordingly. I am using a Belkin USB Ethernet Adapter connected with a crossover cable to a Linksys Wireless Bridge to a wireless Linksys router. Firmware/Software 2.0.0.16, current as of above date.
(Note the *s below. When you unbox the Entre for the first time I believe you have to use "dialup to get things started, at least in some cases. The changing to/or selecting "dialup", "then reset", saving, then switching back to/or
selecting ethernet indicates to the Entre a need to "change" and corrects what I think must be a bug. Anyway this is about the only thing I had never tried, or heard of doing, and it seems to be the magic bullet that worked for me.)*

On Entre Remote:
Hit "Setup".
Select "utilities" at the bottom of the screen.
Select "system information".
It should list Server as "PROD". (If not you may need to spend a little time figuring out how to change it. I remember changing this once on another screen. When you save it there, it will also show up here.)
If ok hit Select on the remote to get out
then "back“ on "Setup - Utilities screen".
When screen comes up:
Hit "Internet Configuration" then
hit "primary tcp/ip settings".
Here are the settings he gave me:

TCIP/IP settings - Select "Static".
IPA 192.168.1.50
SM 255.255.255.0
GA 192.168.1.1
DNS1 207.250.129.8
DNS2 (leave blank)
DHCP (leave blank)

Save.
When you save you will be sent back to "Setup - Internet Configuration".
Under this select "network connections.
Select "dialup modem"* under Primary Network Connection
and "none" under Secondary Network Connection.
Hit "save".
When you hit save it will send you back to
Setup Internet Configuration. "Reset the Entre by holding down the power button on the Entre until the small red light starts flashing then release it. When it stops flashing and is solid red press the power button again to restart the Entre and release the button."
On Entre Remote:
Hit "Setup". Then back to to "Setup - Internet Configuration".
Under this select "network connections" (again)*.
This time select "ethernet" under Primary*..
and
"none" under Secondary Net....
Hit "save".
Hit "test".
Hope I got this right and Good Luck-

I can't believe how hard this all sounds, I picked up an Entre hoping it would make my life easier. But as I read these threads it sounds pretty tough.
I have two questions, do I need the kenwood media manager software and if I do could someone direct me how to get it, my googleing has failed me.

Also I want to use a wireless adapter to hook into a lynksys router is there any simple way to do that, after reading this the usb ethernet network adapter doesn't seem like the way to go. I picked up a cheap one the other day but I am afraid to try it.

Thanks in advance,
Ron

The unit is great and for the price super fantastic. It is not that its hard to set up but that it is a bit manual. Many users (like me) aren't net experts and have experienced some issues connecting. I personally just didn't follow the instructions properly or used the specified networking accessories which were the root cause of my issues. This thread includes person after person going through the same learning curve as I did so its not as bad as you think. This thread also incudes some expert discussion about custom modifications to the Entre like changing out the harddrive, DVD Edit software and Media Manager software. The system is several years old and so there is a lot of discussion. My unit has been working for a couple years and the harddrive will hang up now and then or I will get a DNS failure. A simple reset fixes the problem. Like any device with moving parts it may malfunction. The Entre is definately worth the trouble so don't get discouraged.

To answer your question, no you don't need any additional software and DVD Edit and Media Manager are not supported by Kenwood.

First thing first, please get the correct hardware. The manual includes the correct ethernet adaptor make and model. You can send me a private message and I could try to help you get connected and maybe save you some time.

Does anyone know about a mod for the DV-5900 player so that it can play Blu-Ray format discs? With Blu-Ray winning the format war over HD-DVD, all movies will eventually be only available in the Blu-Ray format. I want to continue to use the Kenwood sovereign system but if it can't play Blu-Ray I may eventually be forced to change. So has anyone seen or heard of Blu-Ray working on the Kenwood DV5900?

Does anyone know about a mod for the DV-5900 player so that it can play Blu-Ray format discs? With Blu-Ray winning the format war over HD-DVD, all movies will eventually be only available in the Blu-Ray format. I want to continue to use the Kenwood sovereign system but if it can't play Blu-Ray I may eventually be forced to change. So has anyone seen or heard of Blu-Ray working on the Kenwood DV5900?



The DV-5900 has a very good up scaling chip for regular DVDs. I doubt it can be rigged to play blue ray unless you know a whole lot more about electronics than I do. It does not have the proper hardware, ex. blue laser. In my opinion the only other up scaling player that has a better up scaling chip in it, without spending over a grand, is the Samsung BD-UP5000. It is a single disk player, not changer, but will play Blue Ray, HD-DVD, and does a fantastic job (best I've seen) up scaling S-DVDs to near high def. If you hear of any way to get the DV-5900 to play BR let me know. I haven't put a Blue Ray disk in the DV-5900 and tried it. Have you? Could be interesting.

Now that my Sovereign 7.1 system is again fully functioning I am considering, after 4 years of ownership, adding an Axcess unit.

I realize I will have to find a used one but do any of you guys know what would be a fair asking price?

How many can you add to the system?

Any suggestions where to look for them other than here, eBay, Amazon?

Do they work well enough to warrent the cost/trouble?

Do you guys that have them use them very much?

Does it have a speaker built in or do you have to supply stereo? powered? speakers?

Am I correct in understanding that it it is just audio, cds, mp3 from Entre hard drive, DVD-A?, am, fm, internet radio? Anything else?

How will my settings change?

Is the quality of sound very good?

If you have to add speakers what are you guys using to pair with it?
Thanks-

James,

The Axcess plays MP3s and internet radio - nothing from the changers or the entre's CD drive. The unit works well and sounds good - it has a built-in amp (small, maybe 20 watts per channel?) and can power small bookshelf speakers (the unit does not have any speakers in it). It also has an aux input - I use one of mine to power a set of Klipsch speakers for my computer. About the only real drawback is that you have to scroll through your music or groups to get to the album or song you want, and the list pauses every several albums to load information about the music. Not a big problem if you have a small MP3 collection but a little annoying if you have to get through 500 albums to bring up your favorite ZZ-Top tune. It will also play playlists that you've set up on the Entre and allows you to select and play within the music groups set up on the Entre. You can shuffle or repeat albums and groups. I've had four playing different MP3s and internet radio simultaneously without any problems. I use three right now - one in the library, one in the garage, and one in the office.

Overall it is a nice unit and looks very good on a desk. All that said, there are many other choices out there that work off of wireless networks and your PC or network drive and don't tie you to the Entre. The biggest weakness of the Axcess is that if your Entre dies it is only useful as an Aux amp.

I bought a couple of them from Vann's for around $50 during a closeout back in '04. I'd recommend haunting e-bay or posting a want-ad here.

Hope this helps...

Cheers,

Mike

Anyone know anything about the item at the web address below?

I am interested (along with another AVS forum member) in knowing how much this "add-on" might improve the performance of a DCDi Faroudja progressive scan Sovereign DV-5900 DVD changer. Are we talking "near" HD quality, not as good (or perhaps better) than the Reon chip, Realta chip, negligible improvement, etc.?

http://www.jvbdigital.nl/jvb.asp?cur...itle&title=100

If this doesn't take you directly to it, on the web page paste:

Kenwood DV-5900 SDI upgrade

into the search block and hit enter.

then left click on

1 hit on 'Kenwood DV-5900 SDI upgrade' in the Digital Video Equipment category

to get to the correct page.

The changer would have to be sent in for installation.

Anybody know anything about this company and the quality of their work and/or products, esp. this add-on piece?

As this is a digital SDI interface can it be connected to a projector or TV via HDMI?? or component even though I thought component was only analog??
It doesn't look like either it in the photo.
Thanks-

I am interested (along with another AVS forum member) in knowing how much this "add-on" might improve the performance of a DCDi Faroudja progressive scan Sovereign DV-5900 DVD changer. Are we talking "near" HD quality, not as good (or perhaps better) than the Reon chip, Realta chip, negligible improvement, etc.?



SDI does none of that, no scaling, no upconversion, nothing, no video conversion of any type. SDI is primaraly a industrial video connection, that's mainly used in the broadcast industry. The main thing SDI does is pass a very pure or 'unmolested' signal without adding or taking anything away from it, than most other types of interfaces will.
Also there is no HDCP at all with SDI. And the fact that it has no HDCP and the pure signal transmission, is what make it attractive to many home theater users that also have SDI capable outboard video processors.






As this is a digital SDI interface can it be connected to a projector or TV via HDMI?? or component even though I thought component was only analog??
It doesn't look like either it in the photo.
Thanks-


No, SDI will NOT work with either HDMI or component! The only way to use a DVD player with a SDI output, is you would also need to purchase a outboard stand alone video processor/scaler that can also accept a SDI input, or one that offers a SDI upgrade option. At the lower end, you would be looking at something like a DVDO iScan VP30 with the optional add on SDI interface board for it. The DVDO line of products have some of the lower priced video processors/scalers on the market, but they are by no means cheap qualitly or low cost. And for the VP30, that would have a cost of $2,000 MSRP for the VP30 itself and another $400 for the add-on SDI board for it. Although JVB digital also has the VP30 w/SDI for slighly less than that, as well as some older model video processors/scalers for quite a bit less than what the VP30 w/SDI board cost, such as the DVDO iScan HD+ with a SDI mod. But that one is also a lot older (as well as being a discontinued model now) and lacks a lot of the newer features and options of the newer models.

http://www.anchorbaytech.com/products/systems/vp30.php

http://www.anchorbaytech.com/products/systems/addons/precision_sdi_input_module.php

SDI does none of that, no scaling, no upconversion, nothing, no video conversion of any type. SDI is primaraly a industrial video connection, that's mainly used in the broadcast industry. The main thing SDI does is pass a very pure or 'unmolested' signal without adding or taking anything away from it, than most other types of interfaces will.
Also there is no HDCP at all with SDI. And the fact that it has no HDCP and the pure signal transmission, is what make it attractive to many home theater users that also have SDI capable outboard video processors.

No, SDI will NOT work with either HDMI or component! The only way to use a DVD player with a SDI output, is you would also need to purchase a outboard stand alone video processor/scaler that can also accept a SDI input, or one that offers a SDI upgrade option. At the lower end, you would be looking at something like a DVDO iScan VP30 with the optional add on SDI interface board for it. The DVDO line of products have some of the lower priced video processors/scalers on the market, but they are by no means cheap qualitly or low cost. And for the VP30, that would have a cost of $2,000 MSRP for the VP30 itself and another $400 for the add-on SDI board for it. Although JVB digital also has the VP30 w/SDI for slighly less than that, as well as some older model video processors/scalers for quite a bit less than what the VP30 w/SDI board cost, such as the DVDO iScan HD+ with a SDI mod. But that one is also a lot older (as well as being a discontinued model now) and lacks a lot of the newer features and options of the newer models.

http://www.anchorbaytech.com/products/systems/vp30.php

http://www.anchorbaytech.com/products/systems/addons/precision_sdi_input_module.php

Is the SDI similiar/the same as a three prong/clip microphone connection? It sounds like SDI must be used throughout. In other words, an SDI 5900 changer would probably not work with the Entre as well as the problem of home theater displays, projectors etc. unless maybe if the SDI DVDO will also output HDMI, Componet, optical/coax, etc. Does it?

What is the best way to improve the 5900 video (and audio) quality, a new receiver, new scaler/processor, etc? Would this payoff more in image/sound quality than trying to convert everything to SDI, if it is even possible?

Hey, thanks for the responses. Your helping us learn this stuff.

Is the SDI similiar/the same as a three prong/clip microphone connection?
No it is not just a connector type. It is a transmission interface/signal, known as a Serial Digital Interface. It uses a 75ohm coaxial cable with BNC connectors.

You also MUST have a outboard dedicated video processor/scaler that can accept a SDI input, to use a SDI output DVD player.
Then the scaler will then convert the SDI signal to whatever you want, either component or HDMI.


Adding a good scaler would probably be the thing that would get you the most noticable inprovement, and then adding SDI to that slightly raises it a little bit more. But the cost of adding SDI to both the DVD player and the scaler, is roughly another $1000 over and above the cost of whatever the scaler cost is. I'm not even going to say if it's worth that much or not, other than some people think it is, while others do not. There really is nothing that you will do that's going make much of any difference to the audio though. You still need to use either the normal optical or coaxial hookups for audio, so nothing would be changed or "improved" in anyway there.

While watching recorded sat. and ripping a cd to the Entre hd, the amp. kept switching audio from the sat. to the cd (or hd) as the cd was being ripped. Each time a track would end on the cd/hd the receiver would switch back to the audio at the beginning of the next track of the cd and I would have to re-select audio for the sat. Changed the amp. input from Auto. but problem continued.

Anyone had this happen? Is there a simple fix?

Thanks-

I've got a DV-5700 player that's started to display the "NO PLAY" error on all discs. Since I'm way out of warranty, can anyone tell me what Kenwood charges to perform the repair? I figure it's probably time to just replace the thing, but I like it enough to at least explore the option of repairing it.

I know this is an old post... but if you ahvent dumped it yet... Try cleaning the laser lens with a DVD lense cleaner.

I used the Maxell lense cleaner on mine. Took about 20 times... but the unit works flawlessly again

Just curious... for those who are still following this thread.

If had problem with cant read disc or intermittent stops.... did you try using a Laser lense cleaner?

My DV-5700 had that proble to the point where it wouldnt spin discs(at normal speeds) anymore. It took a couple of starts and retries, but it finally started spinning up. 5-10 more cleanings later, and my unit has been good as new.

I just bought a Sovereign 5900M for $115 shipped with a cant read disc problem. A little troubleshooting(IE mysterious disc, incorrect flipping) and a lot of cleaning... and the player works again

For those who have a lot of music on their Entre, Best Buy is clearing out their Seagate 160GB drives for $32.99. This appears to be in-store only - I didn't see the same price online.

I picked one up yesterday and installed it in my backup Entre (which was back to the stock 20GB drive after the 120GB drive croaked last year). The drive works fine in the Entre (I used the 120GB initialization CD) - I'm going to go back for two more today and ghost each Entre's drive so I don't have to reload the music after the next crash.

I suppose a motivated individual could probably update the partition tables to use the full 160GB, but with 600+ albums at 320kbps I have only used about half the 120GB drive so I'm not going to bother.

Cheers,

Mike

For those who have a lot of music on their Entre, Best Buy is clearing out their Seagate 160GB drives for $32.99. This appears to be in-store only - I didn't see the same price online.

I picked one up yesterday and installed it in my backup Entre (which was back to the stock 20GB drive after the 120GB drive croaked last year). The drive works fine in the Entre (I used the 120GB initialization CD) - I'm going to go back for two more today and ghost each Entre's drive so I don't have to reload the music after the next crash.

I suppose a motivated individual could probably update the partition tables to use the full 160GB, but with 600+ albums at 320kbps I have only used about half the 120GB drive so I'm not going to bother.

Cheers,
Mike

Not many of us still here.

I have thought about putting in a new hard drive before mine starts acting up. I've been pretty lucky, so for now I might get the 160 GB from BB and save it 'till needed. Where did you get your 120GB initialization CD? Any chance I could get a copy from you. I would love to do the partition thing but I fear that is way over my head. I think I have printed out the instructions from this forum on how to remove and install a new hard drive. Did you run into any problems I should be aware of? Do you have the 5900 receiver? I'm having a minor problem with it and the Entre. See my earlier post (6639) on copying DVDs onto the hard drive while watching sat. TV. The receiver keeps switching back to the sound of the cd or hd mp3 after being set for me to listen/watch sat.TV while it does its copying.
Thanks-

For those who have a lot of music on their Entre, Best Buy is clearing out their Seagate 160GB drives for $32.99. This appears to be in-store only - I didn't see the same price online.

I picked one up yesterday and installed it in my backup Entre (which was back to the stock 20GB drive after the 120GB drive croaked last year). The drive works fine in the Entre (I used the 120GB initialization CD) - I'm going to go back for two more today and ghost each Entre's drive so I don't have to reload the music after the next crash.

I suppose a motivated individual could probably update the partition tables to use the full 160GB, but with 600+ albums at 320kbps I have only used about half the 120GB drive so I'm not going to bother.

Cheers,

Mike

I have also been looking to get a copy of the Kenwood CD you have. My Entre is having DNS failures every other time I turn it on. I have to Force Regisry to get it to work. I also recently lost all the internet radio content. Even when the unit reloads the station names return but the address and all other content is missing. My fear is that the drive will die and I wont have backed up the drive. I have two full DV5900 and over 10 gigs of MP3 that I would hate to have to rebuild from scratch. Please contact me if you or anyone could supply me with a copy.

I have the kenwood Zip CD with the 120GB upgrade files on my FTP Server.

You can get the files at:
ftp.apmstandards.org (I use CuteFTP)
username: kenwood
password: entre

By the way, I'm getting away from the disk changer and moving to hard drive storage and palyback.

If anyone is interested in purchasing an Entre (i have two for sale) or the DV5900M, e-mail me at mhumack@bellosuth.net or check e-bay in a week or two.
Mike
April 4, 2008

Thank you CountryBumkin.

Hi-

I am new to this site, however a long time Entre and DV 5900 owner. I have mostly been happy with the units but frustrated in finding help in keeping these units up and running. I have just started to have an issue with my DV5900 and am hoping that I can find some REAL answers here.

The unit starts up fine and recognizes discs just fine however it does not spin the disc it flashes reading on the display for what seems to be forever and then nothing. I have already replaced the board on top of the carousel once; does this also control the disc motor? If I manually "jumpstart" the player by nudging the disc it spins momentarily but then stops. I cleaned the optical lense but this issue with the motor seems to be more of a mechanical issue or an issue to do with a control board someplace in the unit itself.

Has anyone had this problem and been able to solve it without having to send the unit out or replace the system all together?

There seem to be a lot of very knowledgeable people here and I am hoping that someone might have some suggestions. Unfortunately I am not lucky enough to have more than one unit that would allow me to troubleshoot this issue by replacing one internal component at a time.

Thank you for your assistance in advance.

Sorry, but I can't help diagnose your problem, but this is an opportunity for me to help myself (and possibly you) as I have a DV5900M together with the Entre for sale on E-bay. There is nothing wrong with either unit. I decided to switch over to an HTPC (i.e. Escient Vision) so I'm selling everthing while it all works.
Even if you fix yours, this is a good chance to get a backup unit - assuming you plan to stay with the Entre for a while. You know how much this equipment costs so I needn't tell you how great a deal this is.
Good luck,
CountryBumkin.

Hello all,
I haven't posted here in a long time. Good to see people still posting!
Well it's time for me to upgrade! I'm thinking of selling my Sovereign system. Wondering what these things go for these days.
I have; 5900 reciever, 3 daisy-chained DV 5900m 400 disc changers,2 Entre's (one of which is still in the box), 2 Axcess remote players, a wireless keyboard (for entre') and assorted other remotes. I'd like to sell everything together if possible. Any help is appreciated, thanks all!

Thank you for your input, like others I have a great deal of investment in these units and would like to keep utilizing them despite better products on the market. I think i am going to dig deeper to see if it is indeed the video board that controls the disc drive motor and if the parts are available on their own.

I will keep my eye on your E-Bay ad; it sounds as though if it is too much trouble buying other players might be my only choice.

Perhaps you could answer one more question for me; if the Entre can be upgraded to 120 or 160 GB drive is it possible to also load Window Media Center and use that as a poor man's HTPC.

Again thank you for your quick response.

Unfortunately, you can not replace the Entre's operating system with Windows MC. The OS was made by WindRiver (now owned by IBM I believe which uses something called pSOS.

Blu-ray disks require a different laser (reader) than used for reading DVDs so there is no mod that can make the DV5900M read HD disks.

Guys,

I ripped all my dvds to a 5 tb raid box and no longer need the following equipment

1 Entre unit
2 dv-5900 dvd changers

If interested drop me a line at rheyer@maintech.com

Thanks

Thanks to CountryBumkin I have upgraded the Entre hard drive to a Samsung 120 gig. Now my question is, "How do I restore my previously saved media?" I followed all the steps, copied the content from my original 20 gig drive to the new 120 gig drive and when I complete the rebooting all previously saved media disappears. All I am left with are the out of the box mp3s and inernet radio stations. I am sure that the answer is somewhere in this huge thread but if someone who knows is reading could you lead me to the light? I have 2 completely full DV5900 and I had used half of the 20 gig drive capacity for mp3s. Hence there is no way I want to build all of that. Please help.

Has anyone tried or considered using Partion Magic or some kind of partition expansion tool?

i have 4 DVF-6050 and all of them have moving bars over the component output ? they look like 45 degrees small moving bars all over the picture.
is this a known issue ? i swapped cable but no luck.
i tested the input with a different player and the input is ok.

is there noise inside the Changers ?

i just purchased a second and a third dv5900m and entres (i couldnt get the seller to sell me the changers without the entres) well anyway when i received my second changer it looks like the post office threw it off a cliff. so the front panel on the changer is crushed... i was wondering if anyone has a front panel for a 5900m. i would like to fix it from someone elses broken 5900... but im already looking at just buying another one and saving this one for parts... damn usps.... hopefully they will reimburse me because they broke it... thanks for your time... if anyone has this part please email me at jdmiam4901@yahoo.com
thank you
Damon

Buy another and keep the damaged one for parts - the video board (top board when you open the unit) is a high-failure item (I've lost two video boards out of 6 changers, one completely dead and the other with green lines flashing across all outputs).

Cheers,

Mike

thanks mike i think thats what im gonna do. i wish this forum could be spread out a little more. instead of having 650000 posts on the same thread. anyone know if there is a possibility to do that..
i would love to be part of the organization of this post but ill be in afghanistan for the next 4 months... as these items get harder to find and get information about i think re structuring this post would really help..

I have a crazy problem with my DV-5900 receiver. I have my HiDef signal from my cable box going through my Cable2 on the receiver. After playing exactly one hour the sound will mute itself and the only way to get the sound back is to switch off of Cable2 and then back on to Cable2. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Are you using the "VR 5900" receiver or the "DV 5900" DVD/CD changer?

I am using the VR-5900 Receiver.

I have a crazy problem with my VR-5900 receiver. I have my HiDef signal from my cable box going through my Cable2 on the receiver. After playing exactly one hour the sound will mute itself and the only way to get the sound back is to switch off of Cable2 and then back on to Cable2. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

recently my kenwood dv-5900m has started to at times during a movie go blank on the screen or freeze on the screee and flat out stop playing. At the point no remote commands will work. I have to phsically power off the unit.

upon powering back on the unit you can hear the unit running a sweep of all disc, but when it gets to the point where it should say "reading" it says nothing and you can hear no noise at all in the case. It is also interesting to note that sometimes upon reboot the video will display and sometimes will not display.

If i continue to screw around with it, powering it off, then back on , changing disc, etc, I can get it to read again and display output.


What part do I need to have replaced? Would a dirty lense cause all this drama?

Proudx,

Likely the top video board. I had one fail with symptoms exactly as you describe, the other failed with green lines across the display. In both cases swapping in another top video board fixed the problem.

The top video board is not available as a spare part - I got mine from parts changers that I bought relatively cheaply on E-bay.

Hope this helps,

Mike

hmm. The top video board failed? I have an sdi mod done by jvb digital. does the sdi mod connect to the top video board?

I did run a dvd cleaner for 4 hours and watched a 2 1/2 hour move without lockup afterwards. could a dirty lense cause the entire thing to lockup?

I hope its not the video board.

I looked into the SDI mod several years back, and as I recall the mod picked up connections off the top video board.

I've never had a dirty lense issue, but if you cleaned yours and the player is now working fine I'd call it good and keep enjoying your DVDs.

Cheers,

Mike

As For DVD changers and such I really don't like changers because they are slow and generally are unreliable or skip too much. :eek:

I looked into the SDI mod several years back, and as I recall the mod picked up connections off the top video board.

I've never had a dirty lense issue, but if you cleaned yours and the player is now working fine I'd call it good and keep enjoying your DVDs.

Cheers,

Mikecleaning the lense seems to have fixed it. Have you ever heard of a dirty lense causing the dvd player to lockup lose all video and sound even on power off and power back on and be completely unresponsive to the remote?

yeah i have watched two full dvds now since using the lense cleaner and no freeze ups. I am still skeptical that is the fix. i guess if a large enough particle was on the lense it could cause problems, but i'm concerned my video board is failing slowly.

did your video board ever get to the point that it would not work at all or did it just come and go from time to time during dvd playback?

I guess i'll look for spare 5900 on ebay

On one of the changers the board flat-out died - the changer would start up and the carousel would spin, but it would not play and it would not show the blue Kenwood splash screen, just black.

The other one started showing an occaisional green line flashing randomly across the screen, which progressed to be many, many green lines constantly randomly flashing across the screen. The changer would still play DVDs and CDs, but you wouldn't want to watch the video.

Mike

Hey guys... long time no talk! ;o)

I had some water damage in my basement and it looks like it trashed my second Entre system. 2 of 3 5900's look to have blown their power supply so if any of you have a couple changers laying around that might be damaged (but still powers up), I would interested in purchasing a couple. I called partsstore.com but they don't show the parts I need.

Let me know
Thanks!
Kevin

does any know whats up when the Display is not working anymore from the DVD-Changer ? i checked the settings but just the DVD-Player Display is dead (blue selectlight is working)

Can anybody confirm for me how to interpret the firmware revision displayed by the DV-5050M? I found the instructions for the 5900, which do display the codes on the 5050, but it looks like the two players are somewhat different. I don't see four different codes displayed, just three. They start with:

M3
S3
DV3

I'm planning to offer the player for sale, and I wanted to be sure that I can tell the buyer if it has the upgraded firmware. Looking at my carton, it does seem that it was sent off to Kenwood at some point, which I think was for the upgrade...

Need help please.
I had 2 dv-5900Ms working. At one point, I was able to use my first Entre to get all or most of the CD info from the two changers. Nice to see those info. But the Entre will not get any dvd info.

I had used various types of input for the network configuration.
I used 192.168.1.109 Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0, gateway 192.168.1.1
Now for the DNS, I had used all type such as 207.250.129.8, 198.6.1.1 thru 4 for the last digit.
I keep getting DNS error testing on the server. This is with DHCP or Static addressing.
Somehow, attempts to get dvd info on this Entre has failed.
So I said, ok, I will use the second Entre.

I then hooked up the second Entre, this time, I was able to get 80% of the DVD info, not even one CD info was pulled from Openglobe.net.
Any help from anyone as to what is going wrong.?
My dv-5900m does work, scans fine, no issues with them.
I use Netmate -USB adapter, with a 5 port Linksys router
Thanks for your suggestions.

George T. Omoregie.

Trying to hang on to my Kenwood Sovereign set-up as long as possible and have a couple of questions.

Not sure I have my 7.1 analogue out on my player (Samsung 5000 BR/DVD/HD DVD) hooked up correctly to my VR5900 (6 channel input) + MX-5000 (2 rear channel input). The VR5900 volume doesn't seem to work on my back two speakers. I have it hooked up according to the manual. Wondering if the relay or preouts are the problem with the volume control on the back speakers. Any suggestions?

I would also like to integrate my VR5900 with future upgrade to HDMI 1.3a for new audio codex. Any suggestions? Is it possible on only add a component w/o having to buy a new receiver?

Thanks-

James,

Regarding your back speakers, are you getting no sound or sound at a fixed volume?

I'm guessing you are getting a fixed volume from the rear surround speakers (from the MX-5000). The relay connection only turns the MX-5000 on and off, and the only way to have the VR-5900 control the MX-5000's volume is if you connect the VR-5900's pre-outs to the MX-5000, which doesn't do you any good for 7.1 channel from an analog source since the VR-5900 only has a 6-channel analog input.

If you have the 6-channel into the VR-5900 and the rear surround into the Mx-5000 the only way you can control the volume together is if your player allows you to vary the volume level from the player. If so, you could use test tones from the player (again, if the player has them) to determine the volume to set the VR-5900 in order to match what the Mx-5000 is putting out, then when playing from the Samsung you would set the receiver volume to that value and vary the sound level by adjusting the Samsung's player volume level.

Your other option is to stick with DTS and DD via Optical or Coax Digital and connect the MX-5000 to the VR-5900's surround back pre-outs, which will sound great but won't give you the fidelity of the higher-resolution codecs on the HD discs.

Also, the only way you'll play the new audio codecs is with either the player's analog outputs or a new receiver. Not much chance Kenwood will ever do anything more with the Sovereign line. I still love it, though. Wife is babysitting a friend's kids this afternoon - they've been working their way through the classic Disney movies on the changers.

Cheers,

Mike

James,

Regarding your back speakers, are you getting no sound or sound at a fixed volume?

I'm guessing you are getting a fixed volume from the rear surround speakers (from the MX-5000). The relay connection only turns the MX-5000 on and off, and the only way to have the VR-5900 control the MX-5000's volume is if you connect the VR-5900's preouts to the MX-5000, which doesn't do you any good for 7.1 channel from an analog source since the VR-5900 only has a 6-channel analog input.

If you have the 6-channel into the VR-5900 and the rear surround into the Mx-5000 the only way you can control the volume together is if your player allows you to vary the volume level from the player. If so, you could use test tones from the player (again, if the player has them) to determine the volume to set the VR-5900 in order to match what the Mx-5000 is putting out, then when playing from the Samsung you would set the receiver volume to that value and vary the sound level by adjusting the Samsung's player volume level.

Your other option is to stick with DTS and DD via Optical or Coax Digital and connect the MX-5000 to the VR-5900's surround back preouts, which will sound great but won't give you the fidelity of the higher-resolution codex on the HD discs.

Also, the only way you'll play the new audio codex is with either the player's analog outputs or a new receiver. Not much chance Kenwood will ever do anything more with the Sovereign line. I still love it, though. Wife is babysitting a friend's kids this afternoon - they've been working their way through the classic Disney movies on the changers.

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks for the reply. Good to know there are still folks hanging out here. I'm getting rear speaker sound at a fixed volume. The player has test tones and all the speakers sound about the same loudness but there is no way to control the volume via. the player. I do have the VR-5900's preouts to the MX-5000. Only problem is when I grab the VR5900's remote to turn all the gun fire down on 3:10 to Yuma, which sounds great, I keep getting shot at by the back speakers. Everything else gets softer thank goodness. My back surround speakers are 8ohms and I just noticed the VR5900 was set to 2 rather than 6-12. Don't think that will make a difference but can't try them out 'till tomorrow. Guess I'll go the optical/coax route. It's a shame Kenwood gave up so quickly. It is a great receiver. Were you ever able to rig the web browser and email "future upgrades" so they would work?



Thanks again,
James

What do you have the surround back analog outputs from your Blu-Ray player connected to (VR-5900 or MX-5000)?

I never seriously tried to make the web browser or e-mail work - that didn't seem worth the effort given how poor the pages/e-mails would look on the Entre's 480i output. I did use (and still occasionally do use) the OpenGlobe content on the Entre to look up actors, movies, and bands. Good stuff, all.

Mike

What do you have the surround back analog outputs from your Blu-Ray player connected to (VR-5900 or MX-5000)?

I never seriously tried to make the web browser or e-mail work - that didn't seem worth the effort given how poor the pages/e-mails would look on the Entre's 480i output. I did use (and still occasionally do use) the OpenGlobe content on the Entre to look up actors, movies, and bands. Good stuff, all.

Mike

From the BR Player 7.1 analog outs I have all (except 2 back surrounds which go to the MX-5000) the speakers connected to the VR-5900. The 2 back surrounds are connected to the 2 preouts.

Same here on the OpenGlobe. I hope they keep that support. I even ordered a few DVDs before it was discontinued.

James,

I'm a little confused on your hookup - you say all the BR analog outs are connected to the VR-5900 "except the 2 back surrounds which go to the MX-5000" but then you say in the next sentence "The 2 back surrounds are connected to the 2 preouts". My recollection is that the MX-5000 only has one set of RCA inputs - are you using some sort of y-cable to connect both the VR-5900's back surround preouts and the BR player's back surround outputs to the MX-5000?

Not sure I'm getting this clear...

Cheers,

Mike

Can anybody confirm for me how to interpret the firmware revision displayed by the DV-5050M? I found the instructions for the 5900, which do display the codes on the 5050, but it looks like the two players are somewhat different. I don't see four different codes displayed, just three. They start with:

M3
S3
DV3

I'm planning to offer the player for sale, and I wanted to be sure that I can tell the buyer if it has the upgraded firmware. Looking at my carton, it does seem that it was sent off to Kenwood at some point, which I think was for the upgrade...

<bump> Anybody? Thanks!

:confused:James,

I'm a little confused on your hookup - you say all the BR analog outs are connected to the VR-5900 "except the 2 back surrounds which go to the MX-5000" but then you say in the next sentence "The 2 back surrounds are connected to the 2 preouts". My recollection is that the MX-5000 only has one set of RCA inputs - are you using some sort of y-cable to connect both the VR-5900's back surround preouts and the BR player's back surround outputs to the MX-5000?

Not sure I'm getting this clear...

Cheers,

Mike

I appreciate your pursuing this as I'm not that clear either so I probably didn't do a good job on the explanation.

On the back of the MX-5000 there are 4 speaker wire posts. Two wires for a right (+&-) rear surround and two wires for a left (+&-) rear surround speaker.

There is also an RCA relay input from the VR-5900 to turn the MX-5900 on and off (I was sold the MX-5000 to make it 7.1).

There is also two RCA inputs for one left and one right RCA cable on the MX-5000 which I have connected to the VR-5900 "surround back" "preout jacks" (for lack of a better idea/suggestion/instructions).

The other 6 (of the 7.1) from the BR are sub. (connected to sub. of "6 channel input" on VR-5900), center from BR (connected to center of "6 channel input" on VR-5900), left and right surround of BR (connected to left and right surround of "6 channel input on VR-5900"), and left and right front from BR (connected to left and right front surround of "6 channel input" on VR-5900).

I don't like using the "surround back preout jacks" on the VR-5900 to drive the two rear surround speakers. I couldn't figure how else to do it considering I am trying to adapt the 7.1 analog outs on the BR to a system that is supposed to be 7.1 (VR-5900 [6 channel input] +MX5000 [2 speaker input]).

I've never used the VR-5900's "surround back preout jacks" before getting the BR. As (I guess) the receiver took a 7.1 DVD from the DVD player and did it internally.

Supposedly you are able with the VR-5900 to connect multiple cables to the same source at the same time ex: analogue, optical, etc. and the VR-5900 will decide which connection gives you the best sound. I have the BR optical as well as the BR 7.1 analog cables both connected. I tried disconnecting the optical and had a surprising loss of audio quality although there was some sound still coming through the analog cables. I didn't seem to have had a problem on old 7.1 disks (not HD DVD OR BR) as volume control worked on all speakers. Any ideas?? That is besides getting a new receiver.

Thanks again,
James

James,

I think you are coming up on the limits of the VR-5900. The VR-5900 with an MX-5000 can output 7.1 channel surround correctly if you feed it a digital input (optical or coax) from a Dolby Digital-EX or a DTS-ES source (DVD). In this case the receiver is decoding all 7.1 channels from the digital stream - this is why your old DVDs work fine with the VR-5900/MX-5000 combo (they feed through the optical cable you mentioned).

The VR-5900 only has a 6-channel analog input, so it can't output 7.1 channels from an analog source. If you hook the surround back analog outputs from your BR player directly to the MX-5000 you don't get any volume control, because that happens in the VR-5900.

To get 7.1 from your BR player you will need either a receiver with 7.1 channel analog inputs or a receiver that will decode the 7.1 stream from the BR player's HDMI connection. Denon, Onkyo, and others make such receivers, but Kenwood doesn't.

I switched to a Denon receiver a few years ago and have been very happy with it. I still have the VR-5900 and MX-5000, but don't have them set up at the moment - I use the Entre and changers with the Denon.

With a good universal remote (I use the URC MX-900) you get much the same integration as the full Sovereign system - the only thing I gave up when I switched to the Denon was the ability to choose local AM and FM radio stations from the Entre's menus.

Hope this helps,

Mike

James,

I think you are coming up on the limits of the VR-5900. The VR-5900 with an MX-5000 can output 7.1 channel surround correctly if you feed it a digital input (optical or coax) from a Dolby Digital-EX or a DTS-ES source (DVD). In this case the receiver is decoding all 7.1 channels from the digital stream - this is why your old DVDs work fine with the VR-5900/MX-5000 combo (they feed through the optical cable you mentioned).

The VR-5900 only has a 6-channel analog input, so it can't output 7.1 channels from an analog source. If you hook the surround back analog outputs from your BR player directly to the MX-5000 you don't get any volume control, because that happens in the VR-5900.

To get 7.1 from your BR player you will need either a receiver with 7.1 channel analog inputs or a receiver that will decode the 7.1 stream from the BR player's HDMI connection. Denon, COnkyo, and others make such receivers, but Kenwood doesn't.

I switched to a Denon receiver a few years ago and have been very happy with it. I still have the VR-5900 and MX-5000, but don't have them set up at the moment - I use the Entre and changers with the Denon.

With a good universal remote (I use the URC MX-900) you get much the same integration as the full Sovereign system - the only thing I gave up when I switched to the Denon was the ability to choose local AM and FM radio stations from the Entre's menus.

Hope this helps,

Mike

This is how I feel also. One thing you mentioned I did not know is the ability to use the Sovereign changer and Entre with a non-Sovereign receiver. I thought the Entre would only work with the Kenwood Sovereign receiver. I considered going for the Sony changer, and Escient to replace the Entre, but that just seemed like such a waste and expense esp. with everyting moving to HD.

Will the Entre and Sovereign changer work with pretty much any new HDMI 3.1a receiver and still access OpenGlobe and retrieve DVD cover art?


Thanks-

James,

The Entre and changers will work with any receiver that has a component video input and either an optical or coaxial digital input, which any current HDMI receiver will have. The internet connection for the Entre is independent of the reciever, so swapping receivers won't change the ability to get Openglobe, retrieve cover art, or listen to internet radio through the Entre.

As I mentioned previously you will lose the ability to choose local AM and FM radio stations from the Entre's menus.

Onkyo, Yamaha, and Denon all have HDMI 1.3 receivers with support for the new audio formats. I'm partial to Denon; recommend you read the reviews and check out the receivers at your local shops to see which you prefer. Last month's Home Theater mag had an interesting comparison of the video processing capabilities in some of the new receivers that might also help you pick one.

Cheers,

Mike

James,

The Entre and changers will work with any receiver that has a component video input and either an optical or coaxial digital input, which any current HDMI receiver will have. The internet connection for the Entre is independent of the reciever, so swapping receivers won't change the ability to get Openglobe, retrieve cover art, or listen to internet radio through the Entre.

As I mentioned previously you will lose the ability to choose local AM and FM radio stations from the Entre's menus.

Onkyo, Yamaha, and Denon all have HDMI 1.3 receivers with support for the new audio formats. I'm partial to Denon; recommend you read the reviews and check out the receivers at your local shops to see which you prefer. Last month's Home Theater mag had an interesting comparison of the video processing capabilities in some of the new receivers that might also help you pick one.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike,
Are you only able to read the AM and FM radio stations individually from the front display of your receiver? I assume that is what you're telling me.

Over component inputs does your Denon receiver, as well as other HDMI 1.3 receivers, upscale the video quality of OpenGlobe, album covers, internet radio menus, etc. from the Entre ?

Thanks again for all the info.
James

James,

For FM (and AM, if I ever used it) I do just use the receiver's display.

I have my receiver (Denon AVR-5805) upscale the entre's 480i menus and the changer's 480p output to 720p, which matches my LCD and projector's native resolution. There isn't any big quality difference with the upscaling - the picture is still limited by the source resolution. That said, the Kenwood changers throw a pretty good DVD picture without any receiver scaling. If you have 1080p displays I'll suggest again that you read some of the recent receiver reviews - not all of the HDMI 1.3 receivers have upscaling solutions that work well for 1080i-to-1080p conversion. Home Theater gave their best marks to Denon's latest flagship receiver (the AVR-5308ci), but that receiver retails for $5200. To quote Bueller, if you have the means...

If you decide to upgrade, drop a post once you've made your choice - I'd be interested in hearing what you picked.

Cheers,

Mike

James,

For FM (and AM, if I ever used it) I do just use the receiver's display.

I have my receiver (Denon AVR-5805) upscale the entre's 480i menus and the changer's 480p output to 720p, which matches my LCD and projector's native resolution. There isn't any big quality difference with the upscaling - the picture is still limited by the source resolution. That said, the Kenwood changers throw a pretty good DVD picture without any receiver scaling. If you have 1080p displays I'll suggest again that you read some of the recent receiver reviews - not all of the HDMI 1.3 receivers have upscaling solutions that work well for 1080i-to-1080p conversion. Home Theater gave their best marks to Denon's latest flagship receiver (the AVR-5308ci), but that receiver retails for $5200. To quote Bueller, if you have the means...

If you decide to upgrade, drop a post once you've made your choice - I'd be interested in hearing what you picked.

Cheers,

Mike

Denon certainly has a great reputation. I always felt they were pretty much the best. That is unless you get into Krell, McIntosh, etc., although I had a McIntosh amp. for several years and seemed like it was in the shop quite a bit. I'll be glad to let you know what I end up with but it may be a while. We're having new carpet laid and upgrading the kitchen appliances, counter tops, etc.

One last question Mike. When you had your VR-5900 set up, did you get any loud popping sounds on any of the THX modes when listening to non-THX sources such as sat. (I realize there is no THX over sat.)? I am also getting occasional radio drops, as if someone muted the audio. If you have had either of these problems I would like to know what solution you may have found. My extended warranty goes out in August. Guess it may be time to do a receiver upgrade for sure if they can't fix the 5900.

Thanks again for your information and I will let you know what I decide.

Next day after the above post.
I looked at several Denon receivers and the Integra 9.8 today at the same location. Locally it 9.8 is $500 less than the current price on the Onkyo 905. The salesman seen to think the 9.8 (at twice the price of the Denon we were looking at) was the better choice for me. I could still use the MX-5000 as well as the changer and Entre, as I am sure I would with most receivers. One concern I have is the pro. three prong speaker cable connections. I have a feeling they are not included and might be very expensive. Do you know if the connection portion of the cable is sold only with the cable connected or do you buy cable separately as well as the connector and put them together?
Thanks again.
James

James,

I never had any audio problems with my VR-5900 - I used it exclusively for over three years. I have seen posts from others here describing problems similar to yours, but don't recall anyone having any DIY fix for it.

I've never used the 3-wire balanced audio connectors - they seem to be on many high-end pre/pros, but I've never had any gear that used them. A quick look at wikipedia "balanced audio" indicates they are for line-level connectors rather than speaker connectors - I'd go over this carefully with your audio store guy to make sure you know exactly how your components and speakers would need to connect with that Integra receiver.

Cheers,

Mike

Next day after the above post.
I looked at several Denon receivers and the Integra 9.8 today at the same location. Locally it 9.8 is $500 less than the current price on the Onkyo 905. The salesman seen to think the 9.8 (at twice the price of the Denon we were looking at) was the better choice for me. I could still use the MX-5000 as well as the changer and Entre, as I am sure I would with most receivers. One concern I have is the pro. three prong speaker cable connections. I have a feeling they are not included and might be very expensive. Do you know if the connection portion of the cable is sold only with the cable connected or do you buy cable separately as well as the connector and put them together?


The Integra 9.8 is not a receiver, it is a pre-pro (pre-amp processor). And because of that, it does not have any on board amplification, in other words you can't just hook up a set of speakers directly to it because you will also need to have a seperate power amplifier in addition to the 9.8. Those three wire outputs that you see are not for speaker connections, they are for XLR cables that can also be used to hook up the 9.8 to a amplifier that also has XLR inputs. You can also connect it to a amplifier with the more normal RCA type interconnects if you want to. But regardless how it's done, the fact is with a Integra 9.8, you will also need to have a dedicated outboard power amplifier in order to use it.

The Integra 9.8 is not a receiver, it is a pre-pro (pre-amp processor). And because of that, it does not have any on board amplification, in other words you can't just hook up a set of speakers directly to it because you will also need to have a seperate power amplifier in addition to the 9.8. Those three wire outputs that you see are not for speaker connections, they are for XLR cables that can also be used to hook up the 9.8 to a amplifier that also has XLR inputs. You can also connect it to a amplifier with the more normal RCA type interconnects if you want to. But regardless how it's done, the fact is with a Integra 9.8, you will also need to have a dedicated outboard power amplifier in order to use it.

Thanks Johnla for confirming what I thought. The salesman told me the cables were bare wire on the speaker end. He also said all I would need is an amp. to drive the rear L & R surround speakers (which I have [MX-5000])to make it 7.1. I couldn't imagine the cable he described. I guess that puts it out of my range price and explains why it was only $1500. It was only half of what I needed.

James,

I'm a little confused on your hookup - you say all the BR analog outs are connected to the VR-5900 "except the 2 back surrounds which go to the MX-5000" but then you say in the next sentence "The 2 back surrounds are connected to the 2 preouts". My recollection is that the MX-5000 only has one set of RCA inputs - are you using some sort of y-cable to connect both the VR-5900's back surround preouts and the BR player's back surround outputs to the MX-5000?

Not sure I'm getting this clear...

Cheers,

Mike


Mike,
Your mention above of "...some sort of y-cable to connect both the VR-5900's back surround preouts and the BR player's back surround outputs to the MX-5000" got me thinking and I just read this in another thread "...I guess I could use some y adapters to run both the surrounds and rear surrounds into the surrounds on the back of the receiver. My receiver only has 6 channel analog inputs. That way if there is a 7.1 soundtrack the rear surrounds will mix with the surrounds..."

Any idea what these connectors would look like? RCA Y adapters?
Would any electronic shop have wire adapters?
Do you think this would work?
So, just how does this work?
Thanks-

James,

I don't think this would work well - I doubt mixing the rear and surround channels would give a good surround effect. You are probably better off setting your Blu-ray player to 5.1 output until you get a receiver that will handle the 7.1 channel input or the newer audio formats over high-def.

Cheers,

Mike

Need help please.
I had 2 dv-5900Ms working. At one point, I was able to use my first Entre to get all or most of the CD info from the two changers. Nice to see those info. But the Entre will not get any dvd info.

I had used various types of input for the network configuration.
I used 192.168.1.109 Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0, gateway 192.168.1.1
Now for the DNS, I had used all type such as 207.250.129.8, 198.6.1.1 thru 4 for the last digit.
I keep getting DNS error testing on the server. This is with DHCP or Static addressing.
Somehow, attempts to get dvd info on this Entre has failed.
So I said, ok, I will use the second Entre.

I then hooked up the second Entre, this time, I was able to get 80% of the DVD info, not even one CD info was pulled from Openglobe.net.
Any help from anyone as to what is going wrong.?
My dv-5900m does work, scans fine, no issues with them.
I use Netmate -USB adapter, with a 5 port Linksys router
Thanks for your suggestions.

George T. Omoregie.


Did anyone get back to you regarding your post privately? I am now having the same issue with my Entre. When I do get it to work it's only for a few hours at a time. My situation getting worst as all my internet radio stations recently lost all there details. I retentered some but haven't been able to get Entre to reload them. With 2 full DV5900s and hundreds of MP3s it is not that easy to give up on the system. Keep me posted.

Did anyone get back to you regarding your post privately? I am now having the same issue with my Entre. When I do get it to work it's only for a few hours at a time. My situation getting worst as all my internet radio stations recently lost all there details. I retentered some but haven't been able to get Entre to reload them. With 2 full DV5900s and hundreds of MP3s it is not that easy to give up on the system. Keep me posted.

Hi:
No one has gotten back to me yet.

Thanks.
gto

GTO, ckob,

Search the technical forum for the way to re-register your entre - this may help. I think the procedure was to enter 5555 at the setup menu, which gives you another menu which includes a full reset (which kills all your movie databases and deletes all your MP3s) and re-registration, which just runs through the setup screens and reinitializes your link to the open globe servers.

Obviously, you need to have internet connectivity to re-register. I'd also recommend writing down all your Entre's internet settings (IP, DNS, gateway, etc) before starting the re-registration process because you'll have to re-enter it during setup.

Hope this helps,

Mike

I am suddenly getting a "Notice: No changer detected. You must attach a DVD changer for this feature to operate". I am getting sound from a DVD, Star Wars. Before I pull it out and start screwing with all the connections;

Does anyone have an idea as to which cable/connection allows the DVD changer to be detected?
Is it one that goes to the Entre or receiver?
Thanks a bunch!!

James,

I'd check the serial cable first, at both the Entre and the changer. If that is good, check the daisy-chain control cables for the changers (if you have more than one).

Cheers,

Mike

GTO, ckob,

Search the technical forum for the way to re-register your entre - this may help. I think the procedure was to enter 5555 at the setup menu, which gives you another menu which includes a full reset (which kills all your movie databases and deletes all your MP3s) and re-registration, which just runs through the setup screens and reinitializes your link to the open globe servers.

Obviously, you need to have internet connectivity to re-register. I'd also recommend writing down all your Entre's internet settings (IP, DNS, gateway, etc) before starting the re-registration process because you'll have to re-enter it during setup.

Hope this helps,

Mike

I have been doing just that. Everytime I wanted to use the Axcess I would have to re-registry. Each time my connection time got shorter. It may last only a song or two now before loosing network connection. Also when connecting with either ethernet or the HPNA I would have multiple failures before it would actually connect and re-register. I got so tired of the all the attempts I just went and got dial up internet. I haven't been able to use the Axcess for weeks now.

Hmmm. I've never used the Entre with dialup internet. Are (were) you using a USB-ethernet adapter or an HPNA-ethernet bridge when you had broadband?

Mike

Hmmm. I've never used the Entre with dialup internet. Are (were) you using a USB-ethernet adapter or an HPNA-ethernet bridge when you had broadband?

Mike

I believe I read somewhere here or elsewhere and a few years back that when you first register or have to re-register you must use dial-up. Sounds weird for these days but I believe that is correct. Let me know if I am incorrect.
Good luck-

I re-registered one of mine over DSL a month or so ago - no problems.

Mike

Hmmm. I've never used the Entre with dialup internet. Are (were) you using a USB-ethernet adapter or an HPNA-ethernet bridge when you had broadband?

Mike


The units has always had dial up. It has the telephone jacks in the back for that purpose. At the time of its releasse DSL and wireless adaptors were not as prevalent. The units was released 7 to 8 years ago I think. The development must go back 10 or more years. How many households would have had cable internet in the 90's or a wireless network. Not a lot were I come from. The Entre didn't even have Ethernet jack.

Well I contacted Kenwood and they believe that my unit is on its last leg.

This may be the end of an era for me. No way am I building all these library again from scratch with the Entre. I will most likely switch to the PS3 network system.

CK,

I knew that the Entre was capable of dial-up, I've just never used it. If yours is truly dying there are a number of alternatives out there (squeezebox, Escient, MCE, etc.). If you like the Kenwood changers and want to continue to use them for your DVDs I'd recommend checking out the Escient DVDM line - the units up through the DVDM-300 support the Kenwood changers, and the Escient controllers have much better PC integration than the Kenwood system ever had (reliable web control GUI with full library editing, server to play MP3s & FLAC from your PC without having to load music on the controller, ethernet connectivity instead of HPNA or USB, etc).

I've been using an Escient DVDM-100 for changer control for the last year (I only use the Entre for music now). It works very well. You can get them at a substantial discount from SecondAct.com.

Cheers,

Mike

I believe I read somewhere here are else where and a few years back that when you first register or have to re-register you must use dial-up. Sounds weird for these days but I believe that is correct. Let me know if I am incorrect.
Good luck-

You don't have to use dial-up for re-registration. You only had to use dial-up if your software was one of the original versions that couldn't support the USB-to-Ethernet adapters needed to connect using TCP/IP settings.

That being said I too have been trying to re-register to openglobe after my Entre drive failed and I had to reformat it. Has anyone else had problems with it being unavailable since I see Mkellyvich was able to do it recently over broadband?

Also I was able to get the Entre to look at the correct server PROD by selecting 64000 on the remote at the main set-up screen (5555 will not do that; only for hidden menu). After it rebooted automatically and I powered it back on with the remote the server now says PROD (which is needed to find any recent DVD/CD media).

Thanks!
Kevin

I re-registered one of mine over DSL a month or so ago - no problems.

Mike

Mike - I wonder if their authentication server is not always up. My numerous attempts failed last night even though I can ping my Entre2 throughout the house (my Entre1 system works just fine to Openglobe).

If anyone has a non-working DV-5900, DV-5050, or a DVF-J6050 they would like to sell for parts, please let me know.

Thanks,
Ted

I have a DVF-J6050 that someone gave me recently. It doesn't quite work (the internal mechanism can't move the disc from the central playing location). But most of the internal parts appear to be in good shape. We're happy to give it to you or anyone else that would like it, but don't want to deal with shipping. We're in the Sacramento, California area. Let me know if you're interested.

cleaning the lense seems to have fixed it. Have you ever heard of a dirty lense causing the dvd player to lockup lose all video and sound even on power off and power back on and be completely unresponsive to the remote?

yeah i have watched two full dvds now since using the lense cleaner and no freeze ups. I am still skeptical that is the fix. i guess if a large enough particle was on the lense it could cause problems, but i'm concerned my video board is failing slowly.

did your video board ever get to the point that it would not work at all or did it just come and go from time to time during dvd playback?

I guess i'll look for spare 5900 on ebay

well my player locks up with black display and no kenwood splash screen, sometimes flashign green line, etc. I have a bad video board it looks like. my frustration is I had a sdi mod done and it was connected to the video board. Guess I will have to find a spare 5900..

well my player has been sent back to CERRITOS again. I hope its just the power supply, my problem has progressed from not just black video output but to the point the unit will turn on and have no video output and LCD display will show, but the corousal will not spin, even if you hit open, the unit just says open, but will not open. I can hear a faint clicking or zapping sound as you fire it up coming from power supply. I hope its the power supply that can fix it and not video board that is bad.

If anyone is interested in selling their DV-5900M I might be interested in buying it for spare parts or as a replacement if Kenwood cannot fix the power supply.

Hope there is someone out there who can help me solve a few problems with my VR-5900's remote-the P-Touch III.

I inadvertently let my batteries run down as I always have the Power Touch remote plugged into the wall. I had to disconnect everything and move all the furniture out of the room for carpet installation. I discovered that the batteries were dead when I put everything back together. I lost all my IR added remote information so I reset the PT-III.

Problem 1:
When I touch "Setup", "Calib.", and do the calibration, there should be a following screen that ask me what model of power touch I am using, either Model 1, or Model 2. I've only been able to find that page after resetting the PT-III. I may not have the correct model selected. I can't find the PT-III model number on the remote itself or in the manuals.

Questions:
Is there any way to identify the model in order so I can make the correct selection?

Is there a way to get this page to appear without resetting and possibly losing my settings again?

Problem 2:
When I touch "Listen Mode", "Status", I get a screen that gives me the input signal type, for example, "PCM" is currently displayed for the show I'm watching. Also on this page there are supposed to be small squares that indicate what speakers are active, for the source selected, in the large outlined area in the middle of the screen. I am unable to get anything to show even though I believe all the speakers are working and sound fine. I feel I have a setting wrong. I have have had this problem before but can't remember how I resolved it. Nothing seems to be in the manual concerning this.

Question:
Any ideas how to get my speaker setup (icon squares) to be reflected in this block once again?

Problem 3:
I did have an Entre icon. It is gone. I read in the manual that some PT-III remotes have the Entre information (I assume firmware) built into some PT-IIIs but some do not. If it doesn't you have to send it to Kenwood to have the information (firmware??) installed into the PT-III. I had an Entre icon but can't remember if it came with the PT-III or I used the Entre's separate remote and fed in all its information to the PT-III myself although I doubt I did that as I would remember due to numerous buttons I what have to select. Perhaps I've just lost the Entre icon but the information is still there. I know how to create and icon but not sure it would work without IR downloading from the Entre's remote which would be a pain and might not work.

Questions:
Any ideas how to determine if the Entre information is or is not stored in my PT-III?

How do I get it (the Entre icon) to show up again?

I've made four phone calls and spent over an hour on the phone with Kenwood. They escalated my questions up to level three and when they have answers they will me call me. The last time this happened I never heard from them so I called them back. I not to hopeful now as most of their Sovereign guys have moved on.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

James,

The Axcess plays MP3s and Internet radio - nothing from the changers or the Entre's CD drive. The unit works well and sounds good - it has a built-in amp (small, maybe 20 watts per channel?) and can power small bookshelf speakers (the unit does not have any speakers in it). It also has an aux input - I use one of mine to power a set of Klipsch speakers for my computer. About the only real drawback is that you have to scroll through your music or groups to get to the album or song you want, and the list pauses every several albums to load information about the music. Not a big problem if you have a small MP3 collection but a little annoying if you have to get through 500 albums to bring up your favorite ZZ-Top tune. It will also play playlists that you've set up on the Entre and allows you to select and play within the music groups set up on the Entre. You can shuffle or repeat albums and groups. I've had four playing different MP3s and internet radio simultaneously without any problems. I use three right now - one in the library, one in the garage, and one in the office.

Overall it is a nice unit and looks very good on a desk. All that said, there are many other choices out there that work off of wireless networks and your PC or network drive and don't tie you to the Entre. The biggest weakness of the Axcess is that if your Entre dies it is only useful as an Aux amp.

I bought a couple of them from Vann's for around $50 during a closeout back in '04. I'd recommend haunting e-bay or posting a want-ad here.

Hope this helps...

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks for the info. Mike. I picked up an Axcess unit from a fellow AVS member. Unfortunately there is no setup guide, only a user guide. I have yet to figure out how to set it up. I have internet service as well as a phone line. I would much prefer internet. It was my understanding that all you had to do is plug it in, connect speakers and it would stream internet radio through the electrical connection if it is on the same electrical circuit. I assume that is the same electrical circuit as the Entre?? If this is so how does it automatically determine the IP address or if I put it in manually how does it jump from electrical to internet for its signal? I've tried the phone (auto. config.) line connection but it can't find the server. In my mind, no surprise there. My next step is to try to manually feed it the Entre's IP address. I don't see how that will help with a phone line so if that doesn't work what should I try? Hooking the Axcess up to the Entre and the Entre to a phone line defeats the purpose of having the Axcess in a different room than the Entre. Got any ideas?

Thanks,
James

Had to connect my Axcess directly to the Entre. The Axcess did download the most recent (in theory I guess) firmware. I also downloaded the user guide from the Kenwood site. I found the setup procedure in the front of the downloaded guide although it is not included in the user guide supplied with the Axcess.

Anyway the user guide says to use the same IP address, Subnet mask, Gateway, etc. as the Entre uses if unable to get the Axcess to reach the internet automatically. I am entering the information manually exactly as the Entre shows but the Axcess says it can't find the server.

Do you guys remember or know if you used a different IP address, Subnet mask, Gateway, etc. that your Entre is using?

I feel like I am getting close. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

James,

As you saw in the Axcess manual, the Axcess only uses HPNA (phone line networking) to connect to the Entre.

I found the most reliable way to connect my Axcess was to use an HPNA-ethernet bridge. I have the Netgear PE102 bridge, which I bought on ebay back in '04. I have that hooked to my ethernet router and a phone line in my office. The Entre is connected to the router via a USB-ethernet adapter, and the Axcess portals are plugged into phone lines in three rooms around the house. I use a static IP address for the Entre and let the Axcess portals get their IP address automatically from the router. A quick search on "hpna bridge" showed a few sites that had other brands of HPNA-ethernet bridges listed as available for around $40.

If you connect the Axcess directly to the Entre via phone line you should be able to let the Axcess automatically configure the network, but I haven't tried that in a few years. I have a one-page .pdf from Kenwood I downloaded way back when that shows this configuration - PM me an e-mail address if you'd like me to send it to you. The flyer says that this type of connection will let you play MP3s but will not give you internet radio.

Make sure that your Entre has both the primary and secondary TCP-IP connections configured - the Axcess is designed to use the Entre's secondary TCP-IP interface. Mine is set up with both interfaces identical (same IP, subnet, etc).

Also, try setting the last number of the Axcess's IP address a few digits off of the Entre's IP - the subnet mask and gateway should be identical for both. Setting the Axcess and Entre IPs the same may cause an IP conflict.

I think your best bet will be to try to get an HPNA bridge - it seems to make using the Axcess portals much simpler.

Let me know if any of this helps...

Mike

James,

As you saw in the Axcess manual, the Axcess only uses HPNA (phone line networking) to connect to the Entre.

I found the most reliable way to connect my Axcess was to use an HPNA-ethernet bridge. I have the Netgear PE102 bridge, which I bought on ebay back in '04. I have that hooked to my ethernet router and a phone line in my office. The Entre is connected to the router via a USB-ethernet adapter, and the Axcess portals are plugged into phone lines in three rooms around the house. I use a static IP address for the Entre and let the Axcess portals get their IP address automatically from the router. A quick search on "hpna bridge" showed a few sites that had other brands of HPNA-ethernet bridges listed as available for around $40.

If you connect the Axcess directly to the Entre via phone line you should be able to let the Axcess automatically configure the network, but I haven't tried that in a few years. I have a one-page .pdf from Kenwood I downloaded way back when that shows this configuration - PM me an e-mail address if you'd like me to send it to you. The flyer says that this type of connection will let you play MP3s but will not give you internet radio.

Make sure that your Entre has both the primary and secondary TCP-IP connections configured - the Axcess is designed to use the Entre's secondary TCP-IP interface. Mine is set up with both interfaces identical (same IP, subnet, etc).

Also, try setting the last number of the Axcess's IP address a few digits off of the Entre's IP - the subnet mask and gateway should be identical for both. Setting the Axcess and Entre IPs the same may cause an IP conflict.

I think your best bet will be to try to get an HPNA bridge - it seems to make using the Axcess portals much simpler.

Let me know if any of this helps...

Mike

Thanks for the information.
I have my Entre hooked to the USB-ethernet adapter which is hard wired to a Linksys wireless router and Motorola modem both of which are hooked to a Panamax 5500 which is hooked to a broadband cable line out of the wall.

I also have the Entre hooked to a phone line into the Panamax which has a phone line into the wall.

(I did have the USB-ethernet adapter connected to a Linksys wireless bridge but pulled it out and hard wired the adapter directly to the Linksys modem when I moved my stacks.)

This is where I am with the hardware. Does it sound right?

If I use the Axcess in another room and want to get internet radio, do I need any connections from the Axcess other than the phone line (on the same line with the Entre) and the electrical connection?

I don't understand how the Axcess gets internet music w/o a connection to the internet. It is also via. the phone lines like the mp3?

I connected the Axcess directly to the Entre with a phone line and the Axcess automatically downloaded the most recent firmware but when it tried to automatically configure the network it couldn't find the server even though the Entre had no problem doing this and was even playing internet music while the Axcess was trying to reach the same server. I tried the manual method which was also unsuccessful. I suspect this problem is the IP, subnet mask, etc. settings. I am going to check the IP address, gateway, etc. tomorrow.

Is your Netgear PE102 bridge in the same room with your router or is it wireless? As my router and Axcess are to be in different rooms I'm not sure I follow. Would I connect a wireless bridge which has a telephone jack to the Axcess and let my wireless router send the internet signal? Does your Netgear PE102 bridge have a phone line jack? My router only has ethernet connections. S If the Netgear PE102 bridge does have a phone jack in it and is wireless then that might be something I could do if the internet radio signal is sent through the usb adapter which I have hard wired to the wireless router. Does this make sense?
Thanks again,
James

James,

Your Entre setup sounds fine - just like mine (usb-ethernet adapter hardwired into the router).

The electrical power connections for the Entre and Axcess have nothing to do with their network connections - all the networking is done through the phone lines, the HPNA-ethernet bridge, and the USB-ethernet adapter.

The PE102 (and any other HPNA-ethernet bridge) will have an ethernet port, one or two phone ports, and a wall-wart power supply. If you have a phone jack near your router you shouldn't need any type of wireless network gear to make your setup work.

My entire network is hardwired, no wireless at all. The Entre is in the living room, with an ethernet cable to the router in the office. The PE102 is in the office, with a hardwire ethernet connection to the router. The PE102 phone line is connected to a splitter, with one phone line going to the Axcess I have in the office and the second phone line connected to the wall. I have second Axcess connected to the wall phone jack in my library and third Axcess connected to the wall phone jack in the garage.

All three Axcess portals communicate over the phone lines through the PE102 bridge, and get their IP addresses automatically from the router.

The Axcess portals make their network connection through the PE102 and router, and communicate with the Entre over the network to get MP3s and/or internet radio (for internet radio the Entre makes the connection with the radio website, then streams the data to the Axcess).

With this setup I can play both MP3s and internet radio from all three Axcess portals and the Entre at once, with each Axcess playing different songs or stations.

With your Entre set up as it is, once you have the HPNA bridge (PE102 or similar item) connected to your router via ethernet and your house's phone lines via a phone cord into a phone wall jack all you should need to do is connect each Axcess to any phone jack in your house.

I think you need to get an HPNA bridge - here is a link to one that looks much like the PE102 (which is no longer available, but you may be able to find on e-bay from time to time) and should work:

http://store.ovislinkonline.com/hptoetbr.html

You could also ask if any of the old-timers from this thread have a bridge they are no longer using...

The bridge you get should be compatible with HPNA 1.1 - HPNA 1.2 may work (no guarantees), and HPNA 3.x will not work.

Without the HPNA bridge, you may be able to directly connect the Axcess to the Entre via phone line but you won't be able to play internet radio (just MP3s). I played around last night with direct connecting the Axcess to the Entre, but wasn't able to get a connection - it's supposed to work according to Kenwood, but I didn't spend much time on it since I normally connect the Axcess to the network through the PE102.

Let me know if any part of this doesn't make sense...

Cheers,

Mike

Mike, I really appreciate your time and effort helping me figure this out. I can tell you understand all of this much better than I do. I'll try to be as short as possible.

James,

...The PE102 (and any other HPNA-ethernet bridge) will have an ethernet port, one or two phone ports, and a wall-wart power supply.

Does the word "wart" in "a wall-wart power supply" refer to the smallish box at the end of the power line that connects into the wall?

...If you have a phone jack near your router you shouldn't need any type of wireless network gear to make your setup work.

I do have a phone jack near the wireless router although it has only
ethernet jacks. I can run an ethernet cable from the router to the 'in jack' on the Panamax and from the 'out jack' of the Panamax to the ethernet 'in jack' of the PE 102 (or similar) and then a phone line from the the PE 102 (or similar) to the 'in jack' of the Panamax ? (a splitter will be needed as the jacks are full). Is this correct? Am I going in circles here?

As phone lines are two way do I need to be concerned as to whether the phone line is plugged into the 'in or out' jack on the PE102 or will it even be marked as such? You can tell how confusing this is for me but I am learning although not at jet speed!

...The PE102 phone line is connected to a splitter, with one phone line going to the Axcess I have in the office and the second phone line connected to the wall.

Can I assume I will also need the same setup as "The PE102 phone line is connected to a splitter, with one phone line going to the Axcess I have in the office and the second phone line connected to the wall."?

All three Axcess portals communicate over the phone lines through the PE102 bridge, and get their IP addresses automatically from the router.

The Axcess portals make their network connection through the PE102 and router, and communicate with the Entre over the network to get MP3s and/or internet radio (for internet radio the Entre makes the connection with the radio website, then streams the data to the Axcess).

With this setup I can play both MP3s and internet radio from all three Axcess portals and the Entre at once, with each Axcess playing different songs or stations.

With your Entre set up as it is, once you have the HPNA bridge (PE102 or similar item) connected to your router via ethernet and your house's phone lines via a phone cord into a phone wall jack all you should need to do is connect each Axcess to any phone jack in your house.

I think you need to get an HPNA bridge - here is a link to one that looks much like the PE102 (which is no longer available, but you may be able to find on e-bay from time to time) and should work:

http://store.ovislinkonline.com/hptoetbr.html

You could also ask if any of the old-timers from this thread have a bridge they are no longer using...

The bridge you get should be compatible with HPNA 1.1 - HPNA 1.2 may work (no guarantees), and HPNA 3.x will not work.

Without the HPNA bridge, you may be able to directly connect the Axcess to the Entre via phone line but you won't be able to play internet radio (just MP3s). I played around last night with direct connecting the Axcess to the Entre, but wasn't able to get a connection - it's supposed to work according to Kenwood, but I didn't spend much time on it since I normally connect the Axcess to the network through the PE102.

Let me know if any part of this doesn't make sense...

If I have this down, I will need one PE102 (or similar) hardwired to the router which are both in the same room with the Entre. In the room where the Axcess is located will I need an additional PE102 (or similar)? I will run a phone line out of the Axcess to a splitter with a phone line to the JPE102 and a phone line to the wall. Am I close?

Your system sounds stable. If I ever get this figured out, up, and running, I may try to add additional Axcess units in other rooms. Once I have done one I should be able to do the others on my own, If I can find them anywhere.

Thanks again,
James


Cheers,

Mike

Mike, I really appreciate your time and effort helping me figure this out. I can tell you understand all of this much better than I do. I'll try to be as short as possible.

Anyone have a working Netgear PE102 10MBPS(10BASE-T) Home Phone-line RJ11 Ethernet RJ45 Bridge you would be willing to sale?

James,

You are correct on the wall wart - that is the power supply for the PE102.

You should connect the ethernet port on the PE102 to one of the ethernet ports on your router. The phone port on the PE102 should connect to a wall phone port (this puts the HPNA network signal on all your home phone wiring, so your Axcess portals can tap into the network at any phone jack).

You only need one PE102 - the Axcess portals all have HPNA built-in. The PE102 serves to convert the Axcess HPNA network into standard ethernet network. The Entre will feed MP3s and/or internet radio to up to four Axcess portals, all of which connect via the HPNA bridge.

I've attached a picture from one of the Kenwood flyers showing the setup - hopefully it will help make things clearer.

You don't need the splitter unless you want an Axcess at the same location as the PE102 (if you have the Axcess in another room just plug the PE102 phone line into a wall jack and plug the Axcess into the phone jack in whatever room you want it).

It doesn't matter which phone port you connect to on the PE102 (it has two, one labeled "phone" and one labeled "wall" - I am currently connected to the "phone" port). The PE102 only has one ethernet port.

I'm guessing you use the Panamax for surge suppression/isolation on the phone line. I have never used any sort of suppression on my phone lines - I don't know if the Panamax has any sort of filtering on the phone connection that might interfere with the HPNA signal. I'd hook things up without the Panamax first, make sure everything works, then put the Panamax into the circuit and see if it creates any problems.

Let me know if this helps...

Mike

James,

You are correct on the wall wart - that is the power supply for the PE102.

You should connect the ethernet port on the PE102 to one of the ethernet ports on your router. The phone port on the PE102 should connect to a wall phone port (this puts the HPNA network signal on all your home phone wiring, so your Axcess portals can tap into the network at any phone jack).

You only need one PE102 - the Axcess portals all have HPNA built-in. The PE102 serves to convert the Axcess HPNA network into standard ethernet network. The Entre will feed MP3s and/or internet radio to up to four Axcess portals, all of which connect via the HPNA bridge.

I've attached a picture from one of the Kenwood flyers showing the setup - hopefully it will help make things clearer.

You don't need the splitter unless you want an Axcess at the same location as the PE102 (if you have the Axcess in another room just plug the PE102 phone line into a wall jack and plug the Axcess into the phone jack in whatever room you want it).

It doesn't matter which phone port you connect to on the PE102 (it has two, one labeled "phone" and one labeled "wall" - I am currently connected to the "phone" port). The PE102 only has one ethernet port.

I'm guessing you use the Panamax for surge suppression/isolation on the phone line. I have never used any sort of suppression on my phone lines - I don't know if the Panamax has any sort of filtering on the phone connection that might interfere with the HPNA signal. I'd hook things up without the Panamax first, make sure everything works, then put the Panamax into the circuit and see if it creates any problems.

Let me know if this helps...

Mike

Thanks! This really clears it up for me.

I have not found the PE102 but did find:
http://store.ovislinkonline.com/hotoetbr.html
It seems to be what I need. If you don't mind checking it out I would really appreciate it.

Your right about the Panamax. I live in a neighborhood that is the highest point in the city. There have been five homes hit by lightning.
Lightning has struck houses on each side of mine and one home behind me, blowing off a chimney on one house and setting another one on fire.

I also had a problem with a slowly moving rainbow colored horizontal band moving through my projector's image. The Panamax took care of the image problem (I was unable to determine its cause) and hopefully the Panamax will give me some protection if lightning strikes my home.
James

James,

The HPNA bridge you linked to is from the same website as the one I linked to - either one looks like it does the same thing as the PE102.

Have you had any further luck with the direct phone connection from the Axcess to the Entre?

Mike

James,

The HPNA bridge you linked to is from the same website as the one I linked to - either one looks like it does the same thing as the PE102.

Have you had any further luck with the direct phone connection from the Axcess to the Entre?

Mike

Not yet. I have guests. It will be Monday before I have a chance to work with it again.

I was trying to get some brand options so I could purchase it locally and easily return it if I am unable to get every thing working. I tried a couple of electronic stores locally but they don't seem to carry what we are looking for.
I'll get back with you Monday, hopefully. Thanks again,
James

I just got my dv-5900m back with updated firmware. however, it now looks like you library shows all disks alpha sorted and not sorted by disc number. Is there anyway to change the way it sorts the disk when looking up disks in the library?

To clarify, I sent my player in for repair and also got it upgraded from firmware 1 to firmware 3.x.

Before fimrware level 3 my dv-5900m library sorted all discs by slot number, now they are sorted by disc title in alpha order and not slot number. Is there anyway to make it so it sorts by slot number and not alphabetical with the new level 3 firmware, how do I do this?

After several good years of use with the Kenwood Entre and Sovereign system I am at last packing it in. I have the Entre, VR5900, and 2 full DV5900 plus an Axess. For the last year or so I had problems connecting and keeping a connection. After trying everything, I couldn't get it to work. I after numerous calls to Kenwood I at last found a Tech who offered to check my unit. I sent the unit and low and behold the problems was caused by some bad part on the motherboard. The Tech replaced the parts that failed but in the process had wiped my harddrive and all my media. I have the unit back but there is no way I am reloading my media into the Entre as its old technology. I am going 100% digital via my PS3. The time I would have spent on the Entre I am instead spending that time converting all media to digital. I will be able to play and view all my DVD movies, CD audio, Internet Radio Stations, Pictures and a loads of internet media through the PS3 from my home computer via my wireless network.

The Entre is a great system and I loved using it when it worked but if it is failing you, bite the bullet and go digital. I am a big Sony and Playstation fan but trust me its the best device that you could use especially for our types who like to customize our media.

I want to thank all who have helped me over the years. This forum and thread has a great group of people on it. Good luck with your systems and if you decide to go digital with the PS3 send me a message and I would be happy to help you as you all have helped me with the Entre.

My VR5900 has 6.1 analog inputs. I also purchased the receiver's matching two channel MX5000 amp. for the back left and right out for total 7.1. I currently have the two back speakers driven by the separate amp. but I have no control over the back speakers' volume. As the BR player is 7.1, and the main amp. is 6.1, and the two speaker rear amp. is supposed to give me a legit 7.1. why would I not be able to control all the speakers' volumn?
Are there any suggestions as to how I can get my 7.1 and integrate the volume control?
Thanks-

Can anyone tell me more about the v3 firmware for the DV-5050M & DV-5900M working with the Entre. Specifically if I have one DV-5900m with v3 and two that are not version 3 will they work if I make sure the v3 one is connected directly to the Entre.

Thanks! New Entre Owner here

Can anyone tell me more about the v3 firmware for the DV-5050M & DV-5900M working with the Entre. Specifically if I have one DV-5900m with v3 and two that are not version 3 will they work if I make sure the v3 one is connected directly to the Entre.

Thanks! New Entre Owner here

Wish I could help you but I only have one DV-5900. Have tried to update the two non-v3 units?

To clarify, I sent my player in for repair and also got it upgraded from firmware 1 to firmware 3.x.

Before fimrware level 3 my dv-5900m library sorted all discs by slot number, now they are sorted by disc title in alpha order and not slot number. Is there anyway to make it so it sorts by slot number and not alphabetical with the new level 3 firmware, how do I do this?

wow, I'm shocked I can't change the way the library sorts. Anybody know how to make this thing sort by slot numbeR?

SonnyGTX,

To have the Entre control all three changers each must be V3. Your choices are to either have Kenwood upgrade the changers to V3 (if they still offer the upgrade) or get one of the Escient DVDM-100 or DVDM-300 controllers. The Escient controllers don't require V3.

If you go the Escient route, make sure you get one of the controllers listed above. The Escient MX-series controllers only work with the Sony 400-disc changers.

Hope this helps,

Mike

My VR5900 has 6.1 analog inputs. I also purchased the receiver's matching two channel MX5000 amp. for the back left and right out for total 7.1. I currently have the two back speakers driven by the separate amp. but I have no control over the back speakers' volume. As the BR player is 7.1, and the main amp. is 6.1, and the two speaker rear amp. is supposed to give me a legit 7.1. why would I not be able to control all the speakers' volumn?
Are there any suggestions as to how I can get my 7.1 and integrate the volume control?
Thanks-

You actually mean that the VR 5900 has a 5.1 anolog input and not 6.1. When you add the 2 rear speakers I think that you have to have THX Surround EX On. With the RC -R1111 remote you can adjust the rear speaker levels. First go to SETUP, select SURROUND then select SP LEVEL. If you have everything set up properly you will see the 7.1 set up on the screen and can then adjust levels each of the 8 speakers individually. I hope I answered your question.

Can anyone tell me more about the v3 firmware for the DV-5050M & DV-5900M working with the Entre. Specifically if I have one DV-5900m with v3 and two that are not version 3 will they work if I make sure the v3 one is connected directly to the Entre.

Thanks! New Entre Owner here

I am pretty sure that all the DVD Mega Changers in the set up will have to have the V3 firmware to work. I would call Kenwood Tech support so they can confirm (this or not). If you need the V3 update your only option is Kenwood in CA for the V3 update, so calling them now will save you time.

I also have the Entre System and am considering packing it in. I don't use it that much, but my DV-5900 has become problematic. It has about 300 CD's and about 40 DVDs, but it is stuck. The message reads "Remove Disk 207" even though there is no disc in slot 207, nad I cannot get the unit to go past this error messsage, and therefore it will not work. Does anyone have any suggestions, or know of a reliable shop in the Atlanta area? I don't know if it is even worth repairing. Any suggestions on relplacements??

I also have the Entre System and am considering packing it in. I don't use it that much, but my DV-5900 has become problematic. It has about 300 CD's and about 40 DVDs, but it is stuck. The message reads "Remove Disk 207" even though there is no disc in slot 207, nad I cannot get the unit to go past this error messsage, and therefore it will not work. Does anyone have any suggestions, or know of a reliable shop in the Atlanta area? I don't know if it is even worth repairing. Any suggestions on relplacements??

I've taken the cover of mine off several times to get it unstuck. It's not hard and every time I have found disks either stuck in the carousel, disks pulled out of it's slot at the top or bottom, or had to remove the disk from the spin plate. The screws inside are also easily removed to loosen up parts to get the disks out. Just be careful not to pull wires loose, drop the screws down into it, etc.

There is also a reset/carousel realignment code which also can correct some problems. Hope this helps.
Good luck!

I also have the Entre System and am considering packing it in. I don't use it that much, but my DV-5900 has become problematic. It has about 300 CD's and about 40 DVDs, but it is stuck. The message reads "Remove Disk 207" even though there is no disc in slot 207, nad I cannot get the unit to go past this error messsage, and therefore it will not work. Does anyone have any suggestions, or know of a reliable shop in the Atlanta area? I don't know if it is even worth repairing. Any suggestions on relplacements??

I've taken the cover of mine off several times to get it unstuck. It's not hard and every time I have found disks either stuck in the carousel, disks pulled out of its slot at the top or bottom, or had to remove the disk from the spin plate. The screws inside are also easily removed to loosen up parts to get the disks out. Just be careful not to pull wires loose, drop the screws down into it, etc.

I' gotten the same "Remove Disk___" message. I remember finding several disk stacked on the spin plate. It was tricky getting the plate to rotate, and the carousel to rotate manually in order to get them out. Another time I think the changer had the disk it was asking me to remove on the spin plate.

There is also a reset/carousel realignment code which also can correct some problems. Hope this helps.
Good luck!

Thanks James. I will open her up today. Do you know to access the reset/carousel realignment code?

Thanks Again.

Thanks James. I will open her up today. Do you know to access the reset/carousel realignment code?

Thanks Again.

Be careful of electrical shock. I've never had a problem but the warning labels are there for a reason. Also the parts are plastic so be careful not to force anything to the point of breaking it. I took apart some of the parts around the circular arm grip that moves the disk from the carousel to the spin plate once and couldn't get it to operate properly afterwards. Put it all back together and took it the shop. They said they couldn't find anything wrong but did use the realignment process. Not sure if it cleared itself or the alignment process did the trick. I don't remember if I tried to realignment it before taking it in. Cost me $79 just for them to look at it and tell me they couldn't find anything wrong.

If you are still having problems after you get all the disks in properly including nothing stuck on the spin plate then try this.

After you make sure all the disk are in properly, and perhaps with the lid off:

1. Power off the changer (at the changer, not via the remote).
2. On the changer hold down the library and power buttons
simultaneously until the changer display reads initializing then release.

If it still doesn't work try the procedure below although I have had problems with my changer going into standby mode with nothing else working afterwards. I have always been able to bring it back on line eventually. The only method I remember working was hitting the play button on the changer or maybe it was the Entre. I think the changer gets confused as to who is in charge when connected to the Entre yet it is getting commands from the changer. Be cautions and don't do anything too radical. Always give everything plenty of time to carry outs its last command. The codes/procedures are not in the manuals probably for a good reason. We are all kind of on our own at times. Good luck!!

2nd Procedure:
1. Turn off changer
2. Hold down library and power buttons on changer simultaneously
3. Turn off changer
4. Hold down user file and power buttons on changer simultaneously
5. Turn off changer
6. Turn on Changer (This is where it may not turn on although the red light
indicates it is in standby mode.)
7. Try buttons on Entre (ex: play) if changer buttons won't bring it back on
line.
Hope this helps.

Be careful of electrical shock. I've never had a problem but the warning labels are there for a reason. Also the parts are plastic so be careful not to force anything to the point of breaking it. I took apart some of the parts around the circular arm grip that moves the disk from the carousel to the spin plate once and couldn't get it to operate properly afterwards. Put it all back together and took it the shop. They said they couldn't find anything wrong but did use the realignment process. Not sure if it cleared itself or the alignment process did the trick. I don't remember if I tried to realignment it before taking it in. Cost me $79 just for them to look at it and tell me they couldn't find anything wrong.

If you are still having problems after you get all the disks in properly including nothing stuck on the spin plate then try this.

After you make sure all the disk are in properly, and perhaps with the lid off:

1. Power off the changer (at the changer, not via the remote).
2. On the changer hold down the library and power buttons
simultaneously until the changer display reads initializing then release.

If it still doesn't work try the procedure below although I have had problems with my changer going into standby mode with nothing else working afterwards. I have always been able to bring it back on line eventually. The only method I remember working was hitting the play button on the changer or maybe it was the Entre. I think the changer gets confused as to who is in charge when connected to the Entre yet it is getting commands from the changer. Be cautions and don't do anything too radical. Always give everything plenty of time to carry outs its last command. The codes/procedures are not in the manuals probably for a good reason. We are all kind of on our own at times. Good luck!!

2nd Procedure:
1. Turn off changer
2. Hold down library and power buttons on changer simultaneously
3. Turn off changer
4. Hold down user file and power buttons on changer simultaneously
5. Turn off changer
6. Turn on Changer (This is where it may not turn on although the red light
indicates it is in standby mode.)
7. Try buttons on Entre (ex: play) if changer buttons won't bring it back on
line.
Hope this helps.

good tips, just remember when you hold down the user file and power buttons you will lose all title information and have to retype all titles in the library.

anyone with level 3 firmware know how to sort the dvd library by slot number?

I just got my dvd changer repaired and noticed my dvds are now sorted alphabetically in the library user file/all. Anyway to sort these by slot number? On my old level 1 firmware it sorted by slot number.

[looks like this is spoken for!]

I hope this isn't a violation of the idea of the classifieds, since I'm giving the player away, not selling.

Mine was lightly used, and has been sitting in a box for the last several years. I recently pulled it out and tested it, and it works fine. It does have the firmware upgrade (it was sent to Kenwood years ago).

I have the remote and the original box, and I believe the manual is in there too.

I don't want any money for the player -- would just ask that you either pick it up at my home in Belmont, CA, or that you pay the shipping.

norton electronics has taken care of all my kenwood stuff- really know-it-all repair guys over by 285/85 off clairmont


oh and I'll take that player off of your hand if he does'nt because I've been stuck with my brothers old 5050 and ah yeah.... its on its last leg.

kenwood, anyone still using their kenwood? I recently had my dv-5900 video board fail on mine and had the unit repaired. I had the sdi board removed when it was repaired. To my surprise the component output is absolutely beautiful, on par or very close to the sdi output I had. I recently tried out a sony 995cx and am very disappointed in the PQ compared to the kenwood.

To sum it up I have yet to see a picture produced by DVD more beautiful than this kenwood player produces.

Who else has noticed other players lack the PQ compared to the kenwood?

Still happy with the picture from my 5900s - just mated them with a Pioneer 6020. Haven't yet felt the DVD picture needs any upgrade, but every couple months one of the changers jams and I have to pull it out of the rack, take off the cover and deal with the offending disc. One of these days I'm going to have to get serious about ripping these DVDs to a server (but not just yet).

Mike

Still happy with the picture from my 5900s - just mated them with a Pioneer 6020. Haven't yet felt the DVD picture needs any upgrade, but every couple months one of the changers jams and I have to pull it out of the rack, take off the cover and deal with the offending disc. One of these days I'm going to have to get serious about ripping these DVDs to a server (but not just yet).

Mike

This is where I am also. Let me know when you decide on a server.

I would really like to go the HTPC route but really prefer a laptop to the standard full size stationary computers.

I would like to have the advanced audio codecs and HDMI but like you, I'm not ready to jump yet.

SonnyGTX,

To have the Entre control all three changers each must be V3. Your choices are to either have Kenwood upgrade the changers to V3 (if they still offer the upgrade) or get one of the Escient DVDM-100 or DVDM-300 controllers. The Escient controllers don't require V3.

If you go the Escient route, make sure you get one of the controllers listed above. The Escient MX-series controllers only work with the Sony 400-disc changers.

Hope this helps,

Mike

The DVDM-100 is a sony cx777es controller ONLY. If you are only interested in audio, the E series will control the kenwood changers.

Sailn,

Not true - I have a DVDM-100 controlling 3 DV-5900s in my system (wife is watching a Friends DVD on it as I type). The DVDM-100 and DVDM-300 will control the Kenwood changers. The MX-series controllers only work with the Sony 777 changers.

Cheers,

Mike

The DVDM-100 is a sony cx777es controller ONLY. If you are only interested in audio, the E series will control the kenwood changers.

I believe you are mistaken. The DVDM-100 manual (page 19) states that the Kenwood DV-5900M and DV-5050M changers are supported.

Regards,
Dave

I just had my second DV5900 upgraded to the V3 firmware and am all set to connect the two units together. :)

However, I cannot locate either of the "system control cables" that came with my first unit (the second was used). :o Does anyone know what type of cable these things are? These are the cables that allow one to daisy-chain multiple 5900's together.

I could call Kenwood and buy one but would rather that solution to be a last resort.

Thanks.

... I cannot locate either of the "system control cables" that came with my first unit (the second was used). :o Does anyone know what type of cable these things are? These are the cables that allow one to daisy-chain multiple 5900's together.

The control cables between the changers is a common male-to-male 1/8 inch stereo phone jack cable. The cable between the Entre and the DV-5900M, I believe is a 9 pin female-to-female null modem serial cable.

Regards,
Dave

I believe you are mistaken. The DVDM-100 manual (page 19) states that the Kenwood DV-5900M and DV-5050M changers are supported.

Regards,
Dave

I agree that page 19 of the manual does say that it supports the Kenwood units which you mentioned as well as a few sony cd changers. However all the new sales literature
http://www.escient.com/products/dvdm100.html
states that it only works with the cx777es. When I was last at an Escient training sesion ( took it to get the deal on another dvdm-100 and zp-1 ) they stated that they only supported the cx777es. I will have to call them and find out what is currently supported.

However all the new sales literature
http://www.escient.com/products/dvdm100.html
states that it only works with the cx777es.

Could it be that Escient only states the Sony CX77ES in their sales literature because the Kenwood changers were discontinued some years ago? We have it on good authority here that the Kenwood changers indeed work.

Regards,
Dave

Thanks!

I have the null-modem cable but it is the 1/8" stereo cable(s) I am missing.

It's off to Monoprice I go... :p

Happy Holidays to All...! :)

The control cables between the changers is a common male-to-male 1/8 inch stereo phone jack cable. The cable between the Entre and the DV-5900M, I believe is a 9 pin female-to-female null modem serial cable.

Regards,
Dave

Could it be that Escient only states the Sony CX77ES in their sales literature because the Kenwood changers were discontinued some years ago? We have it on good authority here that the Kenwood changers indeed work.

Regards,
Dave

Just called Escient; they are closed for Xmax...Imagine that...