New Dune HD Max and HD Smart anticipation thread Q3 2010 - Page 103

Still can't figure out how to get Zappiti working but, I'm dredging forward. I've definitely settled on the ISO format though because I like how it's just like putting a DVD/Blu-ray in the player. I have plenty of storage so no big deal. I have a couple questions to which I can't seem to find the answers.

Does using static IP's render better performance and/or stability?

What is the required or recommended USB capacity?

Power off by software or hardware?

Is there a PDF version of the online manual?

Can the display be turned off?

Just FYI you don't have to use ISO format to get the "total disc experience" - just ripping the disc to the "folder format" gets you the same. It may also speed up starting of playback as the Dune doesn't have to unpack the ISO file.


It can make a bit of an improvement.

I have a Base 3.0 and am wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade to the HD Duo. Anyone else make this move yet?

Just a clarification. A static IP will improve the boot-up time, but once the IP is assigned (either static or by DHCP), there will be no difference whatsoever.

But DHCP can be a big convenience, because it can also assign the default gateway, time-server and about a hundred other things (which many DHCP servers that are included within routers don't support). Of course, a typical media player won't need more than an IP address and the default gateway.

Did you take into account the time to convert the host name into the IP address?

If a particular box is at a known IP address then you can use its IP address to refer to it from elsewhere, saving a DNS lookup through your router.

You can get the Dune at a predictable IP address in two ways. (1) Use static IP on the Dune; (2) use "static leases" (as dd-wrt calls it) on the DHCP server, if your router supports it.

If you use predictable IPs throughout your network (using either mechanism, or a combination of the two) then you can save DNS lookups all over the place.

But really the benefit will be minimal, especially considering the decreased readability and increased maintenance of network addresses.

Thus my statement that it might make a bit of improvement.

I don't use static IP's myself for the reasons you mentioned (although I do use IP reservations in the DHCP server).

Hi Frederick,

Again, like DHCP, the DNS lookup (or WINS lookup in most Windows networks) will take place at startup. And it will take the same amount of time whether the lookup is done with a static IP or a dynamic IP. Once the media player comes online, DHCP (if enabled) and DNS or WINS lookup will occur, some ARP packets will be exchanged, and after that all packets will be transported using Ethernet MAC addresses.

I think what Scott referred to as a "minimal benefit" had to do with not doing an DNS or WINS lookup (using the IP address instead of the host name) as opposed to doing a DNS lookup (using the host name instead of the IP address). But again, the DNS or WINS lookup only needs to occur once.

And personally, I also prefer using IP reservations in the DHCP server.

i just built my server running with 2 2tb wd20ears drives and windows 7 ultimate. what is the issue with the EARS drives you speak of?

They are advanced format drives and can cause issues on x32 machines. For example, for WHS users the workaround is to set the jumper to 7/8 on the EARS drives to get them to align properly with WHS

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, I did search but could not find it

I have a Harmony One remote and Dune D1. I can setup the dune on the Harmony issue I have is when I move in a direction it moves 2 spots instead of just one. How would I fix this ?

Maybe try resetting up on the Harmony. I have a Harmony One + Dune D1 and don't have any issues with navigation (and prior to that using the Harmony One with the BD Prime)

I had this problem too.

Go into the Harmony software. Under "Devices", Click "Troubleshoot" under your Dune. Activate the radio button for "Dune responds to some commands either too many times or only occasionally." You'll see a scale of 1 to 5. Probably "3" is selected. "2" works for me.

Thanks its working now !

The EARS drives have a problem going idle to conserve energy. This causes all sorts of problems...including a surprisingly high failure rate if used as server or DVR drives. I first read about the issue and its work-around when I upgraded my TivoHD. I'm quoting from a thread in the TivoCommunity (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...php?t=370784):

Anyway, you may want to consider reading up on this (NewEgg is a good place to read user comments) and flashing your drives. I'm using the same drive in my NAS as you are and it behaves perfectly after I set the idle timer.

Just a quick post on my comparison between the Dune B1 and Netgear NeoTV 550. While the Dune sounded great on paper and it took me a while to makeup my mind about it and then actually get it, I encountered several minor things that made me stick with NeoTV:

1) MKV chapter support - big deal for me!
2) It always lost 2-3 seconds of audio when I started a title. Irritating.
3) Like the way Netgear separates Videos, music and pictures. In Dune, you see all.
4) Netgear remote is more intuitive. Though I could have gotten used to Dune as well.
5) Much smaller and lighter unit -> easier to carry on a trip if required.
6) Like the folder view with posters.

On the other hand, Dune did have a few points in its favor:
1) Shows many more items in the list, e.g. files or folders. Netgear shows only a few.
2) Media information popup has more useful info.
3) Bitstreams TrueHD - Netgear decoded in a few.
4) A few home-made movies with Dolby are bitstreamed as Dolby. Netgear decodes them.
5) Nicer feel of the menus as well as more options.

In the end, MKV chapter support and loss of 2-3 seconds audio at start made me stay with Netgear, and loving it despite its few quirks. Sent the B1 back to my credit card company for a refund.

Did you try the time skipping feature on the Dune which allows you to skip in one minute or ten second intervals via the arrow buttons? I find it much more useful than chapter skipping.

It doesn't sound like you utilized any of the media jukeboxes with your Dune. If not, you really missed out as it is an awesome feature and, AFAIK, the Dunes have the best support for tv shows when combined with Zappiti save for maybe xbmc.

I haven't noticed an audio drop out. Do you think it is the Dune or possibly a new HDMI handshake that is causing this? I ask because I usually see the audio format update on my receiver as soon as the file starts.

+1

IMO a third party jukebox is a must for the Dunes. Speaking of which I believe the MyMovies 4 Pre Release should be out next week to contributors and then shortly after to everyone (this will include full support for TV Shows).

Also, there is an interesting YAMJ Flash skin that is being worked on (currently testing is being done on the PCH and Popbox). This jukebox should be cross compatible with any player that supports Flash Lite (which I believe the Dunes support)

I'll have to say (once I figured it out..) Zappiti is really slick for movies but, what about music? Is there a music jukebox for Dune? Something that does cover art like Zappiti?

Yes I did try the time skip, but I still much prefer the chapter method, esp as I extract music videos all stored in a single mkv file with named chapters. Neo allowed me to jump to any specific chapter I want without dealing with remembering time codes - not possible with 30-40 such files I have. Not everyone may have such files, of course. Neo has % skip too, which is equally convenient as time skip (which is also available). Its all about options!

I did start using Zappiti using Damian's guide (very detailed and well written!), but didn't go very far. I found the Folder approach of NeoTV more intuitive, and MCM works great as a scraper. Allows for more real-time updates of structure as I am still playing with options (though I may be wrong here). I just move all files related to a single video or multiple videos to another folder, and Neo picks it up automatically withouth going through scraper again.

Audio dropouts - I am in fact fairly confident it is a HDMI issue. My receiver feeds a HDMI splitter that feeds a plasma and a projector, and I need it to stay that way. Initially even the Neo TV had problems even displaying the picture (Boxee worked fine, as did Popbox and Brite View). Traced it to my Monoprice HDMI splitter. Got a new different one from Amazon, and Neo worked fine with that, but Dune still had issues. Don't know where else to turn!

Dune also had other issues - Knight and Day Blu ray disc did not play even on the latest firmware, kinda negating the very reason I went for a B1 for a blu ray drive combo.

Like I said, it depends what you can or cannot live with personally!

thanks for the info. i have been reading up on this issue and it seems that the flash will change the spin time, but im worried with premature death of these drives. basically, i built my pc from the ground up and bought these drives for their low power consumption. my os is win7 ultimate 64bit and i basically use it as a regular computer although it acts as a main server to my entire file library of documents, pics, music and movie rips (no raid). i see the issue with raid or whs setup, but im confused if my setup is not as task intensive as a true raid server. or should i just pull out the drives and replace them with 7200rpm hitachi or samsung drives and be done with worrying? my os sits on a wd caviar black drive which seems pretty good, but i just realized how slow the other drives are when accessing shares from a winxp machine to the win7 one. xp is lightning fast, win7 takes about 15 seconds to see the share folders. im thinking this may be a bottleneck when running bluray rips from the dune.

what do you think is the best solution for me?

WD20EARS drives are used extensively in unraid builds. .I have a couple in mine and they seem to be fine. I can't say how they'll work in your system but they work fine in unraid.

This will not be a bottleneck as long as you use a jukebox program instead of the network browser. Then you will have a specific link to a server by name and it shouldn't take but a fraction of a second to mount the share.

i assume you're referring to something like zapitti or mymovies, correct?

exactly

okay, i think im gonna order one since i just checked the dune main page and it says that the new chips are now going to be release q3 2011 or later. i believe originally it said Q1 2011, so i think it will be a year before we see the new models shipping.

heres to hoping the setup goes smooth next week!

Where did you see that, i was searching and couldn't see it anywhere at dune website?

Has anyone checked the new beta firmware to see if it enabled vertical stretch on the Dunes? This part from the Dune website has me hopeful:

* Zoom improvements.
- Added a new zoom preset for file playback: "full fill screen" --
similar to "fill screen" but with filling the entire screen both
vertically and horizontally.

I am having a strange problem (bug?) with my Dune Duo. On HD .TS files, fast reverse on the remote fast forwards; fast forwards also fast forwards. Anybody else seeing this or have a fix?

For those struggling with WD EARS drives or any "Green" drive for that matter you may want to look at this great guide on mediasmartserver.net.

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010...s-home-server/