[MarkE19]

I'm pleased that you at last have something that works
However as I previously said the fault was not just with your TV so the chances are that you were sold a faulty Max, and getting a replacement may well have worked as well as the C-300.

But as you no longer own a Dune media player we need to get a moderator to ban you from these threads
We don't want any riff raff in here you know

Good luck with the PCH and I hope it continues to impress.

Mark.

[18pcs]

Haha. Thanks Mark. Glad to have know all the good people here, unfortunately not for so long.

[Owen_Johnston]

Hi everyone,

Something i've noticed lately about my HD Max when watching blu rays only (not MKVs)

When there are credits or subtitles in the film with things moving in the background the text always aliases, and it gets really distracting. i have my settings exactly as instructed on here so i can't figure out what's going on. my last blu ray player didn't do this

many thanks to anyone who can contribute

[Owen_Johnston]

anyone able to help with this? starting to bug me why t only does it with blu rays and not mkvs

[Ekso]

sorry, cant help....have you tried changing the text or location of the subs..
Hopefully someone can help

[Owen_Johnston]

i noticed today when watching battleship on mkv on the HD it does it too. so even though i have the recommended settings it still jitters and it's not my TV

[Dan201]

I have my video settings set as recommended and I get a judder on nearly all my MKVs. No idea why and its only through the HD Max that it occurs. Something to do with the frame rates not matching but Ive set it correctly. Its only noticeable on panning shots on mine.

[Owen_Johnston]

i only notice it on panning shots with text like credits or hard coded subtitles

[brioni]

Hi guys,
After a some fiddling about with bluray and dvd iso’s I’ve been pretty satisfied with a Dune Prime I brought second hand.
I believe the menu appearance is much the same as the Prime 3 & Max and I’ve haven’t come across much it’s not capable of doing but just wanted to ask about network performance-
I was getting a lot of buffer underruns on a 35 GB MKV file with a DD trueHD soundtrack and this is with my Dune CAT5 wired to the router/hub with the file streaming over a SMB share on my Win 7 PC.
Does anyone else experience stuttery playback when dealing with large MKV files? My thoughts are either; connecting as 100 mb Ethernet is not enough and I need to up it to gigabit which my router can’t handle or maybe it’s the samba share and I should setup NFS?
Playing back this file from USB is OK so I believe the older Sigma 8634 can handle it.

Also a question about Zappiti, is this a option for me as I don’t have a licence? If you have an older machine anyway, before the licence came into effect, where would you go from here away? beings as I didn’t buy from a dealer.

[MarkE19]

Originally Posted by brioni

I believe the menu appearance is much the same as the Prime 3 & Max

No 'much the same' more like 'exactly the same'
All Dune media players since the Base & Prime 3.0 run exactly the same firmware base code, so the UI for all the players looks exactly the same.

Originally Posted by brioni

I was getting a lot of buffer underruns on a 35 GB MKV file with a DD trueHD soundtrack and this is with my Dune CAT5 wired to the router/hub with the file streaming over a SMB share on my Win 7 PC.
Does anyone else experience stuttery playback when dealing with large MKV files?

Nope, they stream fine for me over an SMB share from either my Win7 PC or unRAID server.

Originally Posted by brioni

My thoughts are either; connecting as 100 mb Ethernet is not enough and I need to up it to gigabit which my router can’t handle

Neither can your Dune as all their current players (with the exception of the TV301) have 100mbps LAN and not gigabit.

Originally Posted by brioni

or maybe it’s the samba share and I should setup NFS?

As I said it works fine for me, but others have found that NFS does work a little better for them so it is probably worth a try.

Originally Posted by brioni

Also a question about Zappiti, is this a option for me as I don’t have a licence? If you have an older machine anyway, before the licence came into effect, where would you go from here away? beings as I didn’t buy from a dealer.

As long as you don't live in France you will be fine. Instead of sending them a copy of your invoice (that you don't have) just send them a utility bill showing your address to prove you are not in France and they should license your copy.

Mark.

[brioni]

Cheers Mark, i'll get on to Zappiti.
Really thought the router was the bottle neck, maybe its the cable. I'm planning on replacing it with TP Links AV500 mbit powerline adaptors so perhaps that could improve it.

[darinf]

I just received a Dune HD Max.

I am playing the Hugo blu-ray and the Dune is only outputting 5.1 DTS-HD LPCM via the HDMI out. The blu-ray is 7.1.

Is the Dune supposed to be able to decode 71. to LPCM? I was under the impression that it can do that.

My receiver cannot decode 5.1 or 7.1 so it needs multi channel LPCM instead.

My Samsung BluRay player will feed my receiver with 7.1 LPCM using the same blu-ray.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[brioni]

Worth checking your Setup > Audio options.
Theres a Digital Audio Output Mode that needs to be set to PCM (decode) and below that you can set 5.1 or 7.1

[darinf]

Originally Posted by brioni

Worth checking your Setup > Audio options.
Theres a Digital Audio Output Mode that needs to be set to PCM (decode) and below that you can set 5.1 or 7.1

Yes, already checked that. It's set to 7.1.

Any other ideas?

[darinf]

I am trying to access the files on my PC from the Dune Max via SMB.

I have my drives shared. I can see and use the shared drives from other computers and laptops in our house.

However, when I use the Dune to browse the network, even though I see all my PC's in the list, when I click on the PC name, I always get an (empty) folder. None of the shared drives show up. This is the case for ALL my other PC's on the network. I can access my stand alone NAS from the Dune via SMB. But none of my Windows 7 PC's show any shared drives.

I even tried creating a new network folder with my PC's IP address and my username and password. That did not work either. It just says "Cannot access network folder"

I can actually see the Dune from my desktop computer via SMB. I can also copy files to the Dune from the PC no problem.

I do have my network shares set such that everyone has full permissions. The guest account is also activated.

Please help...

Thanks in advance.

[MarkE19]

On the Dune - Setup > Applications > SMB Server
change the workgroup from 'Dune' to 'Workgroup' - or whatever the name of your workgroup is on your network.
Make sure that the Win7 PC's are in the workgroup - right click on 'Computer' and select 'Properties'. The workgroup your PC is a member of should be displayed, otherwise click on 'Change settings' and add it.

Also have a read of the following thread that has lots of helpful info on setting up shares on a Win7 PC - OMG seriously?? Popcorn A-200 struggling to set up!!

Mark.

[darinf]

Originally Posted by MarkE19

On the Dune - Setup > Applications > SMB Server
change the workgroup from 'Dune' to 'Workgroup' - or whatever the name of your workgroup is on your network.
Make sure that the Win7 PC's are in the workgroup - right click on 'Computer' and select 'Properties'. The workgroup your PC is a member of should be displayed, otherwise click on 'Change settings' and add it.

Also have a read of the following thread that has lots of helpful info on setting up shares on a Win7 PC - OMG seriously?? Popcorn A-200 struggling to set up!!

Mark.

Thanks for the info.

All my computers are on the same workgroup: "WORKGROUP" as is the DUNE. (I can access and copy files to the Dune via SMB.)

I have double checked all my network and sharing settings. I have checked the permissions and security for my shares.

I can see all my shares from all my other PC's to all my other PC's. My WDTV Live and my Cinematube media players can all see and access my shares. My Samsung Blu-Ray player can see and access my shares.

I guess I just have to resort to UPnP. I can access my files via UPnP.

Bummer...

[MarkE19]

If the Dune is definately in the same workgroup as your PC's then it must be a security issue blocking access to the shares.
Try setting up access on a share for 'Everyone' to have at least 'Read' access, and set the 'guest' account with no password. Now see if you can get to your shares from the Dune. If this works then the chances are that your links to the PC have typing errors, most likely the username or password.
Another option is to create a shortcut to the share on the Dune, rather than trying to navigate to it - I found this more reliable in the past. On the Sources screen press the pop-up menu button and select 'New network folder'. Then enter the details:
Name: whatever you want the shortcut to appear as on the Dune
Type: SMB unless you use NFS
Server: network name of the PC with the share
Folder: the name of the share you are wanting to access - not the actual folder name
User: guest or whatever user you want to use
Password: leave blank or enter the correct password for the above user

Mark.

[darinf]

Originally Posted by MarkE19

If the Dune is definately in the same workgroup as your PC's then it must be a security issue blocking access to the shares.
Try setting up access on a share for 'Everyone' to have at least 'Read' access, and set the 'guest' account with no password. Now see if you can get to your shares from the Dune. If this works then the chances are that your links to the PC have typing errors, most likely the username or password.
Another option is to create a shortcut to the share on the Dune, rather than trying to navigate to it - I found this more reliable in the past. On the Sources screen press the pop-up menu button and select 'New network folder'. Then enter the details:
Name: whatever you want the shortcut to appear as on the Dune
Type: SMB unless you use NFS
Server: network name of the PC with the share
Folder: the name of the share you are wanting to access - not the actual folder name
User: guest or whatever user you want to use
Password: leave blank or enter the correct password for the above user

Mark.

Thanks for all your help Mark.

Unfortunately, I already tried the suggestions above. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the folder name. IN the folder name, do I use any slashes?

If my share name is "i7_F" is that exactly what I put there? without any slashes?

In the server field, do I use any slashes there? like \\my_desktop or just the actual name without slashes?

Is any of it case sensitive?

[MarkE19]

Yes, exactly as you named it when you created the share. So if you called the share i7_F you would only put i7_F in the folder box, no slashes or anything else. I'm not sure if the name is case sensitive or not, but put in capitals as is just to be sure - I'm fairly sure that Linux (ie a NAS) is case sensitive and Windows isn't.

Mark.

[graham.myers]

You just enter the names with no slashes, the dune will build the correct syntax from your entries

So server srv and folder name is fld. You would get SMb:\\srv\fld as the fq URL.

[darinf]

Originally Posted by MarkE19

Yes, exactly as you named it when you created the share. So if you called the share i7_F you would only put i7_F in the folder box, no slashes or anything else. I'm not sure if the name is case sensitive or not, but put in capitals as is just to be sure - I'm fairly sure that Linux (ie a NAS) is case sensitive and Windows isn't.

Mark.

Too strange. I tried every combination I can think of, but even with the network folder I get the error, "Network resource is not accessible". And then if I hit OK, I get, "Cannot access network folder".

I can access SMB shares from the Dune to my Cinematube media player and my Pogoplug NAS. But I have 5 other PC's on the same network running Windows 7 with network shares and even though all 5 PC's show up in "Sources/Network Browser/SMB/Workgroup", all of them have an (empty) folder when I click on each machine name. Not a single one shows any of it's shares whereas, from every PC and other media streamer I have, I can see all the PC's and access all the shares.

I wonder if it's a Windows 7 64-bit issue? All the PC's are running different security software. So it's odd that none of them show any shares on the Dune.

[brioni]

Originally Posted by MarkE19

As long as you don't live in France you will be fine. Instead of sending them a copy of your invoice (that you don't have) just send them a utility bill showing your address to prove you are not in France and they should license your copy.

Mark.

I’m a bit stuck still- is it HD Land I contact for it? Is there a email address as you can’t attach a doc with proof of address through their webpage.

[MarkE19]

Originally Posted by darinf

I wonder if it's a Windows 7 64-bit issue?

I run Win7 64bit so its not that causing the issue

Originally Posted by darinf

All the PC's are running different security software. So it's odd that none of them show any shares on the Dune.

Try disabling the firewall on the PC and then try to access the share from your Dune. If this works then it is the firewall blocking access and you will need to find out how to whitelist the Dune.

Mark.

[MarkE19]

Originally Posted by brioni

I’m a bit stuck still- is it HD Land I contact for it? Is there a email address as you can’t attach a doc with proof of address through their webpage.

It is all done through the actual program, no email address required.
Just do an Export to Dune from Zappiti and the details should be displayed showing how to attach a copy of your receipt etc. to get it licensed.

Mark.

[brioni]

Just wondered- has anyone ever tried to replace the fan in a Dune? i'm sure there must be a more silent option about- something thats fairly interchangeable with what Dune use. anyone opened one up?

[darinf]

Originally Posted by MarkE19

I run Win7 64bit so its not that causing the issue

Try disabling the firewall on the PC and then try to access the share from your Dune. If this works then it is the firewall blocking access and you will need to find out how to whitelist the Dune.

Mark.

Weird. I did not change anything, but now I can see all my computers/devices on the network via SMB. I have no idea what changed, but it's all working now. (I know people say this all the time, "I didn't change anything, but it just stopped/started working." But I seriously didn't do anything!)

Oh well, at least it's working and I can stream files via SMB now.

Thanks for all your help.

[brioni]

Originally Posted by MarkE19

Neither can your Dune as all their current players (with the exception of the TV301) have 100mbps LAN and not gigabit.

I think what confused me here was that the firmware allows you to select gigabit in the network settings – it’s almost like the software is more advanced than the hardware.

I’m just wondering, how are you guys networking your Dunes? Because if I choose one of my more “hefty” MKV files with HD audio in it- I get buffer under runs unless im going by USB.

On playing with this some more and doing some file copies to my laptop: wireless N gives me about 3mbps and TP link av200 powerline gives me about 8mbps. The CAT5 cable gives me 11.5mbps which is better for stream most media but still not fast enough for the 35GB file I mentioned before.

Even if I get TP links av500 it looks like people are only experiencing a small increase so I’d expect them to match the performance of the cable which won’t cut it.

It seems the quality of the powerline chipset and firmware can make a difference. I’ve seen some good feedback on a Solwise gigabit set which may be able to achieve 25mbps+ depending on the environment.


Also has anyone ever replaced the noisy fan?

And finally!.....does anyone find blu-ray menus slow? Mine struggles with Casino Royale Deluxe- it might just be down to the older chipset in the Prime v1…

[MarkE19]

Originally Posted by brioni

I think what confused me here was that the firmware allows you to select gigabit in the network settings – it’s almost like the software is more advanced than the hardware.

To be fair to Dune the gigabit networking is clealy labelled as 'experimental' - and the experiment has been abandened as it simply doesn't work. The actual network port on the players is AFAIK gigabit, but the chipsets used are not gigabit enabled and all networking is handled by the chipset.

Originally Posted by brioni

I’m just wondering, how are you guys networking your Dunes? Because if I choose one of my more “hefty” MKV files with HD audio in it- I get buffer under runs unless im going by USB.

I have a CAT5e wired network and all my full BluRay rips play fine streamed from my server or PC. Some are BD ISO's, some BD folder structure and a few MKV's and they all play fine.
Some people find that enabling 'Fast SMB access' in Setup > Miscellanious > System helps, but I've never needed to enable it. I have in the past when setting up a TV101 found that I needed to do a 'Reset Settings' (Setup > General) to get playback to work for high bitrate media. Before hand I got constant judder, but after the reset it all worked fine.

Mark.

[Stu V]

Originally Posted by brioni

I’m just wondering, how are you guys networking your Dunes? Because if I choose one of my more “hefty” MKV files with HD audio in it- I get buffer under runs unless im going by USB.

On playing with this some more and doing some file copies to my laptop: wireless N gives me about 3mbps and TP link av200 powerline gives me about 8mbps. The CAT5 cable gives me 11.5mbps which is better for stream most media but still not fast enough for the 35GB file I mentioned before.

I have my server in the garage connected by homeplugs - Solwise HomePlug AV 500Mbps. I can stream high bit rate mkv's with HD audio with no problem whatsoever. Forget wireless. I obtain similar speeds over my home network 8 - 9 Mbps so you should be able to as well. Try enabling FastSmb as already suggested.