XMS-888 - Mpeg4 - Firmware?

[andw]

For those whose players have 'died' with a 'blank screen' problem. (maybe bassheads problem?)
I have noticed, that if you have at some stage pressed the 'YPrPb' button, which switches between an 'interlaced tv' (normal) and a 'progressive scan tv' (high definition), the screen will go blank (unless you are using a SVHS cable, in which case my TV goes a little bezerk - similar to wrong frequency on computer screen).
Anyway, powering on/off does not change this. (it seems to store the tv output type - as you would want it to)

- You need to press the 'YPrPb' button on the remote again to switch it back to a standard 'interlaced tv'.

[blakey]

What seems to be happening now, is that any CD I stick it, it will take around 10 goes to get the CD working, it will keep saying disc error etc. Didnt use to before the 1.1 firmware. Is this a firmware bug, or a dvd player error? As it does eventually work, but takes alot of fiddling around with pressing play, ejecting, turn off player etc. Anyone else have this problem? Will this problem be looked into? Not that I really care, because I don't use the player, but because my parents are starting to get ticked off ;/

[andw]

What seems to be happening now, is that any CD I stick it, it will take around 10 goes to get the CD working, it will keep saying disc error etc. Didnt use to before the 1.1 firmware. Is this a firmware bug, or a dvd player error? As it does eventually work, but takes alot of fiddling around with pressing play, ejecting, turn off player etc. Anyone else have this problem? Will this problem be looked into? Not that I really care, because I don't use the player, but because my parents are starting to get ticked off ;/
Going by the previous posts, my guess would be a drive error.
However, does it read other discs ok?

[blakey]

Response to Spank:

The "disc error" upon playing .avi's on a CDR is a problem i had too. And yes, it is inconsistent. Sometimes they play, sometimes they don't. It can take >5x to get one to play. This made me think that is was a laser problem. But then, as you said, the file information is readable. It is peculiar.

I never had a problem with DVDR's. So therefore what i am doing is burning 5-7 .avi's per DVDR. And yes, andw, DVDR's are more bang for your buck. Although i have not seen them as cheap as $1.05 each. I get them in a pack of 25 for $35 ($1.40 each) from "the disc shop" in mansfield, brisbane. my dvd burner is a 4x + or -.

I have given up on CDR's. They seem only to work well in this machine for things like VCD / MP3 etc. Go DVDR.


Hmm, it didn't work with my Princo media...if it works reply with what media you use :D

[blakey]

Going by the previous posts, my guess would be a drive error.
However, does it read other discs ok?
Pretty much any CD I whack in (TDK silver/gold, ritek, princo dvd-r etc), though I don't know how it could be a drive error, if it does eventually work. And it looks like a few other people have the same problem...

[jokiin]

For those whose players have 'died' with a 'blank screen' problem. (maybe bassheads problem?)
I have noticed, that if you have at some stage pressed the 'YPrPb' button, which switches between an 'interlaced tv' (normal) and a 'progressive scan tv' (high definition), the screen will go blank (unless you are using a SVHS cable, in which case my TV goes a little bezerk - similar to wrong frequency on computer screen).
Anyway, powering on/off does not change this. (it seems to store the tv output type - as you would want it to)

- You need to press the 'YPrPb' button on the remote again to switch it back to a standard 'interlaced tv'.

you wouldn't believe how often dvd players are returned with 'no video output' and you find that someone has changed the video out to a different format. I've seen many red faced customers when they realise what has happened and how easily it was rectified.

[malcez]

Well now for something REALLY strange - CDR's have started working again.

Now i cannot get the CDR's NOT to work. Now they are playing every time. Happened since I played a rented DVD the other night. Seems that the "reading index" is now progressiing to the next step and playing the .avi title. Before it would hang at that point, go back to the menu with "disc error". If anyone is still having that problem, try whacking a DVD-video in the machine and give it a whirl. Worth a shot?

If nothing else, this little 888 is full of surprises. :)

[killzu]

hi i am looking at getting the xms 888 but wanted to know if anyone has hooked it up to a video or dvd recorder (i have panasonic h2s) and tried recording a original dvd ,does it have the protection warning or is the macrovision (copy protection) turned off?(or able to be turned off).thanks .i have read most of the dvd forums but couldnt find anything on this.

[jokiin]

hi i am looking at getting the xms 888 but wanted to know if anyone has hooked it up to a video or dvd recorder (i have panasonic h2s) and tried recording a original dvd ,does it have the protection warning or is the macrovision (copy protection) turned off?(or able to be turned off).thanks .i have read most of the dvd forums but couldnt find anything on this.


You can't disable macrovision on this unit

[andw]

no known way of turning of macrovision at the moment.
jok11n has said that it won't be able to be as it is built into the chipset, however I have seen elsewhere (European sites) different players with the same chipset that have a macrovision work around on their ones (hacked firmware), so although it may be possible, it is more probable that it will never be supported.

[jokiin]

no known way of turning of macrovision at the moment.
jok11n has said that it won't be able to be as it is built into the chipset, however I have seen elsewhere (European sites) different players with the same chipset that have a macrovision work around on their ones (hacked firmware), so although it may be possible, it is more probable that it will never be supported.

It's not something the factory will do for us, it is embedded in the chipset and to date ESS have been very tight lipped about it as they have a very close association with Macrovision. Not to say it couldn't be reverse engineered, but it won't be done by the factory anyway. It's also getting to the stage where the 3rd party developers that used to provide chips to disable macrovision and allow region by-pass find that it not's worth the effort for the amount of people that are after the feature, in other words they don't have a large enough market to justify it.

Look for units coming out soon which have VGA output which I am told is a way around Macrovision, they will be out very soon.

[andw]

MP3 - multiple folders - WORKS
Got this from the UK 'Yamada' forum site...

I found a great tip to read a complet disc with MP3 in different directories.

With the Smart Navi menu, the MP3 files are only played in the current directoy.

To play a complete disc without selecting each directory,

1. Enter a directory with a MP3 files
2. Move the cursor on one MP3
3. Press REPEAT button till REPEAt disc (edit - andw: ours until 'DISC')
4. Press ENTER button

and the player will play all MP3 files automatically.

You can jump Reward or Forward to listen to the wanted MP3 file

This works, I put files into folders numbered 1,2 & 3. pressed 'Repeat' until 'DISC' came up, then 'enter'.
When I >>| to next track, once it had gone through all the files in folder 1, it automatically went onto folder 2 - then 3.
YAY... I guess it will work with random after it is set, I'll try that next.

[andw]

Random / shuffle does not seem to be able to jump folders (at least so far), I guess you can't have everything.

[andw]

Works with .jpg as well!!! - great for picture slideshow
Also, if in this mode, you press the down arrow key on the last file in a folder when just 'browsing', it will automatically go to the next folder. (works the other way with up arrow as well)

[Jack Tan]

There are a few divX players on the market (worldwide, not Aus) at the moment.
Most are based on either the EM8500 chipset (Lite-On) or the ESS Vibratto II chipset (XMS-888). Or the Vibratto II MX chipset (not 100% sure if there is any difference betweeen Vibratto II or Vibrato II MX - it may be the same chip - jok11n would probably know.
Samsung I believe has / is producing a DVD / VCR combo that supports DivX that uses the Vibrato II MX chipset. (at least from what I've seen on the internet - ESS's web site)


The neuston MAESTRO DVX-1201 Mpeg-4 Player is out in Melbourne too! A Sigma based player. Was one fo the first manufacturers in the world. Reckon the SIGMA chipset does support MPEG-4 playback a little better. What do you fellas reckon? Any thoughts?

[filmpro]

The neuston MAESTRO DVX-1201 Mpeg-4 Player is out in Melbourne too! A Sigma based player. Was one fo the first manufacturers in the world. Reckon the SIGMA chipset does support MPEG-4 playback a little better. What do you fellas reckon? Any thoughts?

This should be a good unit. Where do you buy them from?

I have only found one link for an online Australian supplier. It is a bit expensive at $399 but the extra features may be important for some users.

http://www.tesora.com.au/products.asp?Category=800&ProductCode=NUDVX1201

Here is the manufacturer's link.

http://www.neuston.com/en/dvx1201.asp

I have the Sigma Design codec (RMP4) and I have been encoding with it and then playing back on the XMS-888. It definitely gives the best quality but I am still getting the settings right for smooth and reliable playback. Unfortunately this codec has now been removed from their site. I will leave it here for a short time.

http://home.austarnet.com.au/filmpro/rmp4down.htm

Thanks to the guys for the firmware and I look forward to any further updates. With all this new interest it maybe time to start an MPEG4 forum?

[filmpro]

Sorry guys the RMP4 codec is still available on their site after all

http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products/RMP4_download.htm

[Spank]

What seems to be happening now, is that any CD I stick it, it will take around 10 goes to get the CD working, it will keep saying disc error etc. Didnt use to before the 1.1 firmware. Is this a firmware bug, or a dvd player error? As it does eventually work, but takes alot of fiddling around with pressing play, ejecting, turn off player etc. Anyone else have this problem? Will this problem be looked into? Not that I really care, because I don't use the player, but because my parents are starting to get ticked off ;/
Hi blakey,
I had the same problem with my first unit. Under Firmware update 1.1 when it failed to read a disc of a file (and that was about 90% of them) it showed "Done" after the "Searching Index" phase was competed.
When I did the update it then showed "Disc Error"
I tried a few different types of discs, different file sizes, different settings when I encoded a DivX and even different burners and still no difference.
I finally got around this problem by returning the unit to Brisbane Car Sound and got another. Now the XMS-888 reads and plays about 90 - 95%, and I have noticed that the ones that I have trouble with are usually silver.

[Spank]

Sorry That should have read,
I had the same problem with my first unit before the Firmware Update 1.1 when . . .

[Tau C Seti]

Just a thought

1 x 800mb CDR - 35c cost/mb 0.04375c
1 x 4450mb DVDR - 105c cost/mb 0.02359c

:rolleyes: Not in my neck of the woods. I have to go to great lengths and get a mate to pick them up at $1.40 each, locally they are more expensive.
Strathfield Car Radio were advertising AKAI's at $59.50 for a 50 spindle, but the 3 stores I have visited all claim they have sold out (BTW Can anyone comment on the quality of these?).
Where and what brand do you get for $1.05?