MVix MX-760HD
The MVix MX-760HD arrived today, so I spent a geeky half hour lovingly unpacking and photographing it.
My initial reaction is extremely positive; but bear in mind that this is the first media gadget I've ever put my hands on. I know folks have been running MythTV on their XBoxes for an eternity, but I'm just now catching up.
The unit is small, and seems well constructed. Included in the box are:
- MVix 760HD itself
- power brick and cable
- plastic stand
- external antenna
- remote control with 2 AAA batteries
- USB cable
- User manual and CD
I'm moderately unhappy with the stand. It has a small bump that fits a small groove in the base of the unit, plus two padded bits on either side of said bump. The unit rests on the bump, but isn't really secured in any way: even a small amount of pressure will move the unit along the stand. I might invest in some double-sided tape for this.
I was a little underprepared for the delivery today, so I didn't have a spare hard drive to put in it, nor did I have any movies ripped to MP4 format. I did have an external USB drive with some DVDs backed up via dvdbackup, though, so I did get a chance to take the MVix-760HD for a test drive.
There's a small fan on the back, the same kind on most external USB cases. I imagine that heat and noise from this device are largely dependent on the hard drive you install. I didn't notice any sound at all from it while I had it on without a hard drive.
It takes about 10 seconds from power on until I can use the interface. The first thing shown is an MVix splash screen, then a display of the current firmware revision. After that the interface is ready to use, and the "Movies" menu item is highlighted. Navigating the menus is a wee bit sluggish, but not entirely unbearable. The menus are uncluttered, and easy to figure out without the use of the manual.
I didn't have to fiddle with the settings much (but then, I still have a low definition tube television, rather than some fancy HD rig). The only gritch I had with the settings menu was that there was no obvious "Back" button when selecting a background to use for the menus. I didn't yet have my USB drive connected, so when I selected the background menu item, I was presented with a blank box listing no media, with no obvious way to return. Ultimately I discovered the "return" button on the remote.
I connected my USB drive (vfat formatted in GNU/Linux) to the device. The drive was recognized, and I was able to scroll through the directories from inside the MVix "Movies" menu. I had raw .vob files on there, which the device played just fine. Picture quality was perfect, sound was great, and I experienced no sluggishness or hiccups for the few minutes I watched. The "Info" button on the remote displays an overlay summary of the current video. Navigation controls worked as expected. I had no problems at all here. Pressing "stop" fades the display quickly to greyscale before returning to the menu.
It was trivial to set up the wireless networking on the MVix MX-760HD. The on-screen keyboard is extremely easy to use to enter the ESSID. Assigning a static IP was easy. It takes a few long seconds to apply the settings, but once that was done I was able to ping the unit from my laptop. No web service is enabled; and I could neither ssh nor telnet into it. According to the manual, the MX-760HD should be able to play videos from network shares. I don't currently have a server providing any network shares so I was unable to test this.
I'll post follow-up reports as I bang on this in the days ahead. I plan to test MP3 and Ogg audio, MP4 movies, and photo slideshows. Feel free to ask questions in the comments, and I'll answer them as best I can.
Update #1: I was disappointed that I couldn't find a way to do single frame advance or rewind when I had paused playback. I don't need to do it often, but on occasion I have found single frame navigation to be useful. To make up for it, though, the MX-760HD offers fast-forward and rewind at 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x speeds, which is pretty impressive. I also discovered the "Sleep" function last night, which turns off power to the device after a specified interval, or at the end of the current program.
Nice unboxing. I'll definitely want to hear more. Now if I can just get one of my cars paid off so that I can afford something this wicked cool...
Can it record video's too?
Anonymous: no, it does not record anything; it only plays back the media I've applied to it. That's fine for me, as we don't watch broadcast television at all in my house (and we don't have cable).
Interesting. What's your opinion about the cost/value proposition compared to the Mac Mini? I think this device edges out the Mac Mini for this purpose, but I'm not sure. The Mini now finally supports digital audio, but still doesn't have an SPDIF port or 5.1 RCA. You have to buy their special optical cable. I've also heard that the Mac Mini is very noisy when playing a DVD.
You say that the device can play a movie off a network share. By the same token, can you play a movie off a mounted USB drive? Reason I ask is I wonder whether you could connect a separate USB DVD player, so if you just wanted to play a DVD directly you could?
Bob: I think it depends largely on how you see yourself using your media hub. I haven't investigated very far, but there doesn't look to be an easy way to get data onto the drive inside this unit. So you'd need to fill it with media first, then install it into the MX-760HD. Since that's an awkward process, I'll likely rip all the family's music, and then those movies we know we'll want to watch repeatedly, transfer all that data to the drive, and then install it.
If you wanted to be able to more easily shuffle media around, a Mac Mini would likely be easier, since it has a full operating system.
I think the MX-760 is smaller than the Mini, and probably lighter. My guess is it will produce less heat, and probably draw less power. It has built in wireless, and a wired ethernet jack, too. You'd need to get a USB network adapter for the Mac Mini, or string some cat5 through your living room.
Of course, the Mac Mini is more expensive initially, but it offers greater long-term hackability. Since it's a full-blown computer, you can use it for far more than just media stuff. You could also use things like VLC to offer streaming of different programs throughout your house. The MX-760HD won't do any of that.
I did play movies off a mounted USB hard drive on my MX-760HD. I simply plugged in the USB hard drive, then selected the "Movies" menu item from the interface. My USB drive showed up in the file list, and I was able to drill down to the individual VOBs.
I don't know if a USB DVD drive would work. I have one, and can test tonight.
I'm confused about something. If there is no easy way to get data onto the drive inside the MX-760, why does it have wifi? I assumed that was so you could access it to put files on! I assumed playing files from a network share was a secondary concern.
The Mini now has built in wifi so I assume running CAT5 wouldn't be necessary. My biggest reservations about the Mac are these:
1. Noise when playing DVD
2. Do I really want to boot a computer just to watch a DVD?
3. Expensive if you get the larger HD option.
The wireless connection is present so that you can stream files that reside on a network server. The MX-760HD is a network client which can access your network server; not the other way around. So, if you had already ripped all your CDs (or DVDs), and were using some other streaming solution, this device could connect to that repository of media without requiring any changes.
I've just re-read the manual. I forgot that the MX-760HD provides both host and client USB connections. The Host USB allows this device to access media that resides on an external USB hard drive (or flash drive, etc). The Client USB allows this device's internal hard drive to be mounted by a PC. So to load data onto this thing, you'd simply connect it by USB to your computer, and it would be seen as any other external drive.
I'm not replacing our DVD player. This device is solely to store all of our music, and those DVDs we would like to watch a lot without having to fuss with the actual DVDs or their cases (things like our extensive Mystery Science Theater 3000 collection; or our Space Ghost and Sea Lab collections). Our DVD player will remain in our living room so that we can continue to enjoy our Netflix subscription.
OK, that all sounds great actually. I understand that you're not replacing your DVD player but in my (endlessly deferred) implementation I would. I would also like to have an HD-based library of music and movies. One big problem we've had with DVDs is the boy keeps ruining them by scratching them. I think MythTV has more capability than I need and this solution seems pretty attractive. I am however bidding on a used low-profile Core Duo desktop for experiments including MythTV.
Yes, the kids + media equation has been a negative one for us, too. We don't have the problem of scratched media so much as "misplaced, and gone forever" media.
If you have a PC, you could do more stuff; like home automation. You could also use your media center as a backup PC, should something catastrophic happen to your primary machine(s). In my case, I'll have to content myself to watching MST3K if my machines ever tank.
So far, I'm tickled with the MX-760HD. Stay tuned, though, as I get around to actually using it on a day-to-day basis.
[...] MX-760HD [Skippy.net] [...]
How about some shots of the interface
Alec, I tried taking a few photos of the interface, but don't know how to take a good photo of a television screen. By the time I read up on the matter and produce some photos, you could easily have downloaded the manual (linked above) and read through it. The manual has plenty of pictures of the interface.
Sure seems like after reading the manual, section 4.1 talks about setting up this thing as a "shared drive". So I would have to assume that means you can transfer files over to it such as DVD iso's and then play them locally. I agree with Bob here that this is my main goal. I want it in the bedroom to replace any kind of dvd player. Can you let us know if that works Skippy?
One other quick question. Does streaming a DVD ISO from some other home computer work well? No lag? Is there some initial buffering pause it forces on you?
Justin
Justin: I'll take another look at whether this can serve as a shared drive. There's nothing in the menu structure that allows one to enable this. My recollection of the manual was that it instructed on how to share the MVix when it's connected as an external USB drive to a host computer. A quick
nmapof the device doesn't show any interesting open ports. :(I hadn't previously tried to play a raw ISO, so I just gave it a shot. It does play ISO images! I played a small ISO of a family video over our 802.11G wireless, and the audio was very choppy initially, though it did smooth out after a few seconds. I didn't watch more than 30 seconds, so maybe the audio (or video) would get choppy later. I'd wager that wired networking would work just fine.
I conducted the codec compatibility tests over an 802.11G connection and had no playback problems.
There is a delay as large files are initially accessed. This varies from between 2 to 5 seconds (so far), and although I haven't been correlating it to specific file sizes I assume that larger files have larger loading delays.
One drawback to using ripped files for playback is that all chapter navigation is lost. If you frequently navigate by chapter (or skip past specific chapters), the MVix may be disruptive to your usual flow. I may now start ripping entire discs to ISO, rather than MP4 files of the main feature!
Hi,
I have connected my MX 760 HD to the wireless network and can stream the files from the laptop..
Is there any way to connect it form my laptop so that I can transfer files? FTP or anything? I can ping it alright.
Thanks
AJ: there doesn't seem to be any way (currently) to get files onto the MX-760HD over the network. You need to connect the device to the USB port on your laptop: your laptop should see the device as an external hard drive (assuming you've actually installed a drive into it), and you can then transfer files. When you disconnect the USB, the MVix will power off. Turn it back on, and you should see the files on the MVix's hard drive.
Hopefully a future firmware revision will provide enhanced network functionality.
I just got one of these. I'm having some trouble with network shares and wanted to see if you have had the same problem.
My PC and MVIX are connected through a switch. I can see network shares just fine, but i cannot browse more than two directories deep in the file structure. Also, every file i try to play over the network tells me that the format is invalid. I checked the format and they are all xvid or divx.
So basically, i haven't been able to watch ANY video.
Suggestions?
Ben
Ben: I haven't had problems navigating to sub-directories. Though, to be honest, my tests over the network were all only one directory deep; so it's possible my MVix would suffer the same problem. I'll give it a try tonight, and see if I can recreate your problem.
As for file types, I'm afraid I can't help too much. You're welcome to download some of the files I used for my codec compatibility tests to see if they play on your MVix. Be sure to download ones I list as playing successfully on my MVix!
How are you encoding your files?
From a seperate review:
"MvixUSA recently reported that a firmware update will allow mounting over the network as a NAS/NDAS device, but no ETA on this support has been provided."
link here: http://www.oreillynet.com/mac/blog/2006/12/wireless_video_streaming_with.html
One more quick question. Can you indeed at least copy content from either a PC or USB drive into the internal HD you put into this thing, or do I have to actually pull the drive out from it and put somewhere to get content onto it?
I was pretty sure at least you could copy files onto it over USB, but then read a review at amazon.com just now that seems to say you can't?
Hi guys, i played with my problem a bit last night and foun a solution. It was a sharing/permissions problem. initially, i had just 'shared' the directories, allowing guest access to all the files. This was fine for accessing the data from other computers on my network, but no good for accessing using the MVIX. To fix this i added 'Everyone' to the security profile for the shared folders and gave the group 'read', 'excecute', and 'directory list' permissions.
Now i can browse as deep as i want in the directory structure and all files play as expected.
Another problem... Sometimes the MVIX will crash during video play back and return to the directory screen. After this crash i cannot play any files until i reset the device. (unsupported format error)
I also found that there is a 'soft reset' if you press all 5 buttons on the front panel at once.
Justin: yes, you can copy files onto the hard drive in the MVix when connected to a computer via USB. I have connected both my GNU/Linux and my PowerBook laptops to this device, and both of them see it as they see any other external hard drive.
While connected to a PC, the MVix will display on the television a message that USB operation, and that all of the MVix's playback controls are disabled until the USB connection is terminated.
Great, thanks! Did you ever check out also if the Mvix can be a USB host? In other words, if you plug in a USB flash drive (or more likely a usb external HDD like I have) can you copy files from those to the Mvix? Or just "see" them to play?
Justin, the MVix does operate as a USB host. There's no mechanism to transfer file from external devices into the MVix, but you can see them in the list of available media sources. I haven't had any trouble with my external 300GB USB disk connected to the MVix.
I haven't yet tried connecting a USB DVD drive, per one of Bob's earlier comments. I keep forgetting to lug my USB DVD down into my living room!
Hi Skippy
Thinking of purchasing one, but desperately need it to run in car. The other Mvix systems have a car set- this one doesn't appear to, yet. What do you think about using it in a car?
Alex: I've never considered using this in an automobile. Since it doesn't offer wireless transmission, I don't know how one would go about connecting it to any in-car devices.
I think the 5000u was roughly designed to be somewhat usable as some sort of in-car media player. It is the MVIX model that has fm modulation functionality. That always seemed kinda weird to me anyway though, along the same lines as those selling that 'accessory' package called a car kit...
I have installed a 320 gig HD inside my MX-760HD and copied files from my PC to the Mvix. These files play fine on the PC itself and if I burn a DVD with these files on it they will play in my DVD player. They video files will also stream from my PC via the Mvix with no problems. The problem occurs when I try to play files from the hard drive in the Mvix player I get a "The File is invalid or unsupported format. Playback canceled." error. I have downloaded all of the test video codecs and they play fine streamed from the PC but I will get the same error (file invalid, unsupported format) when I try to play the same test files that I copied to the internal HD of the Mvix. The HD is a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3320620A 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM from Newegg. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jeffrey: I'm not sure what to tell you, unfortunately. For testing purposes, I'd suggest trying a different hard drive in the MVix, to see if media plays normally. If you have another external case for your 320GB drive, try moving the drive from inside the MVix to the other case, then connect it via USB to the MVix. Do things play that way?
Where did you buy this? I'm finding a handful our sources, all at around $290-$350. Have you found any great price sources? Thanks.
Skippy I figured it out. Turns out that any hard drive over 100 Gig needs to have 2 or 3 partitions. I have a 320 Gig HD partitioned into 3 drives and now it finally is working. Nothing else worked until I partitioned it to 3 seperate drives. The manual does not say this and the knowledge base only suggests 2 or more partitions.
Abe: we purchased ours from ThinkGeek. It looks like NewEgg will be selling them soon.
Jeffrey: I'm glad you figured it out, but my experiences are a little different. I have a 250GB drive in my MX-760HD, and it works just fine.
Hi Skippy, I'm thinking about purchasing the Mvix too. I would like to use it as a "big Ipod" on my stereo. Is it easy to find the music files on the Mvix display? I don't want to switch on the TV just to find the music files.
Uwe: if you're sitting right next to the unit, it's easy to read the display. If the MVix is next to your television or stereo on the other side of the room, I think you'd be hard pressed to see it with any clarity. It's only a few lines high, not very wide, and not particularly bright.
New Firmare posted for the MX-760HD ver 1.0.3
http://www.mvixusa.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=view&parentcategoryid=2&pcid=1&nav=0,1
Uwe, I would highly suggest the squeezebox from slimdevices.com for music. It is a audio only device, but boy did they do it right. I own three of them. But if you MUST combine video and audio into one device, it of course won't do. Just thought I would mention it since you may not know about it. It has 3 settings for the font size so you can see it from pretty far away and don't require a tv to navigate.
Jeffrey: I installed the latest firmware, just to see what it's like. The interface is mostly the same -- the most noticable visual change is a reduction in size of the spinning hourglass icon telling you when the MVix is busy.
One disappointing aspect of the firmware upgrade is that it re-labeled the internal hard drive: it used to be labeled "MVIX", from when I partitioned and formatted it; now it's labeled "HDD1". Additionally, all the long filenames I'd been using were obliterated; so "01 The Fellowship of the Ring.mp4" became "01fell~1.mp4". I'm less than thrilled about this, though it should be something I can recover with a few simple rename operations from my host computer.
Prior to upgrading -- and after -- I've run into trouble playing back a few of my ripped movies. I'm wondering if I'm running into the same problem that you had with respect to a large hard drive. Or it might be that the MVix doesn't like files greater than 2GB (all the movies that fail to play are about 2.5GB). I'll re-rip these movies to a small size and see what happens.
Uwe: I found that MP3 play back is cumbersome. If you are interested in playing back a whole folder of mp3s at random, this will be just fine, but if you want to play back a particular mp3, its a bit of a pain. The reason is that you have to 'select' the file you want out of a list of all the mp3s in a folder. If you have a lot of mp3s, it can take a while to scroll down to the one you're interested in.
In summary, if you are only interested in 'random' then this is just fine. If you want to listen to a particular song, its a pain.
Does anyone know if the MX-760HD handles pre-defined playlists? I know it has a limited playlist mechanism within the interface itself, but it'd be great if I could simply load a .m3u file defining all the music I want queued up...
Well I just pluggen mine in and it is crap
Apart from the network not working, I have to select the vob files on a DVD and not just press play on the folder. It cant handle the ifo files in the video_ts folder.
The manu is crap - there is no way that the family members are going to be able to use it.
I will have to stick to my xbox media center
I just got mine up and running, stuck a 500gig hard drive in it, plays everything Iv downloaded without problems... except one type of media... .ogm files. I sent them an email, and they said theyd try and resolve this problem.
Spent most of today tryin to get the wireless option workin... Im not sure what Im doing wrong yet, but Im almost there I think.
Great product... plays xvids and divx perfectly.
Great purchase from thinkgeek.com
Mivk, I've had the same trouble playing DVDs i've ripped as component files (VOBs and IFOs).
Try ripping your DVDs as ISO images. then tell the MVIC to play the ISO. This works well.
Can you save the need to transfer files from a PC to the local HD of the MX 760 HD ? Can you play file that reside on the networked PC?
Instead of putting a 3.5" disk inside the box, can you move an USB Memory flash disk , or external USB disk where the media files reside ?
Asgal: yes, the MVix will play files from a network share. Yes, the MVix will play media stored on a connected USB drive. Yes, it will play media stored on a connected USB pen drive.
Hello all. I just hooked up my 760 HD last night. I am running the new firmware(1.0.3) and I installed an internal hdd. I like many of its features but I am having some similar problems. One complaint I have that I haven't seen mentioned here is the fan noise. The fan runs continuously when the unit is on and I can hear the hiss over my 5.1 surround at moderate sound levels. I read the comment above mentioning the fan doesn't run if an internal drive is not installed. Maybe I will just use the usb host option..... I thought the fan was thermal controled. My file names are not cut short on my internal drive but they are cut short when I browse my usb flash drive. I also get the error on the ifo file when trying to play a movie from the folder level. Would be nice for these issues to be fixed in the next firmware release.
Skippy:
"Does anyone know if the MX-760HD handles pre-defined playlists? I know it has a limited playlist mechanism within the interface itself, but it'd be great if I could simply load a .m3u file defining all the music I want queued up…"
I must say that this device is fairly impressive, however, the playlist mechanism built-in is terrible! Navigation through the over 15,000 songs can be really difficult. A simple search function would have simplified this process! I wanted to use this MVix to replace Windows Media Center (ewwww) but I don't think the MVix has the capabilities...yet. Anxiously awaiting new firmware!
Disappointed.
For what it's worth, I emailed MVix USA asking for the code to the GPL portions of their firmware (specifically the kernel, plus any drivers they might be using that aren't encumbered). If I get a positive response, I'll be sure to share.
I just upgraded to the new firmware last night..and the mvix 760 is not BOOTING anymore!!!!
Can anyone help me figure out how to fix this issue: I upgrade the firmware, it turned of by itself and now when i turned it back on it says "bootloader menu loading" on the mvix display. I think the upgrade failed and there must be a way for me to reset it or something..any ideas? I did the 5 button reset thing..but it didn't do anything but turn it on.
Imad: ouch! Sorry, but I don't think any of us can really provide much help. You'll have to contact MVix directly.
NP Skippy..I'll have to wait for their response... I really hope it can be fixed without having to be shipped back to them.
just received a mx760hd....had major problems in the beginning...1st thing i tried to upgrade firmware without using the tv or another monitor....dont do that...you cant see options that will be easier to navigate to on screen....w/ or w/o remote use....finally got the firmware to go...was happy till i tried to get the wireless networking up.....i have a wireless-n setup with a linksys wvrs4400n and a laptop with a n card....anyway i wanted the mimo working....finally after changing the wpa-2 security (which is not available to the mvix) and wpa is not either...the only encrption allowed is wep with the 1.0.3 firmware update...i turned mine off and it connected using 802.11b or g i am unsure on that....cuz i opened all up....after i set the mac address for laptop and mvix on the router to only accept those 2 mac's everything seems connected......whew!....now i have been working for 2 days on network sharing tryin to be able to send files via wifi....i have done everything on xp known to man...even the netbeui on the cd installed....wireless card is still working great (with bunch of diff protocols..ipx etc)....i can ping the address and try to find anything but it says cannot see ipc shares...if u can connect to this unit using wifi i dont think you are on windows xp.....i dont want to have to add a linux machine to transfer files....:(
Just got the 760HD. So far I like it. My only problem is that I can't get the jukebox feature to work. No matter what I do, I only end up with one song in the list.
The manual says to add them to the jukebox list by pressing enter, then navigating to the next file and pressing enter again. I tried that, but that only leaves the last file selected in the list. Am I missing something?
hi jamie.....only thing i can say that might help is try to use the mixed mode or audio mode before using the jukebox.....other than that i dont know...??
still no go on wifi networking....:(
I have the MVIX 760 and am happy with it. After spending a period of time trying to get it to pick up file sharing in XP I decided to go for Linux samba file share instead. I now successfully share all my divx, xvid and movie downloads across the network using samba shares and allow my MVIX box to stream to my big screen TV. The streaming is good and its managed to play everything ive chucked at it so far. Its also useful if you are visiting friends with a lack of movies. Just pack the hard disk full of films and bring it along in a rucksack.
Upside - For streaming movies easily across your wireless LAN to your TV this box is perfect. No more burning DVD's or having to lug around a wireless laptop with s-video out to your PC.
Downsides - The MP3 playback interface isnt good at all so for music playback it works but is fiddly.
Im hoping we get some new firmware releases. Im prepared to put up with the downsides considering this product has only just hit the market. Love it..
Figured out the jukebox. The manual says you need to "add" files individually to the jukebox by pressing enter on each song. The manual is wrong. not sure if this is something that changed in a firmware upgrade, or if it is simply the way earlier generations of the Mvix players worked.
All you need to do is navigate to a folder or your playlist, choose a song and press the "play" button. Not the enter button as the manual says. Then hit the "jukebox" button and all songs in the playlist or folder will be present.
showtime: the only way to copy file from your PC to your MVIX is by USB. You can't transfer files from pc to mvix's hard drive by LAN (yet, firmware pending)
about 20 comments up i posted about my problem and solution with accessing network shares using windows xp. i don't use the wireless networking feature at all. (all wired) The MVIX manual says to install 3 protocols, tcpip, netbui, and one other. If sharing still doesn't work, be sure to enable 'everyone' permissions in the 'security' tab.
Ok the Mvix is great when it comes to streaming. I can watch all the movies stored on my linux file server from the comfort of my armchair.
Something Id like to play with however is the following.
Would it be possible using VLC to somehow output live video stream content (such as shoutcast) in realtime into a file (such as avi or mpeg) that could then be streamed over wireless to the Mvix player. This is the only feature missing. It would be great to watch streamed internet content on the Mvix.
Im happy with streaming movie files but this would be something nice to play with. If anyone thinks it can be done let me know. A firmware release that would include the VLC interface would be nice to receive streams.
Got mine a couple of days ago. Without a doubt, this is the worst product I have ever experienced. It is so unstable, any file can crash it. It doesn't recognise AAC files, the latest firmware upgrade made it worse (which I didn't think was possible) and all in all, its just shoddy. Mine is like the product hasn't made it through alpha testing, let alone beta.
Ive managed to stream a shoutcast TV stream via VLC to the mvix. Ill post details for anyone interested.
Basically in VLC you stream the shoutcast video stream in realtime to an mpeg 2 file. The mpeg 2 file can then be read via mvix and viewed while the stream is still being written out to the mpeg file so effectively watching the stream. You will of course need to ensure you have adequate hard disk space to hold the stream data in the growing mpeg file. Once you have finished watching the stream just delete the mpeg file.
Ok so I got this unit yesterday and my first impressions were like yours. Extremely positive. I bought this unit primarily for playback of .ts HDTV files.
If you're familiar with .ts files, you know they are pretty big. 8-20 gb each file for most movies or shows.
Upon testing many large size .TS files I noticed that the movie would reset about an hour through and play from the start. Upon reseting none of the butons on the remote or unit would respond. I had to disconnect the power to reset the unit. The movie not completing is bad enough, but to lock up the unit as well just adds insult to injury.
Also, some ts files have dropped frames every 5-10 min resulting in an ugly stutter in play. And the REW and FW functions will cause the audio to garble and pop or even stop altogether. The latest firmware supposedly addressed this issue but it seems as tho it is still a problem
Considering a swift return back to think geek where I purchased it. Still seems rather buggy and unstable for High Definition files. And since this unit is being heavily marketed to the HD user.. I don't think they did their part to ensure that it would be adequate for that content. YET.
These
I think its more suited to smaller files (i.e one gig and under).
Streaming works fine over wireless for divx,xvid,mpeg files of these sizes.
I think 8Gb to 20Gb is too large for the processing power inside the mvix box.
I got my 760HD last wekend and having previously experimented with a Prismiq Media Player to wirelessly stream media to my Home Entertainment center, my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised.
First thing I did, before all else was upgrade the firmware. (It came out of the box at 0.0.3). Next, I set up the wireless network using a static ip. At first it didn't recognize the shares on my fileserver. After (grudgingly) enabling the 'guest' account on the local machine, it saw all the shares on that machine. I didn't have to add any additional netwrok protocols to the stack. Total network setup time was less than 45 minutes.
I have video hooked up to my TV at 1080i (component) and audio (optical) to my Onkyo receiver. My first test, which I really didn't expect to work, was to stream a DVD compliant MPEG-2 file; an hour long wedding video that I had just finished for a customer. Not a stutter. However, when I streamed an ISO of Minority Report it locked up the unit after about an hour of flawless play. The fact it took an hour before the lock up was impressive but what was disappointing was I had to unplug the power in order to reset the unit. The same ISO played fine from the hard drive.
The only other time the unit has locked up was when my wife was trying to use the TV's remote control to change the aspect ratio on the TV. It locked the unit up. We tried it again just for fun and the same thing happend. Not a major problem as she didn't realize that in HD mode, our TV automatically adjusts the aspect ratio. We simply aren't using the TV remote while using the MVix player. Has anyone else had problems with conflicting IR signals locking up the unit?
The firmware upgrade did not mess with my filenames, possibly because I did it before setting up the network or attaching devices to it.
Also, I was quite pleased when I hooked up an external DVD-ROM to one of the USB host ports and it played a CSS protected disk right from the drive. Very kewl.
Considering that I bought this primarily to stream Audio from my fileserver, without having to install a server app on the computer, my expectations were exceeded. I like the fact that navigation is by folders and files since that's how I've always organized my MP3's (LAME encoded). My only gripes would be that m3u playlist support sucks. You have to have the listed songs in the same folder as the m3u which makes it pointless. And of course, NAS support, which I hope to see soon in a firmware update.
Has anyone been able to enable ssh on the latest firmware?
I would really like to be able to transfer files to the device over the network. This would be trivial to set up with NFS or SMB.....if I could only get to a command line!!
My own (long) review of the 760HD:
http://www.disobey.com/node/1737
http://www.oreillynet.com/mac/blog/2006/12/wireless_video_streaming_with.html
i have some hdd player, and the mx 60 with 1.09 firmware. what stupid idiot make the firmware ? icannot take movies from pc to mx760 , its only read only :-(((
regareds
Very, very pleased with my MVIX 760HD. It was a little buggy upon first boot up, but is running rock solid after the latest firmware load.
This unit does almost everything I need it too - plays all DVDs and audio 100% - (backed up 90+ DVD to .ISO using DVD shrink, easily ripped CD collection to .MP3 320kbs with WMP). Glad to see upgradeability / expansion with the USB host ports - A huge Tera byte external hard drive could hold every DVD you own! Never look for another DVD, no more scratched discs, carry all your music and videos on trips, ect... Man I love this thing!
Only one grip... There has to be a better way to work with MP3 playlists????? Anyone had any luck with this? I cant figure out the point of the "My list" function… It seems useless...
I have backed up CDs to individual folders – so if I wanted to play a specific CD, all you have to do is play the folder. But the problem is trying to play multiple folders, is there a way to do this?? I think you have to select each individual track to add to the jukebox – but that would take all day. Playing selected folders would be much easier… Any thoughts???
received an email that mvix is working on an ftp firmware upgrade...:) Mvix is truely amazing......plays almost everything i have thrown at it....but....i downloaded a couple kvcd's (video cd's).....and converted them to iso....and no go....:( when i hit play the unit does nothing.....i am tryin to find a program other than http://www.weethet.nl/english/cdrw_bintoiso.php
as this one does not work....atleast for me it didnt...
just spreadin the knowledge....
Jack, You're right, MP3 playlist functions suck.
NEW FIRMWARE v1.0.3 -> v1.0.9
http://www.mvixusa.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=16
RELEASE NOTES
* ( + ) Improved jukebox repeat, sequence, random functionality with higher stability.
* ( + ) Support for new subtitle formats (SSA, Multi-SRT, multi-ST line-SUB, and mixed HTML)
* ( + ) Support for BivX (dual sound track) with audio selection feature (like a DVD-menu).
* ( + ) Improved On-Screen Display Main Display information Clarity.
* ( + ) Improved stability in playback and decoding (FF, RW and PLAY).
* ( + ) DVD Playback Audio Information Display Enabled.
* ( + ) Enabled Subtitle file in the different path/folder.
* ( + ) Improved Jukebox display position.
* ( + ) Enhanced language choice feature for playing multi-audio Movie / Video file.
* ( + ) Improved 8.3-type file-name display. Long file names are supported Slide-display duration adjusted.
* ( - ) Remove system down or hangup symptoms.
* ( + ) Update new SDK for new format/codec support.
Upgrading to firmware 1.0.9 restored long file names on my MVix. I haven't tested any other codec playback yet. I'd be curious if others have.
Hi
Skippy... nice resource you have ... tx...!!!
I am using Ubuntu as my file server. However, I have run into the same problem mentioned by Ben above; namely I cannot browse more than 2 folders deep. Hence I cannot see my ogg/mp3 files.
My knowledge of Samba conf rules are poor and i cannot make much sense of the various howtos (yet).
Thus I would be grateful if a kind user could make their Samba conf available.
Many thanks in advance..
Hi Allm
I bought the MVIX MX-760HD and I am having problem playing MP3 songs on it irrespective of the bit rates and the sampling rates (all my MP3 are at least 128 KBS bit rate and 44100 Sampling rates), my MP3 songs will play until about three quarter way to the end and then stop and restart again, does the same thing will all my songs..
Anyone encounter this issue or know what might be wrong. All my songs play well on my ipod or on my computer.
Regards,
Rob
New Firmware 19 Jan 07
http://www.mvixusa.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=17
- Still hoping for better playlist functions...
Convinced the wife that we needed to backup all DVDs and CDs, so we picked up the G-Force MegaDisk Triple Interface 1.0TB Firewire 800/400 + USB 2.0 - External Hard Drive. Very, very sweet - playlist or no playlist... I'm in love with my MX-760HD.
Oh yeah I havent even installed an internal disc yet (for those concerned about USB funtions, - 1 Tera Byte hard drive (1000GB) works like a champ).
MVix has an RSS feed via FeedBurner for new firmware announcements:http://feeds.feedburner.com/mvixfirmware
I should've mentioned that sooner. It'll save us all a lot of time!
I'm very interested by this device. But can it play Mp4 files from Nero Digital? Thanks
Where is a good place to buy this unit at a good price?
Thanks
- Ricky
Skippy, you should set up a forum... Or a wiki.
Skippy,
Did you ever hear anything back on the GPL code?
Skippy, I am an authorized dealer for MVIX and have been selling (and using) the 760HD for quite some time. I also sell other brands of media routers and can assure you that MVIX is a leader in this class at present. The only feature they lack is the NDAS function some of the other players have that allows you to move files from the PC to the player over the network, but they have assured us this is coming soon in a firmware update. if you have readers that are interested in the unit, I can ship them one for $305, including shipping. They can Email me directly. Thanks for the great review.
Tim, and everyone:
I've made a new post detailing my experiences with the MVix MX-760HD GPL compliance (or lack thereof). Do please let me know on that post what your experiences might be.
The 760HD sounds awesome. Does anyone know how well it handles media stored on more than one PC on the network? Does it just sniff out anything in a shared folder that it knows how to play? Does it download cover art for DVD ISOs?
Jeff: the MX-760HD will discover any SMB shares you have on your network. It will present a list of all servers it finds, and when selecting a server you then see all the shares it discovered. In order to access the contents of any share, you'll need to make sure that guest access is permitted.
No DVD cover art is downloaded.
Does anybody know if the MX-760HD will ever support WPA/WPA2? Honestly, this is the only thing keeping me from purchasing it.
I got an email stating they will support WPA with a firmware upgrade. I don't see it listed yet but should be soon I hope.
Hi Nickle
I have added a complete Samba Conf file as part of my review of the MX-760HD over at:
http://gadgetblogger.co.uk/?cat=3
Regards
Gadgetblogger.
What (free) software is available for Microsoft Windows to convert DVD movies to MP4? I've been using my Linux and Mac laptops to encode our movie collection, but I'd like to get my wife's Windows laptop into the process, too, in order to speed things up!
hi skippy!
i´ve never done it myself but i found a page with various guides how to convert dvd to mp4.
http://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?formatconversionselect=DVD%20to%20MP4
good luck
Is anyone still having problems streaming large files (like 8.5 GB isos) with the newest firmware?
Has anybody succeded copying files over Wi-Fi directly to the Mvix local hard disk?? That's the only reason I bought it, I need it in my car's video system. Thanks guys!
Gadgetblogger
Many thanks for the listing
Got it working..
Cheers
Nickle
Received the unit and ran into some immediate difficulties getting the unit open to install the hard drive. After removing the screw at the base of the unit, I found the spring-loaded bar that locks the case to be a bit fidgety and, at least on my unit, required some effort to pry open. Once open, I installed the hard drive and the new version of the firmware (1.1.15) and was excited to play my .ogg audio files. Unfortunately, the unit consistently freezes after about 30min of activity. The video feed goes down, the unit becomes unresposive and I am forced to power down/up to regain control. I've tried a hardware reset (see page 23 of the manual) but this hasn't solved the problem. Has anyone else encountered this issue?
I am thinking about buying MX760HD especially in order to have a huge mp3 data bank. I hate starting my PC to listen music.
Therefore I would like to ask you, whether when you have 100GB mp3 files = 10-15000 files, there is a slow start-up everytime? And how long is it?
I know someone suggested here for music a product of Slim devices, but I need a data bank and not only "transmiter".
Unfortunately, 760HD doesn't have a FM trasmiter. It could be useful, but an older product of MVIX has only USB connection :-(
Not easy to decide ...
xandrew,
Boot up is 10 seconds at the most – not even a problem. I use an internal HD WD 500Gb SATA w/ an IDE converter - almost full w/ MP3 collection and 100+ dvds at full quality.
I don’t think boot up is the issue you should be concerned about... Mp3 playback was a concern I had as well, I assumed a great device such as this would have an acceptable play list function, in my opinion - this is the only feature that is really lacking. With that said - I still love it and wouldn’t purchase any other device. On the plus side - new firmware has been consistent, and will address these minor issues. Hope this helps – Jack
Thanks Jack. Now I am not afraid of booting time.
I see you are using the Mvix for the same reason as I want.
Is it the right device as a MP3 databank? Is it possible to use it even when a TV is switched of?
I am not happy, that Mvix doesn't support ID3 tags. Probably it will never support them, won't it?
xandrew
Audio will play through the device you have it connected to. My setup runs to my HDTV and back to my home theater surround sound - playing through both TV and home stereo. Simple RCA audio splitters can do this on less complex systems.
Like I said, yes I enjoy the audio playback functions... but please note - if you have allot of files it can be difficult to navigate and set play lists. Can only hope that new firmware will make this better. - Jack
Jack, thank you for your help!
I'll try to wait a bit to see what is change in a new firmware.
I would use it for about 80GB mp3 files.
I would really appreciate ID3 support.
I bought the 760 with the sole purpose of storing and playing music. I found the follwing problems:
1) Nearly impossible to visualize the stored files trough the small display
2) Fastforward does not work
3) Fastbackwards does not work
4) After a song finishes the player does not jump to play the next song in the subfolder.
Your thoughts will be appreciated.
New Firmware v1.1.17 added in the downloads section of mvixusa. Does not have link on the main page as yet. 6 downloads so far. Only adds WPA though according to them. :(
BTW The unit works well on v1.1.15. Had no freezes or strange errors. I got my unit on 3 days ago n immediately put on this firmware. I just awaiting the NDAS support or maybe a file manager client before I really do another firmware. I found the remote a little slow to respond at times. Other than that it played everything I threw at it.
In order to support DVDs, I just put DVD in my laptop or PC and share it. There was no need to install the IPX/netbios protocols suggested in the manual. I realized this after it found some shares on my wife's laptop without any setup. All machines in my house are running Win XP professional with firewall enabled. File and printer sharing (along with tcp/ip) is the only protocols required.
@Marcelo
If you play the song useing the "enter" key, it will only play that same song over and over. If instead you navigate to the song and hit the "play" button, then it will automatically go to the next song in the folder when it finishes the first song. It will cycle through every song in the folder and start back at the begining.
Jamie, I think Marcelo is requesting jump to another mp3 file in a subfolder.
Imagine a directory with 20 mp3s and 2 sub folders. I would press play on one of 20 mp3s and I would like to liste after the 20 files also files in subfolder.
Is it possible.
The Source Code is available for download on MvixUSA website .Good news for all those programmers who want to take a pick at them. I love my 760-HD
I found that although the Component out connection on the 760 is very good at upconverting and playing through my HDTV (panasonic th-50ph9uk plasma) , the DVI connection leaves a lot to be desired. I thought maybe something was wrong with my HDTV hdmi connection but I tried it on my 19 DVI Viewsonic LCD and it was the same. Dark areas and somewhat blocky picture. Changing the mvix picture settings kinda helped but seems like just forgot to adjust the default levels in the firmware (Hint hint) to give a better picture for DVI. Anybody else experience this?
Hello All,
I heard that Mvix shifts the picture to the left all the time and it gets annoying? I am planning to buy one and jsut worried about all the problems everybody is having.
Xandrew, Jamie is right as to the play button. It was simply b'se I did not read the manual :(. However, it still remains unsolved the "go to the next song", which cannot be done with the >>| button. In addition, ?can i make playlists with the mp3 files in different subdirectories?
Hello All,
I was very nearly to buy the 760-HD but :
- It's very difficult to find it in France.
- I've just heard about the Rixid DVP-550HD (http://www.rixid.com/pages/rixid%20dvp550.htm)
Could you please give me your opinion between these two ?
Thanks you very much and congratulations for this very complete blog !
Fantastic! Got mine day before yesterday... wanted something to play Wmv HD files on HDTV that had been converted from captured m2t files. Used Sony Vegas to capture.. Played WMV HD files ok, but could still see digital MPEG artifacts with motion.. Experimented and dragged a raw m2t captured file and it plays beautifully (without artifacts!)... For the price I avoided an HDDVD burner and HDdvd player!! Editing is another matter... MVIX doesn't list m2t files as a capability, by the way..
Great page. I just got my MVIX today and it works good. (I don't like the interface much, though). I tried copying a test CD in different file formats. WAV and lossless WMA don't play at all. ACC (MP4 Audio) with MPA extension is not even detected. Any idea if these codecs will be implemented sometime? Some of my mp3s didn't play either. Perhaps they have a file size limit?
Anybody knows of alternate interfaces we can install instead of their default crudo?
Hi, I have this MVIX for 3 weeks. I installed WD320Gb and the HDD was getting very hot inside the box, I couldn't touch it! Finally the HDD stopped working. All the files were lost. I replaced it with similar HDD and again it is getting very hot. I afraid that it will also get damaged. Can anyone advise? Thanks.
You may want to check a few things.
1. Is the fan inside the mvix enclosure running? If not check the connection or call support for a new fan.
2. Is the mvix in a well ventilated area? If not move it to a well ventilated area. Never put the MVIX or external drive or any device that generates excessive in a tight space such as a cabinate or an enclosed entertainment center.
3. Is the hard drive mounted correctly in the mvix. If not remount the hard drive securely in the mix.
If all else fails remove the internal hard drive and put it into a good external enclosure such as an apricorn external enclosure and hook it up to the USB port of the MVIX.
I have a 500GB drive mounted in my mvix for about 3 months now and it get warm to the touch but never extreamly hot.
dannyv
All 3 clauses are positiv. Using an external enclosure is a good idea, I think i will do that. Many Thanks!
Hi,
I have a couple of questions:
Does Mvix stream .m2t files over the ethernet? or do you have to copy to the hard drive. I have Helios 3000 and it only plays m2t files burned on dvds or external hard drives thru usb, but it can not stream. The images skip and there is no sound when streamed. (even though I have gigabit connection)
2nd. How is the vob file playback? Is it continuous? With Helios 3000 when you stream a dvd as VOB files (it can not stream ISO) you have to play each VOB file individually. How does Mvix play the ISO files when streamed? Continuous?
3rd. Can it play HD-DVD or Bluray rips?
4rd. Any idea where I can buy it? any ongoing sales? Amazon ∨
Thanks,
Mike
Mike:
1) I don't know what an m2t file is, nor how to create one, so I can't answer your question.
2) VOB playback is the same as you describe: you must play one VOB file after the other. The MVix may automatically play the next VOB in the list of files (it does this for .avi files), but I haven't specifically tested that. I also have not tested playing multiple ISO files.
3) I've no idea: I don't have any HD-DVD or Bluray discs.
4) I got mine from ThinkGeek. They claim to still have them in stock.
Hi all. I just got my MX-760 and able to setup the unit with not much problem. However, there are some questions I wonder if anyone can answer for me.
1. When I connect the unit with dvi-hdmi cable to my Sony HD tv, it will shift to the right and leaving a black bar on the left. This will happen if I choose 1080i or 1080p with 16:9 tv aspect. Also, when I play any movie file, I have to select wide zoom in order to fill up the tv. Does anyone have this problem? If I use component cable, the screen fill up fine and no shifting to the right.
2. How do you use the audio button? According to the manual, it suppose to show me a list of audio file, instead I get a red x on top of the screen, any idea?
3. The jukebox function doesn't work well by following the manual. It will not add more than one song to the jukebox list. Any suggestion?
Thanks in advance.
Lynn
Hi Lynn. I only use component cables currently, so I have no way to try to duplicate your experience with HDMI. It might be worth asking on the MVix Community support forum.
I don't use the audio button. I, like you, found the jukebox functionality to be lacking, so I simply don't use the MVix for audio playback. It's strictly a video device in our house.
Thanks for the response, Skippy. I was not sure if I want to get this unit or not back a few weeks ago. It is only when I read your review that make me decide to buy it. So far, with the exception of the problem I mention above, it's been good. I have posted it on MVix community with no response yet and I also start a ticket with Mvix. Let's see if they can help.
For now, I think if I stick with component cable, I can watch all my video in the hard drive. Wireless function is not very good with quality video. It also seems that the dvi output (1080p or even 780p) is very unstable with a lot of video file.
Lynn
Just a note for anyone who might have had similar issues. After fiddling around for 6 hours with getting the Mvix (dis)ability to read XP shares, i found that chages have to be made to local security policy of the box to allow mvix seeing the shares. I enabled several options however and at this stage I am not able to give specific position which has to be changed however.
To modify them go to Settings > Addministrative tools > Local security policy
Then select "Local policies" and modify settings in "Security Options".
After enabling annonymous network access to specific shares, it solved my problems.
PS No fancy drivers mentioned in Mvix user manual are needed. I ended up in uninstalling all of them, and just a pure combo of TCP and file sharing works just great!
PSS It's rather late here (and I am not native speaker) - so please forgive any spelling mistakes which I may have made.
(Re-leaved comment because my first one was shown corrupted because the use of special char)
Hello, I'm from Italy and I'm a newbie owner of the Mvix-760.
I have a problem with dvd's audio playback: I decrypted some of my dvd keeping italian and english audio and subtitles, both in VideoTs folder (with ifo and vob inside) and in iso to do the test. The result is that I CAN'T change audio during playback!! I can switch between subtitles language, but when I try to change audio source I have only one possibility, somtimes ENG, somtimes IT,depending of the movie but can't switch languages! This appens in ifo/vob and in iso too :(
I putted both languages because I'd like to wacth movies in eng and ita to learn.
Please if anyone knows the solution of the problem tell me.
P.S. The DVD backups aren't complete, there's only the movie in, this is for saving the special content, menus ecc space. So I can't chose language from menu. But if there will no solutions I'll decrypt my dvd entirely.
P.P.S. Other little surprise I had with my new gadget was the colour, I thougth that Mvix was completaly white, if you see photos around this is the color, but the unit is a sort of pearl white or similar, not a big problem but..
Pattuma: I don't listen to any audio tracks other than the default, so I'm not sure what to tell you. You might try asking on the MVix Community Support Forum linked above.
skippy, thanks a lot for the answer anyway! :)
Yes I tried with the community forum but the first attempt gived me a broken link after posting.. I'll retry.
I was happily using NDAS over the wireless to access my MVIX files from a computer. Recently, I tried to use it but NDAS cannot find the MVIX anymore - just says "disconnected". I tried to get onto my router's page and look for the MVIX but it seems to be not there. Seems like the wireless just stopped working. Anyone else had this problem before and how to fix it? All the settings look good (and haven't changed), and when I enable the wireless it says "success". I contacted MVIX but they said I need to install firmware 1.1.27, I replied to those dummies telling them it was installed and had to be installed since I was using NDAS in the first place, but never heard from them again.
Hi, I have the MV-2500 andI am having a weird problem. I can play IFO files just fine when I drag them from my laptop, but when I drop an IFO file from my home PC I cannot play the file on my Mvix using "play all". I also have transferred the same exact TS_VIDEO folder from my home PC to the laptop, then back to the Mvix and it works fine. Any ideas?