Dlink DSM-750, misleading information about .mt2s capabilities

[spintop1]

Hi folks

I picked up a Dlink DSM-750 media extender for my home theater last weekend on EBAY. I wanted an easy way to get at all my photos, music and video on my home theater. I figured this would do it as it claims all of the above. Everything works except the video format from my Panasonic HD video camera. (.mt2s) I'm using it with Vista media Center so I installed the latest k-Lite codec and still nothing. Just so you know, (in case someone is thinking of buying one) the spec says it can do .mt2s video, well it can, but it doesn't do it through the network connection VIA the media center, it can only do it if you have a USB drive connected directly to the port on the front and you use the Media Lounge GUI. So the .mt2s files play just fine on the Vista Box, but the DSM-750 media center extender doesn't see them VIA the network.

Does anyone out there use this device or any of the other Dlink extenders? If you are, is there a workaround available?

My setup:
-wired connection to house switch
-windows vista media center on Core2 duo PC, 4GB RAM
-HDMI connection to Yamaha reveiver
-HDMI connection to 50" Panasonic 720p plasma

Works:
-music
-photos
-some video

My feeling now is I should have kept the $200.00 CAD and put it towards a slim PC to put there with a HMDI (video and audio) connection.

Comments please!!!

 

[Frunple]

Just get a media center edition of windows and be done with the madness!
I have a dsm-520 and the 750 and junked them both quickly.
With the media center you can always update codecs or apps as needed.

 

[spintop1]

Just get a media center edition of windows and be done with the madness!
I have a dsm-520 and the 750 and junked them both quickly.
With the media center you can always update codecs or apps as needed.

I guess you mean get a PC and plunk it down next to my Home Theater?

 

[jmark71]

Just get a media center edition of windows and be done with the madness!
I have a dsm-520 and the 750 and junked them both quickly.
With the media center you can always update codecs or apps as needed.

I guess you mean get a PC and plunk it down next to my Home Theater?

Or go the XBMC route... Cheap XBMC setup

I have one of these Acer machines and it doesn't make a sound... it's running XP just fine and has an expansion slot for memory and one for a mini-PCIe card so you can upgrade the graphics if need be (hardware acceleration is coming soon to XBMC which will make this a really good alternative to a full blown HTPC).

 

[Frunple]

Just get a media center edition of windows and be done with the madness!
I have a dsm-520 and the 750 and junked them both quickly.
With the media center you can always update codecs or apps as needed.

I guess you mean get a PC and plunk it down next to my Home Theater?

Not neccessarily next to your home theater. Mine is in the basement in an equipment rack and I have an ir network to control it.

 

[spintop1]

Just get a media center edition of windows and be done with the madness!
I have a dsm-520 and the 750 and junked them both quickly.
With the media center you can always update codecs or apps as needed.

I guess you mean get a PC and plunk it down next to my Home Theater?

Or go the XBMC route... Cheap XBMC setup

I have one of these Acer machines and it doesn't make a sound... it's running XP just fine and has an expansion slot for memory and one for a mini-PCIe card so you can upgrade the graphics if need be (hardware acceleration is coming soon to XBMC which will make this a really good alternative to a full blown HTPC).

That machine looks cool. I'm concerned about the audio through the HDMI port. I use my receiver to switch my HDMI inputs. Are all these machines capable of this? What is that format called anyway?

 

[spintop1]

Just get a media center edition of windows and be done with the madness!
I have a dsm-520 and the 750 and junked them both quickly.
With the media center you can always update codecs or apps as needed.

I guess you mean get a PC and plunk it down next to my Home Theater?

Not neccessarily next to your home theater. Mine is in the basement in an equipment rack and I have an ir network to control it.

Hmm, how do you get your video to you theater, CAT5e?

 

[pete_c]

I just set up my media center PC with Windows 7 and attached a media extender (OLD Linksys) to an LCD I have in my office and it did play everthing that I tried. Its all offline right now but I've give it another try.

BTW tried earlier with Vista Premium setup Media Center and had some major issues.

 

[Frunple]

Just get a media center edition of windows and be done with the madness!
I have a dsm-520 and the 750 and junked them both quickly.
With the media center you can always update codecs or apps as needed.

I guess you mean get a PC and plunk it down next to my Home Theater?

Not neccessarily next to your home theater. Mine is in the basement in an equipment rack and I have an ir network to control it.

Hmm, how do you get your video to you theater, CAT5e?

The pc is in the equipment rack along with my A/V receiver. A simple HDMI cable from pc to receiver is all thats needed.
The receiver is connected to the TV with an HDMI, component, s-video and composite but all I use is the HDMI for the receiver and component for the Wii.

 

[jmark71]

Or go the XBMC route... Cheap XBMC setup

I have one of these Acer machines and it doesn't make a sound... it's running XP just fine and has an expansion slot for memory and one for a mini-PCIe card so you can upgrade the graphics if need be (hardware acceleration is coming soon to XBMC which will make this a really good alternative to a full blown HTPC).

That machine looks cool. I'm concerned about the audio through the HDMI port. I use my receiver to switch my HDMI inputs. Are all these machines capable of this? What is that format called anyway?

Well, right now I'm using the Revo as a touchscreen PC, not as a cheap HTPC, but once they get XBMC supporting Blu-ray ISOs like my PCH C200 I'll probably shift it to handling HTPC-type duties. However, I'm pretty sure the HDMI output carries digitial audio as well as the video (from the specs this appears to be true as well as the XMBC setup I linked to earlier).

 

[sic0048]

Not trying to confuse the issue, but a SageTV HD Theater extender would work in lue of the Dlink DSM-750 media extender. I'm not sure if it plays .mt2s files over the network, but it should be easy to find out. You don't need the SageTV Media Center software to use the HD Theater as a stand alone media player. You cannot record TV without the SageTV software, but it should do everything you are asking from your Dlink media extender.

Edit - according to the SageTV site, the HD Theater does support .mt2 files. I can ask specifically if anyone has had trouble playing home videos, but I bet it works just fine.

 

[fcwilt]

Not a fix for your current unit but something to investigate for any future units:

http://www.duneplayer.com/shop/