Support: MediaMVP-HD

Latest MediaMVP-HD application

Note: If your MediaMVP-HD is unresponsive or stuck at the splash screen:

This might be due to corrupt memory. Please see instructions below under "If your MediaMVP-HD is unresponsive or stuck at the splash screen:".

Installation instructions:

Please note: this firmware upgrade process must be executed twice. Once the MediaMVP-HD has been restarted, please go to the Advanced Setup menu and Upgrade again using the same USB thumb drive.

  • Download this file
  • Unzip this file to a directory you will remember. There are two files: a small file called MVPHD.MD5 and a larger file called MVPHD
  • Copy these two files to the ROOT directory of a USB thumb drive
  • Plug the USB thumb drive into the USB port on the front of MediaMVP-HD. Wait a few seconds for the thumb drive to be recognized
  • From the Main menu on MediaMVP-HD, go to Setup / System / Advanced setup
  • click on Upgrade and then click Yes
  • You will see the progress bar move across the screen as the application is updated
  • When the update is complete, MediaMVP-HD will automatically reboot

Notes:

  • YouTube is disabled in this version due to a change in the YouTube viewing policy
  • This version has fixed a number of reported bugs in playback of various video formats
  • This version has improvements to playback controls and timescale display
  • HDMI detection on some HD TV sets is better in this version

If your MediaMVP-HD is unresponsive or stuck at the splash screen:

This might be due to corrupt memory, which can be permanently fixed with this version of Beta software. If you see this problem, follow the instructions below:

Please note: this firmware upgrade process must be executed twice. Once the MediaMVP-HD has been restarted, please go to the Advanced Setup menu and Upgrade again using the same USB thumb drive.

  • Turn off the MediaMVP-HD
  • Download the Version 1.1.22 file listed above
  • Unzip this file to a directory you will remember. There are two files: a small file called MVPHD.MD5 and a larger file called MVPHD
  • Copy these two files to the ROOT directory of a USB thumb drive
  • Plug the USB thumb drive into the USB port on the front of MediaMVP-HD
  • Turn on the MediaMVP-HD
  • Wait a few seconds for the thumb drive to be recognized
  • The MediaMVP-HD will automatically load the new firmware and restore your MediaMVP-HD system. This takes about five minutes. Do not remove the USB thumb drive until the MediaMVP-HD reboots, which takes about 5 minutes.
  • The next time MediaMVP-HD is restarted, it should be operational.

MediaMVP-HD Setup Wizard

This application will help the MediaMVP-HD set up shared folders which are on your PC.

The MediaMVP-HD Setup Wizard is run on your PC. It searches your PCs hard drive for digital media and then lists the folders where digital media is found. You can then choose which folders you would like to share with the MediaMVP-HD, and the Wizard communicates with MediaMVP-HD over your Ethernet LAN and makes the necessary settings so that the MediaMVP-HD will "see" these shared folders.

To install, download this file, and then unpack it to your PC. Then run it.

Beta

None at thie time.

3rd party

None at this time.

MediaMVP-HD Install Guide

Issues with .MKV file playbacks

If you are experiencing problems with .MKV files playing back smoothly, stopping, the status bar remaining on the screen, or other playback related problems with this file format, please download the latest MediaMVP-HD Beta application, version 1.1.14 or later. This version addresses issues playing MKV files.

When connected HDMI and changing sources on my TV set, I sometimes get a “no signal” message and must reset the power on the Media MVP HD to regain the picture?

Switching sources on some TV sets may disrupt the Media MVP HD stream and result in this problem. Simply turning the power on and off using the MVP’s remote control will reset the signal. The latest MediaMVP-HD Beta application, version 1.1.14 or later fixes this problem.

Video files with AC3 audio have no sound on play back

Go into the Setup menu of the Media MVP. Click on System/ Info/ Software and check to see if the Codec Token is set  to AC3 . If it is set to None, you need to contact Techsupport and give us the MAC address on the bottom of the unit. This will then be added to our database and your unit will be updated  automatically within 24 hours thru the internet.

Contact support link: http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/contact/contact_support.html

What is the Hauppauge MediaMVP-HD

The Hauppauge MediaMVP-HD is a Linux based embedded system running on a Sigma 8655 Media processor. It contains 512MB of RAM, 128MB of flash, and is optimized for HD video playback.

What video formats does it support?

HD playback of pretty much everything under the sun: MPEG, MPEG-2, H.264, MKV, VC1, etc.

What sources of video can it play?

It can access video via USB-connected storage devices, or over UPnP or CIFS (e.g. Samba or Windows file shares).

How is it on power consumption?

It consumes 5 watts when doing HD playback at 1080p.

So this thing runs Linux? Where can I get the source code and what can I do?

Like most embedded Linux products, the MediaMVP-HD is a hybrid containing both open source and closed source components. The Linux kernel is open source, but it has three proprietary kernel modules (one for the NAND flash filesystem, and two for the Media playback framework). All three of these are provided by Sigma and hence it's outside of Hauppauge's control to provide the source code.

The core user interface as well is based on closed source code provided by Sigma, and hence it cannot be open sourced.

But does this mean that for all practical purposes I am locked out (like the Tivo)?

No. Hauppauge has provided a variety of mechanisms by which the product can be extended by hobbyists and commercial parties looking to do customization. For example, we have provided all the playback mechanisms as command line tools, which custom written applications (or scripts) can call to play video or audio files. We've also avoided employing technologies such as code signing which restrict what users can run on the platform.

In the interest of fostering a community behind the device, we look forward to making available the toolchain needed to build applications against the target (it's a gcc based MIPS crosscompile toolchain), as well as providing some examples of how to write your own applications. We're looking to do more as the product continues to mature.

I see that the device has a telnet server? Can I use that to get a shell?

Yes. The root password is "hauppaugetw"

I took the box apart and saw that it has a five pin header. Is that a serial port?

Yes. However, you need a TTL level converter to connect to it. The pinout is as follows:

  • Pin 1 - VCC 5V
  • Pin 2 - key (to ensure the connector is not put on backwards)
  • Pin 3- TX
  • Pin 4 - RX
  • Pin 5 - Ground

Warning: If you don't know what a "level converter" is, then you probably shouldn't be playing with the serial port (stick with using the Telnet service). Connecting a serial cable without a level converter will damage the board.

What I can do with the serial port that I cannot do with the Telnet server?

Both of them provide root access, however the serial port also allows you to see things like the kernel output at startup, and to interact with the hardware even when the Telnet service is inaccessible (such as during bootup or if there is a networking problem).

The WD Live is also a Sigma based product. Can I use the same serial cable that some hobbyists have suggested for that device?

Yes, but the pinout on the MediaMVP-HD is slightly different, you you will need to rewire the connector.

What are the other connectors inside the unit?

In addition to the UART, the device also has a 5 pin internal USB connector and a SATA interface. Note that the SATA interface provides sufficent power to drive a 2.5" internal hard drive, but connecting a 3.5" drive requires an external power source.

Can I install programs I wrote onto the device's internal flash?

Yes. Starting in release 1.1.19, there are now hooks that allow a developer to place applications into the device flash (and have those applications automatically started at boot). See the question “ How do I provide my own applications” below.

So how do I compile my own programs for the MediaMVP-HD?

Here's a quick tutorial on building a "hello world" binary that runs on the platform. This tutorial assumes the user is running a stock Ubuntu 9.10 environment (either x86 or x86-64 will work). This can either be a standalone installation of Linux, or installed inside of a virtual machine such as VMWare Workstation or Oracle VirtualBox.

First you need to get a cross compiler (this is a compiler that is designed to build for a target other than the host). The easiest way to do this is to download the freely available GCC toolchain put together by CodeSourcery: http://www.codesourcery.com/sgpp/lite/mips

It's worth noting that this is their "Lite" edition and they do have a commercial product which includes more features, although the Lite edition is enough to build working executables. Alternatively, you can build the MIPS version of GCC yourself from source, although this tends to not be a trivial exercise and there is not a significant value in doing such for most applications. Once the compiler is installed, you need to put the toolchain binaries into your path:

cd mips­4.4 export PATH=`pwd`/mips­4.4/bin:$PATH

Now let's create a simple C program to demonstrate the compiler is working. Using a text editor, create the following file called "hello.c":

#include <stdio.h> int main(void) { printf("Hello World\n"); return 0; }

Now let's compile the executable: mips­linux­gnu­gcc ­­static ­muclibc ­EL ­Wall ­o hello hello.c

You should end up with an executable named "hello". You can copy that file to a USB stick, insert it into the MediaMVP-HD, and run the program from a telnet session:

devin@devin­macbook2:~/mtest$ telnet 172.16.1.30
Trying 172.16.1.30...
Connected to 172.16.1.30.
Escape character is '^]'.

MediaMVP­HD login: root
Password:
MediaMVP­HD[~]$ /disk/USB/disk1/hello
Hello World
MediaMVP­HD[~]$

How do I play video to the screen?

The easiest way to do this is to make use of the executables Hauppauge provides on the system. Before you can render video though, you need to stop the main Hauppuage application:

MediaMVP­HD[~]$ killall curacao

At this point, you can run the "test_rmfp" tool to render video:

usr/local/bin/test_rmfp /disk/USB/disk1/myvideo.mpg
You can run "test_rmfp -help" to see all the possible command line options.

To restart the Hauppauge GUI, either reboot the box or run the following from the command line: /etc/init.d/S60curacao start

There is also a tool called "/bin/set_outports" which allows you to change the screen resolution (you 5 can run the following to see all the command line options:

/bin/set_outports ­help

Note that the Hauppauge application automatically sets the screen resolution at startup (and leaves it in that state even if you shutdown the application. Hence, it may be easier for users to just configure the screen resolution the first time using the Media MVP-HD, and then just avoid using set_outports entirely

How do I play video and make it stop if the user hits the "OK" button on the remote?

Here's a script that can demonstrate some basic playback with response to the remote:

#!/bin/sh
if [ ­z "$1" ]; then
echo "Usage: $0 <filename>"
exit 1
if
if [ ! ­f "$1" ]; then
echo "Error: file not found"
exit 1
if

/usr/local/bin/test_rmfp $1 >/dev/null 2>&1 &
echo "Hit OK on your remote to terminate video"

# Run in a loop until user hits "ok"
while [ 1 ]; do
cat /dev/ir0 |hexdump ­d ­n 1 > /tmp/iroutput
killall cat 2>/dev/null
grep 00165 /tmp/iroutput > /dev/null
if [ $? == 0 ]; then
echo "OK found"
killall test_rmfp
exit 0
if
sleep 1
done

How do I prevent the main Hauppauge application from running?

To prevent the main Hauppauge GUI (known as Curacao) from being executed at device boot, run the following commands:

/etc/SETUP_set LAUNCH_CURACAO no

6 /upgrade/setup_save.sh

To re-enable the GUI, run the following:

/etc/SETUP_set LAUNCH_CURACAO yes
/upgrade/setup_save.sh

Note: Curacao is responsible for configuring the various video outputs (defining which outputs are enabled, the video standard, and resolution). If an OEM disables the launching of Curacao, they will need to perform the equivalent functionality by running the “set_outports” command. The full options can be seen for set_outports by running:

set_outports ­help

How do I provide my own applications?

Starting in firmware version 1.1.19, developers can now install their own applications to be run either alongside the main Hauppauge provided user interface, or replace it entirely. To install the sample application (which shows some system information on the screen asks the user to hit a button on the remote control, and then plays a video named “sample.ts” off of a USB stick), run the following via telnet or the serial console.

mkdir /vendor
mount /dev/sigmblocki /vendor
cp /usr/share/vendor/example_vendor.sh /vendor/runme.sh
chmod 755 /vendor/runme.sh
/etc/SETUP_set LAUNCH_VENDORAPP yes
/upgrade/setup_save.sh
umount /vendor

Once the unit gets power cycled, the /vendor/runme.sh script will be executed before Curacao. Please see the file /usr/share/vendor/example_vendor.sh for more development notes on how it can be modified/customized to meet the customer needs. To disable the execution of the vendor application at boot, run:

/etc/SETUP_set LAUNCH_VENDORAPP no
/upgrade/setup_save.sh

Other files required for the application can be copied to /vendor as well (e.g. code, images, MP3 files, etc), up to the 64MB limit of the partition.

Note: any changes/customization the OEM may wish to perform should be made to /vendor/runme.sh, and not to /usr/share/vendor/example_vendor.sh (which is just a read-only example script).

How do I perform a factory reset of the unit from the command line?

To reset the unit to it's factory state, run the following;

/upgrade/restore_default.sh

Note: this command will revert OEM customization performed on the device, including custom applications and whether Curacao is configured to launch. Factory reset will not have an effect on the boot splash screen though.

How do I perform a factory reset from the remote control?

Starting in firmware 1.1.20, the device can be factory reset from the remote control, even if the device does not boot to the main user interface. This functionality is intended for OEM developers who render their unit inoperable though a custom application, or cases where a configuration error results in the user unable to see the main GUI.

To perform a factory reset at boot:

Point the Hauppauge remote control at the device and hold down the YELLOW key while powering up. Keep holding it down through the splash screen until the splash screen disappears and then reappears. Once the user sees the splash screen for the second time, release the yellow button. The unit has been factory reset.

Prodinfo: get information on your Hauppauge TV tuner

Prodinfo.exe is a program you can run which will extract information about the WinTV product you have installed such as model and serial number, MAC address, revision, and features which can be used to identify the exact model of your product. The driver for the device must be installed in order to run Prodinfo.exe

HCWClear

HCWCLEAR.exe is a program you run to remove all driver and files that were installed with the installation of the WinTV program.