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November 26, 2007 07:39 AM

Categories: EVA 8000

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CB910

Member
Joined: 11/26/2007

I'm considering buying some eva8000s.  My main uses will be for access to a library of DVDs. 

I've read that there was/is a short comming to the way the 8000 displays file structures- that it only displays the deepest folders.  Has this been addressed?

I've also read that there is limited or no ability to fast-forward, rewind, change chapters, jump to menus, etc... Is this true?

One last concern.  Do you have to manually "tag" all your DVD movies, why would you need to- and how difficult is it?

CB910

  

Discussion:    Add a Comment | Comments 1-11 of 11 | Latest Comment

pardizzone Avatar
  Moderator
November 26, 2007 10:49 AM

I don't know what you mean by "that it only displays the deepest folders". It will list any folder that has a file in it that the EVA supports (video/music/photo). It does not have "live" folder browsing, it builds an index of your files and that list is what is displayed.

As for the FF/REW and other issues, the official release of firmware (v1.2.20) has problems. It doesn't display DVD menus, FF/REW only works on some file types.

And you need to manually tag any DVDs that you rip to storage. They included a Tag Tool with the software but the released version has problems with IFO files.

Most of these issues are being addressed in the Beta firmware. Go over to the Netgear forums and do some reading over there to get an idea of what works and what doesn't.

http://forum1.netgear.com/forumdisplay.php?f=85

"everything will be ok in the end. if it's not ok, it's not the end" - unknown

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WooFan99 Avatar
Member
November 26, 2007 11:01 AM

There's an option in the beta firmware to switch to "folder mode" so you can use Classic folder structure otherwise all your files are grouped together and you filter by tags.

Also the beta firmware has a ton of features for supporting DVD menus, subtitles, ff/rew skip, etc... as well and I'd also recommend checking out the support forum.

pardizzone Avatar
  Moderator
November 26, 2007 11:31 AM

WooFan99 said: There's an option in the beta firmware to switch to "folder mode" so you can use Classic folder structure otherwise all your files are grouped together and you filter by tags.
That's correct but it still uses a database. There is no "live" directory/folder browsing.

"everything will be ok in the end. if it's not ok, it's not the end" - unknown

Check out my Blog!

Generic Member Avatar
Member
November 27, 2007 6:04 AM

Thanks for the help.  WooFan99, you're saying that the folder mode fixes this...

We had a small problem with the way the Digital Entertainer displays folders--across all media types--as it only gives you access to the deepest folder level. For instance, if you have a main folder for The Eagles and a subfolder called "Greatest Hits" (the album title), as well as a main folder for Queen and a subfolder called "Greatest Hits" (again, the album), both the The Eagles and Queen files will appear to be in a single folder called (you guessed it) Greatest Hits. It's even more troublesome for files like ripped DVDs, which are nearly always grouped into Audio TS and Video TS folders. That means that what appears to be a single "Video TS" folder will be filled with several files named "VTS_01_1.VOB," and you won't know which is which.

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-media-receivers/netgear-eva8000-digital-entertainer/4505-6739_7-32331171.html

pardizzone Avatar
  Moderator
November 27, 2007 9:09 AM

I don't have the official release firmware on my EVA so I can't confirm what your seeing/saying and I only use folder browsing anyways. If you load the latest beta release, it has an option to enable folder browsing. It this mode you can navigate to each folder directly. But this is not a "Live" view of the folders. The list is still pulled from the database. If you add new files, you either need to do a "Quick Scan" or "Full" to pick them up. A new option they added to the beta firmware is the ability to navigate to a folder and press the "Eject" button on the remote to quickly add any new files to the listing. I believe it only adds it to the current session though (i.e turn off EVA, lose newly added from Eject scan). The files would then be added during a "Ful" scan overnight or you would need to manually run it.

"everything will be ok in the end. if it's not ok, it's not the end" - unknown

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WooFan99 Avatar
Member
November 28, 2007 3:00 AM

CB910 said: ... It's even more troublesome for files like ripped DVDs, which are nearly always grouped into Audio TS and Video TS folders. That means that what appears to be a single "Video TS" folder will be filled with several files named "VTS_01_1.VOB," and you won't know which is which.

FYI, you don't need to do this anymore as the new software recognizes ripped DVD folders and just shows them as the DVD title. When you click on the title, if there's a main menu it pops up just like on a DVD player and you can select chapters, main movie, etc... pretty cool. Supposedly there's also support for ISO images as well although I haven't tried them.

I'm gonna try this YouTube feature with this other EVA8000 review:

Generic Member Avatar
Member
November 28, 2007 5:38 AM

Thanks Woo, I hadn't seen that review.  Smoke'n.

It seems that I need to own an 8000 in order to get access to the beta information at the netgear site.  So I haven't been able to follow up on all the info that you guys have given me.  But this review has satisfied a lot of my questions.

pardizzone Avatar
  Moderator
November 28, 2007 8:59 AM

You don't need to own it. Just click on the link to join the beta and it will send you an email. It wants a serial number if you own a switch or router. Entering a serial # will give you access to the Enterprise/Business Products section which the EVA is not part of.

"everything will be ok in the end. if it's not ok, it's not the end" - unknown

Check out my Blog!

Generic Member Avatar
Member
November 29, 2007 7:03 PM

Anybody know what is the highest resolution video available through the component video outputs?

WooFan99 Avatar
Member
November 30, 2007 9:47 AM

1080i is the highest setting for the component output. 

Generic Member Avatar
Member
December 3, 2007 4:58 PM

OK, I checked out the beta forum.  Wow!  Seems like a pretty serious commitment to the EVA, it's development and the beta process by all involved. 

I have worked for many companies in the networking industry for a long time (including Bay Networks) and have become very jaded to the entire the beta process.  I have to admit that I am impressed.  I may buy a few of these after all.   

Discussion:    Add a Comment | Back to Top | Comments 1-11 of 11 | Latest Comment

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