[mythtv-users] uPNP hardware recommendation..

[Misty P]

stuart wrote:
>> Well, if it makes you feel any better, I copied a few test mp3s to
>> my mythtv box, and it doesn't appear as though the ZyXEL is able to
>> "see" any of them. But I haven't done a lot of experimenting to find
>> out why not, just a quickie test.
>
> I have noticed that if you do not enter the UPNP session through the
> music icon on the PopCorn Hour (notes in image link below) you will
> not see the music files.  I'm not a fan of this.  It might appear to
> work
> for those who place all there media files in one directory.  But who
> does that.
>
> http://www.popcornhour.com/userhome/onlinestore/ph_a-100.jpg
>
> ...maybe the ZyXEL works the same way.

Actually this turned out to be user error, specifically, mine.  D'oh.  I had 
changed the location of mythmusic, but had neglected to restart the backend. 
Then I copied the mp3 files into the new location, and couldn't access them 
via UPnP.

I only figured it out because I had to restart the backend (to go from 
ubuntu hardy development to ubuntu hardy LTS).  I tried going in via both 
"music" on the main menu, and also via "server" then "music", and I was able 
to play the mp3s on the UPnP box as expected.

A nice touch with the ZyXEL is that if you start a mp3 playing, you can then 
back into the menus and futz around (say, locate a video to play) while the 
mp3 stays playing in the background.  Kind of cool, though honestly probably 
mostly pointless.  :)

> I've given the Galaxy 3500 another go with mythtv's UPNP and noticed
> that I can get further these days through the menus (defference, I
> might have upgraded the Galaxy 3500's firmware, I have upgraded to
>   mythtv 21). But I can still get both units (Galaxy and PopCorn
> Hour) to eventually
> not display a menu over the UPNP link.

What do they actually *say* when they fail to display a menu?  And how do 
you fix / regain control?

>  FYI, everything is wired 10/100-Base-T.

Same here (since you brought it up...).  No wirelessly broadcasting 
everything to my neighbors!  :)

> Next step is to look at the mythtv's back end logs w/UPNP debugging
> turned on to see if there are any problems seen at the server end.

I do know that I don't see any errors/warnings on the backend, but that's 
with standard level verbosity.  Then again, I don't seem to be experiencing 
any problems, either.


It's too bad you don't live around Chicago; you could pop on by (or 
vice-versa) to see different UPnP boxes hitting the same backend to see if 
it's a box or a backend issue.