D-Link Forums
The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => Routers / COVR => DIR-857 => Topic started by: WHD on April 29, 2013, 01:32:52 PM
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Hi there,
I am running firmware v1.04.
I have a 1.8TB NTFS usb drive connected to the usb port of the DIR-857.
I am sharing its contents in two ways:
- through shareport
- through Media Server
The shareport way works great. I can see the entire drive and access all of it.
My issue is with the media server option; it shows only a limited set of the files on the drive.
I have used both XBMC, VLC as a few Android Upnp players as clients.
All show the same contents so it seems to be the server.
What I see through the Upnp connection is a set of directories. Through USB I can see that alphabetically speaking, several directories were skipped. I don't see why these were skipped. The skipped ones are not the ones containing the biggest files or the most files or directories, or with weird characters.
Which means I need clues.
Is this media server under GPL as well? I could not find any seemingly related code in the Src download on the Dlink website.
ftp://ftp.dlink.eu/Products/dir/dir-857/driver_software/DIR-857_reva_GPL_code.rar
I have also briefly searched here, but cannot find related source code.
ftp://ftp.dlink.com/
By the way. Previously, I was running 1.03. I saw almost no files.
Moving to 1.04 definitely helped in this aspect.
Kind regards
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Link>Welcome! (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=41537.0)
What region are you located?
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=52973.0 (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=52973.0)
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Hi,
Yeah, I saw the thread and thought; lets not steal that. After posting I noticed the updates and growing similarity.
I am in Europe. Currently I am using the canadian 1.04 firmware.
(I am not using any known ISP setting from the firmware, so I don't feel bothered by the localized ISP settings stored in the various firmwares.)
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There are other issues with using FW versions from other regions, not supported and WiFi operation is different as well, NA vs EU. So you may see other problems appear if you use NA region FW in a EU unit.
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Yes, I agree to Furry!
Concerning the WiFi there are regulatory differences from country to country.
And even if you don't observe problems by using another country's firmware, your neighbors might... :-\
I think I read about even the weather radar having increasing disturbances because of this...
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I have the same issue and I am in Canada using FW v1.04. I can see the entire drive (WD 1 TB) and can access all the directories and files using the Share Port utility, however when I try to view some of the movies on the WD drive through my DVD player WiFi connectivity to the DIR-857 Router I can only see 2 folders (out of 5) and also the folder does not show all the files that are actually stored on the drive. Again, this does not happen when I access these directories from my Laptop WIFI using Share Port.
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If you can see everything using a PC and shareport and you can't with the DVD player. I might presume that the DVD Player is not correctly looking at folders.
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No. Probably not. (DVD not correctly looking at folders. More likely, DVD is not showing you files it can't play. An .exe, for example. Also, don't forget, some things will actually check the file header to see if it really is that type of file, and not present it to you. e.g. Renaming .txt to .mp3 may, in some cases, still not show you the .mp3 file - it's checked the file headers, the mp3 media information is not present, and tosses it as a playable candidate. One way some things might demonstrate this, aside from not even displaying the file, is to display that the file is not playable, before you've even asked it to play that file. Incorrect file header being different than a broken .avi index, for example.)
(This is not a wi-fi issue, so please let's eliminate all comments about wi-fi in this thread, particularly with regard to firmware.)
Shareport access proves successful connectivity of files within drive to router, and router's ability to make the files available.
To the best of my knowledge, confirmation / correcton appreciated, UPnP, server or client, only shows files / folders / content of media files it has knowledge of (as being media files).
I have not experimented with the specifics, but you could try this:
- go to a folder where you see content that is displayed as being available. Note the file type.
- go to a folder where you expect to see content, but don't - make a dummy file there of the same extension. Does it show up now? (Perhaps after a reboot of the router - I saw something about only a reboot causes the router to rescan the files to build up its index of what it should make available.)
- (hard part) Figure out an extension that your dvd player doesn't recognize as being content playable (.mkv?), but the router does. [You could thus prove what the router shows you vs what your dvd player shows you. For that matter, if your dvd player will play all such files from a disc, it should be the same test - the issue for this aspect is not upnp / router presentation, but what the DVD player recognizes as being playable.]
The real telling point for figuring out where things are breaking down is to be able to see the files, or not, from a 2nd viewing pathway - such as a computer / vlc / playlist / local network / universal plug'n'play.
If you really want to isolate this, turn on web access on the router, go to the router:8181 - if you see the files there, but not on the dvd player, you've confirmed the dvd player doesn't understand the file type.
Further, if you see the file type within vlc, or not, and not on the dvd player, then you've isolated whether the file is present (http), presented (vlc), playable (vlc), visible (dvd).
Summary: I believe only certain (media) file types are presented, and only some of those any particular device understands. [Confirmation / correction welcome / appreciated.]
Guessing.
CDN$0.02
YMMV
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http://www.dlink.com/us/en/support/faq/multimedia/what-file-types-are-supported-with-the-upnp-av-media-server-and-itunes-server (http://www.dlink.com/us/en/support/faq/multimedia/what-file-types-are-supported-with-the-upnp-av-media-server-and-itunes-server)
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http://www.dlink.com/us/en/support/faq/multimedia/what-file-types-are-supported-with-the-upnp-av-media-server-and-itunes-server (http://www.dlink.com/us/en/support/faq/multimedia/what-file-types-are-supported-with-the-upnp-av-media-server-and-itunes-server)
EXCELLENT LINK! THANK YOU!
However, sadly, they say file types, not file extensions. But it's a start. And it doesn't indicate whether other files types will be visible or not, nor whether it determines the file types by looking at the file headers, or only the extension. (Both would help the OP.)
e.g. It says MPEG4, but that stream can be encoded within many file type / extensions.
I suppose, for the original poster, a way to test an mpeg4 stream within a file type not listed, change the extension. Worst case, it sees the file, tries to play it, -then- falls over. But at least you'd know what's going on, and where.
I ran into this in the past, although I forget the specifics. Something to do with the default mp4 apple (quicktime?) file extension, changing it to mpg (IIRC), and all got happy. .mpeg4 or .mp4 -> .mp4 or .mpg? (Something.)
In any case, excellent link / resource for this thread, thank you!
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I'll see if I can find more detailed info on extensions.
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Thank you guys for the detailed analysis of this issue, I noticed that the DVD player can sometimes read some of the folders and files from the storage drive through the router WiFi connectivity and sometimes it does not read anything at all. I decided last night to try a simple experiment, I disconnected my WD 1TB drive from the DIR-857 router and connected it directly to the DVD player using the DVD USB port. To my surprise, the DVD player was able to read all the movie folders on the WD drive and all of the files. So my conclusion was that this issue has nothing to do with the drive or the DVD player but is a router related issue. I guess it is important for D-Link to know about these issues to make better products in future or at least understand the limits of the their routers and better inform customers.
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Does the DVD player support a Wired connection besides wireless? One more test would be to try having the DVD access the drive via the router using a wired connection.
How far away is the dvd play from the router?
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The DVD player (LG BP620) supports a wired connection but I did not try it yet, I will do so and let you know the result. The DVD player is located 3 meters away from the router but there is no clear line of sight as the router is in a different room, but I am able to watch Netflix without any problem through the router Wifi and DVD Wifi connection.
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Does the DVD player support a Wired connection besides wireless? One more test would be to try having the DVD access the drive via the router using a wired connection.
How far away is the dvd play from the router?
Why would he do this? This is a content not a connectivity issue.
Equally, IIUC, connecting the drive directly to the DVD player doesn't help. That's a local read, avoiding the protocol involved in the DVD player / router connection. EXCEPT: Connecting via USB would show playable file types. So, if the OP sees a file in a directory when connected via USB, but doesn't see that same file type when connected otherwise, at least he knows the player will play a particular file type, and it is something other than the player blocking it.
The real test, to eliminate the router, would be to put the drive on another computer (or something) that serves UPnP. If certain files are seen that way, but not when connected to the router, then it is the router blocking certain file types. (Which is the point of the original question.)
- moreover, I'd bet on that computer there will be a setting somewhere that will let you specify while file types to present. So if the file is not seen originally, say a .mkv file, add the .mkv file type into the list of those to be presented, and it should now show up. When it does, and moving the drive back to the router causes the file type to disappear, you've found your needle in this haystack.
An alternative may be (I suspect), is to connect the drive up to the router and computer browse to the router :8181 (?) port (after enabling web access) - I'll bet that that access mechanism will use the same file presentation rules as UPnP to the player.
For an alternate UPnP device, win 7 will do it - not sure the gui way to get there, but turn on the UPnP service, the SSDP service, and the windows media file sharing service. The dvd should then be able to find that computer / files the same way he is the router. [You can test access from another computer, open up windows explorer, go to network - assuming the UPnP and SSDP services are running, all devices with files available will show up. e.g. Plugging USB into router, going to a computer / windows explorer / network, DIR-857 (or whatever) will be visible there. (As it is in the DVD player.)]
If they show up via that connection (computer to computer, or player to computer) but not the (player to) router, then the router is blocking certain file types (or file extensions) - not knowing that they are playable media files.
{Sorry if the above is a little convoluted / terse / greek - rather tired at the moment.}
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Ensuring troubleshooting allaspects of this problem as much as possible to help provide more details to D-Link of what has been done.
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I did some testing today with the Router and DVD player connectivity and here are the findings:
1. When the DVD is directly connected to the router via a wire connection and disabling the wireless connectivity on the DVD, the same result occure. The DVD player can see only some folders and some files within these folders but not all files. These folders and files change every time I try to browse the USB(1) drive connected to the router, every time randomly different folders and files show and others disappear.
2. When the WD external drive is connected directly to the DVD player through a USB port, the player can see all folders and all files, and can play all files including MKV files.
3. When the WD external drive is connected directly to the laptop (Windows 7 and UPnP device host service is automatically started) all the folders and files on the drive are visible and playable.
4. When the WD drive is connected to the router (DIR-857) and SharePort utility is running on the laptop, all folders and files are visible from the laptop.
So my conclusion here is whether the WD external drive is connected to the router through the router USB port and the router is connected to the DVD player wirelessley or through a network cable, the DVD player cannot see all the folders and files on that drive. The way forward for me is to physically move the WD drive and connect it to the DVD player through the player USB port when I want to watch a movie stored on the drive.
I hope the above results provide clear answers to your analysis.
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I did some testing today with the Router and DVD player connectivity and here are the findings:
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I hope the above results provide clear answers to your analysis.
EXCELLENT SLEUTHING! Thank you so much for taking the time to chase this down as you have, and then take even more time to share your results with the community so others can benefit.
Clarification on 3., please: 'all the folders and files on the drive are visible and playable.' - by the DVD player connecting wirelessly, just as you were trying to to the router?
I suspect the specifics of the external drive (other than USB) aren't part of the issue.
It would be interesting if someone could confirm the same results via SD card. (I've been running into matching issues there. I suspect those issues come down to it not understanding 4GB cards formatted FAT32. The card doesn't even show up as a mounted device - but that's another story, for another thread.)
It would also be interesting to know if you renamed or copied one of the missing files to a file type you do see, if it starts showing up. (It would also be interesting to know if it played - e.g. .mpeg4 or .mkv -> .mp4 or .mpg, and it all just worked.)
If you turn on web access, are you able to duplicate your results via local computer web browser going to the router/usb drive. (This would take your DVD player out of the mix, reducing the problem to strictly a router issue.)
It sounds like, then, a router (SharePort?) firmware issue of missing media file types, an issue which could be added to the firmware wishlist. Preferably for the list of candidate file types to be exposed via router web configuration interface, where it can be user updated on the fly.
Thank you again for your diligence on this!
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Thank you for your detailed analysis to try solving this issue or at least identifying the cause.
On point 3, I meant that the files and folders on the external drive are viewable and playable from the laptop using SharePoirt2 utility not from the DVD player.
Unfortunately I do not have another computer to try some of the other possibilities, just one laptop.
When the folders are renamed there are couple of results that take place randomley:
1. Sometimes the DVD cannot see anymore folders or files
2. Some of the renamed folders appear but contain less number of files than actually stored
3. Some of the previously visible folders become not visible
So as you can see there is a random behavior taking place when the DVD is reading the external drive through the router WiFi and wired connectivity. I think it might have to do with the router firmware.
Hope this helps.
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After making the changes to the drive, was the router restarted so the changes could be recognized by the router. I believe the router scans the drive for file information and if any file are added or changed while connected to the router, it needs to be restarted so the changes take effect on the router.
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You are right Furry, the router needs to be restarted to show the drive contents. When I restart the router and the DVD player here is what happens (when viewing the DVD player media files under USB(1):
2 Folders are visible (from actual 5 folders that exist on the drive)
The first visible folder shows the correct number of movie files (2) and sub-folders (4)
The second folder shows just 7 movie files (from actual 20 movie files stored in the folder)
The remaining 3 folders are not visible.
Hope this answers your question.
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Ok...does.
Well, I've forwarded this on to D-Link for review. Not sure what they will respond with.
I would recommend that you phone contact D-Link support, level 2 or higher and ask about this.
Let us know if you find out anything.
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You are right Furry, the router needs to be restarted to show the drive contents. When I restart the router and the DVD player here is what happens (when viewing the DVD player media files under USB(1):
2 Folders are visible (from actual 5 folders that exist on the drive)
The first visible folder shows the correct number of movie files (2) and sub-folders (4)
The second folder shows just 7 movie files (from actual 20 movie files stored in the folder)
The remaining 3 folders are not visible.
Hope this answers your question.
Just to be clear - it has never been an issue of renaming -folders-, but of renaming -files-.
I speculate that the router does not list folders that do not contain files it understands to be playable.
"3. When the WD external drive is connected directly to the laptop (Windows 7 and UPnP device host service is automatically started) all the folders and files on the drive are visible and playable."
- With UPnP enabled and the USB drive connected to the laptop, does the DVD player see more files from the laptop than it did when the USB was connected to the router?
Can you tell us a file type that the DVD -does see via the laptop- that it -does *not* see via the router-?
Can you tell us a file type that the DVD does not see on the router that you know to be there?
- I am assuming you do not see some file types in one folder, and then see those same file types in another folder.
[@FurryNutz - are you able to dig up any information as to how long a newly powered up router takes to complete the indexing of a connected USB drive? Further, do you know of any indication, perhaps on a router web configuration page, to indicate indexing is complete? i.e. Could some files not yet be showing up as indexing is incomplete, but they appear later? Could @HS-1971 just not be waiting long enough for the indexing to complete? @HS-1971: I assume when the router first powers up, the USB drive will rapidly blink for some time as the router indexes the drive - does the blinking ever settle down, and once it does do you see more of what you expect to on the DVD player?]
If you connect the USB drive to the router and enable web access, if you go to http://<router ip address>:8181 on your laptop, are you able to see file types that the DVD player cannot? (Perhaps click the icon top right to display in folder mode not media type mode.)
"2 Folders are visible (from actual 5 folders that exist on the drive)"
- if you place a dummy file, via SharePort on the laptop, into a folder that does not show up on the DVD, such as "placeholder.mp3", does the dvd now see that folder? [I speculate the router indexing keeps up with new files added on the fly.]
"The second folder shows just 7 movie files (from actual 20 movie files stored in the folder)"
- can you tell us the file types of the files it does not see? Do these same file types appear in any other folder?
- Do you see anything particularly different about the files it does not see? Say, very large (> 2 GB)?
How big is the USB drive? How is it formatted - NTFS, FAT32, ???
- sorry, never mind, you answer that in your first post: 1.8TB, NTFS.
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- With UPnP enabled and the USB drive connected to the laptop, does the DVD player see more files from the laptop than it did when the USB was connected to the router?
Can you tell us a file type that the DVD -does see via the laptop- that it -does *not* see via the router-?
Can you tell us a file type that the DVD does not see on the router that you know to be there?
- I am assuming you do not see some file types in one folder, and then see those same file types in another folder.
If you connect the USB drive to the router and enable web access, if you go to http://<router ip address>:8181 on your laptop, are you able to see file types that the DVD player cannot? (Perhaps click the icon top right to display in folder mode not media type mode.)
"2 Folders are visible (from actual 5 folders that exist on the drive)"
- if you place a dummy file, via SharePort on the laptop, into a folder that does not show up on the DVD, such as "placeholder.mp3", does the dvd now see that folder? [I speculate the router indexing keeps up with new files added on the fly.]
"The second folder shows just 7 movie files (from actual 20 movie files stored in the folder)"
- can you tell us the file types of the files it does not see? Do these same file types appear in any other folder?
- Do you see anything particularly different about the files it does not see? Say, very large (> 2 GB)?
How big is the USB drive? How is it formatted - NTFS, FAT32, ???
- sorry, never mind, you answer that in your first post: 1.8TB, NTFS.
First of all the extrnal drive is Western Digital MyPassport ITB capacity, USB 3.0, and NTFS.
I am not sure what do you mean by connecting the drive to the laptop and viewing the files from the DVD player, how will the DVD player will see the laptop and the drive?
If I connect the USB drive to the router and enable web access, going to http://<router ip address>:8181 on the laptop, yes I am able to see all file types that the DVD player cannot but no folder names, just list of files but I cannot play them from the web access page. When Shareport Web Access is accessed, the DVD player does not see other files or folder. In fact when I was testing today and started the router the first time, onlt one folder was visible showing 2 files (out of 20). When I restarted the router, 2 folders were visible and more files as well, but not all files in these folders were visible. Really confusing.
The file types the DVD can read and play: MP4, MKV, AVI, WMV. The same file types are not visible in the same folder and in other folders that are completely invisible. I don't think the file type has anything to do with it.
Hope this helps, again I think it is related to the router and nothing else. I am reluctant to contact D-Link support as I feel this issue will not be solved by them, it is most probably related to the router design or firmware.
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I am not sure what do you mean by connecting the drive to the laptop and viewing the files from the DVD player, how will the DVD player will see the laptop and the drive?
You have said elsewhere that your laptop is presenting media files to your network already, via UPnP. I forget the gui steps, but this is media player network sharing stuff - services are UPnP, SSDP, and windows media network sharing, IIRC.
Once set this way, the DVD player will see the files off your laptop in exactly the same manner it sees them off the router. Including once you plug your usb drive in. (I have always assumed this is not your preferred place for the USB drive as the laptop likely moves around within your residence, and it's a PITA to drag the USB drive with you.)
A corresponding test ... with the usb drive connected to the router, does the win 7 laptop media player see the same files as the dvd player when the laptop media player app looks to the router for files? More files? Less?
If I connect the USB drive to the router and enable web access, going to http://<router ip address>:8181 on the laptop, yes I am able to see all file types that the DVD player cannot but no folder names, just list of files but I cannot play them from the web access page.
That's OK - what you just PROVED is that the router is able to present those files to the world as media files. You've proved it knows those file types to be media files - therefore the DVD player should be seeing them. (I am assuming to the router's mind, presentation via web access and via UPnP, are the same things.)
When Shareport Web Access is accessed, the DVD player does not see other files or folder.
I'm confused with this - Shareport, Web Access, and DVD player are 3 distinct things that don't overlap. Shareport is windows file sharing via the router (Shareport isn't even necessary for this, it's a windows utility tapping into the native capability of the router). Web Access is the router presenting files via internet browser. DVD Player needs UPnP availability (which the router does natively.) Sort of like using wood, plastic, or steel, to build something. Still gets built, just different materials.
In fact when I was testing today and started the router the first time, onlt one folder was visible showing 2 files (out of 20). When I restarted the router, 2 folders were visible and more files as well, but not all files in these folders were visible. Really confusing.
Presumably your USB drive has a light on it to indicate when it's being accessed. When you first turn on the router, does that light blink very rapidly for some period of time? That would be the router indexing it. Does it eventually settle down? (May take some time, even an hour or more?, for that to happen.)
The file types the DVD can read and play: MP4, MKV, AVI, WMV. The same file types are not visible in the same folder and in other folders that are completely invisible. I don't think the file type has anything to do with it.
It does if my speculation is correct - if the router doesn't agree that those file types are media files, it won't present them to the DVD player. One way to tell, given your message - are there folders where you see files of one type, but not another? e.g. You see the .avi files, but not the .mkv files? The only explanation I can think of for missing folders though is that the router has not yet indexed them. Which doesn't seem to apply if they display in web access.
Hope this helps, again I think it is related to the router and nothing else. I am reluctant to contact D-Link support as I feel this issue will not be solved by them, it is most probably related to the router design or firmware.
It does help - Furry and I are speculating, and your excellent efforts chase down the accuracy of those speculations.
I sure get the reluctance to contact D-Link support, however, what it will buy you is assurance of the specifics of how things are supposed to work. At least then you'll know what you should see, as opposed to the guessing we're all doing, here.
This is starting to feel like a DVD player issue, not a router issue - if the win 7 laptop can see the files off the router via upnp, but the dvd player cannot, it's a dvd player (UPnP) issue. Recognizing that DVD access via router/UPnP and via local direct usb or net connection is akin to building with plastic vs wood. (Different sharing / file access mechanisms / program code.)
The one other thing I can think of ... when you have the drive connected to the laptop next, perhaps as one of the tests in the first paragraph ... run a chkdsk on the drive. right-click, properties, tools, <something> or other. Just in case the file system indices are corrupt. Then, after moving the drive back to the router leave it overnight. See if the DVD player shows you all the things you expect, the next day.
Good luck with this all. Sorry you're going through it all / things aren't more clear / obvious. I get the hope was that things would 'just work'. Sorry it's not.
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Yet another story on media server functionality failing with dir-857. D-Link guys, Im soon on my knees begging you to fix this. Its not rocket science.
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http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=52973.0 (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=52973.0)
Yet another story on media server functionality failing with dir-857. D-Link guys, Im soon on my knees begging you to fix this. Its not rocket science.
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I am honestly tired of testing different options to make this work besides I am not a technical savvy to try different router settings to find the culprit in of why the DVD player cannot simply read the drive contents. The easy work around for me that I currently use and I am fine with it is to disconnect the WD drive from the router and connect it to the DVD player USB port when I want to watch a movie, only then I can play any movie file stored on that drive, period.
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Understand the frustrations.
Sounds like that is a work around for now. I don't know when and if D-Link will get this fixed. They are aware of it and presume reviewing the situation.
One thing maybe that might work, You could see if a USB to network LAN adapter could help this. Just need a form of an IP address to connect to from the DVD player to the USB drive.
I have my USB drives connected to a dedicated Windows 7 PC and shared out that way.
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Hello,
I would like to support the discussion.
I also have problem with the content visible to the connected computers/TV. I'm using the router with WD 1TB My-Book HD and it non logically shows just a bit of the files/folders. I have a lot of pictures from same camera (let's say 90 GB) and I can see just a few of them trough the media server. I got none of my movies. Fact that could help the investigation is that in the movies folder I always see the first bottom folder, but not the files on it which is .mkv. Is there a chance that .mkv files stops the indexing. For examle my HD organization:
/
Films
3D
<FirstMovieFolder>
<file>.mkv
<SecondMovieFolder>
<file>.avi
Music
...
Pictures
...lots of folders with .jpg
and I can browse only till the blue folders. I'll try soon to rearrange the folders (at least I'll remove the first movie to see if it will succeed to show the second one correctly).
I posted in the topic for feature requests to have option to select folders to be scanned/indexed for different categories.
I don't know yet if the router support subtitles from separate file, but if not it would be really half functionality of a typical media server.
I'm very disappointed so far as I took this router mainly because I wanted to be able to share the HD content with my TV and PC without having them both working. And the product doesn't do the job. I have another very annoying problem with wired connection drops, but I'll post on the appropriate topic.
@FurryNutz I'm from Bulgaria, got the router from e-Bay UK.
When I updated trough the update button it got version 1.3 (not sure which region). I tried 1.4 (also not sure exactly which region)
Currently I'm with FW I got for the EU region (1.01b09) ftp://ftp.dlink.eu/Products/dir/dir-857/driver_software/DIR-857_fw_reva_101b09_ALL_en_20120504.zip
which is from http://www.dlink.com/bg/bg/home-solutions/connect/routers/dir-857-dualband-hd-media-router
I made 3 factory resets after I put the last FW and I made again the setup manually.
All these versions got the issues I mentioned.