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notbananas
12-01-2012, 06:48 AM
I have been using an actual paid version direct from Mezzmo for a few months and never giving any trouble. Now for some unknown reason, I get 4 Mezzmo icons on my TV with all having the same jumble of cryptic sequence of nonsense numbers under them, and none of them are working, they are all greyed out instead of green with the Mezzmo icon.

I also have Serviio (BTW, it's free so I got what I paid for on this one) which is working. I have Amazon Prime, Netflix, and all the other items on the screen work fine, so I know it's not my equipment.

Mezzmo used to work fine, then all of a sudden it quit working. I am not a computer genius, nor a TV guru, so I have no idea where to start looking for the problem fix.

I guess time to search for another DLNA server. It was fun while it lasted. This just became shelfware #231 (Definition of shelfware: you risk $29.95 and if it doesn't work, you put it on the shelf and never waste time screwing with it again).

JohnM
12-01-2012, 08:28 AM
Sorry to see you feel that way notbananas. The icons on your tv is probably caused by the tv thinking a different version of mezzmo is running. The weird numbers are the hardware address of where it is running. I periodically clear the lists out since they tend to pick up a bunch of other stuff anyway. Now as to why none of them are working is the Mezzmo Media server running? Normally it is started when your machine boots up. That was why you had to provide the user name and password when you installed it. Start the Mezzmo application. On the lower menu bar (the silver one) see if it says Start Media Server. If it does than the server is not running which is why they are greyed out. Go ahead and start it. Normally it will not need to be started manually. If it won't start when you boot up, drop a note and you will have the problem diagnosed and fixed in short order. I also have several DLNA servers that I can use. Some free and some paid for. Mezzmo is the one that I use. Why? Because the playlists are simply fantastic when you compare them to the other servers. But the number one reason is that Mezzmo has and provides true world class support. They are here to make certain that we have enjoyable experiences with their products. Make no mistake I realize that others also have user support forums where people like myself will try to help you out. But they have people whose job includes supporting you. Hope you decide to change your mind.
John

notbananas
12-01-2012, 02:30 PM
I did start Servio manually because I disabled it to start upon booting of the computer. I have only one copy of Mezzmo on my computer, so I don't know why the TV would think there are 4 copies running. I looked at the installed programs in the Control Panel, and there is only one installed, not 4. Initially I might have had the demo version, and un-installed that and re-installed the purchased version. Even then, if the TV thinks it's still there, then obviously the un-install program is not working either.

I also like Mezzmo compared to Serviio and that's why I purchased it after using the demo. Again, why all of a sudden it quit working???? I bet if I un-install it and re-install, it would now have 5 copies of the grayed out icon on the TV. BTW, I also have my Sony BD player with the same issue: 4 copies of Mezzmo and all grayed out.

I re-started my PC many times and the last two times I disabled the autostart and started Mezzmo manually after all the other programs completed startup, like Avast anti-virus, Serviio, Skype, etc.

My point to all of this is why do I now have to become a computer engineer to hunt down the problem when everything else is working, including Serviio (which I don't like). In my opinion, there's a design flaw somewhere that needs to be corrected.

I'm using Win 7 Enterprise version. Below is a map of the DLNA setup I have:

345

JohnM
12-01-2012, 05:10 PM
The Sony BDP does have the problem of identifying Mezzmo several times. I have 7 Sony BDPs and they all do it. Upgrading Mezzmo to a new version is what I think causes it. Again it is an annoyance but easy enough to get rid of the older versions. On the Sony you got to network settings -> Connection Server if you push options it will let you erase the list. You can then test to find the current one (it needs to be running.) Or you can in the connection server select one and choose to hide it. If your server is shut off it will be grey so it is harder to not hide the working one. You do not need to become a computer engineer, and doing so may not help at all. Mezzmo appearing multiple times is because of the way the tv and bdp work. Mezzmo correctly states its version information to the requesting device. It is up to those devices to use the information properly. One thing that I would do is not start multiple dlna servers at the same time. In fact I have the windows 7 dlna server turned off. (Note that upnp needs to be running.) But I would definitely not run Serviio at the same time. I use win7 Pro X64 on my system I allow Mezzmo to start automatically and have never had a problem with it. I think it is confusing because multiple events are happening. First clear the lists from the tv/BDP. That is one issue but it does not affect operation. Once that is done make sure the Media server is running (if you do need to run them all at once at least make sure they are on different ports). Then check to see if you tv/bdp can see it.

notbananas
12-02-2012, 02:51 AM
OK, here's what I found. I deleted all servers (there were 8 including the 4 Mezzmos), and had it re-discover them. It keeps coming back with Serviio, even though it's not running, verified by Task Manager. I had Serviio and Mezzmo running at the same time before this happened, so I know it's not a Serviio conflict problem.

I verified Mezzmo is active but it never showed up on either the Sharp Aquos 80" TV or the Sony BD server list, and yet Mezzmo shows it's running.
So you are telling me that Sony and Sharp both don't know what they are doing and it's their fault, instead of a tiny little software company producing a $30 piece of software?

BTW, the reason I switched to Mezzmo is because Serviio has a huge problem of recognizing new folders and files, even though I ask it to refresh every 5 minutes. The 1st time I installed it, it took over 5 hours to discover all the files in my computer and was never able to completely register all the movies I had. Their excuse was to un-install, re-install, dance around the computer three times, bow to the sun god Ra four times, and light a candle for three days. In other words, just like Mezzmo, they had no clue what the problem was.

What now? Can I go back to the old version which worked?

JohnM
12-02-2012, 04:13 AM
Serviio must be running or it would not be seen. But that is neither here nor there. Yes you can go back to an earlier version. Note that some information may not be backward compatible. They did change the database a couple of times, so if you go back across one of those times you will have to rebuild the db. That means adding all the files again and getting the meta data. If you are willing to wait another day for their weekend to be over, Paul will be available to offer the best advice. Both to correct the issue and to roll back to an older version. If you can not wait that long here is a link to a previous version. Previous version, Mezzmo v2.6.7.0 - http://www.conceiva.com/downloads/2670_mezzmo-setup.exe You should note the naming convention to pick out the version that you want.

I did not mean to imply that Sony and Sharp do not know what they are doing. I did mean that the standards do not specify how they are to treat upgrades to the server version. That means they chose the way that they do it. It is not right or wrong, just seems to be weird at times. Many companies only implement the standards to a minimum level so that they can say they are compatible with the standard. Others like to implement everything they can. I do know that as a company Sony decided to limit its dlna implementation partly based upon where in the world you reside. For instance in the US market they do not permit AVI files across dlna. They do allow them in Canadian models. That is a decision only they could accurately explain. But I will give you odds it was because the studio folks thought that all the pirated versions of their movies in the US are in AVI format. Remember they make a ton of money by making movies, they will protect that market.

notbananas
12-02-2012, 05:17 AM
Thanks for the help. I will wait for Paul to provide input before I attempt to go back to previous version. I always thought that DLNA standard is a standard, so you either compliant or your not.

I remember a long time ago I heard that AVI format was created by Apple, so I guess they didn't want to be sued by them. Just guessing. Regardless of that, the Serviio and the previously working Mezzmo were both able to display any AVI file, so I don't think that's an issue.

Regarding going back to the earlier version is not a problem. Current version is 2.7.1.0

When I update, I delete the old folders and have Mezzmo scan all the folders anyway that I re-install. This usually takes about 20-30 min for a 4tb drive with about 3tb of movies. I have four 4tb and four 2tb drives in my PC. Of those, three of the 4tb are almost full and two of the 2tb are full.

I'm copying all my BD , DVD & audio CD disks to the server so I don't have to watch 5min of previews and 10 min of commercials on some of the new releases. I have two Sony 400 disk BD changer so it will take time to get it all done. That's why I want to find a reliable and flexible DLNA server software.

Another item I like to figure out is how do I get thumbnails to display on the Sony BD when it shows titles? Mezzmo has it on the PC, but it's not displayed on the TV.

JohnM
12-02-2012, 11:35 AM
The Sony will not display thumbnails. Sorry. Yeah I knew it didn't take long to add the movies. It takes a lot longer to go through and recapture all the meta data. Then there is the effort to rebuild the lists. I use a lot of smart playlists of a rolodex type list then there are the sets. For instance all the batman movies I capture in a set. I created sets for anything with two or more movies in it. Makes it real easy to find stuff. I knew that Mezzmo could show the AVI files. What I was refering to is that Sony requires transcoding to show them on American players. It is just BS.

notbananas
12-02-2012, 11:52 AM
Off subject: Which device would you recommend that would display thumbnails, or what would I need to display them on the Sony?

notbananas
12-02-2012, 02:03 PM
FYI: Un-installed 2.7.1.0 and re-installed previous version 2.6.7.0 and all is well. It works fine now.

Does this mean that I'm stuck with this version forever? Is there a way to figure out what the problem is?

jbinkley60
12-03-2012, 05:42 AM
Off subject: Which device would you recommend that would display thumbnails, or what would I need to display them on the Sony?

Here's a thread I started trying to get folks to provide input on the capabilities of various DLNA clients (end points). For this thread (http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/3856-Streaming-Endpoint-Thread)your question about thumbnails equates to cover art support. There are a number of devices that do support them.

Paul
12-03-2012, 09:46 AM
I have been using an actual paid version direct from Mezzmo for a few months and never giving any trouble. Now for some unknown reason, I get 4 Mezzmo icons on my TV with all having the same jumble of cryptic sequence of nonsense numbers under them, and none of them are working, they are all greyed out instead of green with the Mezzmo icon.

I also have Serviio (BTW, it's free so I got what I paid for on this one) which is working. I have Amazon Prime, Netflix, and all the other items on the screen work fine, so I know it's not my equipment.

Mezzmo used to work fine, then all of a sudden it quit working. I am not a computer genius, nor a TV guru, so I have no idea where to start looking for the problem fix.

I guess time to search for another DLNA server. It was fun while it lasted. This just became shelfware #231 (Definition of shelfware: you risk $29.95 and if it doesn't work, you put it on the shelf and never waste time screwing with it again).

This issue sometimes appears for Sony device owners (like yourself). We have fixed the problem. Please email us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com for a patch to get back up and running with the latest version.

notbananas
12-03-2012, 03:39 PM
Arghhhhh! Now that I have it working, I wanted to watch a few videos. Would you believe there are many files that come back as "No file" on the TV and can't watch.

Some of these are AVI and MKV. They work perfect on my PC when using VLC Media Player, so I know it's not the files. What can be the problem??

Paul
12-04-2012, 10:01 AM
Please send us a set of logs when you try to stream these files and we'll see what's going wrong. Turn on logging (see http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/419-FAQ-How-to-turn-on-diagnostic-logging) and restart your Mezzmo server. Then try to stream some of the files that come back as "No file" and, after they fail, stop your Mezzmo server and exit Mezzmo. Zip up all the logs and email them to us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com.