[Dune Hd Iptv M3u
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Dune players have a limited support for IPTV channels playback. You can usethis feature only if your Internet provider provides IPTV channels matchingthe following specifications:
- Non-encrypted channels (free access).
- Multicast UDP (raw UDP) or multicast RTP (RTP-over-UDP) protocols.
- MPEG2-TS container.
- MPEG2 or H.264 video codec (any video resolution from SD PAL/NTSC to FullHD 1080p).
Approach A. Use .M3U files. Just put multicast IPTV URLs corresponding toavailable IPTV channels (udp://@ip-address:port, the same syntax as used inVLC PC application) into one or several .M3U file and launch these .M3Ufiles in the player.
Approach B. Use nice-looking menus with logo icons for each IPTV channel.Download and use an existing configuration prepared by someone else (seebelow for sample configurations), or create your own configuration usingthe so called "dune_folder" mechanism (more details).
Additional usage information:
- Use the PLAY remote button to launch the playback of IPTV channels in the file browser (when a folder contains links to multiple IPTV channels). Then use the MENU remote button to switch between IPTV channels.
- Use the PLAY remote button to start/stop recording of the IPTV channel during playback. Each recording session is saved as a separate .TS file in the "IPTV_recordings" folder in the primary attached storage. The primary attached storage should be properly recognized by the player and should have filesystem writable by the player (EXT2/EXT3 or FAT).
Overall the Dune Smart D1 is a solidly built machine. It may be a little deeper then some would like but otherwise has a very small footprint. At no point did I notice any sort of heating issues.
The UI on the Smart D1 is identical to the BD Prime (for more in depth analysis of the UI head over to the BR Prime review). Although not horrible the UI is still very basic, with a windows explorer type experience while navigating through your media. This is hopefully an area that HDI addresses as more and more media players in the market are getting away from the boring stock UI that we have become accustomed to. Simply allowing the Dune to boot directly into a 3rd party jukebox would at least provide a quick and effective solution.
The Dune HD Smart D1 is listed as Gigabyte but it is not recommended to use this. This is the same issue that plagues the PCH C-200, however unless you are transferring files to/from the Dune over the network 10/100 is plenty fine for streaming media. As with the BD Prime testing out network performance over smb (you can see how I set up here), I did not have any issues playing back all my high bitrate content on the Smart D1. I did have Fast SMB enabled and I believe it is recommended that all users who play content over the network enable this feature in the settings.
I must admit I am disappointed that mkv chapter support has still not been addressed, as this should be a very basic feature to implement and one that many other players on the market supports. That combined with support for forced subtitles in mkvs (which slowly players are starting to support) would provide a complete solution for the many mkv users out their. Overall once again the Smart D1 hit a home run playing back my various test files.
When it comes to online content there is currently very little offered. I noticed a new icon showed up recently on the Main Menu called Kartina.tv which I had never heard of (from reading around it appears to be a site for accessing Russian TV, the last Russian show I watched was Rocky IV!). I am not a big online content person but as more and more players add support for online content I believe this is something HDI will need to address to make the Dune players a more complete player. I did test PlayON streaming from my Windows Home Server to the Smart D1 and had no issues with playback (although PlayOn is a bit of a hack solution versus native integration).
This is the area for me that is real important as the stock UI of the Dune is lacking in so many areas. I have been using Zappiti with the Dune BD Prime, so it was nice that once the Smart D1 was set up I was up and running with Zappiti on the D1 in no time. One thing I like about a 3rd party jukebox is the ability to centrally manage the jukebox. Some players such as the Boxee Box you would manage the jukebox from the player itself. When having multiple players this could add extra work as you need too manage each player individually. With Zappiti or the other 3rd party jukeboxes I can simply manage the jukebox from my PC and know that both the BD Prime and Smart D1 will be updated and in sync (this also comes in handy since a majority of the time I am updating Zappiti remotely). For more information on Zappiti see my guide here. I also hope to take a closer look at yaDIS 2.0 and MyMovies (for this one I am waiting for individual TV episode support before digging in to).
Just as with the Dune BD Prime the Smart D1 lived up to expectations. From a hardware standpoint it is very well constructed, fanless, and quiet. Undoubtedly when it comes to local video playback, the Smart D1 not only does it but it does it well, and I would argue for local video content the Dune is amongst the best out there. Like many of the other media players out there music and photos is a weak spot, and if that is an important area then I would recommend looking elsewhere. With the expanded lineup across a variety of price ranges this should as well open up the Dune to a wider consumer base. The challenge that will present the Dune players is how they evolve in the coming year(s). Online content (such as Netflix) is becoming more important (emphasis on the U.S market), and if more media players continue to add online content Dune runs the risk of being left behind. There is also Cinavia looming and the question of how it will impact the current and future Dune players (more on Cinavia and the potential impact shortly). A simple solution for the bland stock UI would be to more tightly integrate the 3rd party jukeboxes into the UI (the easiest way would be to allow the user to have the Dune load directly into the jukebox of their choice).
Overall I feel that HDI has another winner with the Smart D1 and others in the Smart series. Continued work should be focused on forging online content partnerships, enhancing the stock UI, and bringing new features to their players (such as source direct, mkv chapter support, and mkv forced subtitle support to name a few). For my setup my top priority is flawless playback of my local content (in particular HD content) with an emphasis on Audio and Picture Quality, and the Smart D1 does not disappoint.
I should also mention that for owners of the Smart series there will be an option to upgrade to the next Sigma chip once available. It is unclear though exactly what the cost will be associated with the upgrade, so for now we will just have to sit tight and await further details.
Hi, my name is Damian, and I'm tech gadget addict! Although I always had some interest in technology, it wasn't until I got my EX470 and more importantly found Mediasmartserver.net, that my interest became an addiction. My goal, aside from world domination and to see the Mets/Broncos win another championship, is to set up the perfect digital home where all my media is available at the click of a button. When I am not writing for Mediasmartserver.net you can find me over at my blog at or follow me on twitter
As I mentioned I am really surprised this has not been addressed as mkv chapters file is nothing more then a simple txt file. Navigating around mkvs with the directional keys is actually very easy to do but having proper mkv chapter support should be a given.
Nice writeup, Damien. I have the same two boxes at home, the BD Prime and the D1. No problems with either of them, other than an occasional audio dropout (momentary). With regard to the USB drive, do you know if I can move my USB drive from the back panel connector to the internal connector without having to reinitialize, or would I have to run through the setup again?
You may want to contact who you purchased your B1 from and ask them about this. IMO the user should have full access to the USB slot inside the case. If not then HDI should preinstall a thumb drive in
Damian.
thanks again for great insight!!
what group are these dune players marketed at?
i love the performance but without netflix, tunes, and good pics GUI i feel like these are delegated to just people with alot of high quality BD rips.
do you see the company doing anything to change that?
Products like the WD live plus may be easier to live with and have better WAF or dare i say it a boxee?!
Since for my wife as well the only time she uses a media player is to play back our local content (i.e. movies and recorded TV shows) the Dune has a very high WAF (using Zappiti as the UI). For music we use Sonos so that is a non issue. I still have the Boxee Box but currently I would not have my wife use it.
Hi damian.
Thanks for all the effort and the reviews, you helped me pick my player a smart D1, one question:Do you know of otther differences between the ipcontrol fw 101029 2349, and the current official beta fw 100916_2027?
I think the beta fw had a bug where if you played back DVDs (ripped or disc) the audio would stutter. This issue was fixed with the IP firmware. It appears there is one bug with the IP firmware where if you have PGS subtitles in mkvs it craps out (it is a little confusing though as the IP fw I have does not have this bug but the newer IP fw does). None of these issues may affect you though.
Zappiti is meant for the Dune and the Dune alone. If you plan on using the PS3 as your media player you are stuck with the PS3 UI. I understand why people want to make the PS3 work if you already own one (I own one), but honestly I find it is just not worth the trouble, and the limitations greatly outweigh the benefits.
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