The customer has already elected to return the item, so we will process the refund upon receipt.
It’s a shame, but if they aren’t happy with the device, it’s for the best.
Sam
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Sam
Your trying to display a compassionate air: what a pity then you haven’t posted your passive aggressive comments to me!
This is getting us nowhere fast!
Can we start again?
Having updated my TV I wanted to continue streaming my movies from my PC. I currently use a WDTV Live streaming box and Serviio on my PC. I have configured Serviio to map my movies which are contained on a caddy drive. This is for two reasons, to protect the files from virus attack (had one once and it damaged all my backup drives connected to the PC too, so now keep them away from the rest of the system) and to minimise the up time for the drives which although having a 5 year warranty, as I only watch movies at the weekend feel the permanent on-time of a NAS system is unjustified.
Before selecting the Vero 4k box I did a lot of searching regarding capabilities of the various options and found a lot did not perform 4k streaming using the higher bit audio such as TrueHD and Atmos, which the 4k claimed to do “play anything anywhere”. I also searched your website and gleaned some knowledge of Kodi, its history and use. There was nothing at that time to give me any reason for not purchasing a Vero 4k. I am a retired chartered engineer with electrical and electronic design experience coupled with a limited programming ability, so there was nothing to scare me off. I also like the idea of open source projects.
When the box arrived I was disappointed with the limited instructions. Apart from a very brief description regarding connection there was no material regarding the use of the box nor the software it contained. As with any new system it can be daunting at first but the screens appeared to be fairly easy to follow and as I had previously set up other equipment on my wired network managed to get the box setup mainly completed. I tried undertaking an initial backup to the 128Gb U3 spec. micro SD card installed, but this consistently failed with ‘unable to backup a tar file’. So I moved on.
The network reported it was working and actually updated the box, so I knew this was working; however, as the Vero was seen on my network by other devices I couldn’t work out how to configure the connection to my PC files. As I needed further help, I followed the advice provided regarding reference to the OSMC website and to contact information to talk to the OSMC customer services team which I am unable to find on your website. After some searching I couldn’t find a viewable or downloadable manual for the OSMC operating system. Thinking there must be one somewhere signed up for the community where I posed this question.
In response I was given a link to some Kodi websites. This was fine except for the fact that the Kodi software does not look nor work in a similar fashion to your OSMC operating system. On the Kodi system connecting to the network files appears to be a doddle using a GUI type interface; however, on the OSMC system, you need to manually input the address of the files. I tried a few options but nothing worked, so raised another question to the community. Your later comment suggested that OSMC is far superior to Kodi, and yet I find the GUI interface demonstrated provides a much easier method of connection than having to enter text, particularly as I have never been provided with the text format I need to enter.
During this process I came across a bug with the display, which I also reported to the community. The blue pop-up panel which appears when you press the left option in certain positions only displays half the panel. As I have been advised to change my TV setting and could find no way of doing so, the manufacturer’s support have now given me the settings and this now displays correctly. It should be noted though that they set this default due to visual abberations that may be present during some viewing modes. If I have to change this back then the original setting to improve my viewing experience this will still be a problem. It should also be noted that my existing WDTV Live popups are not affected by either of these two settings.
Because of the continuing problem with accessing my files, you gave me instruction to create debug logs. My response was to query what these logs would do regarding the input required to access the files. Your response was that they would provide you with the necessary information, so I look forward to receiving a reply and fix.
This got me thinking. What else could I try? Does the Vero play anything locally?
I disabled the hard wired connection and setup the WiFi (as previously noted I prefer to use only a hard wired network), but this proved to be acting the same. I then copied a 4k movie onto a USB3 flash drive and tried that. It played but stuttered and paused so much the movie was unwatchable. I then placed several sample image, music and video files on a USB 3 flash drive and tried to run them. The image was seen and displayed; however, moving on to music and video the same flash drive could not be found? Strange?
Playing about with the settings again things just didn’t appear to be working as they were before, so I decided to remove the WiFi connection in case that was interfering. After doing so, I thought it might be a good idea to go back to my original wired connection, but this time I just couldn’t make a manual connection. It kept defaulting to a The buttons weren’t behaving consistently. So I found out how and forced a full factory reset.
From reset having done nothing else, I inserted the flash drive named ’TEST’. In the ‘Pictures’ menu this drive is listed and you can display the image from the flash drive. In the ‘Music’ menu this drive is not displayed; however, it is confusingly displayed under sub-menu ‘Files’. I have to assume you have made means of access for these files deliberately different, but cannot understand why! Both an MP3 and FLAC file play, but for some reason that may be related to my TV, not through the soundbar HDMI cable.
In the ‘Video’ menu, again the flash drive isn’t listed, it is accessed under sub-menu ‘Files’. At this point I would like to clarify the need to display ‘System Volume Information’? What purpose does this serve the user? An SD file plays, and AVI 702 file plays, a 1080p file plays; however not one of the 4k clips provided by TV manufacturer’s to display 4k capabilities plays without stuttering. These get progressively harder eg more bits higher sound stream etc. and as they do the video goes black until the last one just displays the OSMC sad face blue screen.
Repeating these test using an internal U3 micro sd card was marginally better for the video. The last one playing the track with stuttering instead of just being black.
I also noted that despite being a ‘factory reset’, the ‘Video’ list displayed the ‘PC’ and ‘TV’ options I tried deleting previously. Also the settings made have been retained, so this is clearly not a factory reset! Surely these should have been removed automatically? Despite the instructions given, I still cannot find the necessary key presses required to delete these entries. Please advise.
I then undertook another ‘factory reset’, setup degug mode, as advised, then repeated the sd card tests. See attached debug log. No other settings were made due to the reset not restoring them to the defaults.
I did this twice! The first time I tried to save the log to the sd card using the MYOSMC logger, I found no log existed. My second attempt had the same result. So, due to additional problems with the box, your operating system or instructions I am unable to provide you with the files you have requested. I have also tried the upload log option @20:10 01/03.20.
The screen reports ‘URL https//paste.osmc.tv/ofulodigel’ Please advise if you have received it.
Please provide me with an alternative method that may work.
This testing process has raised additional questions regarding the Vero 4K capabilities:
Why isn’t the box playing any of the 4k movie file formats correctly?
Why does the operating system require similar operations to be done differently depending upon the form of media being played?
Why do you not provide the consumer with any basic assistance regarding the setup and use of your operating system?
You claim your operating system is superior to Kodi but cannot provide any basic support for it. If you advise users to refer to the Kodi operating system instead of your own then how do I get Kodi on the box to enjoy some operating system support and an apparently easier way of using?
You have advised the box turns off automatically when the TV turns off. Apart from a manual power reset how do I get it to turn on when the TV turns back on?
After a week of increasing frustration I now look to you to provide me with a solution to meet your claims as to the Vero’s and OSMC operating system capability. So far, apart from updating, the box has not been able to do any of the supposed tasks it is capable of.
I have received some positive feedback and support for this box from other users, so have to wonder what they are doing with their boxes which I cannot achieve with mine.
I haven’t posted any passive aggressive comments. I have sent you a returns label and encourage you to return the item while it is within the return period if you are continuing to have problems. I think a couple of issues we are having here is that you need to follow the instructions and also need to provide as much information as possible for the outright.
For example, if your intention is only to use Servio to serve files, you can probably just add it as a DLNA source which does support browsing. More on that later.
Unfortunately I can’t tell – because your logs don’t show any attempts to play any content.
What you are referring to is Library Mode. All files can be accessed and played under the Files section. Some people prefer to have a TV Shows and Films library, which relies on metadata from external sources. This needs to be configured if you wish to use it. See https://kodi.wiki/view/Video_library. I would focus on getting your files showing up first.
There is a manual in the box, as well as the OSMC and Kodi wikis. We like to keep the paperwork light as the documentation is easier to update and maintain online.
We don’t. Kodi isn’t an operating system. The difference between OSMC and Kodi is explained clearly here: Frequently Asked Questions - General - OSMC. You are already running Kodi, which is why we are referring you to this documentation.
The device can be turned off and woken by going to Power → Suspend and then later it can be woken up by pressing any button on your remote. As advised via email, it sounds like your TV is shutting down the device when it is turned off. This should be configurable under Settings → Input → Peripherals → CEC adapter. There may also be an option in your TV settings to adjust this behaviour.
I think you’ve found that now. You can either go to Contact - OSMC or click the My Account button and click the Support tab to open a new ticket.
If you’d prefer the Kodi look and feel, then you can get this. Go to Settings → Appearance → Skin and change it to ‘Estuary’'. This is the skin that you are seeing in the Kodi screenshots on their Wiki.
However – I don’t feel that this will solve your problem if you want to connect to SMB shares. Browsing for these types of shares is no longer possible by default, because Microsoft removed support for SMBv1 due to security vulnerabilities discovered in this protocol. SMBv1 vulnerabilities were responsible for the WannaCry attack on the NHS in the summer of 2017. It can be manually re-enabled, but we do not recommend this. There are more details on that here: File sharing with a NAS, media server, windows share or other device.
It sounds like you only want to access from files from Servio, which from a quick glance is a DLNA server. This type of service is discoverable (i.e. point and click to find) in Kodi. Try following the instructions here: https://kodi.wiki/view/UPnP/Media_source to see if you can find the Servio server.
This really isn’t a bug. I don’t know how we can make that clearer. We have a very large user base and occasionally a user stumbles across this. The problem is that their TV is configured in a way that is not displaying a 1:1 pixel mapping. Therefore any boxes in the corner will be chopped off; as would any details in the picture when watching TV. For the best results, you should set it to ‘1:1’ or ‘Just Scan’. The exact nomenclature depends on the make and model of the TV.
I’ve checked the logs, but unfortunately, the logs are not debug logs. Can you please follow the instructions put here
Logs are not very persistent – so the idea is to reboot, enable debug logging as mentioned above, reproduce your problem, i.e. 4k video won’t play, then upload logs via My OSMC. I’ve seen in your settings that Adjust Refresh Rate is disabled. You should enable this under Settings → Playback. Note: you may need to set settings level to Expert in the lower left corner.
Do you have a link to these files?
How is the drive formatted?
I don’t think you’ll need to do a reset as you haven’t made extensive changes, but you can completely reinstall OSMC by following this: Reinstalling OSMC - Vero 4K - OSMC. This can be considered a deep clean.
I’ve covered this earlier.
It sounds like you’ve inserted an NTFS formatted drive. This is a directory created by the filesystem by default.
A log after the blue screen would be useful. Keep in mind that we do not recommend NTFS formatted drives for high bitrate playback. ext4 should serve you better.
Unless you’re debugging a problem such as no Internet connection, it’s easier to upload logs online directly as you did earlier.
Sam
If your not going to return the Vero then I would suggest to stick with Serviio if figuring out smb networking and the concept of the Kodi library is proving difficult. Since you said other devices can see the Vero, and I personally confirmed that Serviio works with OSMC, I would suggest looking into the permissions in your Serviio settings to make sure that it is not being blocked there. When I tested it I just left everything with default settings (no permissions) and the only configuration was to point it to one of my movie folders. I then just went to my OSMC box, turned on UPnP, and was able to add it as a source in the files section (by browsing, no typing anything) and I was playing a movie without issue.
Serviio and its use are not the issue. Serviio installs on my pc and automatically finds and connects to the appropriate devices. WDTV Live finds then prompts you for a connect, as does every other device I have on the network: all except the Vero. In OSMC the Vero box is seen by the network devices but you have to input text for the device to access it. Despite several attempts on my part to get assistance for this issue you have still to provide any information as to the text format. Since Windows 95, the ability to select by gui has been the norm. OSMC appears to have gone back 25 years in this regard. As I have provided the device information this should not be a problem for you to assist me, nor for that matter anyone else who needs to connect the Vero to other devices ie everyone. Please confirm when you intend to support this issue.
In the meantime, I shall attempt to install Kodi which appears to list the devices by gui, as expected and also has documented support.
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“It sounds like you’ve inserted an NTFS formatted drive. This is a directory created by the filesystem by default.”
If I am to expect to play 4k files, then the drive will either be exFAT or NTSC. This displays when either of those formats are used. As I have never seen before when using exFAT or NTSC folders and as it serves no purpose there is no reason to display it in OSMC and it should be disabled.
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“I don’t think you’ll need to do a reset as you haven’t made extensive changes, but you can completely reinstall OSMC by following this: Reinstalling OSMC - Vero 4K - OSMC. This can be considered a deep clean.”
As there is clearly a problem with the Vero playing 4k files of any type I want to be able to check the operating system is not corrupt from new. Your link advises to backup, but as reported the backup functionality isn’t working due to tar file errors. In order to comply with your directive that “ you need to follow the instructions” please verify how I undertake backup to either an external sd or the internal sd card without generating the tar error.
I downloaded disk image release 2020.01-1.
In the absence of any other information, I have no instruction to follow. Please provide me with a working instruction on how to install the disk image.
Firstly, I volunteer my time here to support on open source project that I use. I have no obligations to provide anything for anyone. As to the “text format” I have no idea what your talking about unless this information it asks for is a username and password that YOU have setup in Serviio. Did you want me to ask for your user/pass so I could repeat it back to you? Perhaps you should ask Serviio how to setup their software in Kodi.
Browsing for a source is enabled by default in OSMC for both UPnP and SMB networking. If you cannot see your Serviio on your Vero it would be because either it is blocked in your PC, or your router or other networking device is blocking multicast traffic. If you can’t browse a normal file share with SMB it is because you have not set this up properly on your PC including any firewall that may be in place, and enabling SMBv1, which is what allows browsing, and which is disabled in current versions of Windows for security reasons. If you had everything setup on your PC and wanted to add a SMB source without browsing then you would enter the file path as smb://192.168.0.1/[sharename]/replacing the ip address with whatever your PC uses. It should pop up a dialog asking for the username and password. This would be a valid Windows user/pass and not whatever you are using in your UPnP server.
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I have already reported that SMB is setup and working. My smartphone and tablet use this method and connect to my shared folders. So this is not the problem.
I have also setup the NAS option too, as advised.
You mention not setting up SMB properly and yet offer no support at all on how to do this.
In OSMC when browsing you only get the option to enter text. This is why I have repeatedly asked you for information as to what I need to enter, and why I wanted to try KODI as the option which does allow a gui selection. Your response has been to setup debug and send this to you. As reported debug doesn’t appear to work either. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then why not clarify at the time instead of wasting both our times with my providing you a debug report. What was the purpose of this?
I showed willingness to give you another chance to get this box working. As you now indicate an unwillingness to assist I have no choice but to return it.
Your previous argument that the box is fit for purpose are not supported by your comments and unwillingness to get the box working. I have also reported that it does not play 4k movies. Plays for 5 seconds, buffers for ten seconds.
As nothing I try works, I suspect the box is defective, but given your refusal to assist we shall never know.
You leave me no choice but to return it and if you don’t pay my return costs then I shall have to put this down to experience, your complete lack of support for this product and you entirely unprofessional attitude. If you sell a product you should be willing to support it at least to the point where a customer can get it working. Caveat Emptor!
Click Left from the text field to get to Browse. (As in, click Left to highlight “Browse” then click OK to select it and start browsing).
I would recommend you return the box. You do not seem willing to follow any instructions and as such we cannot help further.
Please return the box, as advised, within 14 days of receipt so you are eligible for a refund.
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From this statement alone, it is blindingly obvious that you haven’t read the prior response I wrote here at all.
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See that “Browse’ button to the left of the input field?
Try selecting it. Click left on the remote, then OK.
You’ll then be at the “Browse for new share” screen.
The ‘UPnP devices” selection should let you see your Servio box.
The “Windows network (SMB)” would in the past let you browse SMB v1 shares, but Microsoft removed SMBv1 many years ago.
Your Windows SMB shares may show up in the “Zeroconf browser”, failing that, you can enter your windows box IP using the “Add network location…” option
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Thanks for the response, but as Sam has stated Vero has no responsibility to support the product, any further attempt by me to just get the basics working would be another waste of my time.
Personally I think the box is faulty, (no properly developed product is this bad from new) but as Vero have such a sh***y attitude with zero customer support skills, I don’t want to waste any more time attempting to get the box going.
This Vero 4K box has been nothing but a waste of my time. I’ll purchase a box made for the job that will work first time, with a customer support that doesn’t blame me for the manufacturer’s own shortcomings. It’s a pity I didn’t record the video playback for YouTube to show just how bad the Vero is at attempting to play movies to let others know what they might be getting into.
What language do you speak??? You have been offered help many times, but seem to refuse that help. Do as Sam has said and return the Vero.
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We have repeatedly offered help here and you have refused to follow any advice or provide sufficient details for us to help you. I am not sure what else can be done.
I never said this.
I hope you are able to find a device that meets your requirements in the future.
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OK. I give up. I’m obviously wasting my time trying to hold your hand.
Return the device and go back to the old WD box.
Your loss.
All of you guys trying to help Anniebody are angels. I have no idea how you show such patience with people like this.
You have offered numerous ways to support Anniebody and they have ignored all your attempts and even had the nerve to try to suggest the box is faulty.
Smells like trolling!
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