From DVDFab Staff The first beta version DMS Cloud Manager is released out!

[Wilson.Wang]

Hi All,

We now feel very proud to release the 1^st beta version of DMS Cloud Manager.

The new DMS Cloud Manager is designed for the purpose of conveniently managing the multimedia library of your DVDFab Movie Server, but totally on the cloud. This is to say, with your Movie Server turned on and a live internet access, you can access and manage your multi-media library from anywhere, without having to sit next to your Movie Server anymore.

DMS Cloud Manager not only offers the basic functions, such as tag editing and custom management, available from Plex, Emby, and Synology Video Station, but also makes significant breakthroughs that have been baffling these traditional multimedia management solution providers for years. To name a few, the ability to manage the discs of bonus features, extra features, and the special editions of certain discs; and the ability of managing TV series, and movie combos, such as the 30-disc suite of Lord of the Rings plus The Hobbits, the Star Wars combo, etc.

With this stunning multi-media management ability from the Cloud Manager, and the equally stunning playback engine inside the Movie Server itself, DVDFab Movie Server now can truly live up to its fame as a 4K UHD Blu-ray Player.

What’s New:

1. All-new UI;
2. All-new media management method;
3. Powerful Tag editing;
4. Smart playlist;
5. Manage movies, TV shows and family videos;
6. Completely compatible with the NFO database of movies and TV Shows from Kodi;
7. The same file and folder naming method as Plex, Kodi and Emby;
8. Manage the media library on your NAS storage;
9. Brand-new video image processing algorithm that solves the banding problem.

Known Issues:

1. Does not support to add Windows Network;
2. Does not support to create smart playlist for TV Shows;
3. Does not support to edit the poster and background cover;
4. Having problems when filtering the movies;
5. When editing the media library, the genre is displayed as 0;
6. Does not support to search directors and screenwriters;
7. Does not support to select rating ranges when creating smart playlist;
8. Some minor bugs;
9. Supports English only.


Can’t wait to get your hands on the brand-new DMS Cloud Manager? Update to the new server please fllow below:

NOTICE before updating to the beta version:

1. About using the movie server offline
Most of the features are not available offline, such as the media library management and smart playlist; however, the basic playback functions are still available.

2. The response speed of the cloud server
Daily playback still access local data, the cloud manager is only for media managing and sorting.

3. Privacy
The communication between the movie server and the cloud manager is encrypted.

4. Data storage
If updated to this Beta version, the existing media data, such as poster and meta information will be erased, however, the official version shall fix this by installing the update package only.

Firmware Download:

New Firmware Download: http://download.dvdfab.cn/testing/SDK1009.zip

New Movie Server Cloud Manager webpage: https://dms.dvdfab.cn, login with your DVDFab account.

Old Firmware Download: http://download.dvdfab.cn/testing/SDK.zip

How to manually flash the firmware of DVDFab Movie Server?

Step 1 > Download the firmware and unzip the sdk.rar file. Copy the four files (bootargs.bin, fastboot.bin, recovery.img and update.zip) to the root directory of any FAT32 USB flash drive;

Step 2 > Power off the Movie Server and plug the USB flash drive into the USB port;

Step 3 > Press and hold the Reset button with a toothpick/needle;

Step 4 > Turn on the Power Switch 10 seconds before you release the Reset button, then you will see Android robot showing up in the display, wait until the firmware is flashed;

Step 5 > Once the firmware is flashed, you can then setup the Movie Server again.

Any feedback will be appreciated, thanks!

[signals]

Answers to questions from other threads:

1) Continue to development of the non-Cloud firmware.
2) As noted, you can always revert back to v1.0.0.8
3) Network share support for Windows will be restored in the next release
4) The update will not delete the currently stored movie file content (i.e.ISOs and folders) and the movie information will replaced and stored in the Cloud.
5) The next update will not be until after the National Day holiday in China, since the office will be closed.
6) This will not make connection to other devices (e.g. XBOX) more likely. Do not hold your breath on this one.
7) This will rely a little more on your internet connection, so if you need to improve it I suggest doing that before trying this.
UPDATE:
8) NTFS formatted HDDs will continue to be supported going forward.

This thread is open, you can post questions/feedback/results here. Please try it!

[ruddygore]

The what's new list is exciting. The fact that you are moving to a 100% cloud based product is a show stopper. I will be cancelling/returning the additional movie servers I recently ordered. Having all the movie information stored in the cloud is not an accepted solution for me:

1) Waste of internet bandwidth/metered connection continually re-downloading the movie information and media files. Problematic when internet connection is slow.
2) I need the movie box to function when there is no internet available. (i.e. if I'm traveling - thought this was the point of the captive HDD?)
3) I use the movie box to play videos (home movies, cartoons, etc) that are not commercial discs and therefore there is no commercially available meta-data.
4) Privacy - i have no desire to have details of my movie collection - what movies I buy stored in a cloud.
5) Performance - currently - even with the movie data stored locally there is noticeable lag and freezes as the movie server attempts to read and load the movie data when scrolling. This will only get worse with the data stored in the cloud.

I am very disappointed that you have chosen this design approach. I don't understand it. The three solutions you mention above (Plex, Kodi, Emby) all are zero or no cost solutions, run off of a PC, and don't require a box. To my knowledge none of these solutions store your metadata and movie collection information in the cloud.

This certainly was not obvious when you first started promoting this produce or I would not have pre-order a unit.

Very Disappointing,

Bruce

[signals]

ruddygore,
That's excellent feedback and some of these things may already have been taken into account, information is still sketchy and the office is closed. Objections noted and passed up the foodchain.
4) should not be an issue, it is protected by username and password, no one else can access it but you.
5) I have not noticed on mine, which is an early prototype with only 8GB RAM.

[Hunter1955]

Well I've installed the Cloud Server. Not having a lot of luck. Movies show up and can be played via the Local Videos Sat 1 Hard Drive file folder section.
The Movies section says my media library is empty
Not sure what's happening. I tried formatting the drive via my PC and then formatted the drive via the MS. no difference either way.

I just tried to create a copy via DVDFab 10. Tells me There isn't enough free space on the Partitions of the HDD inside the Movie Server (Sata2: -1.00B free)
Clean it up

Got the DVDFab issue fixed. Restarted DVDFab. I must have had it opened when I first formatted the HDD on my PC because after doing that and installing the MS Cloud firmware the MS created sata2. It went back to sata1 after I formatted via the MS

[Hunter1955]

An update: I ran dvdfab and created a movie file automatically sent to the MS. It shows up in the Sata Hard Drive 1 folder listing and will play from there but
the Movie listing still says my library is empty. I
m going back to 1.0.0.8

[tiger21]

I hate to say this but this seems to be a huge step backwards. After loading this all the previous versions problems that are now fixed are there and worse. Half of my movies are in Mandarin, Duplicates are now there that were not before. Example, I have Ben Hur in English and Mandarin posters. When I try and change them it finds the movie it is supposed to be but then changes it to an empty poster with no name. It has decided almost all my tv shows are personal videos. The new website is very slow and all I get are loading circles on my screen the entire time. It never fully loads. The last version before this had all of that fixed. All my movies had been corrected and l was only missing the ability to not have to re-scan my network movies every time I had shut down the unit. Now it does that but everything else is back to all the bugs of the original.

[Logandros]

Glad I read the comments... I'm sure it will improve but I've had issues with audio that were never resolved so who knows. Not sure how I feel about the privacy issue, I mean it's just meta-data but I can certainly see why this would bother people.

[KBoz]

I'm not really sure why this means. I have a Plex server running today for streaming and I also use it at home on occasion. It's a bit more cumbersome than the DVDFab and I like the option of seeing all of the content (specials) using the menu when I want it. Never was sure why Plex didn't provide the same feature. You can run ISO files with Plex but it takes a little set up. I like the idea of having my storage local and the comments say manage my NAS via the cloud. I'm perfectly fine allowing me to access movies locally or over the net when I want but at home I get much better reproduction if its off the local HDDs. I've also connected my QNAP server that I use for Plex to the MS and it works quite well.

I really don't know why DVDFab offered special hardware if they're now basically stopping support. A cloud based solution could have been provided either via the QNAP they're already offering or via web apps and I still haven't seen how I'm going to view on an LG TV in my hotel in London or elsewhere.

[FrankD]

This is an unacceptable development direction. It would be ok if that cloud solution acts as a backup solution that synchronizes/replicates with a local metadata database.
What if DVDFab folds for some reason or gets blocked by local isp due to ''copyright infringement'' legislation? We are left with an unsupported brick if that happens.

Software in alpha stage should not be let loose on us as 'beta' software. Loosing existing work by installing this beta is a no go. Unclear to me if the work is lost forever or that it is just temporary unavailable until the next 'beta' version.

Very disapointing to say the least...

[FrankD]

....fame as a 4K UHD Blu-ray Player.

And when exactly can we store 4k UHD blu-ray movie discs on this movie server?

[ThemaV6]

I know this new version is only Beta but having just tried it I found that it was clearly not even beta release ready therefore have reverted to the previous version, despite the version provided in the above link being 1.0.0.3 so then had to let it do a OTA update. Can the reversion link actually provide 1.0.0.8 for those that wish to go back,

I found that:
1) no movies got recognized automatically
2) In the new meta engine it only showed less than half of the files under Videos and nothing anywhere else.
3) The meta search engine fails to find most items and seems to only search on the first word. Even then it fails to find just simple titles.
4) When it I did find a match it just sat there with a refreshing icon but did absolutely nothing.

I think I shall wait until this has been actually tested and formally released and then probably only after several following updates (and only if the old version provided is 1.0.0.8).

Disappointed ....

[signals]

All,
Thanks all for the continued excellent feedback, this is an early Beta and will be improved, there is a long list of Known Issues in the release notes.

[tbrown25]

I'm afraid this is a complete show stopper for me as well. Sine DVDFAB has moved to an unadvertised method of operation that is completely unacceptableI would expect to be able to return the unit for a full refund. How do I do this?

[gaeliz]

I agree with the comment of "tbrowm25", I already own 3 DVDFab MS units, version 1.0.08 is not a solution far from being a mature firmware with more bugs that 1.0.07 did not have. All this is unacceptable, more than disappointed after all investment I did with three MS and local drives, going in the could is ridiculous. Tell me that you have a roadmap that will not go the direction of what I think you are going...