Options
Pioneer BDP-62FD Issues
DHawthorne
Posts: 4,584
I'm reasonably sure this is a Pioneer issue, not AMX per se, but I'm hoping one of you guys has some experience with the beast that will help me.
I have a job with three BDP-62FDs in it, and I was controlling them via IP. After the initial setup, I had no trouble connecting to them and controlling them, and I thought it was a done deal. Well, the customer had a power outage, and when his power came back on, the BDPs weren't talking to the AMX anymore. I figured it was no big deal, and I went to the job and power cycled them, figuring they needed the network refreshed. It didn't work. I went into setup and changed the static IPs to something else, then back to what was in my program. I had a lot of trouble in the first place getting the units to accept the IP changes, and they locked up on me several times as I tried, but I eventually got them all talking again by doing it. Thinking there was clearly something wrong, I checked for a firmware update, ans sure enough, there was one available.
I should have left well enough alone. After updating the players, nothing I did would get them to talk on the IP connection again. I had to leave them that way for the weekend, and pulled one to experiment with at the shop. Of course, all the network data had to be changed to match my office network, and sure enough, it worked as soon as I entered the new IP info. But when I unplugged the player to simulate a power failure, no communications (and, by the way, this is via a direct telnet connection at this point, so programming and my module are not the issue - the player flat out refuses the connection, even though it worked before). If I go into setup on the player, it comes back (though it did *not* do that on site). But even if it is a solution, it's not viable as I can't automate it.
Pioneer tech support is useless. Maybe I just got a lousy tech, but all he would say is "if it can get online with the Internet, it's OK." No amount of explaining that the Internet wasn't the problem, but the control port, would get him off that mantra, so I gave up.
So, does anyone have any experience with these things that can help?
I have a job with three BDP-62FDs in it, and I was controlling them via IP. After the initial setup, I had no trouble connecting to them and controlling them, and I thought it was a done deal. Well, the customer had a power outage, and when his power came back on, the BDPs weren't talking to the AMX anymore. I figured it was no big deal, and I went to the job and power cycled them, figuring they needed the network refreshed. It didn't work. I went into setup and changed the static IPs to something else, then back to what was in my program. I had a lot of trouble in the first place getting the units to accept the IP changes, and they locked up on me several times as I tried, but I eventually got them all talking again by doing it. Thinking there was clearly something wrong, I checked for a firmware update, ans sure enough, there was one available.
I should have left well enough alone. After updating the players, nothing I did would get them to talk on the IP connection again. I had to leave them that way for the weekend, and pulled one to experiment with at the shop. Of course, all the network data had to be changed to match my office network, and sure enough, it worked as soon as I entered the new IP info. But when I unplugged the player to simulate a power failure, no communications (and, by the way, this is via a direct telnet connection at this point, so programming and my module are not the issue - the player flat out refuses the connection, even though it worked before). If I go into setup on the player, it comes back (though it did *not* do that on site). But even if it is a solution, it's not viable as I can't automate it.
Pioneer tech support is useless. Maybe I just got a lousy tech, but all he would say is "if it can get online with the Internet, it's OK." No amount of explaining that the Internet wasn't the problem, but the control port, would get him off that mantra, so I gave up.
So, does anyone have any experience with these things that can help?
0
Comments
1. If I put a static IP in the player, I cannot connect to it, period. This is a new problem with the most recent firmware; it used to work at least somewhat. I could get around this by reserving the IP in the router, if it wasn't for observation #2.
2. If the IP is set to DHCP, I can connect to it initially, but if I cycle power by unplugging the player (simulating a power failure), I can only reconnect if I do the following: (1) turn the player on manually, (2) reset the network switch. That seems to work consistently, but isn't an acceptable solution really. I've have to separate the network connections, and put the players on their own switch, then reset the thing with a relay periodically if I have no connection. Then, I've have to tell the customer they have to turn them on manually at least once after a power failure.
Unless someone has an insight or better info for me, I'm going to abandon IP communications and switch to RS-232. Pioneer needs to fix the control port, but I don't expect it to be a high priority.
Guh!! This always infuriates me about how manufactureres have responded to the whole 'energy efficiency' movement. Leaving a light on in a house uses far more energy than leaving a stupid DVD/BluRay player on with a trickle chaarge. Solder a danged battery to the circuit board for pity sakes!
It's an isolated area. I have a UPS on the controller, and every time the power has been out, it's been out long enough for the battery to run down on the UPS. So though that might improve the situation, it's not bullet proof. Though I suppose a single UPS for just a single player in standby ought to go a good long time.
No, it's worse than that. There is an option to turn off the power savings, and it works just fine as long as you are just sending the unit into standby. It's only when there is a power loss that it dies.
And whether using IP or RS-232, when there is a power outage, communications will not re-establish themselves until the unit is turned on manually.
I've gotten the direct number of a high level tech at Pioneer, and will be calling him once I think I have my data correct, but I'm not expecting much to be honest.
Besides that, it won't take a static IP. And by that I mean you just can't enter one. This is new with the latest firmware; I did it before updating, but now when I enter a static IP, then look at network info, it comes up all zeros. Neither of the Pioneer guys had an answer to this. I can reserve the IP in the router to get around this, but the stuff above makes it not worth it.
Which leaves one last problem. No matter how you control this player, if the power goes out, you lose control until the unit is turned on manually. Even RS-232. It has nothing to do with power savings; once you've done it, it's fine when switched in and out of standby, but the control ports all shout down if the power is removed, and don't come back until it's turned on again.
I think I'll be telling my sales guys to stick to the BDP-52 ... that one had issues too, but not as damaging as this.