Revieved Mustek PVR-A1 in mail delivery on March 15 2006. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sunday 26 March 2006, Mustek PVR-A1 malfunctioned. ----------------------------------------------------------- Mustek support European customers only support@mustek.de and Taiwan site http://www.mustek.com.tw/ -------------------------------------------------- Dear Kevin, Thank you for registering your Mustek products and creating your own personal profile with Mustek. As a registered user, you'll receive great benefits such as: 1. Product News. 2. Software Upgrades. 3. Expert Technical Support. 4. Special Promotional Offers. Your User ID is xxxxxx. Your Password is xxxxxxxx. Your Product is PmcPVR-A1. Visit the Mustek Member Registration Center at any time to update your profile, register your products, or change password at: http://www.mustek.com.tw/ We hope you enjoy your experience with Mustek! Sincerely, Mustek Member Registration Center -------------------------------------------------- Hello Mustek technical help, My name is Kevin Forbes, and I am in Australia, my PVR-A1 seems to have failed me. I recently purchased the unit from coverthiddencameras.com in N.Y. in the U.S.A. via the internet, a Mustek PVR-A1, and some other equipment. I posses a laboratory 240vac to 115vac transformer of 1.5 amps current capacity and the output voltage has been measured (digital multimeter) as 114.3vac and stable. The unit has worked brilliantly for the last week and a bit, it took a while to get here from the States. While uploading a Multimedia Converter (software bundled with unit) converted JPEG, the screen went all coloured pixels, like it was displaying the contents of memory, but, basically it looks like a TV on no station, just static. I cannot get my PVR to function. It will turn on, and the messed up static appears. There is no welcome screen. Nothing else functions. It will not turn off unless I remove either the battery or the mains supply. I then noticed that the software had actually converted the file immediately before it in the directory. e.g. I chose image 23 to convert, MMC program converts image 22 and deposits converted copy of image into the temporary directory. I tried this several times. It always did the same strange thing. I have read some comments at a PVR-A1 forum in Holland, one other person has had this happen to them, no-one has answers yet. I can not access the unit via the PC, it is not recognised when it is powered on, just the static screen appears. I have just deleted the MMC software as it appears to have an error that may have caused it to malfunction and mix up the file size of one file with the contents of another and then write it to the PVR-A1, it also seems to have written over an area of memory that should have been protected but was not. I would certainly appreciate some advice on this anomalous behaviour. I have also tried, battery out for 15 mins. then back in and power up, 256 MB SD card in and out, mains supply in and out, etc. as well as the various, 'formatting' and reset commands to the unit by holding down several of its buttons while powering the unit on, all to no avail. I will send you this message then re-start my machine, so that I can run the re-installed MMC software on the PC and observe its behaviour, although, I do not believe this will allow me to do anything about the actual PVR-A1 booting up fault, and I will still not be able to access it from my PC. I'll let you know what I found in a few hours. Thanking you in advance, Kevin Forbes. VK3UKF. (amatuer radio callsign) ------------------ Same thing happened again in the same directory. The software displayed 95 user selectable files, and one blank space with no name at location 5. There were actually 132 image files in the directory, a mixture of *.JPEG, *.JPG, *.BMP, *.TIF and *.GIF files. The software converted the images 1 to 4 OK, but after the blank space at location 5 and from then onwards, it failed. ?? Interesting. After observing this behaviour, I am leaning towards the PVR-A1's own MMC bundled software running amok. It appears to have a programming error that does not recognise all image files in the directory correctly. Most images are recognised, some are not and not listed as user selectable (missing from the UI display) At least one image had a space for it but no icon or name was displayed (a blank space at location 5). This may be due to some images not conforming with image format standards. This still tends to suggest the software needs a lot of work, an error appears to have been passed on throughout the softwares processes and been written to the PVR-A1 R.O.M. code area of memory, destroying the machine in the process. I have tried the software again by selecting several other image directories as the source. The results vary, depending on how many of what type of image format. E.g. 2. 7 files were placed in a directory, 2 x *.jpg, 1 x *.jpeg, 3 x *.gif, 1 x *.tif. Viewing the UI of the Multimedia converter software, The first image icon space is blank, then 3 images are available, the 2 x *.jpg and the 1 x *.jpeg file. The 3 x *.gif were not displayed. The 1 x *.tif was not displayed. I removed the *.gif files, leaving the jpegs and the tif file. The UI display on the MMC software on my PC remains unchanged, the first space is blank, then there are 3 user selectable image icons at spaces 2, 3 and 4. Any attempt at invoking an image conversion on one of the available image icons to be stored in the temporary directory results in the processing window appearing and nothing else, the blue working bar is blank, I am, however, able to cancel the operation by selecting the 'X' button. I remove the tiff file from the directory and select the directory selection button, change out of, and then back into that directory. All the files in the directory are now visible. 2 x *.jpg and 1 x *.jpeg. I select the first image at space 1 then select the convert button and it processes correctly and deposits an image into the temporary directory. I select the second image and it attempts to process it but there is an conversion error. Perhaps a bad jpeg. The third image *.jpg processes properly. It really does appear that the presence of a *.tiff file in your image directory while converting images with the Multimedia converter software, lays open the very real possibilty of destroying the PVR-A1's R.O.M. --- NOTE: Located software for Mustek PVR-A1 via google searching. PVR ISP software v0.92 downloaded. Obtained from website http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/ Specifically, http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/firmware/bin/PVRISPDownloadt_V092.EXE Various firmwares for the Mustek PVR-A1. http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/firmware/bin/PVR-V27A.zip Version 2.7A (400Kb) - Improve compatibility of SD cards. - IMPORTANT ! Read manual 2.6 here http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/firmware/bin/PVR-V26G.zip Version 2.6G (400Kb) - Solve the bugs in DPS mode. - Improve the quality setting for video recording. - IMPORTANT ! Read manual 2.6 here http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/firmware/bin/PVR-V24.zip Version 2.4 (400Kb) - Noise of earphone will be improved. - For this version the OSD data also must be updated. - Some units can be improved for compatibility to some external sources. - Support earphone with adjustable volume. - Open sound is improved. http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/firmware/ (broken link) Version 2.0 (???Kb) - high frequency noise during audio playback is adjusted. - max. lautness by speeding up video although soundless. http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/firmware/bin/PVR-V18.zip Version 1.8 (402Kb) - startup screen appears PVR Error- crash by speeding up MPEG video A forum exists http://pvra1.newmedia.nl/main.php?page=phpBB2 ------------------------------ PVR ISP software v0.92 installed. PC restarted. ------------------------------ Testing of Mustek PVR-A1 bundled MMC software continued.... ------------------------------ I place a *.bmp image into a directory. The software processes the image correctly. I place a *.tiff image into the same directory. Only the *.bmp image is visible at space 1. It processes OK still. I remove both files from the directory, and replace then with a *.jpg file. I change out of the directory and then back into it. The *.jpg image is there, the icon displays the thumbnail and the image selcts and processes OK. I place a *.tiff image into the directory. Only the *.jpg image is visible, occupying space 1 and it processes OK. The names of the two files I am using begin with the word 'rover'. The *.tiff file is 7,699kb in size. The *.jpg file is 88kb in size. I rename the *.tiff file to 'arover' and leave the *.jpeg alone. I leave the directory and come back in. There is no change, only 1 image is visible at space 1, the 'rover' *.jpg. ?? I place 2 more *.jpg files (90kb each) into the directory, leave and then come back. Now the first space is blank and the 3 *.jpeg image icons are thumbnails at spaces 2, 3 and 4. The *.tiff file seems to be occupying the blank space 1. ?? I remove the last two *.jpeg files that I placed into the directory. Leaving the *.tiff file and the original *.jpg. When these two files were in this directory together before, the *.jpg was listed first and processed OK. Now, there is a blank space and the *.jpg thumbnail is at space 2, the *.jpg is failing to convert, the conversion process window appears but nothing happens, I am able to cancel the process. The software appears to be displaying thumbnails for images available for conversion according to the time that they are placed in the directory. If I place the tiff file into the directory first, and then the jpg, the first image thumbnails space is blank. If I place the jpg file into the directory first, and then the tiff, the jpg occupies the first space. The tiff is invisible, but, affects the operation of the software, its ability to process images saved to the directory after the tiff file was placed there. I place 6 jpgs into the test Dir. 4 beginning with 'a', 2 with 'z'. All 6 images display correctly. I place a tiff into the Dir and they still display OK. I place 4 more jpg files into the Dir. Now The first 6 images are still at there original spaces, space 7 is blank, and the new four images are displayed as thumbnails at space 8, 9, 10 and 11. I rescale the tiff file reducing its size to 34 kb. I repeat the above procedure with first 6 jpgs, then the tiff, then 4 more jpgs. The *tiff file is now visible as a thumbnail at space 7, this has not happened before. I now suspect that this behaviour is dependant on a tiff file being over a certain size. I select the tiff file and it processes OK. The other files process as they had previously. I place a small *.gif file into the dir, it is not visible as a thumbnail by the MMC software. I remove the gif file. I place a 118 MB *.jpg into the test Dir. Now the anomaly has returned, The first 6 thumbnails are there, a blank at space 7, and then the last 4 thumbnails. I experiment with bitmaps up to 91 MB in size, with no problems. A 60 MB jpg causes the anomaly although an icon and name are displayed, there is no thumbnail image on it or the subsequent image icons. The conversion fails on the large jpg and subsequent files after it. After several minutes icons appear. Now all is well. All files convert. The program seemed to be making thumbnails from the large *.jpg image for a very considerable period of time. My system also ran low on paging space during the process. I repeat the experiment with the large *.tiff file and decide to leave it sit with the blank space for a long time to see if a thumbnail eventually appears for the *.tiff image. After ten minutes nothing has happened. ---------------------------------------------------- CONCLUSION ---------------------------------------------------- 1. I have shown that the presence of a *.tiff file over an as yet undetermined size in kilobytes, in an image selection directory, can cause the program to misbehave in a serious manner. Small *.tiff files are OK. Large *.tiff files are not. The behaviour is repeatable. 2. I have also shown that a large *.jpg file over an as yet undetermined size in kilobytes, in an image selection directory, can also cause the program to misbehave in a serious manner. Small *.jpg files are OK. Large *.jpg files are not. The behaviour is repeatable. 3. A *.tiff file 7,699 kb (7.7 MB) in size caused the anomaly to occur, but a *.tiff file less than 100 kb did not. A *.jpg file 60,000 kb (60 MB) in size caused the anomaly to occur, but, after several minutes thumbnails appeared and the functionality was correct. Smaller *.jpg images of 10 MB and less caused no errors or delays, although some may fail to convert, the software operates correctly. A *.bmp file 90,000 kb (90 MB) in size caused no errors or delays. Large *.tiff files seriously affect the softwares operation the worst. The software definately has bugs. The ramifications may be such that the connected PVR-A1 device is destroyed during such anomalous behaviour by the software that it was bundled with, initiated when large files of certain image formats are encountered, the file sizes required for the anomaly to be initiated vary for the image format of the file. Kevin Forbes, VK3UKF. ----------------------------------------------------------- Mustek's response to my email No. 01. Dear Sir: Do you install the PVR-A1's driver in your PC? If you don't install the driver that PC don't look for PVR-A1. Do your PC connect the PVR-A1 turn on red light? Mustek Service ----------------------------------------------------------- Mustek's response to my email No. 02. Dear Sir: Already feedback mail to you. Please check it. Mustek Service ----------------------------------------------------------- My response to Mustek support. Hello Mustek support, I thank you for your response, however, the reply I received is most inappropriate. My thoughts about the response from Mustek. Mustek's response to my email No. 01. --------------- Dear Sir: Do you install the PVR-A1's driver in your PC? If you don't install the driver that PC don't look for PVR-A1. Do your PC connect the PVR-A1 turn on red light? Mustek Service --------------- It actually looks like a software response that tried to automtically respond to the enquiry. If it was, it failed miserably. If it was from a live operator, I am somewhat dismayed. The respondant has not realised that I mentioned a problem with software, which is installed when you insert the installation CD, this also installs drivers, so that the PC recognises that the PVR has been attached and automatically starts the Multimedia converter software. If I was comlaining about a fault in the software, how could I not have installed the drivers as well first. ????? There may be a loss of meaning in language translation. If I answer the questions put to me by Mustek support, eventually the complaint will be elevated to a higher status perhaps going to a senior investigator on the support team. ------------------- When I recieved the unit, (March 15 2006) I read the book first. Then I inserted the installation CD, and ran it, which, I assume, also installed the drivers. I then connected the PVR-A1. The Multimedia converter program automatically started. I began converting my media files and transferring them to the PVR-A1. Everything worked fine for a little over a week. Then.....disaster, a malfunction. I have just made a web page for the PVR-A1 and placed this problem on it with images. Because a picture is worth a thousand words. :-) Please have a look at this webpage that I have made. Look at the images of the problems, A. The malfunction on the PVR-A1 itself. B. The error in the software. and then respond regards my problem. http://www.qsl.net/vk3ukf/PVR-A1.html Look for the section titled, An investigation of problems encountered. I have placed some images that I found on a Mustek website on this page so that it clearly shows the unit for which the site is intended. I would like to place this page on the greater internet and allow other individuals to use it as a resource for the PVR-A1. At the moment their are no external links leading to this page. It exists at the moment exclusively for your perusal and possible approval for the use of your images. I await your next communication so that we may progress towards a possible solution. Thanking you, yours faithfully, Kevin Forbes, VK3UKF.