Escient DVDN-552 User Manual

P/N: M22008-01A1

DVDM-552 USER’S MANUAL

THANK YOU

The team at Escient would like to take this opportunity to thank you
for purchasing an Escient FireBall product. Escient is committed to
providing our customers the most technologically advanced, yet easier­than-ever to use products that converge the power of the Internet with
home entertainment.

To maximize your enjoyment, please take a few minutes to review this
User’s Manual. It will guide you through all the features and benefits of
your new FireBall.

PRODUCT INTRODUCTION 6

ABOUT THIS MANUAL 6
RECORD YOUR SERIAL NUMBER
MANUAL DISCLAIMERS
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
TRADEMARKS & SERVICE MARKS 8
WARRANTY INFORMATION
ESCIENT PRIVACY POLICY 1
CONTACT INFORMATION 1
COPYRIGHT 1
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS 12

6
6
7

9
1
1
1

If you should need assistance please call our Customer Support Staff at

800.372.4368

The Escient Team

PAGE 2

SETUP 13

POWER STATES 13
FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW 1
REAR PANEL OVERVIEW 1
REMOTE OVERVIEW 1
ENTERING TEXT WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL 17

Entering Numeric Entry Mode 1
Typing Characters with the Remote 1

CONNECTING EXTERNAL DISC CHANGERS 19

Supported External Changers 19
Connecting Sony DVP-CX777ES CD/DVD Changers 2

LOADING DVD MOVIE DISCS INTO CHANGERS 21

Automatically Getting Disc Information 2
Getting Disc Information for a Range of Discs 2
Getting Disc Information for All Discs 2

4
5
6

7
7

0

2
3
4

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

ADDITIONAL CONNECTION AND HOOKUP
INFORMATION 25

AUDIO OUTPUTS 25
VIDEO OUTPUTS 2
RS-232 CONNECTIONS 2
IR CONNECTIONS 2
ETHERNET CONNECTIONS 28
EXTERNAL CHANGER CONNECTIONS 3

Changer Types 3
Control Connections 3
Digital Audio Connections 3
Analog Audio Connections 30
Sony DVD/CD Changer Hookup 3

REGISTRATION 31

TESTING A BROADBAND CONNECTION 31

WATCHING A DIFFERENT MOVIE IN THE OTHER ROOM 36
WATCHING THE SAME MOVIE IN TWO ROOMS

6

GETTING MUSIC INTO FIREBALL 39

7

RECORDING FROM THE INTERNAL CD 40

7

RECORDING FROM EXTERNAL CHANGERS 41

Automatically Recording CDs 42

0

Recording a Range of CDs 43

0

Recording All CDs 4

0

IMPORTING MUSIC FILES 4

0

System Requirements 45
Audio File Requirements 45

0

Cover Art Image Requirements 45

IMPORTING FROM A PC 46
IMPORTING FROM A MAC 4
RECORDING FROM OTHER EXTERNAL SOURCES 49
ERASING A CD-RW DISC 50

38

4

5

7

WATCHING DVD MOVIES 32

BROWSING YOUR MOVIE LIBRARY 32
PLAYING THE CURRENT MOVIE 3
SELECTING A DIFFERENT MOVIE 33

Movie Info 3

CHANGING THE GUIDE VIEW 3

View By Title 3
View By Cover 3

VIEWING BY GENRE 34

WATCHING A MOVIE FROM ANOTHER
ROOM 35

BROWSING YOUR MOVIE LIBRARY FROM ANOTHE
ROOM 36

PAGE 3

LISTENING TO MUSIC 51

BROWSING YOUR MUSIC LIBRARY 51

2

SHOW AND HIDE TRACKS 5
PLAYING THE CURRENT TITLE 5

3

SELECTING A DIFFERENT SONG 52

3

CHANGING THE GUIDE VIEW 53

3

View By Artist 53

3

View By Title 5
View By Song 5
View By Cover 53

CHANGING THE CURRENT PLAY MODE 54
VIEWING BY GENRE 55

1
2

3
3

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

LISTENING TO INTERNET RADIO 56

BROWSING INTERNET RADIO STATIONS 56
PLAYING THE CURRENT STATION 5

MANAGING YOUR MEDIA 58

CREATING PLAYLISTS 58
CREATING GROUPS 5
ADDING INTERNET RADIO STATIONS 60
UPDATING THE INTERNET RADIO STATIONS LIST 6
EDITING MOVIE INFORMATION 6

Editing Disc Info 6
Automatically Lookup Information for This Disc 6
Searching for Movie Information Manually 64
Tips for Searching for Movies 6
Selecting an Existing Cover 6
Edit Description 6

EDITING MUSIC INFORMATION 6

Editing Track Names 68
Automatically Lookup Information for This Disc 6
Searching for the Original Cover 7
Tips for Searching for Covers 7
Selecting an Existing Cover 7

EDITING RADIO INFORMATION 72
EDITING PLAYLISTS 7
EDITING GROUPS 7
DELETING MUSIC 7
DELETING PLAYLISTS 7
DELETING GROUPS 77

CREATING CDS 78

CREATING A CUSTOM MIX CD 78
DUPLICATING A CD 8
RECORDING FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE 8

PAGE 4

SETTING USER PREFERENCES 82

SETTING THE SCREEN SAVER PREFERENCES 82

7

Activation Idle Time 8
Other Modes 8
Retail Demo Mode 8
Photo Screen Saver Mode 84

SETTING YOUR TIME ZONE 8

9

CUSTOMIZABLE USER INTERFACE 8
ENABLING PASSWORD PROTECTION 8

1

MOVIE RATINGS 8

2

ETHERNET SETTINGS 89

2

SERVER SETTINGS 9

3

FIREBALL MUSIC SHARING 9
SELECTING THE AUDIO ENCODER TYPE 9

4

SETTING THE DISC INSERT PREFERENCES 9

5

VIDEO FORMAT 94

6

CENTERING THE FIREBALL SCREEN 95

7

ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S BRIGHTNESS 9
ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S CONTRAST 9

9

ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S SHARPNESS 9

0

ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S COLOR AND TINT 99

0
1

EXTERNAL CONTROL 100

3

SURROUND MODE SETTINGS 100

4

INSTALLING THE ETP TOUCH PANEL 10

Calibrating the Touch Panel 10

5
6

Changing the Touch Panel Button Overlay 10
Using Your Touch Panel 103

IR REMOTE CONTROL 10
DIRECT ACCESS CODES 10
PLAYLIST HOT KEYS 10
SERIAL COM PORTS 10

0

CONTROLLING FIREBALL FROM OTHER DEVICES 110

1

2
2
3

5
6
7
8

0
1
2
3

6
7
8

1

2
3

4
5
8
9

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

FIREBALL UTILITIES 111

GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FIREBALL 111
RESTARTING THE SYSTEM 11
UPDATING THE SOFTWARE 11

TROUBLESHOOTING 123

NETWORK PROBLEMS 123

2

SOFTWARE UPDATE PROBLEMS 12
RECORDING PROBLEMS 12

3

3
3

CONTROLLING FIREBALL FROM A WEB
BROWSER 114

SETTING UP THE FIREBALL WEB SERVER 114
USING THE WEB USER INTERFACE 114
USING THE WEB BROWSER AS A MUSIC CLIENT 11

BACKUP AND RESTORE 116

FIREBALL MUSIC BACKUP 116
FIREBALL MUSIC RESTORE 11

ID3 Tag Support 11

NETWORKED AUDIO USING FIREBALL MUSIC
CLIENTS 118

SERVERS 118
CLIENTS 11
LOCATING THE FIREBALL CLIENTS AND SERVERS 11

Central 11
Distributed 12

CONFIGURING A FIREBALL SERVER 121
CONFIGURING A FIREBALL CLIENT 12

Networking 12
Server Selection 12

ESCIENT TECHNICAL SUPPORT 122

PAGE 5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 124

SPECIFICATIONS 124

Video Specifications 124
Audio Specifications 124
Physical Specifications 124

5

3rd Party Certifcations 12
FCC Part 15, Subpart B 12

GRACENOTE® END-USER LICENSE

7

AGREEMENT 125

7

8
9

9
0

1

1
1

4
4

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

PRODUCT INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing a FireBall Media Management system from Escient (a division of D&M Holdings).

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

This FireBall User’s Manual is intended to provide the reader with an overview of the main features and benefits of the Escient FireBall Media
Management Systems. For more information, please refer to the Escient web site (www.escient.com) or contact your Escient dealer.

RECORD YOUR SERIAL NUMBER

The serial number for this unit is located at the rear of the device. Please record the serial number in the space provided below. Refer to it whenever
you call Escient Tech Support (800.372.4368) regarding this product.

FireBall Serial Number:

MANUAL DISCLAIMERS

At the time of printing, the screen shot images in this manual matched the interface screens. However, since FireBall has the capability of
downloading software updates and enhancements on a regular basis, the resulting screen updates may no longer match the images in this manual.
Please check the Escient website for more information about software updates.

PAGE 6

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

• Do not use this apparatus near water.

• Clean only with a dry cloth.

• Do not block any ventilation openings.

• Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus
(including amplifiers) that produce heat.

• To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove the cover. No user serviceable parts are
inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel.

• To prevent electric shock, do not use a 3 wire to 2 wire adapter plug.

• A three prong grounded outlet is required.

• You are cautioned that any change or modification not expressly approved in this manual or
approved in writing by an authorized representative of Escient could void your warranty and/
or your authority to operate this equipment.

• Prolonged use of any video device which produces a static (non-moving, non-changing) or
repetitive image on your projector, television or plasma display device can cause “screen
burn-in”. You are encouraged to leave the FireBall screen-saver turned on and set to the
lowest possible “time-out” duration. Warning: This device uses the mains plug as the means to
disconnect the unit, this unit remains powered unless disconnected from the mains source.

PAGE 7

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

TRADEMARKS & SERVICE MARKS

Escient®, the Escient logo, and FireBall® are trademarks of Digital Networks North America.

FireBall and Physital are trademarks of Escient®.

Other product names mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be
trademarks of their respective companies.

Music recognition technology and related data are provided by Gracenote®. Gracenote is
the industry standard in music recognition technology and related content delivery. For more
information visit www.gracenote.com.

CD and music-related data from Gracenote, Inc., copyright © 2000-2006 Gracenote.

Gracenote CDDB® Client Software, copyright 2000-2005 Gracenote. This product and service
may practice one or more of the following U.S. Patents: #5,987,525; #6,061,680; #6,154,773,
#6,161,132, #6,230,192, #6,230,207, #6,240,459, #6,330,593, and other patents issued or pending.

Gracenote and CDDB are registered trademarks of Gracenote. The Gracenote logo and
logotype, and the “Powered by Gracenote” logo are trademarks of Gracenote.

PAGE 8

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

WARRANTY INFORMATION

Terms of Coverage - Each Escient branded media management system sold comes with a standard one (1) year warranty. This warranty provides
no-charge coverage under normal product usage, for a period of one year from the date of registration and/or purchase (whichever is earlier). This
warranty program provides the following key features and benefits:

• Twelve (12) months service, parts and labor.

• Five (5) day turn around time on all standard in-warranty repairs. No charges to the customer other than in-bound shipping charges which are
determined by the shipping method. All return shipments will be via Standard Ground Transportation (approximately 5 business days).

• Twelve (12) months of regular hour telephone support (9AM to 7PM EST), Monday through Friday.

• 24-hour email response from the Escient Support Website.

• Software maintenance updates provided via a broadband or dial-up Internet connections.

• Access to 24-hour music and movie databases and entertainment services providing access to thousands of CD and DVD titles and associated
information.

What is Covered - The goal of this warranty is to cover operational problems that might arise with your product during normal use. This includes

failure to start, improper operation, or intermittent failures. As part of the warranty, Escient will pay for all labor and materials used in the repair of
the system. Escient reserves the right to use new or factory refurbished parts in the repair of these in-warranty systems. Escient will also pay for the
return shipment of the repaired system via standard ground transportation. At Escient’s discretion, the Company will repair or replace any system sent
in for repair. Upon repair, the product will be new or like-new in condition and will meet all necessary regulatory requirements.

What is Not Covered - Escient products are sold through Escient approved dealers. A number of items must remain intact in order for Escient to

verify and validate this warranty. Additionally, there are several conditions which violate Escient’s warranty program. These include:

• The product was not purchased through an approved Escient Dealer.

• Any product, on which the serial numbers has been defaced, modified or removed physically or electronically will not be covered by an Escient
warranty.

• Escient will not cover under warranty damage to the product as a result of accident, misuse, abuse, neglect, fire, water, lightning, or other acts
of God or nature, improper storage, unauthorized modification, or failure to follow instructions.

• Any type of unauthorized repair or modifications made to the system resulting in damage to the product will not be covered under this warranty.

• Damage caused to the product as a result of improper shipping or installation.

• Any problems related to the use of the product which is not a direct problem with the product.

• Damage caused to the product as a result of improper installation to third party peripherals or products, or incorrect connection to peripheral or
products.

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

PAGE 9

• Additionally, Escient does not cover the following items under the terms or its warranty programs:

• Installation or removal charges.

• Cost of initial technical adjustments (setup costs).

• Battery replacement.

Escient’s sole liability for any defective product is limited to the repair or replacement of the product at our discretion. Escient shall not be liable
for damages to other property caused by defects in this product, damages based upon inconvenience, loss of use of the product, loss of time or data,
commercial loss or any other damages, whether real, incidental or consequential.

Escient shall not be liable for damage or loss of data including but not limited to music recorded to storage devices. It is the customer’s responsibility
to maintain the original media and/or appropriate backup copies within the specific rights of the media’s copyright holder.

How to Return a Product - Contact your dealer or Escient’s Customer Support group at 800-372-4368.

Please have the following information ready for your dealer or Escient’s Customer Support technician:

• Product Serial Number

• Model Number

• Date of Registration or Purchase

• Place of Purchase

Upon reviewing the request for repair under warranty provisions, Escient’s Technical Support group will issue a Return Material Authorization
(RMA) number. This number is to be attached to the outside of the shipping carton. Additional instructions will be provided by technical support.
Please be sure to use original packing carton and internal packing materials to assure proper shipment of the system. Insurance costs are the
responsibility of the customer. Most shippers only provide standard coverage for $100 in cost so please protect yourself by providing additional
insurance for the returned product.

Out of Warranty Repair - Escient provides out of warranty repair service on a cost plus labor basis. Minimum charges will apply. Technical support

will provide information on this service at the time of the call.

PAGE 10

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

ESCIENT PRIVACY POLICY

Escient is committed to providing you with a product that you enjoy and are confident in using, and are committed to providing services in a private
and secure environment.

We recognize and respect each individual user’s privacy and have created this Privacy Policy to demonstrate our commitment to your privacy.

We want you to be fully informed about the information that we collect, why we collect it, and with whom we share it.

It is our hope that, after reading this notice, you will understand our commitment to privacy and be confident that we will use your information
responsibly. By using the Escient FireBall, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

The option to read the Escient Privacy Policy appears on the zip code screen of the Quick Start automatic setup procedure. In addition, you can
access the statement at any time by pressing the SETUP key and choosing the GENERAL menu, and then selecting the PRIVACY POLICY option..

CONTACT INFORMATION

Escient may be contacted by using the following information. Once you have worked with your local Escient dealer, we encourage you to contact us
if you are in need of any further assistance.

Escient
6640 Intech Blvd. Suite 250
Indianapolis, Indiana 46278
Phone: [phone] Press “2” for Sales, or “3” for Support
Fax: [phone]
Internet: www.escient.com
Email: [e-mail]
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 7pm EST

COPYRIGHT

This manual is copyright ©2006 by D&M Holdings and Escient. All rights reserved.

PAGE 11

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Following are terms used throughout this manual:

• Button - refers to a graphic item on the display screen.

• Group - a collection of similar music titles. Standard genre groups are provided and custom groups can be created by the user.

• Highlight - highlighting is used to indicate the user’s selection on screen. When the selection moves up, down, left, or right, the highlight
moves to the next nearest item. No action is taken (except that more information may be displayed on the screen) until the Select key is
pressed.

• Info Text Area - the portion of the guide screen used to display information about the highlighted title.

• Playlist - a collection of one or more music tracks or songs.

• Title - a collection of music tracks commonly referred to as a CD, Album or Playlist.

• Key - refers to one of the buttons on your remote or keyboard.

• MP3 - a compressed digital audio format. MP3 files are smaller than the original CD tracks and sound almost identical.

• FLAC - a lossless compressed digital audio format. FLAC files are smaller than the original CD tracks and are bit for bit duplicates of the
original.

• WMA - a digital audio format from Microsoft which stands for Windows Media Audio.

• Guide - a grid or list of information, used to browse your media library.

• Player - the screen used to display the currently playing media.

PAGE 12

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

SETUP

This manual assumes that you followed the printed “Quick Setup Guide” that came with your FireBall. If you have not properly connected your
FireBall to your audio/video system, please go back and follow the “Quick Setup Guide” guide before continuing with this User Manual.

POWER STATES

After the FireBall unit is plugged in, the Standby LED located next to the power button will flash red until the startup process is complete.

Please wait. This may take several minutes.

When the Standby LED is solid RED, the FireBall is now in a standby or “sleep” mode. There is no video output when FireBall is in standby mode.
Press the Power button (on the front panel or on the remote) once and the video output is displayed on your TV. The unit is now ON and the LED will
be solid blue.

To change from the ON mode back to the standby or “sleep” mode, press the Power button on the front panel or on the remote once. The video output
will go blank and the LED will be solid red.

If power is removed from FireBall for any reason, including a power outage or if the unit is unplugged, FireBall will automatically return to the
Standby state as soon as power is restored. When FireBall is turned on again, FireBall will return to the same source mode that it was in when power
was lost.

To force the FireBall to restart, PRESS and HOLD the Power button on the front of the unit for 4 seconds, and release it when the standby LED
starts blinking.

When the Standby LED is RED and FireBall has completed its startup process, press the Power button once to turn on the FireBall.

PAGE 13

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW

2 3 4

1

1 - POWER

2 - MOVIES SOURCE
3 - MUSIC SOURCE
4 - RADIO SOURCE
5 - CD-RW DRIVE
6 - TEXT DISPLAY & IR RECEIVER
7 - OPEN/CLOSE DRIVE
8 - NAVIGATION
9 - SELECT
10 - TRANSPORT CONTROLS & GUIDE

8

5

7

9

10

6

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

PAGE 14

REAR PANEL OVERVIEW

1

1 - POWER

2 - DIGITAL AUDIO OPTICAL IN (1-5)
3 - DIGITAL AUDIO OPTICAL OUT (1-2)
4 - DIGITAL AUDIO COAX OUT (1-2)
5 - ANALOG AUDIO OUT (1-2)
6 - ANALOG AUDIO IN (1-5)
7 - VIDEO OUT: COMPONENT, COMPOSITE, S-VIDEO (1-2)
8 - VIDEO IN: COMPONENT, COMPOSITE, S-VIDEO (1-5)
9 - COMMUNICATION PORTS (1-6)
10 - ETHERNET
11 - S-LINK / IR OUT (1-5)
12 - IR IN

7 8

9

3

2

4

5 6

10 11 12

PAGE 15

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

REMOTE OVERVIEW

PAGE 16

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

ENTERING TEXT WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL

The remote control can be used to enter text in all text fields. This text entry capability is provided
to allow you to fill out short text fields – such as those that occur in the setup and edit screens.
FireBall’s wireless keyboard should be used when extended typing is required.

Entering Numeric Entry Mode

In fields where FireBall expects only numeric characters to be entered (such as phone number
fields), an indicator will appear on the screen that displays the letters “123” indicating that only
numbers can be entered.

Typing Characters with the Remote

The remote control based text entry capability is similar to that provided on standard telephones and
cell phones. Each numeric key has characters associated with it that can be accessed by pressing
the key one or more times. You have .5 seconds after a key is pressed to enter a second character
from the same key. If you press the same key within .5 seconds, the second character associated
with that key replaces the initial character. If you do not press the same key within .5 seconds, the
text cursor moves to the next location so that the same key can be pressed again to enter a second
character.
The “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6”, and “8” keys each support three letters and one number and can be
pressed from one to seven times to display upper case, lower case, and numeric characters. The “7”
and “9” keys both support four letters and one number and can be pressed from one to nine times.
The “1” and “0” keys support all of the special characters and will cycle through each character for
every key press.

The text characters follow the same convention used by a standard telephone – except in the case of
the “1” and “0” keys which contain additional characters.

When entering characters at the beginning of a field or characters that follow a space, FireBall
assumes that upper case characters are preferred. Therefore, characters are entered in the following
cycle – uppercase, lowercase, and numeric. For example, the first key press enters an uppercase
letter corresponding to the first letter associated with the key. Pressing the “2” key once displays an
“A” in the text field, pressing the “2” key twice displays a “B”, pressing it again will

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

PAGE 17

display a “C”. The fourth key press displays a lower case “a”, the fifth key press displays a lower case “b”, and the sixth key press displays a lower
case “c”. Lastly, pressing the “2” key a seventh time displays the number “2”.

When entering the second character in a text field or the second character following a space, FireBall assumes that lower case is preferred and the
character entry cycles in the following pattern – lowercase, uppercase, and numeric.

The following text entry table describes the sequence of characters that appear when specific keys are pressed on the remote:

PAGE 18

Key

1 1. / , ? ‘ : ; &~! 1. / , ? ‘ : ; &~!

2 ABCabc2 abcABC2

3 DEFdef3 defDEF3

4 GHIghi4 ghiGHI4

5 JKLjkl5 jklJKL5

6 MNOmno6 mnoMNO6

7 PQRSpqrs7 pqrsPQRS7

8 TUVtuv8 tuvTUV8

9 WXYZwxyz9 wxyzWXYZ9

0 0@ _ - * # [ ] ( )+= 0@ _ - * # [ ] ( )+=

Alpha Mode
1stcharacter or 1st character after a space

Alpha Mode 2
character after a space

nd

character or 2nd

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

CONNECTING EXTERNAL DISC CHANGERS

Supported External Changers

The FireBall DVDM-552 only supports the Sony DVP-777ES DVD/CD changer. The DVDM-552 will not recognize any other changer.

Note: FireBall will support up to five connected changers. When connecting the changers, the first changer should be connected to video in 1, digital audio
in 1, 5.1 analog in 1, and RS232 1. The second changer to all #2 connectors, and so on...

ABOUT SACD AUDIO DISCS

FireBall can also manage SACD audio discs loaded into a Sony 777ES changer. Because the FireBall DVDM-552 does not have 5.1 audio switching,
you should load all of your SACDs into the same changer and connect it’s 5.1 analog audio outputs directly to your A/V receiver, using the same
input source as the FireBall.

PAGE 19

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

Connecting Sony DVP-CX777ES CD/DVD Changers

FireBall requires that you connect each changer to the back panel using audio, video, and control cables.

Follow these steps to connect your Sony CD/DVD changers to your FireBall:

1. An RS-232 serial null modem cable with female DB-9 connectors on each end is required for connecting a Sony CD/DVD Changer

2. Connect one end of the RS-232 serial cable into Communication Port number 1, on the back of your FireBall

3. Connect the other end of the RS-232 serial cable into the “RS-232C” port on the back of your changer

4. Locate the three wire A/V cable that came with your changer

5. Connect one end of the three wire (red and white) audio cable into the Analog In jacks number 1 on the back of your FireBall

6. Connect the other end of the

7. Connect one end of the

8. Connect the other end of the

Note: You may use optional s-video or component video cables
and optional digital audio cables for the best picture and sound
quality. Contact your Escient dealer for more information.

three wire (red and white) audio cable into the Analog Line Out jacks on the back of your changer

three wire (yellow) video cable into the Video In jacks Composite number 1 on the back of your FireBall

three wire (yellow) video cable into the Video Line Out jacks on the back of your changer

• If you have more than one changer, repeat these steps
to connect the additional changers to communications
ports and audio/video jacks 2 through 5 respectively.

• For the best audio quality, you should also connect
digital optical or coax audio cables (not included)
between your changers and FireBall.

• For the best video quality, you should also connnect
component video cables (not included) between your
changers and FireBall.

Note: Control Cable Pin-Outs and Requirements. FireBall uses
a standard null modem cable to connect between it’s RS-232
COM ports and external changers and control systems. Cables
must be 25 feet or less in length.

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

PAGE 20

LOADING DVD MOVIE DISCS INTO CHANGERS

Insert DVDs into your changers, following the changer manufacturer’s instructions and close the changer door. Quick Lookup will automatically start
in a few seconds. If the Quick Lookup process does not automatically start, then manually start the Lookup using the steps described below.

The disc information that FireBall displays on your TV screen is NOT included on the original discs loaded into your changers. The artist name,
album name, and track list are provided by the Gracenote® Music Recognition Service. The album cover, movie title, movie info, and movie cover
art are provided by the Escient service. This information is downloaded from the Escients servers to your FireBall using your Internet connection.
This process is referred to as “Looking up Disc Information”.

PAGE 21

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

Automatically Getting Disc Information

Once your changers are connected to FireBall and loaded with CDs/DVDs, all you have to do is
close the changer door and in a few seconds FireBall will begin looking up the disc information
from each disc, in each changer.

Quick Lookup checks each previously empty slot in the changers to see if any new discs were
added, and then checks each previously occupied slot in the changer to see if any discs were
removed.

One by one, the Table of Contents is read from each CD/DVD and compared to the local music
database, Escient’s MovieDB™ service, or Gracenote CDDB® using your Internet connection,
as FireBall builds your Music/Movies Library. As each disc is accessed and looked up, the Quick
Lookup screen is updated to display the disc’s information and cover art. When all of the discs are
looked up, the Guide screen will be displayed.

You can manually run Quick Lookup at any time by following these steps:

1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu.

2. Select the

3. Select the LOOKUP DISCS

4. Select the

5. FireBall will perform a Quick Lookup for each new disc.

CHANGER MANAGEMENT menu.

menu.

QUICK LOOKUP menu.

PAGE 22

WARNING

and removed CDs each time it runs. Do not remove
CDs and replace new CDs into the same changer
slots without running Quick Lookup in-between,
or FireBall will not know that these slots have
changed.

If you want to reuse the same slots, first remove
your CDs, let Quick Lookup run, then add new CDs
to the same slots.

: Quick Lookup checks for newly added

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

Getting Disc Information for a Range of Discs

If you want to lookup the disc information for a specific range of slots in a changer, you can use the
Lookup Range feature.

Follow these steps to lookup a range of changer slots:

1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu.

2. Select the

3. Select the LOOKUP DISCS

4. Select the LOOKUP RANGE

5. Enter a valid range of slots to lookup. If you have more than 1 changer, select which
changer you want to use.

6. Select the CONTINUE button.

7. The Lookup Range screen displays the progress and results for each disc in the selected
range.

CHANGER MANAGEMENT menu.

menu.

menu.

PAGE 23

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

Getting Disc Information for All Discs

If you want to lookup the disc information for all discs in all changers, you can use the Lookup All
feature.

Follow these steps to lookup all discs in all changers:

1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu.

2. Select the

3. Select the LOOKUP DISCS

4. Select the LOOKUP ALL

5. The Lookup All screen displays the progress and results as each disc in each changer is
looked up.

CHANGER MANAGEMENT menu.

menu.

menu.

PAGE 24

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

ADDITIONAL CONNECTION AND HOOKUP INFORMATION

AUDIO OUTPUTS

The optical, coax, and analog audio outputs are all active when playing media from the internal hard drive or Internet Radio. Both digital and analog
connections must be made from the changer to the FireBall for the FireBall to output both digital and analog outputs.

This table shows which audio outputs are active for each type of audio source.

Audio Source Analog Out Digital Optical Out Digital Coax Out

Hard Drive Audio

Changer Analog

Changer Optical YES YES

Internet Radio YES YES YES

Note: For example, connecting only the analog audio outputs of the changer to the FireBall will not provide digital audio on the digital outputs of the
FireBall.

YES YES YES

YES

PAGE 25

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

VIDEO OUTPUTS

FireBall has several video output formats and connectors including:

Main Zone

• Component Video

• S-Video

• Composite Video

Remote Zone (connects to an MP-200)

• Component Video

• S-Video

• Composite Video

All video outputs are active at the same time, so you can use as many as
you like without causing signal degradation. However, the corresponding
video input from the changer must also be connected to watch a movie
from the changer on that video output.

The Component Video output will provide the best possible video quality
for the FireBall User Interface, but will require that your video system
has an available component input.

The S-Video output is typically used for the optional Escient ETP-1500
touch panel to provide the user interface directly on the touch panel.

The composite output is typically used for an a/v distribution system,
such as the Xantech AV-61 or the Niles ZR-4630/8630 distribution
systems.

PAGE 26

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

RS-232 CONNECTIONS

External disc changers are controlled via two-way serial protocols using RS-232 serial cables. You should use COM ports 1 - 5 for each external disc
changer.

COM port 6 is to be used for connecting an Escient ETP-1500 wired touch panel or to interface with a third party control system such as AMX or
Crestron.

Note: You should use the Ethernet control system for controlling FireBall from a third party control system whenever possible. Using the Ethernet control
system frees up COM port 6 for other purposes, allows much longer distances between FireBall and the control system, and provides a much faster path
for data transfer.

IR CONNECTIONS

The direct IR input jack on the back panel of the FireBall is for controlling FireBall from a wired IR distribution system such as a Xantech system.
This connection must be an IR signal with a 36kHz carrier using an 1/8” mono or stereo connector.

The IR input jack provides 12V power. This means that you can directly connect a 12V IR receiver (like the Xantech series 291 units) to the FireBall
using a 1/8” stereo connector.

Pin outs for the Wired IR input

• Sleeve is ground

• Ring is Power

• Tip is signal

PAGE 27

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

ETHERNET CONNECTIONS

The Ethernet jack on the back panel of the FireBall accepts any standard
twisted pair CAT5 Ethernet cable. If you are connecting FireBall to a home
network, you typically connect a standard Ethernet cable from your Ethernet
router or hub to the FireBall.

There are different grades, or categories, of twisted-pair cabling. Category 5
is the most reliable and widely compatible, and is highly recommended. It runs
easily with 10Mbps networks, and is required for 100Mbps networks. You can
buy Category 5 cabling that is pre-made, or you can cut & crimp your own.

Category 5 cables can be purchased or crimped as either straight-through or
crossed. A Category 5 cable has 8 thin, color-coded wires inside that run from
one end of the cable to the other. Only wires 1, 2, 3, and 6 are used by Ethernet
networks for communication. Although only four wires are used, if the cable
has 8 wires, all the wires have to be connected in both jacks.

Straight-through cables are used for connecting computers to a hub. Crossed
cables are used for connecting a hub to another hub (there is an exception:
some hubs have a built-in uplink port that is crossed internally, which allows
you to uplink hubs together with a straight cable instead).

In a straight-through cable, wires 1, 2, 3, and 6 at one end of the cable are also
wires 1, 2, 3, and 6 at the other end. In a crossed cable, the order of the wires
change from one end to the other: wire 1 becomes 3, and 2 becomes 6.

To figure out which wire is wire number 1, hold the cable so that the end of the
plastic RJ-45 tip (the part that goes into a wall jack first) is facing away from
you. Flip the clip so that the copper side faces up (the springy clip will now be
parallel to the floor). When looking down on the coppers, wire 1 will be on the
far left.

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

PAGE 28

CAT5 cabling should not exceed 100 meters. The
following drawing depicts the typical wiring scheme for
CAT5.

For more information about wiring an Ethernet network,
please refer to the Linksys web site

(www.linksys.com).

PAGE 29

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual

EXTERNAL CHANGER CONNECTIONS

There are a few general rules to follow when connecting changers to
your FireBall...

Changer Types

• DVDM-552 is compatible with Sony 777ES DVD/CD changers
only

Control Connections

• Changer 1 should be connected to COM port 1

• Changer 2 should be connected to COM port 2

• Changer 3 should be connected to COM port 3

• Changer 4 should be connected to COM port 4

• Changer 5 should be connected to COM port 5

Note: Do NOT connect any S-Link cables from the DVDM-552 to the
Sony 777ES changers.

Digital Audio Connections

• Changer 1 should be connected to Optical Digital in 1

• Changer 2 should be connected to Optical Digital in 2

• Changer 3 should be connected to Optical Digital in 3

• Changer 4 should be connected to Optical Digital in 4

• Changer 5 should be connected to Optical Digital in 5

Analog Audio Connections

• Changer 1 should be connected to Analog Audio in 1

• Changer 2 should be connected to Analog Audio in 2

• Changer 3 should be connected to Analog Audio in 3

• Changer 4 should be connected to Analog Audio in 4

• Changer 5 should be connected to Analog Audio in 5

Sony DVD/CD Changer Hookup

• Up to five Sony DVP-CX777ES 400 disc changers may be
connected via individual RS-232 cables.

• An RS-232 cable is standard a DB9 null modem cable (not
included with the changer)

• The analog audio connection is required when recording from
external changers

• Set each changer to address Command Mode 1.

PAGE 30

FireBall™ DVDM-552 User’s Manual