MP-200 USER’S MANUAL P/N: M22007-02A1
SETUP 12 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.
26 WATCHING A MOVIE FROM ANOTHER ROOM 29 LISTENING TO MUSIC BROWSING YOUR MOVIE LIBRARY PLAYING THE CURRENT MOVIE SELECTING A DIFFERENT MOVIE Movie Info CHANGING THE GUIDE VIEW View By Title View By Cover VIEWING BY GENRE BROWSING MOVIE LIBRARY FROM ANOTHER ROOM WATCHING A DIFFERENT MOVIE IN THE OTHER ROOM WATCHING THE SAME MOVIE IN TWO ROOMS BROWSING YOUR MUSIC LIBRARY SHOW AND HIDE TRACKS PLAYING THE CURRENT TITLE SELECTING A DIFFERENT SONG CHANGING THE GUIDE VIEW View By Artist View By Title View B
66 67 68 69 70 EXTERNAL CONTROL 71 SURROUND MODE SETTINGS INSTALLING THE ETP TOUCH PANEL Calibrating the Touch Panel Changing the Touch Panel Button Overlay Using Your Touch Panel IR REMOTE CONTROL DIRECT ACCESS CODES PLAYLIST HOT KEYS SERIAL COM PORTS CONTROLLING FIREBALL FROM OTHER DEVICES FIREBALL UTILITIES GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FIREBALL RESTARTING THE SYSTEM UPDATING THE SOFTWARE CONTROLLING FIREBALL FROM A WEB BROWSER SETTING UP THE FIREBALL WEB SERVER USING THE WEB USER INTERFACE PAGE
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.
FireBall™ MP-200 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.
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.
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.
• • • • 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 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.
FireBall™ MP-200 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.
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.
FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW 1 FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual 1 - POWER PAGE 13
REAR PANEL OVERVIEW 7 3 2 4 8 1 6 1) POWER 2) IR - IN / OUT 3) DIGITAL AUDIO - COAX OUT / OPTICAL OUT 4) DIGITAL AUDIO - COAX IN / OPTICAL IN 5) ANALOG AUDIO - L & R IN / L & R OUT 6) VIDEO - COMPOSITE, S-VIDEO & COMPONENT OUT / COMPOSITE, S-VIDEO & COMPONENT IN 7) COMMUNICATION PORTS - 1 & 2 8) ETHERNET PAGE 14 FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual 5
FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual REMOTE OVERVIEW PAGE 15
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. Typing Characters with the Remote The remote control based text entry capability is similar to that provided on standard telephones and cell phones.
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.
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.
VIDEO OUTPUTS FireBall has several video output formats and connectors including: • 2 S-Video • 2 Composite Video • 1 Component Video (480i interlaced standard definition) All video outputs are active at the same time, so you can use as many as you like without causing signal degradation. 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.
VIDEO INPUTS FireBall has several video output formats and connectors including: • 1 S-Video • 1 Composite Video • 1 Component Video (480i interlaced standard definition) FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual The MP-200 Video Inputs are designed to be connected directly to a multi-zone DVDM product to provide a second video zone.
RS-232 CONNECTIONS COM ports 1 or 2 may be used for connecting an Escient ETP-1500 wired touch panel, external modem 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.
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.
REGISTRATION Registering your FireBall is accomplished automatically when you go through the Quick Start process described in the User’s Manual. Registration includes properly configuring your FireBall for Internet access and then connecting to the Escient servers to register your serial number and download the latest Internet Radio stations.
CONNECTING TO A FIREBALL MUSIC SERVER FireBall MP-200 streams audio from a FireBall Server over an Ethernet network. Your FireBall MP-200 Music Player must be on the same Ethernet network as your FireBall server. This section will assume that you have properly connected your FireBall client to the same network as your FireBall server.
CONNECTING TO A MULTI-ZONE FIREBALL DVDM Note: The MP-200 automatically switches between the Escient Movies Guide and the direct DVD input from the multi-zone DVDM DVD manager, therefore you are required to run direct video and audio cables from the zone 2 outputs of the multi-zone DVDM to the MP200. 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.
WATCHING DVD MOVIES BROWSING YOUR MOVIE LIBRARY Now that you have your DVD movies loaded into your changers and the movie information has been acquired from the Escient MovieDB using the Quick Lookup feature, it’s time to see what’s in your collection using the Movies Guide. PLAYING THE CURRENT MOVIE Playing the currently highlighted Movie is the same as playing a DVD in a standalone DVD player. Simply press the PLAY key on the remote control and the changer will load the movie and begin to play it.
SELECTING A DIFFERENT MOVIE While a movie is playing, you can press the GUIDE key on the remote control to display the Movies Guide. The current movie is paused when you switch over the to Guide. Press the GUIDE key again to toggle back to the full screen movie and pickup where you left off. Movie Info View detailed infromation for the currently highlighted movie by pressing the Info button on the remote.
FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual VIEWING BY GENRE In addition to the current Guide View, the Movies Guide automatically organizes your DVDs into default “Genres” also called “Groups”. The Group Bar displays a horizontal scrolling list of Genres corresponding to the movies in your library. Five Genres or Groups are visible at one time. The “All” genre is the default, which displays all Titles in your Movie Library.
WATCHING A MOVIE FROM ANOTHER ROOM The FireBall Multi-Zone DVDM provides the capability for watching two from your entire DVD collection at the same time. The Multi-Zone DVDM’s built-in 5x2 video matrix switcher makes it possible to route the same movie or two different DVD movies to two different rooms. In order to browse, select, and play a DVD in another room, you will need the optional FireBall MP-200 Digital Media Player.
BROWSING MOVIE LIBRARY FROM ANOTHER ROOM The FireBall MP-200 works just like the MultiZone DVDM for browsing and selecting movies in the second room. There is nothing new to learn. What you will notice is that some DVD titles will turn gray in the Movies Guide when a movie is being playing in the other zone. The grayed out title indicates that the disc is stored in a changer that is currently playing a disc. Nongrayed out titles are stored in idle changers.
Playing Movie - The Abyss If you select a non-grayed out title, the movie will load and play just as it does from the main room. If you select a grayed out title, you will be prompted to override the current user (who is watching a different movie from the same changer you selected) and play your movie. If you select CONTINUE, your movie will load and play and the user in the main room will see a message indicating what happened - you started a different movie in the other room.
Multi-Zone DVDM - Zone 1 You can also join the current movie by selecting the name of the current movie from any Genre group. FireBall DVDM-200 - Zone 2 Playing Movie - The Abyss FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Playing Movie - The Abyss WATCHING THE SAME MOVIE IN TWO ROOMS The Movies Guide will display the name of the currently playing movie grayed out at the top of the All Group and it’s icon will have a 1 or 2 indicating which room it is playing in.
LISTENING TO MUSIC BROWSING YOUR MUSIC LIBRARY If you have CDs loaded into your external changers or if you have a FireBall Music server on the same network as your DVDM, the Music Guide is used to access your entire music collection. The Music Guide allows you to browse, locate, and play all of your music in one easy to use on-screen guide. The Music Guide displays a scrolling list of all your Music Titles. Using the remote control, you can navigate up and down the list.
PLAYING THE CURRENT TITLE Playing the currently highlighted Title is the same as playing a CD in a conventional CD player. Simply press the PLAY key on the remote control and it begins to play from track 1. Note: If you press SELECT with a Track highlighted, you will start playback from the selected Track. SELECTING A DIFFERENT SONG In the Music Player you can navigate up and down the track list using the remote control. Highlight a different song and press SELECT to play the song.
CHANGING THE GUIDE VIEW The GUIDE button on the remote control is used to switch between the Music Guide and Music Player screens. When you are viewing the Music Player screen, press the GUIDE button to return to the Music Guide. View By Artist View By Artist is the default View and displays your Music Library alphabetically from A to Z using according to the Artist Name then the Album Name.
To change the current Play Mode, press the MODE key on the remote control. Each press of the MODE key will switch to the next Play Mode. Stop pressing the MODE key when you see the desired Play Mode appear on the screen. You can also directly select a Play Mode using the OPTIONS key and the Play Mode menu item. PAGE 36 FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual CHANGING THE CURRENT PLAY MODE The default Play Mode will play the current Title from Track 1 to the last track in order, then stop.
VIEWING BY GENRE In addition to the current Guide View, the Music Guide automatically organizes your Music into default “Genres” also called “Groups”. The Group Bar displays a horizontal scrolling list of Genres corresponding to the music in your library. Five Genres or Groups are visible at one time. The “All” genre is the default, which displays all Titles in your Music Library. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Using the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys on the remote, you can select a different Genre.
LISTENING TO INTERNET RADIO BROWSING INTERNET RADIO STATIONS The Radio Guide displays a scrolling list of Internet Radio Stations. Using the remote control, you can navigate up and down the list. As each Station is highlighted, you will notice that the Information Area and Cover Art changes to reflect the currently highlighted Station. • Press the iRADIO key on the remote control to display the Radio Guide.
You’ll notice that a new screen appears displaying information about the selected station. This is the Radio Player screen. The Radio Player displays the station name, location, genre, genre cover art, and status about the current Internet Radio station stream. • Playing Internet Radio requires a valid Internet connection. • Although some stations will work over a Dialup Internet Connection, a broadband Internet connection is recommended.
MANAGING YOUR MEDIA Follow these steps to create your own custom Playlist: 1. Press the MUSIC key to make sure you are in the Music source mode. 2. Press the OPTIONS key to display the Music Options Menu 3. Select the NEW PLAYLIST menu item. 4. Using the remote control or keyboard, enter a name for your Playlist. 5. Select the CONTINUE button on screen to advance to the Edit Playlist Select Guide. The Edit Playlist Select Guide works just like the Music Guide.
To create a custom Group, follow these steps: 1. Press the MOVIES key to make sure you are in the Movies source mode, MUSIC key to make sure you are in the Music source mode or press the RADIO key if you want to create a custom Radio Group. 2. Press the OPTIONS key to display the Options Menu 3. Select the NEW GROUP menu item. 4. Using the remote control or keyboard, enter a name for your Group. 5. Select the CONTINUE button on screen to advance to the Edit Group Select Guide.
ADDING INTERNET RADIO STATIONS FireBall comes preloaded with several high quality streaming Internet Radio Stations from around the world, but that may not be enough for you, so FireBall also let’s you add your own Internet Radio Stations. Internet Radio stations must conform to these specifications: • Windows Media WMA or MPEG II layer 3 streams. • Windows Media 9 or earlier. Assuming you have a valid URL for a station, follow these steps to add your own Internet Radio Station to the Radio Guide: 1.
UPDATING THE INTERNET RADIO STATIONS LIST Escient makes every attempt to insure that the preloaded Internet Radio Stations are alive and well, but due to the dynamic nature of the Internet and the third parties who actually serve up these radio streams, sometimes you will not be able to play a station. The “Tune Stations” feature allows you to download a list of the most recent Internet Radio stations from Escient.
EDITING MOVIE INFORMATION FireBall has access to tens of thousands of DVD titles, but you may still encounter a DVD that does not return the correct disc information from the Escient MovieDB™. You can edit the disc information for any DVD Movie Title using the Edit Disc screens. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Editing Disc Info Follow these steps to edit the disc information for the current Movie Title: 1. Highlight the Movie Title you want to edit in the Movies Guide. 2.
Edit Description If for some reason you can not download the original description, you can edit it. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to select an existing cover to assign to the current Title: 1. Highlight the Movie Title you want to edit in the Movie Guide. 2. Press the OPTIONS key on the remote control. 3. Select the EDIT DISC` menu item to display the Edit Disc Information screen. 4. Select the EDIT DESCRIPTION button to display the Edit Description screen. 5.
EDITING MUSIC INFORMATION FireBall has access to over 2.5 million CD titles, but you may still encounter a CD that does not return a custom cover or the correct disc information. You can edit the disc information for any Music Title using the Edit Disc and Edit Tracks screens. Editing Disc Info Follow these steps to edit the disc information for the current Music Title: 1. Highlight the Music Title you want to edit in the Music Guide. 2. Press the OPTIONS key on the remote control. 3.
Editing Track Names You can also manually edit the Track/Song names of the currently highlighted Title in the Music Guide. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to edit the track information for the current Music Title: 1. Highlight the Music Title you want to edit in the Music Guide. 2. Press the OPTIONS key on the remote control. 3. Select the EDIT DISC INFO Info menu item to display the Edit Disc Information screen. 4. Select the EDIT TRACKS button to display the Edit Tracks screen. 5.
EDITING RADIO INFORMATION Similar to editing Music Information, you can also Edit the Radio Information. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to edit the station information for the currently highlighted Internet Radio Station: 1. Make sure you are in the Radio source mode by pressing the RADIO key on the remote. 2. Press the OPTIONS key to display the Options Menu 3. Select the EDIT STATION menu item to display the Edit Station screen. 4.
Follow these steps to edit a Playlist: 1. Press the MUSIC key to make sure you are in the Music source mode. 2. Highlight the Playlist Name you want to edit. Note: The Playlist group will list all of your Playlists. 3. Press the OPTIONS key to display the Music Options Menu 4. Select the Edit Playlist menu item. 5. Using the remote control or keyboard, change the name of your Playlist or select the CONTINUE button on screen to keep the current name and advance to the Edit Playlist Select Guide. 6.
Follow these steps to edit a Group: 1. Press the MUSIC key if you want to edit the Music Groups or press the RADIO key if you want to edit the Radio Groups. 2. Highlight the Group you want to edit within the Group Bar. 3. Press the OPTIONS key to display the Music Options Menu 4. Select the Edit Group menu item. 5. Using the remote control or keyboard, change the name of your Group or select the CONTINUE button on screen to keep the current name and advance to the Edit Group Select Guide. 6.
DELETING MUSIC You can remove any music you have recorded to the FireBall by using the Delete Music feature. You may want to do this if you have filled up your FireBall and you can not record any more music or if you want to remove songs that you just don’t listen to. You can not “delete” physical CDs from the Music Library. You must remove the discs from your changers if you want the CDs to be removed from the Music Guide.
DELETING PLAYLISTS FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual You may delete entire Playlists from the Music Guide. Follow these steps to permanently delete one or more Playlists from the Music Guide: 1. Press the MUSIC key to make sure you are in the Music source mode. 2. Press the OPTIONS key to display the Options Menu 3. Select the DELETE PLAYLISTS menu item to display the Delete Playlists screen. 4. For each Playlist you want to delete, highlight the Playlist and press the SELECT key on the remote.
DELETING GROUPS Deleting Groups from the Group Bar is very similar to deleting Playlists. The contents of the Group (the Music Titles, Movie Titles, or Radio Stations) are not deleted. They are still available in any other Groups they may be assigned to and in the All Group. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to delete Groups. 1. Press the MUSIC key if you want to edit the Music Groups or press the RADIO key if you want to edit the Radio Groups. 2.
SETTING USER PREFERENCES User preferences are available to specify global configuration options and preferred system settings. Press the SETUP key on the remote control to display the Setup Menu. Use the navigation keys on the remote control (up, down, left, and right) to highlight and select any menu item. SETTING THE SCREEN SAVER PREFERENCES Screen Savers are provided for each source mode.
Retail Demo Mode FireBall has a Retail Demo Mode for use in retail display environments. The Retail Demo Mode (RDM) is a special screen saver that is activated during idle time. The RDM continuously displays key features and benefits of the FireBall product on the attached TV. Pressing any button on the remote will temporarily disable the RDM and allow the user to demo the product. After the specified idle time, the RDM will reactivate as the screensaver.
SETTING YOUR TIME ZONE Specify which US time zone your FireBall is located in. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to set your Time Zone: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the GENERAL Menu 3. Select the TIME ZONE Menu 4. Select your select your Time Zone.
CUSTOMIZABLE USER INTERFACE In addition to the Escient Classic user interface theme, the FireBall allows you to select custom background images for each Guide, Player, Options, Setup, and Message screens. You can import your own background images into the Backgrounds shared directory using Windows Networking. Images should be 720x480 and saved in either jpg, gif, or png formats. Note: Some backgrounds look better than others. In general, backgrounds with darker colors and few small details are better.
ENABLING PASSWORD PROTECTION Optional Password Protection enables you to limit user access to the Setup Menus. This is useful to lockout the ability to change the global user settings and preferences. • You must exit Setup and re-enter setup to activate the password protection. • If a user password is specified, you will be prompted for your password whenever you press the Setup key on the remote.
MOVIE RATINGS Movie Ratings are used to prohibit the display of certain movies in the Movies Guide. This feature is used in conjunction with the Password Protection feature. You must have Password Protection enabled and a password entered for the Movie Ratings to be in effect. See the section above for more information on Enabling Password Protection. Select the highest movie ration you want to display in the Movies Guide without entering a password.
ETHERNET SETTINGS Ethernet is the preferred networking choice which provides you with the best network performance and allows your FireBall to act as a “server” to deliver your music collection throughout your home network using the optional FireBall Music Players. Ethernet networks require that you configure each device on the network with a valid “address”. These addresses are usually configured automatically by your network hardware.
SERVER SETTINGS FireBall’s server allows you to control it remotely using a web browser on your PC. The FireBall Name allows you to easily locate and connect to your FireBall by name. Follow these steps to enter a password to be used when connecting to your FireBall from a web browser: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. select the NETWORK menu. 3. Select the FIREBALL SERVER SETTINGS menu. 4. Enter a password to be used from your PC when connecting from your web browser.
REMOTE SERVER CONNNECTION The MP-200 connects to remove FireBall Media Servers to provide the music and movie content to the remote zone. The Remote Server Connection screen allows you to select which FireBall server you want to connect to from a list of all FireBall servers found on your network. Follow these steps to connect your MP-200 to a FireBall Music Server: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote. 2. Select the Network menu. 3. Select the Remote Server Connection menu. 4.
DIGITAL INPUT PREFERENCES You must specify which of the digital audio inputs you are using to connect the digital audio outputs from your external changers. The optical connectors are the small square connectors with a red light shining from the center. The coaxial connectors are the round connectors which look like analog audio connectors or “RCA” jacks. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to select a your Digital Audio Input Preferences: 1.
VIDEO FORMAT Allows you to select 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios on your TV screen. 4:3 User Interface PAGE 64 16:9 User Interface FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to center the FireBall screen: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the VIDEO menu. 3. Select the VIDEO FORMAT menu. 4. Using the Up and Down keys on the remote, select your desired aspect ratio. 5. Press the SELECT key on the remote to highlight the SAVE button. 6.
CENTERING THE FIREBALL SCREEN Allows you to center the FireBall user interface horizontally on your TV screen. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to center the FireBall screen: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the VIDEO menu. 3. Select the SCREEN CENTERING menu. 4. Using the Left and Right keys on the remote, adjust the screen so that it appears horizontally centered on your TV. 5. Press the SELECT key on the remote to highlight the SAVE button. 6.
ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S BRIGHTNESS FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to adjust the brightness on your TV: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the VIDEO menu. 3. Select the BRIGHTNESS menu. 4. Turn your TV’s brightness control all the way up then lower it to the point where the vertical black bar on the left just disappears. This will get your brightness control as close to the proper setting as possible without the use of special software and hardware. 5.
ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S CONTRAST The Contrast or Picture Adjustment control allows you to optimize the contrast (which is sometimes called Picture) of their TV, using the TV’s Contrast or Picture controls. This setting helps reduce video “blooming” and create a clearer, more readable user interface. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to adjust the contrast on your TV: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the VIDEO menu. 3. Select the CONTRAST menu. 4.
ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S SHARPNESS The Sharpness adjustment allows you the set the Sharpness or Detail control of their TV so that onscreen text is as readable as possible. Proper adjustment of the Sharpness control (sometimes called the Detail control) on your TV, allows you to see video and on screen menus more accurately. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to adjust the sharpness on your TV: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the VIDEO menu. 3.
ADJUSTING YOUR TV’S COLOR AND TINT Color Bars are used to test the TV monitor’s ability to reproduce the proper color values. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to adjust the Color and Tint on your TV: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the VIDEO menu. 3. Select the COLOR BARS menu. 4.
VIEWING CHANGER STATISTICS Use this screen to get detailed information about connect changers. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to view statistics of connected changers: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the CHANGER STATISTICS menu. 3.
EXTERNAL CONTROL SURROUND MODE SETTINGS FireBall can connect to a supported Denon or Marantz receiver and automatically select different surround mode settings depending on what type of media is playing. For example, you might want to listen to MP3 audio using the Neo6 Music surround mode while FLAC audio would use straight STEREO mode. Follow these steps to set the Surround Mode Settings: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote control. 2. Select the External Control Menu. 3.
INSTALLING THE ETP TOUCH PANEL The optional Escient Touch Panel is an external 15” flat LCD color display that offers full control of a FireBall via it’s integrated touch sensitive surface. Follow these steps to connect the ETP-1500 to a FireBall: 1. Place the FireBall into Standby. 2. Connect the RS-232 serial cable to COM PORT 2 on the rear panel of your FireBall. 3. Connect the other end of the RS-232 serial cable to the bottom of the ETP-1500. 4.
Calibrating the Touch Panel To obtain the maximum performance form the ETP-1500 Touch Panel, the main user should calibrate the display using the Calibration tool. Follow these steps to calibrate the ETP-1500 Touch Panel: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote control. 2. Select the External Control Menu. 3. Select the Touch Panel Menu. 4. Select the Calibration Menu. 5. The calibration screen is displayed. 6. Follow the on screen instructions, by touching the moving target with your finger.
Changing the Touch Panel Button Overlay The Button Overlay feature places button controls onto the FireBall user interface for use with the Escient ETP-1500 touch screen and third-party touch panels. The ETP-1500 is automatically detected on the FireBall serial ports and the select overlay is enabled. Using Your Touch Panel The Touch Panel Overlay should now be displayed around the edges of your screen.
IR REMOTE CONTROL FireBall is preset from the factory to operate from the FB1 source button, however, the FireBall can be configured to use any one of the four source buttons using the on screen Setup menus. This is useful when there are multiple FireBalls installed at the same location, so all FireBalls don’t respond to the same IR commands.
DIRECT ACCESS CODES Direct Access Codes are used in conjunction with the MACRO key on the remote control to provide an IR code sequence to access just about any media in your FireBall server. This is useful for programming third-party external control systems and programmable IR remote controls such as the Marantz RC9500. Follow these steps to view the direct IR codes for your FireBall content: 1. Press the Setup key on the remote to display the FireBall setup menu. 2.
The following table is used to determine the button sequence for direct access code sequences from the Escient IR remote and IR keyboard.
The following table is used to determine the button sequence for direct access code sequences from the Escient IR remote and IR keyboard.
Follow these steps to assign a Playlist to one of the five available keyboard combinations: 1. Press the Setup key on the remote to display the FireBall setup menu. 2. Select the External Control menu item. 3. Select the IR & Serial menu item 4. Select the Playlist Hot Keys menu item. 5. Select one of the five keyboard combinations from the spin control using the SELECT button on the remote. 6. Navigate down to the list and select which Playlist to assign to the current keyboard combination. 7.
SERIAL COM PORTS The Serial Control COM Port setting is used to specify which RS-232 serial COM port is to be used for two-way external control communications with a third party control system. If there are no available COM ports, you must use the Ethernet based external control for two-way external control communications with a third party control system. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to select which serial port to use for external control: 1.
CONTROLLING FIREBALL FROM OTHER DEVICES In addition to the Escient ETP-1500 wired touch panel, FireBall provides the user and custom A/V installer with many options for control and integration into any home theater or home automation system using direct IR codes, two-way RS-232 serial control, two-way Ethernet control, and wireless web pad control.
FIREBALL UTILITIES GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FIREBALL Information about your FireBall hardware and software is available under the Utilities menu. This information is useful for troubleshooting any problems you may encounter with your network connection or verifying the current software versions. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to view the FireBall system information: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the UTILITIES menu. 3.
RESTARTING THE SYSTEM There are two ways of manually performing a full restart or reboot of the FireBall system, one using the front panel power button and the other using the Restart System menu. Follow these steps to restart the system using Utilities menu: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the UTILITIES menu. 3. Select the RESTART SYSTEM menu. 4. Confirm that you want to restart the system and select the RESTART button. 5.
UPDATING THE SOFTWARE FireBall will automatically check the Escient server once a week for any FireBall software updates, and automatically install them. You can also manually check for a software update. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual Follow these steps to manually update the software: 1. Press the SETUP key on the remote to display the Setup menu. 2. Select the UTILITIES menu. 3. Select the UPDATE SOFTWARE menu. 4. Select the Check for Update button. 5.
CONTROLLING FIREBALL FROM A WEB BROWSER FireBall contains a built-in web server which means you can connect to your FireBall and remotely control it using a standard web browser from a PC, Mac, or PDA over your home network. SETTING UP THE FIREBALL WEB SERVER Your FireBall acts as a web server on your network allowing you to connect and control the FireBall using your PC or Mac computer. This web server is automatically configured and started each time the FireBall is plugged in.
NETWORKED AUDIO USING FIREBALL MUSIC CLIENTS CLIENTS A FireBall Client is a FireBall that can play media from a FireBall Server over a network. Currently there are three different FireBall products that can play media from FireBall servers: • FireBall MP-150 • FireBall MP-200 • FireBall DVDM-100 • Client-Server networking is limited to the same local subnet. You can not stream over the Internet unless you have a VPN setup between the two FireBalls.
FireBall is built from the ground up with many features that allow you to centrally locate and remotely control your FireBall clients and servers, such as: • Direct IR input • Two way serial control over RS-232 • Two way serial control over ethernet • Wireless IR remote and Keyboard options • Support for 4 different IR banks (4 IR zones) • Templates for integration into many third party wired and wireless IR distribution systems • Philips and Marantz Pronto remote control templates PAGE 87 FireBall™ MP-20
Distributed A distributed FireBall installation means that your FireBall Servers and Clients are physically distributed or located in different rooms. Distributed FireBalls communicate over a wired or wireless network to share access to your media. FireBall™ MP-200 User’s Manual The biggest advantage of a distributed clientserver system over a central system is that everything you need is built into FireBall.
CONFIGURING A FIREBALL SERVER Every FireBall capable of server functions is automatically enabled to serve MP3 and FLAC audio whenever it is plugged in and properly configured for your network. It is recommended that you give each of your FireBall servers a unique name that describes it’s location using the SERVER SETTINGS screen which can be accessed from Setup/Network /Server Settings. Names like “LivingRoom”, “HomeTheater”, “MyMusicServer” are all good examples.
ESCIENT TECHNICAL SUPPORT Contact your dealer or Escient’s Customer Support group. Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 7pm EST Phone: 800-372-4368 Press “2” for Sales, or “3” for Support Fax: 317-616-6790 Internet: www.escient.com Email: support@escient.
TROUBLESHOOTING SOFTWARE UPDATE PROBLEMS Manual Software Update Checks Software Updates are automatically checked once a week starting on the day of the week your FireBall was first registered. You can manually check for a software update by accessing the Software Update menu found under the Setup/Utilities Menu. RECORDING PROBLEMS Audio vs. Data CDs FireBall requires Royalty paid blank media when recording audio CDs. Blank CDs marked with “Data” can not be used when creating Red Book audio CDs.
SPECIFICATIONS Specifications are subject to change without notice. Please check the Escient web site for any changes to the specifications. Video Specifications • NTSC • 10 bit Video DACs • Frequency Response: • Composite: -2 dB @ 5MHz • S-Video: -2 dB @ 5MHz • SNR: 50 dB • Crosstalk: 50 dB • Input Impedance: 75Ohm • Output Impedance: 75Ohm Audio Specifications • Frequency Response: 2 – 20,000 Hz, ±1 dB • THD+N (playback) < -80 dB FS A (< 0.
GRACENOTE® END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT USE OF THIS PRODUCT IMPLIES ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BELOW. This product contains technology and data from Gracenote of Emeryville, California (“Gracenote”). The technology from Gracenote (the “Gracenote Embedded Software”) enables this product to do disc identification and obtain music-related information, including name, artist, track, and title information (“Gracenote Data”), which is included on the Gracenote Database (the “Gracenote Database”).
