Mvix MX-760HD FAQ

Rating: -1

Is it worth getting?

No, not anymore. Three main reasons:
1. It’s full of very annoying bugs
2. It’s not actively maintained by Mvix anymore (last firmware may 2007)
3. There are much newer and better offerings available (see my Popcornhour page)
Rating: +2

Where can I get more information about the Mvix?

There are a few sites you can check out, and you can find a list at the bottom of my Mvix page.
Rating: +3

Is it possible to recover from a bad firmware installation?

Yes! The Mvix has a failsafe mode it can download a rescue image without trying to start the current firmware image first. It’s slightly tricky to perpare your network for this feat, but see my De-bricking your Mvix page for a fairly detailed explanation of the procedure.
Rating: +2

Can I modify the firmware to add new features etc?

Yes and no. The firmware is a fairly normal romfs image, which is more or less like a tiiiiiny operating system complete with a kernel, various Linux-like utilities and the actual software that shows you the graphical interface on your TV and plays your media. There is software available to unpack and repack such romfs images so that you can make changes. This allows you to do things like add a telnet server to your media player, so you can log in over the network. Once in you can mount nfs-shares, CIFS/smb-shares or transfer files to the player over ftp/http. Much easier than disconnecting the device and transferring stuff using USB from your PC.

However, the actual software package that does the GUI and media playback is a single binary for which there is no source available. You can change text messages, as they are in a separate file, that’s about it unless you either have access to the "curacao" software they use and can recompile to the ARM binary format the player uses.

See my Mvix Page for information on how to enable telnet, nfs/cifs-mount etc.
Rating: +2

Where can I get firmware updates?

From the USA Importer, Mvix USA. See the Download link in the Support menu. You can also see a current list of all firmwares and their changelogs on my Mvix Firmware Page. NOTE that all firmware links on that page are local to this webserver. You may want to get them from Mvix USA if you feel safer that way. There is a beta of the new 1.1.28 firmware out, but it’s not exactly getting rave reviews…
Rating: +2

Is my Mvix dead?

A failed firmware upgrade can leave your Mvix in a bad state. Typical scenario is that if you start it up, it will say Loading… for a short while on the LCD display and then switch itself off. See the link about de-bricking your Mvix for how to fix this.

Another common problem is that after some firmware updates, and even some normal reboots, the Mvix fails to remember which video output type to use. You’ll have a normal looking Mvix with the menu on the LCD, but no picture on your television. To remedy this, just press the TVOUT button on the remote until you get a readable picture. Then go into the menus to set to your preferred type/resolution.
Rating: +1

Is the Peekbox 4 compatible?

It very much looks that way. I’ve had emails from someone who upgraded his Peekbox 4 with my modified Mvix firmware with no apparent side effects. Even the NDAS thing worked. So they appear absolutely identical to eachother. Note of caution though, someone on the Mvixcommunity-forum just posted about a stability problem after upgrading, but that’s pretty much on par with the Mvix boxes in general…
Rating: +2

What is the difference between the MX-760HD and the MX-780HD?

The 760 is white, has DVI out and IDE internally. The 780 is black, has HDMI (for pushing digital audio along the same cable as your video) and SATA internally. Other than that, they are identical. Mvix has strangely enough started a new firmware path for the 780, and added features there not found in the 760 firmware. For example Internet Radio support. However, you can upgrade your 760 with a modified version of the 780 2.0.2 firmware, which will net you the same features as on the 780.
Rating: +2

Will my MX-760HD or MX-780HD ever play H.264 material (most commonly, but wrongly, known as MKV files)?

No, never. The decoder chip in these media players can not handle the H.264 format. Get an A-100 from PopcornHour or wait for the MX-800HD which is due soon.