OSD Media Center User Guide
USB Port
The USB port on your OSD will allow you to read/write to/from many dierent USB devices,
including external hard drives, iPod™s, USB thumbdrives, and other portable media players
(including MP3 and MP4 players). External hard drives using the standard FAT32 le system
are strongly recommended. Other formats may be supported now or in the future. See
http://www.neurostechnology.com/support for details and updated information.
Note: Almost any hard drive can be formatted to FAT32 (instructions are also at http://
ww.neurostechnology.com/support) and most are by default. If in doubt, you should
consult the packaging or manual from the hard drive manufacturer for more information.
2E. Connecting the IR blaster (optional)
This step is required only if you want to use your OSD to control other devices such as your
cable or satellite box by emulating the remote control signals of these devices. The most
common usage for the IR blaster is to change the channel on your cable or satellite tuner
when doing scheduled TV recordings. This will allow the OSD to record from dierent TV
channels at dierent times without you having to be there to manually change the channel.
1. Go to the Settings Menu from the Main Menu and select IR blaster. Follow the on-screen
instructions to “teach” your OSD how to emulate the remote control of the other device.
You will only need to do this once for each device.
2. When you are ready to use the IR Blaster (like when you’re going to do a timed recording
and need the IR Blaster to change the tuner channel), place the bulb end of the IR
blaster so that the bulb is looking directly into the IR window on the device you want to
control and plug the other end into the IR Out port of the OSD. Remember, the bulb end
of the IR blaster will act just like the IR bulb inside a remote control. It has to be pointing
at the right place (the IR window) in order to work. You can semi-permanently ax the
IR bulb to a table top by exposing the adhesive strip on the bottom of the base that
holds the bulb.
Note: The IR Blaster only works with IR remotes. It won’t work with UHF or other remotes.
Note Also: The IR signal is invisible, so you won’t see the bulb light up when it is activated.
2F. Connecting to the Internet (optional)
This step is required if you want to (i) stream content from the Internet; (ii) receive
automatic rmware upgrades via the Internet (see Firmware Upgrades below); or (iii)
upload or share content from the OSD via the Internet. It is not required if you only want to
record to or playback from USB devices or memory cards.
Note: Like a PC, the Neuros OSD can access the Internet by being connected to a standard
Ethernet router using a standard Ethernet cable (CAT5). If you have a home network that
can connect to the Internet already, you probably already have this equipment. For more
information, please visit the website at http://www.neurostechnology.com/support.
1. Insert one end of a standard Ethernet cable (not included) into an output port on your
router or hub and insert the other into the Ethernet port of the OSD.
2. From the on-screen Main Menu of the OSD, enter the Settings menu and then choose
Network. Follow the instructions there for Connecting to the Internet.
Note: The OSD can also be connected to the Internet wirelessly using a wireless bridge
(not included). Details on how to connect wirelessly will also be provided under Settings
> Network.
Note: Since the Neuros OSD does not have a web browser, you will be able to access
a few selected sites (YouTube initially and others that will be added in future rmware
upgrades.
2G. Connecting to a Computer on a home network (optional)
This step is required if you want to directly record to or playback les from your computer’s
hard drive. It is not required to access the Internet or to record to or playback from memory
cards or USB devices.
Note: You cannot connect the OSD directly to your computer. You will need a standard
Ethernet router to do this step. If you have a home network, you will probably already have
this equipment. If you wish to connect the OSD wirelessly, you will also need a wireless
bridge (not included).
1. Insert one end of a standard Ethernet cable (not included) into an output port on your
router or hub and insert the other into the Ethernet port of the OSD.
2. From the on-screen Main Menu of the OSD, enter the Settings menu and then choose
Network. Follow the instructions there for Connecting to the Network.
3. You may now record to and play back from other PCs on your home network. Note,
however, that you may need to create a shared folder with Full Control permissions for
everyone on your PC. Please refer to http://www.neurostechnology.com/support for
updated support information.
2H. Connecting to Serial Port (optional)
The serial port is primarily used for developers and advanced users. It will allow you to hook
up your OSD to a PC monitor and some types of tuners.
1. Plug single-pin end of included serial cable into the OSD. Plug the multi-pin end into the
PC monitor or other device.
Part 3 Introduction to the OSD Menus
Menus and Navigation
1. A set-up screen may appear the rst time you connect and turn on your OSD. If so,
follow the instructions on this screen.
2. If there is no initial set-up screen, the Main Menu will appear on the OSD. From within
the Main Menu, highlight the Getting Started option on the Main Menu (by scrolling to
it with the UP
& DOWN keys on the remote), then Press Enter or
Right Arrow to select it.
Note:
If the Main Menu doesn’t appear on-screen, press the Home button on the
remote to bring it up or to return to it at any time.
Note Also:
When no buttons are pressed for a period of time, the menu will disappear
and show only the source video, if any, on the screen.
3. Read the instructions in the Getting Started menu to learn how to perform various tasks.
4 Hit
Back Arrow
to return to the previous menu.
What if You Get Lost of Don’t Know What to Do?
Help is Always Just a Click Away. If you want to know what a menu item does or how it
works, simply highlight it by browsing to it, then press the Help button on the remote.
This will bring up a help screen that is specic to the highlighted menu item.
When in Doubt, Hit the Button (Options). Whenever the is visible on the right
side of a given menu selection, you can press the button on the remote for additional
options or information. The options available are specic to the location within the menu
when button is pressed. You will want to experiment with this and use it often because
many cool and often essential features are contained within the
options menus.
Part 4 – Choosing the Right Recording Settings for You
One of the most important uses of the OSD is in recording from virtually any video source
into variations of the popular MPEG-4 format (which is to video what MP3 is to audio).
Once in the MPEG-4 form, the video can be: safely stored and organized on hard drives,
portables, or memory cards; easily accessed for playback on TVs and computers; edited;
transferred to portables and other devices for playback on the go; easily shared with others
(non-copyrighted video only!); and so on.
There is one subtlety, though: some portable devices are compatible with only lower
resolution and/or lower quality les, which look great on the small screens of portables but
may not look as good on a TV. Files recorded at the highest resolution and quality levels
will look best on the TV but may not be compatible with smartphones and other portable
devices.
When you make a recording, you can choose the device or devices you plan to use to play
back the recorded le. Your choice here will optimize the resolution for that particular
device, but will not necessarily mean you will not be able to play back your les on your
other devices.
For example, choosing a setting that optimizes the recording for playback on larger screens
like TV’s and PC’s will create larger data les and may make the les unwatchable on some
handhelds. If you care more about having high quality recordings for playback on larger
screens than you do about compatibility with a range of handhelds and have plenty of
available storage space, you may want to choose this setting.
On the other hand, choosing a setting that optimizes the recording for playback on a
handheld like a smartphone will create smaller data les that will be playable on just about
any device (including the TV), but the quality of these les won’t look as good on a TV or
other device with a larger screen. If you want to ensure le compatibility with the greatest
number of devices, want to conserve disc space, and/or don’t mind a lower quality picture
on larger screens, these settings are for you.
For more detailed information, scroll to highlight “Record” on the Main Menu, then press
the Help (?) button or go to http://www.neurostechnology.com/neuros-osd-recording-
settings.
Part 5 – Assigning Permanent Storage (optional)
This step is done to eectively extend the internal memory of the OSD and will only be
necessary if: (i) you want to use database features for organizing and accessing your
music content (activities like searching by artist, album, etc), which will be available in
rmware versions released in October, 2007 or later; or (ii) you want to take advantage
of applications that may be made available in future rmware upgrades that exceed the
available internal memory of the OSD. Any such applications would be optional.
Step 1 From the Main Menu, go to Settings > Permanent Storage and follow the
instructions there.
Part 6 – Upgrading the OSD Firmware (Optional)
See Part 1 - Overview above for an explanation of why you may want to do this from time
to time to take advantage of cool new features that will be added free of charge to the OSD.
These upgrades can be done either manually or automatically.
Manual Firmware Upgrades (use this method if not connected to Internet)
1. Using your computer browser, go to:
http://www.neurostechnology.com/upgrade-
neuros-osd
2. Download the latest rmware for the OSD to a memory card or USB storage device.
3. Once download is complete, plug the memory card or USB storage device into your OSD.
4. Select
Play/Browse from the OSD Main Menu, browse to the downloaded rmware
le (it will have a .upk extension), and press Enter
. Then select OK to begin the
installation.
Or:
Automatic Firmware Upgrades (recommended if connected to Internet)
1. Make sure your Neuros OSD is turned on and connected to the Internet (see Parts 2.A
and 2F above).
2. Go to Settings > Firmware Upgrade and change Frequency from O to Daily or Weekly,
depending on how often you want the OSD to check for new rmware upgrades.
Then set Select Update Type to Ocial (recommended for mainstream users), Beta
(recommended for users who want the latest rmware but don’t mind a few bugs
as these releases haven’t been as thoroughly tested as the Ocial releases) or Dev
(recommended for developers who want very regular releases and don’t mind that these
releases have not yet been tested by Neuros or the Neuros community). Set Time H:M to
the time of day you want the OSD to look for upgrades (in hours and minutes).
3. Go to Check Now and hit Enter to immediately look for new upgrades. If newer rmware
is available, the Neuros OSD will download and immediately begin installing it. Once the
install is complete, the OSD will automatically re-boot with the new rmware installed.
Part 7 – Troubleshooting the OSD
If you get lost of don’t know what to do, hit the Help or button (see Part 3 above).
If your OSD appears unresponsive to the remote or otherwise appears to lock up, rst
make sure the remote is within range and pointing at the OSD’s IR window (located on
left side of the OSD just to the right of the CF/microdrive slot). If that doesn’t work, try
simply waiting for a minute or two. The OSD will often work the problem out by itself. If
the unresponsiveness persists, re-boot the OSD by unplugging and re-plugging the power
supply (see Part 2A above). You might also try checking or replacing the batteries in the
remote.
If problems persist, go to http://www.neurostechnology.com/support for a complete User’s
Manual, up-to-date FAQ’s, forums, and contact information for Neuros customer support.
Part 8 – Your Feedback is Essential
Perhaps more than any consumer electronics company in history, we rely on our users of
all types to help us make our products the best in the world at what they do. If you nd
something confusing, missing, exciting, or some other adjective, please let us know by
going to http://www.neurostechnology.com/feedback.
This isn’t just an opportunity to vent. While we have to prioritize and balance the needs of
all our users and can’t promise anything, there’s a real chance your insights will show up
in a FAQ, in upgraded instructions on our web site, or even in a future rmware release. It
happens all the time.
Part 9 – Calling all Developers
The Neuros OSD is a collaborative eort between our dedicated full-time internal
developers and our open source community. There are three main areas where our
developer community contributes: documentation, implementation, and testing, all
dened broadly. If you’re a developer and want to learn more, please go to:
http://www.neurostechnology.com/neuros-developer-community
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