Zensonic Z500 User manual

High Definition
Network DVD Media Player
www.z500series.com
User Manual

Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation 1
Contents
Package Contents ............................................................................... 3
Safety Precautions .............................................................................. 4
Introduction ........................................................................................ 5
Important Notes ................................................................................. 6
Specifications ..................................................................................... 7
Front and Rear Panel Layout ............................................................. 9
Front Panel Display (VFD) ................................................................ 10
Remote Control – Layout ................................................................. 11
Remote Control – Option Selector ..................................................... 12
Remote Control – Zooming, Panning, Navigation ............................ 13
Remote Control – Text Entry, Display .............................................. 14
Connection Guide – Video – HDMI ................................................ 15
Connection Guide – Video – Component .......................................... 16
Connection Guide – Video – SCART ................................................ 17
Connection Guide – Video – S-Video and Composite ...................... 18
Connection Guide – Audio – Digital Audio ...................................... 19
Connection Guide – Audio – Analog Audio ...................................... 20
Connection Guide – Network ............................................................ 21
Setting Up ......................................................................................... 22
Language Setting ............................................................................... 23
Audio Settings .................................................................................... 24
Video Settings and Supported Modes ................................................ 25
Network Setup ................................................................................... 28
Active Network Selection .................................................................. 29
Wired (Ethernet) Network Setup ....................................................... 30
Wireless (802.11g) Network Setup .................................................... 31
Windows Network (SMB) Settings ................................................... 33
DVD Setup Options ........................................................................... 35
General Settings ................................................................................. 37
Firmware Updates .............................................................................. 38
Additional Setup Options ................................................................... 39

2 Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation
Using Your Z500 .............................................................................. 40
Options -
Music ............................................................................................ 41
Videos ........................................................................................... 43
Pictures ......................................................................................... 44
Extras ............................................................................................ 45
UPnP Media Servers .......................................................................... 46
UPnP Media Server Browsing ........................................................... 47
Browsing SMB Network Shares ........................................................ 48
SHOUTcast Radio ............................................................................. 49
USB Port ............................................................................................ 50
Seek and Search Functions ................................................................ 51
Trouble Shooting (Help) .................................................................... 52
Glossary ............................................................................................. 54
Technical Specifications .................................................................... 55
FCC Regulations ................................................................................ 56
Warranty, Limitation of Liability ...................................................... 57
Version 1.4.1

Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation 3
Package Contents
Inside the package that your Z500 came in, you will find the
following items.
1. Power Cord
2. Wireless Network Antenna
3. Cat.5-UTP Ethernet Network Cable (Straight Through)
4. Z500 Remote Control with Batteries
5. Standard Composite A/V 3-in-1 cable (RCA connectors)
6. This User Manual
7. CD containing Media Server Software and Manual in PDF
8. Z500 High Definition Network DVD Media Player

4 Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation
Safety Precautions
Please note the following safety precautions.
•To avoid risk of electric shock, do not use or expose this player to wet or moist
environments
•Do not place objects containing fluids above or on top of the player
•It is recommended to disconnect this device during electrical storms
•There are no user serviceable parts inside the player, all internal maintenance or
servicing should be carried out by qualified service personnel authorised by Zensonic
•Do not insert objects into the ventilation slots on the player
•This player has a laser device inside, looking at a laser can seriously damage your
eyes
•Place the unit in or on a safe and stable cabinet
•Avoid exposure to extreme heat, extreme cold or direct sunlight
•Do not drop the player, or subject it to strong shocks
•Unplug the unit and remove the remote control batteries if it is not to be used for a
long time
•Do not place the unit near sources of strong magnetism
•Disconnect the power when cleaning
•Clean only with a damp cloth
•Keep the unit away from dust and sand
•If the unit is moved from a very cold environment to a warm one, or placed in a humid
place, the laser lens may get moisture condensing on it, if so leave the unit powered
on for about an hour for the moisture to evaporate
•Ensure that you use this device with a properly grounded power cord
•Do not place the player on top of heat sources (including amplifiers that get hot)
•Please ensure adequate ventilation around the player

Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation 5
Introduction
Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the Z500 High Definition
Network DVD Media Player.
This player is a state-of-the-art media and DVD player utilising the Sigma
Designs EM8620L multimedia processor for unparalleled media playback and
picture quality capabilities, and is powered by software by Sliceware.
The Zensonic Z500 networked digital media player gives users four
connectivity options in one unit: wireless networking, Ethernet wired
networking, optical disc playback and a USB 2.0 connection.
The Z500 not only supports High Definition media content, but also has the
ability to up scale media content for playback on high definition TV’s and
screens, whilst also maintaining compatibility with standard definition TV’s.
(Up scaling of protected DVD content is only available via the HDMI™
interface to devices that are HDCP compliant)
The Z500 has unprecedented file format support including high definition
Windows Media® Video 9 and MPEG4 playback
The Z500's music playback capability handles all the formats enthusiasts
have longed for, including the high definition FLAC lossless compressed
format, OGG, AAC (commonly used in Apple iTunes), MP3, Windows Media
Audio 9 (including digitally rights managed WMA9*), CD Audio and others.
Video playback is also astonishingly comprehensive. The Z500 handles
playback in Windows Media Video 9, XviD, Nero Digital™, MPEG-4,
QuickTime MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, DVD, and other formats.
The Z500 is engineered from the ground up for high performance networking,
with 100Mbit Ethernet and 54Mbit/s 802.11G wireless networking integrated.
The Internet is just a button away on the Z500, with instant access to features
such as local weather and support for streaming Internet radio stations.
Included with the player are two options for media servers: TwonkyVision and
Windows Media Connect. These programs make sorting and streaming digital
media files from multiple PCs simple.
TwonkyVision supports Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.
SMB network shares can also be accessed via the Z500, for even greater
network connectivity.
We are sure that you will enjoy your new player and that it will be an integral
part of your home entertainment system.
* Firmware Upgrade required for Digital Rights Managed media

6 Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation
Important Notes
•Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple Computer. Nero Digital™ is a trademark of
Nero Software. Microsoft, Windows, Windows XP and Windows Media are
Trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition
Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing
LLC. Manufactured under licence from Dolby Laboratories. Dolby® and the Double-D
symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. All Rights Reserved. All other products
and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
•This product is covered by certain intellectual property rights of Microsoft and cannot
be used or further distributed without a license from Microsoft.
•This product incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by U.S.
patents and other intellectual property rights. Use of this copyright protection
technology must be authorized by Macrovision, and is intended for home and other
limited viewing uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision. Reverse
engineering or disassembly is prohibited.
•AAC support does not include Apple Fairplay digitally rights managed AAC files.
iPod must be formatted for Windows. Mac formatted iPods are not compatible with
the Zensonic Z500.
•54Mbit/s is the theoretical maximum of the 802.11G wireless networking standard.
Real life speeds vary depending on the environment and are typically around
20Mbit/s.
If wireless networking reception is poor, users may need to reposition their wireless
base station to achieve optimum media playback performance.
•Source files with Global Motion Compensation encoding applied cannot be played
back at 1080i.
•The Z500 player supports many types of file formats, but due to encoding differences,
not all files may play.
Please ensure that any files you wish to play on this player are properly encoded with
settings that are compatible with the player.
(e.g. do not use 3 warp point GMC, or other formats that the player does not support)
•A file extension on a file (such as .avi) does not mean that the data within that file is
compatible with the player. Many file formats use similar file extensions, and it is not
necessarily an indication of what the file encoding format contained in that file is.
•Product specifications and features are subject to change without notice.

Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation 7
Specifications
1. Audio Formats Supported
oMPEG 1 Layers I,II and III
oWAV
oCD Audio (With Freedb Support)
oOGG Vorbis
oFLAC
oWMA
oAAC
2. Video Formats Supported
oMPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4
oASP@L5 (720p), WMV9 MP@ML (720p)
oXviD
oNero Digital™
oQuickTime with MPEG4 encoding. .MP4 extension
oDVD ISO/IFO *
3. Picture Formats Supported
oJPG/JPEG2000
oBMP
oGIF
oPNG
4. Play lists Supported
oM3U
oPLS
oASX
5. Network Support
oEthernet 10/100 Mbps
oWireless 802.11b/g
oSMB support -- access Windows shares directly
6. USB 2 device Support
(if the device appears as a mass storage device)
oUSB Thumb Drives
oUSB HDD Drives
7. Internet Radio Support
oIntegrated Internet Radio Player with preinstalled library of
stations
oStations streaming MP3 or ASX are supported

8 Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation
8. Media Streaming Software
oTwonkyVision (Full Version)*** and
Windows Media Connect
oTwonkyVision supports Windows, MacOS X & Linux
oShare Pictures, Audio and Video Files
oUPnP enabled
9. DVD Player
oDVD-Video, SVCD, VCD 1.x and 2.0
oDVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW
oCD/-R/-RW
10.Extras
oSubtitle support - SRT, SMI, SSA formats
oOnline Weather Panel
oHDCP Support
oDigital Rights Management: Windows Media DRM 10 **
oEL backlit remote
oMulti-purpose joystick for quick and easy navigation
oID3 Tag and display on VFD panel on player
oIncremental Pan & Zoom (fine grained control of zoom)
oFirmware updates from OSD. Check for new updates.
oWEP encryption support on Wireless 802.11g (64 and 128 bit)
11.I/O oSCART output
oHDMI™ output
oS-Video output
oComposite Video output
oComponent output
12.Audio
oStereo output
oCoaxial output
oOptical output
oAnalog 5.1 output
13.Connectors
o10/100 Ethernet
oUSB 2.0
oWireless 802.11g
14.TV Types
oNTSC (480i / 480p)
oPAL (576i / 576p)
oHDTV (720p50 / 720p60 / 1080i50 / 1080i60)
* New experimental feature
** Features will be available in a firmware update
*** The bundled Twonkyvision software does not include free upgrades. A discount voucher is available.

Z500 User Manual - Copyright © 2005-2006 Zensonic Corporation 9
Front Panel
1. Power LED
2. Power Button
3. USB 2.0 Connector
4. Disc Tray
5. Eject Button
6. Volume Up
7. Previous Chapter / Item
8. Rewind
9. Forward
10. Next Chapter / Item
11. Volume Down
12. Play / Pause
13. Stop
14. Display Window
The Power LED is green when the unit is active, and red when the unit is in stand-by.
Rear Panel
1. Wireless Antenna Connector
2. Ethernet Network Connection
3. HDMI™ Digital A/V Output
4. CVBS Standard Composite
Video Output
5. S-VIDEO Output
6. Component Video Output
7. Coaxial Digital Audio Output
8. Optical Digital Audio Output
9. Analog 5.1ch Audio Output
10. SCART A/V Output
11. IEC Power Input