How to connect SlingCatcher to a NAS device or shared PC/Mac folder

NOTE: This is for advanced users only.

If you connect a shared Network Attached Storage (NAS) device or share a folder with SlingCatcher, you can have access to more of your movies, music, and whatever else you enjoy on your SlingCatcher. Here's how to set everything up.

Overview:

First, you'll make sure that you have the latest SlingCatcher Software. Next, you'll set up your compatible operating system for network attached storage. Once you’ve done all that, you'll set up SlingCatcher. That's it! Let's get started.

NOTE: This article contains links that will take you outside of the Sling Media site. They provide critical basic information on these procedures. We are not responsible for information in these third party sites. Sharing files and folders can present a security risk, if you don't monitor access and use.

The following is additional information you will need for setting up your computer for sharing on SlingCatcher.

Part 1: Updating SlingCatcher Software

1. Go to your SlingCatcher and check that you’re running the correct SlingCatcher Software version (1.0.0.57 or better) by going to Settings > System Information.

2. If you need to update, go to the Settings menu and then Software Update. If there’s an update available, select Yes to install it.

Part 2: Setting up your computer

You can set up sharing in Windows XP, Windows Vista, and in some versions of Mac OS X. Note that Network drive support is not supported with Windows 7. Regardless of the platform, you must be the Administrator for your computer.

WINDOWS XP:
IMPORTANT: Before you begin, read the general information on how to share files or folders in Windows XP using Windows Networking:

How to configure file sharing in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304040

1. Under the Sharing tab for the folder you want to share, click the Permissions button and give the following permissions to the user account that you want to connect with: Full Control, Change, and Read.
2. Go to the folder that you want to share and click on the Security tab for that folder. The user that you want to connect with should be given the following permissions: Full Control, Modify, Read & Execute, List folder contents, Read, and Write.

WINDOWS VISTA:
IMPORTANT: Before you begin, read the general information on how to share files or folders in Windows Vista using Windows Networking:

Share files with someone
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/9636e0f2-0223-45d2-89cb-3e317c4509051033.mspx

1. For the folder you want to share, the user account Everyone should be given permission to share the folder. This account should be given the following permissions: Full Control, Change, Read.
2. In the Network and Sharing center, select Sharing & Discovery.  Make sure the following options are turned on: Network discovery, File Sharing, Public Folder sharing, Printer Sharing, Password Protected Sharing, Media Sharing.
3. Under the Security tab for the folder you want to share, the account Everyone should be added and given permission for Full control, Modify, Read & execute, List folder contents, Read, Write
4. Change your security policy on Windows Vista to allow use of NTLM v1.

Details on how to do this are in this article:

Samba and Vista--Getting these two to talk nicely together (FreeBSD 5.4)
http://nobluescreens.com/solutions/samba_vista.php

WINDOWS 7:
Network Attached Storage is not supported with Windows 7 and SlingCatcher.


MAC OS:
Only Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.4.11 (Tiger) are supported with SlingCatcher. Other versions of OS X are not compatible.
IMPORTANT: Before you begin, read the general information on how to share files/folders using Windows File Sharing (SMB) in Mac OS X:

Mac OS X: Sharing files with non-Apple computers
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1627

Part 3: Setting up SlingCatcher

Once you’ve done this, SlingCatcher will have access to the same folders/files as the user account you connect with.

1. In SlingCatcher, go to Settings > Storage > Add Network Drive.
2. Select Manually Add Drive
3. Enter the URL of the drive on network (not the IP address) into the SlingCatcher screen.
   
   For Windows XP and Vista: The URL is:
   \\computer name\folder path
   
   For Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard): Enter the URL of the share:
   \\computer name\folder path
   Leave the user name and password fields blank.
   The computer name is what it says at the top of the Sharing window in System Preferences (The computer name is there, right next to where it says Computer Name:). The folder path is the directory of the folder you want to access from SlingCatcher. 
   
   For Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger): Enter it in this format:
   \\computer name\user account
   The user account is an account that exists on the system that you want to connect with.
   
   For a NAS device: The URL is:
   \\computer name\folder path
   
   
4. Next, go to the user name screen.
   
   For Windows XP: Enter the user name for the account that has the permissions to access the share.
   
   For Windows Vista: When you connect to your share, the user name you need to use is Everyone.  Leave the password field blank. 
   
   For Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard): Leave the user name blank.
   
   For Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger): Enter the user name for the account that has access to the share.
   
   For a NAS device: Enter the user name for the account that has access to the NAS.
   
   
5. After this, enter your password. For Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), leave the password blank.
6. After you enter your password, a screen appears on SlingCatcher that says,
   Connecting to SMB:\\The URL of your share
7. If it successfully connects, you see Connected at bottom of screen.  You can then enter a “friendly” name for the drive. This name will appear in My Media. You can also leave the URL as the name if you want.
   
   If the share can’t be reached (because of either the wrong URL or a permissions issue), then you see a message that says Invalid network share name. If you get this message, check to make sure that the URL is correct.
   
   If you enter the incorrect user name or password, you see a message that says Incorrect user name or password.
   
   
8. Once connected, you can go into Settings > Storage and then select an already connected drive. You can also choose to edit the drive. For example, you can change the URL if you connect the drive someplace else on your network, change the  “friendly” name, change the username, password, or remove the drive.

Network share or NAS device error messages on SlingCatcher:

Here are the error messages that you may see on SlingCatcher and what they mean.

• Incorrect user name or password!
  (Enter the correct user name or password.)
• Invalid network share name.
  (Check the URL for your NAS or your network share to make sure that it’s correct.)
• Read-only network drives are not supported.
  (You must have set up specific permissions on the share that allow for read/write access. Please refer to the Microsoft and Apple sites for information on sharing.)
• No network connection.
  (Double-check to make sure that SlingCatcher has a network connection. The red Network light on the front of your SlingCatcher must be on.)

• Write Protected
  (This share is write-protected. Please share the drive with full access to use it with My Media.)
• Network Error
  (The drive can’t be reached. Make sure that your computer or NAS are connected properly to your home network.)
  

• This file may not playback correctly because it exceeds maximum allowable bit rate of 13Mbps
  (This means that the bit rate of your file is over the maximum that SlingCatcher can handle. You can either try another file or re-encode the file at a lower bit rate.)

TIPS:

• A hard-wired Ethernet network is recommended.  If you are using HomePlug equipment (SlingLinks, SlingLink Turbos, or another brand), or a wireless bridge, you may see video stuttering, audio drop outs, or other problems.  These networks frequently can’t provide the sustained bandwidth required for smooth playback.  If you don’t have a solid, consistent network connection that provides enough bandwidth to play back your files (depending on the bit rate of your files), then you will see problems.
• Shares/NAS drives do not have to be formatted FAT32.  NTFS/HFS+ formatted drives work fine.
• There is a 4GB limit on file size. SlingCatcher can’t play back files larger than 4GB even though they are on a network drive.