How do I get videos on to a Playbook?

I just got my Playbook (sold my iPad2) and I'm generally a lot happier... but how can I put videos on? I use an iMac. I converted some .FLV videos to .m4a and they play in iTunes but will not download to my Playbook via BB Desktop. I've been trying to find any kind of pertinent information on adding videos via an alternative method but cannot figure out file sharing via bluetooth or WiFi. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Dave

Update: OK I just figured out I can drag and drop them to the video folder. I'm still a little confused why they won't download via iTunes though....

I use a Mac so this is how I do it.

First (which it seems you have tried, but once again)- connect the PB via the USB port with your Mac. The PB should show up as an external drive. Click on it and go to Media folder, there you will find different folders. What I do is drag my videos/docs/pics/music onto a folder of my choice, and then you can access that from your PB. Download a File Browser app from the app world, that will give you easy access to folders/files on the PB.

Second method- Look into your PB settings, get your IPv4 from there and use that to log onto the server from your Mac (Finder- Go- Connect to server). Plug in the IPv4 and you should be able to access your PB from your Mac over the Wifi(make sure they are both sharing the same network).

These are my methods of choice and they work very well. The Desktop manager/software dosent let copy/sync files between devices, I only use it to backup my PB thats all.

Hope this helps :)

Edit as per your update: iTunes app have been launched to sync between PB and PC-- unfortunately it still not available for a Mac.

That does help a ton! Thanks for the quick response.

Dave

I'm not sure if I'm some sort of goof or what, but there is no way I can connect the PB to my computer over WiFi. All I get is "server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time" Both are on the same network. File sharing is enabled on the iMac and on the PB, WiFi sharing is enabled... any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

Dave

Originally Posted by anindoc

I use a Mac so this is how I do it.

First (which it seems you have tried, but once again)- connect the PB via the USB port with your Mac. The PB should show up as an external drive. Click on it and go to Media folder, there you will find different folders. What I do is drag my videos/docs/pics/music onto a folder of my choice, and then you can access that from your PB. Download a File Browser app from the app world, that will give you easy access to folders/files on the PB.

Second method- Look into your PB settings, get your IPv4 from there and use that to log onto the server from your Mac (Finder- Go- Connect to server). Plug in the IPv4 and you should be able to access your PB from your Mac over the Wifi(make sure they are both sharing the same network).

These are my methods of choice and they work very well. The Desktop manager/software dosent let copy/sync files between devices, I only use it to backup my PB thats all.

Hope this helps :)

Edit as per your update: iTunes app have been launched to sync between PB and PC-- unfortunately it still not available for a Mac.

Looks like the OP figured it out but for others trying and failing to access the PB filesystem via USB or wifi:
You need to turn on "file sharing" (usb access) and/or "wifi sharing".
General settings > Storage and sharing
If you have anything of value on the PB, be sure to password protect "wifi file sharing".

I paid $3 for the app "Files & Folders" that does a good job allowing viewing and manipulation of the PB filesystem.

PB filesystem access is one of the few thing on this device that made me think, "Cool". Wifi access is live even when the PB is on standby which allows you to push/pull files even when the device is inert in your bag etc.

Originally Posted by d_miner

I'm not sure if I'm some sort of goof or what, but there is no way I can connect the PB to my computer over WiFi. All I get is "server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time" Both are on the same network. File sharing is enabled on the iMac and on the PB, WiFi sharing is enabled... any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

Dave

Did you go through the somewhat convoluted step of acquiring and entering the PB IP address?

From P 20 of the Playbook user guide:
4. On your tablet, tap > About.
5. In the drop-down list, tap Network and make note of the USB IPv4 address for your tablet. 6. Do one of the following:
� If your computer uses a Windows� operating system, click Start > Run. Type your tablet IP address in the following format: \\xx.xxx.xxx.xxx.
� If your computer uses a Mac operating system, select Go > Connect to Server. Type your tablet IP address in the following format: smb://xx.xxx.xxx.xxx.

smb:// I didn't know that one... I was using afp or something... As for a user guide, I never got one, I guess that's where most of my frustration is happening. I'm trying to do things totally blind.

Dave

Still can't connect... user and password aren't accepted or simply fails again and again. I think I'm going to try a wipe and start all over again... I did download the manual though.

The IPv4 address on the PB changes over time (gets released) if not used, so make sure that you have the correct IPv4 while connecting via the server.

Originally Posted by d_miner

smb:// I didn't know that one... I was using afp or something... As for a user guide, I never got one, I guess that's where most of my frustration is happening. I'm trying to do things totally blind.

Dave

You received an email from RIM when you set up your Playbook, "Welcome to your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet".

There is a link, "Playbook support". click it.
That will lead you to a statement, "for more BlackBerry Playbook support go to:". Follow the link.

At the bottom of this webpage you will see:
"Other resources". Click on "Manual"
Choose:
User Guide - BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
I downloaded the PDF to my Playbook.

Piece of cake right? Got to love that RIM ease of use model.

Originally Posted by anindoc

The IPv4 address on the PB changes over time (gets released) if not used, so make sure that you have the correct IPv4 while connecting via the server.

I second anindocs advice (even though I gave it in a previous post in this thread).
Again:
4. On your tablet, tap > About.
5. In the drop-down list, tap Network and make note of the USB IPv4 address for your tablet.

Unless you set up your network with static IP addresses (unlikely), the IPs are assigned dynamically (DHCP). Just because your PB was 192.168.1.103 three hours ago, that is no guarantee it won't be 191.168.1.102 or something else now.

Originally Posted by Interloper.

You received an email from RIM when you set up your Playbook, "Welcome to your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet".

There is a link, "Playbook support". click it.
That will lead you to a statement, "for more BlackBerry Playbook support go to:". Follow the link.

At the bottom of this webpage you will see:
"Other resources". Click on "Manual"
Choose:
User Guide - BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
I downloaded the PDF to my Playbook.

Piece of cake right? Got to love that RIM ease of use model.

Thanks for putting that out there. Silly me. Always wanted a manual & for some reason didn't look for an online pdf. Did a google search, a quick download, and I'm good to go. :)

Originally Posted by anindoc

The IPv4 address on the PB changes over time (gets released) if not used, so make sure that you have the correct IPv4 while connecting via the server.

Yes, it is the correct IPv4. It still won't connect. Followed instructions from the support blogs about naming and passwords but still keep getting the "server may not exist..." message. I can't believe it is this difficult...


Dave

Dave:

I am on a mac too.

On the Playbook, go to the options screen and select storage and sharing. Turn on file sharing, turn on Wifi Sharing, turn on Password protect, then enter a password.

Still on the playbook under storage and sharing select the network identification option. Once that opens, set the WorkGroup as the same workgroup as on your iMac, this may not matter as we will find it by ip address. Second, set the user name to the same username you use on your iMac.

Next section step is to go to the about section of the options screen. It is at the very top of the list. Select network to see the ip assigned to your Playbook. It is under IPv4.

Open finder, press command-k and a window will open up. Put your server address in like smb://10.0.1.7 , using the ip assigned to your playbook. Hit the plus sign to add it to your list of favorite servers and then press connect. When the login window pops up, select connect as a registered user, put in your user name and password and select connect. Then when the list of volumes comes up, select media and press ok.

Once connected, it will show in your finder window as a pc with the ip address as the name.

Just a note about the videos, if they have DRM in them, they will not play on the PlayBook. The Mac Desktop Manager will not transfer any DRM movies or Music to the PlayBook. For the music there is a FAQ in the iTunes help showing a link to purchase an upgrade to DRM free music for your current files that may have DRM.

Please excuse my extreme ignorance... I don't have a Workgroup on my iMac. Where do I find it? In User accounts? Network? Sharing? I'm sorry to be such a pain, but I really don't know where to look or what to look for.

What I have tried:

1) Full name - from Accounts

2) Mobile ME user name - from Accounts

3) Network name - from Network

4) Computer name - from Sharing

And still I get the connection error: "There was an error connecting to the server “xxx.xxx.x.xx/xx”. Check the server name or IP address, and then try again". The IP4v address is good. All sharing is turned on on both the computer and the PB. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong or missing.

I also just tried this with no success:


Launch System Preferences by clicking its icon in the Dock.
Click the �Network� icon in the System Preferences window.
Select �Edit Locations� from the Location dropdown menu.
Create a copy of your current active location.
Select your active location from the list in the Location sheet. The active location is usually called Automatic, and may be the only entry in the sheet.
Click the sprocket button and select �Duplicate Location� from the pop-up menu.
Type in a new name for the duplicate location or use the default name, which is �Automatic Copy.�
Click the �Done� button.
Click the �Advanced� button.
Select the �WINS� tab.
In the �Workgroup� field, enter the same workgroup name you're using on the PC.
Click the �OK� button.
Click the �Apply� button.
After you click the �Apply� button, your network connection will be dropped. After a few moments, your network connection will be re-established, with the new workgroup name you created.

ok, this shouldn't be this hard. it's always just one step for me. but just in case something weird is going on with your setup.. try the following... (disclaimer: I'm on OSX 10.5.x and a fairly old playbook OS build)


1. on your mac, go to Applications/Utilities, and launch Terminal
2. on your playbook, open up the gears, then select about->network
3. write down the IP address reported (eg. 172.16.1.104)
4. from your mac terminal, type "ping 172.16.1.104" (replace with your playbook's IP)
5. do you see replies from ping?.. eg:

PING 172.16.1.104 (172.16.1.104): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 172.16.1.104: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=125.532 ms

6. hit ctrl-c to stop the ping output
7. if you are not getting replies, then you have some sort of funky networking issue to resolve, which is beyond the scope of this discussion (you CAN try using the USB cable in this case, which will get you an IP in the 169.254.x.x range to try again with).
8. if you are getting ping replies, then proceed to do the following on your PB...
9. In the gears->Storage & Sharing pane, make sure File Sharing and Wi-Fi Sharing are set to ON
10. On the same pane, click on Network Identification. The name and workgroup are not terribly important at this point, since you are still trying to prove you can simply connect. Set a username here, or leave it as "playbook". This is the username you need to use for file sharing.
11. Go back to the storage & sharing pane... turn "password protect" to OFF
12. On your mac, in the Finder, select Go->Connect To Server (command-k)
13. In the Server Address box, type in "smb://172.16.1.104/media" (substitute your playbook's IP)
14. after a couple of seconds you should be presented with a login box. select "registered user", enter the username "playbook" (or whatever you changed it to), and leave password field blank.
15. this should connect and you. if it doesn't work then stop here.
16. disconnect the share (eject it, drag it to trash, etc.)
17. on your playbook, go back to the Storage & Sharing page and set Password Protect to ON. Enter a password when prompted. This will now be your password for the file sharing.
18. re-do steps 12-14, but this time enter the password you just defined.
19. This should connect you to the media share. If not, then something else weird is going on.

Now, what can you do to simplify things so you don't have to keep looking up the IP address?
You could configure a static IP for your playbook in your wireless router's config settings.
Or you can mess around with workgroups, etc.
I will try this right now on my Mac and Playbook and see if I can get it to work. This functionality worked at release date, but was reported to have failed at some point in the intervening months...

1. on your mac in Network Settings for your active connection, select Advanced and then WINS.
2. enter a workgroup name (eg. homenet)
3. OK, ACCEPT, close settings window
4. On your playbook, may as well disable Wi-Fi while making the following changes...
5. In Storage & Sharing -> Network Identification, enter Tablet Network Name "pb1" (for example), and Workgroup "homenet" (or whatever you chose at step 2).
6. exit the config screen, turn Wi-Fi back on.
7. On your mac, double-click on your hard disk icon, or Go->Network.
8. You should see "pb1" in the list of available hosts (or on the left-hand finder pane under SHARED).. you may need to wait a bit for it to show up, but in my case, it's showing up pretty quick.
9. open up pb1 (or whatever you chose).. it will try to connect and will probably fail -- you may need to click the "connect as" button in the finder window!
10. enter the same credentials you used in the previous set of instructions.

Now, I admit that I can get through the first set of instructions ok, but in the second set, I'm having problems connecting. I tried to debug using smbclient, and it seems that the PB (running the old OS I am using) does not respond unless you explicitly specify the media share when connecting. There could be some flakiness in the outdated software I'm running though.

But by all means, the first set of instructions I laid out should work fine for you.

FourOhFour, thanks for the incredible job on the instructions. Unfortunately nothing worked. I do get pings. I followed both sets of instructions exactly (three times) and it just sends me the error message - every time. If I plug in via USB I do get the shared drive icon on my desktop and can access the folders. My PB is not visible on the sidebar, a shared printer in the house is though...

Dave

very weird.
at the terminal, if you type "smbclient", does it seem to be installed?
you can try:

smbclient -U username //172.16.1.104/media
(where username is the name you set)

hit enter when prompted for password (assuming your password is OFF)

if it succeeds, you can try "ls":


% smbclient -U playbook //172.16.1.104/media
Password:
Domain=[PB1] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.37]
smb: \> ls
. D 0 Fri Mar 18 10:10:18 2011
.. D 0 Tue Jun 21 13:20:28 2011
bookmarks D 0 Tue Jun 21 13:20:27 2011
books D 0 Tue Jun 21 13:20:27 2011
camera D 0 Sat Dec 10 20:12:17 2011
documents D 0 Tue Jun 21 13:20:27 2011
downloads D 0 Wed Nov 16 20:50:37 2011
misc D 0 Wed Aug 24 14:09:45 2011
music D 0 Sun Sep 4 13:21:05 2011
photos D 0 Tue Jun 21 13:20:27 2011
print D 0 Tue Jun 21 13:20:27 2011
videos D 0 Thu Dec 1 22:18:01 2011
voice D 0 Tue Jun 21 13:20:27 2011
.metadata_never_index AH 0 Thu Jun 23 16:43:54 2011

55567 blocks of size 262144. 37608 blocks available


also, have you tried this from a PC at all?
Start->Run-> \\172.16.1.104\media

smbclient seems to be installed. No luck going any further though. Here's where I get to. The x's indicate personal info.


xxxxxxxxxxxx-iMac:~ xxxxxxx$ smbclient -U xxxxxxx//172.16.1.104/media
Usage: smbclient [-?] [-?EgV] [-?EgV] [-?EgVNkP] [-?|--help] [--usage]
[-R|--name-resolve NAME-RESOLVE-ORDER] [-M|--message HOST]
[-I|--ip-address IP] [-E|--stderr] [-L|--list HOST] [-t|--terminal CODE]
[-m|--max-protocol LEVEL] [-T|--tar <c|x>IXFqgbNan] [-D|--directory DIR]
[-c|--command STRING] [-b|--send-buffer BYTES] [-p|--port PORT]
[-g|--grepable] [-d|--debuglevel DEBUGLEVEL]
[-s|--configfile CONFIGFILE] [-l|--log-basename LOGFILEBASE]
[-V|--version] [-O|--socket-options SOCKETOPTIONS]
[-n|--netbiosname NETBIOSNAME] [-W|--workgroup WORKGROUP]
[-i|--scope SCOPE] [-U|--user USERNAME] [-N|--no-pass] [-k|--kerberos]
[-A|--authentication-file FILE] [-S|--signing on|off|required]
[-P|--machine-pass] service <password>
xxxxxxxxxxxxxiMac:~ xxxxxxx$

also try this for media sharing from a Mac

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...ok-os7-681560/