If you are having trouble connecting to your TV Server, following these simple steps should resolve most problems. Here it is assumed that the TV Server is installed correctly and that you have installed MyTinyTV on your Pocket PC, laptop or desktop.
First off, you must have set up your TV Server for Remote Access. If you didn't, make sure to set up Remote Access first, otherwise the Find... button in MyTinyTV won't work. To set up Remote Access, please see the TV Server documentation.
Most problems connecting from your Pocket PC, laptop or desktop to your TV Server are caused by firewalls, routers and other "parts" that are normally intended to keep the "bad guys" out.
MyTinyTV (TV Server) automatically sets up your Windows firewall so you don't need to worry about that, but if you use other firewall software (ZoneAlarm, etc.), you will have to configure these.
The troubleshooting steps depend on how you are accessing your TV Server. It is best to try it first (at home) using a wireless or wired network.
This scenario is pretty straightforward and you shouldn't have any problems. It is usually best to start using MyTinyTV at home, before venturing out and accessing it across the Internet.
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Pocket PC
(Cradled)
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First, place the Pocket PC into its cradle (connected to the same desktop where you installed MyTinyTV and your TV Server is running). Start MyTinyTV and use the Find... button to connect (details...). This may take some time the first time around as MyTinyTV is trying different paths to access your TV Server.
If you are having problems with this, use Internet Explorer on your Pocket PC and enter http://find.mytinytv.com. Then enter your email/password information, click Go and our website will offer a list of addresses. Try the "Test" link on that web page. If you can't connect to your TV Server from that page, your TV Server is simply not accessible (or it isn't started). This may be caused by third-party firewall software running on your TV Server desktop and you will have to determine how to configure this software (or you may temporarily disable it to verify that this is the cause).
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Pocket PC
(Wireless) |
Start MyTinyTV and use the Find... button to connect (details...). This may take some time the first time around as MyTinyTV is trying different paths to access your TV Server.
If you are having problems with this, use Internet Explorer on your Pocket PC and enter http://find.mytinytv.com. Then enter your email/password information, click Go and our website will offer a list of addresses. Try the "Test" link on that web page. If you can't connect to your TV Server from that page, your TV Server is simply not accessible (or it isn't started). This may be caused by third-party firewall software running on your TV Server desktop and you will have to determine how to configure this software (or you may temporarily disable it to verify that this is the cause).
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| Laptop |
Start MyTinyTV and use the Find... button to connect (details...). This may take some time the first time around as MyTinyTV is trying different paths to access your TV Server.
If you are having problems with this, use Internet Explorer on your laptop and enter http://find.mytinytv.com. Then enter your email/password information, click Go and our website will offer a list of addresses. Try the "Test" link on that web page. If you can't connect to your TV Server from that page, your TV Server is simply not accessible (or it isn't started). This may be caused by third-party firewall software running on your TV Server desktop and you will have to determine how to configure this software (or you may temporarily disable it to verify that this is the cause).
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| Desktop |
Start MyTinyTV and use the Find... button to connect (details...). This may take some time the first time around as MyTinyTV is trying different paths to access your TV Server.
If you are having problems with this, use Internet Explorer on your desktop and enter http://find.mytinytv.com. Then enter your email/password information, click Go and our website will offer a list of addresses. Try the "Test" link on that web page. If you can't connect to your TV Server from that page, your TV Server is simply not accessible (or it isn't started). This may be caused by third-party firewall software running on your TV Server desktop and you will have to determine how to configure this software (or you may temporarily disable it to verify that this is the cause).
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If you can't access http://find.mytinytv.com in the above steps, your Internet access is not working correctly on your Pocket PC, laptop or desktop. You will have to resolve this before being able to connect to your TV Server.
You can access your TV Server from your Pocket PC, laptop or desktop across the Internet. Any type of Internet connection is supported (wireless, wired, EVDO, cellular, etc.) as long as it is fast enough.
Most problems connecting to your TV Server are caused by routers and other "parts" that are normally intended to keep the "bad guys" out. Because there are so many different ways to connect across the Internet and because of all the different types of routers/firewalls, etc. this can be a bit tricky to figure out. Fortunately, MyTinyTV 2.0 (Release Version) will configure your router for you automatically (if enabled to do so).
Connecting
Start MyTinyTV and use the Find... button to connect (details...). This may take some time the first time around as MyTinyTV is trying different paths to access your TV Server.
If you receive the message "MyTinyTV.com cannot be accessed. Request failed.", your Internet access is not working correctly on your Pocket PC, laptop or desktop. You will have to resolve this before being able to connect to your TV Server.
MyTinyTV should now attempt to connect to your TV Server. You should notice some messages "Connecting to address".
If you receive the message "The TV server cannot be accessed. Request cannot be issued.", this usually indicates that the path to your TV Server is blocked. Please see the Testing section below, to resolve this problem.
Connection Appears OK
If you didn't get an error message so far, the TV listings are downloaded and Windows Media Player should now start (on your Pocket PC). If the audio/video doesn't start within about 5 seconds and you eventually receive an error message indicating that the video stream cannot be connected, your Video Ports are not configured correctly. Please see the Video Ports section below, to resolve this problem.
If you get audio but no video, your TV Server is probably a bit too underpowered (CPU too slow). This normally means that the video portion arrives too late (at your Pocket PC or laptop) and that it's seriously out-of-sync with the sound, resulting in no video. The only solution is to use a smaller video size (for example use 320x240 instead of 640x480 or upgrade the TV Server).
If you get some other error message which isn't documented here, hopefully it's self-explanatory. If it isn't, send us an email or post a question in our forum, so we can add that information here for everyone.
Otherwise, congratulations, you have successfully connected to your TV Server. Enjoy!
Testing
You can test if your TV Server is accessible from your location by using Internet Explorer.
Start Internet Explorer on the same device where you used MyTinyTV to connect to your TV Server. Enter http://find.mytinytv.com. If you can't access http://find.mytinytv.com, your Internet access is not working correctly on your Pocket PC, laptop or desktop. You will have to resolve this before being able to connect to your TV Server.
Then enter your email/password information, click Go and our website will offer a list of addresses. Try the "Test" link on that web page.
If you can't connect to your TV Server from that page using the "Test" link, your TV Server is simply not accessible (or it isn't started). This may be caused by
- Your router (at your home). Routers will block all incoming connections, unless configured to allow a connection. For information about router configuration, please see the Router section below.
- Third-party firewall software running on your TV Server desktop. You will have to determine how to configure this software (or you may temporarily disable it to verify that this is the cause).
You can use http://www.canyouseeme.org to determine whether your TV Server port is accessible remotely. Make sure your TV Server is up and running while testing and keep in mind that you can only test the Server Port (default is 80 or 81).
Once the "Test" link works successfully, you can try to connect to your TV Server again.
Router
If you have a router at your home, it may need to be configured to allow incoming connections. A router will generally block any connection that comes into your home. It does not affect outgoing connections.
Fortunately, MyTinyTV 2.0 (Release version, not the BETA version) can automatically configure your router. You can enable this feature in your TV Server (details...). Your router must support UPnP (Universal Plug & Play), which most routers now do. But you may need to enable UPnP on your router, as it may not be enabled by default. For specific information about your router, please consult the documentation that accompanied your router. If your router does not support UPnP or if it is not enabled on your router, the TV Server will not be able to locate your router and you will receive a message to that effect.
If you are using MyTinyTV 1.0 or MyTinyTV 2.0 BETA version, you have to configure your router manually. please visit http://www.mytinytv.com/routerhelpman for information about router configuration.
Once you enable UPnP and configure this feature in your TV Server (details...), you can try to connect to your TV Server again.
If your router does not support UPnP, you can configure the router "manually". For more information about this, please visit http://www.mytinytv.com/routerhelpman.
Video Ports
If you can access your TV Server, but still can't receive the audio/video stream, your Video Port setting may be incorrect. The Video Port value (default 8000) is an arbitrary number, but it can't be in use by other software on your TV Server desktop. The Video Port value is defined in your TV Server (details...).
Some Internet access providers reportedly block certain port numbers. For example, T-Mobile has blocked 8000 in some service areas. If you run into this problem, you can change the Video Port value in your TV Server (details...). Some users have reported that 599 works fine with T-Mobile.
Once you have changed the Video Port value, you can try to connect to your TV Server again.