Cingular Video on Nokia E61
Several readers have contacted me about Cingular Video on the Nokia E61. Some have had problems setting it up and some have just written to say how much they like it. I decided to give it a try.
These are the steps that I went through in order to make it work. It's seems as if there are different approaches to get Cingular Video to work on the Nokia E61 but one thing is sure - it does work.
The process to make it work can unfortunately be a bit cumbersome. Some have no problem at all but for others it takes some tweaking. It's good if you have a large dose of patience when you start.
I started off trying to connect to cingularvideo.cingular.com using my three standard access points. None of them would connect successfully to the site so I used the Nokia carrier setting configurator, described here, to get additional settings for Cingular. I tried each one of those settings but I still couldn't connect. I got various error messages or just a blank page that wouldn't load.
I decided to make myself a MEdia Net access point. I used the new access point option to create a new access point and made some minor changes to it.
I left everything in the standard setting as is but changed the following in the "Advanced Settings" I changed the Proxy server setting to > wireless.cingular.com and the Proxy port to 80.
Those simple changes made it possible for me to successfully connect to cingularvideo.cingular.com
However, the first time I tried to click on a link I got an error message saying that I had to sign up for "MEdia Max" I clicked "Ignore & Don't Show Again" and could connect and watch the video clips.
The clip launches the RealPlayer and takes a few seconds to launch. The quality is actually quite good.
Until now, I wasn't convinced that mobile TV or TV on the Go would be something compelling for mobile phones but after trying this out I can see how this is just going to get better and better in the future. It's great being able to catch up on the Daily Show while waiting in line at Peet's Coffee.
August 9th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Wow….it is really cool~~ The quality of the video looks very good!! Thanks man!
August 10th, 2006 at 2:36 am
Impressiv!
Well Ed your site rocks - good luck in the future!
sincerly
Marco W.
http://www.e61addicted.de
August 10th, 2006 at 5:48 am
Nice…but… why don’t you mention the ins and outs of the new firmware wich is avaible??
August 10th, 2006 at 5:51 am
it’s not currently generally available so unless he’s got an inside source how’s he going to know?
even the few people who have got hold of it seem unclear about what it actually does.
August 10th, 2006 at 8:19 am
I spend forever trying to figure this out 2 days ago, but eventually did. Later that night I found your site, and helped me out with a lot of other things.
Your site rocks, your RSS is now booked marked on Safari, so I will never lose you…
Thanks!
August 10th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Can you use WIFI or does it have to be subscribe to Cingular Media?
August 10th, 2006 at 9:28 am
I was able to go directly to the Cingular Video site but when I select the clip it downloads the *.ram file and then I receive the error message: “Unable to connect to server. Not enough bandwidth. Check Network seetings.”
I have the Cingular MediaMax bundle which includes CV. I’ve tried switching my access point from Internet GPRS to Cingular Express but with the same results. Does anyone have any idea what I need to tweek, if anything?
Also, I have several access points on my phone:
1) Cingular Express
2) Cingular Express (01)
3) Internet-GPRS
4) CingularISPGPRS (which never works: says no “packet data available”) 5) CingularISPGPRS (01)
6) Cingular Internet
I can connect using Cingular Express and Internet-GPRS. Acouple of questions: Are they all the same access speed/power? Do I need all of these on my phone?
Thanks.
August 10th, 2006 at 10:36 am
UPDATE:
I realised that the error message was coming from RealPlayer and not from the access point so I went into RealPlayer and tweaked the settings. I didn’t know what I was doing, particularly, but here’s what I did:
In RealPlayer>Options>Settings>Connection>Network>Advanced Settings
there are 4 adjustable categories corresponding to different types of settings :
GPRS bandwidth/EGPRS Bandwidth/UMTS bandwidth/WLAN bandwidth
In the first two I opted for the “user defined” setting and put in what I discovered was the max for each. Interestingly, without knowing the exact number I went through each number progressively higher for each numeric position. The way you know that it is the max possible is that the left soft key will only display “OK” when the number is acceptable.
For GPRS I established: 37.52 kbps, for EGPRS I established: 80.64. For UMTS and WLAN I simply chose the highest pre-defined bandwidth as there are no user defined possibilities.
After these adjustments I was able to view all of the videos from Cingular Video in RealPlayer.
Hope this helps others…
Best to all!
P.S. I would still be interested in knowing the answers to the last 2 questions concerning access points.
August 10th, 2006 at 11:00 am
Thanks JP. I was just about to respond by saying that changing the EGPRS bandwidth to 80.64 kbps in RealPlayer corrected the problem for me. Also, it was not necessary to create the MEdiaNet access point. I am using Internet-GPRS as the access point in both the web browser and RealPlayer.
August 10th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
I followed your instructions and I get a webpage that says “Cingular Video is only available on 3g phones.” Could it be that my phone is not hooked up correctly with cingular? Let me know, thanks
August 10th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Hi Dan,
Two things - you are using the “real” browser right and not the “service” browser? also, have you tried different access points?
August 11th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
hi, i am a newbie to the nokia E-61 and was trying to setup my email accounts on it so i would get notice when i receive email (like a text message)…i got the cingular settings from the carrier setting configurator…but am having issues setting up my yahoo and hotmail accounts…any help would be appreciated..
August 12th, 2006 at 8:27 am
HI Sam,
To take this conversation off this thread I will send you a message directly to your email.
Cheers
August 15th, 2006 at 2:00 am
Hi there,
I use my new NOKIA E61 for email, but I do not know how to set up the hotmail account. I tried to check also from Hotmal, but didnt get any further.
Is there any user guide on how to do this Hotmail account configuration? Or anybody of who who knows? Any help will be very appreciated.
Thanks and regards
August 19th, 2006 at 6:20 am
Can someone help me. My e61 doesnt seem to be accepting or sending test messages even though I have the plan. At first it was but now it isnt. Also is there a way to get these other features to work like ptt with cingular?
August 19th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Hi Trevor,
Make sure you are using the right cingular msg center. Messaging > Settings > Text Message > Message Center > SMS settings . Msg center number > Mine is +13123149810 (Cingular).
If you still can’t send/recieve sms try sending the right carrier settings to yourself:
http://www.e-series.org/archives/18
Let us know whether that works.
Hi Paul,
I am not a Hotmail user but are you sure Hotmail supports POP or IMAP email retrieval?
Cheers
August 24th, 2006 at 6:56 am
Hi..
I couldn’t find any other site so I might as well give this a shot here. Do you know why I get the message “Cingular Video is only available on 3G phones” when I access cingularvideo.cingular.com? I am using an N70 and I am damn sure I have a 3G phone. You think if I use Opera I can access CV? Thanks.
August 24th, 2006 at 7:09 am
Wait.. I just read the message above about the same thing. What do you mean by “real” browser? I tried to access the CV website through “download” from the Real Player and I get the the same thing.
August 24th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Hi Ace,
By “real” browser I mean that web browser and not the “service” browser which is a limited wap browser. Did you try changing your access points or using a different access point?
August 25th, 2006 at 5:51 am
Oh.. I probably don’t have it since I’m using N70.. Is that what it is? Is the “real” web browser only available on E61? I tried using Opera and I was able to access CV, but when I select a video I don’t get the “Continue & Don’t Show Message Again” page, but instead I get “Your account is not available at this time” and it’s dead end from there.
Thanls anyway..
August 29th, 2006 at 10:06 am
I have tried to get the configurator to SMS me the settings with no luck. I live in the US and have used the “+1″ and the area code and number +13015551234 is this the correct wa to enter it? Can the phone be set up manually?
August 29th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I have successfully viewed cingular video with minimal change to my phone…
I just purchased my e61, using my cingular SIM, i also just added the MediaNet unlimited bundle with 3G cingular video for $19.99 to my plan. before ordering i went to the nokia configurator page and they sent me an SMS with all the various configs and I saved that to my nokia. I simply typed the cingularvideo URL (mentioned above), then chose one of the downloaded access points , cingular Internet and that did not work, then i chose another access point, (Cingular Express) and everything worked just fine. here are those settings:
Connection Name: Cingular Express
Data Bearer: Packet data
access point name: wap.cingular
Username: wap@cingulargprs.com
Prompt Password: No
Password: ****
Authentication: Secure
Homepage: http://device.home
—————————————-
this was on their GPRS/EDGE network as we dont yet have 3G in the area.
The site was downloaded using the native e61 browser then as i click files it opens up in Real player without a hitch. No settings were ever tweaked on the Real player. I also have the version 1.0610.04.04 of the firmware.
-hope this helps
August 29th, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Hi DKH,
Sometimes it takes a while before the SMS gets sent. I would wait a while and then try it again later. It could also be good to power off your device.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for sharing your experience and your settings!
Best regards
Ed
August 31st, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Hey-o! Ed, and all other people who use the power of the E61 rock. Just wanted to throw that out there.
And I feel like I would seriously tap into this power if I could only get my email setup more smoothly. There’s lots on the interweb about using Gmail with the E-pod, but I still can’t get it to work like I want. It ASKS me to connect (just do it!) every half hour (how about every few minutes?) I WISH that it would really POP email TO me when it comes…
I downloaded the SEVEN Always On Mail Internet Edition client and it works OK (except it needs a constant GPRS connection… which I don’t mind at $19.99 for unlimited access… but it drains the battery like a leach on a hippo.)
I really want to use the Cingular Xpress mail - anybody had luck there? I got the Cingular service guy to email me and say they didn’t support the ‘61 yet and I shoudl wait 45 days… o..k…
September 1st, 2006 at 8:42 pm
i have the N80 and the phones are ridiculously similar, and I was wondering why jim said authentication secure, when I was told it should be normal, what is the correct answer for that, and also, when i called cingular the guy gave me a user name and password and I guess i did prompt password, should that be on yes or no for prompt password, thansk a lot
September 2nd, 2006 at 1:58 am
Hi
I am with Vodafone in the UK and they advertise that you can get vodafone live and mobile TV through their service.
Unfortunately when I go to the vodafone live page I only get text and no options to access any service. Has anyone in the UK been able to access vodafone live /mobile tv??
September 4th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
I’m not sure if this has been posted…. but there is an easier way to get the internet settings on the E61. Log in to your account at cingular.com and on your home page it says phone/device: click the link besides it “support” and somewhere on there it should say auto config for internet and mms. Change your device to the 6682 (series 60, 2nd edition phone) cause it the closest to the e61. it’ll send you a text message, put in the “pin” it gives and voila, settings are…. set. Your FEZ looks familiar?
October 6th, 2006 at 5:30 am
Cincular now has Nokia E62 on their phone/device page, even a closer match!!!
October 9th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
I have tried 3 of the suggestions above to get Cingular video to work on my N80.
Tried to modify the cingular express homepage to cingularvideo.cingular.com (the easiest tweek)..no working,
Tried to manually add another connection based on the medianet seetings and modified the home page to cingularvideo.cingular.com..No work
With both methoods I connect to the Cingualr video page but I recive an error that I need a 3g phone to acces cingular video..The N80 certainly is a 3g phone..but I am not connecting with a confirmed 3g symbol just a gprs symbol on the screen..HELP!?
October 9th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
Okay I got to the cingularvideo page and when I clicked to play a video it took me to a page that stated that My account information was not available to Cingular at this time and that I would need to purchase and unlimited media plan.. I have one.
Called the 800 number listed on the page.
I was informed at this point that the UMTS feature in for Phoenix Cingular customers was dependant on the IEMI number of the phone and that since the Nokia N80 was not sold/supported by Cingular at this time then I would not be allowed onto the UMTS network..or cingularvideo for that matter.
The tech informed me that If/When Cingular supports (sells) the Nokia N80 then the UMTS would work..whether my phone was unlocked or not (it is unlocked).
So at this point I begin to wonder how to get around this?
Use Cingulars settings manager for a similar phone..update settings to said similar phone..?!?
hmmm.. this thing make me go Hmmmm…
October 9th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
would the update work with the Nokia E61 phone? is that the same S/W as the N80 symbian?
October 10th, 2006 at 11:43 am
Seems that the Cingular tech I spoke with affirmed that I need a cingular IMEI for a NoKIA phone that is 3g UMTS in order for the cell tower to ‘know’ to send my sim card UMTS packets.
He also mentioned that if I were to get a valid (read on cingular) NOKIA UMTS IMEI that they can update this in their system and I should be able to recive UTMS signal on my phone number/phone.
So does anyone have a cingulat 3g IMEI number I can use?
Thanks!
October 21st, 2006 at 4:40 pm
Well after much debate, I decided to try to connect the Cingular Video service. First to say I have an E61 in the North East (US) and have the MediaNet Unlimited service. The representative told me I had to sign onto Cingular and create an actual Media Net account to establish connection.
Tried that and of course… no go the error I get is:
“Your accout information at this time is unavilable. In order to watch video clips, you must have an Unlimited MEdia Net plan. Please call 800-331-0500″.
Of course I know I have a unlimited plan (got the highest plan with GoodLink support).
October 24th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
Umm, does anyone know how to view video using the E61’s Real Player? I loaded .mpeg and .mpg files and they didn’t play….
October 24th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
So DEKE or anyone else on this thread..Was anyone able to get around the “Your accout information at this time is unavilable. In order to watch video clips, you must have an Unlimited MEdia Net plan. Please call 800-331-0500″. Error?
Cingular swaers up and down that since my IEMI number is from an unsupported 3G phone that i cant use 3G…Funny thing is I was all over the 3G Network in Tokyo and Osaka..But not allowed on here in AZ..Duh!
Any and all help/questions/excuses to get my phones worth of service is appreciated!
November 3rd, 2006 at 1:30 pm
i have the nokia n93…and i get the same error…it says “not enough bandwidth…check settings” so i change the realplayer settings as stated above, but it still gives the same error…my access points are cingular gprs and cingular mms can someone tell me where I can get this “cingular express” access point??
November 8th, 2006 at 11:23 am
I am also in the NE USA and can’t get around the Please call 800-331-0500 error. Anyone able to?
November 14th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Here in Dallas, TX… please call 800-331-0500 error, have unlimited MediaNet package, Nokia E61 version 2.0618.06.05 w/ Cingular 3G SIM
November 21st, 2006 at 2:14 pm
so it sounds like all you need is the IMEI of a supported 3G cingular phone??
my coworker just got the 8525.. will that work?
December 14th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Admin,
First off, this site is awesome and you’re doing a tremendous service to all us E61 users, thanks! It seems that a number of us Cingular users on the E61 are unable to access the Cingular Videos because our E61’s are unlocked. How were you able to work around it? My Media Net settings are identical to yours.
Any help would be appreciated and thanks again for all your hard work!
-Dan
December 14th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
Hi Dan,
I really don’t know what the problem could be. Perhaps we are on different data plans?
December 15th, 2006 at 5:25 am
I’m on the unlimited data plan (with the Good License as well).
December 16th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
Admin,
One other question, is there a way to watch clips on the internet by updating the macromedia flash player? And if so, when I download the player, what are the exact steps to saving it?
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Dan
December 31st, 2006 at 1:02 pm
As it turns out, the Goodlink Connect unlimited plan does not support Cingular Video as Goodlink connect and medianet are mutually exclusive.
Bizarre.
January 4th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
If you are looking for other free streaming mobile videos for your Nokia be sure to visit our streaming site:
http://www.zoovision.com/mobile.html
January 14th, 2007 at 12:16 am
HEY CAN SOMEONE HELP ME I HAVE A UNLOCKED E61
AND IT NEVER LETS ME PLAY MP4 FILES IS THERE SOMETHING OTHER THEN REALPLAYER I CAN TRY OR A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM MOST GOOD VIDS ARE MP4 I DONT KNOW WHY IT WONT WORK
February 4th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
if i have an old at&t sim do i have any chance in hell of using 3g with an e61?
February 4th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
HI Scott,
Cingular uses a different megahertz 3G so no matter what your SIM is you can’t use it in the US
But it works great everywhere else though
February 5th, 2007 at 5:04 am
that’s what I thought, but people here posting about 3g and cingular confused me…
thanks
February 14th, 2007 at 6:04 am
I have the Nokia E60 and I just bought a 3G SIM card so I can take full advantage of the services from my carrier (Cingular, the new AT&T). Upon getting the card installed, I was unable to connect to the internet via GPRS anymore. I resolved that by using your suggestion of changing the ISP to “wireless.cingular.com” and adjusting the Proxy to 80 vs. 8080 and I was back on the web (No Problem - Thanks!).
Now I guess it’s my fault, but I to took it upon my judgement to update my Firmware via the Nokia Software Updater (to Version 2.0618.06.05 RM-49) After I made that update, neither the old settings from Cingular nor your new configuration settings for the Access Points would allow me to go on-line via GPRS anymore.
Please advise if there is a new configuration that will work for the new Firmware update (Version 2.0618.06.05 RM-49), or is there anyway I can revert back to my old Firmware version???
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Just wanted to let you Cingular customers know that if you have the old medianet unlimited plan and are planning on renewing your contract inorder to buy a 3g phone, be careful.Cingular is screwing their customers by telling them they no longer carry the old unlimited medianet plan and will hand them the media max plan,this will mean that you will no longer be able to use your phone as a modem and you will start receiving 619 errors.The option cingular will then give you is to pay $59.00 dollars to use your phone as modem.The solution is to buy the phone full price from them or at a discount somewhere else and put your old sim card in and dont renew your contract.If you decide to renew your contract becareful Cingular employees are trained to screw their customers.Cingulars sends its employees frequent e-mails with clear instructions on how to do it.
March 13th, 2007 at 8:58 am
I’m getting the 3G error on my phone. I’m using the settings specified and have a 3G sim card. Any ideas?
March 16th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Okay, I’m now totally confused. Is it, or is it not possible to use cingularvideo with an unlocked e61 on the Cingular network in the US. I can connect just fine but I get that little black screen of death telling me that cingularvideo only works on 3G supported phones. I do get the Cingular Video page but only for a moment. Then it is back to the little message in the corner that tells me cingular has figured out yet another way to screw with their customers.
Any help out there?
March 26th, 2007 at 8:31 am
e61 - Cingular Video Problems - It’s Gone!
I’ve had my e61 since Oct. ‘06. I use it in the NY Metro area and have the Medianet Unlimited Plan. I used to be able to access C.V. but I haven’t used the feature in months. As I recall, I used to access it via the MediaNet Home Page. I think there used to be links there to watch video. I can’t find them and Cingular was no help at all. Does anyone have any ideas?
Lyle
March 27th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I have a Nokia E62,
I used Nokia Mulitmedia player to resize videos, but when ever I use MP4 as the format, I only get sound on my phone, no video.
Whats the deal?
April 13th, 2007 at 10:13 am
has anyone been able to view video recently? it seems to be blocked
April 21st, 2007 at 11:28 pm
hi people. sorry to say that cingular networks have become extremely stricted on features available to phones since the addition of the 3g network and change of data plans. unfortunately there are trying to make the cingular exclusive features only available to cingular phones… more money in their pockets. the only work around is getting settings from a similar phone available from cingular and a cingular phone imei. the worst of it all is that cingular uses 850/1900 for is umts (3g) service. so all our over seas phones are not goin to get 3g connection or take part in the cingular video call features being launched soon. that is not the blame of cingular tho, i believe nasa or someone important owns the 2100mhz band in the usa at the current point in time. as soon as they let it go we will all be set… a few years from now
April 25th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I have the e62, I am media max 200 and though i like the media net page with sports scores, weather, and news, I was really interested in seeing the video in action. Going to cingularvideo.cingular.com gives me the cingular video is avialable for 3g phones only page. I used the media net access point (port 80 open and such) and even tried making another with similair settings with no luck still same page. Am I missing a step… or is it now closed for good on non 3g devices. I have a cingular phone, dont see why its 3g only but whatever
April 29th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Well, I am also currently unsuccessful in using my e62 to access CV. But I can help in the process of elimination as I work for Cingular and have been experimenting:
-its not the sim card. When I put my SIM card into a SamsungA707 sync Cingular Video works just fine.
-Its not the fact that the E62 does not have UMTS or HSDPA capability, because “3g” phones (like the sync) still have cingular video capability even when they are not 3g covered areas and only have access to “Edge” networks.
-this makes me think that somehow the CV site knows which what kind of phone is trying access it and it rejects the phone. This has nothing to do with the IMEI Cingular has on file, because again when i put my sim into another phone it works just fine. The phone somehow betrays itself.
-final clue: apparently the treo 750 does not have a direct CV portal even though it has umts. A blogger on gadget.com or something described how he entered some sort of setting into his phone that made the site think he had a blackjack, and it worked.
here is the link: http://www.gadgetech.info/treo/hacks/cingularvideo/
So somehow we must fool the site into thinking our phone is a different phone, but it cant be done by just changing the imei cingular has on file. it has to be done on the phone itself.
-brooks
July 26th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Yeah, I have had the E61, E62, E61i, and I will soon have the E71. Cingular Video used to work on the E61 and E61i. CV worked for about 7 months then Cingular decided to do some restricting of that service. Actually I did get CV to work on the E62 if I used the Sim card out of my E61 at the time. But the Sim that came out of the E62 in my E61 would not work for CV. Weird huh