Custom software : is it worthwhile ?

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• Martin Liddle Posts: 3,243

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  18/06/12 - 13:00 #2

  gluca wrote: »

  Hi, what are the main advantages in installing the custom software ? I don't fiddle with recordings or do fancy things, I'm just a "standard" user who use pvr mainly for recording/watching TV. For me, it would be worthwhile if I could watch ITV player, 4oDm, eurosport etc whitout using a laptop.

  You wouldn't get enormous benefits. It would back up the recording schedule so that if you retune you don't need to redo the recording schedule, it would give you the ability to schedule recordings remotely if you realise you have forgotten to schedule something whilst away from home and access to a maintenance mode to allow file system corruption to be repaired. You will not get access to other players with current versions of the custom software.
  

  From few pictures, it looks like youview is pretty much like HDR-FOX-T2, any chance that HDR-FOX-T2 could have the same software (IF it really comes to market )?

  
  I suspect the pictures you have seen are pre production units with a new main board fitted into the existing case, I don't think anybody has yet investigated whether the software could be back ported but the suggestion is that the hardware will have some differences which would make it difficult.

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• dragon-it Posts: 465

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  18/06/12 - 20:33 #3

  Custom firmware is great once you have difficult not to use it.... use web browser to your humax and see all the recordings, de-dupe them (e.g. sort out hundred of entries for one program to stop duplicates), easily rename entries from PC keyboard etc.
  
  You can set schedules from there, you can set it up to accept scheduled from a website -- on holiday, forgot to record something ... well if you're desperate enough (or you'll be in trouble for cancelling the Home and Away recordings) get on a web browser from anywhere and set it.
  
  The "shrink" util that is emerging on there lets you reduce size by 20% or more of recordings. Gadgets for cutting bits off start and end of recordings etc.
  
  The back up of recording schedule is worth it on it's own. Have had a few occasions where the box decides to come up from scratch "choose country" etc. and all is lost. At least then we can just web back on and put the recording schedule back on. Also the same when we have to re-tune for new channels - normally you lose your schedules but re-tune then restore them, job done.
  
  There are extensions to the TV portal with a few more gadgets (though not that useful frankly yet.. )
  
  Nothing to lose frankly though, go for it !
  
  Steve

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