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recommend a freesat box to replace my foxsat hdr? |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 114
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recommend a freesat box to replace my foxsat hdr?
I have been immensely happy with my humax foxsat hdr. With raydon's fantastic software bundle it's an excellent package.
However, nothing lasts forever and it's getting a bit flaky, needing resets more often and i fear the end is just over the horizon. The trouble is, I'm now spoiled and not sure what to replace it with to get the same functionality. This is what I do with my current box that i don't want to lose: normal watching and recording of freesat. set/delete/manage recordings remotely using my laptop and the webif perform remote control functions using my android phone and laptop stream recodings from box to phone transfer .ts files to pc over network transfer files to box over network can any of the latest boxes do this or have we been spoiled by the amazing radon? |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Derbyshire
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can any of the latest boxes do this or have we been spoiled by the amazing radon?
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#3 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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Other than a generic fta box, a small htpc computer with the appropriate tuner cards should be able to do what you want.
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#4 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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Obviously not, which is why you've been using a heavily modified (no longer Freesat) box to do what you wanted.
I don't think Raydon's software has been rewritten for newer devices which suggests to me that it may not be necessary anymore. So no, I don't think it's obvious but thanks for taking the time to post a reply. |
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#5 |
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Other than a generic fta box, a small htpc computer with the appropriate tuner cards should be able to do what you want.
Even just being able to lift off .ts files over the network would be a big plus. |
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#6 |
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If it was that obvious I wouldn't have asked the question, Nigel. As far as I can tell, Raydon's software bundle was launched 4 or 5 years ago and since then receivers and home networking have moved on a lot in ways i don't understand, with DLNA and so on.
There have been no changes to the 'legal' position, nor anything relevant to the Freesat specification. So nothing 'Freesat' will do what you want, so getting your existing box repaired may be the best solution?. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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His software was there to make them do things they weren't supposed to do, and weren't allowed to do - once modified it was no longer a 'Freesat box'.
There have been no changes to the 'legal' position, nor anything relevant to the Freesat specification. So nothing 'Freesat' will do what you want, so getting your existing box repaired may be the best solution?. A tiny percentage of non free apps can be loaded, they have to be licenced in the same way as if you used them on any other Linux system. In fact your posting could be considered libellous. In my opinion Raydon would be entirely justified in taking you to court. |
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#8 |
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Thanks, Graham. Regarding the current fta boxes are there any features I should be looking for that get me closer to what I need?
Even just being able to lift off .ts files over the network would be a big plus. Computers and generic fta pvrs don't encrypt content on recording to disk (the actual broadcast is not encrypted). So the transport stream files can be used on virtually anything. As they aren't encrypted you can readily stream content using DLNA to many other items connected to a home network (no need to copy them off the device at all) Nigel has some very odd ideas, of course it's illegal to decrypt content transmitted encrypted as Sky does, only a sky box with a legal card can be used to view this content. There's no chance of a custom firmeware add on for the current freetime units. The recording partition is itself encrypted so can't be read externally. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Unified_Key_Setup |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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You would have to ask on a thread about free to air kit. If you can get one the Freeview-HDR FOX T2 box has a very similar (and in some ways more advanced) custom firmware add on.
Computers and generic fta pvrs don't encrypt content on recording to disk. So the transport stream files can be used on virtually anything. As they aren't encrypted you can readily stream content using DLNA to many other items connected to a home network (no need to copy them off the device at all) There's no chance of a custom firmeware add on for the current freetime units. The recording partition is itself encrypted so can't be read externally. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Unified_Key_Setup |
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#10 |
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Thanks again Graham. That's a shame. Having done some poking about I can see there are several glimmers of hope that looked promising but didn't pan out. You can connect an nas to play files but doesn't look like you can save to the nas, there's a freesat app to set recordings but it doesn't look like you can change channels, volume, control live recording etc. Close but not quite there. I'm going to educate myself on DLNA to see what that'll do for me.
They have DLNA client capability, so you can watch your Foxsat recordings directly provided the aren't encrypted and you have a DLNA server installed on the Foxsat. To correct the audio track that plays back (By default HD recordings choose the Audio described track. you need the convertfiles package. The juries still out, whether the freetime models will ever get a DLNA server. So don't hold your breath or bank on this ever happening. Subject to the above you can also watch your Foxsat recordings wirelessly using a smart phone or tablet. A 10" Android tablet makes a great bedroom TV
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#11 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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The freesat app does work as a remote control. I wouldn't pair the device to enable remote scheduling though. If you do the box waits up every 20 minutes or so to check for schedule updates which will clearly have an effect on HDD longevity. You can't export recordings at all except those you have uplifted yourself.
They have DLNA client capability, so you can watch your Foxsat recordings directly provided the aren't encrypted and you have a DLNA server installed on the Foxsat. To correct the audio track that plays back (By default HD recordings choose the Audio described track. you need the convertfiles package. The juries still out, whether the freetime models will ever get a DLNA server. So don't hold your breath or bank on this ever happening. Subject to the above you can also watch your Foxsat recordings wirelessly using a smart phone or tablet. A 10" Android tablet makes a great bedroom TV ![]() I guess I'll have to nurse my foxsat until hopefully things move on - if that ever happens. ! |
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#12 |
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i'm about to get a hudl so i've been playing with streaming on my android phone. I put twonky 4 on the box (because 5 defaults to being expired) and upnplay on the phone. I was watching a streamed movie in bed last night on my phone! I've got vlc and mx player installed but can't find a way to call them from upnplay so using its own player. I tried downloading the file but i couldn't find the 'emulated' folder they are supposed to have gone into.
I guess I'll have to nurse my foxsat until hopefully things move on - if that ever happens. ! ANdlna and BSplayer FREE. ANdlna Foxsat-HDR(Twonky Media) - Root Video - All Videos. Click on .ts choose playback with BSplayer FREE. HD content looks great. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jun 2010
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His software was there to make them do things they weren't supposed to do, and weren't allowed to do - once modified it was no longer a 'Freesat box'.
There have been no changes to the 'legal' position, nor anything relevant to the Freesat specification. So nothing 'Freesat' will do what you want, so getting your existing box repaired may be the best solution?. |
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#14 |
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Obviously not, which is why you've been using a heavily modified (no longer Freesat) box to do what you wanted.
In fact the unmodified box allows the same (and more) capability in terms of exporting recorded content, though exporting unencrypted HD recordings is a tiny bit more complex as you have to record HD content in non-freesat mode and copying to a usb device is not very convenient due to the lack of support for Windows file systems other than FAT. The standard box allows archiving HD content to USB, they are of course locked to the original Humax that recorded it. According to you this makes even a totally standard box not a Freesat box. The CF in itself does not allow recording unencrypted HD, though it does simplify recording non-freesat mode channels a little. |
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#15 |
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Sorry Nigel - While the last line in your comment is correct and I fear will remain so, the remaining statement is exactly as Graham describes.
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#16 |
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In fact your posting could be considered libellous. In my opinion Raydon would be entirely justified in taking you to court. |
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#17 |
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What an incredibly stupid thing to post, there wasn't anything even vaguely libellous in anything I posted.
The stupid thing was even mentioning in the first place, as if in some way attempting to give some credence to a totally misguided and mostly totally incorrect post. And then we had the heavily modified post, also incorrect. It's perfectly clear you are posting this rubbish without any knowledge of the actual software and what it does. Apart from totally taking this thread of topic, what have you actually contributed other than mostly nonsence ? Basically apart from the last point, as Repessac has pointed out it's simply not true. |
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#18 |
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So what exactly was the reference to the legal position intended in your post ? It can only be reasonably interpreted that In some way that Raydons excellent software (and others) is in some way illegal. Why mention it at all ?
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#19 |
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Perhaps you should try READING the post, which VERY clearly states that there has been no changes to the 'legal' (in quotes you'll note) requirements for Freesat boxes - in response to the OP's hope that restrictions have been relaxed.
Archival of programme content at the time these boxes were manufactured was allowed. There has never been a requirement to reverse this situation. Interestingly the early Humax firmware versions for the Foxsat-HDR did allow copying of encrypted HD content to a USB device. You could not replay this content without copying back the files back to the internal hard disk. A very early firmware release allowed replay of this from the USB device, Presumably this was allowed at the time by your so called legal requirements ![]() Interestingly FTA access to channels not on the epg was actually enforced by the EU, FTA boxes are not required to encrypt content delivered in the clear. So we have a Foxsat-HDR that is required to have access to FTA content and no requirement to encrypt anything. It's still a licensed Freesat+ box (with or without CF). A freetime+ box is also a Freesat+ box, the licence spec does not allow programme archiving, so again you are wrong, there has been a change to the licence requirements for a freetime box. It seems that a freetime box now seems to match what you considered a Freesat+ box had to conform to. Incidentally you can legally buy and use FTA boxes which have the freesat epg on board. Again it's a legal point, where the epg to be encrypted it would be illegal. It's not actually encrypted at all. |
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#20 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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Perhaps you should try READING the post, which VERY clearly states that there has been no changes to the 'legal' (in quotes you'll note) requirements for Freesat boxes - in response to the OP's hope that restrictions have been relaxed.
I too inferred from your posts that you thought raydon had done something wrong. I'm glad graham was here to correct the matter. |
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#21 |
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I didn't mention the the relaxing of restrictions at all, Nigel. Not sure where you got that from. If anything, I suspect that rights issues will cause tightening rather than relaxing.
I too inferred from your posts that you thought raydon had done something wrong. I'm glad graham was here to correct the matter. ![]() He's totally wrong, Humax's latest Freeview+ certified box the HDR2000T has archiving of both HD and SD content, as in other boxes HD archived content is locked to the box that recorded it. (Though there is a very simple workaround that doesn't require any software mods to the box at all). A pair of HDR FOX T2's can freely view content recorded on the other one (HD and SD) using DLNA streaming. That's because they have TCP/IP DLNA servers and clients on board. That's what we are hoping that Humax will implement on the freetime pvrs. It's true that other platforms don't allow this - Youview and Freetime being the obvious examples. Panasonic had a range of Freesat+ recorders one of which allowed you to make a single copy of a recording to a BD blank. |
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#22 |
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Thanks for the moral support guys. Much appreciated !
@Nigel Goodwin I'm not impressed by your barrack room lawyer opinions. You have no idea what you are talking about. Suggest you stick to servicing TV's and leave the legal stuff to the real lawyers who do. |
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#23 |
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Lets actually clarify the "legal" position.
Under Copyright laws archiving is NOT allowed except on programming released into the public domain. Merely being FTA is not the same as being in the public domain. Recording of broadcast material is only allowed for time shift purposes and should be deleted after a reasonable time - which has never yet been defined in a court. This all stems from the battles between the makers of VCRs and audio cassette recorders and the big programme/content providers some fifty years ago and the legal position has not changed much since then. Whether any content provider would take action against a private "recorder" is another matter and is highly unlikely - although they have taken action against some companies under these laws - e.g. internet streaming companies in the US. |
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#24 |
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Lets actually clarify the "legal" position.
Under Copyright laws archiving is NOT allowed except on programming released into the public domain. Merely being FTA is not the same as being in the public domain. Recording of broadcast material is only allowed for time shift purposes and should be deleted after a reasonable time - which has never yet been defined in a court. This all stems from the battles between the makers of VCRs and audio cassette recorders and the big programme/content providers some fifty years ago and the legal position has not changed much since then. Whether any content provider would take action against a private "recorder" is another matter and is highly unlikely - although they have taken action against some companies under these laws - e.g. internet streaming companies in the US. We are talking here about the difference in 'legality' between a standard Foxsat HDR recording FTA broadcasts in either Freesat or non-Freesat mode, and a Foxsat HDR running custom firmware doing the exact same thing. |
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#25 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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Hi, ray-don.
It's a shame that newer devices are not suitable for your custom firmware. I'm disabled and the extra accessibility you have provided is a boon and very much appreciated. I'm sticking to my hdr for now because your bundle makes it so much more usable by me. I just wanted the than you for your efforts and all the other regulars that contribute to back it up like graham and repassac. Thanks again. |
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