|
||||||||
Foxsat externall HDD Option - Icy Box Media Player...thoughts please |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#1 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 10
|
Foxsat externall HDD Option - Icy Box Media Player...thoughts please
Hi all,
I'm picking up my Foxsat HDR tomorrow and already looking at ways to make it better The main option for me seems to be increasing the amount of storage so I was looking to buy a WD10EVCS in an external caddy and then putting the disk into the Foxsat at some point once I'm happy to invalidate my warranty. So I found the disk for sale but needed a caddy. Then I found this: http://www.raidsonic.de/de/data/data...ib-mp308_e.pdf Found it for sale for around 140 quid, plus would need to buy the disk for another 100. Looking at the specs it seems that it has a USB client connection (USB to PC), therefore could be plugged into the Foxsat for archiving. Is network attached so can access files via pc and I could plug this into another tv and play archived files as it is .ts compatible. Now, before I'd go out and buy I wondered if anyone has used one of these and/or can see anything in the specs thats claringly obvious that would stop it working in this way. It looks to me like a perfect partner. Any thoughts guys? Cheers, Mike |
|
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#2 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,324
|
That looks like massive overkill.
You can get an enclosure for less than twenty pounds that will be perfectly good enough for adding storage to the Humax. I use a couple of these for PC backup: Drive Enclosure. |
|
|
|
|
|
#3 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,287
|
Quote:
Hi all,
I'm picking up my Foxsat HDR tomorrow and already looking at ways to make it better The main option for me seems to be increasing the amount of storage so I was looking to buy a WD10EVCS in an external caddy and then putting the disk into the Foxsat at some point once I'm happy to invalidate my warranty. So I found the disk for sale but needed a caddy. Then I found this: http://www.raidsonic.de/de/data/data...ib-mp308_e.pdf Found it for sale for around 140 quid, plus would need to buy the disk for another 100. Looking at the specs it seems that it has a USB client connection (USB to PC), therefore could be plugged into the Foxsat for archiving. Is network attached so can access files via pc and I could plug this into another tv and play archived files as it is .ts compatible. Now, before I'd go out and buy I wondered if anyone has used one of these and/or can see anything in the specs thats claringly obvious that would stop it working in this way. It looks to me like a perfect partner. Any thoughts guys? Cheers, Mike |
|
|
|
|
|
#4 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,324
|
Quote:
... the spec says that it only supports FAT32/NTFS so you would be stuck with the 4Gb file size limit.
Some mistake?
|
|
|
|
|
|
#5 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 10
|
Agreed, definate overkill for just a USB external, however I was thinking of the added benefits, like taking it to another tv, NAS connection for PC backups, etc. Taking it on trips with me to watch all the stuff I'd recorded.
Question: Does the humax rocognise USB attached external HDD's formatted in NTFS? That would solve the 4GB limit wouldn't it? Have I already talked myself into buying, most probably...Stop me, quick! |
|
|
|
|
|
#6 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Caer Lerion Lloegr
Posts: 309
|
Quote:
Question: Does the humax rocognise USB attached external HDD's formatted in NTFS? That would solve the 4GB limit wouldn't it?
I'm waiting to see what Network facilities will be unleashed once Humax decide to allow access. DLNA client would be nice! |
|
|
|
|
|
#7 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,287
|
Quote:
Some mistake? |
|
|
|
|
|
#8 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,494
|
You can buy a straight Icy Box for around £25 - I have one sat on my desk right now!!!
All the extra features are alright if you need to take the hard drive everywhere to playback tv wherever you go but for the Humax I don't see thats its necessary. The Humax should just access an ordinary box as external storage and give you normal functionality with the files on it, (although I haven't tried it), so why go to all the extra expense? The ordinary Icy Box can be found here for £25: http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductID=164980 Just make sure you get one with the correct internal and external connections as there's a wide variety of models with different connectivity. |
|
|
|
|
|
#9 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,324
|
Quote:
Why the foxsat does not work with ntfs so fat32 is only option
How is that relevant if the Humax does not support any file system capable of handling more than 4GB? The problem is with the Humax, not the Icy Box which would, surely, provide the same facilities as any other USB storage. |
|
|
|
|
|
#10 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,287
|
Quote:
You said "the spec says that it only supports FAT32/NTFS".
How is that relevant if the Humax does not support any file system capable of handling more than 4GB? The problem is with the Humax, not the Icy Box which would, surely, provide the same facilities as any other USB storage. In my opinion the best solution is to remove the internal drive and connect the sata connections to an external esata case. In this way you can slot in different drives (I use a WD 1Tb and the original 320Gb drive) and have direct access to the drive by usb from a laptop. This arrangement allows archiving of all recordings (Even HD Enc) If a computer also has a esata caddy you can simply slot in a drive removed from the foxsat and make the video files networkeable in this way Last edited by grahamlthompson : 16-01-2009 at 12:31. Reason: typo |
|
|
|
|
|
#11 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Coventry
Posts: 14
|
Quote:
You said "the spec says that it only supports FAT32/NTFS".
How is that relevant if the Humax does not support any file system capable of handling more than 4GB? The problem is with the Humax, not the Icy Box which would, surely, provide the same facilities as any other USB storage. The problem is that the Humax (I believe) uses a linux kernel (nothing wrong with that in itself) - but it isn't what most people use. The only filesystem that Windows machines understand that can cope with files >4Gb is NTFS - and Microsoft keep that a closed standard - people have NTFS working under linux but is is something of a bodge and can be unreliable (and therefore I don't blame Humax for not supporting it). Now if you have a dumb external hard drive it can be formatted in any format you like - so use EXT3 and you have no problems (unless you want to transfer the files to a windows PC). However things like the external hard disk which include a media server need to understand the disk format - this company has chosen FAT32/NTFS to make like easier for Windows users and that makes life awkward for Humax owners. If Microsoft were to use open standards then someone could implement NTFS for linux and I'm sure Humax could support it then. But that's unlikely so don't hold your breath. Just don't blame Humax for not supporting NTFS - they could have done but is would probably have meant using windows as the basis of the machine and it would then have become a media PC; it would probably have been a lot more expensive and potentially less reliable. When engineering a box like the Humax you have to make choices and they aren't always the one you'd like to make - but I believe what they have created is a very useful device. Maybe a future update will mitigate the need for transferring the files via an external drive - who knows? P.S. grahamlthompson - perhaps I should have been more concise and then my reply would have got in before yours! Last edited by smithg400 : 16-01-2009 at 12:54. Reason: Add P.S. |
|
|
|
|
|
#12 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,287
|
Quote:
Surely there is no problem with the Humax - it happily supports files >4Gb - it is just that it uses EXT2/EXT3 to do this. The other file systems FAT/FAT32 it supports can't.
The problem is that the Humax (I believe) uses a linux kernel (nothing wrong with that in itself) - but it isn't what most people use. The only filesystem that Windows machines understand that can cope with files >4Gb is NTFS - and Microsoft keep that a closed standard - people have NTFS working under linux but is is something of a bodge and can be unreliable (and therefore I don't blame Humax for not supporting it). Now if you have a dumb external hard drive it can be formatted in any format you like - so use EXT3 and you have no problems (unless you want to transfer the files to a windows PC). However things like the external hard disk which include a media server need to understand the disk format - this company has chosen FAT32/NTFS to make like easier for Windows users and that makes life awkward for Humax owners. If Microsoft were to use open standards then someone could implement NTFS for linux and I'm sure Humax could support it then. But that's unlikely so don't hold your breath. Just don't blame Humax for not supporting NTFS - they could have done but is would probably have meant using windows as the basis of the machine and it would then have become a media PC; it would probably have been a lot more expensive and potentially less reliable. When engineering a box like the Humax you have to make choices and they aren't always the one you'd like to make - but I believe what they have created is a very useful device. Maybe a future update will mitigate the need for transferring the files via an external drive - who knows? P.S. grahamlthompson - perhaps I should have been more concise and then my reply would have got in before yours! at least I was able to defend my OP. Incidentally there is a known bug that currently stops the Foxsat working with EXT2 so only EXT3 currently supports large files. |
|
|
|
|
|
#13 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 10
|
Many thanks for everyone's replies. Taken onboard I shall leave the media player alone for the time being and wait to see if any network related functions are activated on the Humax in the future that could be useful.
I shall purchase a normal sata caddy with usb connection for the disk and format it as EXT3 for the time being. Picked up my player this morning and very impressed I am too, excellent picture quality compared with my 3 year old sky+ boxes. What's pleased me even more was phoning Sky and telling them to stuff their 30 quid a month! Result. Many thanks again for your help. Mike. |
|
|
|
|
|
#14 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Co. Donegal
Posts: 797
|
What 4GB limit? OK, I know FAT32 has a file size limit of 4GB, but why does everyone assume that has to mean a programme limit of 4GB? Very easy to split a file into as many parts as are needed. Humax should do this to make the HDR compatible with the majority of computers owned by their user base. Other manufactures do (e.g. Technomate).
|
|
|
|
|
|
#15 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,494
|
Quote:
The problem is with the Humax, not the Icy Box which would, surely, provide the same facilities as any other USB storage.
However, spec wise, Icy Boxes comes with normal and SATA internal connections and USB 2.0, Firewire and SATA external connections in different combinations. Thats why I said its important to select the right enclosure for your box. eg SATA internal with a SATA drive and USB 2.0 external for the Humax. |
|
|
|
|
|
#16 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Manchester UK
Posts: 199
|
Quote:
What 4GB limit? OK, I know FAT32 has a file size limit of 4GB, but why does everyone assume that has to mean a programme limit of 4GB? Very easy to split a file into as many parts as are needed. Humax should do this to make the HDR compatible with the majority of computers owned by their user base. Other manufactures do (e.g. Technomate).
|
|
|
|
|
|
#17 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Co. Donegal
Posts: 797
|
Quote:
There should be no need to do this. Most linux distributions (and the box is based on linux) will read and write to NTFS so why can't this be enabled on the box ?
This is a serious limitation. It's a shame that Humax have seen fit to provide an advanced facility such as archiving but ignore the basics so that it's unusable for most people other than for short programmes. Hopefully they will fix it one way or another in a future OTA update. |
|
|
|
|
|
#18 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,287
|
Quote:
Fair enough, but it doesn't do either!
This is a serious limitation. It's a shame that Humax have seen fit to provide an advanced facility such as archiving but ignore the basics so that it's unusable for most people other than for short programmes. Hopefully they will fix it one way or another in a future OTA update. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...5&postcount=34 |
|
|
|
|
|
#19 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Worcester
Posts: 4,185
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#20 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,287
|
Quote:
|
|
|
|
|
|
#21 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Co. Donegal
Posts: 797
|
Quote:
I doubt this will happen. See the thread following this posting
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...5&postcount=34 Switching to facetious mode, there is a simple work around off course . If you stick to the various ITV and Channel 4 offerings, the bit rate is so low you're rarely exceed 4GB .
|
|
|
|
|
|
#22 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Worcester
Posts: 4,185
|
Quote:
How do you link to a post and have the following posts available ?
![]()
|
|
|
|
|
|
#23 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Redditch Worcs
Posts: 17,287
|
Quote:
If you do what you did to find the single post then in the top right hand corner it says 'thread' with the title next to it, click on that, then I just copy the address and paste in the reply.. There are otherways but they require you to know which thread to look in.
![]() ![]()
|
|
|
|
![]() |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 07:36.


Some mistake?
at least I was able to defend my OP.
yours is just to your single post
. If you stick to the various ITV and Channel 4 offerings, the bit rate is so low you're rarely exceed 4GB