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Failed Recording of New BBC Four HD Channel

Tell said:
Yes in the main and if you upgrade to the latest software with the latest BBC iPlayer you default it to play HD if available in settings so you no longer need to page to the HD version of programmes which are available in SD or HD, it just plays the HD one if available.
Click to expand...

I've avoided uograding to the latest iPlayer on my laptop because the BBC removed so many of the features (series record among others). If they take download away it's useless to me, my broadband is too slow to stream HD.
 
catnap said:
Different from 2 in that it uses CF rather than Foxy. But as stated, agreed it is only a slight variant to achieve the same outcome. Anyway may be of use to some.
Click to expand...
Fair enough.

Actually the individual variations available by perming every possible decrypt method with every means of removing the sidecars or playing the .ts elsewhere is a rather long list, and I was attempting to summarise (apparently ineffectively).

Let me try again:

Introduction

Some recordings from the recently-introduced BBC3HD and BBC4HD services fail to play back due to being "zero length", while in fact the recording .ts file exists but cannot be played because of corrupt .hmt and .nts "sidecar" files. The sidecar files cannot be simply deleted, because all recordings are encrypted and the .hmt file carries essential information for the playback of encrypted recordings. Being HiDef, the recordings are also protected from being decrypted by the simple expedient of copying to USB.

For an explanation of terms and acronyms see the Glossary (click).

Methods to Play a HiDef Recording That Fails due to Corrupt Sidecar Files - Without Custom Firmware

1. Use a networked HD-FOX or HDR-FOX to access and play the recording by DLNA with DTCP (Media >> Storage (blue) >> Network).

2. Use Foxy to decrypt the .ts (see Things Every... section 5 for details). This results in a decrypted .ts plus the sidecar files on a USB drive (but see Things Every... section 12 regarding file size limitations). The decrypted .ts can now be played directly with a PC or media player, or by deleting the sidecar files (by whatever means, including FTP to the HDR-FOX) the .ts can be played by the HDR-FOX directly from the USB drive or by copying it back to the HDR-FOX internal drive.

Methods to Play a HiDef Recording That Fails due to Corrupt Sidecar Files - With Custom Firmware

1. Use the CF auto-unprotect package to make the .ts playable by DLNA (without DTCP) from any media player (that is DLNA and HiDef TS capable) - auto-unprotect defeats the content delivery protection that would otherwise prevent a HiDef recording from being played this way.

2. Use any means to decrypt the .ts (see Things Every... section 5 for details), then any means to delete the sidecar files to render the .ts playable on the HDR-FOX, or play the .ts on any device other than an HD/HDR-FOX.
 
While I was preparing my previous post, I have thought of a wheeze. Is it possible to create a "dummy" .hmt file that spoofs the "encrypted" and "not protected" properties (as per HiDef .hmt > Foxy), that could be copied over the top of a "faulty" .hmt by FTP? If so, deleting the .nts (also by FTP) could then make any faulty recording playable.
 
A couple of programmes I recorded last night were fine (so maybe a bit premature) - I do wonder if this issue has been caused by something the BBC have been doing. The next time I get a zero seconds error I'm thinking of just unencrypting the file via webif and then removing the sidecars via a quick telnet onto the Fox.

Slightly un-related - one of Petrevs replies on AVF...

Also pee*d off that the BBC seem to have broken their 5.1 broadcasts again - short silences as the audio blips to 2.0 then back to 5.1 again. Happens on DS, Humax HDR T2 and SONY boxes at the very least. Error happens in the recording at the same point on DS and Humax so a transmission/broadcast fault it seems.
Click to expand...

Interesting! I'd noticed this recently too and was starting to think my Fox was having hard disk problems!
 
Well so far everything I've recorded on BBC3 HD and BBC4 HD have all worked. That's on two different HDR Fox T2s, one with custom firmware and one without, one on Sandy Heath and one on Emley Moor. Either I've been very lucky or there's a pattern that we just haven't worked out yet.
 
Owen Smith said:
Well so far everything I've recorded on BBC3 HD and BBC4 HD have all worked. That's on two different HDR Fox T2s, one with custom firmware and one without, one on Sandy Heath and one on Emley Moor. Either I've been very lucky or there's a pattern that we just haven't worked out yet.
Click to expand...
I have two HDRs that I have been setting some additional 1 or 2 minute recordings on BBC3 HD and CBBC HD. They both have long periods were they are consistent the current period for one of them is now over a week and the other from 10th December.
For the last week one has recorded 1 or 2 minute slots OK for BBC3 HD but not CBBC HD and the other records CBBC HD but not BBC3 HD. These are now on repeat timers so I can continue to get a sample each day from the shared channels I receive.

IMO this could just be a coincidence.

What happens with your HDRs if you record 1 or 2 minute slots on CBBC HD and CBeebies HD?
 
Owen Smith said:
Well so far everything I've recorded on BBC3 HD and BBC4 HD have all worked. That's on two different HDR Fox T2s, one with custom firmware and one without, one on Sandy Heath and one on Emley Moor. Either I've been very lucky or there's a pattern that we just haven't worked out yet.
Click to expand...
Successfully recorded The Code of Life and Krakatoa Revealed from BBC4 HD last night. Have not had a failure for quite a few days now (Crystal Palace), so I'm keeping fingers crossed for The Bridge on Saturday.
BTW I was trying to download Foxy yesterday and was annoyed at all the garbage to be waded through before I could find it, and was even more annoyed when I discovered a vast unwanted program (Paltalk) had installed itself from 4shared without my consent or knowledge, and kept on producing pop-ups. I then uninstalled the lot, including Foxy - but might have another go when I feel less apoplectic. :)
 
slotph said:
BTW I was trying to download Foxy yesterday and was annoyed at all the garbage to be waded through before I could find it, and was even more annoyed when I discovered a vast unwanted program (Paltalk) had installed itself from 4shared without my consent or knowledge, and kept on producing pop-ups. I then uninstalled the lot, including Foxy - but might have another go when I feel less apoplectic. :)
Click to expand...
Were you logged in to 4shared when you tried to download Foxy? You need to log in to be able to download the correct file.
 
With BBC3 HD it is worth also trying a recording using CBBC HD as that is the channel BBC3 HD shares its bandwidth with.
 
Tell said:
Yes in the main and if you upgrade to the latest software with the latest BBC iPlayer you default it to play HD if available in settings so you no longer need to page to the HD version of programmes which are available in SD or HD, it just plays the HD one if available.
Click to expand...

What is this latest software? is it the firmware for hummy?
 
My HDR has recorded 21 BBC3HD and 13 BBC4HD programmes since 18/12/13.
My HD has recorded 20 BBC3HD and 11 BBC4HD programmes since 15/12/13 with 7 BBC4HD failures up to 19/12/13.

Current series recordings of Family Guy and The Bridge all successful even when the programmes are scheduled not to be broadcast daily.

Martin
 
mihaid said:
What is this latest software? is it the firmware for hummy?
Click to expand...

As Brian said 1.03.06 but only available via this site since it hasn't been officially released, but is put on old boxes as well as new boxes that Humax currently sell. Thanks to AF123 extracting it off a box we can enjoy the latest implementation of the BBC iplayer on the the T2. It's been about for a bit (circa two months) but it appears that many people on the site haven't upgraded preferring to wait till the official upgrade release (I had two deaths in the family so haven't been reading the board in detail for a bit). Perhaps Humax don't feel the need to offer the latest implementation of the iPlayer to it's existing customer base so haven't bothered to put it up themselves. I think it's a big improvement on the previous implementation.

A slight aside from the thread.
 
Oh @$%#.
In light of some posts above I thought maybe this issue had been sorted and I might be able to record The Bridge II in HD. So last night I set up a trial recording of a 30min prog on BBC4 HD. Result: failed, 0 length.

I'm really disappointed that apparently this fault has not even been acknowledged by Humax or the BBC, much less any timescale for resolution being offered.

Is there a fairly simple way that these faulty recordings can be manipulated to work while remaining on the box?
I don't really follow most of the fixes above as they involve DLNA or copying it off somewhere. An idiot's guide (guide for an idiot) would be great, and I do have CFW.
 
My post 223 is about as simple as it gets. You want option 2 under "with CF" - ie decrypt the recording and then delete the sidecar files.

For details see:

Guide to Decryption

Guide to FTP (scroll down to "Stage 1.1") - use FTP to browse the file list on the Humax from a computer and delete the sidecar files .hmt and .nts individually. Alternatively, if you have the samba package installed you can use Windows Explorer to browse the file system and delete the respective files that way.
 
The easiest way to sort it out, as you already have the custom firmware installed, is as follows:

1. Install the auto-unprotect package (if you have not done this already) - this will remove the flag in the .hmt sidecar file that prevents HD files from being decrypted.
2. Set 'content share=on' on the Hummy - enables indexing of your files by the DLNA server and file sharing by DLNA.
3. Create a folder within the 'My Video' folder on the Hummy and flag this folder for auto-decryption through Web-If ('OPT+' button) - this will allow in-place decryption.
4. If you have a failed recording, move it into the above folder and leave the Hummy switched on. Leave it for half an hour or so - this should allow indexing and decryption: decrypted files have a green 'Dec' symbol in Web-If. Do not proceed until the programme has been decrypted (green 'Dec' symbol present) or it will become permanently unplayable.
5. Using either FTP (switch on the FTP server on the Hummy and connect with Filezilla, or another FTP client) or an explorer program (with the Samba custom firmware package installed) delete the .htm and .nts files. The program will now play. FF and REW won't work, but the skip forward and back buttons on the remote control will.

Edit: text in bold added for clarification
 
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