Best way to transfer recordings to pc,

Robti

Member
Hi I tried via using the IP address and just wondered if this was the preferred way to do this ?
Thanks
 
Hi I tried via using the IP address and just wondered if this was the preferred way to do this ?
Do you just want to backup the recordings or do you want to play them on the PC (or somewhere else)? Do you have the custom firmware installed?
 
Hi I tried via using the IP address and just wondered if this was the preferred way to do this ?
Thanks
What do you mean "using the IP address", and what do you mean "preferred"?

There are lots of ways to transport a recording, the best way will depend on your circumstances - including whether you have custom firmware installed.

The primary limitation is data rate - anything which uses the HDR-FOX's networking runs at about 10MB/s maximum, but the USB interface maxes out at about 3MB/s (a PC USB2 interface goes maybe 5x as fast). On the other hand, transporting via a USB drive (although transfers are slow), you just set up the copy and go away while it gets on with it, and doesn't require a PC to be turned on at the time. So, as a rule of thumb, a 1GB recording will take a couple of minutes to copy over a network but maybe 8 minutes by USB. USB transfers run a bit faster if there is no decryption in the process.

But USB drives themselves also have limitations: FAT32 has a 4GiB size limit for files (easily exceeded for a HiDef recording); NTFS requires custom firmware and the ntfs3g package; Ext3 is not directly compatible with Windows.

Transferring by network without CF means using the FTP server or tapping into the DLNA server. Recordings transferred using FTP remain encrypted (unless already decrypted); recordings "grabbed" by saving the stream from the DLNA server are decrypted, but only StDef recordings are available (HiDef recordings have to be "unprotected" before they are available by DLNA).

With CF installed: recordings can be downloaded to PC (via network) directly from WebIF >> Browse Media Files >> (navigate to desired recording) >> OPT+ >> Download; or with the samba (for Windows) or nfs-utils (for Linux/Mac) package installed the HDR-FOX file system becomes accessible as Network Attached Storage directly accessible from the PC's file manager (with all the usual copy, cut, paste, drag GUI operations available). However, the samba CF package only confers SMB version 1 protocols, whereas Win10 defaults to SMB v3 and you would have to find the admin setting to enable SMBv1/v2. WebIF download will decrypt if necessary; the other methods require decryption separately (which can be done on the PC if required).

A big problem I have with network transfers is the reliability of my network. I find my HomePlug links bomb out during large transfers, and frequently I can't access my WiFi-connected HDR-FOX at all, so it is not unusual for me to resort to USB (one day I'll put in Ethernet cables for glorious reliable networking)! Having said that, assuming everything is working, my go-to (most convenient, ie preferred) method is samba and the direct access that gets me in my Win7 file manager.

There is no "preferred" method from a technical point of view, each method is available to use as needed.

I say again: what do you mean "using the IP address" (because the IP address is implicated in all the network methods listed above)?
 
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Do you just want to backup the recordings or do you want to play them on the PC (or somewhere else)? Do you have the custom firmware installed?
Want to have them on my whs 2011 and in the future play them off the humax, yes have the CF installed
 
What do you mean "using the IP address", and what do you mean "preferred"?

There are lots of ways to transport a recording, the best way will depend on your circumstances - including whether you have custom firmware installed.

The primary limitation is data rate - anything which uses the HDR-FOX's networking runs at about 10MB/s maximum, but the USB interface maxes out at about 3MB/s (a PC USB2 interface goes maybe 5x as fast). On the other hand, transporting via a USB drive (although transfers are slow), you just set up the copy and go away while it gets on with it, and doesn't require a PC to be turned on at the time.

But USB drives also have their limitations: FAT32 has a 4GiB size limit for files (easily exceeded for a HiDef recording); NTFS requires custom firmware and the ntfs3g package; Ext3 is not directly compatible with Windows.

Transferring by network without CF means using the FTP server or tapping into the DLNA server. Recordings transferred using FTP remain encrypted (unless already decrypted); recordings "grabbed" by saving the stream from the DLNA server are decrypted, but only StDef recordings are available (HiDef recordings have to be "unprotected" before they are available by DLNA).

With CF installed: recordings can be downloaded to PC (via network) directly from WebIF >> Browse Media Files >> (navigate to desired recording) >> OPT+ >> Download; with the samba (for PC) or nfs-utils (for Linux/Mac) package installed the HDR-FOX file system becomes accessible as Network Attached Storage directly accessible from the PC's file manager (with all the usual copy, cut, paste, drag GUI operations available). However, the samba CF package only confers SMB version 1 protocols, whereas Win10 defaults to SMB v3 and you would have to find the admin setting to enable SMBv1/v2. WebIF download will decrypt if necessary; the other methods require decryption separately (which can be done on the PC if required).

A big problem I have with network transfers is the reliability of my network. I find my HomePlug links bomb out during large transfers, and frequently I can't access my WiFi-connected HDR-FOX at all, so it is not unusual for me to resort to USB (one day I'll put in Ethernet cables for glorious reliable networking)! Having said that, assuming everything is working, my go-to (most convenient) method is samba and the direct access that gets me in my Win7 file manager.

So, I say again: what do you mean "using the IP address" (because the IP address is implicated in all the network methods listed above)?
Used the following for a couple of recordings to try it out
With CF installed: recordings can be downloaded to PC (via network) directly from WebIF >> Browse Media Files >> (navigate to desired recording) >> OPT+ >> Download;

I have the CF installed and want to be able to play in the future off the humax and as these recordings played on the pc I hope that the recursive decryption worked in the CF settings
 
Should this thread be merged with the existing thread discussing the "preferred" method, that was started by Robti?
 
Used the following for a couple of recordings to try it out
With CF installed: recordings can be downloaded to PC (via network) directly from WebIF >> Browse Media Files >> (navigate to desired recording) >> OPT+ >> Download;

I have the CF installed and want to be able to play in the future off the humax and as these recordings played on the pc I hope that the recursive decryption worked in the CF settings
Picking the bones out of that one (I really don't like having to read something four or five times):

Using the WebIF download mechanism results in a decrypted download, whether the actual recording had been decrypted or not. You can tell: in the WebIF >> Browse Media FIles, if a recording has been decrypted it has the "Dec" icon next to it (near the OPT+ button). And then, at the PC, if the download is saved with its original file name it must have been decrypted before download, but if it was saved as <number>.TS, that is its DLNA reference and means WebIF had to decrypt it in the process of downloading.
 
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Okay I wanted to transfer my files ( only have HD) from my humax to my windows server to view in the future by other means than the humax.
I used the method you linked to via webif and as I had the humax CF set up with the recursive decryption I tried to download a couple of files and then play them on the pc and as they played fine I assumed that the decryption had worked
 
I wanted to transfer my files ( only have HD)
HD - HiDef or HD-FOX? I assume you mean you only have HiDef recordings.

to my windows server to view in the future by other means than the humax.
And play them using the HDR-FOX as well?

I used the method you linked to via webif and as I had the humax CF set up with the recursive decryption I tried to download a couple of files and then play them on the pc and as they played fine I assumed that the decryption had worked
Not a valid assumption; the only prerequisite using that method would be autounprotect (for HiDef recordings), not Recursive Auto-Decrypt (a WebIF setting).

However, assuming you do have Recursive Auto-Decrypt running, and assuming you have a reliable network connection to the HDR-FOX (cable preferred), I would say you need to look at installing the samba package (if not already installed) so you can just point-and-click from My Computer (the HDR-FOX will show up as network storage). You will need to google about enabling SMB1 in Windows (assuming it is not already enabled - if the HDR-FOX does not show up in My Computer as a network drive when samba is installed, chances are that's the problem).

If you want to play those transfers from the HDR-FOX in the future, you need to copy all the files for each recording, not just the .TS. The sidecar files are of no relevance to other players, but if using the HDR-FOX they enable all the usual facilities such as forward and backward skip, synopsis, bookmarking etc. If you only have the naked TS, the HDR-FOX will treat it just the same as a .MP4.

To access the files on the PC from elsewhere on the network (including the HDR-FOX) you will need to ensure that particular folder tree is enabled for sharing. Then, on the HDR-FOX, install network-shares-automount and configure it to mount the PC share as a virtual USB drive (see the NSA thread for details).

To be honest, if you wanted to clear space on the HDR-FOX HDD and only* wanted to play recordings via the HDR-FOX, it's a lot easier to just have a USB drive connected to the HDR-FOX.

* Post Script: actually, even if you do want to play recordings from elsewhere, the HDR-FOX can be set up as a server, including for recordings (and other media) stored on an external USB drive. This is more power-efficient than leaving a PC turned on all the time.
 
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Thanks for all the help with this, I connected via samba and left it on all night and most of my 2Tb of files transferred . To be honest this will probably be the last time I transfer files from the humax as it’s now very rarely used, and only really for music type programs, so that I will probably disconnect it after the upcoming holiday season is over.
Thanks once again
 
Robti I can describe my method which I use about once a week, if you're interested.
All recordings to be transferred have been previously transferred to a single directory in the Humax which has auto decryption enabled.
I webif (ip) using a browser to check they all have the DEC flag.
I then use Filezilla to FTP them to the PC.
Job done .1.
I then delete them in the Humax (and if the constant delete rears it's ugly head I use Putty to Telnet in and find & delete the filebglastop shenannigans.)
Job done .2.
I unplug the Humax from the router after that since a bad internet connection can make the Humax crash.
Complicate world innit.
 
Good move, if you can put up with the restricted access. My HDR2 (not networked) hardly ever crashes.
I found there was a certain internet problem that made it try to access constantly, causing crashes, so just in case I leave it unplugged 99% of the time.
 
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