Developing an app for FOX T2

Lots of useful stuff here. thanks all. I wasn't going to try and stream the recordings over DNLA. This can be unreliable on my own local network, resulting in glitchy playback, and is perhaps a little complex and intrusive to set up between two peers. So I am looking to copy the recordings from one Humax to another, using a restartable HTTP connection, perhaps based on Node.js Streams.

I'm aware of the encryption issues and was going to start with just StdDef recordings, which I regularly copy off Humax and onto my computer (with plain Windows Explorer) before converting into MP4 to put on my phone.

I have very little time for these sorts of home projects, so I'm afraid my progress is slow and sporadic. I tend to keep copious notes, so I can pick it up and make a little progress when I can grab just 30mins of time on an evening.

If anyone would like to help me with some testing at least, then I'd be grateful.
 
When you say that streaming recordings over DLNA results in glitchy playback, are you just streaming direct from one Humax to another (or to a player on another device- eg VLC)? If the idea is to copy from one Humax to another, it is possible to fool the DLNA into streaming to a file and then play the file when it has fully downloaded (wget being an obvious method). This would require another device (eg a PC) between two Humaxes. Stream using DLNA from Humax A to a file on the PC. File is now decrypted. ftp file from PC to Humax B. (You can ftp the sidecar files from A to PC to B, to give you the same experience of the recording on Humax B, but you need to adjust the 'on-disk encryption' flag at 0x028e in the .hmt file - see https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/HMT_File_Format)
I agree with Black Hole, the bandwidth you need for this will be a problem. (It certainly is for me!)
 
Yes, I agree with DLNA being the best way in for this - it would not be (too) difficult to make a remote device reach in and extract a decrypted stream even if only in dribs and drabs, and store it locally for playback when the extraction is complete*. The DLNA database already exists as a catalogue of what's available on any particular HDR-FOX.

There's nothing flaky about the DLNA service - if you are getting flakiness it is to do with your client or your network bandwidth. The latter can be solved by adequate buffering and deferred playback.

All a PC-in-the-middle would need to do is coordinate the packet requests between all the various networks.

Tell me Bartyblaster: do you propose to have everyone on static IP addresses, or use some kind of dynamic redirection service? Using a VPN would solve that one.

Bartyblaster said:
If anyone would like to help me with some testing at least, then I'd be grateful.
Click to expand...
There's no way my broadband upstream rate would be any use to you, and I'm not going to spend my data cap on it!


* That's how our custom on-the-box decryption works: a process running on the Humax (in our custom environment) uses wget (or its equivalent) to query the DLNA server and grab a streamed version of the recording, then replace the original recording with it on disk. All you would need to do is virtually the same thing, but extend wget to reach out to a remote device. I think this would be relatively simple to add to the existing CF framework. Further, if integrated properly, it would be possible to make the content of friends remote devices available using the existing on-screen menus via either Media >> Storage (blue) >> Network or Media >> Storage (blue) >> USB. It could all run on the HDR-FOXes themselves and not need a PC in the middle turned on all the time.

If integrated with the CF system, it would be a useful addition to the facilities already available to everyone, and be supported by the existing infrastructure for software installation and updates etc and the discussion platform of this forum. You and your friends would also benefit from the additional facilities available from installing the CF - they will need to install some software somewhere, so it might as well be the CF which is quick, easy, and thoroughly debugged.
 
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Black Hole said:
[1]... it would not be (too) difficult to make a remote device reach in and extract a decrypted stream even if only in dribs and drabs, and store it locally for playback ...

[2] There's no way my broadband upstream rate would be any use to you, and I'm not going to spend my data cap on it!
Click to expand...

1) It's quite easy really - if you can find the right documentation for the programming language/script you're using. All you need to do is find the DLNA server and get it to list the contents. (In the Humax case you can get the full http filename - ends similar to 1234.ts and the stored name eg "Star Trek - The Original Series_20141215_1158.ts"). That might be enough. Just use wget to fetch the http://humax/.../1234.ts file. If you want to be really clever, you can get a list of files via ftp and match the .hmt file to the DLNA file. That will give you far more information about the programme.

2) Ditto, unfortunately.
 
EEPhil said:
When you say that streaming recordings over DLNA results in glitchy playback, are you just streaming direct from one Humax to another (or to a player on another device- eg VLC)? If the idea is to copy from one Humax to another, it is possible to fool the DLNA into streaming to a file and then play the file when it has fully downloaded (wget being an obvious method). This would require another device (eg a PC) between two Humaxes. Stream using DLNA from Humax A to a file on the PC. File is now decrypted. ftp file from PC to Humax B. (You can ftp the sidecar files from A to PC to B, to give you the same experience of the recording on Humax B, but you need to adjust the 'on-disk encryption' flag at 0x028e in the .hmt file - see https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/HMT_File_Format)
I agree with Black Hole, the bandwidth you need for this will be a problem. (It certainly is for me!)
Click to expand...
Streaming over DLNA is glitchy on my home network, which I put down to a poor player device (or software) and possible congestion on the wifi. Also, if friends are will to share their Humax recordings, then they should be on unlimited broadband packages. A agree that sharing/streaming video over the internet will be heavy on a capped data allowance. I'm interested in the wget option to stream from Humax to a file, this may be simpler than the FTP approach and would sort out the encryption on HD recordings. I will explore this further. Thanks.
 
Bartyblaster said:
and would sort out the encryption on HD recordings.
Click to expand...
I'm sure others will correct me [they did], but you can't stream HiDef recordings from any Humax with the original (non CF) software. You need to use Foxy to allow the decryption of HiDef recordings when copied to USB or streamed. IF you can get your Humax to re-index the DLNA database after using Foxy you can then usually stream HiDef. (I have a way of doing this on a 2000T even if a re-indexing doesn't occur, but I'm not sure it works on any other Humax).
 
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EEPhil said:
I'm sure others will correct me, but you can't stream HiDef recordings from any Humax with the original (non CF) software. You need to use Foxy to allow the decryption of HiDef recordings when copied to USB or streamed. IF you can get your Humax to re-index the DLNA database after using Foxy you can then usually stream HiDef. (I have a way of doing this on a 2000T even if a re-indexing doesn't occur, but I'm not sure it works on any other Humax).
Click to expand...
You can stream HD recordings from a HDR-FOX T2 to another HDR-FOX T2, or HD-FOX T2 with Humax firmware.
 
Bartyblaster said:
I'm interested in the wget option to stream from Humax to a file, this may be simpler than the FTP approach and would sort out the encryption on HD recordings
Click to expand...
And SD. They're encrypted too and FTP doesn't give you a decrypted copy.
 
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