FOXSAT-HDR: Can I gain access to existing recordings in the absence of an LNB connection and no channels tuned in?

T

trellis

New Member
Title says it all really, but just to expand a little: I have a Humax FOXSAT-HDR box which has recordings on its HDD, but the box has been "factory reset" and therefore has no channels tuned in. The box just brings up a dialogue box saying there are no channels tuned in, and the only option in to go into the setup menu and perform a scan, which of course fails because there is no LNB available. Exiting the menu just drops back to the same "no channels" dialogue box, and I'm stuck in this loop, and can't see any way out to access the existing recordings. Pressing the "recordings" button on the remote just flashes up the little "can't do that" icon on the screen.

Prior to the Factory Reset, the box was working and allowing access to the recordings, even though no LNB was connected. The recordings are still present on the HDD - it's the absence of a successful scan that's blocking access to them.

Any suggestions, other than temporarily connecting the box up to a dish and performing a scan (which would involve finding someone who still has an active satellite dish!)?
 
If you mean "play them on the Foxsat", then no. These units are crippled until the set-up wizard operations have completed (by "these", I mean HDR-FOX and HD-FOX, and I presume Foxsat is the same).

If, on the other hand, you mean "extract them to play somewhere else" – yes*. Just take the HDD out and read it somewhere else (on a Linux system preferably).

* So long as encryption doesn't get in the way. IIRC StDef are not encrypted at all, but HiDef are encrypted unless you have installed Nowster's Patch. IIRC there is no means of decrypting, so you have to avoid encrypting recordings in the first place.
 
On the HDR Fox-T2 you can fudge the database(s) from the command line having installed the CF.
I expect you can do the same thing on the Foxsat with CF, but I can't tell you anything specific any more.
 
Thanks folks. I was hoping there would be some secret trick to exit the setup wizard and enter normal operation mode, but it seems not, sadly.
I don't know of anyone who still uses a satellite dish, but I'll ask around and see if I can get the box hooked up to a dish to complete the scan.
Seems a silly design if you ask me. When Freesat dies (which can't be all that far away) so will these boxes.
 
trellis said:
I don't know of anyone who still uses a satellite dish, but I'll ask around and see if I can get the box hooked up to a dish to complete the scan.
Click to expand...
You don't need a dish, certainly not one properly installed. Surely you just need an LNB so that it will do a scan. Or does it need to successfully find at least one channel?
 
Oh heck. I really, really can't remember. As we used to caravan with the Foxsat-HDR in tow, I know that once or more times we had a no signal = no play nicely issue (by an accidental retune due to double bounce of the remote button)... and in the end I think we could play recordings... or mebbe I finally got the dish aligned?

NB The RESET and/or freesat scan was the problem!

They will happily play recordings with 'no signal received' from an antenna (sat dish or aerial). I did that just a week or so ago when I took down my old dish (wallplugs pulling out of wall) and fitted a shiny new one over a couple of days (needed a second person to help lift the new one in place).

With the Foxsat it will look for the home transponder to update clock and EPG overnight but failure doesn't matter... Unless a full rescan is done where the home Tp is essential (for the postcode database setup).

TRY a manual tune (non freesat mode even) to store nowt and see if it then allows access to the MEDIA list? NB There is no RECORDINGs button on my Foxsat-HDR remote, just one labelled MEDIA.

I'd do a reset/retune with my lnb disconnected if I was inclined to investigate this problem for a solution - but not right now.

Simplest action is to take to a location with a universal (not $kyQ wideband) LNB to set it up then never retune / reset it!
 
Thanks all - just to address some of the points raised:

I've tried leaving it searching for a satellite signal, and it does eventually time out (after 30 minutes!) but just declares it couldn't find any channels and goes back into the same loop.

I don't think connecting a bare LNB will work - it seems to need to find and store at least one channel in its database before it will consider the setup procedure complete and enter normal operation mode.

The remote I have is the wrong one for the FOXSAT-HDR (it's the one I got with the box, but I think it's for a later model of Freesat PVR) but it seemed to operate all the functions, and prior to the factory reset the "recordings" button would bring up the recordings list. I think the button has just been renamed, but performs the same function.

I couldn't find a custom firmware for the FOXSAT - does one exist?
 
trellis said:
I was looking on the Wiki, which only seems to have firmwares for the terrestrial receivers. No mention of anything for the FOXSAT. I didn't spot the special forum.
Click to expand...
The wiki was written by the people involved with the terrestrial receivers. Much of the Foxsat work was originally done elsewhere, on avforums.com I believe. Also the custom firmware for it is not as comprehensive as for the HDR Fox T2 / HD Fox T2, I've seen black hole describe it as Custom Firmware Lite and I think that's about right.
 
Key points (from memory):
  1. Being an earlier product, the Foxsat CF predated the HDR-FOX CF and provided at least some of the "way in".
  2. Being an earlier product, the Foxsat has more limited processing power and memory than the HDR-FOX.
  3. After the HDR-FOX CF took off in its own right and became a substantial ecosystem, some of it was back-ported to Foxsat CF.
  4. The Foxsat architecture is a little different, so there is no accessible hardware decryption nor has the key derivation been cracked. As I noted above, the only (known) means to obtain in-the-clear HiDef is not to have encrypted it in the first place by using Nowster's Patch (which tweaks the firmware to bypass encryption).
 
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