Garbled Picture only for first few minutes on startup

[hounds1873]

Hello,
Please could someone help with this problem.
Had an HDR-FOX T2 since new , 31 Dec 2012. Recently when it is switched on from standby, or cold, the TV says no data and there is no picture on all channels. If left on for a minute, a garbled/pixellated picture starts to appear, and after a few more minutes the picture is perfect on all channels. The TV is connected to the same antenna and does not have this problem. Am very reluctant to buy a new Humax PVR as only very recently discovered the amazing custom firmware, and don't think it works on the new models. It was doing this before the CF was installed, in fact it only started when upgraded to the latest official firmware, hence a search discovering the custom firmware. Am reasonably competent with a soldering iron if needed, eg. PSU etc. ?
Thanks very much in advance.

 

[prpr]

Don't turn it off.

 

[Black Hole]

Recently when it is switched on from standby, or cold, the TV says no data and there is no picture on all channels. If left on for a minute, a garbled/pixellated picture starts to appear, and after a few more minutes the picture is perfect on all channels.

This hints at a thermal issue, in this case it does not like being cold. Is the problem worse when the room is cold? If you turn it off and on again (switch on the back) once warm, does it restart OK?

What happens if you reboot the TV, either while the HDR is misbehaving or after the problem has cleared up?

What happens if you make a recording from standby (when cold) – is the recording good or bad?

Am reasonably competent with a soldering iron if needed, eg. PSU etc. ?

TBH this doesn't sound like something which would be easy to tackle.

As prpr says, not turning it off is definitely an option, because that avoids the unit going through cycles of thermal stress (parts expanding and contracting differentially, producing strain at mechanical interfaces such as solder joints and where silicon is bonded to packaging materials) – my active units don't get turned off. Not turning off is also convenient for CF users because it means the WebIF is always available to access, eg to set a recording without having to wait while it boots up (or even having to be in the same physical location). Decryption (and other processes) can't take place when the unit is turned off!

This would only be a stop-gap measure for an already failing unit, but you might be lucky and find the stop-gap is indefinite.

Am very reluctant to buy a new Humax PVR as only very recently discovered the amazing custom firmware, and don't think it works on the new models.

If it came to it, it is still possible to acquire a good HDR-FOX second hand for around £50 – I did so very recently. I can't see that the availability of supply will last forever though, so you might like to get one in while you can.

HDR-FOX Commissioning, Disassembly, Repair (click)

It was doing this before the CF was installed, in fact it only started when upgraded to the latest official firmware

Out of curiosity, do you mean the 1.03.13 made available within the last couple of months to correct Humax's BBC iPlayer oversight? The most recent (publicly available) CF is based on 1.03.12, and requires the iplfix package installed to overcome the same problem.

Be assured it is very unlikely your start-up problem is in any way caused by the firmware version, because others would have seen and reported the same thing. The HD-FOX firmware 1.03.03 (for the iPlayer correction) seems to have a bug in it causing lip-sync issues and laggy channel changing, but not so the HDR-FOX version.

 

[Luke]

Hello,
Please could someone help with this problem.
Had an HDR-FOX T2 since new , 31 Dec 2012. Recently when it is switched on from standby, or cold, the TV says no data and there is no picture on all channels. If left on for a minute, a garbled/pixellated picture starts to appear, and after a few more minutes the picture is perfect on all channels. The TV is connected to the same antenna and does not have this problem. Am very reluctant to buy a new Humax PVR as only very recently discovered the amazing custom firmware, and don't think it works on the new models. It was doing this before the CF was installed, in fact it only started when upgraded to the latest official firmware, hence a search discovering the custom firmware. Am reasonably competent with a soldering iron if needed, eg. PSU etc. ?
Thanks very much in advance.

Something that sounds similar has been reported by at least 4 others in the past year.

Tuner issues on startup

Hello folks I have an issue that's started in the last couple of weeks where on startup the tuner/s are not able to show any channels for the first couple of minutes, displaying a message 'the channel is missing or scrambled'. I realised we had a retune event in our area and thought that would...

hummy.tv

No Programmes Are Currently Being Broadcast On This Channel for approx 3 minutes

After power on and loading competed (ie, channel shown in vfd) screen shows 'scrambled' message for 10 seconds then 'No Programmes Are Currently Being Broadcast On This Channel' Info bar shows correct information EPG populated Signal detection as normal Picture appears after approx 3 minutes (it...

hummy.tv

 

[hounds1873]

Firstly , big thanks for the comprehensive reply, most grateful.

Sorry, when saying 'cold' start was referring to pulling power plug out of the wall, rather than 'warm' start from standby.
Have just turned it on from standy, picture and sound garbled, but within 60 seconds perfect, faster than usual by a couple if minutes.
Next disconnected mains power from TV and Humax, waited a minute, powered all back on and Humax perfect first time.
Will have to monitor this as possibly intermittent, which is odd.
Leaving on is one option but inevitably power cut or another scenario will turn it off

Have looked at the excellent repair guide, one of the best I've seen. The mainboard and PSU look very accessible, have plenty experience replacing IC's on similar boards. Am guessing the challenge gettign the parts ? Will definately look at buying used unit for spares, as sometime the IC's/caps etc. are not easily identifiable anyway.

This is the current firmware/loader etc. :
Web interface version: 1.4.9
Custom firmware version: 3.13 (build 4028)
Humax Version: 1.03.12 (kernel HDR_CFW_3.13)
Loader Version: a7.33
System ID: 80bc.7e00

The issue for sure only started after this was done, and in this order, bit completely agree it doesn't feel like a software issue.
1. Upgraded very old firmware , was FHTCP1.02.32 installed on 31 Jan 2013, upgraded a few weeks ago to FHTCP-1.03.13 from official website
*** fairly certain the issue started after step 1 above
2. Next disovered this site and was amazed to see the custom firmware, installed immediately.

One thing I noticed was on the official website it says this:
– Application version : FHTCP-1.03.13
– Loader version : a7.34 ( the Humax still says Loader Version: a7.33 , maybe not important ? )
– Micom version : 12.01 ( the Humax still says MICOM Version: 9.3 , maybe not important either ? )

Are these units OK to downgrade the software ? Have still got the original FHTCP1.02.32 file, so could test to rule out a software issue.
So long as am able to revert back to the briliant custom firmware of course.

Regrarding "requires the iplfix package...." don't think that is installed, but iPlayer works ( slowly ). Also some odd error "Boot-time reservation sync service.." show under packages ( see attached ). Will try installed iplfix

Thanks very much again, this forum is excellent

 

[hounds1873]

If it came to it, it is still possible to acquire a good HDR-FOX second hand for around £50 – I did so very recently. I can't see that the availability of supply will last forever though, so you might like to get one in while you can.

Actually very sound advice, just purchased one, hopefully it will be in serviceable condition

 

[Black Hole]

Sorry, when saying 'cold' start was referring to pulling power plug out of the wall, rather than 'warm' start from standby.
Have just turned it on from standy, picture and sound garbled, but within 60 seconds perfect, faster than usual by a couple if minutes.
Next disconnected mains power from TV and Humax, waited a minute, powered all back on and Humax perfect first time.
Will have to monitor this as possibly intermittent, which is odd.
Leaving on is one option but inevitably power cut or another scenario will turn it off

Try leaving the HDR running and only reboot the TV, like I suggested. It is just possible you have identified a problem with the TV rather than the HDR. Try a different TV too.

The mainboard and PSU look very accessible, have plenty experience replacing IC's on similar boards. Am guessing the challenge gettign the parts ? Will definately look at buying used unit for spares, as sometime the IC's/caps etc. are not easily identifiable anyway.

• Identifying which part is faulty is "challenging";
• Obtaining parts in one-off quantities is prohibitive (even if available at all);
• Removing parts from a fine-pitch PCB risks damage to the PCB;
• Fitting parts with legs at 0.025" pitch or completely underneath the package requires equipment and supplies not normally found in the hands of the amateur/hobbyist/DIYer;
• Recovering a part from another board risks invisible damage to the part during recovery.

Only the extremely committed (and certifiable!*) should consider repair at any finer level than sub-assemblies (ie complete PCBs and other major components)... except perhaps the PSU (which isn't so specialised). It's not worth swapping a main board – if you've got a HDR with a good main board, use it as-is rather than consider it a source of components!**

* The regulars here already know I'm certifiable... see https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/start-up-fails-when-hdd-connected.10164/

** The only reason to attempt "extreme" repair (apart from the challenge – expect to fail) is to recover encrypted recordings... but we can do that anyway so there is no need.

Loader version : a7.34 ( the Humax still says Loader Version: a7.33

The "loader" configures the hardware before the operational firmware starts (and puts up the splash screen), and (I think) handles firmware updates too. It does not tend to get updated (it is a separate update, the last I am aware of was 2013), so different units may well be running different versions of loader according to what was installed on the production line.

https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/loader-versions.8208/
https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/which-loader-version-do-you-have.6979/

Micom version : 12.01

That's the firmware running on the front panel sub-assembly.

Are these units OK to downgrade the software ?

Yes.

Regrarding "requires the iplfix package...." don't think that is installed, but iPlayer works ( slowly ).

iPlayer will present, but not play anything unless you have the official 1.03.13 firmware or install the iplfix package (or some other custom work-around).

Also some odd error "Boot-time reservation sync service.." show under packages ( see attached ).

That is a faulty installation, it should not look like that. Others are more qualified to suggest a less dramatic fix or diagnose what has gone wrong, but in the absence of other suggestions I would wipe the CF and start again (Telnet menu >> RMA | reboot | Telnet menu >> clear RMA | reboot | WebIF >> Install).

just purchased one, hopefully it will be in serviceable condition

See the commissioning guide for test on receipt.

 

[MartinLiddle]

Are these units OK to downgrade the software ? Have still got the original FHTCP1.02.32 file, so could test to rule out a software issue.
So long as am able to revert back to the briliant custom firmware of course.

You can run the custom firmware with the 1.02.32 Humax version; there are three custom firmware packages (providing the same addon capabilities but working with three different versions of the Humax software. See https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/Firmware_Downloads

 

[Black Hole]

The capabilities/defects of the standard versions are reviewed here: Things Every... (click) section 1.