Hdmi issue with Bravia

[Wallace]

An update:

SWMBO has been using the HDR since last Sunday. The unit/TV have been in/out of standby many times and we have not had a single occurrence of 'green screen'.

I have probably tempted fate, but prior to downgrading the bootloader, 'green screen' happened quite often.
As an aside, I did not tell SWMBO what I had done so it would be a genuine test.

 

[Ezra Pound]

There are some notes and a link back to this thread on the Wiki here :-
https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/Custom_Firmware_Package_Notes#Loaders

 

[Wallace]

Bugger!

After nearly two weeks of no 'green screen' it appears that it is back. SWMBO has had several occurrences in yesterday and today. I really thought downgrading the bootloader had cured it, but alas, no.

I have swapped my HDRs back again as the 'fault' causes too much aggro. You might want to modify the wiki entry, Ezra.

 

[prpr]

Is there any equivalent set for HD-Fox T2 and/or any experience regarding the performance of this model with different loaders. FWIW the one that I'm watching just now reports its loader as L7.27.

I think there have only been two - L7.26 and L7.27. The latter was upgraded to by a standard Humax firmware upgrade quite a while ago, so it's probably safe to assume it was something Humax thought ought to be done.

 

[Ezra Pound]

You might want to modify the wiki entry, Ezra.

Done - Thanks

 

[zekepliskin]

The HDR that gave me progressively worsening green screen trouble with a Bravia TV a few years ago has loader a7.33. It is now used with a Panasonic Viera and has never green screened since. However, there is, rarely, a slight green flicker (one frame?) at start up, just before the main picture becomes stable.

Yep both my horizonal aerial mount 2010 manufactured V1 HDR Fox T2 boxes had that problem but on loader a7.30, with a 2013 Sony BRAVIA TV. Longer the boxes were on the more likely they were to experience green screen constantly or excessive breakup of picture/sound even on recordings without troubles. They too had the few frames of green on bootup.

I've put the loaders up for general download although not put the links into the wiki as there is a very small potential risk of bricking the box...

http://hpkg.tv/rpc/cfwget.html?file=loader.a730.hdf

and adapt the filename to the version you want. Available are a7.30, 31, 33 & 34.

Yes, rename the file to HDR_FOX_T2_upgrade.hdf, stick it on a USB drive and apply in the same way as other firmware updates.

Super useful, thank you. Both boxes upgraded to a7.34 and no longer green screen on bootup, seem more stable maintaining a picture to the TV, less sound problems on imported "recordings" using 640k AC3 sound which were sometimes hiccuping before. I have a USB stick prepped with all four loaders and original 1.03.12 stock firmware plus the 3.13 CFW version of the same now for contingency (just drop the relevant .hdf file from the directory named after what the package is into the root and then reboot the box with it inserted in front USB of course).

 

[Code is a Hole]

Is there a reference page detailing the features and pitfalls of each of the four bootloaders

One of my Humax HDR Fox T2 recorders has bootloader a7.30, another has a7.31 and the third has a7.33, are there any thoughts as to which bootloader to use, reading some of the comments, there appears to be issues when using one revision with certain TV makes and models, my TV is a Panasonic L37V20B

 

[Black Hole]

detailing the features and pitfalls of each of the four bootloaders

I don't think we know the features and pitfalls. All we can hypothesise is what has been tentatively observed, with very little data.

It appears that the different bootloaders might have an effect on the way the HDMI interface is set up, so a different bootloader might affect troublesome HDMI handshaking. That's as far as I'm prepared to state.

If you would care to set up a comparative study, I'm all for it.

 

[Code is a Hole]

If you would care to set up a comparative study, I'm all for it.

Thank you for the vote of confidence BlackHole, not sure I'm the right one for this, I would not know where to start

Any results would be subjective and only relevant to my own setup

My Panasonic TV has four USB connectors, which appears plenty when looking to buy the TV in the showroom, but real-life usage starts to set in when you gain more and more boxes to hang off your TV

I now have two CYP three in to one HDMI combiners/splitters using HDMI3 and HDMI4, my soundbar (also Panasonic) is in HDMI2 and HDMI1 has my main unit

If you would be kind enough to expand on what your [ comparative study ] would entail

 

[MikeSh]

I now have two CYP three in to one HDMI combiners/splitters using USB3 and USB4

I've never heard of using HDMI to USB before.

 

[Code is a Hole]

I've never heard of using HDMI to USB before.

Neither have I, sorry, slip of the keyboard

 

[Black Hole]

If you would be kind enough to expand on what your [ comparative study ] would entail

The aim of the study would be to answer your original question. Somebody needs to systematically correlate all existing reports of problems with specific loaders, determine whether they are systematic, and gather new data.

That is the process by which we obtained knowledge of Humax firmware bugs in the first place.

 

[Fraser Cavanagh]

I've put the loaders up for general download although not put the links into the wiki as there is a very small potential risk of bricking the box...

"wont let me post with the link"

and adapt the filename to the version you want. Available are a7.30, 31, 33 & 34.

Hi When I click on the link for the loaders, the web page it takes me to gives me an error.

403. That’s an error.

We're sorry, but you do not have access to this page. That’s all we know.

Is there another link to loaders? I am suffering with the Green screen on boot, but only after the Humax has been off for a while.

 

[Ezra Pound]

Here are the loaders, I don't know of any earlier SHA1 checks but I have generated some for these zips :-

SHA1 : 6753368d25fcb778616970a7b5f8014a399040ca  loader-a730-hdf.zip
SHA1 : 16db64595d337abc44dc6fb4c92414e34d236974  loader-a731-hdf.zip
SHA1 : a2e369a335f891d77f4b5376216c3494bca19865  loader-a733-hdf.zip
SHA1 : 4e6e552a15ce786e2c6c4bf4f18c2d33f484affd  loader-a734-hdf.zip

 

[Fraser Cavanagh]

Thank you, I will try these in the next few days

 

[ejstubbs]

I've put the loaders up for general download although not put the links into the wiki as there is a very small potential risk of bricking the box...

http://hpkg.tv/rpc/cfwget.html?file=loader.a730.hdf

and adapt the filename to the version you want. Available are a7.30, 31, 33 & 34.

That link doesn't seem to work, unfortunately. Are the loaders available anywhere else?

I have a currently incurable green screen problem with my brand new 55" Panasonic and I'd dearly like to try one of the later loader versions to see if one might fix it - my HDR currently has a7.30.

EDIT: OK, scratch that. For some reason I hadn't seen Ezra Pound's post of 27th December last year before posting mine. Apologies for the interruption, as you were. (And wish me luck!)

 

[ejstubbs]

Hmm. Well, I've tried all the loader versions and it's still green screening. I've tried multiple HDMI cables, I've tried all the HDMI ports on the TV and I've tried with no other HDMI devices plugged in. Green screen every time - although sometimes the behaviour is slightly different. With the original loader I would get a few seconds of the channel on the Humax before it green-screened*. With all the later versions of the loader it seems to green screen without even managing to show anything.

Might a different version of the Humax firmware be worth trying? I'm currently on 1.03.12 (custom firmware version 3.13 build 4028).

Can you change the Humax firmware without upsetting the custom firmware? I'm guessing not.

* EDIT: having now re-installed the original loader version, it's now behaving the same as it does with all the later versions ie green screen as soon as you switch to the HDMI port that the Humax is plugged in to. Hey ho.

 

[Wallace]

I used to get the ‘green screen’ problem. That was many years ago. I sorted it by passing the HDMI feed to the TV via an HDMI switch.

 

[ejstubbs]

I used to get the ‘green screen’ problem. That was many years ago. I sorted it by passing the HDMI feed to the TV via an HDMI switch.

I've seen references to that solution. AIUI it has to be a matrix switch rather than a one-to-many, and they seem to run in to three figures price-wise. I'm loathe to shell out that much more cash just to get a flippin' telly working properly. Looks like I'll be having a row serious talk with the retailer later this afternoon (it is Richer Sounds so I'm hoping they will be reasonable).

The missus has now decided that if push comes to shove she can live with the old 40" telly (it was her idea to get a bigger TV in the first place). Not sure how happy RS will be to take the new one back now that the box has been opened...

 

[Wallace]

Yes, a matrix switch. It certainly wasn’t a three figure sum when I bought it. But that was many years ago. It is potentially a solution to your problem though.