Latest news on software update...

[woodbar]

I have recently blown the dust off the original Aura, bought when it was first released due to all the glowing reviews (mug), did a full reset and although it is painfully slow to boot etc. it has actually been working for a couple of weeks with only the occasional "Can't display due to HDRC bla, bla" error. Was going to use it as my main recording device but the other day it kept repeating the same error all the time - could not get rid of it, restarted the Aura, TV and tried a different cable and port - no, not going to play! Perhaps it needs updated firmware do you think

Around Xmas I even resurrected the HDR Fox T2, updated the custom firmware and it still mostly works a treat - a cracking HD picture on my LG 49" 4K set! Not as slow as the Aura - I still think this was the best model ever Humax produced, the only slight snag was I have to connect it via the sound bar HDMI port as direct to the LG produces no sound.

The reason these two units were collecting dust was for the past 2 years I subscribed to BT TV (mug) and was using the EE TV Box Pro which was initially a very good unit and very fast around all the functions. You could even, for example, pause i Player, select the terrestrial guide to select something to record, then just press back and you would be back in i Player exactly where you left off. Also able to record 4 progs at once as long as you elected to use the antenna ports as well as web based content. Trouble is for the last few months it had the occasional wobble, not recording all of the program and various other anomalies. BT/EE would not guarantee that they would replace it if I took another contract so I cancelled everything!

I then tried a Manhattan T4-R which seemed pretty good initially although only two simultaneous recordings (sometimes I really need 3) but I just could not get an acceptable HD picture on my LG. Tried every conceivable permutation but picture was awful - presumably a faulty unit but I returned it for a refund.

So, in desperation the other day, I ordered a "NEW" BT TV Box Pro from eBay at a very reasonable price so hopefully it is as described. I understand it should still work for Freeview and all the normal catch-up channels as well as Netflix and Prime even without a contract? We will find out! I do quite like the way these BT/EE boxes operate and hopefully might get my 3 recording capability?

Let's face it, recording availability is going down the tubes! Subscriptions with ads or Subscriptions + Premium for no ads are where we are heading pretty soon. If you watch anything, we want some money out of you! Maybe even "Freely" will have to change its name when it becomes Not-Free-ly!

Enjoy it while you can.


Just noticed my out of date details below!

 

[Black Hole]

Yes, but 'they' have got an agenda

The agenda is to migrate us all to IPTV and turn off the transmitters, so they can take over the air waves for lucrative 5G etc.

 

[Owen Smith]

The agenda is to migrate us all to IPTV and turn off the transmitters, so they can take over the air waves for lucrative 5G etc.

I am extremely concerned that this may happen while my tech incapable aunt is still alive. She watches TV about 12 hours a day and can't get out of her apartment without help. It took her many years to get confident using her HDR Fox T2, and now she can record things and watch live or watch another recording at the same time. But if anything goes wrong eg she selects a different HDMI input on the TV by accident she has to phone me to get it sorted. There is no way she could cope with moving to Freely or any other streaming service now she's 84. She'd be reduced to watching existing recordings on her HDR Fox T2, but she doesn't keep much since all her favourites are on endless repeat anyway eg. Sharpe, New Tricks. I just don't know what a switch off of Freeview might do to her, it could finish her off.

 

[prpr]

I am extremely concerned that this may happen while my tech incapable aunt is still alive... she's 84.

I have to say I think you are safe. However my mother was still quite happily using her T2 at 92+ (although she kept referring to HDM 12 on the TV...).

 

[Black Hole]

But if anything goes wrong eg she selects a different HDMI input on the TV by accident she has to phone me to get it sorted.

My supported user (now dead) was provided a Harmony programmed so that sort of thing didn't happen (although it still did, sometimes).

 

[Dave480]

The agenda is to migrate us all to IPTV and turn off the transmitters, so they can take over the air waves for lucrative 5G etc.

And don’t forget all the data collection they can get from an internet based delivery system.

 

[Muscles_1960]

Looks like NEVER may have been right. According to Cord Busters the Aura has been discontinued. Can’t see them releasing a new firmware on a discontinued box.

Discontinued? What's happened to 'Supported until 2027'. It hasn't been supported much past first release...

 

[woodbar]

Just an update, my "new" BT TV Box Pro did arrive and was in fact new with PSU and sealed remote plus another S/H remote with flat batteries? Don't know what that was about?
Anyway connected it up to broadband and aerial, it did 2 software updates, tuned to West signals, signed in to my Netflix, Prime and iPlayer and it works perfectly.
It still shows all the other rubbish as available on the home page which I never watch, like Now etc. etc. but for what I use it is ideal with the 1Tb drive internally.
Quick start up, neat box ,RC good enough but I still think the picture, whilst very acceptable, is not quite up to the quality I get from the HDR Fox T2 although it is excellent on iPlayer UHD.
Happy bunny for £85!

 

[Luke]

Just an update, my "new" BT TV Box Pro did arrive and was in fact new with PSU and sealed remote plus another S/H remote with flat batteries? Don't know what that was about?

Some people don't like the supplied remote. If you have any old BT/Plusnet/Humax youview remote lying about it will still work, including all its extra buttons.
The unused new remote and the used old remote may be because the previous possessor, who you bought the possesion of the box from, knew this, or knew at least part of this.
BTW. Some of the old versions that were supplied for plusnet branded BT boxes even have a button labelled MyView for going straight to any recordings, and that also would work with the Sagecom box.

Quick start up, neat box ,RC good enough but I still think the picture, whilst very acceptable, is not quite up to the quality I get from the HDR Fox T2 although it is excellent on iPlayer UHD.[/B]!

How quick is quick start up?
The BT TV Box Pro in my possession takes 70+ seconds, which is about 10 seconds longer than Humax's 2014 DTR-T4000 youview BT box.

Happy bunny for £85!

As the non-return fee is £140, presumably the previous possessor has somehow avoided paying EE/BT the £140 rather than be £55 in loss!

 

[woodbar]

Start up is within a few seconds, it immediately triggers the TV on and the picture appears as soon as the TV has switched to HDMI3 - but that is probably because I have it set to be available for setting recordings from the EE TV app on my phone so I expect it is consuming far to many watts even in standby!
I will look at the settings again tomorrow and ditch the phone app availability and see what we get then.

The Aura does take a very long time to start up during which you get a long pause of just black screen before it displays its coloured running balls for Android loading - but I do have that set for the maximum power saving mode. That's why I wanted another Sagecom box as I don't have any confidence in any new Humax release after all the lies and misinformation as well as total lack of firmware fixes for the bug ridden Aura which I might even ceremoniously bin or yet again isolate it and keep it as an emergency back up. Not sure whether the 2Tb HD would fit or work in the HDR Fox T2 which is only 500Gb which might be an option?

I do have an older BT box remote and gave it a try - the power, transport, guide and the MyViiew buttons do indeed work but the volume and mute buttons do not?

I wish these manufacturers would use discrete codes for their boxes - I have already set both the Aura and HDR Fox T2 to alternate codes but the now the power button for the HDR Fox also turns on the BT Pro but powering off straight away leaves the BT box on, weird. I thought the BT Box Pro remote is Bluetooth as I can't see an infra red emitter? Maybe the box responds to both modes just for power on?

 

[Owen Smith]

You can use a 2TB drive in HDR Fox T2. That size may or may not need the custom firmware, I'm not sure at what size that becomes necessary.

 

[Black Hole]

Not sure whether the 2Tb HD would fit or work in the HDR Fox T2 which is only 500Gb which might be an option?

HDR-FOX HDD Replacement

As standard, the HDR-FOX can only utilise or format up to 2TiB (see Spoiler 2) however large the actual HDD might be, and will require the drive to be prepared as MBR (not GPT - drives over 2TiB will be delivered prepared as GPT). Sticking to a 2TB (or less) drive makes replacement effectively "fit and forget"; over 2TiB requires work. Adding Custom Firmware enables GPT to be used, and storage up to 4TiB (over 4TiB the HDR-FOX has difficulty tracking disk utilisation).

 

[woodbar]

Many thanks for the replies. It sounds like the 2Tb from the aura is just the ideal candidate as a donor for the HDR Fox T2 then if/when I trash the Aura!

I do have the latest custom firmware on the T2 and I am amazed that it is still being updated so great work and huge thanks to all involved . Obviously the UI is not the snappiest but that's probably down to lack of processing power compared to newer boxes?

I seem to remember that it might even be possible to retain the recordings, T2 to T2 disk swap but I doubt Aura to T2 is likely to be able to do that? Would be nice if possible as I have quite a few older things on the Aura it would be nice to retain.

 

[Luke]

I do have an older BT box remote and gave it a try - the power, transport, guide and the MyViiew buttons do indeed work but the volume and mute buttons do not?

That will occur if the remote has been setup to operate a TV instead of the youview box.
You could do any one of the following to change that:

• reset the old remote
• change the old remote to operate your TV instead of what ever make it is attempting to operate at the moment
• keep the AD button pressed when using the old remote's volume or mute buttons

the power button for the HDR Fox also turns on the BT Pro but powering off straight away leaves the BT box on

Mine dosen't. Which remote mode is your HDR-FOX T2 set to?

 

[Black Hole]

Would be nice if possible as I have quite a few older things on the Aura it would be nice to retain.

Forget that.

 

[woodbar]

That will occur if the remote has been setup to operate a TV instead of the youview box.

OK, many thanks for tips, but I would like to sort the Power on interference before I add yet another variable! It probably is set up for my previous TV.

Mine dosen't. Which remote mode is your HDR-FOX T2 set to?

I remember I changed the code for the T2 originally because there was also a Foxsat in the system back then, but when I started to use the T2 again I had to buy a new 3rd party remote for it, very nice and described as "compatible with all functions" - it actually is except you can't set a new mode so I had to set the T2 back to the default, code 1, I assume. Then of course I had to move the coding on the Aura to stop that clashing! All good fun!

Ideally it would be better to change the coding on the BT Box Pro Power on function, but I don't think that is possible?

Forget that.

I thought that might be the answer! I seem to remember you could copy the encryption key between a pair of T2s but obviously incompatible with the Aura OS.
Obviously I want to sell my recordings on DVDs down the market - Oh, hang on, actually I don't, I merely want to keep them on whatever box I am using for personal viewing

 

[EEPhil]

Obviously I want to sell my recordings on DVDs down the market - Oh, hang on, actually I don't, I merely want to keep them on whatever box I am using for personal viewing

StdDef recordings on the Aura are not encrypted. Whether an HDR-FOX-T2 would recognise an Aura disk in a USB caddy I don't know. Maybe not. Aura recordings can be saved if you fancy faffing about with FTP and transferring them to a PC. HiDef recordings can be converted on the Aura to lower quality not encrypted versions. All your recordings could be preserved. I don't know whether they would play directly on a T2. You might need to losslessly convert them to a different format. Aura's .ts files (transferred by FTP) contain some at the beginning of the file which might upset a T2. Also the files are true .ts and not .m2ts. A lot of messing about, but it can be done

 

[woodbar]

Thanks for your thoughts. I only ever keep or indeed watch HD so that would be the problem. It all sounds a bit complicated for me I'm afraid - I did try converting some HD files a long while back but apart from the fact it took ages to do, the results were a bit variable.
It would seem the Aura will get a temporary reprieve until we have watched everything we need to and then it will become a HDD donor by the sound of it!
Shame there is no custom firmware for the Aura

 

[Norrette]

Returning here after myhumax site has closed. Had a weird pixellated half screen on my replacement* Aura, cured after a cold start.

But it was interesting to read this thread, especially in light of this news a couple of weeks ago:

The BBC’s proposal to switch off Freeview is a threat to its universal service | Letter

Letter: Forcing households to buy broadband to access BBC television channels after 2034 would exclude poorer viewers, writes Christy Swords

www.theguardian.com

If this is in the air (it may be just a threat) it explains the lack of updates to pvrs.

* previous one borked by a power glitch. Now on spike protector supply cable

 

[EEPhil]

But it was interesting to read this thread, especially in light of this news a couple of weeks ago:

I'm not sure where I heard it, but the BBC wanting out of terrestrial broadcasting has been known about for quite a while. Newspapers are a bit late reporting it. If/when the BBC no longer pays for the upkeep of terrestrial transmitters will the licence fee, or whatever replaces it, reduce? I doubt it.
I wonder if the whole thing is kite flying like many politicians do. Gauge the reaction and find it's not supported. Kick the can down the road to the next Charter review.