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Networking and modified software guide.

Trev

Trev

The Dumb One
EDIT :- This thread is about my Humax Foxsat HDR Freesat Recorder herafter refered to as my HDR.

With reference to networking my HDR and Raydon's software. I have read a lot on the other site and here, but can't find an idiots guide to what's what.
1. Is there an idiots guide to what can be done just by networking the HDR, with a guide to setup etc? Static IP vs Dynamic IP etc.
2. Is there an idiots guide to what you can do by networking the HDR with Raydon's s/w, with a guide to setup etc?
I have read Raydon's readme but find it a bit confusing as it makes a few too many assumptions as to the user's techy knowledge as to FTP, Ftp client, ftp server and stuff like that. Like it says use the *** of your choice, but if you don't understand what they do, you can't make an informed choice. I'm not a computer illiterate, but would like to know a bit more about it before I venture forth with cabling etc.
 
Hi Trev, there is a duumies guide to the old version [ver 3]. Its over on AVforums. It is outdated regarding installation but probably still worth a read as it gives you an idea of its capabilities. There is also Raydon's main thread for version 3 [again it old but gives some more info and pitfalls or issues people may have had] . The current version is 4.04 and its thread is here.

The new version is easier to configure [I think] as its got a web interface. I say I think cause I don't have mine connected to the web so I haven't used the interface. I have to do it old school !

I was a bit like yourself, not really up on all the FTP and twonky and telent stuff but with some trial an error and help from those posting on the main threads I got through it its fairly easily.

Its well worth the effort. It's an amazing hack.
 
Hi Get Go
Thanks for the reply and the links. I have the latest raydon stuff, but was confused by all the techy jargon. I'll have a good stiff read of that stuff you linked me to in a bit. I've just made up the required network cable but thought I would have a check here first.
Trev
 
OK, connected network cable. It's got an IP from my DHCP server and it pings OK but not much else. In fact, nothing either on PC (Network) or nothing on Hummy. Should it? Now for some serious reading.
 
Loaded the S/W. Can now see the HDR from my W7 computer and can view all the files on it in File manager. Had to set the Workgroup to be the same as my network workgroup before it showed un on my 'Network' page. Successfully maped \\Foxsat-HDR\Media as a network drive.
Started reading about media streaming, about which I know nothing, and came upon some stuff that I don't have a clue what it means.
Here's a 'for instance'
MediaTomb said:
MediaTomb is an open source (GPL) UPnP MediaServer with a nice web user interface, it allows you to stream your digital media through your home network and listen to/watch it on a variety of UPnP compatible devices.
MediaTomb implements the UPnP MediaServer V 1.0 specification that can be found on http://www.upnp.org/. The current implementation focuses on parts that are required by the specification, however we look into extending the functionality to cover the optional parts of the spec as well.
MediaTomb should work with any UPnP compliant MediaRenderer, please tell us if you experience difficulties with particular models, also take a look at the Supported Devices list for more information.
Click to expand...
Can someone please tell me what all the jargon means such as 'UPnP MediaServer', 'a variety of UPnP compatible devices' and 'UPnP compliant MediaRenderer' means in plain English, and how do I play my video from my HDR on my computer?
I am at the moment using Windows Media Centre, but I only use it for TV off my built in TV card. If I double click a .ts file on the HDR, it associates with Windows Media Player which is not set up and I don't want to set it up as I don't understand the implications of the settings, and whether it will 'pinch' all of my photos etc which I have associated with different programs.
Any advice most welcome please.
Now you can see why I need an idots guide, as does post #743 on page 25 of the AVForums link.
 
Hi Trev,
Good to see you're making progress. Firstly I'm only a novice at this so take every thing I say with a grain of salt. AFAIK UPnP is a kind of self-configuring feature. I didn't really pay any attention to the term when setting up my system. I think it means its compatible with DLNA servers etc [a DLNA server is what we're turning the Foxsat into with this hack]. I had to use MediaTomb for my Foxsat too, as it works with the WDTV Live media player that I have. I had fun trying to configure it. Eventually I found a YouTube video that sorted it form me. (configuration info starts at 2min 20sec)

Download VLC player and use it to play your .ts files.Then you won't have to change your Windows Media Center setup. VLC is a very good, open source, free media player. Well worth having on your system anyway.

I think Media Render and Media Server are DNLA technical terms. I think one provides the video [ie the Foxsat] and one can play it [ie Your computer or iPhone or what ever you watch it on].


So basically install MediaTomb on the Foxsat and once installed configure it along the lines of the YouTube video and you should be good to go.
 
Sorry, perhaps I misunderstood, is Windows Media Center a computer program on a computer or is it on a TV? If its on a computer you can use VLC instead [but VLC wont work on a TV]. [I'm an OS X user so I' haven't used Windows Media Center]
 
Hi Get Go. Thanks for your replies.
Second one first.
Windows Media Center comes with Windows and is an all singing all dancing media playe come anything to do with media stuff which I only use with my TV card. The PC also has Media Player on it which does not have the bells and whistles.

Now the First
Thanks for the heads up on that stuff. Guess I'll take your advice with Media Tomb and VLC player and have a butchers at the YouTube video, but what does media tomb do that double clicking a .ts fine in Windows explorer and playing it in Media Player does not do? ( supposed I could do the same as I have told other people to do; Why don't you just try it and see what happens). It seems to work like that on my lappy, but I have had freezes after a couple of mins whilst playing, but havn't had the opportunity to see what's what yet. (fast 64 bit lappy, 150Mb/sec wireless n connection).
 
Sorry to butt in here, but I have a small suggestion. The modified firmware for the Humax has become very capable; unfortunately that also means that there are often several ways to achieve the same end and sometimes people start by asking the wrong question. For example, you may ask 'how does media streaming work on the Humax?' when media streaming is not actually the best way to achieve what you want in your particular circumstances. Asking "how can I most easily view media stored on my Humax using my networked Windows PC?' would not have the same answer as 'how can I most easily view media stored on my living-room Humax using the networked TV in the bedroom?'

The suggestion: state as fully as possible what you are trying to achieve without making any assumptions about the direction the advice will take. You will then get suggestions that focus on your requirements, rather than going off at tangents. So far this discussion has meandered a long way from Trev's original enquiry and is confusing the picture rather than clarifying anything.
 
Hi fenlander. Thanks for your response and please butt in as much as you want, I need the help.
My original two questions were raised because I didn't understand what the modified software would alow me to do.

Although I realy appreciated Get Go's original and subsequent answers, there are 1684 (at last count) posts in those three topics. Quite a lot of reading most of which I didn't understand, but did pick up on the bits about workgroups. The Idiots guide in the first lot gave a good idea of the installation, as ammended by the latest readme file, but gave little information on what you can do with it.
For someone who does not know the difference between video streaming and playing a video file on my computer, a lot of the jargon went like an F16 over my head. So it appears thet the answer to my first two questions is 'No' and 'No'.
At the time I only had the slightest idea of what it does for you (as there is no idiot's guide) so I could not state what I was trying to achieve as I didn't know what I wanted to achieve. I had a good idea that I would be able to play stuff on my PC that was recorded on my PVR, and thought of the possibility of getting content from the internet (iPlayer???) but was completely baffled by Twonky, FTP (what's the difference between FTP and copying a file (say) from my PC to the PVR or reverse.

So enough of the c***p and down to the chase with a direct question. There will possibly be more later :-)

Q1 "How can I most easily view media stored on my Humax using my networked Windows PC?" (now I know that I can) I am beginning to think there will be several answers.
 
Removed.

Sorry: I've just removed a lengthy answer because it was in the wrong forum! One of the perils of using the "What's New" option to view posts. :oops:
 
Ok, now I'm confused. This is the Foxsat forum but you're describing some of the features of the Freeview boxes.
 
Yeah, I realised. You weren't the one who was confused - it was me! I've removed my previous post - we crossed.
Time for bed, as Zebedee said...
 
fenlander said:
So far this discussion has meandered a long way from Trev's original enquiry and is confusing the picture rather than clarifying anything.
Click to expand...
Why not try answer Trev's question rather than just commenting on the *confused* direction the thread is going in? Whats the point of that?

Sorry, I don't mean to be snotty, by all means butt-in, but constructive help would be more useful I think. No one else was bothered to help. I'm just doing the best I can.
 
Trev said:
but what does media tomb do that double clicking a .ts fine in Windows explorer and playing it in Media Player does not do?
Click to expand...

I think I'm confusing the issue more than helping, but I'll muddle on.

If you can already access your .ts files from your PC and you don't have MediaTomb installed on the foxsat and you are only going to watch them on your PC then you don't need to install MediaTomb.

MediaTomb is one way of accessing your videos form the Foxsat, but if you can access them via Windows Explorer already then you probably have Samba installed on the Foxsat?

I can't explain the exact differences between them. They are different methods of providing access to the foxsat. Some media players/PCs [or wherever], require methods than others.

So you can access the .ts files on your PC, but you don't want to mess up your Windows Media Center setup by playing the .ts file with it? Then get VLC player and use it to play the .ts files. VLC is a great app. It can play a whole ton of files. Its well worth having on your PC regardless of the Foxsat.

Not sure about the freezes. It may be the media player wasn't able to cope with the .ts file. VLC would solve that. Then again if its WiFi your using then it could be due to interference, which is a whole other can of worms.

FTP is a way of connecting to a server. I'm not able to succinctly define it. Take a look at over on wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTP
 
af123 said:
Ok, now I'm confused. This is the Foxsat forum but you're describing some of the features of the Freeview boxes.
Click to expand...
There is a hack called "Raydon's Media & File Server Bundle for the Foxsat HDR" for the Foxsat that provides streaming and other goodies. See post #2 above for links.
 
Get Go said:
Why not try answer Trev's question rather than just commenting on the *confused* direction the thread is going in? Whats the point of that?

Sorry, I don't mean to be snotty, by all means butt-in, but constructive help would be more useful I think. No one else was bothered to help. I'm just doing the best I can.
Click to expand...

Sorry Get Go, I did post a lengthy answer before realising that I was talking about the wrong box. I'm afraid my knowledge of the Foxsat is mostly hearsay.
 
fenlander. Thanks for your interest anyway. I must admit that I was confused at first until I had read the posts a couple of times and realised what had gone on.
Get Go. Firstly, please carry on muddeling. Your latest post helps a lot. I will try playing the .ts files on my main hardwired network machine then get the VLC player and give that a whirl. I only did a quick test of playing the .ts the other night before I had had enough and went to bed.
Yes I did install samba on the HDR, as at least I picked up that from the links you suggested. My problem was with all the 'You can install this if you want to' type suggestions all over the place is that I don't know whether I wanted to or not ;-)
I'll have another play with where I am at the moment and come back with what I have found.
One of the things that I want to do that I don't seem to be able to do from the Hummy file manager is to put all my films (say) into a new 'Films' folder on the internal HDD and was wondedring whether I can do this from Windows Explorer. I created a folder first which I could see on the HDR Media list as Films(0). I then moved the three file into it but when I listed the media again, the film was missing, and so was the 'Films' folder. Moved the three files back into the root of the Media and got my film back, and the Films(0) folder re-appeared. Must do a bit more experimenting/research on this; unless of course someone can either tell me how to do it, or tell me it can't be done.
 
There would be less confusion if posters would mention the full model name of the box that they are referring to, i.e. "Foxsat HDR", or HDR-FOX T2, or HD-FOX T2, instead of just HDR ;)
 
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