Official Humax Firmware 1.03.13 (HDR-FOX) / 1.03.03 (HD-FOX)

[Black Hole]

As announced here:

Humax have now released their fix for the iPlayer problem version 1.03.13 which is available to download from https://uk.humaxdigital.com/support/?product_id=2641&curr_page=sw_release.

The equivalent for HD-FOX was announced in this thread: https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/new-version-of-software-to-fix-iplayer-problem.10135/post-153814

As discussed in the HD-FOX thread, one user has reported problems with this new roll-out: laggy change of channel, and excessive lip-sync error.

I have loaded my HD-FOX with 1.03.03, and found similar. Strangely, the lip-sync sorts itself out after a while (10 mins when I was monitoring it).

Update: 1.03.13 does not appear to be affected.

Not many users on this forum will have bothered with these updates yet, because they would disable custom firmware and we have custom firmware work-arounds for the problem these updates were published to address, but it would be worth contributing observations, confirmatory or otherwise (and then re-install your CF version).

From the confirmed evidence of HD-FOX, it seems that more has been changed in the firmware than just new certificates for the iPlayer problem. I saw an extra programming phase post-restart, which implies the loader has been updated (without changing the version number displayed in Menu >> Settings >> System >> System Information >> Loader Version - for HD-FOX L7.27), and as the loader "primes" the hardware at boot this could be the guilty party [RED HERRING].

 

[xyz321]

Here is something I received from @af123 a while ago which might shed some light on this. I hope he doesn't mind me posting it here.

When you update an HD, there are two programming phases.

The first is just like the HDR, a progress bar with a couple of places it hangs for a bit

Then it gets to the end and says "Success Downloading! Press 'STANDBY' button to restart..."

Then it goes into a second programming screen

This, I have always assumed, is the kernel relocation. When it's done, it restarts automatically and then everything's up and running.

If you re-install the same software so that the kernel is not changed, then the initial normal programming is faster (I assume is does not write the kernel bit) and the second programming stage doesn't occur (although the box still reboots twice when you press standby after loading the software)

 

[Black Hole]

I've put back CF based on 1.03.02 (HD-FOX) and it went through that extra programming phase again so I guess I just forgot that it happens.

Fortunately everything seems to be back to normal.

On current observations I do not recommend 1.03.13/03 as a basis for CF roll-out - stick to a new 1.03.12/02 roll-out with updated certificates! Even non-CF users could make use of those.

 

[Black Hole]

Transferring a conversation from https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/new-version-of-software-to-fix-iplayer-problem.10135/post-153814:

I think the loader much have changed

I assure you it hasn't. It is binary identical between 1.03.02 and 1.03.03

Fair enough, as discussed above. But something has changed, other than just certificates.

 

[prpr]

But something has changed, other than just certificates.

The kernel was rebuilt, and a load of other bits, as discussed elsewhere. It might be interesting to try the 1.03.02 kernel with the 1.03.03 filesystem.
But that's almost essentially what I've already done with my customised CF.

 

[Black Hole]

The "kernel" is Linux stuff, is it not? This problem will be in settop (if not the loader), rather than OS.

 

[prpr]

The "kernel" is Linux stuff, is it not?

It's all Linux stuff.

This problem will be in settop (if not the loader), rather than OS.

You don't know until you try it... and I just have. The problem remains. The audio is out of sync., the video stutters constantly (especially when there's a mix or large amounts of movement) and sometimes changing channel gives audio and black, and sometimes it just takes ages to lock the decoder.

 

[/df]

What about settop from the new FW running on the old FW, or on the updated CF?

 

[Black Hole]

The audio is out of sync., the video stutters constantly

How can that be an OS thing, unless perhaps it's not running settop properly (priorities?)?

 

[/df]

I found that a good way to make that happen was to steal almost all the memory (for a youtube-dl test script), even, or perhaps especially, with a swap file. Running top during the problem behaviour may show what's up.

 

[prpr]

sometimes changing channel gives audio and black, and sometimes it just takes ages to lock the decoder.

I also had picture and silence, black and silence, just to complete the set. This thing is a complete FU by Humax.
Just out of interest, I tried going back to the test version they released on 7 Jan 2021, and it works perfectly. So, they've obviously screwed something up downstream of that.

Running top during the problem behaviour may show what's up.

This is non-customised.

(This thread is in the wrong section, seeing as we're talking about the HD, not the HDR.)

 

[Black Hole]

This thread is in the wrong section, seeing as we're talking about the HD, not the HDR

I presume the same applies to the new HDR firmware, so this is intended as a combined thread. We need somebody to test the HDR-FOX version.

 

[Black Hole]

Running top during the problem behaviour may show what's up.

As prpr said...

This is non-customised.

...and I guess it wouldn't be easy to replicate the necessary tweaks to make a customised version (although it only needs to get Telnet up).

 

[prpr]

What about settop from the new FW running on the old FW, or on the updated CF?

I took 1.03.03 and replaced humaxtv with the one from the 7 Jan test version, and it works normally. So I think that proves that BH was right ( ) and that it's humaxtv that is at fault.
I suppose, for completeness, I ought to test the opposite i.e. 7 Jan test version with replacement humaxtv from 1.03.03

 

[prpr]

I suppose, for completeness, I ought to test the opposite i.e. 7 Jan test version with replacement humaxtv from 1.03.03

And, as expected, it is broken, so case proven.

 

[Black Hole]

The next question is does the same apply to 1.03.13 - humaxtv has to be different between the versions, not least because we know that by running the HDR-FOX version on a HD-FOX we gain DLNA (but lose other functionality).

 

[Owen Smith]

Just out of interest, I tried going back to the test version they released on 7 Jan 2021, and it works perfectly. So, they've obviously screwed something up downstream of that.

And there I was berating myself for not taking part in Humax's test phase and hence not finding this earlier. Oh well.

 

[Owen Smith]

The next question is does the same apply to 1.03.13 - humaxtv has to be different between the versions, not least because we know that by running the HDR-FOX version on a HD-FOX we gain DLNA (but lose other functionality).

I can't do that test. I only have one HDR Fox T2 accessible to me at the moment, it's running custom firmware, and if I break it I'll get lynched since it's the main recorder here.

I was able to test the HD Fox T2 since that box does not run custom firmware. It's just for providing a DVB-T2 tuner to a full HD TV that stupidly doesn't have one, and for occasional network playback of recordings from the HDR Fox T2.

 

[Black Hole]

Is there any chatter about this defect in the other places?

 

[Owen Smith]

Is there any chatter about this defect in the other places?

I haven't looked, but if it only affects the HD Fox T2 quite possibly no-one will have noticed since I suspect few are still in use. My parents' one wouldn't be if the Full HD TV it is attached to had its own DVB-T2 tuner.