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Quickest way to download files (FileZilla vs USB stick vs Ethernet cable) from a HDR-Fox-T2 box

T

Thaddeus

Member
Hello,

I'm rapidly reaching a full box so need to move some files off to be able to keep recording.

These are the things I've tried so far:

  1. Download an individual file by clicking the OPT+ option in the Media section of the WebIF
  2. Copy and paste files from the Media section of the WebIF, on to a USB stick
  3. Using FileZilla which is simpler than option 1, in that I can queue batches of files but doesn't seem any quicker. I also don't seem to be able to find "shrunk" versions of the files (the file sizes are showing as though they're the original size), even though I'm looking in the main "My Video" folder which is where they show in WebIF.

Options 1 and 3 transfer at best around 6 MiPs (although I'm currently getting 2 MiPs) and Option 2 is hard to gauge as there's no countdown bar but it doesn't feel any faster and could well be slower.

I thought I'd read somewhere that it might be possible to transfer files by connecting an ethernet cable from the Humax box to a laptop but can't figure out how to do it.

Does anyone have a guide/tips to point me to, and is it actually going to be any faster? I've got a CAT 8 cable if this helps.

Thanks.
 
Nothing will be significantly faster, except to take the drive out and hook it up to a faster machine for file transfer. Ethernet transfers are limited by the speed of the Ethernet adapter, USB transfers by the speed of the USB, and WiFi is connected via USB anyway.
 
Thanks Black Hole.

I might well try your hard drive suggestion when I get a bit of time.

I've seen your "12. What USB Drive Can I Use?" section in "Thing Every..." so I'm guessing I will need to download a third party software e.g. ext2fsd to be able to open the drive in Windows 10 but other than that, I'm hoping it's as simple as taking the drive out of the Humax and attaching to my laptop via my SATA to USB 3.0 adapter but please let me know if there's something else I'll need to consider.
 
Before you do anything, wait until you have been advised by an expert. I believe connecting a T2 HDD to a Windows machine has been known to bork it due to the different filing systems . (I could be wrong though, but don't risk it)
 
I recommend booting the PC with a Linux bootable DVD - that way, you get direct access to the Ext3 file system on the HDR-FOX HDD (as well as access to the PC HDD), and no Windows sillies. Choose a flavour of Linux such as Mint and the UI will be familiar to Windows users.
 
Thanks both.

I'm not going to do it until early tomorrow morning so feel free to add any additional thoughts if they come to you.
 
Thaddeus said:
I thought I'd read somewhere that it might be possible to transfer files by connecting an ethernet cable from the Humax box to a laptop but can't figure out how to do it.
Click to expand...
For information:

It is possible to set up a local network directly between a PC and a HDR-FOX, and then do anything you would otherwise have done over a full network (access WebIF, FTP, Telnet, SMB/NFS file sharing, DLNA). This is particularly useful when the HDR-FOX in question is in a location with no home network or no convenient access to one.

Note that this will usually not be better than connecting the PC and the HDR-FOX to an overall network, unless there is something non-optimal causing the network to be slow (a HomePlug link is a typical culprit). Often it is the HDR-FOX itself which is the limitation on data transfer speed.

The steps required are these:
  1. Turn off the PC's WiFi (so as not to confuse matters).

  2. Connect an Ethernet 100Base-T patch cable (Cat5 cable with RJ-45 plugs on each end) between the Ethernet port on the PC and the Ethernet port on the HDR-FOX. This cable is not (within reason) limited in length, it is useful to have a 10m patch cable handy (inexpensive on eBay, not so cheap from PC World). Note that a normal cable will do - the HDR-FOX port auto-switches so a cross-over cable is not required (as used to be the case when connecting a device to a device rather than a device to a router).

  3. Find out what IP address and netmask the PC is using (we will keep this as it is easier to configure the HDR-FOX than these settings in Windows!). All OS's have a means to check this; on Windows open a command console and enter the command "ipconfig" - for other OSs look up the equivalent.

  4. On the HDR-FOX: Menu >> Settings >> System >> Internet Setting >> Configure LAN. Make a note of the current values so you can restore them later. Set "Configure IP" to Manual (if this was DHCP, that's all you need to reset later). Set up netmask (probably 255.255.255.0) to the same as the PC, and set up the IP Address to the same as the PC except for the last field, which must be different. Example: if the PC is 192.168.1.45, make the HDR-FOX 192.168.1.46.
You should now have communication. Using the above example, type "192.168.1.46" into the browser address bar to access the WebIF. If SMB is installed on the HDR-FOX (Custom Firmware samba package), the HDR-FOX file system will appear as an external drive in Explorer (or the nfs-utils package for Mac/Linux). Ditto FTP etc.

If the HDR-FOX is in a place with no Internet and you want to access the Custom Firmware package repository, the easiest way to do this is using a USB WiFi dongle (for the HDR-FOX) and a mobile phone WiFi hot-spot. The browser on the phone will access the WebIF, and WebIF will have access to the Internet through the phone's data connection. A PC or tablet linked to the phone's hot-spot will also be able to access the WebIF, because the phone is acting as a wireless router (Android phone - not sure about iPhone or Windows Mobile).
 
Thaddeus said:
I'm rapidly reaching a full box so need to move some files off to be able to keep recording.
Click to expand...
My usual response to this is you're keeping too much. When will you get around to watching it all? Count the hours. Is moving stuff off just postponing the clear out you really need?

It's easy and cheap to fit a larger drive (up to 2TB, or beyond with help from CF), and this is worthwhile if one unit is serving the squirrel needs of multiple users, but is only a temporary respite if the problem is actually accumulation of material faster than rate of viewing (the bigger the drive, the longer it will take to fill - but it will fill, and take much longer to clear out).

However, that said, the quick solution to your problem is to fit a new drive and park the old drive (with the old recordings) on a USB adapter, where they can be accessed via Media >> Storage (blue) >> USB.

Thaddeus said:
  1. Download an individual file by clicking the OPT+ option in the Media section of the WebIF
  2. Copy and paste files from the Media section of the WebIF, on to a USB stick
  3. Using FileZilla which is simpler than option 1, in that I can queue batches of files but doesn't seem any quicker. I also don't seem to be able to find "shrunk" versions of the files (the file sizes are showing as though they're the original size), even though I'm looking in the main "My Video" folder which is where they show in WebIF.
Click to expand...
You have not mentioned network file sharing via SMB. I'm not saying it would be faster, but it is a useful file management option. Install the samba package, and the HDR-FOX will appear in Explorer as a network drive.
 
Thanks Black Hole. I took the hard drive out this morning, using Mint as you advised, and I now have plenty of space.
 
Thaddeus said:
I took the hard drive out this morning, using Mint as you advised, and I now have plenty of space.
Click to expand...
Have you checked one of the extracted SD recordings, and one of the extracted HD recordings, that you will still be able to play them back when you want without any unexpected hassles?
 
Black Hole said:
My usual response to this is you're keeping too much. When will you get around to watching it all? Count the hours. Is moving stuff off just postponing the clear out you really need?
Click to expand...
I agree - I still only have the original 500 GB device and have space spare despite keeping a large selection of kids programmes for the granddaughter
 
Luke said:
Have you checked one of the extracted SD recordings, and one of the extracted HD recordings, that you will still be able to play them back when you want without any unexpected hassles?
Click to expand...

Hi Luke,

Yes, thanks for checking before I did anything too drastic and junked everything but I've tested some files and it's all playing as it should.

And yes, I accept the argument for taking this as a warning sign that I'm recording more than I have time to watch but hopefully I'll get the balance right as time goes on.
 
Black Hole said:
You have not mentioned network file sharing via SMB. I'm not saying it would be faster, but it is a useful file management option. Install the samba package, and the HDR-FOX will appear in Explorer as a network drive.
Click to expand...

Yes I use this method almost exclusively for moving files on and off the HDR Fox T2s in the household. To my surprise, using a gigabit switch and connected to a PC with a gigabit LAN I regularly get close to peak 100Mb/s when copying to the Humaxes - that's 12.5MB/s. Way faster than FTP, and because it's a SAMBA share I can use tsMuxeR GUI to drop M2TS imported video content right onto the box and have sidecar build the support files as soon as it's done.

To the OP, I run a 4TB WD Green AV-GP drive in my main one and have done for just over 2 years, record almost exclusively in HD. You'd be surprised how much junk you end up recording and forgetting about - I cleared about 20 HD movies recorded direct from TV yesterday and got a big chuck of space back. With network-shares-automount package you can host any archived stuff on a PC or NAS and play it back like it was on the box itself as long as you keep the HMT and NTS files with the same name. Works pretty well.
 
Black Hole said:
  1. On the HDR-FOX: Menu >> Settings >> System >> Internet Setting >> Configure LAN. Make a note of the current values so you can restore them later. Set "Configure IP" to Manual (if this was DHCP, that's all you need to reset later). Set up netmask (probably 255.255.255.0) to the same as the PC, and set up the IP Address to the same as the PC except for the last field, which must be different. Example: if the PC is 192.168.1.45, make the HDR-FOX 192.168.1.46.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this. I have all my devices connected to a TP-Link switch so did not try the direct connection. After installing SMB my HDR appeared on my Windows 10 File Explorer as HDR-FOX T2 Media Server. I didn't need to change its IP address manually.
 
Dave Ell said:
I have all my devices connected to a TP-Link switch so did not try the direct connection.
Click to expand...
The instructions you referenced are specifically for making a point-to-point connection, so are not relevant to your situation.

Dave Ell said:
After installing SMB my HDR appeared on my Windows 10 File Explorer as HDR-FOX T2 Media Server. I didn't need to change its IP address manually.
Click to expand...
Beware of SMB1 v SMB3. Win10 might at any moment turn off SMB1 support, and your HDR-FOX share will vanish. To get it back, you have to re-enable SMB1 support.

Dave Ell said:
Thank you for this.
Click to expand...
Since it was not relevant to you, I can't think why... but I see you have "liked" it - thanks.
 
It was because I was intending to do it the way you specify but decided to try an an easier alternative. You provided the spark.
 
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