Raydon 4.1.3 compatibility

[CharlesW]

I have been using Raydon's 4.1.3 firmware for a while with an old Humax HDR recorder, but am in the process of setting up a new system. This will be a FreeView system (i.e. an aerial, not a satellite dish). What recorders should I consider buying (if any) which are still compatible with Raydon's custom firmware?

Thanks

 

[Black Hole]

What [Freeview] recorders should I consider buying (if any) which are still compatible with Raydon's custom firmware?

The equivalent (but much more capable) is the Custom Firmware on the HDR-FOX T2, but those have been unavailable new for a long time, Still obtainable on the second hand market though. No others.

Just head over to the HD/HDR-FOX T2 Customised Firmware section of this forum (I can hardly believe you're unaware of it).

 

[CharlesW]

Thanks for your help. It's many years since I visited this forum, so unaware of sections therein.

 

[CharlesW]

Will my old Nowster patch (disables encryption of HDR) for my old HDR FOXSAT (2012 vintage) work in an HDR FOX-T2? It's not immediately clear if this feature is built into the current custom firmware (the guide only says "...and install the right packages". The guide implies that HDR files will be decrypted when copying to a NAS, but I think the Nowster package prevented HDR files from being encrypted in the first place.

Also, are my old .ts sidecar files still compatible, or will I need to regenerate them with 'sidecar' or AV2HDR?

I've looked around the forums here, and it's not easy to see what is current and what is now out of date.

I know that sadly I'll have to wave goodbye to my old encrypted HDR files. A year ago I spent many hours writing a program to try and break the encryption (using variations of MAC address and serial numbers) but to no avail. In fact the intense CPU usage blew up the power supply in my PC!

 

[Black Hole]

We have post-recording decryption in HDR-FOXland, Nowster's Patch does not apply. Nobody has cracked the Foxsat encryption so far as I know.

It is possible to port non-encrypted recordings from the Foxsat to the HDR-FOX, but it's easier to simply retain the Foxsat and play recordings using it.

Instead of just browsing randomly, start here: New Readers Start Here – from there I suggest Things Every...


Or just settle for an Aura.

 

[CharlesW]

Thanks. Using my old HDR-FOXSAT is not possible. We sold our "System" with our house. I have all my recorded stuff on a NAS drive, so can watch everything (apart from pre-Nowster HDR) streamed from that.

 

[Black Hole]

A little memory refreshing indicates unencrypted Foxsat recordings will play on HDR-FOX so long as you "lose" the sidecar files (ie everything except the .ts).

Trick-play facilities will be limited, but you can use the CF facilities on the HDR-FOX to generate the proper sidecar files, and then the imported recordings will play as if they were native recordings.

I have all my recorded stuff on a NAS drive, so can watch everything (apart from pre-Nowster HDR) streamed from that.

If your NAS includes a DLNA (AKA UPnP) server, then the HDR-FOX can stream from that without CF, and the server will only provide the .ts. However, you can also use CF to mount the NAS as if a USB drive, and access recordings directly (with all the facilities DLNA doesn't have).

 

[Rodders53]

A little memory refreshing indicates unencrypted Foxsat recordings will play on HDR-FOX so long as you "lose" the sidecar files (ie everything except the .ts).

Trick-play facilities will be limited, but you can use the CF facilities on the HDR-FOX to generate the proper sidecar files, and then the imported recordings will play as if they were native recordings.

One only needs to lose the .hmt files from a Foxsat recording to 'not upset' the -T2 in playing the foxast .ts stream. The .nts file can remain...

Trick play, skip fwd/back works fine then (for my Foxsat record / -T2 playback combo). No thumbnails though, to choose to skip to... as I don't believe I've done any clever sidecar reproduction on my -T2 CF.

HD files may need the audio file streams re-ordering via the -HDR CF convertfiles plugin -- or not?? (Waning powers strike again).

 

[Black Hole]

One only needs to lose the .hmt files from a Foxsat recording to 'not upset' the -T2 in playing the foxast .ts stream. The .nts file can remain...

Trick play, skip fwd/back works fine then (for my Foxsat record / -T2 playback combo).

Do they? How does the HDR-FOX know to use the .nts if there is no .hmt? It doesn't matter anyway, the sidecar operation rebuilds them.

HD files may need the audio file streams re-ordering

IIRC the audio format on HiDef recordings is incorrect. I think that's one of the tasks AV2HDR takes care of.

There is plenty of historical information in the forum if the OP can be bothered to search.

 

[Rodders53]

Do they? How does the HDR-FOX know to use the .nts if there is no .hmt? It doesn't matter anyway, the sidecar operation rebuilds them.


IIRC the audio format on HiDef recordings is incorrect. I think that's one of the tasks AV2HDR takes care of.

Yes they do work for me. I posted after having tried some (old) Foxsat recordings on the -T2 disk.
The -T2 produced a .hmi file for the one I watched and trick played. NB hmi not t; I suspect it just stores the resume play pointer.
I only used to transfer files when we went in out touring caravan to watch (some) stuff when away, and knew terrestrial reception worked well.

Looking today I do have sidecar installed and note that it's a manual per recording process to initiate via the WebIF... and that Raydon never intended for it to work for foxsat recordings anyway.

No the format of the HD recordings is fine... just the two audio streams are in the "wrong order" and the NAR soundtrack is found first by most streaming media players.
Although sidecar can interrogate the .TS file and finds

Format HD H264, 1920 x 1080i.
Video ID $1518.
Audio ID $1519, Type AC3.
Audio Desc ID $151A, Type MPEG.
Sub-titles ID $151C.
PMT ID $0104.
Prog ID $1B1D.
No EPG information available.​

so I suspect the -T2 can select the correct audio stream automatically.

I'd need to do some experimentation to confirm - If I could be bothered. I auto run convertfiles on my foxsat in case I want to stream them elsewhere.

 

[Black Hole]

Yes they do work for me. I posted after having tried some (old) Foxsat recordings on the -T2 disk.

Does that include skip and x2 x4 etc?

NB hmi not t; I suspect it just stores the resume play pointer.

Correct. A .hmi is created for any "naked" .ts or other (non-ts) video file.

so I suspect the -T2 can select the correct audio stream automatically.

Maybe it's the other way around – that the Foxsat has trouble with HDR-FOX recordings.

 

[Rodders53]

Does that include skip and x2 x4 etc?

Maybe it's the other way around – that the Foxsat has trouble with HDR-FOX recordings.

Skip fore aft with the < and > buttons and 2 min forward with >>I and 15 sec back with I<< work for me.
I never use the 2x or 4x FF /REW type of trick play ( using >> and << ) so I don't really care that it doesn't do that

Correct: Foxsat can't play -T2 HD recordings sound as it doesn't understand HE-AAC in the transport stream that the -T2 transcodes to DD/AC3 when playing back said streams. I believe it can be fixed with some effort and trancoding/remuxing. Some media players may have the same problem?

Sidecar has just taken 24 minutes to do a 1 hour foxsat HD recording creating both .hmt and a new .nts ; so it is not worth the hassle for me. Just creating a .hmt takes almost no time at all but renders the files unplayable.

 

[Black Hole]

Skip fore aft with the < and > buttons and 2 min forward with >>I and 15 sec back with I<< work for me.
I never use the 2x or 4x FF /REW type of trick play ( using >> and << ) so I don't really care that it doesn't do that

Just gathering information. Are you saying the x2 etc are unsupported?

Just creating a .hmt takes almost no time at all but renders the files unplayable.

Unplayable??? That should not be unless it has somehow misinterpreted the encryption state.

 

[Rodders53]

Yes. One gets the 'no can do' symbol on screen when the button is pressed.

Yes. Ask it to play it goes blank screen and back to media list. The -T2-generated .hmt file is incompatible with the foxsat-generated .nts file at a guess. Deleting the .hmt file restored previous functionality.

Similar issue if the Foxsat .hmt file is left in the directory (iirc) the -T2 just cannae play the combination.

 

[Black Hole]

I still can't decide whether any of this is down to the .nts file.

 

[Rodders53]

I still can't decide whether any of this is down to the .nts file.

The fact the 'other' foxsat programme where I asked sidecar to generate a new .nts plus the .hmt file does do the x2 etc.,. trick play just fine suggests that there is some fundamental difference(s) between the two, to my little brain.
(The .ts file is unmodified).

 

[Black Hole]

What you've said suggests to me that the .nts is not being read unless the .hmt is present.