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RC Fancy Graphics & Error Messages with 1.02.27

Black Hole

Black Hole

May contain traces of nut
This distills and continues conversations from HERE (click) and HERE (click).

The new firmware 1.02.27 (both HD- and HDR-FOX) brings with it an on-screen alert (in the form of a graphic which flashes up for a couple of seconds) to tell you when you press a mode button on the remote control (RC) handset - those are the row of four buttons at the top labelled "PVR", "TV", "DVD", "AUDIO". It seems unnecessary and pointless (downright annoying in fact), but we speculate that Humax have had a lot of support calls from idiots who couldn't work out why the handset wasn't working (yes, we've probably all been there, but we were not idiots enough to call Humax support). I don't really see how this would help, pressing a mode button accidentally while the TV or Humax were off (or just not looking at the screen) wouldn't give you a warning in any case.

Further, it is reported that if you have the right edition of RC handset (type "MDB" as shown on the label inside the battery compartment), you get an on-screen warning if you press a control button that is inappropriate for the current mode - though how the heck it can know that is beyond me, you might have a TV with a media player built in that responds to the "Play" button. Frankly this seems like a step beyond a step too far.

Update (made after THIS POST)

It seems that some RC handsets are mislabelled. Although I have two handsets labelled "ADB 1.0" inside the battery compartment, one responds to 3-digit device codes and the other responds to 4-digit codes. The Humax documents which list the codes (see the Index of Topics under Hardware) hare called "adb 1.0" for the 4-digit codes and "mdb 1.3" for the 3-digit codes - which is suggestive.

The 4-digit code handset does not produce the mode graphic pop-ups, or bring the HD/HDR-FOX out of screen-saver mode, when a mode button is pressed. On examination it does not emit IR when the mode buttons are pressed. The 3-digit handset does.

I have been unable to bring up the "you've pressed an inappropriate button for this mode" message with either handset, but following input from ChrisDaniels I have shown that (on the 3-digit handset) pressing a command button within a mode which has not been programmed, a message come up telling you to press the PVR button. This again supports the idea that it's there for dummies.

HHGTTG (again): "What happens if I press this button?" "Don't!" "Oh" "What happened?" "A sign lit up saying 'please do not press this button again'!"
 
I have an HDR- and an HD-FOX. Both handsets are labelled "ADB 1.0". My HDR handset produces the mode change on-screen graphic on both the HDR and the HD. My HD handset does not produce the graphic on either the HD or the HDR. Go figure.

The only difference I can think of at the moment is that the HDR handset is programmed to control the TV as well, whereas the HD handset is out-of-the-box only programmed with the Humax code. Of course the mode buttons still light up when I press them.

Aha! Pressing a mode button (any mode button) on the HD handset does not wake up from the screen saver. Pressing any mode button (even a non-programmed one) on the HDR handset brings the Humax out of screen saver (without a graphic) first time, then produces the graphic on the second push.

Well, that is very odd. The logical next step is to try programming in my TV code into the HD handset and see if it starts responding the same as the HDR handset. I looked up the procedure (press the mode button for three seconds until the button lights permanently, enter the three-digit code and the button should flash twice, press OK), looked up the TV code I noted from programming the HDR handset, verified the code in the manufacturers' list - but it won't take! Does this mean I have a four-digit code handset, despite it having the same revision label as the three-digit HDR handset? Weirder and weirder.
 
Black Hole said:
Does this mean I have a four-digit code handset, despite it having the same revision label as the three-
Click to expand...
Undoubtedly! It is labelled and behaves just like my HD remote and a spare I bought from ebay.
Have you tried setting up using a four-digit code to confirm?
 
I need to find out about them, I have no four-digit documentation to find a valid code.

Bloody stupid if Humax revise a product and don't change the issue markings!
 
Black Hole said:
Further, it is reported that if you have the right edition of RC handset (type "MDB" as shown on the label inside the battery compartment), you get an on-screen warning if you press a control button that is inappropriate for the current mode - though how the heck it can know that is beyond me, you might have a TV with a media player built in that responds to the "Play" button. .
Click to expand...
My supposition is that on some of the remotes when one of the three/four digit codes is set any buttons that do not have a defined use within that code default to a common IR code. The Humax then just has to respond to this single IR code. Under that set-up a learning remote could be programmed to get the on-screen warning at will.
 
The four-digit documentation is available on the Humax digital support site. I think I found mine under a support area for remotes rather than the individual box.
 
OK, done that now (I knew there was a link in the Index), I programmed an audio code. The odd thing is that it still does not respond the same as the HDR handset - mode does not wake up from screen saver, neither do I get the mode graphics.

It looks like 4291's suggestion (that I poo-pooed) is actually right - I can swap handsets and get rid of the annoyances (because I never change mode on the handset I use with the HD-FOX).

Conclusion: Granted I have done limited testing, but it would appear that ADB handsets with 3-digit device codes raise the mode change graphic, but ADB handsets with 4-digit device codes do not.
 
I have explored the RC issue further, and I note that the Humax document for 3-digit codes is called "mdb 1.3", and 4-digit codes is called "adb 1.0".

I found my TV code (4-digit) and programmed the handset, and I can confirm that the 4-digit handset does not produce the mode graphic so I'm a happy bunny. I have never seen the "wrong button" prompt, even with the 3-digit handset.

I am going back to the first post now to edit in the new info...
 
Black Hole said:
I need to find out about them, I have no four-digit documentation to find a valid code.

Bloody stupid if Humax revise a product and don't change the issue markings!
Click to expand...
Your 4 digit ADB remote documentation should have been supplied in your HD-FOX T2 user manual.
 
ChrisDaniels said:
The message about pressing the wrong button only appears if you have not programmed in another device to TV, DVD or Audio.
I have programmed in my TV and do not get the messages for any button. But I do for DVD and Audio because they are at their default setting of not programmed.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've just verified that (only works with the 3-digit code remote). The impression I got from other reports was that it would also complain about an inappropriate button for the respective mode, but I could be wrong or the reports might have been vague.
 
Update: the "wrong button" message appears ONLY if you have an unprogrammed mode selected (in other words you have, for example, pressed the DVD button but have never programmed it with a DVD device code - this only works with 3-digit remotes anyway).

Further information: each mode button can only be programmed with a device code from the corresponding part of the device code table - thus the DVD button will only accept device codes for DVD players (or related devices). I had imagined (incorrectly) that the labels were a matter of convenience rather than function. Unfortunately there appears to be no way to erase a device code once programmed, only program a new one, so there is no way back to the nprogrammed state and "wrong button" messages. Equally there seems to be no way to change the PVR button to be anything other than the Humax, and for some people it would have been handy to have a Humax code for all the buttons (then it wouldn't matter if you did press a mode button by mistake).
 
Does that work? So many devices use EEPROM for config storage these days (because it is available in their microcontrollers). I will try it.
 
Black Hole said:
No it doesn't. Batteries out for 8 hours, no change (either type of handset).
Click to expand...

There have been reports (on Barry's site) that for Total reset you remove batteries and press remote buttons, presumably to remove any residual charge stored in capacitors
 
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