Recorded File Set

[Black Hole]

So what do these files do then? The .ts is obviously the actual recording, and the .hmt is some kind of properties file (I notice it changes when you play a file - presumably it remembers where you got to and stuff like that). What about .thm and .nts?

Once the encryption has been stripped, do we actually need anything but the .ts file?

 

[af123]

.thm is a thumbnail image, generated some time after the recording was made and used in the on-screen media list.
.nts is effectively an index file into the .ts which helps the box with playback (Raydon will know more)
.hmt is the properties file which includes the meta information such as programme name, synopsis, guidance, related EPG entries, channel, scheduled and recording start and end time and, as you noticed, resume position.

If playing back on a Humax, you probably need to keep the .nts - but I haven't tried without it, it may just break FF/REW. Playing back on something else like VLC, you only need the .ts

 

[Black Hole]

Well, now I have dipped my toe in to the extent of FTP access, I can easily delete a file or two (of a sacrificial recording) and see what happens!

The reason I am treading so carefully is because I have no time to pick up the pieces if I break something. With a little hiccup over downloading Foxy (see other thread), and finding a way to format my USB stick to EXT3, I am on the verge of decrypting an HD recording! I intend to blog my progress for other tentative non-experts to follow in my footsteps.

 

[xyz321]

If playing back on a Humax, you probably need to keep the .nts - but I haven't tried without it, it may just break FF/REW. Playing back on something else like VLC, you only need the .ts

If the .nts file is not present but the other files are present, the box is uanble to play the recording. It gives the error message "Recording failed: unknown error" when attempting to play it.

If only the .ts file is present then it is playable (providing it is not encrypted) but without the additional info provided by the .hmt and .thm files. It will create a .hmi file in this case which stores some limited infomation (e.g. last play position). FF/REW do not work in this case.