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Transfering unencrypted files via FTP

D

Dan

Member
This came up on a thread in digitalspy and I thought was worth a repeat. As most people are now aware files transfered to a thumb drive are unencrypted and can be read by PC, but those via FTP are not and can only be watched by transfering back to the T2.

However - the the FTP server is able to see any thumb drive that is plugged into the the Humax, making it possible to get files via FTP provided they are first copied to the thumb drive. This enables the files to be transferred unencypted. I realise the only step this skips is physcially moving the thumb drive from one pc to another but it might be useful to those who would prefer to map a readable drive e.t.c
 
Useful tip for people like me who have a external hard drive plugged permanently into the back of the Humax.

I am now wondering if I can stream recordings from the external drive via Humax ftp to my laptop running VLC media player. Something for me to try tomorrow

cheers
 
why encrypt them in the first place, if its so easy to get round? (lets hope humax dont plug the gap on the next update)
 
framedtoo said:
why encrypt them in the first place, if its so easy to get round? (lets hope humax dont plug the gap on the next update)
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In terms of SD there is no need to encrypt as millions of SD freeview pvr users can attest. It's presumably just the way that Humax have designed the HDR-Fox deciding to encrypt everything and remove it on copying to usb for SD content. By contrast the Foxsat-hdr only encrypts transmissions that the broadcaster flags as a requirement (Currently BBC-HD and ITV1-Hd but not BBC1-HD)
 
I wonder how this is going to work when (if?) the media server gets implemented in a future update - if all the files on the HDD are encrypted does this mean the HDR will have to decrypt a file on the fly when it's served, or will the files only be playable on another Humax box, or will they be playable on any DLNA/UPnP client, or is it just not going to work at all?
 
Just to half-answer my own question, the following is quoted from a post on DS forum by Bob Hannent (Bob_Cat) from Humax UK (8Dec10):

The upgrade to the HDR which we hope will arrive in the next month will increase the "Digital Media Server" support, the problem is that any device that wants to connect to the set-top box must be compatible and should support DLNA with DTCP-IP. I believe some Sony laptops support this but have been unable to confirm this. The Humax HD-Fox T2 supports it because that is what we use for testing, but finding other devices which support DLNA *with* DTCP-IP has been difficult.
Click to expand...
 
This is a very good question. I would hope that ability to play files between two humax boxes would be achieved through DLNA and not some proprietary streaming technology between the boxes. A proprietary system would mean that the file could remain encrypted right up until it is played on the second device.

If this was done through DLNA then I would imagine that you couldn't really stop any device playing it. After all that's the point of DLNA to allow the sharing of media between different systems. It would also have to be unencrypted in order to allow it to be played on other DLNA devices.

As far as I know the reason for the BBC's insistence on encrypting their HD output in the first place is to stop the copying of it. So, implementing the DLNA server on the Humax wouldn't, necessarily, be breaking the terms of their license as it is only streaming the data and not copying it.
 
Mr Lazy said:
Just to half-answer my own question, the following is quoted from a post on DS forum by Bob Hannent (Bob_Cat) from Humax UK (8Dec10):
Click to expand...

so as bob_cat says , devices which support DLNA with DTCP-IP, have been hard to find.

so that narrows it down to PC's with xp sp2 or above
 
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