Watch recorded HD content from FOXSAT on HDR-FOX T2

raydon said:
Programming language is C for binaries, Jim tcl for web interface support scripts, or plain old bash scripts for a lot of other stuff. You will need to download the Foxsat mips uClibc toolchain from the Humax Open Source website and use it to set up a cross compiler environment using gcc on a Linux box, or VM. Packages are created using a package management system called opkg. The wiki page in the link is for HD(R) Fox T2 boxes which have mipsel architecture, but you should get the drift. There are package unpacking/building utilities available for the Foxsat in the repository. There is nothing to prevent you from creating and publishing your own packages. However, upload to the official repository is subject to package vetting and approval. All existing custom binaries for the Foxsat are closed source, but there are many examples of tcl scripting to be found in the web interface folder tree /opt/webif.
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Thanks a lot, very helpful as always!
 
It might be a better idea to create an alternative DLNA server that can expose the info you require - assuming the client is capable of interrogating, receiving, and presenting that info to the user.
 
Black Hole said:
It might be a better idea to create an alternative DLNA server that can expose the info you require - assuming the client is capable of interrogating, receiving, and presenting that info to the user.
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Good suggestion but I think the HDR-FOX T2 DNLA client is quite limited in terms of querying/using any metadata. I'll try experimenting with a few DLNA servers.
 
I was getting tired of my HDR FOX-T2 crashing (rebooting the box) if I had played something over DLNA and then removed it from the server (after having finished playing it). So it seems that the HDR FOX-T2's DLNA client has an issue having played/cached something and then that content disappears.

I've found a better alternative to watching FOXSAT-HDR HD content: Apple TV 4 with Infuse from FireCore (https://firecore.com/infuse).

The Infuse player automatically selects the correct audio track (you can also manually select it) so a huge benefit is that you no longer need to convert the recorded files on the FOXSAT-HDR.
 
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I've recently got a T2 and 'm looking at getting a Foxsat HDR, partly for this very purpose as the room where I have the T2 doesn't have a proper freeview aerial.
So I'm thinking having the T2 mainly for playing back the Foxsat's recordings. I've got the Fox T2 customised firmware and it all seems great. I am wondering though how practical it is for this and can it be set up to be reasonably plug and play once the Foxsat CF has been installed? Is there a best way to do this and a guide/tutorial? Can it be intuitively wife friendly?
 
There is a fundamental problem in that the Foxsat-HDR recordings are not directly compatible with HDR-FOX playback - there is a manipulation required.

I don't have a Foxsat so this is from recollection of what's been said on this forum: the easiest way to achieve this is to (a) ensure no content recorded by the Foxsat is encrypted, and (b) install one of the DLNA servers available for the Foxsat CF (one of which is Mediatomb). With both the Foxsat and the HDR-FOX connected to your home network, you should then be able to access the Foxsat recordings from the HDR-FOX using Media >> Storage (blue) >> Network. I don't see why this should be difficult for a non-technical user to use once set up and working.

Somebody else needs to advise whether the manipulation required is circumvented by the DLNA server - I suspect it may not be, if it is a different audio codec or something.

There is a "gotcha": the HDR-FOX cannot be configured without an aerial connection at configuration time. See Things Every... (click) section 6.

You could equally well use an HD-FOX for this instead of an HDR-FOX, same comments apply.
 
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Without the rebuilding of the Foxsat HDR not encrypted transport stream file PAT tables which the convertfiles package achieves, streaming to a HDR FOX T2/Freetime box selects the MP2 audio description stream. There is no way I could find to select the ac3 5.1 or 2.0 audio stream on a HDR FOX T2 or a HDR1000S. BSplayer on an android device does allow the selection of the correct audio stream. In fact I tend to watch Foxsat-HDR recordings via a HDR1000S (both in the same room). The picture quality is superior on the newer satellite box.
 
For my elucidation then, the convertfiles package on the Foxsat-HDR makes streaming to HDR-FOX by DLNA work? Is a SMB or NFS pseudo-USB mount also viable? Does the convertfiles package process in the background without user intervention?
 
Black Hole said:
For my elucidation then, the convertfiles package on the Foxsat-HDR makes streaming to HDR-FOX by DLNA work? Is a SMB or NFS pseudo-USB mount also viable? Does the convertfiles package process in the background without user intervention?
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Yes convertfiles can be set to run completely automatically in the background. Raydons documentation from the custom firmware help page.

Convert Files Plug-in Guide
Background Information
A Transport Stream (TS) file contains elementary streams for the video, audio and subtitle tracks of a recording. Together, they are collectively known as a "Service" or "Program". When a transport stream is received from the broadcaster, it may contain several such "Programs", each with its own video, audio, and subtitle stream. This is known as a multiplex (MUX}. Programs contained within a MUX are identified by special packets embedded at regular intervals in the transport stream. These packets hold the Program Association Table (PAT) listing the Program IDentity numbers (PID) of each Program MUX'ed into the transport stream. When a recording is written to disk by the Foxsat HDR, only the streams of the selected Program are saved. The streams of all the other Programs are discarded. However, the HDR saves the PAT packets "as-is", and as a result they still contain several Program ID's which now reference non-existent services.

The HDR itself is able to ignore these anomolies, but when a DLNA server (e.g. TwonkyMedia) sends this stream to a client (e.g. a Smart TV) the client is not expecting to see these additional, invalid Program ID's, and refuses to play what it interprets as an unknown, or corrupt transport stream.

The "Convert Files" plug-in addresses this issue by rewriting all PAT packets in a recording with replacements containing only the one valid Program ID.

As well as the issue with invalid PAT packets there is an additional problem which affects audio, when streaming HD content. The client will invariably choose to play the Audio Description track instead of the main AC3 audio track, with no option on the client side to then select the correct one. This happens because of the way that the stream lists are ordered in another series of special packets called the Program Map Table (PMT). These tables list all of the the streams that make up a particular Program. i.e. video, audio, subtitles, etc. In the case of an HD recording, the AC3 audio track is listed after the Audio Description track. The HDR itself is smart enough to choose the correct track, but when streamed to another device the first audio track found in the PMT list is chosen by that device as the default.

The "Convert Files" plug-in addresses this issue also, by rewriting all PMT packets in an HD recording with replacements containing a re-ordered stream list in which the AC3 audio track precedes the Audio Description track.

The net result is a replacement copy of the recording that will still play correctly on the HDR, but which has much greater compatability for streaming to other devices, and with the correct audio stream set as the default. Having said that, there is no guarantee that streaming will be possible to your own particular player, only that it is now more likely to succeed.

Never tried any other system. The nasmount package does allow two Foxsat-HDRs to treat the other one as a USB attached drive by cross mounting each to the other.
 
beastman said:
I've recently got a T2 and 'm looking at getting a Foxsat HDR, partly for this very purpose as the room where I have the T2 doesn't have a proper freeview aerial.
So I'm thinking having the T2 mainly for playing back the Foxsat's recordings. I've got the Fox T2 customised firmware and it all seems great. I am wondering though how practical it is for this and can it be set up to be reasonably plug and play once the Foxsat CF has been installed? Is there a best way to do this and a guide/tutorial? Can it be intuitively wife friendly?
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Installing the CF on a Foxsat is near identical to a HDR FOX T2.

https://www.avforums.com/threads/me...-for-the-foxsat-hdr-release-4-part-5.1829374/
 
Has anyone mentioned nowster's settop patch to decrypt the HD stuff recording on the FoxSat? It won't retrospectively decrypt though.
FWIW, I copied a bunch of just the .ts files from my FoxSat to my T2 and they 'just played'. Is there any reason why they wouldn't over a network. I would try it except my FoxSat is in mothballs'
 
Trev said:
Has anyone mentioned nowster's settop patch to decrypt the HD stuff recording on the FoxSat? It won't retrospectively decrypt though.
FWIW, I copied a bunch of just the .ts files from my FoxSat to my T2 and they 'just played'. Is there any reason why they wouldn't over a network. I would try it except my FoxSat is in mothballs'
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Mine would play from USB but only with AD audio when present. I had to remux the file with TSmuxer to get rid of the Audio Description leaving only the AC3 audio track. Yes of course you need nowsters patch for HD. It doesn't decrypt, it just stops the box encrypting as it records to disk. BBC HD wasn't encrypted for months after launch.
 
Black Hole said:
Including HiDef? Are you sure you didn't prepare them in any way?
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Nowster's patch sorted the HiDef ones. I copied stuff from my Hummy 9200 and my Foxsat without any processing. Just the .ts files so they are not 'fully compliant' but do play OK.
 
Ah, that may be a clue: I don't think they work if you include the sidecars, so maybe network mount is not such a good idea.
 
I'm aware of that. I believe, however, is that it needs to be run on files to be transferred to the HDR-FOX rather than on files residing on the Foxsat. Beastman wants a simple way of recording stuff on the Foxsat and viewing remotely on a HDR-FOX (or, as I pointed out, a HD-FOX). Due to the incompatibility of direct network access to the files, I propose that DLNA is the way ahead (all the customisation can be done at the Foxsat by providing a DLNA server and ensuring no content is encrypted), provided the DLNA client can render the correct audio channel.

Maybe the OP would be better off sourcing a second Foxsat, and then using that to remote-access the files by network share? That should avoid compatibility problems.
 
Black Hole said:
I'm aware of that. I believe, however, is that it needs to be run on files to be transferred to the HDR-FOX rather than on files residing on the Foxsat. Beastman wants a simple way of recording stuff on the Foxsat and viewing remotely on a HDR-FOX (or, as I pointed out, a HD-FOX). Due to the incompatibility of direct network access to the files, I propose that DLNA is the way ahead (all the customisation can be done at the Foxsat by providing a DLNA server and ensuring no content is encrypted), provided the DLNA client can render the correct audio channel.

Maybe the OP would be better off sourcing a second Foxsat, and then using that to remote-access the files by network share? That should avoid compatibility problems.
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The HDR FOX T2 has a superior HD picture than the Foxsat-HDR which is a little soft. It's worthwhile experimenting with streaming. The HDR1000S also has sharper pictures. Basic skip (left and right) and the forward reverse skip keys also work on the HDR1000s. I will have to play with a HDR FOX T2 to see what is possible.
 
Streaming from Foxsat-HDR to HDR-Fox T2. Only left right transport buttons and pause work. Picture quality not quite as good as on freetime box.

Cross connecting two Foxsat-hdrs using nasmount package requires Fixfilepaths package. Viewing remotely changes file location in .hmt file on source box. To view on source box again requires location updating (electing to rename fixes, but above package sorts it out automatically).
 
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