Humax HDR FOX-T2 HD PVR Master thread - [Part Nine]

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Hi

Sorry to post something not about HUMAX vs 3View
:D

Can an expert possibly answer a non Humax related question for me ????

Can you use Get_iPlayer to capture HD content or is that not possible - I just downloaded Get_iPlayer and used the URL for an HD Prog and it found only an SD stream - better than nothing of course - I am guessing that it probably only finds the SD versions.

Thanks for any info.

Now back to HUMAX vs 3View

:smashin:
 
I'm getting deafer as I get older - and definitely grumpier :rolleyes: - and the background music that programme producers see fit to add to documentaries is ruining programmes for me by drowning out the dialogue. The BBC once tried an experiment where viewers could switch off the music and just leave the dialogue, :smashin: so from that I deduce that it can be done.
I would not normally consider the 'alternative' firmware that gets mentioned in this forum (my PVR is only a couple of months old, so lots of warranty still extant), but as this software has just introduced the very smart feature to allow AR or manual padding on a per channel basis, it's clear that there are some very talented people out there.
Would it be possible to remove the music from the sound channel and leave the dialogue and, if so, how would I go about asking if anyone would be interested in having a go at implementing it?
Thanks
Undecided
 
I think that's beyond the capabilities of the custom project. We have no means to interfere with the video/audio routing - everything that has been done so far runs separate processes under Linux (the Humax OS) to inspect and modify the drive contents, using the Ethernet as I/O.

You could possibly modify the audio streams within the recorded file (it would have to be decrypted first), but there isn't very much processing power or RAM available as most video/audio/encryption is hardware-based. If you wanted to pursue this you would be best exporting the file to a PC and then using PC tools to examine and manipulate the streams within the file.
 
I received my edimax wifi dongle today and have to say it works a treat...£10 from amazon bargain. Tried iplayer YouTube and thought they worked very well.

What other plans are proposed for the portal do we know?
 
I'm getting deafer as I get older - and definitely grumpier :rolleyes: - and the background music that programme producers see fit to add to documentaries is ruining programmes for me by drowning out the dialogue. The BBC once tried an experiment where viewers could switch off the music and just leave the dialogue, :smashin: so from that I deduce that it can be done.
I would not normally consider the 'alternative' firmware that gets mentioned in this forum (my PVR is only a couple of months old, so lots of warranty still extant), but as this software has just introduced the very smart feature to allow AR or manual padding on a per channel basis, it's clear that there are some very talented people out there.
Would it be possible to remove the music from the sound channel and leave the dialogue and, if so, how would I go about asking if anyone would be interested in having a go at implementing it?
Thanks
Undecided

Hi

They did it for sports things as well so that you can have Radio NI Commentary ( NI Football) or Five Live Commentary (Rugby) for example instead of the main one. This was done using MHEG Text RED/BLUE Button functions. The NO Musak Experiment would have been done similarly so there would be a Full Mix Feed and a Dialogue Only Feed (or something like that ?). This could only be done for programs where the broadcaster has access to the individual Audio tracks/components pre the final mix.

Un-mixing the atrocious mood music would be somewhat tricky as it is part of the main broadcast mix.

Have to request the Broadcasters do it !!!!!!! Good Luck.

Pete
 
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Hi

Sorry to post something not about HUMAX vs 3View
:D

Can an expert possibly answer a non Humax related question for me ????

Can you use Get_iPlayer to capture HD content or is that not possible - I just downloaded Get_iPlayer and used the URL for an HD Prog and it found only an SD stream - better than nothing of course - I am guessing that it probably only finds the SD versions.

Thanks for any info.

Now back to HUMAX vs 3View

:smashin:

This is very OT Peter, but yes, it can download HD files if there is an iPlayer HD version (not all HD broadcasts will get to HD on iPlayer due to licence restrictions).

By default it will download the SD version and you need to tell it to get the HD version. More info if you run "get_iplayer --longhelp" at the command line.

You can also join the get_iplayer mailing list which is very active (and I am also active on it!)

More info here: get_iplayer Info Page
 
how do you know if you can get the hd version of iplayer?
 
This is very OT Peter, but yes, it can download HD files if there is an iPlayer HD version (not all HD broadcasts will get to HD on iPlayer due to licence restrictions).

By default it will download the SD version and you need to tell it to get the HD version. More info if you run "get_iplayer --longhelp" at the command line.

You can also join the get_iplayer mailing list which is very active (and I am also active on it!)

More info here: get_iplayer Info Page

Thanks - I spotted some info and found Get_iPlayer from another Humax Forum, but I am not a member so . . . :smashin:
EDIT : Trying ....... get_iplayer --type=TV --PID <xxxxxx> --modes flashhd
seems to be working !

how do you know if you can get the hd version of iplayer?

The HDR T2 has the BigScreen iPlayer which supports HD streams.
The original reference was to program availability, not all programs being available in HD form.

Pete
 
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Using padding it always records, and if you use 2 minutes pre and 5 minutes post padding that should cover the majority of schedule slippages.

I use 5 minutes pre and 10 minutes post padding (10 mins is the max). I'd use more post padding if it were available. I don't record many things (1 to 2 recordings per day) and it's rare I have programme overlaps, so I'm more interested in making sure I actually get what I've tried to record. So far nothing has overrun the 10 minutes post padding, though a couple of programmes have been very close (into the last minute).
 
Hi

I'm getting deafer as I get older - and definitely grumpier :rolleyes: - and the background music that programme producers see fit to add to documentaries is ruining programmes for me by drowning out the dialogue. The BBC once tried an experiment where viewers could switch off the music and just leave the dialogue, :smashin: so from that I deduce that it can be done.
I would not normally consider the 'alternative' firmware that gets mentioned in this forum (my PVR is only a couple of months old, so lots of warranty still extant), but as this software has just introduced the very smart feature to allow AR or manual padding on a per channel basis, it's clear that there are some very talented people out there.
Would it be possible to remove the music from the sound channel and leave the dialogue and, if so, how would I go about asking if anyone would be interested in having a go at implementing it?
Thanks
Undecided

This can't easily be done unless supported by the TV company. It is possible to add other audio streams and you would be able to select them, so they could have two, one with background music and one without, but they'd rather stuff Freeview full of rubbish channels than use the bandwidth for anything useful.

On HD channels the above applies, however if you are watching a film or program with 5.1 broadcast, then yes you should be able to go a long way to reducing or removing the background music. This is because typically on 5.1, dialogue is sent to the centre speaker with very little other sound incorporated. The music and sound effects are then send to the remaining speakers. You would need a surround sound amplifier, and then turn down the volume on the surrounding speakers, this would then leave the dialogue much louder than the other sounds. Also just the fact you have a centre speaker with just the dialogue should also make it easier to hear.

I agree with the background music, often it's just too much, and I have normal hearing. If you haven't already complain about it, they get lots of complaints already but more will help. They turned down the background music for 'Wonders of the universe' due to complaints, although the presenter Professor Cox was not happy about it.

Regards

Phil
 
On HD channels the above applies, however if you are watching a film or program with 5.1 broadcast, then yes you should be able to go a long way to reducing or removing the background music. This is because typically on 5.1, dialogue is sent to the centre speaker with very little other sound incorporated. The music and sound effects are then send to the remaining speakers. You would need a surround sound amplifier, and then turn down the volume on the surrounding speakers, this would then leave the dialogue much louder than the other sounds. Also just the fact you have a centre speaker with just the dialogue should also make it easier to hear.

I'll just point out that apart from films very little is shown in 5.1 audio on Freeview HD. Dr. Who and Frozen Planet were in 5.1 (if I remember correctly), but precious little else made for TV is. And nothing on ITV1 HD is in 5.1 since they only broadcast stereo audio.

I just didn't want the orignal poster rushing out to buy a 5.1 system to solve their problem, only to be disappointed at the low proportion of 5.1 audio broadcast.

However getting a decent audio system may make all audio easier to hear, the audio builtin to TVs is not very good. Even running the TV through a good sterero hifi may make it easier to hear things and follow the dialogue. This is what I did for my mum who's hearing is failing, she didn't want 5 speakers in the lounge but was prepared to try two and is glad she did.
 
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Owen Smith said:
I use 5 minutes pre and 10 minutes post padding (10 mins is the max). I'd use more post padding if it were available.

I know not everyone wants to use it, but you can go higher than 10 minutes with the custom firmware. I think it currently has options for up to a hour each side.
 
Apologies in advance if this has already been asked but I've looked and cannot see an answer on this or other Humax related forums.

Having just discovered the breadth of stations listed under the portal "Internet Radio" link I'm wondering if there is any way to find a listing of all available stations. I realise that I could just hunt through the channels by category in various ways on the Humax itself but this would be much quicker if there were a searchable listing - perhaps on a website somewhere.

As far as I can see, the term "Internet Radio" is generic rather than referring to a specific existing web service (such as Internet Radio Stations) - so is the combination of channels put together by Humax themselves? Does this mean that Humax has licenced each station separately or is their some combined deal somewhere that I could refer to? Is the set of radio stations fixed or do they come and go periodically?

If no one can suggest where to find a full listing - does anyone know of the location of a recommended list of stations - ideally in my case "classical music" so that I can avoid "re-inventing the wheel" by checking every one of them out myself?

Alternatively, does anyone know of where I can find out the bandwidth/quality of the stations listed - such as is available for the stations at SHOUTcast Radio

Thanks in advance and regards,
 
I just didn't want the orignal poster rushing out to buy a 5.1 system to solve their problem, only to be disappointed at the low proportion of 5.1 audio broadcast.
Many thanks for your consideration! I do have a 5:1 system already and, by default, output TV sound through pseudo surround sound. I keep thinking about running the optical output from the Humax directly to the amp - but haven't got round to it, yet. The problem with going deaf is that the sound from the affected ear is distorted as well as being lower in volume. This, in turn, makes it harder for the brain to distinguish some sounds, which includes low level dialogue. In some ways, losing 100% of the hearing in the affected ear would be better, as it then would not screw up what the brain has to decode. Normally, TV sound is OK-ish, played through the stereo system, but the documentary "Building the Ice Hotel" on Channel 5 was almost unwatchable because the producer - clearly worried that his film would not generate enough interest to keep people watching - added 'dramatic' music that was so loud it literally drowned the dialogue. Even SWMBO - who is not deaf - agreed that it was very hard to follow. We put sub titles on - which is not ideal - but helps me to keep up. It was this programme in particular which caused me to put up the original posting.
Cheers, and thanks to all who've replied to the OP.
Undecided
 
"I'm getting deafer as I get older "

My wife and I are already quite deaf and have hearing aids (recommend you get some excellent ones on the NHS if you don't already have them).

We use subtitles and play the audio through the hi-fi into floorstanding speakers.

When we visit other people the TV sound is usually poor so we can't hear properly.
 
my father-in-law used some wireless Sennheiser headphones which worked well, as the TV speaker did not need to be muted to work
on a lot of modern TVs you can connect some of the Sennheiser headphones models to the audio out and control the volume from the base unit and headphones
maybe worth looking into - quite expensive though £90 - £150 depending on model
 
By default it will download the SD version and you need to tell it to get the HD version. More info if you run "get_iplayer --longhelp" at the command line.

Get I-Player link HERE , as stated it is a download tool that can get a list of available content from the BBC I-Player list, However you can also supply your own URL from say the BBC archive HERE and lot of other non BBC sites
 
I have my pvr networked with a fixed IP. I can FTP into it. WMP can see the files on it.
However, it cannot connect to the network.

The manual is not helping so I would appreciate a pointer to where I can obtain some guidance.

I am using Winblows 7 wirelessly and my pvr is wired.

ipconfig:

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Con
nection
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-18-DE-23-C8-87
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.3(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 208.67.220.222
208.67.220.220
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

I have tried disabling my firewall to no effect.

Maybe I need to forward a port?

I was using the ps3 media server software to stream to my tv but for some reason this has stopped working and they cannot find each other. Not sure if that is related.
 
Reply to Undecided

Having spent several days this week playing around with inter-connecting my Humax to a new amp, which itself was only connected up last weekend, I feel that I should offer some comments on what may help you.

My suggestion, given that you have spent the money already on the 5.1 sound system, is that it would be much better for you to wire your Humax directly to the sound system, preferably via HDMI (will need to turn Humax output to max for this) or if your amp does not support this via optical as you suggest.

I think that you will be instantly impressed at the increased clarity of the sound quality compared to that of the TV output (especially if this was analogue via phono output - but perhaps less so if you are alreaqdy using digital output from the TV). Then by playing around with getting a pseudo 5.1 mix as you have already tried, combined with setting the balance between centre and other speakers should help pick out the speech from the background.

If you can use HDMI for this then What HiFi recommend suitable cables for less than £5.00 each that I have found to be quite acceptable quality.

Hope this helps...
 
I have my pvr networked with a fixed IP. I can FTP into it. WMP can see the files on it.
However, it cannot connect to the network.
your network or the internet

lets see an ipconfig /all from a PC - it maybe the DNS settings
try an open dns - use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
 
I think you refer to my post?

If so, then there is an ipconfig in the post which shows the DNS and I said network.

I have updated the PMS sever software and the Hummy can see it on my lappy. It can see the folders inside the 'allowed' folder, however, as soon as I try to view the actual files (jpg) the Hummy crashes and reboots.

The Hummy displays the files when they are on usb.

Sorry if I have got it wrong somehow.
 
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DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
that ipconfig /all has a fixed iP - is that how you run your network - giving ALL devices a fixed IP address - because of that I wanted to see if it maybe a DNS issue

what IP and DNS did you assign the humax

what other devices are connected tothe network
 
that ipconfig /all has a fixed iP - is that how you run your network - giving ALL devices a fixed IP address - because of that I wanted to see if it maybe a DNS issue

what IP and DNS did you assign the humax

what other devices are connected tothe network

All devices have fixed IP's, none of the IP's conflict.

The humax has IP 10 and it's DNS is the same as the other devices, being obtained from the router. The DNS is NOT that provided by my ISP. I prefer to use another.

I have an XP desktop pc, 2 Winblows7 lappies, an xbox, an xbox360, a Panasonic TV and of course, the humax.

I am using Outpost Pro 7 firewall software.

Many thanks for your input. What I am looking for is a guide on how to use, posted somewhere as the manual is not helpful, so, unless you have previous experience you find it difficult to know how to use what is available. I don't expect to be spoon fed ;)

I would have thought by now some expert would have posted a guide (maybe)
 
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