Question Largest possible USB external drive to store recordings on a Humax HDR Fox T2?

to max a humax

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Hi

Is there a large USB external drive I can use to store recordings on our PVR/DVR?

I have a Humax HDR Fox T2. I've connected to it (via a USB hub) several (up to 4) external 2TB USB drives. This has allowed me to backup recordings and play them back. This external storage has been handy as it maximises the storage we can get as the internal drive of the Humax is only 1TB. However:
(i) It is time-consuming & annoying having to negotiate multiple USB drives.
(ii) We now need more storage space, but the 5th USB drive we purchased & tried to add to the hub of 4 drives doesn't seem to be recognised. The problem seems to be (we think) that the hub - an Aukey 7 Port USB 3.o Hub [model no.: CD-H3] - can't recognise more than 4 drives at once.
(iii) And sometimes after a reboot the Humax doesn't see all of the files on the external drives. It takes another reboot or so of the Humax to do that. This again is time-consuming & annoying.

Is there a better way to store recordings? I'd like to attach more USB drives but believe the above problem of files being temporarily 'unseen' may get worse, so I'm interested in other options. I think I'd be looking at replacing the above 4/5 USB drives with just one external drive - of 10TB (at least) of storage in total. BTW: I don't want to increase the internal space as we like having files accessible on an external & detachable drive.

Is that an option? And what make/spec. of external drive should I be looking for to use with our Humax PVR/DVR?

We also want a VFM option of such a large drive. Maybe the upcoming Black Friday/Cyber Monday might offer up some good deals?! Any ideas??

Thanks
 
You should have installed the custom firmware on the HDR-FOX-T2 and setup auto decryption. It's going to take a very long time to decrypt all the content you have stored. If your HDR-FOX-T2 ever breaks you will lose the lot. Once you have decrypted content you can copy them to a NAS server on your network and access them with almost anything.

If you have the CF and auto decrypt setup you can simply set up a multi bay NAS server on your home network.

That includes anything that can run Kodi like PC's tablets and phones and of course your HDR-FOX-T2 built in DLNA client.

QUICK START GUIDE

using Fox T2 recordings with plex media server
 
Yes, if you switch to the customised firmware as mentioned previously. I have my HDR-T2's connected to a 16TB Synology RAID NAS (Network Shares Automount) and automatically archive decrypted content to it (Sweeper). You can also fit a >2TB HDD internally with the customised firmware, but personally I prefer to stick at 2TB and archive content as necessary.
 
Thanks. However, we are already running the customised firmware:
  • Custom Firmware: version 3.10 (build 2734)
So how does having that Custom Firmware change things for us??

BTW the other specs our Humax HDR Fox T2 has are:
  • Internal space: 1TB (this is the size of the internal drive that the manufacturer supplied with this Humax HDR Fox T2)
  • Web interface: version 1.4.1-4
  • Humax: version 1.03.12 (kernel HDR_CFW_3.10)
  • recording quality: we always opt to record SD (never HD)
Re crockett's comment:
You can also fit a >2TB HDD internally with the customised firmware, but personally I prefer to stick at 2TB and archive content as necessary.

We don't want to change the internal space, just the external. So maybe you have some more advice re this drive that you use:
Yes, if you switch to the customised firmware as mentioned previously. I have my HDR-T2's connected to a 16TB Synology RAID NAS (Network Shares Automount) and automatically archive decrypted content to it (Sweeper).
 
Using the customised firmware allows you to use packages like Network Shares Automount for example, which mounts shares on a NAS so that they appear to HDR-T2 as external USB drives. For NAS devices I would recommend Synology, but there are plenty of other alternatives like QNap, Western Digital, Seagate and Buffalo. I have a DS-1513+ using WD Red NAS HDD's.
 
And re grahamlthompson's advice:

What brand of this NAS server do you use?

I don't. Merely pointing out that you can do this. I have a few movies in a shared folder on my laptop my HDR-FOX-T2 can play. Normally play them on a tablet using Kodi.
 
Thanks for the advice. It has been very helpful.

I've just had an unexpected car bill so the NAS option is too pricey at the moment.

Another option is running another Humax Fox T2 which I can get second hand for a lot less.

If I run 2 Humax boxes, I guess they'll have different IP addresses on DHCP but would the physical remote control try to run both?
What about running a newer Humax box? Are there any as good as the Fox T2?

Incidentally, has anyone tried connecting a usb drive which is greater than 2TB to a Humax Fox T2 - did it read and write to it ok?
 
but would the physical remote control try to run both?
You can put them on different IR 'channels'. I(Well, code set actually), so each control controls its 'own' box.
What about running a newer Humax box? Are there any as good as the Fox T2?
None even close to a T2 with custom firmware. (except for catchup. At which they are all mostly more comprehensive)
Incidentally, has anyone tried connecting a USB drive which is greater than 2TB to a Humax Fox T2
You need to head off to hummy.tv for the experts on that one. I know that >2TB HDDs can be fitted internally, (with custom firmware), but not sure about USB drives.
 
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Thanks for the advice. It has been very helpful.

I've just had an unexpected car bill so the NAS option is too pricey at the moment.

Another option is running another Humax Fox T2 which I can get second hand for a lot less.

If I run 2 Humax boxes, I guess they'll have different IP addresses on DHCP but would the physical remote control try to run both?
What about running a newer Humax box? Are there any as good as the Fox T2?

Incidentally, has anyone tried connecting a usb drive which is greater than 2TB to a Humax Fox T2 - did it read and write to it ok?

You can run up to 6 Humax boxes in the same room. The remotes work all the newer boxes. I currently have four in my lounge.

Multi Code function HD/HDR remote « My Humax Forum

As for over 2TB. The largest I have is 2TB, You can though connect more than 1 drive to a powered usb hub. The Humax lets you select which one you want to use.
 
Thanks for that URL:

I reckon getting the 2nd Humax units is the best option for now. (Will leave the NAS server option till next year, if this 2nd Humax idea doesn't serve our needs.)

Re:
The remotes work all the newer boxes.
As we will be buying the 2nd PVR/DVR second-hand, is there any older model of Humax HDR Fox T2 that we should avoid, if the Humax r.c. work with the "newer boxes". This is a priority for us, as this conflict of remote control seems to be our biggest problem if we are going to be using multiple boxes in the same room & TV stand!

BTW: HTH: our r.c. has a model ref. of RM-F04. It is the genuine r.c. that was supplied with the Humax PVR.

By the by, re:
You can though connect more than 1 drive to a powered usb hub. The Humax lets you select which one you want to use.
BTW, the USB hub we have been using is mains powered. That is the hub that we currently own - and that has offered only limited reliability with 4 USB drives (2TB each) attached [see our first posting]. Shame, as if that hub were more reliable - and we could connect a 5th USB drive to it, with success, to give us more storage space - that would have solved our problems!
 
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Thanks for that URL:


I reckon getting the 2nd Humax units is the best option for now. (Will leave the NAS server option till next year, if this 2nd Humax idea doesn't serve our needs.)

Re:

As we will be buying the 2nd PVR/DVR second-hand, is there any older model of Humax HDR Fox T2 that we should avoid, if the Humax r.c. work with the "newer boxes". This is a priority for us, as this conflict of remote control seems to be our biggest problem if we are going to be using multiple boxes in the same room & TV stand!

BTW: HTH: our r.c. has a model ref. of RM-F04. It is the genuine r.c. that was supplied with the Humax PVR.

By the by, re:

BTW, the USB hub we have been using is mains powered. That is the hub that we currently own - and that has offered only limited reliability with 4 USB drives (2TB each) attached [see our first posting]. Shame, as if that hub were more reliable - and we could connect a 5th USB drive to it, with success, to give us more storage space - that would have solved our problems!

Leaving out the Youview boxes all the Humax pvrs starting with the 2018 Foxsat-HDR can use up to 6 remotes with the boxes in the same room. Not aware of any difference in the HDR-FOX-T2. I have 2 one an early purchase the other a year or so later. Not a problem with the following in the same room.

Foxsat-HDR, HDR-1000s, 2 x HDR-FOX-T2 and a FVP-5000T. I have now moved one of the HDR-FOX-T2's to my study.

The original remote for the HDR-FOX-T2 has the white buttons PVR TV DVD AUDIO just under the power button and the bottom row is

Source Sleep V-Format Wide
 
The only difference I am aware of with the HDR-Fox T2 is that older models have horizontal tuners and the new models vertical. I believe that the new model's PSU only has 12v whereas the older one has 12v and 5v. Personally I would go for the older model given a choice.
 
Opted to go for:
Another option is running another Humax Fox T2 which I can get second hand for a lot less

So we now have 2 Humax DVRs. Both are a Humax HDR Fox T2. Each has 2TB of space.

Each has a r.c. with the same model ref. of RM-F04. So we have changed the IR code on the r.c. of the Humax #2 to be different to that of the Humax #1, so that each control controls its 'own' Humax unit.

All is working well in so far as recording/watching on the hard drive of the Humax #2. So we have recorded & watched successfully several programmes this winter on that Humax #2. Great . . . but . . .

The only problem so far is accessing any files on the new Humax (aka Humax #2) that were recorded on our Humax #1:
i.e. when we plug into the new Humax (Humax #2) our external USB 3.0 drives that used to be plugged into Humax #1, we can't play ANY of the files on those external drives via the Humax #2! The files are visible on the TV's on-screen interface but when we select a file to play it the Humax #2's TV interface just shows an errotr message (next to an exclamation mark inside a grey triangle) as follows: "The channel is scrambled or not available". This occurred on Humax #2 with all the USB drives we have been happily using for ages on the other Humax (Humax #1) e.g. our reliable Seagate Expansion 2TB drives. So we tried to get around this problem by copying one of the files across from the external drive to the actual hard drive of the Humax #2, & attempted to play the file from that hard druive, but that reveals exactly the same error message. :-(

These are files that we successfully recorded & played back on the Humax #1's hard drive; they were later moved onto the Seagate Expansion 2TB external drive via the Aukey multihub set up on that Humax #1. That multihub is an Aukey 7 Port USB 3.0 Hub [model no.: CB-H3]. The files all played perfectly on that Humax #1, either when the files were stored on the Humax's own hard drive or (more importantly) when they had been moved to that external drive. IOW the files played OK via Humax #1 & the external USB drives that have been plugged into the multihub we use with that Humax #1 unit.

But the same files won't play on the new Humax #2, either via the multihub we use with that Humax #2 unit or as mentioned directly from the Humax #2's hard drive.

We are using much the same type of Aukey multihub on the Humax #2: an Aukey Multi-function USB Hub [model no.: CB-H19]. But it is not therefore an identical model to the multihub we use with the Humax #1. Is THIS the problem??

As we purchased the Humax #2 mainly to use as a way to store files on another USB drive multihub - rather than record more stuff (which we did do a bit over the Christmas TV viewing schedule, though!) - we DO need to get this external drive & its file access problem resolved.

We need the files on the external drives to be playable on both Humax #1 & Humax #2. And frequently for now many of the files on the actual Humax PVRs, as well as on the external drives, need to be moved between the two Humax units by way of those drives. And we had purchased the Humax #2 with the express purpose of then permanently moving one or more of our Seagate Expansion drives onto the USB multihub for the Humax #2. So it's a pain that these drives won't read on the Humax #2 !

Do we need to change some sort of setting on the drive to resolve this problem? Or is it the setting of the files that need to be changed? Or the type of multihub?

BTW: we always record files as SD, never HD. So that's not the problem.

There's no point our having files or external storage devices that don't work on both the Humax DVRs. It defeats the point of our getting two supposedly cross-compatible Humax HDR Fox T2 units, if they aren't in fact compatible. Pointless if we then have no way of telling what file is or isn't going to play from an external drive.

Any suggestions?
 
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i.e. when we plug into the new Humax (Humax #2) our external USB 3.0 drives that used to be plugged into Humax #1, we can't play ANY of the files on those external drives via the Humax #2!
Long question, short answer. All recordings made on the T2 are encrypted and will ojnly play directly on the machine they were recorded on. You need to decrypt them using the custom firmware.
 
Long question, short answer. All recordings made on the T2 are encrypted and will ojnly play directly on the machine they were recorded on. You need to decrypt them using the custom firmware.

As the two Humax machines are both HDR-FOX-T2's they will both play each others recordings (HD and SD) out of the box without using USB over a home network.

Are both boxes connected to a home network ?

The CF and the capability to decrypt recordings in situ will make the recordings playable on other kit, but still no need to mess with USB. You can copy recordings direct to a PC or play them back directly on any other kit with a DLNA client.

The HDR-FOX-T2 decrypts SD on copying to USB. Suspect the issue is the sidecar files remaining on the USB drive. If the OP changes the .hmt and .nts name (or deletes them) so they don't have the same name as the .ts then guessing the new HDR-FOX-T2 will play them back. Note this will severely reduce the playback options like pause rewind etc. Using the built in TCP-IP protected client/server in each box is the easiest way.
 
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More duff gen from me then.:blush:
 
More duff gen from me then.:blush:

Not really. All recordings are encrypted. Copying SD does remove the encryption. The CF though is not the only way to decrypt HD content. Raydons Foxy can modify the byte in the .hmt file that controls decryption on copying to usb. Once modified copying HD to USB removes the encryption.

The Custom Firmware however is by far the best option which can remove the encryption of all recordings automatically without using USB at all.
 

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