Media & File Server Bundle for the Foxsat HDR - Release 4 - PART 6

raydon

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Continued from part 5 of the thread.

(This is the first post from the original thread, repeated here for your convenience.)

O.K guys, here's what you Foxsat HDR owners have been waiting for.
To further enhance your Freesat experience, I am very pleased to announce the release of v4 of the Media & File Server Bundle.

Firstly, I would like to thank af123 (or af12345 as he is known here on AV Forums) for kindly allowing me to use his original ideas and sources from the HDR Fox T2 web interface development, as the basis for the web interface and support applications you find released here in v4
And also for agreeing to host the web based repository for the application packages. Without his help none of this would have been possible.
Thank You !

New features in v4

A fully functioning web interface for the Foxsat HDR.

A package management system with web based repository for the downloading and updating of applications.
This can be accessed both from the web interface and from the command line.

A service management system to display status of custom applications, start or stop them, and disable/enable boot-time autostart.
Again, this is accessible from the web interface and the command line.

*****************************************************
* Latest update is v4.1.3 and is available for download from HERE *
*****************************************************


v4 is based on Humax's latest v1.00.21 firmware released on 30/07/2012 and is a complete standalone replacement for it.
What this means is that a reflash with the standard Humax v1.00.21 firmware before flashing with v4 is not necessary.
It will upgrade any earlier version of installed firmware, either standard or modified, to v1.00.21 with custom mods.

Full instructions on how to install everything are provided in the included ReadMe.txt and I suggest you read this carefully before you start, as there are many changes compared to the earlier v3.0 releases.

For those who are already comfortable with installing and using the earlier packages here follows a quick start guide.

Flash the firmware in the usual way, then open your favourite browser and enter the IP address of the HDR into the browsers address bar. Remember to use the IP address, not the hostname, as the netbios nameserver service is not available until you have installed samba.

You will then be presented with this basic web interface.
basic_webif-jpg.514764


From here you can download and install the full web interface. Click on the Download & Install button and after a short delay (depending on your internet connection speed) you will be presented with an installation status report.

install_status-jpg.514761


After that it is simply a matter of rebooting the HDR to initialise the full web interface. (Remember to refresh your browser, with the IP address only, in the address bar). You will then be presented with the full web interface index page.

full.jpg



Clicking on Package Management will then display this page

packages.jpg


From here you can install the applications you wish to use on your HDR.
Click on the pages top bar to return you to the index page.
From there you can then select the Service Management option.

services.jpg


From here you can stop and start your applications, and select which ones are auto-started at boot time.

Any additional information you might need can be found in the ReadMe.txt so please do me a favour and read it before posting any queries you might have. You may just find the answer there.

That's it then, I hope you all enjoy using this v4 release

my regards to all here at AV Forums

raydon
 
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Hi raydon,

And what are the chances of getting a reply to post #1020 dated 13th March?

Where have all the CF gurus gone when you need them most? They're usually so fulsome and prompt with their responses to even the most minor of queries.

I was expecting a little help long before now, for a situation that must have arisen for others where they've installed the CF and been left with a totally un-respnsive box with a 'blue screen' of doom for a display screen and the mistaken belief that their box has been totally wrecked. Surely a situation like that is just as deserving of a reasonably prompt reply as those dealing with less serious issues in regard to the webif, EPG, etc?

Since my original post I have continued to avoid overnight housekeeping by putting the box into standby mode then using the rear power switch to switch the box completely off before going to bed and I've had no problem restarting it the following day albeit by the slightly unorthodox method described previously.

On powering the box up using the rear power switch, I first get the standby red light and "custom firmware 4.1.3" displayed. Left alone it then automatically shutdowns to standby mode. Pressing the standby button then starts the normal boot display process, "Boot" followed by "CF 4.1.3" etc and everything works fine from there on. I have remote access to everything I've installed and the CF works flawlessly.

As previously described, with the box left in normal standby mode overnight I'll always get a 'blue' display screen and totally unresponsive box the following morning. And it stays totally un-responsive for the rest of that day and there is no means of communicating with it whatsoever.

What I find even more difficult to rationalise is that with the box powered up and left in that un-responsive, blue screen mode overnight the housekeeping actually seems to sort it out to the extent that a power reset the following morning can be guaranteed to cause normal standby mode to be restored as previously described, followed by a normal boot when the standby button is pressed.

This to me seems contrary to all my previous 'computer logic'. Why should repeating a procedure that seems to have caused a problem appear to correct it?

Apart from the obvious inconvenience, it's surely unwise to go on forever avoiding the housekeeping, so any assistance or advice you might offer would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Mac.
 
And what are the chances of getting a reply to post #1020 dated 13th March?

Where have all the CF gurus gone when you need them most? They're usually so fulsome and prompt with their responses to even the most minor of queries.

I was expecting a little help long before now, for a situation that must have arisen for others where they've installed the CF and been left with a totally un-respnsive box with a 'blue screen' of doom for a display screen and the mistaken belief that their box has been totally wrecked. Surely a situation like that is just as deserving of a reasonably prompt reply as those dealing with less serious issues in regard to the webif, EPG, etc?

You seem convinced that the issue is related to the custom firmware which I very much doubt. I would suggest that you re-flash with the standard Humax firmware to prove the point.

You mention in a previous post that you think your loader is out of date. If you can't find the current loader anywhere else (U7_54) then go to one of the other forums (can't post a link - hummy-dot-tv) and in the Foxsat HDR forum look for the thread "Foxsat-HDR Locked Up" and in Post #11 raydon has kindly provided a link to a ZIP file for this version of the loader.

If your problem still persists with the latest loader and the stock Humax firmware then I would suggest that there is a fault of some kind on your box. If not, you could try installing the Custom Firmware again and see what happens.
 
I would also have thought that mildly slagging someone off for not answering your post is rather less likely to get a response that a 'pretty please'.:) Also, long rambling posts in which it is difficult to understand what the person's problem is, are again less likely to get a response as peeps can't be bothered reading through all the gumph to pick the relevant bones out of it.;)
 
@TJT1
I will be happy to respond to these unjustified criticisms when I've had the time to compose another "long rambling post" aka "comprehensive response" to adrianf36's more considerate and less-tetchy reply.
 
Could it be a HDMI-CEC problem? I suggest that the macintosh tries disabling whatever it is called on his TV.
 
Many thanks for responding to this query Adrian. More pressing matters of late meant I have had more important things to do than spend my free time providing the timely, and unpaid, help service that some seem to have come to expect as a right. The advice you have given is exactly what I would have suggested as it will completely eliminate the CFW from the equation, and it's so easily done I'm surprised the OP didn't try it already.
Here's the Humax download link to the U7.54 loader should anyone need it. Just download it and rename the file to FOXSAT-HDR_upgrade.hdf then reflash in the usual way.
 
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Hi folks, I've recently sacked off my sky box and bought a Foxsat HDR from ebay for £35 (bit of a bargain I thought)
This custom firmware looks really interesting but without reding through the many pages of info does it give the machine a different epg's etc? Can it do things like series link which I haven't found yet? I see that it can be used as a media server and stuff can be watched from a laptop etc but just wondered what it does to the actual box. I have looked but keep ending up on part 5 which is now 35 pages long, that's a lot of reading. If there is a link to the basics that would be great. Also, is it as easy to intall as the software upgrade I did (which for some reason is 1.00.20 and not 21)

Thanks in advance.
 
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Hi folks, I've recently sacked off my sky box and bought a Foxsat HDR from ebay for £35 (bit of a bargain I thought)
This custom firmware looks really interesting but without reding through the many pages of info does it give the machine a different epg's etc? Can it do things like series link which I haven't found yet? I see that it can be used as a media server and stuff can be watched from a laptop etc but just wondered what it does to the actual box. I have looked but keep ending up on part 5 which is now 35 pages long, that's a lot of reading. If there is a link to the basics that would be great. Also, is it as easy to intall as the software upgrade I did (which for some reason is 1.00.20 and not 21)

Thanks in advance.

The CF does not change the User Interface you see on screen in any way. Access is by a web browser and the epg you see on a PC is customisable. The basic install is the same as a software update. Flashing it updates the Humax software to the latest automatically. After this you simply log in to the box IP address using the web browser of your choice. This downloads the full interface from the internet.

It runs on top of the Humax software and allows standard Linux software to be added. The Foxsat-hdr is unable to play non native video without the required sidecar files

The download archive contains text instructions how to set it up. Once installed a web page with documentation on the various add on packages is created.

To set a series recording you simply select a programme that has the series icon shown on the epg and press OK (not record). Recording the series is one of the offered options.

A Foxsat-HDR cannot play non native video without the support files the box creates. There is a seperate utility to create these. So don't expect the box to work as a normal DLNA client, but the packages do include DLNA server options. To use HD requires a seperate software patch by Nowster (which isn't part of the CF, the CF access by Telnet allows the patch to be applied). This causes the box to record HD without encryption.
 
Thanks so much for the reply, pretty much exactly what I needed to know in a nutshell. So as far as I can see, no downside at all to having it as the box itself works in the same way, this just gives you more options via a laptop etc. I will have a read through some of these pages as already intrigued by the eurosport question above.

First impressions, like the box, not so keen on the tiny buttons on the remote, especially for play/record/pause etc and I also have a BT youview box so keep changing things on both boxs as they are both Humax! :)
 
Thanks so much for the reply, pretty much exactly what I needed to know in a nutshell. So as far as I can see, no downside at all to having it as the box itself works in the same way, this just gives you more options via a laptop etc. I will have a read through some of these pages as already intrigued by the eurosport question above.

First impressions, like the box, not so keen on the tiny buttons on the remote, especially for play/record/pause etc and I also have a BT youview box so keep changing things on both boxs as they are both Humax! :)

The webif has a remote control that you can create macro buttons to create multiple button presses.

Simple example.

Pressing schedule and then red on the remote produces an instant guide. You can create a custom guide button simulating schedule red.
 
oh, and I guess the 'enc' next to HD recordings means encypted but I seem to be able to record them to my Panasonic DVD recorder via scart with no issues.
 
oh, and I guess the 'enc' next to HD recordings means encypted but I seem to be able to record them to my Panasonic DVD recorder via scart with no issues.

That's because you aren't making direct perfect digital copies. If you record a HD programme the process goes like this. The 1080i H264/AVC content is downscaled to 576i and output as composite (analogue) video (OR RGB if your DVDR supports RGB recording) and analogue audio to your DVDR. The DVDR converts the analogue 576i back to digital using the less efficient mpeg2 codec. This is then recorded to either a DVD blank or a Hard Disk. Copying the original digital data transport stream files is 100% lossless (you can make multiple generation copies with the last being identical to the first). The copy will be HD not SD and have the same audio (up to 5.1 ac3).

You can copy the encrypted recordings to a usb drive and they will play back from USB, but only on the box that recorded the content (The encryption key is unique to the box).
 
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Ah right, I realise there is a loss of quality (but they are still good enough) but the encrypted stuff on the youview box will not record onto the dvd recorded (HDCP?)


Thanks again for the replies :)
 
Ah right, I realise there is a loss of quality (but they are still good enough) but the encrypted stuff on the youview box will not record onto the dvd recorded (HDCP?)


Thanks again for the replies :)

HDCP only works on a digital HDMI/DVI connection. If you can't record analogue outputs it's because of an analogue protection systems like macrovision. Copying the files directly is much faster than real time and it doesn't stop your pvr being used to record and view other stuff etc. You could for instance use your Foxsat-HDR to watch anything including recordings at the box location and at the same time watch other HD recordings by DLNA streaming(In HD) on PC's tablets smartphones etc (up to 4 other streams have been reported as working).
 
...... I will have a read through some of these pages as already intrigued by the eurosport question above. .... :)

I think you can probably forget about the eurospot thing as it really has nothing to do with Raydon's firmware. It would really only be useful for a very few people who might either have a multi-LNB setup or a motorised dish pointing at the 'Hotbird' Satellite at 13 degrees east, The Foxsat must be the only Freesat box that allows this as it can be set up in 'Non - Freesat' mode.

But enjoy the custom firmware. I think its great.
 
I think you can probably forget about the eurospot thing as it really has nothing to do with Raydon's firmware. It would really only be useful for a very few people who might either have a multi-LNB setup or a motorised dish pointing at the 'Hotbird' Satellite at 13 degrees east, The Foxsat must be the only Freesat box that allows this as it can be set up in 'Non - Freesat' mode.

But enjoy the custom firmware. I think its great.
The FTA Eurosport is on Astra 1 at 19.2E and not on Hotbird 13E
 
You seem convinced that the issue is related to the custom firmware which I very much doubt. I would suggest that you re-flash with the standard Humax firmware to prove the point.

You mention in a previous post that you think your loader is out of date. If you can't find the current loader anywhere else (U7_54) then go to one of the other forums (can't post a link - hummy-dot-tv) and in the Foxsat HDR forum look for the thread "Foxsat-HDR Locked Up" and in Post #11 raydon has kindly provided a link to a ZIP file for this version of the loader.

If your problem still persists with the latest loader and the stock Humax firmware then I would suggest that there is a fault of some kind on your box. If not, you could try installing the Custom Firmware again and see what happens.

Thank you for extending me the courtesy of a reply. I’ll ignore the fact that I received it on April Fool’s day!

It was not my intention to imply that I am not entirely delighted with the custom firmware but there is no getting away from the fact that until it was installed everything was working perfectly and shortly thereafter I was left with what might accurately be described as “the novice’s nightmare”; a totally ‘non-contactable’, unusable and unresponsive box. So confident was I (and I continue to be) in the CF itself, that I avoided the obvious knee-jerk reaction and refused to believe that the problem could in any way be related to it.

But having pursued all other theories re CF install problems, HD failure/crashes etc. on here, each of which I seem to have ruled out, I eventually I could only conclude and continue to blame the housekeeping (not the CF) possibly in combination with an out-of-date loader, for in some way interfering overnight with a properly functioning CF rather than the other way around.

I can assure you that I’m firmly in the category of those people who always read the instructions first, rather than “when all else has failed”and in this case I reckon that, at a conservative (face-saving!) estimate, I spent at least a full week to ten days on this forum reading everything I could find about raydon’s CF, from Mogie’s original post dated 9/1/2011, to the end of version 4 part 5, before I installed anything and I was satisfied that I had installed it correctly. That fact that it initially worked straight off for a period of 2 weeks without any problems tends to confirm this.

I was completely re-assured by the huge volume of complimentary comments and entirely convinced (and continue to be) by the repeated assurances that no permanent harm could be done to the box (as has subsequently been proved in my case) and that even, in the highly unlikely event, that the box were to malfunction in some way, the situation could be quickly recovered by re-installing the original factory firmware.

With that in mind I not only downloaded the correct copy of the CF but I also made sure to also download in advance, copies of the correct loader version and factory firmware lest they be needed later. Just in case, however unlikely, they had somehow become ‘unavailable’ online in the meantime.

So I do appreciate your provding a reference to raydon’s post on hummy-dot-tv, as to the most up-to-date loader version available but I am happy to say that I already had a copy of the U_54 loader on my computer.

What I did not foresee in all of this, was that a situation could arise where the box was totally un-responsive and stuck in some sort of twilight zone where even the normal standby mode display, familiar to, and relied upon, by ‘novices’ like myself, was unavailable for anyone wanting to change the firmware (in whichever direction) by the recommended methods constantly repeated in precise detail throughout the course of these threads.

Nor could I find find any mention on this forum of the possibility of being confronted with this sort of ‘twilight zone’ mode with no ‘regular’ standby indicator or functioning standby button to facilitate this.

My question (which was aimed primarily at raydon), was simply to ask if he felt the loader version being out of date could possibly cause the housekeeping to conflict with the CF rather than the other way around.

Although the outcome is obviously the same the emphasis I’m placing on this is entirely different i.e it is my opinion that the CF works perfectly, until (seemingly) with an out-of-date loader installed and the box left in standby overnight the normal housekeeping may at some indeterminate point in the future, somehow ‘butt-in’ and mess everything up.

Even more puzzling, as I subsequently discovered, if this seemingly ‘bricked’ box is left powered up overnight the housekeeping seems to restore normality automatically, since normal standby mode becomes immediately available again following one power reset the following morning.

As mentioned in my original post and in another posted ‘reply’ to a third party, the obvious solution is just to update the loader and perhaps also to re-install the CF and “see what happens”.

The only reason I haven’t done so as yet, was that for the benefit of others as well as myself, I wanted to establish that the temporary workaround I’d come up with was lasting and valid and that it provided ‘novices’ like myself with a simple method of restoring the normal and familiar standby mode in both function and appearance should they experience the same ’twilight zone’ glitch as myself. Normal display panel ‘appearance’ having been restored it is then possible to proceed with any firmware re-installs (factory or CF) with renewed confidence.

I’m satisied now after 2-3 weeks of testing (with presumably this ‘twilight zone’ still lurking in the background) that avoiding housekeeping has prevented the problem re-surfacing and in the unlikely event that it should occur again I seem to have established a simple method for ‘novices’ like myself to correct that.

I’ll have no hesitation now in updating the loader and re-installing the CF to see if the updated loader effects a permanent cure. I might even post my results if anyone’s interested.

Thanks you again (sincerely) for extending me the courtesy of a reply.

Please feel no need to respond.
 
Could it be a HDMI-CEC problem? I suggest that the macintosh tries disabling whatever it is called on his TV.
Could it be a HDMI-CEC problem? I suggest that the macintosh tries disabling whatever it is called on his TV.
Thanks you for your reply.

As I mentioned in my original post I did try disconnecting/re-connecting and inspecting all cables and connections and I also disconnected the internal HD as part of an extensive troubleshooting process. But all to no avail. In the end the only conclusion I could come to, once the work around I had discovered proved successful, was that the out-of-date loader version may be the most likely culprit and I was hoping to get a little clarification on that possibility from those on here who are adjudged to be a lot wiser (in these particular matters) than myself.

Somewhat by accident, as described in my previous posts, I did discover a work around that restored the box to normal standby mode rather than the ’twilight zone mode’ I was stuck in previously. Once that had been achieved both the box and the installed CF v4.1.3 have now been functioning flawlessly throughout the day for the past 2-3 weeks although this seems to depend on housekeeping being deliberately avoided.

In the hope of establishing a permanent solution (where the box can be left in normal standby mode overnight, without fear of the housekeeping causing problems, I am now happy to try the obvious option of updating the loader, followed by the factory firmware v 1.00.21 (as an additional precaution) and then the CF v4.1.3, (but on a box which now has a normally functioning standby mode), as soon as I get a chance.

Thanks again for your courteous response.
 
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Many thanks for responding to this query Adrian. More pressing matters of late meant I have had more important things to do than spend my free time providing the timely, and unpaid, help service that some seem to have come to expect as a right. The advice you have given is exactly what I would have suggested as it will completely eliminate the CFW from the equation, and it's so easily done I'm surprised the OP didn't try it already.
Here's the Humax download link to the U7.54 loader should anyone need it. Just download it and rename the file to FOXSAT-HDR_upgrade.hdf then reflash in the usual way.
In response to these comments ...

The fact that I spent several weeks of my own time trawling through these threads prior to installing anything and then an additional week or two searching the same 5 threads again (approx. 150+ pages @ roughly 25 posts/page) in search of a mention let alone a solution to this issue, before ‘bothering’ anyone on here with it my ‘observations’ (however irrelevant to some, they may seem) was surely deserving of at the very least a brief but courteous response.

Instead of which, regrettably my original post and even more so my follow-up post (2 weeks later) appear to have been viewed in some quarters in an entirely different light and in two instances have apparently caused some un-intended offence.

In the first instance the reply I received (originally post #1030) admonished me, for (in the absence of any reply having being received) having the temerity to submit a follow-up post 2 weeks later.

It surely can’t have gone un-noticed by that poster that I had waited a full 2 weeks and only submitted a follow-up question when it was obvious that time had been found to reply to some other queries which were posted subsequent to mine, whereas mine had not yet even been acknowledged.

Who knocks on a door and in the absence of any reply doesn’t knock again after a reasonable and courteous interval and probably a little louder than before, particularly when it is obvious that the occupant is now obviously”at home” but may not have heard? Even more so when someone else has been seemingly ‘admitted’ in the meantime. As legend has it, even “the postman always knocks twice”

The same poster was also critical of my original submission for being too lengthy, meandering, and “full of gumph” (no doubt this one may be viewed by some in a similar light) and went on to suggest that a more “pretty please” approach would have been more “appropriate” in my subsequent follow-up attempt. But I’ve never been one for the “pretty please” approach or accepted that in a supposedly adult environment such methods ought to be applauded let alone thought necessary.

Regrettably, that posters comments, and my own brief 3 line reply (originally post #1031) in which I offered to respond later, have mysteriously since been removed and substituted/replaced by presumably ‘a moderator’? Thus depriving me the option of providing the moderate and considered response I had intended.

In the second instance this current ‘substitute’ post #1031 (for my original post #1031 reply) I have now had my comments similarly dismissed with some additional unwarranted admonishments. But in this case it seems the intention has been to cut the original poster (me) out of the discussion by posting a token reply to a third party rather than directly to myself.

I would not like to think that this forum is just a cosy boy’s club, solely provided for the benefit of the ‘executive committee’ on whose door one is not permitted to knock once, let alone twice, without seemingly causing un-intended offence or risk being refused admission on the basis of not having used a more apppropriate knock or not having chosen a more 'appropriate' tie.

It will be interesting to see if freedom of speech will prevail and if constructive submissions, observations or criticisms which are devoid of expletives or derogatory comments, can be tolerated on here, or if this post also will suffer a similar fate to those previously mentioned.

Please feel no need to respond, directly or otherwise.

No offence, I can assure you, intended.
 
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I've restored 1031 and 1032.
 

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