HD-PVR extract data

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um_ah

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Is there a way to extract recorded data from the HDPVR to an external harddrive besides recording onto a DVD via DVD recorder?

I recorded the World Cup in hi-def and wanna keep it by loading it on an HD.

Any suggestions?

Thanx
 
There are many ways to do this.

One is to get one of those boxes that correct the time-base on the composite signal and then to record it onto DVD's (DVD Recorder).

It's more difficult to transfer the signal in HD because of the HDCP protection on the HDMI output.
 
If you can find a way to do this, you will make fortunes! :-)
 
Even on the HD decoders overseas it's very difficult to retrieve anything off the hdd and even then it's encrypted.
Sky now has a 1TB hard drive in its HD decoders because people wanted to archive some stuff.

So you need something in between like Haupagge HDpvr for R3000 or a HAVA HD-Premium device and even then they are desgined for devices like Tivo etc.

So no one has tested it with our HD decoders.
 
Thanks for the feedback. So in short, i'm scrwed :( sigh

worth a try i guess...
 
Yip, my HDD in th decoder is almost full, recorded series in HD but have not caught up yet on my HTPC.
Also would like to keep the HD movies on my HTPC for later watching, but I'm sure MC will just repeat them in the following months anyway.

And R3000 for HD-PVR is just too much extra.
 
Buy an HD Fury and play back the HD stream over HDMI to an HD DVR or capture card.
 
Reading the data directly somehow would be the best. But theres the encryption issue.

I've got the black & silver HD PVR that can watch 1 and record 2 other shows.
Its got front & back USB ports and an ethernet port.
I called multichoice now they said none of these are operational and we can only pray they will activate them.
I read somewhere you can FTP to the PVR. does anyone know about that?

I read that the SD PVR has a 250GB PATA Maxtor HDD.
From what I've read I'm guessing the HD PVR has a 500GB hard drive in it.
Does anyone know if the HD PVR's HDD is PATA or SATA? Will opening it void the warranty?
It would be nice to upgrade it.
Also the limitation of only being able to record 20 different series is a bit crap.
Apparently the recordings are encrypted. If you remove the HDD and copy off the recordings, is there any way of decrypting them?

lcbxx: will check it out.

Here is a card for capturing HDMI http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/
$200

Even the Compro V300 would probably work in HD (analog connections at the back of the HD PVR)
Otherwise you can just capture on the Compro C100 in SD.
I actually record in SD most of the time anyway to save space.
 
Last edited:
Lope said:
Its got front & back USB ports and an ethernet port.
I called multichoice now they said none of these are operational and we can only pray they will activate them.
I read somewhere you can FTP to the PVR. does anyone know about that?
Click to expand...

How would you use FTP if all those ports are disabled? :confused:
 
The recordings are encrypted with irdeto2 based stuff iirc, so even if you can get the data off... you're not going to decrypt it...
 
ToxicBunny said:
The recordings are encrypted with irdeto2 based stuff iirc, so even if you can get the data off... you're not going to decrypt it...
Click to expand...

As far as I know, irdeto2 encryption is for the downlink. I doubt they have the processing power to use the same encryption for data.

Maybe something simple like RC4?
 
Could be something simple like RC4... but first you'll have to get into the filesystem, its not some bog-standard FAT32 or NTFS type setup iirc
 
I think it is a standard file system, that guy who upgraded his PVR used windows to format his drive.

Honestly I think that trying to decrypt the files is just going to be too much of a mission. The cheapest is to get a capture card on your PC and the easiest is to media player with record functionality.
I know some one that got a Mvix with PVR functionality that works quite well. I'ts simple really you just plug in, press play on the PVR and the then press record on the other device. You will only get one video at a time but once its done its done.

Even if you can figure out how to crack the encryption you need to take the drive out every time, plug it in to a new machine and then copy all the data across to a new drive and leave it for hours while it decrypts in to a dump file.
 
THe SDPVR may have been a standard file system that you can just read the data off in Windows... but the HDPVR drives are read as "empty" drives in Windows... they're using a different filesystem to the SDPVR which was FAT32....

MC have spent alot of time making sure that the stuff on the drive is practically impossible to get at... bloody irritating, would rather they had spent some of that time making sure the damn software working properly and had a decent interface
 
Hauppage have the HD-PVR for R2100, BUT it accepts component and optical etc..and not hdmi input.

For hdmi input you need the item below.
Black Magic Intensity Pro

Financially these devices retail at over R2000++, so for archiving purposes etc. that's pretty expensive, may as well rent the movie or series or even download the thing.
Even if you get MC to cancel the pvr function to save your R64 p/m it would take ages to make up for it....by purchasing one of these items now.

Guys in the UK are also struggling with getting items off the shy hd decoders etc.

Cheapest I think is for someone to find a way to activate the ethernet or usb , via firmware etc.
 
Even the Black Magic Intensity Pro won't help since it doesn't do HDCP streams, and therefore the HDPVR will only output a standard def picture.

Nobody other than MC will be able to active the ethernet or usb via firmware unfortunately.
 
Just another reason to download what you want off the net. I mean you've paid your TV license, you've paid Multichoice and I'm sure ol'e Septic Bladder & his minions got their money but you're totally screwed should you wish to view it again. Piracy until the media companies catch a wake-up.
 
I'm currently getting rid of my adsl - (mweb uncapped 384k) I used to download those series with cost coming to R520++ that's excl electricity to run a laptop 24/7.
On that adsl package it just takes too long to download stuff and is a schlep to extract and then copy to media centre. etc.
and then the internet goes down, endless problems...........
Now that i have dstv HD - ok there are repeats (like when I lived in the UK) but I get to watch sport and not fat shaped rugby players, sport in HD is a must.

It' costs the same as adsl and I'm watching the shows I was downloading in HD - the pacific, house, band of brothers and even more.
For movies that are not shown on dstv HD I get a DVD or Blu Ray for big budget titles and enjoy the experience even more.

A 4mb line is way over budget, seriously is'nt it like over R900 p/m?
 
Yes it is about R900 pm...

BUT I have to have decent internet for work, and I would regularly chew through alot of bandwidth for that so moving to Uncapped made sense to me, with the added benefit that during the late night, and day I can set it up to get the latest series and movies that I want....
 
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