SKY HD channel + HUMAX HDCi-2000 + dragon twin 4.1 info 4 you

komp · 14-06-2006

Hi folks I just had my friend come around with a Sky HD sub with his card and STB serial num. I thought I would clarify (if not already) the outcome before people sign up for the HD channels for themselves.

Humax HDCI2000 + DragonCam Twin 4.1 with STB pairing info in the CI setup section + My family pack subs = GOOD

Humax HDCI2000 + DragonCam Twin 4.1 with STB pairing info in the CI setup section + Friends family pack subs = GOOD

Humax HDCI2000 + DragonCam Twin 4.1 with STB pairing info in the CI setup section + Friends HD SPORT subs = JUST SOUND NO PICS

Humax HDCI2000 + DragonCam Twin 4.1 with STB pairing info in the CI setup section + Friends HD MOVIE subs = JUST SOUND NO PICS

Humax HDCI2000 + DragonCam Twin 4.1 with STB pairing info in the CI setup section + Friends HD GENERAL subs = JUST SOUND NO PICS

The same above was done with NO STB pairing and just using cards and I get the same results.

So without ringing up SKY and requesting a HD sub without a SKY HD box and bluffing a addon I think this is a good start or waste, depending on how you look at it. Unless it is just a Humax thing then its pointless task.

Strange how I get sound but no pics tho so it must be working in some of fashion, also how I only need a card in the slot

and no valid serial.

***remlap*** · 14-06-2006

Im thinking its something to do with the emulation ive read that, for awhile Premeire HD wasnt working with the Predator firmware till someone fixed it.

komp · 15-06-2006

well I can get the usual with the Pred latest and thats what the above check was done with.

ALL the SKY HD channels only gave sound and no pic all other subscription stuff works fine.

***wod*** · 15-06-2006

the nds videoguard support was removed abit back from the predator firmware so you might need to try an old version that supports nds

***remlap*** · 15-06-2006

The version I have of Predator includes NDS support and its 3.43.

***Shahid*** · 15-06-2006

Originally Posted by remlap

The version I have of Predator includes NDS support and its 3.43.

Yes. the latest Predator supports NDS. I am using my freesat card inside it.
100% working. CONFIRMATION

Shahid

komp · 15-06-2006

yes 3.43 does do PREM and NDS fine.

My references above are to the SKY HD channels only with a proper subscription.

**rato** · 15-06-2006

Funny, but my Sky card + Pred. 3.43 works fine as the above members states, but since this has to do with the HD channels, I wonder if it´s the same glitch that the BBC HD channel had with our Humax 2000? Even if it is the same glitch, wouldn't it supposed to be working now w/ the Sky HD channels, since it had to do with something the way the channel ID's are being broadcasted?

Just out of curiosity komp, did you try changing the channel, and then going back to a SKY HD channel? Because sometimes that happens(as of today,happend

) with me on the Premiere HD channels. I would just get sound, no image, and I would change to another channel, & then go back, and the image & sound would appear.

komp · 16-06-2006

yep I tried all combinations and the up/down channel to make sure but no luck on HD only chan's from sky.

ukgeorge2 · 02-10-2007

Those interested in this thread may well also be interested in the conversation I had this morning with a very helpful Irish guy called Mike on the Humax customer support line, which can be summarised as follows:

* the last publicly released firmware for the HDCI-2000 was ver 7 in mid 06

* a number of issues have since been fixed and a public release of ver 14 is expected in the next 4 weeks

* one of the firmware fixes relates to use of HDCI-2000 with Dragoncam (althougth this fix was not specifically aimed at fixing Sky HD)

* HDCI-2000 is not likely to remain a current product for very much longer as it will be superceded by a newer model that is BBC Freesat compatible

* it is unlikely that any work will done on HDCI-2000 to maximise its Freesat capability, and quite possibly it could never be fully compatible (depending on the final Freesat specification) because of limitiations in the capabilities of its chipset. There would not be a UK-specific version of the firmware.

* when the HDCI-2000 becomes obsolete, the source code for it would not be released into the public domain because of the extent to which much of the code would carry forward into current product lines, and also the sensitivities of broadcasters with whom Humax works

This is not necessarily good news for for those of us with HDCI-2000. Is anyone aware of work any NDS being done on Dragon / T-Rex CAM?

**Llew** · 02-10-2007

Thanks for that, will be interested to see what the new firmware will be fixing. I'd like to see the USB port opened for domestic users, particularly for using a USB stick for uploading settings etc.

Haven't had any problems with the Dragon cam, not sure what they are implying regarding its use in the Humax.

Don't have a Sky HD card, so can't comment on its use here, but I understand some have it working with a Dragon in a DVB-S2 PCI card, so no real reason why it shouldn't work in the Humax.

Llew

**rato** · 02-10-2007

Have been using my Sky card with the Dragon CAM in the Humax HDCI-2000 with no issues, but not with Sky HD(don't have the package).

ukgeorge2 · 03-10-2007

Originally Posted by Llew

Thanks for that, will be interested to see what the new firmware will be fixing. I'd like to see the USB port opened for domestic users, particularly for using a USB stick for uploading settings etc.
Llew

I spoke with customer support at Humax some while ago about this. The impression I got was that the USB interface had been provided for possible future use, but no supporting firmware had been written. It is USB 1 hardware, so would be incapable of supporting an HD transport stream. So as far as firmware upgrades go, I guess it will mean digging out the null modem lead!

Originally Posted by Llew

Haven't had any problems with the Dragon cam, not sure what they are implying regarding its use in the Humax.
Llew

I got the impression that the Dragon fix addressed a specific issue relating to a non-UK broadcaster (sorry can't remember which country - he did tell me). It was not necessarily an NDS-specific fix.

Originally Posted by Llew

Don't have a Sky HD card, so can't comment on its use here, but I understand some have it working with a Dragon in a DVB-S2 PCI card, so no real reason why it shouldn't work in the Humax.
Llew

That's very interesting, if confirmed, tending to point the finger back in the direction of the HDCI-2000 firmware.

I got the distinct impression from my conversation that Humax would never overtly introduce a fix that facilitated functionality of which a mainstream broadcaster might disapprove.

I hope we can keep this thread going when the new firmware is released.

ukgeorge2 · 03-10-2007

Originally Posted by komp

yes 3.43 does do PREM and NDS fine.

My references above are to the SKY HD channels only with a proper subscription.

komp, are you saying that you DO have encrypted HD channels using your HDCI-2000 plus Dragon CAM (contrary to what you said back in June 06)?

David J Robinson · 08-10-2007

Originally Posted by ukgeorge2

* a number of issues have since been fixed and a public release of ver 14 is expected in the next 4 weeks

Well, I wouldn't hold my breath. In my experience Humax UK on the phone will tell you what you want to hear. For example the last time I spoke to them about the outstanding HDCI-2000 bugs, they suggested that maybe the software in my box was corrupted so I should load an old version, then load the current version again. Naturally my next question was 'where do I get an old version, there's none on your site' at which point the guy rapidly changed the subject.

Which brings me to my point - it might be a good idea to download and keep the current version. Then if by some miracle there is a new release, we will keep the option to go back if the new issue turns out to be duff.

As far as HD is concerned, the excrement will really hit the fan when Channel 4 HD is launched in December, if the HDCI-2000 with a Dragon etc. cam won't receive it. This of course will be the first free-to-view HD channel.

I have tested my HDCI-2000 by tuning to Sky Box Office HD1 at a time when they are on previews (i.e. not on an actual film) with a Sky SD subscription card, and I get the same symptoms as others have described i.e. sound (including Dolby Digital) but no picture. I would imagine the chances of this being a cam problem rather than a Humax problem are extremely remote.

David J Robinson · 13-10-2007

Well, I found a new version of the Humax software here http://shop.euro1080.tv/page.php?lang=EN&itemno=18 so I decided to try it. The results can be summarised as 'interesting but not all that useful'. It partly fixes a number of issues but doesn't completely fix anything.

With a Dragon CAM and a Sky non-HD subscription card, I can get the encrypted 'HD Retail Info' channel (previously just got sound) BUT with a humungous lip sync error (sound about 1 second late). Also get 'SBO HD1' when on previews (difficult to judge lip sync on these)

Get subtitles on BBC HD BUT (on all channels) they are still the wrong colours (mostly red)

Get the info pane on hitting the i button twice BUT it is still cropped at 80 characters

All the other issues are still there, the biggest pain being the 'radio contrast bug' where selecting a radio channel causes the picture contrast to increase by around 5%, which then can only be fixed by a reboot (with a TV channel selected).

Other minor irritations are still there, such as the 'favourite names' bug where my names for the favourite groups will suddenly vanish to be replaced by the default 'Favourite 1' etc. (this can take days or weeks but happens eventually).

So the new software doesn't seem to do any harm, but doesn't in practice do much good.

ukgeorge2 · 14-10-2007

Originally Posted by David J Robinson

Well, I found a new version of the Humax software here http://shop.euro1080.tv/page.php?lang=EN&itemno=18 so I decided to try it. The results can be summarised as 'interesting but not all that useful'. It partly fixes a number of issues but doesn't completely fix anything.

[snip]

So the new software doesn't seem to do any harm, but doesn't in practice do much good.

Interesting - so much for ver 8 being out in a few weeks, you appear to have found version 11 !

As an aside, do you have an issue viewing 4:3 SD transmissions via the HDMI cable? (A lot of ITV3 material is in this format.) On my box, whilst there are bands left and right, the bands are not wide enough to bring the image back to a true 4:3 - it's more like 14:9. Humax do not recognise this as an issue.

David J Robinson · 14-10-2007

Originally Posted by ukgeorge2

On my box, whilst there are bands left and right, the bands are not wide enough to bring the image back to a true 4:3 - it's more like 14:9.

Well, I don't think the Humax is capable of doing 14:9 pillarboxing, so I guess it must be your TV doing it. What mode are you using on the 'wide' button on the Humax? My guess is you are on 'auto' which means the Humax doesn't pillarbox the picture, instead it signals the TV to do it, and the TV is set to 14:9. Try changing the aspect ratio on the TV if possible, or better still set the Humax to 'pillarbox', then the signal sent to the TV should be widescreen all the time.

Bear in mind though that when using the Humax to do the pillarboxing, the black bands may still look slightly narrower than expected, if the TV has overscan which crops the picture slightly all round, obviously the black bands will get cropped.

It is a mystery to me why LCD/plasma TVs are made with overscan - what's the point?

David J Robinson · 19-11-2007

Originally Posted by ukgeorge2

a number of issues have since been fixed and a public release of ver 14 is expected in the next 4 weeks

Hmmm... 6 weeks plus and nothing. Why am I not surprised?

Hellicopter · 08-12-2007

Info re new Humax software posted on this site today.

_www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=19940403

Will be interested to know what this improves.

Alan

ukgeorge2 · 09-12-2007

Originally Posted by Hellicopter

Info re new Humax software posted on this site today.

_www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=19940403

Will be interested to know what this improves.

Alan

Thanks for the tip. The post from 8-12-07 states:

"There is a new update 0.15 on Horbird, you have to select manual update to download

12476H 27500 3/4"

So it looks like Humax never made ver 14 public (along with 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13)!

Would it be possible for some kind soul to capture this file and post it here?

Thanks

**Llew** · 09-12-2007

Already done -

HUMAX HDCI-2000 thread

Llew

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