USB connection

ROWLAND SHEARD

Most other boxes make use of the USB port for importing and exporting programmes, music, photos etc. This is what the Humax HDR box does and is a serious omission from the YouView box. It is absurd to have the ports and not allow their use - until the hackers get going?

Unknown

Don't want to go to far down this path but I'd be very surprised if there is ever a hacked version of YouView as the software is only available to the boxes, not via a website.

Also, if a hacked version did get out I'd expected YouView would just block boxes running it from accessing their servers in order to provide the protection they promise the broadcasters and content owners.

Gary P

Hi Rowland. The USB ports are currently only available for engineer software maintenance but they are available to YouView and the device manufacturers to support new features that will be added in future software updates.

ROWLAND SHEARD

I know what the USB ports are used for today - this use of minimal value to YouView customers. So come on YouView do something to compete with Humax!!

As to YouView blocking hackers this wou;ld be disgraceful and I hope we would all complain to Ofcom. Things have been done with the HDR T2 and Humax has not reaxcted so why should YouView - it enhances their product at no cost to them.

traces

YouView is owned by UK TV broadcasters, and probably would prefer to prevent hacking of their boxes to prevent any copyright infringement.

Unknown

>> Rowland says: As to YouView blocking hackers this wou;ld be disgraceful and I hope we would all complain to Ofcom.

What interest would it be to OFCOM? YouView provide access to their service via certified boxes, install unapproved or modified software on your box and its no longer certified so they'd have every right to block it from their servers.

You buy a service for what it is not to make it something else. If you want to install your own software you do so understanding that things may stop working or being supported.

JK-47

Is there any plans to support the use of these ports for transfer of files?

Jesse1

JK-47 said:

Is there any plans to support the use of these ports for transfer of files?

Hi John, thanks for posting. We’re looking into your query and will get back to you with a response as soon as possible.

iSPY

@Jesse
The request for USB usage was posted many times before on the Trialists Forum so its a long time coming! maybe October? The ability to archive recordings to external storage is a must.

Jules

I bought this box based on the functionality of the HDR-Fox T2
The hacked firmware on the T2 is a must have. I would willingly forgo any YouView connectivity to have a box that operates like a quicker hacked T2, especially if I could use my old T2 remote with it.
It would be nice if declining the YouView agreement, switched to a Humax firmware?

Unknown

"I bought this box based on the functionality of the HDR-Fox T2 "

Well that was daft as it isn't a HDR-Fox T2. All Humax and other box makers do is assemble the hardware and supply a small amount of code similar to drivers on a PC to sit betweent he hardware and YouView code.

If you're as unhappy as you keep saying you are you should take it back to the shop for a refund or sell it to someone & recoup your money.

Jules

Martin1 said:

"I bought this box based on the functionality of the HDR-Fox T2 "

Well that was daft as it isn't a HDR-Fox T2. All Humax and other box makers do is assemble the hardware and supply a small amount of code similar to drivers on a PC to sit betweent he hardware and YouView code.

If you're as unhappy as you keep saying you are you should take it back to the shop for a refund or sell it to someone & recoup your money.

Very well said.

iSPY

It was stated on the Trial forum when someone else asked about porting T2 software to the YouView box that it would not be possible because of a different chipset, it simply isn't a T2 overlaid with YouView software!

Unknown

Martin1 said:

"I bought this box based on the functionality of the HDR-Fox T2 "

Well that was daft as it isn't a HDR-Fox T2. All Humax and other box makers do is assemble the hardware and supply a small amount of code similar to drivers on a PC to sit betweent he hardware and YouView code.

If you're as unhappy as you keep saying you are you should take it back to the shop for a refund or sell it to someone & recoup your money.

I don;t think yo actually read the answer.

It's your mistake, not YouView's.

ROWLAND SHEARD

I think that we have have exhoausted this topic.

I have looked at the YouView website and it makes no mention of Freeview or Freeview HD. So Martin is quite right there is no reason why they should start with the Freeview HD standard. or adhere to it. However from a marketing standpoint it is exactly where they should have started from - the best standard which is Freeview HD and built on it. Instead they went backwards - probably due to Alan Sugar saying "get boxes on shelves".

Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers; this is ludicrous and must be corrected in a software update and soon. I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying. Get the product right and we can all recommend it.

Unknown

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

Dave71

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

It's quite interesting reading that specification.

What I'm not sure about is how you can call something a "youview" box, when the box doesn't actually (yet) meet the youview specification/standard. Or is USB support an optional part?

Unknown

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

Dave71 - The box has USB ports so it meets the spec and of course YouView have certified the box and granted it the YouView stamp.

It's YouView themselves who'll add the code to enable the ports via a software update when the need arises.

Dave71

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

Thanks.
I don't quite understand the link between this specification and what a box needs to include to have "youview" branding. But at present, if the Humax box doesn't support USB playback, then it presumably doesn't fully meet the specification?

That's really what I was getting at; if the "youview" badge doesn't mean it fully meets the specification, how do you know what level of support any particular "youview" box will have?

Unknown

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

Of course it meets the hardware specification, it has the ports.

It's not box makers who provide the software, this is something YouView do themselves and they just haven't switched on the USB ports YET.

ROWLAND SHEARD

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

My point all along is that YouView must know what the ports are for. Why won't they well their customers? Why do they not switch them on? We keep asking and get nowhere. It is no good defending YouView by saying it meets the spec. We want to have USB for Wifi and saving files. If it had an HDD but it did not do anything would you still defend them?

I frankly am not interested in the contents of the 229 page spec. I want a useful USB and if I were Humax I would be angry about the slow progress by YouView which does not help the Humax reputation either

Dave71

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

The hardware might meet the spec, but the software (?) doesn't since it there's no support for USB playback in this part of the spec - "USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)"
So if I'm understanding this right, the Humax box is "Youview ready" because it has USB ports, but the Youview software doesn't actually (yet) meet the spec?

gomez

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

I was not aware the Youview spec was in the public domain? If you actually mean the Freeview HD spec than that is not relevant to the Youview platform.

Dave71

Martin1 said:

>> I have just read the lukewarm Which review which says wait before buying

A review is just one person's opinion. There are other reviews that give it 4 and 5 stars.

>> Notwithstanding all this the box has two USB ports which are of no value to customers

The box has 2 USB ports because the YouView spec - accessible here https://industry.youview.com/resource... - requires a "Minimum of two: At least one on front panel and one on rear."

They didn't require them to be included just to add another 50p to manufacturing costs.

The spec goes on to list the USB accessories the ports must provide support for. These include:

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)
USB human interface devices

You can read the whole thing via the link above.

It would REALLY add to the level of discussion if people took the time to understand the YouVIew boxes don't include things like USB ports by accident. The components are part of a specification and that specification was designed for a purpose.

They'll get enabled in due course.

Nope, it's the 'Youview Core Technical Specification' - there's a link to it in Martin's post just above ^
https://industry.youview.com/resource...

liam.billington

I notice that my TalkTalk YouView box has a USB port. It would be good if I could play my own content from a USB hard drive and play my own movies, music and photos. Could YouView please do an update for this?

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
USB Playback.

Mike Thomas1

I agree USB support is needed. Be nice to be able to add a hdd and maybe record on it as a spare, normally I use DLNA through my blu ray player to stream content but if youview add the feature it will save me a lot of time and effort. The only thing missing on this box as far as I'm concerned.

rayc

I was dismayed to find that a 320GB box with usb ports does not enable archiving of recorded content.
This is surely a basic feature required of any box that enables replay of recordings?
I have a 5-year old HDD/DVD box that enables transfer to DVD and HDD and so I am very surprised (amazed in fact) to find that my 'new' TALKTALK box (TN370) is unable to export content.

Dave71

rayc said:

I was dismayed to find that a 320GB box with usb ports does not enable archiving of recorded content.
This is surely a basic feature required of any box that enables replay of recordings?
I have a 5-year old HDD/DVD box that enables transfer to DVD and HDD and so I am very surprised (amazed in fact) to find that my 'new' TALKTALK box (TN370) is unable to export content.

If the spec is anything to go by, it suggests USB playback will be implemented at some point, but perhaps not the ability to export (archive) to other devices.

USB mass storage devices (For presentation of content from USB drives. No requirement to export content.)

I'm guessing there might be obstacles to an export feature, with respect to what you can/can't do with on-demand content.

I was surprised that USB playback isn't supported yet though.

JD

rayc said:

I was dismayed to find that a 320GB box with usb ports does not enable archiving of recorded content.
This is surely a basic feature required of any box that enables replay of recordings?
I have a 5-year old HDD/DVD box that enables transfer to DVD and HDD and so I am very surprised (amazed in fact) to find that my 'new' TALKTALK box (TN370) is unable to export content.

Dave71 is right about the spec and therefore what is more likely to be provided at some point in the future but I'm with rayc in his disappointment about the lack of any archiving ability. There are other ways by which video on USB sticks/disks can be played on your TV but no other means of backing up/archiving recordings. Some modern PVRs do offer this (eg the Icecrypt T2400), the one limitation being that this facility works only with SD and not HD.

So YouView please can you give serious consideration to adding this facility at the next software update.

Stephen Deere

i thought youview is humax is one and the same?

http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/youview/

is HDR-FOX T2 better, even though older?

http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/produc...

Can you transfer recording to your computer like with previouse humax boxes with the HDR-FOX T2.

Unknown

>> i thought youview is humax is one and the same?

No. YouView is a company owned by the UK broadcasters, BT, TalkTalk and Arqiva - http://www.youview.com/partners/- Humax is just one of several companies making YouView boxes.

>> is HDR-FOX T2 better, even though older?

Depends what you want 'better' to mean. It certainly doesn't, and never will, offer the same features as YouView.