Venadium
join:2003-06-09
New York, NY
| reply to doc029
Re: Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000
Are we SURE that the recorded video is encrypted? SA has been known to lie in it's documentation before to discourage people from doing things they'd rather not have them do, and I think I also recall someone mentioning the manual states that if you open the box, the tamper-seal will be broken, rendering the box unusable, and that has already been proven to be false. So like I said, the only way we'll know for sure is to try it out.
I used to have access to Scientific Atlanta's FTP server... anonymous access was granted and I could access about 90% of the files on there, a lot of them were really interesting. I remember seeing documentation about the 8000 at least a year ago, long before it was released. Too bad I didn't pay much attention to it since I was looking for info on my 2100. It's also too bad that I can't seem to find the server again. They've probably changed the IP address.. |
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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO
| reply to doc029
said by doc029  :
SA's page tells you the Out 2 ports are disabled for future use, I found them usable already. They output in full screen whatever you have in PIP on the main display. It's annoying to have the PIP on, but you could use that to output to VCR/PC while watching something else. They also list the 1394 ports as disabled, future... so lets hope.
good to see they are testing active users  i think it can be done but i am wondering if they are maxing out the cpu's.... lets hope they have some good coders.... with good lean code they could pull off anything.
ill plug into the various ports and check it out here in kc... last check (2 weeks ago) they were off at all times... ill try flipping pip on and off to see if it is a code leak. |
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sure
@cox.net
| reply to blue_kc
Re: Explorer 8000 File System
Thanks for the info, but how did you get it? I cannot switch to channel 611. I do not have an ethernet port, but I do have a USB and a Smart Card reader. I have not, however, tried to use either.
Does anybody have a clue as to what kind of encryption might be used? Maybe there is some kind of industry standard or is it more likely to be a proprietary system? |
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Tarran
@optonline.net
| I have been using the Explorer 8000 for a couple of months now and have had some problems with it crashing but all in all it is a good system. My problem is that I am a college student and I didn't have time to get all the stuff I had recorded on it off of the system so I decided to bring it home. Home is under the cablevision system and now I can not access the recorded video because it tells me that all advanced features are disabled. I have contacted cablevision to ask if they are planning on offering DVR only to be told that they are a cable company and they don't sell things like that.... But could anyone tell me how I can access the programs I have recorded so I can watch them and burn or tape those that I want to keep? |
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Grim123
@rr.com
| Re: Explorer 8000 RCA Video Inputs
I just got the 8000 box.
I have tried hooking up my vcr audio/video out into the Audio/video inputs (RCA) on the Explorer 8000 so that I can use the same input on my receiver for both Cable and vcr.
Unfortunately I can find no way of accessing the inputs
to these connections through the 8000 
Any assistance greatly appreciated... |
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sure
@cox.net
| reply to blue_kc
Re: Explorer 8000 File System
Does anybody know where to find information about AVFS? I have looked online and the only thing I can find is some linux program called AVFS, but I do not think it has anything to do with hard drive file systems. I have not been able to open my cable box, but a friend of mine has. He told me he hooked it up to his computer and he could not get it to mount to windows. The system recognized the hard drive, but windows did not. Can anyone else confirm the AVFS partition or tell me how to confirm it myself? |
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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO
| said by sure:
Does anybody know where to find information about AVFS? I have looked online and the only thing I can find is some linux program called AVFS, but I do not think it has anything to do with hard drive file systems. I have not been able to open my cable box, but a friend of mine has. He told me he hooked it up to his computer and he could not get it to mount to windows. The system recognized the hard drive, but windows did not. Can anyone else confirm the AVFS partition or tell me how to confirm it myself?
its encrypted... only the box with the serial number that encoded it can decode it. |
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sure
@cox.net | How do you know it is encrypted and do you know what type of encryption it uses? |
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witelite9
join:2003-06-16
Corpus Christi, TX
| reply to blue_kc
I tried 611 information channel. Didn't work. I found out how to get to the diagnostic screen though. on any sa box, Hold the middle button(in the circle of 4 buttons) for 5 seconds, or until a light blinks on the box. Then hit the info button. use the left and right arrow keys to navigate. I dont have enet port on mine either. Does anyone knows where to find out about hacking these boxes?
1 out of 10 DVR boxes are bad. One reason they fail is they simply get too hot. Try moving, or installing a fan nearby. An easy solution is to unplug the power and plug back in. |
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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO | anyone see this press release?
»www.scientificatlanta.com/news/03Jun09-3.htm
the 8000HD |
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Tarran
@optonline.net | reply to dib22
Since you have that information do you know how it is possible to access the video files on the drive? I just want to watch some of the stuff before I send the box back for the summer |
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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO
| said by Tarran:
Since you have that information do you know how it is possible to access the video files on the drive? I just want to watch some of the stuff before I send the box back for the summer
the way i have been doing it is just shooting it out the s-video to a video capture card (using a old all in wonder radeon)... i have eliminated most of the interference that it tosses out by connecting a ground wire between the computer case and the case of the 8000.
as for pulling it out digitally until they turn on the firewire ports i don't seeing it happen.
opening the unit voids your usage agreement... trust me you don't want to end up with a bill for one of these. a standard 2200 still gets you a crazy 500 dollar charge if it goes "missing" or "damaged" |
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Tarran
@optonline.net
| does that require the system to have the video features available? because that is the problem I am currently having... I brought the unit home so that I could watch what I had saved before it had to be returned but since I am in the optimum online area now it says that all advanced features are available including the ability to access the video files by pressing the list button |
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Sub-zeroMK
@rr.com | Explorer 8000 - Recording Analog VS. Digital
Anyone having a problem with their Explorer 8000 when it comes to recording an analog channel VS. a digital channel. Mine will only record the digital channels, but not the analog.
MTPledger@hotmail.com |
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dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO
| said by Sub-zeroMK:
Anyone having a problem with their Explorer 8000 when it comes to recording an analog channel VS. a digital channel. Mine will only record the digital channels, but not the analog.
MTPledger@hotmail.com
make sure they know its an 8000 when registering the mac address... the 8000's use 2. |
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sdbowman4
join:2003-06-06
Greensboro, NC
| reply to Grim123
Re: Explorer 8000 RCA Video Inputs
I've had my 8000 for 3 days now. My "Out 2" VCR outputs only send out a light grey screen. I called Greensboro's TW cable folks today about it, and got nothing but "huh?" She put a technician on the phone, who finally understood what I was talking about. He didn't say anything about it "not being active, yet" and would send out a tech tomorrow morning with another box. I'll let you all know what happens. Also, do any of you know what the AUX inputs above the OUT 2 outputs are for? I can't guess as to what you would want to input INTO the DVR box. Mine did crash several times the first day, but I called TW and they sent a reset signal to it that seems to have stopped the crashes. None in the last two days, anyway. And another thing. Do all of you get only straight cable (channels 2-72) through the RF output? I would have thought that it would output the same channel that the box was tuned to. This is like the "Bypass" button on my old 3100.
Thanks, Stuart |
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jhouston99
@rr.com | I just got mine the other day and let me tell you it's great compared to the other boxes. every time I used to change the channel to the on demand channels the box would reset. That doesnt happen anymore. In addition I have PIP. |
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thegreenalexander
@mindspring.com
| reply to blue_kc
Re: Explorer 8000 File System
My friend "may", I'm not really at liberty to say(wink wink), have gotten access to read the video files on the hard disk, but I've already read that files written by an explorer 8000 DVR can only be written by that SAME DVR. It seems like it would be a pretty secure and practical security feature. "If" one had a copy of these files does anyone know the best means of decoding these files? Any recommended software perhaps? thanks |
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blue_kc
join:2003-06-09
Overland Park, KS
|  Access to Video Files?
said by thegreenalexander:
My friend "may", I'm not really at liberty to say(wink wink), have gotten access to read the video files on the hard disk
If you've found a way to access the files on the harddrive please share it with the forum. The more people that start working on a way to decode the files the better!
The only info I can find on AVFS was at »sourceforge.net/projects/avf
"AVFS was on AVFS is a system, which enables all programs to look inside gzip, tar, zip, etc. files or view remote (ftp, http, dav, etc.) files, without recompiling the programs."
I would try installing the AVFS program on a linux box and seeing if that gets you anywhere. But its going to be pretty difficult if the files are encrypted. Some of the methods used on TIVO hacking may give some ideas on hacking the Explorer 8000. There both linux based boxes, and TIVO has been totally hacked.
If theres a way to connect to the box while its running, through some type of terminal session then the problem of the encrypted files could be overcome.
I know that SA says the usb and firewire ports are inactive, but i think that they are just saying that so people wont mess with em. When I hookup a usb keyboard to my box the keyboard gets power. Has anyone tried using a usb network cable to establish a direct cable connection?
»www.everythingusb.com/hardware/i···pter.htm |
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thegreenalexander
@mindspring.com
| sorry guys, but pulling digital data off this box is goanna be almost mathematically impossible. the encryption system is Powerkey and what it does is generates then regenerates 2 identical key codes at a set variable rate. When a file is being played, the two seperate, yet identical keys must be peresent. This of course makes playing exported video impossible even among other Explorer 8000 set top boxes, let alone our PC's.
I'm thinking the security has gotten this tight because the industry is freaking out about the threat of HDTV video content piracy with new DVR's being able to perform Hard Disk All-Digital Video REcording any month now. |
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