MagicTV - HDD upgrade & removing recordings

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85 posts

Master Geek

#917707 20-Oct-2013 13:18

m0nkey: A brand new MTV PSU did not fix my hard drive issues, nor did plugging the unit into another power point (in case the one it was in was a bit suss), so I gave up and bought a new one - the 3700.

Thus, I now have a 3600 with a 1TB green hard drive for sale, if anyone is interested... the internals of the machine look fine to the naked eye, but we did find the plug outlet on the back of it seemed a bit loose, so this cld be the source of the problem.

If anyone's interested, pls sing out...

I'm interested. Are you in Auckland?
I'm also keen to hear how you find your new 3700 compares with the 3600.
Cheers, Jef 022 533 9335

JefWright

85 posts

Master Geek

#917711 20-Oct-2013 13:28

I'm interested. Are you in Auckland?
I'm also keen to hear how you find your new 3700 compares with the 3600.
Cheers, Jef 022 533 9335

Doh! I see. Dunedin! I won't pop over then ;-).
Still interested though Rebecca.

wklie

191 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

MagicTV

#921162 24-Oct-2013 19:38

MTV3600TD Firmware 3.19 beta 5

Firmware Date: 2013-10-24
http://www.magictv.com/nz/downloads/mtv3600_3_19NZb5.zip

Change List:
- Rescue format to support Advanced Format HDD (4k sector with 512 byte emulation)
- Non-proven experimental changes to deal with the issue of MediaWorks channel causing reboot in Sept - Nov 2012
- Recognize uppercase file extensions in camcorder movie function

This firmware is released as a rescue tool ONLY to better cope with formatting Advanced Format HDD (4k sector with 512 byte emulation), i.e. most HDD on the market now.

Users running firmware 3.18 without stability problems on MTV3600TD do NOT need to upgrade to this firmware. Using the rescue tool part of this firmware to format the HDD does not change the firmware installed on the Magic TV (unless you press OK button at the wrong time).

Those who already formatted any Advanced Format HDD using any previous firmware should not format the drive again, unless you want to lose all your recorded programmes.

MTV3600TD Procedure to format the system HDD (up to 2TB)
(This prcoedure will erase any existing data, recorded programmes, and the recording to-do list, if any, on the HDD)

- Unzip all the contents of the rescue firmware zip to the root directory of a FAT32-formatted USB flash drive
- Plug the USB flash drive into the Magic TV.
- Stand really close to the Magic TV.
- Upon turning on the rear power switch, repeatedly press the pause button on the remote at a rate of 3 times per second or faster, until it shows RESCUE on the front panel. If it proceeds to boot up usually, power it off using the rear power switch then try again.
- After RESCUE is shown, wait for up to 1 minute. It should show FOUND FIRMWARE on the front panel.
- Press 15900 on the remote
- The front panel should show FORMAT HD?
- Press OK on the remote
- The front panel shoulld show FORMATTING
- Wait for the format to complete, it should show FORMAT DONE for a very short time, then become FOUND FIRMWARE again
- Power cycle the Magic TV using the rear power switch and remove the USB flash drive

Note: MTV3700TD does not use the above procedure. It has a format system HDD function (experimental support up to 4TB) in the settings menu, so there is no need to go through rescue (which does not require a USB flash drive to be plugged in). For MTV3700TD, it is better for the HDD to be partitioned or formatted in PC first before being formatted by Magic TV.

LUMIN Network Music Player, Magic TV New Zealand and Australia firmware lead

m0nkey

15 posts

Geek

#921172 24-Oct-2013 20:34

I'm having big probs with my HDD - the 3600 no longer recognises it at all, previously it was just an intermittent issue.

I download this latest zip and tried to reformat my new 1TB drive, but pretty sure it didn't happen (unless it's lightening fast!! It did show FORMAT DONE, but it was instantaneous), but I proceeded to load the firmware despite the instructions and now I can use the unit to record with again. Wlkie, any clues what might be going on for my 3600 here?

wklie

191 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

MagicTV

#921177 24-Oct-2013 21:00

m0nkey: I'm having big probs with my HDD - the 3600 no longer recognises it at all, previously it was just an intermittent issue.

I download this latest zip and tried to reformat my new 1TB drive, but pretty sure it didn't happen (unless it's lightening fast!! It did show FORMAT DONE, but it was instantaneous), but I proceeded to load the firmware despite the instructions and now I can use the unit to record with again. Wlkie, any clues what might be going on for my 3600 here?

On the MTV3600TD the format is indeed really fast. To know whether you have actually formatted it successfully, look at the recorded programme list - all your previous programmes should be gone.

Often a format operation can cure corrupted drives. However, if the the drive is faulty or has bad sectors, eventually the problems will reappear.

LUMIN Network Music Player, Magic TV New Zealand and Australia firmware lead

m0nkey

15 posts

Geek

#921637 25-Oct-2013 13:15

It hadn't formatted, but once I loaded the beta firmware, then went through the format instructions again, the HDD was able to be formatted.

I initially tried this with my 1TB disk, and found the unit had stabilised (no HDD error messages whatsoever). So, I put the original 500GB disk in and did the same thing (had to load the firmware first, then format), and it too appears to be stable.

Have left the 500GB disk in the unit and will let it do a few recordings over the next week or so to test its stability. It's looking a lot healthier now, though.

An electrician has checked the socket my 3600 was plugged into for a couple of years, and couldn't find anything wrong with it. He suspects the brick was the issue.

wklie

191 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

MagicTV

#921726 25-Oct-2013 15:14

m0nkey: He suspects the brick was the issue.

A dying power supply unit can certainly cause HDD issues.

LUMIN Network Music Player, Magic TV New Zealand and Australia firmware lead

wklie

191 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

MagicTV

#928452 7-Nov-2013 05:46

wklie: MTV3600TD Firmware 3.19 beta 5

Firmware Date: 2013-10-24
http://www.magictv.com/nz/downloads/mtv3600_3_19NZb5.zip

This is not a recommendation. For your information only:
I received a report that a MTV3600 has been working fine using a Toshiba DT01ACA200 (3.5" 2TB 7200rpm SATA), formatted using the above firmware when it was released two weeks ago. I understand that some of you prefer a slower drive for quieter operation, so this is not for everyone.

(Note: the Toshiba 3.5" business was acquired from Hitachi.)

LUMIN Network Music Player, Magic TV New Zealand and Australia firmware lead

bfginger

1160 posts

Uber Geek

#928463 7-Nov-2013 07:06

Unfortunately Toshiba 3.5" HDDs aren't stocked in New Zealand. I wouldn't risk international courier for a lone HDD as there is a high chance of it being damaged.

The version made for set top boxes is the 5900rpm DT01ABA200V.

Can the Magic TV work ok with a 3tb drive if the partition doesn't extend beyond the 2tb address limit?

wklie

191 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

MagicTV

#928823 7-Nov-2013 15:04

bfginger: Unfortunately Toshiba 3.5" HDDs aren't stocked in New Zealand. I wouldn't risk international courier for a lone HDD as there is a high chance of it being damaged.

The version made for set top boxes is the 5900rpm DT01ABA200V.

Can the Magic TV work ok with a 3tb drive if the partition doesn't extend beyond the 2tb address limit?

I was not aware of the non-availability of Toshiba 3.5" HDD in New Zealand. You're right that only locally available drives should be used.

In my city the DT01ABA200V actually costs at least 20% more than the DT01ACA200.

The MTV3600TD rescue format operation is not designed to handle drives larger than 2TB. If a 3TB drive has to be used as a 2TB drive in the MTV3600TD, it needs to be partitioned manually using a PC: MBR partition table, 4k-aligned, 1st partition ext3 400MB, 2nd partition JFS or ext2 for the rest of the first 2TB space. The remaining 1TB space will be wasted.

LUMIN Network Music Player, Magic TV New Zealand and Australia firmware lead

nzpaul

45 posts

Geek

#929484 8-Nov-2013 15:01

This weekend I want to try a HD upgrade on my parents Magic Box because they keep complaining to me about it. Could someone tell me if it uses a SATA hard drive or IDE? (This will save me an extra trip to their house)

Also, I want to try installing the 2lostkiwis firmware. Does anyone have a link? I found his blog but could not find the firmware.

And one last question, someone mentioned in an old thread streaming video from an NFS share on the device. Is this possible? Do you think its possible to hack in a Upnp server into the firmware?

Thanks, Paul

wklie

191 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

MagicTV

#929511 8-Nov-2013 15:21

nzpaul: This weekend I want to try a HD upgrade on my parents Magic Box because they keep complaining to me about it. Could someone tell me if it uses a SATA hard drive or IDE? (This will save me an extra trip to their house)

Both MTV3600TD and MTV3700TD use 3.5" internal SATA drives. MTV3600TD supports up to 2TB internal drive. MTV3700TD supports up to 4TB internal drive (experimental).

LUMIN Network Music Player, Magic TV New Zealand and Australia firmware lead

2lostkiwis

67 posts

Master Geek

#929832 9-Nov-2013 08:10

nzpaul: Also, I want to try installing the 2lostkiwis firmware. Does anyone have a link? I found his blog but could not find the firmware.
Thanks, Paul

Hi Paul, the links to the firmware are in the geekzone message threads. You can use google to find them:
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=site:geekzone.co.nz+dl.dropbox.com%2Fu%2F38226449

Bitfiddler

31 posts

Geek

#1004667 13-Mar-2014 07:58

Hi Ian,

I tried downloading it multiple times, it always stops at 51%. Would you mind refreshing the zip please.

Rohit

2lostkiwis:
m0nkey: Oh. Don't I feel like a knob.

Is there a patch for 3.18 that includes the 4 minds ffw/rwd?

Hi Rebecca,

I did 3.18 a long time ago but never released it. When upgrading mine something went wrong, and I had to use the recovery process to get it working again. I am not sure if it was a one off glitch or what. The second time it worked fine, and I have since also upgraded my parents unit, that went fine as well. Because of that event and that no-one asked for it, I didn't release it. It has been running 24x7 on those two units since release with no problems.

I did get one query from another forum member who was going to try it at some point, but I never heard back from him. I'm not sure if he tried it or not.

If you want to try it, the download link is here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38226449/MTV3600v318NZpatchv15.zip

So just be aware that it's at your own risk. But if by chance you have a problem, it's likely it could be recovered with the MagicTV recovery process. I'd welcome any feedback/experiences you have.

Cheers, Ian.

bfginger

1160 posts

Uber Geek

#1005575 14-Mar-2014 13:23

It downloads without problems so try again with a different program.

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