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OS used for PVRs?

  • 21-04-2006 8:56am
    #1
    Cogitosus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭


    Hi folks, does anyone know the OS used in Sky (or other) set-top PVRs?

    I've been handed a Maxtor 40GB ATA 133 LBA drive from a set-top box and asked to recover some video. I'm about three steps removed from the person who needs the help, so I don't have any more info.

    The box may be Sky, or then again the owner may only think it's a Sky box. Regular PC BIOS will read the disk characteristics, but unsurprisingly Windoze can't recognize size or partition information. Do these boxes use a flavour of Linux, or is it some form of proprietary OS?

    Even if I can read it, I then have to recover the data, but that's a problem for a different day.

    Thanks.


Comments

  • #2
    Lump
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,984 ✭✭✭✭Lump


    It's probably some dodgy partition crap, especially if it's out of a sky box, god forbid you could use the drive in xomething other then their PVR, saying that, I'm just guessing and having a rant about Sky being rubbish ;)

    John


  • #3
    pH
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭pH


    If it is from a Sky+ box then you may as well forget about it.

    Even if you spent months figuring out the actual format used, it is known the data is encryped with VideoGuard which cannot/hasnot be broken.


  • #4
    bushy...
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,467 ✭✭✭bushy...


    I don't think windows recognises many file systems anyway, put it in a linux pc and see can you mount the disk,as for videoguard its only a matter of time , lads used serious gear (electron microscope maybe ?) to crack the French tv cards a few years ago


  • #5
    Cogitosus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭Cogitosus


    Thanks for the input guys, now all I have to do is get the finget out and install those Linux distros that I downloaded.

    PH, are you sure the recorded video is encrypted? If it is I presume the box records the video pre-decoder, which would mean that it has to decode after it retrieves from the disc. Makes sense I suppose, but it's not exactly convenient for me.

    C.


  • #6
    pH
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭pH


    Yes, there seems to be agreement on all the Sat forums that Sky+ stores the video in an encrypted format. I believe even FTA video is encrypted before being stored (why I know not), so actual data stored may not be the same encrypted one as broadcast, but the disk data is definitely encrypted.


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