Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Humax Series 2: Problem in Crypto Chip(?)

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    Humax Series 2: Problem in Crypto Chip(?)

    We have the Humax Series 2 with DVD with lifetime subscription and of course have no wish to replace the unit if at all possible.

    A few days ago we started having the problem where despite the fact that we were apparently able to successfully connect to Tivo service through our network, we started getting the message: "TiVo Service Interrupted. The recorder has not successfully connected to the TiVo Service for 30 days." All attempts to power cycle and reconnect manually that TiVo customer service suggested failed to resolve the problem.

    The same thing happened in December, and when they realized this was happening to multiple customers with the same box, they provided some kind of fix from their end that resolved the problem.

    In my communication with customer service, they insist that this problem is not a software problem but rather "The reason for the invalid activation message is due to a "Crypto Chip" hardware problem within the box and not an Activation issue as the message displays. We strongly advise you to call Humax to troubleshoot the Crypto Chip hardware problem - we realize they could not help before, but that was a software issue while this has been positively identified as a hardware issue. We have identified about 500 Humax boxes with the same issue.
    "

    On later query I was told these 500 Humax boxes affected have all been reported since January 27, 2012.

    I called Humax CS, and they said they had not been briefed about a problem with the "Crypto Chip" and could not help or give any information about what the Crypto Chip or the problem with it was, but they could offer me a replacement.

    I wrote back to TiVo CS asking if they could give me more information about the Crypto Chip, and they said it was not their box, and they couldn't tell me anything about it.

    So the question this is leading up to is, can anyone tell me what the Crypto Chip is, what its function is? And if it is in fact defective and needs to be replaced, could it be replaced with a new chip without losing our lifetime subscription?

    If the Crypto chip needs replacement, could Weaknees perform this fix, and without losing our lifetime service?

    And is there any realistic way that 500 boxes could fail due to their Crypto Chips being defective, all within a period of a week? Unless something else is going on, like a software or configuration change on the part of TiVo that rendered these chips suddenly incompatible with the service.

    I appreciate any help you might give.

    Mary
    Tags: None
  • #2
    The "Crypto Chip" problem

    I have more information now than I did when I posted the original post.

    I am able to verify with certainty that the update to the guide is working correctly when I connect to TiVo, as there are places where I can access and view current guide information.

    TiVo insists that the "Crypto Chip" is the reason for the TiVo software failure but won't give plausible rationale for that or tell me how I can verify that is the problem.

    Humax has never heard of the Crypto Chip and is 100% sure that the symptoms I am seeing are not because of the box.

    All I am being offered is a replacement (Not free, and not with lifetime service. Well duh, of course I could do that, and of course they would like that).

    I think the so-called "Crypto Chip" problem is that I have a 7-year-old unit with a TSN in my crypto chip that maps to product lifetime service, and they want me to upgrade and give them more money.

    Comment

    • #3
      I am able to verify with certainty that the update to the guide is working correctly when I connect to TiVo, as there are places where I can access and view current guide information.
      So if the guide update is working properly, where's the problem?
      Been here a long time . . .

      Comment

      • #4
        Hi Michael,

        The problem is that *most* places that access the guide, or perhaps I should say current programming information, give me the message ""TiVo Service Interrupted. The recorder has not successfully connected to the TiVo Service for 30 days" and then the operation fails. Examples of where this fails include:

        1. Hitting the live TV button while watching live TV (this is supposed to bring up the grid guide).
        2. Hitting the info button when watching live TV.
        3. Find Programs->Season Pass Manager
        4. Find Programs->Find program by name
        5. I know there are others but these are the ones I remember. Basically, I get this *almost* everywhere it should be accessing the program information.

        When I change channel through Tivo, I get the message, but the channel change does work, and the message goes away after a few seconds.

        How I am able to verify the program information is there:
        1. Hit the "record" button while watching Live TV. In this case, the details of the episode I am watching display, as they would with the info button if that worked. (I can try to complete the record here, but it does not actually do anything. )
        2. Do a manual record. Tivo attaches the program information for that time slot to the manually recorded program, and it shows up in the play list as, i. e., Manual: Law and Order. When you select it, it brings up the details of the episode.
        3. Go into the To Do list and select one of my season pass entries, then select "view upcoming episodes." It shows upcoming episodes with their respective titles for up to February 25, and it shows the episode details if I click one.
        4. Also, for what it is worth, in my System Information screen, on the 2nd page it says Program Information To: Feb 26, 2012. (It also says last attempted connect and last successful connect Feb 13).

        My System Information on the 1st page says "Tivo Service Level I:-" Under the circumstances, this should be C, but we think this incorrect flag is what is causing the invalid error messages to come up.

        Hopefully this resolves the confusion. I was using the term "guide" when I really meant to say "program information."

        Comment

        • #5
          @msteinborn You're not alone. I'm having the same issue and had the *exact* same interaction with Tivo and Humax (even the issue you had in late December/early Jan).

          I'm at a total loss as to what to do. I suspect it's a SW problem at Tivo's end - suddenly the Humax boxes have been effectively 'bricked'?? I'll likely give it a couple of weeks and try again with Tivo et al.

          Comment

          • #6
            Hi Mike or anyone else with this problem. I am still having the issue. If anyone has found a resolution to the problem, please post! Or even if you have a Humax 800DRT and don't have the problem please post just to give hope!

            Tivo support just insisted it was hardware, that it was the Humax Crypto chip, and pretty much played dumb about what that chip did. Do the Tivo Series 2 boxes use the same Crypto chip as the Humax? Maybe if they do I could force Tivo to at least own up to its function.

            Anyway, manual record works.

            I also found:

            From TiVo Central, the following keyboard action is a shortcut to the following functions, some of which don't work at all going through the menus.

            1: Season Pass Manager
            2: To Do List
            3: Wish list search
            4: Search by Title
            5: Browse by Channel
            6. Browse by Time
            7: Manual Record
            8: Tivo Suggestions.

            Some of these are really handy to have in addition to the manual record, like search by title.

            Unfortunately, no other recording seems to work except manual, even if it looks like you are successfully recording from a title search, etc. I have used my season pass to tell me when my shows were on so I could set them up as repeat shows using manual record.

            Comment

            • #7
              Sorry to hear it continues. We've got plenty of DRT800 customers without this problem, if that helps somehow.
              Been here a long time . . .

              Comment

              • #8
                Thanks, Michael. It helps to know all the DRT800s aren't affected, but about 500 were all within a week of eachother. I would maybe buy one of the working ones on ebay, but I don't know that they won't fail in the near future.

                Are you aware of a Crypto chip problem, and would Weaknees be able to make this repair while keeping my lifetime service?

                Maybe someone can tell me, does the Humax box use a different Crypto chip than the Tivo series 2 boxes? Does anyone know the mechanism for how the Crypto chip could change the Tivo Service Level register from a C to an I?

                Comment

                • #9
                  We can't fix a bad crypto chip because we cannot get the chips or program them.

                  The model of crypto chip on a Humax is the same model as on just about every Series2 TiVo. Whether there are different lot numbers on a Humax, I don't know. But the crypto model is the same.

                  (In 11 years of working with TiVos, I have never seen a 'mass failure' of crypto chips like TiVo is claiming has occurred.)

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Thanks, Jeff. If the Tivo-branded Series 2 boxes use the same crypto chip as the Humax, the Tivo software interacts with the crypto chip in the same way on all the Series 2 boxes, and Tivo should be able to tell me about the mechanism of the so-called failure, instead of play dumb and say they know nothing about it since it is "not their box."

                    I was told by a Tivo rep that someone exchanged the box and it didn't have the problem, therefore that proves it is the hardware. And maybe they did find a crypto chip problem in a box for a particular problem, but I just don't think this exact problem.

                    My 5th call to Humax, in which the rep said I had a software problem and knew nothing about the crypto chip, I asked to escalate to a supervisor. She said there may be someone who could help me. This gentleman had heard of the crypto chip because someone else had asked about it, and he and knew little, but he seemed interested in finding out and was trying to research it. He said he would get with the training department so they could get the info they needed to troubleshoot this, and then he would call me back.

                    Comment

                    Previous template Next
                    Working...
                    X