Male <> Male USB transfer cable

**Strommer** · 08-12-2011, 01:26 PM

I cannot find a local shop that has a USB (2.0) transfer cable (male to male).
Can I make my own from two USB extension cables (male > female)?
Is it just a simple matter of splicing wires or a wire + shielded braid?

The purpose is to update the firmware on this Freeview tuner/recorder.

thanks

**Chilling_Silence** · 08-12-2011, 01:32 PM

Not for that purpose, you won't be able to use a USB cable. There are some special cables, but it's not quite as simple as just crossing over the cables.

Stick with a crossover network cable for what you wanna do

**Strommer** · 08-12-2011, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by Chilling_Silence

Not for that purpose, you won't be able to use a USB cable. There are some special cables, but it's not quite as simple as just crossing over the cables.

Stick with a crossover network cable for what you wanna do

Chill, for the purpose of upgrading there is only a USB socket on the back of the Freeview set (not a crossover socket).
The user manual states "upgrade via USB device" and points to the USB socket.
A crossover network cable does not have USB ends AFAIK.

**Chilling_Silence** · 08-12-2011, 06:32 PM

Correct, in that case they're referring to using a USB Thumbdrive

**dugimodo** · 08-12-2011, 09:46 PM

Yes definately referring to a USB thumbdrive, you put a copy of the firmware on it and update from the box itself, if the manual doesn't have instructions you may need to google it.

**Strommer** · 09-12-2011, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by dugimodo

Yes definately referring to a USB thumbdrive, you put a copy of the firmware on it and update from the box itself, if the manual doesn't have instructions you may need to google it.

Nothing found via Google except a 404 page and a reference to the user manual I already have, which has no instructions on how to upgrade the firmware.

So I put in a thumbdrive and selected the Upgrade menu button on the DTVS-T1, whereupon a pop up box stated an "OTA search" was in progress, then "no OTA found". OTA means, I suppose, "Over The Air". OK, I give up. Found Freeview Customer Support 0800 number....

**Strommer** · 09-12-2011, 08:51 AM

I rang DTV Solutions (not Freeview as I stated on my previous post) and spoke with technical support Nick. Interesting...

The firmware upgrades are done either by downloading from their website and transferring it to a USB thumbdrive, or it is done OTA - meaning "over the air" via the TV frequencies that the DTVS-T1 box is connected with. However, there is no new firmware.

But as long as I had techie Nick on the line I told him of an annoying problem: When a program was being recorded, instead of all the other 10 channels being available, only several others were available. That is, most channels disappeared altogether. This stumped him so I am waiting for a reply as he investigates.

BTW, I connected a 500 Gb hd to the DTVS-T1. Total recording time is about 220 hours. Quality is very good. Overall, for the price, the DTVS-T1 is a bargain - it was free

via Fly Buys, normally $165 - $199 which is still worth it.

**dugimodo** · 10-12-2011, 08:10 AM

Well I don't know for sure but it's reminding me of the recording and playback limitations of a single tuner DVB-T card in a PC.

It goes someething like this: (might not be exactly right)
Channels are organised into frequency groups each with it's own transponder
When watching or recording any channel on a single tuner, only those channels on the same transponder can be accessed at the same time. ( I believe it's one digital signal containing multiple channels and the tuner is extracting the one(s) you want )
To get around this most of the more expensive devices use dual tuners (my TiVo does, but if it's recording 2 channels you have to watch one of them or nothing)

This was quite obvious when I used DVB-Viewer as my PC TV software as you could see the groupings in the channel list after scanning, I don't remember them exactly off the top of my head but I'm pretty sure TVNZ had all it's channels on one and TV3, TV4, C4 and a few others were on another, and there was a 3rd with another set of channels on it.

**Strommer** · 10-12-2011, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by dugimodo

...

It goes someething like this: (might not be exactly right)
Channels are organised into frequency groups each with it's own transponder
When watching or recording any channel on a single tuner, only those channels on the same transponder can be accessed at the same time.
....

Seems correct to me. I believe the techie at DTV Solutions said that there were two 'multiplexers', each having a share of the 11 Freeview Terrestrial channels. With the DTVS-T1 two channels can be recorded at the same time, but it is my understanding it does not have two 'tuners', although I may have the terminology wrong, or the techie.

Of course the problem of channels disappearing during a recording can be side stepped by changing the Input to the TV itself - that is if the TV has its own digital tuner (which our TV does have).

Anyway, I thought there may be something wrong with the DTVS-T1 we have, but it is operating as it should and considering I paid nothing for it, I am satisfied with the little unit.