Dreambox DM7000: Hackable DVR

An anonymous reader copies-and-pastes "The Dreambox DM7000 from Dream-Multimedia-Tv (DMM) is a $395 Linux-based digital radio and digital TV (DVB) satellite (or cable) receiver with digital video recorder (DVR) functions and PC connectivity. It is implemented using IBM's STB04500 set-top box chipset, which provides the necessary DVB functions like transport stream demultiplexing and MPEG2 decoding inexpensively. A minimalistic, GPL'd Linux-based software implementation has made the DM7000 popular with Linux programmers and TV device hackers."

Comments

Or just use your PC

[Brahmastra]

http://dvr.sourceforge.net/html/main.html

Re:Or just use your PC

[The Kiloman]

There's also MythTV and Freevo.

Both are fairly immature, but moderately stable. MythTV in particular is feature-rich, but most of the features don't behave quite right.

I'd recommend giving them a try, and maybe contributing of any one is interested, but I don't see any OSS replacing the TiVo quite yet.

Little correction, partial GPL

[Anonymous Coward]

Dreambox software is partial GPL the kernel modules which drives many devices are closed source and developed by IBM... IBM was the company defending the GPL open way? err...
What a flash-back

Still doesn't support HDTV *sigh*

[YetAnotherName]

Look, it's pretty simple:

1. Jennifer Garner of Alias has lots of super-cute freckles.

2. Those super-cute freckles are only visible on the local HDTV broadcast.

3. This box doesn't do HDTV.

Luckily, there is an ATSC receiver card that's for Linux only that does do HDTV. And Jennifer Garner. And her super-cute freckles. And yes, it's quite hackable, and source is included.

'nuff said.

Hackable

[smoyer]

I work with Scientific Atlanta and Motorola set-tops every day and can tell you that there are serious limitations to the hackability of any unit like this.

Each vendor has their own proprietary encryption format (for the content) and will only work with QPSK and QAM headend equipment that they manufacture. There is very little unencrypted content on CATV networks as digital service is generally an extra charge service. You also need to be provisioned in their billing system.

I suspect that the hackability of this unit stops at controlling the behavior of the device. I would be very surprised if anyone managed to receive free pay services the way those who built sync inverters, tone strippers, etc to receive free analog pay channels.

Please let me know if anyone has success!

Re:Hackable

[tzanger]

Each vendor has their own proprietary encryption format (for the content) and will only work with QPSK and QAM headend equipment that they manufacture.

I thought that's what the CAM was for? I am probably being overly naive about the whole procedure but I had throught that the system provided the CAM with the questions, the CAM responded with the answers (typical ZK tests) and if the answer was correct the signal came through. I know that the CAMs are relatively low-speed devices (if you pull the CAM out of your receiver you get a few seconds of video before it konks out) so they're not acutally decrypting the stream ... but jeez... You'd figure they'd have learned by now. Ugh.

No chance this thing has Nagravision capability, is there?

Re:Death to TiVo

[smackjer]

Actually, you can use a Tivo without paying the monthly (or lifetime) fee. You don't get the program guides, season pass functionality, and suggestions, but it works as well as a VCR when you schedule to record at a date/time/duration (without tapes), and still lets you pause and replay live TV.

The monthly/lifetime fee gets you the premium services, which are all based on having the program guide available. Well worth the cost, IMO.

Did they like read minds or something?

[silicon not in the v]

This sounds like the absolute Slashbot's dream. I can just see the engineers who designed this lurking on an Ask Slashdot forum on "What should the ideal set top box be capable of?"and writing down the system features list from user comments.

* It should run Linux, of course.
* It has to connect to my PC so I can write all those recorded movies to DVD-R.
* Oh yeah, and a satellite or cable decoder, so I can HAX0RS it and "share" free movies and stuff.
* And I'm sure the hard drive won't be big enough, so I should be able to put in a much bigger drive.

Re:Death to TiVo

[sl0ppy]

even though it costs them nothing when you use it

how does it cost them nothing? let's break it down:

o guide information has to come from somewhere. in tivo's case, they outsource

o bandwidth for guide information needs to come from somewhere, also outsourced

o upgrades, bug fixes, and new versions of the OS need to come from somewhere. things still cost money

it's obvious that it costs them nothing to me, how about you?

Re:Wait a minute..

[cK-Gunslinger]

An 80GB hard drive can be had for $71, shipped. An HDTV tuner card runs $200-$300. Which is cheaper?

Irrelavant, as "HDTV" is nowhere to be found in that article. Therefore I assume it doesn't support it. I can configure a PC with a standard TV tuner and MythTV for about the same price. Granted, I don't get a remote, but I get a lot more functionality.

I can appreciate the "proof of concept" of these packaged Linux DVR boxes, but the manufacturers are not offering anything "above and beyond" for the relatively high price tags.

Or, hack your TiVo - A challenge is more fun..

[jkeegan]

This looks like it has potential, but it still comes with a huge downside - the device isn't a TiVo.

There's a reason that TiVo is the most popular. The user interface is a pleasure to use. A lot of the fun of hacking your TiVo is that you're making that cool box better..

Plus, there's something unexplainably more-fun-than-it-should-be about modifying a device that wasn't designed for it..

If you want to play around with this but still want to be able to enjoy a great DVR, consider buying a TiVo to hack instead (or hacking the TiVo you already have).

Might I also humbly sugest picking up a copy of the book Hacking TiVo , which ships next week. (In all fairness, I am the author, so I might have a bit of a bias). You can also go to the web on your own to find everything, but this acts as a nice guide from your initial tinkering through to the development of your own hacks.

Hacking this device instead could definitely be interesting - it's just sad that you'd be stuck using it if it was your only DVR.

Re:Death to TiVo

[crt]

The answer is "both". It used to work fine without the subscription, and that was allowed under the EULA for the software on the device.
However, at some point (around 2.3?) they changed the EULA and stated that a subscription was required to use it - at all.

They grandfathered in everyone who purchased before that date, so you can still buy a used TIVO that works without the subscription, but new ones technically require one. There may be a way to work around it on the new ones, but it's not going to be supported by TIVO.

All that being said... get the subscription. It's worth it for all the time it saves and the number of times it "catches" changes that you would miss if you had to do it all manually. If you can't stand monthly, get the lifetime and pretend the device is more expensive.

Re:Wait a minute..

[JamesP]

It can store video on an internal hard drive (not included),

But thats like saying (car ad): It can go places with an internal motor (not included)

I mean, I can always get inside and listen to the radio, but...