Build your own HD-200 or 300

[Reefkeeper]

Do any of the electronic gurus out there know if it is possible to reverse engineer and build your own HD-200 or 300 replacements? I know there are small format PCs that can be assembled to replace these devices but they still involve fans, CPU coolers and more noise than the original products.
Has anyone looked at the feasibility of buying the components to build your own similar device?

[MattHelm]

With the hardware out there now, the electronics isn't the issue. It's all about the software. And at a guess, they locked that from prying eyes.

[firenice]

Originally Posted by Reefkeeper

Do any of the electronic gurus out there know if it is possible to reverse engineer and build your own HD-200 or 300 replacements? I know there are small format PCs that can be assembled to replace these devices but they still involve fans, CPU coolers and more noise than the original products.
Has anyone looked at the feasibility of buying the components to build your own similar device?

I've been considering a NUC for use as a client. It would be more than just an extender but looks promising if in fact I lose one.

[trk2]

As mentioned before, it's not a hardware problem, but a software problem. It is a pity because the WD TV Live Plus and Live Hub are basically the same as the HD300 (same Sigma Designs chip and both run a modified Linux OS). The WD Live boxes have been jailbroken and there are numerous 3rd party firmwares available to increase the capability. So there is hardware out there waiting to be used.

It would be awesome if someone with the skill could make the WD live boxes function as extenders (and, as long as I'm wishing here, port the native netflix, pandora etc... support to the HD300).

[PiX64]

I wonder if anyone has tried an r pi with Linux placeshifter.

[DIBU]

Originally Posted by PiX64

I wonder if anyone has tried an r pi with Linux placeshifter.

will this work? i think r-pi is not x86. on my r-pi runs XMBC with sage addon right now fine.

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by MattHelm

With the hardware out there now, the electronics isn't the issue. It's all about the software. And at a guess, they locked that from prying eyes.

From what I read a few guys decompiled the placeshifter. If that's true, wouldn't you have the software needed to build a client?

EDIT: Found the post http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...640#post559640

Can you imagine if somebody who knows how to do this with the recently released SDK for the Chromecast got a working client. That would be awsome.

[drvnbysound]

I assume this isn't anything new, but via MAC address lookup (Wireshark OUI lookup), on a HD200 of mine (00:1D:6A...) you can find the manufacturer Alpha Networks, who has their own HD media player:
http://www.alphanetworks.com/_englis...id=26&appid=64

... but the software!!!

Regarding other small-form factor hardware, I've also recently found these:
http://www.advantech.com/embedded-bo...-771F2F386D82/

Unfortunately, they are a lot more powerful than you'd need for an extender, and also thus more expensive - in the $500+ ballpark.

[waynedunham]

They also have this model which looks basically like an HD-100 with a slightly modified faceplate. Buttons and even the IR window look like they are in the same place.



Also a Google search for model ARK-1122 shows you can get them for significantly below what their own online store sells them for. For instance the 1122-f on their webstore is $625 and online I see it for $416.
There are some other items you would need to make it an extender. IR dongle?, SageTv license, OS, Ram, SSD, etc. So the cost is still pretty high, but not as high as initially. Of course when you are getting into that area of cost then just using an Intel NUC or Gigabyt Brix might be preferable.

[trk2]

I'll throw out as a contender the WD TV Live Plus (and WD TV Live Hub). The WD TV Live Plus is inexpensive (~$100), but more importantly it's Linux OS has been hacked (custom firmwares with additional features are now available) and it uses the same chip as the HD300 (Sigma Designs SMP8654).

[aflat]

It's been talked about, this seems to come up about every 6 months, too back they couldn't give us the kys though

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...&postcount=903