email Current IceBox issues qusestion

[raymondjpg]

I really hope a fix is available very soon. It kind of defeats the whole point of having IceTV.

I hope so too, because my experience with the IceBox BYO in an 8th generation i5 NUc has been that the software works pretty much flawlessly. I would have little hesitation in saying that as a TV recorder it functions as well as two Beyonwiz PVRs that I currently have operational still.

If I recall correctly all the Topfield and Beyonwiz PVRs I have had over the years have had teething problems. That is not to excuse the issue with the IceBox SSD, but without having a unit to look into or test it looks to me like potentially a more robust and long term solution as a PVR than the aforementioned Topfield and Beyonwiz boxes, that when I opened them up for one reason or another all looked as if they had been knocked up in some back yard operation. If the IceBox is largely solid state soldered down like a NUC I see a better prospect for longevity.

As far as I am concerned there is really no service other than IceTV that enables me to set and record programs I am interested in remotely. I might take issue with what I see as persistent problems with accuracy of EPG and repeat flags, but there really is no alternative.

[IanL-S]

I can assure IceBox owners that the IceBox development team is very concerned about this issue. For the best part of two week the development team and the beta testing panel have been flat out testing the IceBox so that the cause of the problem can be isolated. This has been a seven-days-a-week effort, starting early in the morning and well into the night. I am looking forward to its end - I want to get my life back!

I came late to Beyonwiz, but I was Topfield beta-tester for from 2010 until the demise. Early in the model cycle there were always difficulties. And yes, the build quality was not always what one would like.

[PeteRyde]

Is there an update on this issue?
Is the only fix still to reinstall from a USB?
My icebox is bricked again. Yet another week of all recordings lost and some older ones. I've tried the save & reset multiple times and leaving it powered down. They didn't work the previous two times either.
I love icetv programming my recordings but the box being unreliable is killing me.

[MD]

Hin Peter,

I posted this on a different thread on Sunday:

We will certainly replace the SSDs.

If the customer is happy to do it themselves, as it only involves removing the IceBox base with four screws, unplugging the old SSD and plugging in the new one, we will send the new SSD to them. The new SSD will have been preconfigured by us with the correct BIOS preferences and IceTV software preloaded. The customer will just need to login as they do now after a soft reset.

If they prefer they can send the IceBox back to us, we will copy all the recordings on the old SSD to the new one then return it so, apart from about a week's turnaround time, it will now work reliably with old recordings and new ones coming up as their IceTV account sets them up when they log in again.  We have just purchased the cloning device for the copying.

This week, after much tooing and froing, we will be told by the Chinese manufacturer as to our cost for the new SSDs and the delivery schedule. I'd expect to have them, subject to freight and customs, in about three weeks.

This has been a horrid time for all involved and I'd hope we'll soon be over it with customers enjoying the IceBox as we always hoped. Then we can get down to smoothing out some clonky setup UI wrinkles and add more exciting features such as auto ad skipping.

[IanL-S]

PeterRyde,

Not good news. I have fortunately not had this happen for some time now.

I think it is possible to recover the recordings by booting with a Linux "live CD", and copying the /storage/recordings directory (including subdirectories to a USB HDD). Then do the USB reinstallation. Once the setup has finished, copy the /storage/recordings directory (including subdirectories) back to the IceBox via SFTP. Do a soft reset and the recordings should be recovered. A bit messy and takes a bit of time.

You can copy just the recordings you want (but copy everything in the .backups directory. Can be difficult working out which ones you want.

Ian

[PeteRyde]

Awesome news that there's an end in sight. Bring on those new SSDs.
My screw driver is ready to go!

[richardv]

I have just had this issue as well, will try the powerdown for 12hrs

[Hati]

I haven't had the issue for some time now, but then I plugged the box into a UPS.

@MD: I'll be happy to swap the SSD myself, once you guys are ready to go with them.