Can't View PVR from Pansat TC-1000 HD on my PC

[Secret Asian Man]

I'm trying to record NASA TV using a Pansat TC-1000 receiver. I have the receiver hooked up via eSATA to an external HDD formatted to NTFS. I can record to the external HDD and play back videos using the TC-1000, but when I plug the external HDD into my PC (again, via eSATA), I can't view the files. I can't see any files at all. In fact, my computer doesn't even recognize the external HDD as an NTFS drive, and to use it at all I have to completely reformat it (back to NTFS). The odd thing is, even if I reformat it, I can still play back previously recorded files using the TC-1000 -- even though I can't see those files on my computer.

Can anybody explain what's going on here? I've called Pansat, but they weren't very helpful. They claimed that when the TC-1000 records to an external HDD, it doesn't change the filesystem, so it should still be NTFS, but the fact of the matter is that the hard drive becomes unreadable. My computer doesn't even recognize it as an NTFS volume. So of course I can't even see the files contained within. Even if I could, though, Pansat also says that the files are encoded using "FTA MPEG-2," which didn't make a lot of sense to me, since I thought MPEG-2 only came in one type.

In any case, Pansat says I would need to find a hard drive that can read files recorded as FTA MPEG-2. My question is: what do I have to do to be able to use my PC to view the files that my TC-1000 records onto my external HDD?

Many thanks!!

 

[FaT Air]

It is probably recording into the wrong partition making it unreadable by the computer. There are most likely 2 partitions, the first is used by the drive and windows, I.D. filesystem, diagnostics, etc. The second is for your use. In the Pansat, see if you can select the other partition. My Openbox did the same. Formating with a third party partitioner that will make one partition of the whole disk could also work.

 

[comfrey]

I'd be very surprised that the TC-1000 would support 'writing' to a NTFS partition. There would be Microsoft licensing issues. Even in the linux/GPL world NTFS is regarded as 'read only'.

I'm trying to record NASA TV using a Pansat TC-1000 receiver. I have the receiver hooked up via eSATA to an external HDD formatted to NTFS. I can record to the external HDD and play back videos using the TC-1000, but when I plug the external HDD into my PC (again, via eSATA), I can't view the files. I can't see any files at all. In fact, my computer doesn't even recognize the external HDD as an NTFS drive, and to use it at all I have to completely reformat it (back to NTFS). The odd thing is, even if I reformat it, I can still play back previously recorded files using the TC-1000 -- even though I can't see those files on my computer.

Can anybody explain what's going on here? I've called Pansat, but they weren't very helpful. They claimed that when the TC-1000 records to an external HDD, it doesn't change the filesystem, so it should still be NTFS, but the fact of the matter is that the hard drive becomes unreadable. My computer doesn't even recognize it as an NTFS volume. So of course I can't even see the files contained within. Even if I could, though, Pansat also says that the files are encoded using "FTA MPEG-2," which didn't make a lot of sense to me, since I thought MPEG-2 only came in one type.

In any case, Pansat says I would need to find a hard drive that can read files recorded as FTA MPEG-2. My question is: what do I have to do to be able to use my PC to view the files that my TC-1000 records onto my external HDD?

Many thanks!!

 

[FaT Air]

My Ubuntu machine, along with my Openbox, doesn't have a problem writing to ntfs. But just to be sure, I'l go get the HDD and check again.

 

[comfrey]

You can write to NTFS under linux, but if you read the fine print it warns against it. "experimental use" it always says.
edit:
Apparently there is a product out that can read/write NTFS under linux, Paragon Software Group or NTFS 3G.
So I stand corrected.

 

[Secret Asian Man]

The same problem occurs when I format the drive to FAT-32, so I don't think it has to do with the NTFS file system itself.

The fact that the video files are still viewable with the TC-1000 even after I reformat the drive on my PC suggests to me that FaT Air is on the right track. Once I record files, there are two partitions (neither of which are readable from my PC) -- I believe it was a small 10 GB partition, and then the rest (in my case, nearly 2 TB of extra space).

Even if I delete both of those partitions and reformat the entire available disk space, I still get the same problem. Do any of you have a TC-1000 whose recordings you can actually view on a PC?

 

[FaT Air]

Even if I delete both of those partitions and reformat the entire available disk space,

what are you using to delete the partitions? If it's windoze, forget it, it won't play nice with you. Formatting the drive with windoze will make 2 partitions, one for it's use (that you cannot see on a windoze computer)and the other for you. If you can select partitions with the Pansat, formatting the HDD with windoze should work, as long as you can select "your" partition in the pansat, to use. If you can format the drive with the pansat, I would think that should work, BUT it may be only seeing the windoze partition on the drive, and only format that partition, and not the whole drive. My Ubuntu (Linux) computer "see's" both partitions of a windoze formated HDD. And being the OS for the Pansat is most likely linux based, I am sure it is recording into the partition windoze reserves for itself. But I would think you should be able to select "your" partition.
I'm aprehensive of using a third party partitioner(But others have had success) that will make a single continuous partition, as this could cause it to be unreadable under windoze. ( been there, done that, but recovered) Being the windoze reserved partition is gone, that's where windoze looks to read how the disk is formatted, sector size, encryption(If NTFS) file system, etc.
But It could also be tried. Might find a solution in this thread: http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/235740-need-help-openbox-hard-drive.htmlI realize it's not TC1000 related, but dow get into partitioning the HDD. More partition utilities can be checked out here: partition downloads - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET
I don't have a TC1000, but have an Openbox. It records in dvr file format, and guess the Pansat does the same. I haven't found software that will directly play a dvr file on windoze. File must be converted first. I haven't, yet, searched for a player for Ubuntu that will play a dvr file natively.