The saga of my Panasonic DMR EX75 DVD recorder with the dodgy DVD drive was eventually resolved. After an extended exchange of emails with Panasonic I had taken the machine to the local Panasonic approved repair centre, J.F. Associates, who assess the problem with this kind of machine for a standard fee of £58.75. After a few days they phoned to say they could not do anything until they fitted a new power supply, at an extra cost of about another £58. I approved the work and a few days later got a call to say they had figured out the problem - the DVD drive had died as I had suspected. Unfortunately the cost of replacing it would be between £130 and £140. So in total the repair would cost about £250, more than a new, higher spec. machine. If I'd known that before I started I'd have thrown it out and bought a replacement, though naturally there were several things on the hard drive I'd prefer not to lose.
I decided not to have the drive replaced but followed up with a complaint to Panasonic that even though the machine was over three years old it was an indictment of their standards that the drive should give up the ghost on the first occasion I attempted to copy anything to a DVD. There followed a - several weeks long - extended exchange of emails. Pansonic wanted me to post them a copy of my purchase receipt - I didn't have that but I did have an online order number and a blogpost about the purchase saga. They wanted a copy of a written quotation for the repair - also something I repeatedly pointed out I didn't have because I had been quoted the repair estimate over the phone. (If I'd had one more polite email telling me they were looking forward to receiving a copy of the written repair quotation, this post would have been significantly longer and included the tortuous email exchange in full). In the end I asked the repair centre, J.F. Associates to confirm the repair cost they had quoted with Panasonic which they kindly did.
Communications then went dark for some weeks until out of the blue I got a call from a very helpful lady at J.F. Associates to say they had been in touch with Panasonic, who had now agreed to supply a new DVD drive free of charge. She added that as a gesture of goodwill J.F.Associates would fit the drive at no further cost to me.
So kudos to Panasonic for eventually getting round to doing the right thing and especially to the folks at J.F. Associates for being so helpful and taking the trouble to engage with Panasonic on my behalf. I take a few lessons from the experience.
Firstly it's worth blogging about these things - the blogpost from 2007 helped me to provide the required proof of purchase.
Secondly it can be worth persisting politely with customer relations centres, if you have the stamina. The people in these centres generally want to be helpful even if the detailed systems, rules and procedures they are working to quite often impede that desire to help.
Lastly, people generally like to be helpful. The folks at J.F. Associates had been paid for the repair assessment. They had no obligation to communicate with Panasonic on my behalf and no obligation to fit the drive as a goodwill gesture. It involved extra effort and work on their part for no extra financial gain. It has, however, left me with a positive perspective on the service they offer and with a good chance of repeat business.
The drive got replaced some weeks ago. I was reminded about it because the hard drive started playing up last night refusing to record properly. Here we go again...? I'm wondering, though, if there is a problem, as there was earlier in the year, with the digital transmitter in Oxford. On checking, the signal strength and quality was very low, particularly on the ITV channels. The website currently says there are no problems with the TV signal though the radio signal may be weak over the next week due to engineering works. The last time there was a problem, though, the website also said there were no problems. On that occasion, according to the local BBC news as I recall, there were several hundred people in the area who invested in new TVs, aerials and recorders in the belief that the problems with their reception were caused by their old kit. I might just delay my next trip to J.F.Associates and monitor emerging news on the transmitter. There was a fire on the main antenna in May this year and the signal was delivered via a reserve for several months. They were supposed to go back on the main antenna by the end of September but maybe there are further technical problems following the switch back? If anyone in the Oxford area has the inside track on this I'd be interested in hearing about it.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query panasonic. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query panasonic. Sort by date Show all posts
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Freedom to tinker and my Panasonic DRM again
A few weeks ago I mentioned the saga of my Panasonic DMR EX75 DVD recorder with the dodgy DVD drive was eventually resolved. Long story short - after many comings and goings Panasonic supplied a new drive free of charge though earlier repairs diagnosis by the local Panasonic approved repair centre, J.F. Associates, amounted to just under £120.
Ok then the machine starts playing up again, this time refusing to record properly or even pick up the digital freeview signal. I followed up on the initial suspicion of a problem with digital TV transmitter in Oxford. But the website continued to say there are no problems with the TV signal. The question was should I go back to J.F. Associates for another £58.75 diagnosis or take the lid off and have a quick look for any obvious problems in the innards myself?
Many years ago, when working with a great bunch of people in industry (now GKN then Lucas Aerospace), I spent quite a few years building and operating bespoke flight simulation rigs and testing aircraft parts to destruction with them (great fun). So spotting a dodgy resister or two shouldn't be beyond me and any further subtantial spending on this box of electronic tricks is pretty much geting beyond the point of diminishing returns.
Lifting the lid was fairly straightforward though the green PCB had to be disconnected and carefully removed too before finding the problem in the main board immediately below it.
As it turns out it wasn't a blown resister but a blown capacitor and sure enough a quick Google search throws up an extremely helpful thread from AVForums demonstrating a number of other people have had precisely the same problem. Over-stressed capacitors, it seems, are a common cause of failure.
I hope they won't mind me posting their images here (all three are from the forum). My capacitor wasn't quite as badly domed as the one in these photos but it was pretty clearly out of commission.
In any case I sourced a replacement capacitor from Charles Hyde & Son for £1.02 and since I didn't possess a soldering iron, not having wielded one in anger for some years, got one of those too. Farnell sold a usable alternative capacitor for £0.22 but needed a minimum order of £20.
Snipping off the busted capacitor and replacing it sorted out the signal problem and actually improved the quality of the freeview reception on the machine which had been deteriorating for some time. Just one extra thing to note on top of the extremely useful practical advice on the forum - if you're thinking of tackling something like this, be sure to snip the legs of the capacitor quite high up, so that you have a solid base to crimp the legs of the new capacitor to before soldering.
The latest problem with the Panasonic got me thinking about the freedom to tinker issue again. I could probably have replaced the DVD drive too if Pansonic had agreed to send one. Yet I suspect it would have been extremely unlikely that they would have done so free of charge without the official diagnosis from the approved service dealer, J.F Associates. Another diagnosis of the freeview signal problem would have cost another £60 or so - and I'm certainly not knocking the very helpful folks at JF Associates for that, they have to make a living after all and I never would have had the DVD drive replaced without their help - but this time it was a pretty simple problem. Yet as GavTech says in the AVForum:
Now there is a postscript to the story of my apparently healthy again Panasonic DVD/HD recorder. The freeview signal is fine and I can safely view and record to the hard drive again. However the DRM has gots it's knickers in a twist and won't let the machine read my DVDs! The machine with the brand new DVD drive doesn't approve of my DVDs. Don't let me get started on DRM... but if anyone on the interweb has a simple quickfix I'd be happy to hear from you.
Ok then the machine starts playing up again, this time refusing to record properly or even pick up the digital freeview signal. I followed up on the initial suspicion of a problem with digital TV transmitter in Oxford. But the website continued to say there are no problems with the TV signal. The question was should I go back to J.F. Associates for another £58.75 diagnosis or take the lid off and have a quick look for any obvious problems in the innards myself?
Many years ago, when working with a great bunch of people in industry (now GKN then Lucas Aerospace), I spent quite a few years building and operating bespoke flight simulation rigs and testing aircraft parts to destruction with them (great fun). So spotting a dodgy resister or two shouldn't be beyond me and any further subtantial spending on this box of electronic tricks is pretty much geting beyond the point of diminishing returns.
Lifting the lid was fairly straightforward though the green PCB had to be disconnected and carefully removed too before finding the problem in the main board immediately below it.
As it turns out it wasn't a blown resister but a blown capacitor and sure enough a quick Google search throws up an extremely helpful thread from AVForums demonstrating a number of other people have had precisely the same problem. Over-stressed capacitors, it seems, are a common cause of failure.
I hope they won't mind me posting their images here (all three are from the forum). My capacitor wasn't quite as badly domed as the one in these photos but it was pretty clearly out of commission.
In any case I sourced a replacement capacitor from Charles Hyde & Son for £1.02 and since I didn't possess a soldering iron, not having wielded one in anger for some years, got one of those too. Farnell sold a usable alternative capacitor for £0.22 but needed a minimum order of £20.
Snipping off the busted capacitor and replacing it sorted out the signal problem and actually improved the quality of the freeview reception on the machine which had been deteriorating for some time. Just one extra thing to note on top of the extremely useful practical advice on the forum - if you're thinking of tackling something like this, be sure to snip the legs of the capacitor quite high up, so that you have a solid base to crimp the legs of the new capacitor to before soldering.
The latest problem with the Panasonic got me thinking about the freedom to tinker issue again. I could probably have replaced the DVD drive too if Pansonic had agreed to send one. Yet I suspect it would have been extremely unlikely that they would have done so free of charge without the official diagnosis from the approved service dealer, J.F Associates. Another diagnosis of the freeview signal problem would have cost another £60 or so - and I'm certainly not knocking the very helpful folks at JF Associates for that, they have to make a living after all and I never would have had the DVD drive replaced without their help - but this time it was a pretty simple problem. Yet as GavTech says in the AVForum:
"Unfortunately circuit analysis down to this level virtually does not happen any more in servicing such that I was shocked to discover yesterday, when I looked into this particular capacitor, that Panasonic do not even provide component values in the service manual"I wonder how many serviceable pieces of electronic kit get binned each year due to busted replacable simple components? One of the many costs of lock in (can't service yourself or you'll invalidate the warranty), commercial efficiency drives for economies of scale, commodification and de-skilling.
Now there is a postscript to the story of my apparently healthy again Panasonic DVD/HD recorder. The freeview signal is fine and I can safely view and record to the hard drive again. However the DRM has gots it's knickers in a twist and won't let the machine read my DVDs! The machine with the brand new DVD drive doesn't approve of my DVDs. Don't let me get started on DRM... but if anyone on the interweb has a simple quickfix I'd be happy to hear from you.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
More Panasonic DMR EX75 DVD tinkering
My Panasonic DMR EX75 DVD recorder with the dodgy DVD drive was back on the blink this week. It started refusing to pick up the Freeview signal again. It's been a year since I replaced the capacitor that's prone to overheating on these machines and, sure enough, on lifting the lid and inspecting the over-stressed replacement capactor, that's the problem again.
You need to remember if you're going to tackle this problem that when you take the metal cover off there is still some dismantling to do. This is the picture under the metal cover:
At this point you need to unplug the connector strips from both sides of the green PCB and remove the screws from the corners of that PCB and carefully unplug it. There's a smaller green pcb towwards the front of the machine above the one you're removing and you'll need to loosen the two retaining screws on this as well before lifting out the bigger board. You can then get at the dodgy capacitor.
Clip the old capacitor legs off as high as you can in order to leave plenty of purchase to crimp your new capacitor legs on. This makes the subsequent soldering much easier. If you cut the legs too close to the surface of the board soldering is extremely fiddly and it's very difficult to get a clean connection.
Now carefully replace the pcb. I wasn't careful enough and snapped the newly replaced capacitor off the bottom board. Back to square one. Pcb off, re-solder the capacitor and carefully replace the pcb. Plug the connector strips back in. Put the metal cover back on and you're done!
Except that in my case I wasn't.
On connecting the machine back to the TV and switching on, the DVD drawer comes out, the display starts flashing and eventually tells me I've got a U61 error.
This is the same DVD drive that the machine's DRM is preventing me from using. After a lot of communications with them last year, Panasonic eventually agreed to replace the faulty DVD drive free of charge via J.F. Associates. Shortly thereafter the stressed capacitor failed and I replaced it. At this point the Pansonic's DRM decided it didn't approve of my DVDs and wouldn't play any of them!
Ok I haven't been able to use the DVD drive anyway so I'll live with the U61 DVD drive error. No can do says the machine. Because as long as there is a U61 error it is going to keep whirring and flashing, sticking the DVD drawer in and out, switching the stations on the TV, sticking messages on the TV screen and generally making it impossible to watch the TV or use the hard drive on the Panasonic. Honestly it's like a scene out of a Morecombe and Wise sketch.
It's resort to the manual and online forums time. On consulting the troubleshooting section in the manual it tells me this is not a fault (the forums beg to differ) and that I should just let the machine go through the motions of resetting itself; and then turn it on when it powers down. I let the machine whirr and flash and guess what - the manual is wrong and the forums are right. The problem persists and no amount of automated resetting is getting rid of the fault.
I tried a variety of fixes none of which worked. Then I decided to try unplugging the connector strips connecting the DVD drive to the circuit board and connecting the machine to mains electricity with the DVD drive disconnected. The theory was that whatever software loop was causing the automatic reset to fail might be bypassed if I disconnected the drive, thus enabling a fix. There are four of these connectors:
It's probably best isolate them with insulating tape to avoid shorting, before replacing the machine cover and plugging into the mains. I gave it about 15 to 20 minutes to reset (I hoped though not with a great deal of optimism) before disconnecting it from the mains again.
The final stage was to plug the four DVD drive connector strips back into the green pcb, put the lid back on and try connecting it up to the TV and mains again. This time it worked. The Panasonic can pick up the Freeview signal and record to and playback from the hard drive again.
Now dare I believe that, as a side effect of this tinkering, some sense might have been knocked into the machine's DRM, to the extent it might play my DVDs again? I know if I try it the system will have a heart attack and just give up but I can't help myself.
Open the DVD drawer.
Put in a DVD (Red fwiw).
Close the DVD drawer.
Hold my breath.
Whatdaya know...
It plays!
Why didn't I think of doing a disconnect reset this time last year! [Probably because at that point in the saga I had given up (unfairly as it turned out) on Panasonic ever helping and bought a cheap DVD player to play my discs.]
In any case the DMR EX75 is back in operation until the next time... I'm hoping at the very least that it survives the stress of the holiday season.
Note: pictures, as before, are from the AVForums thread that pointed me at the suspect capacitor this time last year.
You need to remember if you're going to tackle this problem that when you take the metal cover off there is still some dismantling to do. This is the picture under the metal cover:
At this point you need to unplug the connector strips from both sides of the green PCB and remove the screws from the corners of that PCB and carefully unplug it. There's a smaller green pcb towwards the front of the machine above the one you're removing and you'll need to loosen the two retaining screws on this as well before lifting out the bigger board. You can then get at the dodgy capacitor.
Clip the old capacitor legs off as high as you can in order to leave plenty of purchase to crimp your new capacitor legs on. This makes the subsequent soldering much easier. If you cut the legs too close to the surface of the board soldering is extremely fiddly and it's very difficult to get a clean connection.
Now carefully replace the pcb. I wasn't careful enough and snapped the newly replaced capacitor off the bottom board. Back to square one. Pcb off, re-solder the capacitor and carefully replace the pcb. Plug the connector strips back in. Put the metal cover back on and you're done!
Except that in my case I wasn't.
On connecting the machine back to the TV and switching on, the DVD drawer comes out, the display starts flashing and eventually tells me I've got a U61 error.
This is the same DVD drive that the machine's DRM is preventing me from using. After a lot of communications with them last year, Panasonic eventually agreed to replace the faulty DVD drive free of charge via J.F. Associates. Shortly thereafter the stressed capacitor failed and I replaced it. At this point the Pansonic's DRM decided it didn't approve of my DVDs and wouldn't play any of them!
Ok I haven't been able to use the DVD drive anyway so I'll live with the U61 DVD drive error. No can do says the machine. Because as long as there is a U61 error it is going to keep whirring and flashing, sticking the DVD drawer in and out, switching the stations on the TV, sticking messages on the TV screen and generally making it impossible to watch the TV or use the hard drive on the Panasonic. Honestly it's like a scene out of a Morecombe and Wise sketch.
It's resort to the manual and online forums time. On consulting the troubleshooting section in the manual it tells me this is not a fault (the forums beg to differ) and that I should just let the machine go through the motions of resetting itself; and then turn it on when it powers down. I let the machine whirr and flash and guess what - the manual is wrong and the forums are right. The problem persists and no amount of automated resetting is getting rid of the fault.
I tried a variety of fixes none of which worked. Then I decided to try unplugging the connector strips connecting the DVD drive to the circuit board and connecting the machine to mains electricity with the DVD drive disconnected. The theory was that whatever software loop was causing the automatic reset to fail might be bypassed if I disconnected the drive, thus enabling a fix. There are four of these connectors:
The final stage was to plug the four DVD drive connector strips back into the green pcb, put the lid back on and try connecting it up to the TV and mains again. This time it worked. The Panasonic can pick up the Freeview signal and record to and playback from the hard drive again.
Now dare I believe that, as a side effect of this tinkering, some sense might have been knocked into the machine's DRM, to the extent it might play my DVDs again? I know if I try it the system will have a heart attack and just give up but I can't help myself.
Open the DVD drawer.
Put in a DVD (Red fwiw).
Close the DVD drawer.
Hold my breath.
Whatdaya know...
It plays!
Why didn't I think of doing a disconnect reset this time last year! [Probably because at that point in the saga I had given up (unfairly as it turned out) on Panasonic ever helping and bought a cheap DVD player to play my discs.]
In any case the DMR EX75 is back in operation until the next time... I'm hoping at the very least that it survives the stress of the holiday season.
Note: pictures, as before, are from the AVForums thread that pointed me at the suspect capacitor this time last year.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
The end of one recorder era
My Panasonic DMR EX75 HDD/DVD recorder has given up on the Freeview signal again. Checking the usual overheating 680 microfarad capacitor, I didn't find obvious signs of failure. It wasn't blowing it's top as the previous failures had done, for example -
But given the inexpert deposit of excess solder I left the last time it's possible the failure was internal or further under the board. I decided to attempt to replace the capacitor again anyway. Unfortunately two attempts to replace it failed, largely due to my incompetent soldering skills, I suspect.
Tinning the soldering iron tip proved unusually problematic this time. So I cleaned it with wire wool before the second attempt (and after it had cooled completely to room temperature). Note that you need to be really careful with this not to strip the iron surface bare or you'll find yourself in need of a new soldering iron.
As I said before, though, if you're thinking of tackling something like this, especially if you are an infrequent actor in such an arena, be sure to snip the legs of the failed capacitor quite high up on the first pass, so that you have a solid base to crimp the legs of the new capacitor to before soldering. My original failure to do this meant successive replacements over the years have been increasingly difficult to crimp/graft and solder.
I seem now to have reached the point of no return, at least as far as my rusty engineering repair skills are concerned.
I blame middle aged eye-sight and the need for reading glasses for close up work too. It's probably just as well I don't have to build flight simulation rigs any more, though I'm pretty sure I could still do the mathematics, the modelling, the design and the testing the parts of aircraft to destruction bit - operating the rigs and running the tests was never as tricky as constructing them.
Well the saga of the Panasonic DMR EX75 HDD/DVD recorder draws to a close. In any case, the machine won't now pick up the Freeview signal and though I can play what was recorded up to losing the signal, I can't record anything else. The old box of electronics is going to have to be retired. It's taken in
But given the inexpert deposit of excess solder I left the last time it's possible the failure was internal or further under the board. I decided to attempt to replace the capacitor again anyway. Unfortunately two attempts to replace it failed, largely due to my incompetent soldering skills, I suspect.
Tinning the soldering iron tip proved unusually problematic this time. So I cleaned it with wire wool before the second attempt (and after it had cooled completely to room temperature). Note that you need to be really careful with this not to strip the iron surface bare or you'll find yourself in need of a new soldering iron.
As I said before, though, if you're thinking of tackling something like this, especially if you are an infrequent actor in such an arena, be sure to snip the legs of the failed capacitor quite high up on the first pass, so that you have a solid base to crimp the legs of the new capacitor to before soldering. My original failure to do this meant successive replacements over the years have been increasingly difficult to crimp/graft and solder.
I seem now to have reached the point of no return, at least as far as my rusty engineering repair skills are concerned.
I blame middle aged eye-sight and the need for reading glasses for close up work too. It's probably just as well I don't have to build flight simulation rigs any more, though I'm pretty sure I could still do the mathematics, the modelling, the design and the testing the parts of aircraft to destruction bit - operating the rigs and running the tests was never as tricky as constructing them.
Well the saga of the Panasonic DMR EX75 HDD/DVD recorder draws to a close. In any case, the machine won't now pick up the Freeview signal and though I can play what was recorded up to losing the signal, I can't record anything else. The old box of electronics is going to have to be retired. It's taken in
- the perils of online purchasing
- the monumental irritating stupidity of DRM
- the dealings with an approved Panasonic repair shop, J.F. Associates
- the stamina required to deal with zombie rule bound "customer service" centres of large companies
- Panasonic's centre will, once the requisite quantities of precisely the correct type of metaphorical bureaucratic blood are donated, and are pushed in the right direction by an independent Panasonic repair centre, replace faulty parts on their machines
- the freedom to tinker (or not) with electronic boxes of tricks like HDD/DVD recorders
- did I mention the monumentally irritating stupidity of DRM
- the power and the economy of the freedom to tinker
- the value of the internet and all those helpful people connected to it, willing to help out those in need of tinkering tips and tricks
- the easy access to cheap electronic components the replacement of which can negate the need to replace an expensive box of electronic tricks unnecessarily
- and not to forget the incredibly monumentally irritating stupidity of DRM
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Panasonic HDD goes again
Well my Panasonic DMR EX75 DVD recorder failed again on Sunday - same old capacitor problem. First replacement lasted 12 months. Last one lasted 8.
I was out of capacitors, so it was back to Charles Hyde & Son and for £1.31 each I ordered three which arrived within a couple of days. They came with a small pack of sweets which was a nice touch my kids appreciated!
Replacing the capacitor as previously solved the problem. I'm not sure how long the latest one is going to last. The unit was running quite hot and successive solderings are getting more difficult to do and taking their toll on the capacitor base legs. I also initially thought I might have left a dry joint on one of the legs then over-compensated with too much solder leaving a blob but it seems to be working ok, at least for the moment. Maybe the blob will act as a buffer against the overheating caused by the design flaw? We'll have to wait and see.
I was out of capacitors, so it was back to Charles Hyde & Son and for £1.31 each I ordered three which arrived within a couple of days. They came with a small pack of sweets which was a nice touch my kids appreciated!
Replacing the capacitor as previously solved the problem. I'm not sure how long the latest one is going to last. The unit was running quite hot and successive solderings are getting more difficult to do and taking their toll on the capacitor base legs. I also initially thought I might have left a dry joint on one of the legs then over-compensated with too much solder leaving a blob but it seems to be working ok, at least for the moment. Maybe the blob will act as a buffer against the overheating caused by the design flaw? We'll have to wait and see.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
DRM Strikes Again: Samsung Blu-ray Firmware Update Means No Warner Or Universal Movies
This story struck a chord today, though my distaste for DRM is not a secret.
I tried to copy something from my HDD to a DVD, the first time I’ve ever attempted to do this. After 2 hours of apparently copying the programme to the disc, the machine indicated the DVD disc was damaged and it had not copied properly. I pressed the ok button and removed the disc.
The system still registers that there is a disc in the machine even though there is not. Now it will no longer play any of my DVDs. It gives a clunking and whirring noise followed by a No READ error when I insert a movie DVD disc.
I've tried switching it on and off, unplugging the machine for 20 minutes and plugging it back in - standard simple fixes. The problem remains. If it is just a case of dust in the DVD head I'm not averse to lifting the lid and cleaning it. The clunking and whirring, however, suggests the disk drive may need replacing - ridiculously expensive and a bit of a cheek that it should fall over the first time I try to copy to it from the HDD. On the other hand if it is the DRM in the machine throwing a wobbly I'd be equally irritated. In either case I've now got a less than fully functional HDD/DVD gadget sucking electrons out of the wall. Any suggestions on possible simple fixes gratefully received.
"owners of Samsung Blu-ray players have been discovering that the latest firmware update means that movies from Warner Bros. and Universal don't play. Instead, they just lock up thanks to the DRM built into Blu-ray."My Panasonic DMR EX75 DVD recorder has decided it doesn't want to play my DVDs any more.
I tried to copy something from my HDD to a DVD, the first time I’ve ever attempted to do this. After 2 hours of apparently copying the programme to the disc, the machine indicated the DVD disc was damaged and it had not copied properly. I pressed the ok button and removed the disc.
The system still registers that there is a disc in the machine even though there is not. Now it will no longer play any of my DVDs. It gives a clunking and whirring noise followed by a No READ error when I insert a movie DVD disc.
I've tried switching it on and off, unplugging the machine for 20 minutes and plugging it back in - standard simple fixes. The problem remains. If it is just a case of dust in the DVD head I'm not averse to lifting the lid and cleaning it. The clunking and whirring, however, suggests the disk drive may need replacing - ridiculously expensive and a bit of a cheek that it should fall over the first time I try to copy to it from the HDD. On the other hand if it is the DRM in the machine throwing a wobbly I'd be equally irritated. In either case I've now got a less than fully functional HDD/DVD gadget sucking electrons out of the wall. Any suggestions on possible simple fixes gratefully received.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
I've been DRM'd
Well it had to happen didn't it ? After all the years of griping on this blog and other forums (including my forthcoming book) about DRM I've just been caught out by a DRM system. I bought a Panasonic DMR-EX85 DVD recorder from HughesDirect. My kids had had a giggle about Martin's Internet Nano Christmas shopping woes so had been tracking the machine's progress towards us and in that regard everything went ok and it arrived as scheduled yesterday.
I connected all the wires up and the machine went into its automatic set up routine. Again everything seemed fine and it picked up the channels etc. with no apparent difficulties. The digital signal was quite strong though it somehow picked the wrong aspect ratio, so we got an elongated picture until I adjusted it manually. We watched the end of a film on one of the digital channels and again everything was basically ok though the digital signal cut out once or twice when the wind got up later on. Then I put in one of the kids' DVDs.
We get "whirr, beep, whirr, whirr..." for about half a minute as the machine scans the disk, then the display reads “NoREAD” and a small window appears briefly on the TV screen saying “Cannot Read”. Attempting to press the “play” button on the machine or the remote control merely brings up a small red circle with a red diameter in the top right corner of the TV screen. Page 75 of the manual helpfully says this means: “The procedure is being prevented by the unit or the disc” but unhelpfully doesn't provide any remedy whatsoever.
Uh oh, I think, DRM? Well maybe I should try a different disk before jumping to conclusions. I tried six, all with the same result. Grr does this blooming machine think I'm trying to pass a US DVD off on it or something? All six were UK sourced disks though the machine is set up to play region 2 or all region encoded disks. The kids were disappointed not to be able to use the new toy right away
This morning I spoke to a very helpful and technically knowledgeable Hughes' customer service representative called Paul who immediately confirmed my suspicions about the DRM getting a bit confused. Occasionally in transit on some part of the manufacturing process or the supply chain the machine gets a bump which just knocks the drm out of synch and it "thinks" it is officiously carrying out its duty to protect the machine from playing DVDs from unapproved regions and actually it just can't read the code and recognise approved disks either. We both agreed I should send it back to them, so that is where it is going on Friday with Hughes providing a full refund. Since they didn't have any 85s left in stock I've ordered a lower spec and cheaper EX75 instead.
I connected all the wires up and the machine went into its automatic set up routine. Again everything seemed fine and it picked up the channels etc. with no apparent difficulties. The digital signal was quite strong though it somehow picked the wrong aspect ratio, so we got an elongated picture until I adjusted it manually. We watched the end of a film on one of the digital channels and again everything was basically ok though the digital signal cut out once or twice when the wind got up later on. Then I put in one of the kids' DVDs.
We get "whirr, beep, whirr, whirr..." for about half a minute as the machine scans the disk, then the display reads “NoREAD” and a small window appears briefly on the TV screen saying “Cannot Read”. Attempting to press the “play” button on the machine or the remote control merely brings up a small red circle with a red diameter in the top right corner of the TV screen. Page 75 of the manual helpfully says this means: “The procedure is being prevented by the unit or the disc” but unhelpfully doesn't provide any remedy whatsoever.
Uh oh, I think, DRM? Well maybe I should try a different disk before jumping to conclusions. I tried six, all with the same result. Grr does this blooming machine think I'm trying to pass a US DVD off on it or something? All six were UK sourced disks though the machine is set up to play region 2 or all region encoded disks. The kids were disappointed not to be able to use the new toy right away
This morning I spoke to a very helpful and technically knowledgeable Hughes' customer service representative called Paul who immediately confirmed my suspicions about the DRM getting a bit confused. Occasionally in transit on some part of the manufacturing process or the supply chain the machine gets a bump which just knocks the drm out of synch and it "thinks" it is officiously carrying out its duty to protect the machine from playing DVDs from unapproved regions and actually it just can't read the code and recognise approved disks either. We both agreed I should send it back to them, so that is where it is going on Friday with Hughes providing a full refund. Since they didn't have any 85s left in stock I've ordered a lower spec and cheaper EX75 instead.
I await the DMR-EX75, due Friday, on which hopefully the DRM will be more cooperative. Well done to HughesDirect and particularly Paul for being so helpful. My visions of being kept waiting endlessly in an automated answering queue thankfully didn't come to fruition this time.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
iTunes is watching you
Cory is annoyed that a "new version of Apple's iTunes for Mac appears to communicate information about every song you play to Apple, and it's not clear if there's any way to turn this off, nor what Apple's privacy policy is on this information...
I wouldn't buy a stereo that phoned home to Panasonic and told it what I was listening to; I wouldn't buy a shower radio that delivered my tuning preferences to Blaupunkt. I certainly am not comfortable with Apple shoulder-surfing me while I listen to digital music, particularly if they're doing so without my meaningful, informed consent and without disclosing what they intend on doing with that data.
At very least, Apple must deliver information about whether iTunes gathers and transmits your data when the Mini-Store is switched off, and about what it does with the data the Mini-Store transmits when it's loaded."
I wouldn't buy a stereo that phoned home to Panasonic and told it what I was listening to; I wouldn't buy a shower radio that delivered my tuning preferences to Blaupunkt. I certainly am not comfortable with Apple shoulder-surfing me while I listen to digital music, particularly if they're doing so without my meaningful, informed consent and without disclosing what they intend on doing with that data.
At very least, Apple must deliver information about whether iTunes gathers and transmits your data when the Mini-Store is switched off, and about what it does with the data the Mini-Store transmits when it's loaded."
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Technology companies including Intel, Nokia, Panasonic, Matsushita, and Samsung are due to launch a new wireless DRM specification via the trade group the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). They are also creating a non-profit licensing agency, the Content Management License Administrator, (CMLA), to promote the scheme. Toshiba has backed out and though Microsoft is a member of the OLA, they are not part of the new licensing scheme.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Ofcom response on BBC HD DRM freedom of information request
Ofcom have responded to my latest freedom of information request relating to HD DRM.
Paper PE255(09) is a set of slides for a Policy Excutive meeting on 24 September 2009. They refer to the BBC, C4 and ITV being under pressure from rights holders leading to the BBC proposing the HD DRM scheme ("very late in the process") which in turn led Ofcom to write to "key stakeholders" (not including civil society or open source advocates/businesses) and launch a short consultation on the issue, (Enquiry to Ofcom from BBC Free to View Ltd. concerning its DTT High Definition License) on 3 September 2009. Despite the short 2 week time window for the consultation they got over 200 individual responses "universally against" the BBC scheme.
From PE275(09):
Maybe we should ask for evidence of that advice being sought and what specific advice was received in that regard.
On the risks: "Ofcom could face a potentially significant reputational risk if it were to adopt option 1." It might be said that Ofcom:
The interesting thing is that despite this paper containing no evidence for the claim that HD content will be restricted unless the BBC DRM proposal is approved, the recommendation of this paper to Ofcom's Policy Executive at this point is that
I'll have to ponder this but in the meantime I've sent a follow up request on the IPO advice regarding evidence that it was sought and what specific advice was received.
Dear Mr CorriganSome of the information in papers PE255(09) and PE275(09) has been withheld under section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act. The information withheld appears to be related to manufacturers of broadcast receiving equipment and the Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator (DTLA). Ofcom, in PE275(09) refers to this group as the 'Digital Television Licensing Authority'. The DTLA is an organistion set up by Hitachi, Intel, Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba which, according to Ofcom "own the IPR for the DRM technology included in the minimum HD Freeview receiver specifications.
Freedom of Information: Right to know request
Thank you for your request for information requesting copies of documents relating to
Ofcom’s decision regarding Content Management on the HD Freeview platform which
Ofcom received on 6 June 2011 and is considering under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (‘the Act’).
I am writing to confirm that Ofcom has now completed its search.
You asked:
I would like to make a freedom of information request for full and
complete copies of the documents:
(a) recording and explaining the reasons behind Ofcom's decision in
2009 to abandon its long standing opposition to the idea of the BBC
adding digital rights management technology to its high-definition
broadcasts and
(b) outlining the decision making process leading to the Ofcom
public consultation 'Content management on the HD Freeview
platform' (Start date: 22 January 2010, End
date: 02 April 2010).
In respect of your request we are able to provide the following information:
(a) recording and explaining the reasons behind Ofcom's decision in
2009 to abandon its long standing opposition to the idea of the BBC
adding digital rights management technology to its high-definition
broadcasts and
Please refer to the Statement on Content Management on the HD Freeview platform
published on Ofcom’s website via link:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/content_mngt/statement/
(b) outlining the decision making process leading to the Ofcom
public consultation 'Content management on the HD Freeview
platform' (Start date: 22 January 2010, End
date: 02 April 2010).
I would refer you to the Minutes of three Policy Executive Meetings as detailed below and
to the associated Papers. The Papers are attached to the covering email to this letter.
PE255 (09) Digital Rights management on DTT
24th September 2009:
• The team tabled PE 255(09). PE explored with GB and the team the background to the
current issues and the team’s initial assessment of the options for proceeding;
• PE noted that the team would return to a future meeting with a recommendation for how
Ofcom should proceed. PE agreed that, to progress the issue most effectively, the team
should, as a priority, arrange a series of face to face meetings with the key stakeholders,
including rights holders, to better understand their respective positions.
PE 275(09) Digital Rights Management on HD Freeview
22nd October 2009
DH introduced PE 275(09), reiterated the background to Ofcom’s recent consultation
with industry on the BBC’s request to amend a multiplex licence to encrypt HD Freeview
Electronic Programme Guide data, and summarised the responses to that consultation.
During the ensuing discussion, PE:
• agreed that the team should prepare a further consultation (for publication in November
or December 2009, to conclude in February or March 2010) which:
• reiterated Ofcom’s view that providing services in HD on DTT would be in the interest of
consumers, and explained the steps that Ofcom had taken so far, and would continue to
take, to facilitate this;
• emphasised that the BBC’s request had raised a number of broader issues that were not
within Ofcom’s remit to answer, and explained the issues on which Ofcom was consulting;
• expressed concern about competition issues arising from the BBC’s approach and
sought evidence of its impact on the competitive landscape;
• agreed the team should encourage the BBC to resubmit its request with a more thorough
assessment and analysis of the broader range of issues it raised;
• agreed that the team should send a copy of the second consultation document to PE for
information.
PE 370(09) Digital Rights Management on the HD Freeview platform:
17th December 2009
Following a short discussion of the issues raised in PE 370(09), PE:
• agreed that Ofcom should issue a second consultation in early January 2010 on the
BBC’s request for a Multiplex B licence amendment to support their plans to apply Digital
Rights Management to HD content on the DTT platform;
• agreed that approval of the final version of the consultation document should be
delegated to the project sponsors, HN and PP.
Some information within Papers PE255 (09) and PE 275 (09) is exempt from disclosure
under Section 41of the Act. This part of the Act deals with information provided in
confidence and the disclosure of information to the public (otherwise than under the Act)
by Ofcom would constitute a breach of confidence actionable by the person providing the
information. Section 41 is an absolute exemption under the Act and does not require a
public interest test.
It is likely that other exemptions will apply.
Please ensure that when using the provided information in any way, you comply with all
relevant legislation. For example, the information provided may be protected by copyright
under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as amended). If in doubt, please
seek independent legal advice. For Ofcom’s policy on copyright and related issues, please
refer to http://www.ofcom.org.uk/disclaimer.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the
reference number above in any future communications.
Yours sincerely
Julia Snape
Paper PE255(09) is a set of slides for a Policy Excutive meeting on 24 September 2009. They refer to the BBC, C4 and ITV being under pressure from rights holders leading to the BBC proposing the HD DRM scheme ("very late in the process") which in turn led Ofcom to write to "key stakeholders" (not including civil society or open source advocates/businesses) and launch a short consultation on the issue, (Enquiry to Ofcom from BBC Free to View Ltd. concerning its DTT High Definition License) on 3 September 2009. Despite the short 2 week time window for the consultation they got over 200 individual responses "universally against" the BBC scheme.
From PE275(09):
[...]
[...]
[...] Is Ofcom a reluctant participant in the HD DRM issue...
The paper then goes on to consider the 4 options facing Ofcom in more detail ie
- Allow drm
- Refuse to allow drm
- Consult again
- Consult again but allow drm in the interim
Maybe we should ask for evidence of that advice being sought and what specific advice was received in that regard.
On the risks: "Ofcom could face a potentially significant reputational risk if it were to adopt option 1." It might be said that Ofcom:
They were also concerned at the risk of a legal challenge due firstly to Ofcom not following due process and secondly because the BBC might be accused of rigging the market to favour certain manufacturers of receiving equipment.
Paper PE370(09), dated 11 December 2009, recommended option 2 - a second consultation to be initiated in January 2010. The BBC had at this stage submitted a more detailed report, on 9 November 2009, on why they wanted the HD DRM. It's included as an annex to paper PE370(09) but this we've seen before (see p47-86 at http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/content_mngt/summary/condoc.pdf).
The interesting thing is that despite this paper containing no evidence for the claim that HD content will be restricted unless the BBC DRM proposal is approved, the recommendation of this paper to Ofcom's Policy Executive at this point is that
"In the second consultation, we propose to express support for the adoption of the BBC‟s
proposal subject to subject to consultation responses, on the basis that DRM is a
justified objective which ensures the broadest range of content for consumers and the
means of implementation appears to us to be proportionate to that aim.
3. Stakeholders:Taking all of this at face value it would seem that it was the BBC paper of 9 November 2009 that convinced the project group advising the Ofcom Policy Executive that HD DRM was such a good idea that the consultation should not just ask for opinions but support the proposal.
Ofcom received nearly consumer 200 responses to its first consultation opposing the
BBC‟s proposed multiplex licence amendment. The new consumer commitments set out
in the additional information provided by the BBC address many of these concerns, but
the use of DRM is likely to remain contentious and will continue to need careful handling
with consumer groups, MPs and the press. We intend to meet with relevant consumer
groups during the consultation period and highlight that if Ofcom does not approve the
proposed licence amendment there will a reduced incentive for the BBC and other
broadcasters on the DTT platform to introduce a self regulatory code of practice for how
they implement DRM on the DTT platform.
4. Risk and Impact (including Equality Impact):
There is a potential risk to the long term viability of the DTT platform if the BBC‟s
proposed licence amendment is not accepted which must be balanced against the risk of
undue restrictions being placed by DRM on consumer use of HD content, and the
removal of the ability to purchase receivers without DRM. The recently proposed
commitments made by the BBC relating to safeguarding consumer interests against the
inappropriate use of DRM, significantly reduce the potential consumer downsides of their
proposal.
From a competition perspective there is a risk associated with the BBC leveraging its
control of EPG data (using its position as a multiplex licence holder) to secure an
outcome in the receiver market. The BBCs fuller submission provides a useful basis for
evaluating the significance of the consumer benefits and the impact on the competition
from the proposed licence variation."
I'll have to ponder this but in the meantime I've sent a follow up request on the IPO advice regarding evidence that it was sought and what specific advice was received.
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