Folder / Firmware

[Lupo]

I just set up my little TVIX box and must say I am already positively impressed of my new toy. At least of the hardware! The manual gives not really a lot of information and the manager is a pretty ugly piece of software.
Anyway it?s a pretty new thing which leaves a lot of space for discovering and playing. Let me ask the following questions:

I ripped a DVD and moved the Folder containing the data?s to TVIX HDD, unfortunately this folder pops up under every directory when the TVIX if connected to the TV. Is there any trick to display the folder only under the movie section?

Has somebody an idea how to get into the firmware? For the beginning maybe just to add a personal touch to it in the form of a different background skin?

Thanks for helping and enjoy your TVIX?.

Lupo

[longinus]

What I do is create differente partitions on the disk... One for Movies, another for Anime, etc.... I select them in the right side of the screem...
This way, everything is organized better, I think..

About the firmware, it would be REALLY nice to have an open-source firmware... I understand tivx runs some form of linux.... but even thought I know something about linux, I don't know how to reverse engenier the firmware file..

I can get some info from it..
It's a UClinux (http://www.uclinux.org/) 2.4 (kernel 2.14.17, it seams). It's a Sigma Design ARM chip, and you find lots of help for running linux on it (http://www.developer.axis.com/software/). The interface is made of png images, and most of the text is there in plain ascii format....

I could try to change it, but I don't wan't to kill my TVix... :D

I'll look more into it.... Someone else with more skills would like to try?

[Lupo]

Hello longinus,

Thanks a lot for your answer. I did exactly the same. I made as well 2 partitions, which as you said helps a great deal in organizing.
Thanks for the links, I will research further. Anyway I do not know a lot about linux programming but maybe there will be a way?

Lupo

[longinus]

I've got news..
I looked around, and found out how to extract the rom (images, etc)... It's uses a small linux-based filesystem called roomfs. If you have linux, you can just mount the tvixfw.bin file... (the other one, you use tar xvf)...

If you have windows, you this (http://www.gooddvdstuff.com/files/dlindex.php?action=downloadfile&filename=romfs_tool.zip) tool.. just type romfs.exe tvixfw.bin -x. I've found this tool in some KISS player site...

After you extracted everything, you can see the filesystem of the player.. . the images and the programs. So you can play with it..
Note.. Some images (backgrounds) are jpeg.. But everything else are PNGs files, but I can't open them properlly.. The look strange in photoshop.. Anyone can get them to show up like they should?

Anyway... I'll try to repack the firmware (using something called gemromfs).. If it works, then I'll try to change some images.

[Lupo]

Hey,

I downloaded the program for XP to decode the firmware. I was trying for several hours, but was unable to get the program running. Is there a guide on how to install and use the tool? The program is attached, is it the correct one?

Lupo

[longinus]

It didn't work? What happened??

Maybe you need something else... I was trying a LOT of different ways to get romfs working in windows (in linux is very easy).... And so I installed some drivers... Maybeee this program uses them..

Get this..
http://www.acc.umu.se/~bosse/romfs.zip

Them copy the file (from this zip) \sys\bin\xp\chk\i386\romfs.sys to your windows\system32\drivers folder..

Then import romfs.reg to the Registry.
Reboot your computer (important!)

Finnaly open a command prompt and type: net start romfs
Then try the program...

[longinus]

Ok, I zipped the files inside the ROM...
Just download this, unzip, and play! :p

DOWNLOAD LINK (http://www.neoplastique.com/longinus/stuff/tivx_firmware_dump.zip)

[mete_007]

now can you reverse the process so that one can change the
splash screens that are jpg files? and re package it for downloading
into the tvix?

[longinus]

now can you reverse the process so that one can change the
splash screens that are jpg files? and re package it for downloading
into the tvix?

I didn't have time to try it yet.
But I'll.... and i'll let you guys know... (if a fried my tvix.. :D )

[bones69]

Hi guys.
Great work on the Tvix. I got one recently and want to hack it. I'm starting to learn linux now. So what else have you found out about the device.
I'm thinking if it has a usb interface then it opens up a whole range of things.
wireless lan etc. All you need to do is change the programing to bidirectional.
Is there any photo's around to see what chipsets are inside to unit.
And have you seen any emulators for romfs to run on xp or linux for testing purposes.
Any info would be great.

Bones

[longinus]

Bones69, you can open yours and check out...
This guide to open it is really good..

http://tvix.site.voila.fr/

[Exor]

Did all the fun stop here?

Who did it go? I found this now and it sounded like you had somthing going there. It would be be super if sombody released an allternativ firmware to the tvix 3000. Think to have the little bugger as a computer by it's own. To have all the things you need with in it. Not as now an half finsihed product.

Please say if you found at anything on you research or if you now any site where they had done smoting like it.

/Tvix in sweden...

[longinus]

Hi guys.
Great work on the Tvix. I got one recently and want to hack it. I'm starting to learn linux now. So what else have you found out about the device.
I'm thinking if it has a usb interface then it opens up a whole range of things.
wireless lan etc. All you need to do is change the programing to bidirectional.
Is there any photo's around to see what chipsets are inside to unit.
And have you seen any emulators for romfs to run on xp or linux for testing purposes.
Any info would be great.

Bones

Nothing really happened after this. :(
Too bad... Now the official firmwares for the old tvix will probably stop (with the new ones getting new firmwares). Soo having linux in it would be REALLY nice... But I guess no one with good linux knowledge uses the device...

It shouldn't be too hard... you can get uclinux, sdks, etc.... of course all the other apps, like that player and interface we wouldn't have.. BUT the fist step is to get a open source linux on it.. than we go for the other things...