[jtl]

I'm making a new thread for my notes, in hopes the ReplayFolk will be able to participate in the existing threads -- it'd be nice to have a better solution for this problem.


This is a much much smaller change than the 4.3 stuff I was looking at over the weekend. Only four files are changed (but they include the three most important):

rom.bin -- a new ROM image to be loaded; still claims to be version 0.38, but with a new build date.

ptv.bin -- the kernelish piece

IAppShell.out -- the main application piece

IBuildInfo.out -- the build date & time.


There are no new interesting strings in any of those files, which presumably means no major functionality changes (although it's possible the modem is enabled anyway -- there have been modem setup panels there all along, and I never have figured out what would enable them).


None of the encryption/verification changes are here, nor is the new IVS status screen, or the new information panel, or any of the other stuff I was talking about in the "4.3 software coming soon?" thread. Maybe all that is coming soon still, or maybe it's 4500 only, or maybe it's not coming any time soon and I just got lucky with a version number guess.

 

[KenL]

Absolutely fascinating jtl!


Still doesn't mean it's not coming... and I suppose 4K/4.5K could even end up with differing versions (?) although that seems unlikely if the hardware is identical.

 

[KenL]

Have we yet heard what version is on the 45xx? Surely this is it?

 

[jtl]

The only change in ptv.bin is the version number.


I'm maybe 1/4 of the way through the IAppShell.out changes, and so far the only changes are magic numbers passed to logging function -- lots of 1s and 3s changing to 0s and 4s -- I'm guessing this turns off the user activity logging which wasn't supposed to have been on in the first place.

 

[jtl]

I think the 4500s must have some version of 4.3 -- all that authentication stuff makes sense in a subscription model, to prevent users from getting service for free.

 

[jtl]

Yep, that's it -- just magic number changes to the logging functions, for recording, deleting, and the various channel , show & live VCR events.

 

[KenL]

Ok so it's not really a new software version then... just slight build tweak to adjust that oversight.


Nevermind 4K folks.

 

[KenL]

But why fix logging as an intermediate step? Perhaps we are looking @ separate paths for a while?

 

[jtl]

They didn't intend to have the logging on in the first place, and had said (mistakenly) that it *wasn't* on. In some of the court papers filed recently (somewhere in the set on May 24th), they basically said as soon as the judge let them, they wanted to turn it off and throw out all the data they'd inadvertantly collected.


Maybe they or their lawyers read the overturning of the surveillance order as permission to do so?


Now -- why do this *instead* of an update to 4.3...good question. 4.3 build 180 was built April 25th; I don't think they were even aware of the logging until a month or so after that, so presumably it's still on in there. Even the mysterious 4.3 build 190 is only from May 2nd.


I'd *guess* (and we can see how accurate my guesses on this have been the past few days!) that both 4000s and 4500s will be getting another update in the next 2-3 weeks, to a 4.3.0 build 250ish, or a 4.3.1.

 

[KenL]

Yep that's what I meant by fixing it. BTW your rather educated guesses have been right on the the mark. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon14.gif


There are still a few unanswered questions in those new articles and press releases. It sounds like they are very firmly behind all the features. That's going to be such a shock to naysayers when they resolve it all and we still have our (to quote arjay) "high end DVR"!