PSX DVR

PSX DVR (DESR) Game Loading

RiptOPL contains an experimental, read-only ISO discovery path for Sony's PSX DESR digital video recorders. PS2 game launches are handed to a separately installed DVR-capable Neutrino. This is not ordinary PlayStation 2 internal HDD loading.

Merged implementation; hardware testing pending

PR #947 was merged into rebuild/main. Host tests verify integration behavior, but actual DESR-5000 and DESR-7000 cold boot, discovery, launching and return-to-menu behavior remain unverified. Do not format or modify a recorder's disk to test this feature.

Hardware and DVR storage

RiptOPL checks the DVR capability bit SPD_CAPS_DVR before initializing SDK DVRP drivers. On ordinary PS2s it skips this path. The DVR's dvr_hdd0:, dvr_pfs0: and dvr_pfs1: namespaces are separate from normal hdd0: APA/HDLoader games. The scanner searches the DVR data-partition roots, DVD/, and CD/ for ISO files; mounts are read-only.

Experimental setup

Start with a DESR and a current RiptOPL build

Use a build containing merged PR #947. Enable the ordinary HDD game source so its HDD tab is available. The DVR scanner requires the hardware capability check to pass.

Install the complete DVR-enabled Neutrino

Get pcm720's bsd-dvr branch. Keep its neutrino.elf, bsd-dvr.toml and all required DVR drivers together, including dvrdrv.irx, dvrfile.irx and dvrfile_fhi.irx. The regular Neutrino bundled with RiptOPL generally does not include this backend.

Set Neutrino Path and launch

Select that external neutrino.elf in RiptOPL's Neutrino Path setting. Refresh the HDD list; select a discovered DVR ISO manually. The handoff uses -bsd=dvr -dvd=dvr_pfsN:/path/file.iso. Do not pass -qb, which bypasses the required PSX-mode transition. Active -bsd= and -bsdfs= overrides are also refused before teardown, including a redundant -bsd=dvr; the loader owns this backend.

Explicit opt-in required

Enable DESR DVR ISOs (experimental) in Game Sources as well as the HDD source. The switch was merged in #955, defaults to Off and cannot bypass the DESR hardware check.

Current limitations

• Read-only discovery: no partition creation, formatting, renaming, deletion or DVR-side writes.
• 128-title scan limit; overlong paths rejected. Previously valid lists survive unreadable scans.
• Only pcm720's DVR-capable external Neutrino can launch these entries. No embedded OPL HDD-core fallback.
• No claimed PS1 VCD, DVR virtual memory cards, DVR write support or automatic launch of remembered DVR entries.
• Pending physical testing: DESR partition identity, initial/repeated boot, game-ID extraction, module startup and successful Neutrino handoff.

Credits and further reference

Thanks to pcm720 for the DVR Neutrino backend, ps2dev / PS2SDK contributors for DVRP modules, and wLaunchELF_R3Z and its LaunchELF predecessors for DVR device-init precedent. See DVR and DTL credits and the implementation notes.

Sony's DTL-T10000 development TOOL units are a different hardware family. DTL-oriented OPL/wOPL variants are valuable work, but should not be mistaken for DESR DVR support.

Responsible testing

Report DESR model, firmware, RiptOPL SHA, Neutrino bsd-dvr revision, driver-start results, mounted partition labels, ISO path and cold/repeated-launch outcome. Protect the recorder's original disk; RiptOPL does not require flashing DVRPwned firmware.

• Internal HDD Standard PS2 APA/PFS and exFAT

• PC CARD CompactFlash Separate experimental early-console backend

Detailed reference: DESR DVR implementation reference.

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Source: psx-dvr.html @ 20d21131f414. Read on the documentation website.