O T:- Oh Do I Respect Your Advice !!!

[the_constructor]

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever been on a suppliers website like Amazon and read the reveiws that people put on goods.... I always get the feeling that they are written by the companies own employees, becasue they look so similar in content .....

Well, I respect more, the views of the users on the free.uk.diy.home and uk.diy groups.

What am I leading to:- I am seriously considering dumping my sky+ and moving over to Freesat+ (not SKY freesat) and have been looking at a replacement box for the sky+ one..

The one that interests me is the Humax Foxsat-HDR Freesat+ PVR 320Gb. It seems to be just like the sky+ box, or at least that is what I gleam from the advertising blurb.

Is anyone on Freesat, got one of these boxes or a different make of box and can tell me what if any are the problems they have experienced with them.

12 Months of my sky subsctription would pay for one of the Humax boxes.

Any advice would be seriously appreciated......

Jim

[Andy Burns]

I don't own one, but over on uk.tech.digital-tv they seem to highly regarded, given the size of recordings (especially HD) I'd say consider the 500GB instead of the 320GB (I have 1TB on my SD setup and that's often full).

[Java Jive]

[tony sayer]

Yep thats the best place to go for this argument;)..

[fred]

In article , the_constructor writes

I got one of my elder rellies one of these for Christmas (pre-gifted, mid Oct) and she thinks it's f'ckn brilliant (may have been expressed slightly differently but that is the gist), highly recommended, easy setup with automatic inclusion of all regional options at the 900 channel level and very easy to use. I was worried about the small buttons and idents on the remote so created a double sided laminated crib as a reference which has helped but she has found both use and recording very straightforward.

I'll tidy up the crib and publish it if there is interest.

Have you seen the graded units on the Humax website?

[the_constructor]

I'd be interested Jim

[<me9]

I'm quite happy with mine. I did have to sweep snow out from in front of the LNB last year, but apart from that, 100% so far.

I may be easily pleased, but not paying to murdoch's empire is a definite plus.

You may miss out on the odd HD channel but you do get ITV1HD, BBC HD and BBC1 HD. Is it worth the subscription for the others?

[<me9]

I'd agree with the above, I've been running around 96% full for the past year. It would probably be the same wuth a 10 TB drive though!

[fred]

In article , the_constructor writes

Sure, here's the original:

Page1:

spotted a few unclear bits in it during a teaching session and annotated a copy at the time. I will update it when I get a mo, which will probably be in the new year, and repost.

Copyright reserved as a derivative work, free distribution for non commercial use.

[Ret.]

My daughter and her husband ditched Sky six months ago and bought a Humax Foxsat Freesat box. They are delighted with it - and with not having to pay the Sky subscription! They mainly watch the usual terrestrial channels and so it was fine for them.

Personally I like the extra channels on Sky (particularly Sky movies), and because I have Sky Broadband I now have the new 'Anytime +' system which, in addition to the normal Anytime programmes, has a 'library' of downloadable movies and programmes for viewing whenever you want.

[the_constructor]

I have a Panasonic Freeview TV and a Panasonic Freeview DVD recorder. As for the channel numbering, that is how it is on Sky+, the numbers are all over the place. I got sky+ about 18 months ago, the wife wasn't really interested as she isn't really interested in much TV at all, but there are far more channels on Freesat and they are the channels that I usually watch on Sky+ anyway so it makes sense to me to say bye bye to Mr Murdoc. Jim

[Moonraker]

I have one, it does (unusually) all it says on the box. Also it handles subtitles well, which for us old deafy's is a necessity, except, of course, ITV HD, as it has none, shame"!

-- Residing on low ground in North Staffordshire

[Peter Scott]

I've had one for over a year. Mostly excellent. Software is a bit clunky in places, particularly in handling programmes that have been recorded. But OK. Easy to set up. More signal sensitive than other makes I've tried, so is reliable. However big the disk you must be disciplined about watching or deleting. There are occasional lock-ups but power off and on cures them and I believe this is addressed in the software upgrade that I haven't done yet. I now buy nothing but Humax for freesat. Got two other high def non-recorders elsewhere in my house. One son complains about not having Dave when he comes to visit.

Peter Scott

[David J]

I hate to be the only dissenter here, but I'm not really impressed with my Humax Foxsat HDR + PVR 320Gb.

Anyone who imagines that the recording side is as convenient as the superceded VTR systems is going to be disappointed. Navigation to a position on a recorded disc is nowhere near as easy as it is on a tape.

The quality is fine enough, but the hassle in starting and stopping the recording is abysmal. I recorded the entire series of The Wire but on the early episodes I missed the first few minutes of every program as the recorder failed to recognise the start. (it was a potted version of the previous episode, but with the entry to the new one)

Additionally, every time I switch the Humax on (not daily) it wants to do a search for new channels that takes about 3 -5 minutes. That's great if you want to grab the start of as new program.

Altogether, newer technology has meant more complexity, and a bewildering users handbook. Furthermore, you cannot get a matching TV to go with this device.

[Clive George]

I'll ignore the rest, but this one strikes me as very odd. Navigation to a position in a recorded programme should be miles better than tape - and there should be no concept of position on the disc. I don't have the device in question, but I do have a Humax 9200 Freeview/PVR box, and it's a question of choosing the programme, then go forwards/back at a choice of speeds up to 64x - and I think there's a way to cursor to the position too. Beats tape because a) you don't have to shove the thing in

- the entire collection is there to play with, and b) moving position is faster - no moving of tape between play and fast wind, for example.

Or is this DVD recording?

[tony sayer]

Ummm ... this PC has a satellite card, multi LNB connected, installed that has a VCR section and tell U what .. a none too tech person uses it and has no problems at all finding what she needs quickly and when wanted, and can edit that burn to DVD all on the PC..

And on some channels in HD too!..

The VCR and tapes are long up the tip:)...

and it can stream over the home net to the TV in the living room as well as talk to the dreambox there too}....

Perhaps you have the wrong device?..

[Peter Scott]

You start a playback and fast forward or back to the position you want. You can opt to play from last position from the menu.

Agree that occasional misses of start occur due to schedule changes. Aren't they all like that? Setting up a recording is easy. Find it in the Electronic Programme Guide schedule and press the record button.

Using the remote, just say that you don't want to search.

Don't understand. Match in what way?

Time shifting is a breeze. You pause the programme you are watching then restart it later. Handy when someone phones. The porgramme being watched is always buffered to the hard disk.

The manual is poor in places. Goes around the houses instead of telling you exactly what to do. In most cases you don't need it though.

This comment is correct in one thing. These are early products in a very complex field. There are bound to be things needing improvement (remember the first PCs?). Humax is the best in the field at present.

Peter Scott

>

[David J]

I was using the Electronic Program Guide... I deduced that The Wire has a preamble, then the actual start of a new chapter. There must be a signal inserted at the wrong place here, as the preamble was being lost.

Yes but you cannot set up an option 'Do not search'

Well with Panasonic you can get a suite of kit (TV, DVD player) which all compliment each other. At my time of purchase they had nothing to match the Humax. I believe they do now.

If you want to view and record different channels simultaneously, you must have a dual LNB installed on your satellite dish.

[R D S]

Same here, that was the main benefit of switching to Freesat.

[Jonathan]

Humax have been making TVs for years

Jonathan