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Humax Foxsat HDR


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I've read the existing threads.

I'm looking for a bit more information on the Humax Foxsat HDR box. I think it fits the bill for receiving the free UK channels here (looks as though it's virtually the same as the list for a SKY box using the free-to-air viewing card). BUT can you also add channels? And can you get any French channels on it? The answer to this last question is probably "NO" unless you tune it to a different satellite, but I thought I'd ask anyway. The model with the hard drive means I could replace an ageing SKY box and a VCR and get better recording and watch one channel whilst recording another.... the list goes on and on!

Interestingly whilst this box is available in UK for £245, in France it's 345€ (around £300), which seems a big price difference just for a French mains lead!

Sid

  

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When the Humax scans for channels, it lists the usual freesat channels and also whichever other channel is received outside freesat.

Having read the Humax manual front to back and back to front, I cannot see anything about adding channels.

I haven't tried scanning for French channels.

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Why would you buy from a French supplier when the Freesat system does not have an official supplier outside the UK? In the other thread I gave the website of a UK supplier who will ship to France at UK prices.

I understand that you can attach another sat dish to the second LMB input to get a French satellite but you would loose the record one channel while watching another option.

The Humax PVR is probably one of the best bits of equipment that I have bought. It has transformed the way we watch TV. I love the way that you can press one button in the middle of a film and go to bed, and watch the rest in the morning. I like the way that you can just press a button and pause live TV while you pop into the kitchen to make a cuppa.

If the 320 Gb hard drive in the machine is not big enough then it is quite easy to put a 1 Tb drive in at a cost of around €75.

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[quote user="Bob T"]The Humax PVR is probably one of the best bits of equipment that I have bought. It has transformed the way we watch TV. I love the way that you can press one button in the middle of a film and go to bed, and watch the rest in the morning. I like the way that you can just press a button and pause live TV while you pop into the kitchen to make a cuppa.[/quote]

Same here [:)]

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Bob T and Clair

I'd already read your comments about how good this box is, along with many other reviewers who give it great reviews. I'd made my mind up that I would get one but just wanted to know if there were any other benefits for a viewer in France; it would be icing on the cake, but I see now that I missed the pont about the other satellites; my mistake!

I didn't want to mention names, but it was Play.com, who I get books and DVDs from; normally good service and free delivery. They will sell and deliver to UK for £249 but if you click to change the currency for a France delivery it changes to 349€, which is not the same thing at all! That really was the point I tried (unsucessfully) to make. It's not a problem; there are other UK suppliers, including yours Bob, and I can even get it brought over by one of our family in a week or two to save on delivery!

I can't wait to try it, but I'll have to install the additional cable and change the LNB first, so there's something to be getting on with in readiness.

One other point, if one or other of you wouldn't mind checking please; do the subtitles work OK? My wife is nearly totally deaf and she relies on those.

Sid 

 

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[quote user="sid"]do the subtitles work OK? My wife is nearly totally deaf and she relies on those.[/quote]

They work well, with the occasional slight hiccup. On the odd recording, I find they are are slightly out of sync.

 

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Thanks Clair; they're often out of sync on our SKY box too, and as you say with the odd hiccup; we had "Swan Flaw" this morning during the now daily panic about H1N1 virus.

So that's it, decision made.

Sid

 

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Hi Sid,

This is a good bit of kit. You can add channels using the non-freesat mode in the set up menu. You could also receive french channels on the HDR using a DiseqC swich and a second dish pointed at a suitable satellite but I wouldn't. You can get a cheap HD receiver connected to the second dish for £100ish and its much easier to set that up and much more flexible in use.

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[quote user="Slippery Sam"]Hi Sid,

This is a good bit of kit. You can add channels using the non-freesat mode in the set up menu. You could also receive french channels on the HDR using a DiseqC swich and a second dish pointed at a suitable satellite but I wouldn't. You can get a cheap HD receiver connected to the second dish for £100ish and its much easier to set that up and much more flexible in use.


[/quote]

I had a look at the back panel of one and there are two co axial feeds in ( both of these possibly required for watch one channel record another) and one out. I could not find a mention of support for DiseqC switching in the specifications. The menu structure and scanning system both suggest that even more so that a Sky digibox the system expects to receive information on new channels and moves of frequency, polarisation, FEQ etc from the same feed as the EPG.  I stand ready for correction on this if anybody has their hands on one.

I agree with you comment on a second dish but both Fransat (if you can find one) and TNT par satellite are currently very expensive for HD receivers.

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[quote user="Slippery Sam"]You can add channels using the non-freesat mode in the set up menu.[/quote]

Thanks fro the clarification.

I did find the Humax booklet badly written and badly laid-out (as is the remote).

I found these very useful: http://www.avforums.com/forums/pvrs-vcrs/874373-humax-9300t-pvr-owners-thread.html and http://www.avforums.com/forums/freesat/870432-humax-foxsat-hdr-freesat-owners-thread.html

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Hi Anton, It does have Diseqc and USALS. If you connect two dishes instead of two feeds from the same dish, you can't watch something else whilst its recording. There are other issues which make dual french/english use a real headache and I opted for the two box route. You can buy the Pace DS810XE HD receiver for the french stuff as it has a working slot for viaccess for under £100 or buy the horrible TNTSAT Sagem HD box with a five year card for about 230€. That has lots of french channels and TF1, 2 & M6 in HD.

PS The five year card only works in its paired box.

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Thanks for the additional information. I don't want to go down the extra dish route though.

My Humax is on its way but won't be here for a couple of weeks; free delivery by my son! Can't wait but I'll do the cabling in the mean time.

Sid

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In the Foxsat (I have just the HD not the HDR, but it should be the same) menu options, TV setup you can choose STB MODE: Freesat, or non-freesat.  Freesat excludes channels not on the official Freesat list, non-Freesat scan lets you scan for any channel (so you 'add channels') - so you can get the lot . you can then use favourites to eliminate the ones you don't want.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a quick update: Humax box arrived, unpacked and installed in about 15 minutes. All working well. It's a great piece of kit. BBC HD is very impressive for picture quality. The "pause live TV" is superb, and being able to record 2 channels is a bonus. Who needs SKY?

Sid

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  • 1 month later...
  • 6 months later...
you can buy refurbished ones (new returns) direct from Humax and save quite a bit - the HD box is £89 rather than £130-140, and you get a year's guarantee (most elecronics fails pretty quickly, or when it gets old, so 2-3 yr guarantees really don't make that much sense)  just google Humax and look for 'Grade A' product. I loved my HD box so much, I got an HDR one for christmas! 
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