Considering Humax HD+ - can anyone help fill me in?

[Daft Doctor]

Hi, I am interested in finding out more about using a Humax HD+ box in France.  We currently have Sky HD+ but are moving to a new rental property (an old Farmhouse apartment) at New Year.  The owners have sanctioned us organising a dish and feeds to receive Sky there, but there may be practical issues which would make it difficult (need to avoid holes in walls, loose cables trailing through the apartment, etc).

There is already a dish up receiving French satellite channels, so we were thinking of an alternative to Sky for receiving some English speaking channels (please no comments about watching English TV not helping with learning French - we are doing ok in that respect and our 10 year old has settled much better having some familiar entertainment to watch).  I have heard of the Humax box to a degree but I have some basic questions which I hope someone out there might be willing to answer:

1. Does the Humax HD+ box simply provide a way to record and replay free to air TV channels in France, as distinct from using a sky box without a card which doesn't enable recording?  Are there any other advantages?

2. Does a Humax HD+ box need the same dish, dish orientation and feeds to a Sky HD+ box?  Is the Humax easy to set up.

3. What do they cost? Is internet the cheapest way to get hold of one?

4. Can anyone provide a full list or a link to a full list of free to air English speaking channels accessible through a Humax HD+ box?

5. Are there other options to consider.  We have Orange internet TV which we may be able to hook up but I dont think there are any English channels available through it.  Can English TV be accessed in other practically realistic ways through the internet (i.e. using a full sized TV in the living room?

As always, every bit of help and advice is very gratefully received.  [:D]

 

[Quillan]

I don't know where about you will be living but before I got to excited you might like to know that a new satellite was launched yesterday which could have a profound impact on receiving UK TV in France via satellite. There is some more information about this at the end of the following thread.

http://services.completefrance.com/forums/completefrance/cs/forums/2798039/ShowPost.aspx

It is predicted (although not know for certain) that the UK channels will move to this new satellite in November after which we may be OK , we may need a big (like 1M dia) dish or even bigger or we may loos access to UK TV (and radio) completely. To be honest nobody knows what will happen. So basically until then I would hold of doing and especially buying anything. If you mark this section of the forum to receive notifications you will find out soon enough.

If you have a high enough Internet speed for French TV with Orange (i.e. you don't need a dish) then you can watch programs in their original language. So if you are in to American TV series or watching American or English films your be fine.

As to the rest of it well new models comes out every day so wait and see what happens in November and then ask the same set of questions again.

[woolybanana]

You can also watch live uk tv on your ipad via an app. Not ideal but a port in a storm

[AnOther]

You can find out about all Humax products here and the channels available here

Personally I think I'd hang on to the Sky+ box and subscription it it's an option, the dish requirements are the same.

[Daft Doctor]

Thanks to all.  As Quillan has said, yesterday's launch of Ariane 5 and the Astra 2F satellite will make a difference, we must wait and see what the practical as opposed to the predicted UK beam footprint will be.  All the info on predicted footprints I've just looked at suggests that here in Haute Savoie we should still have reception from the UK beam and be able to access Sky and fta UK channels, but we might well need to upgrade to an 80cm dish to do it.  Seems that Humax offers no advantage in terms of the dish and connections needed, so we'll just have to find a non-intrusive way of kitting up the new rental apartment.  At least by January we should know exactly what reception we can get and what dish will be optimum. 

Is there a good link anywhere to a comprehensive list of free to air UK channels available through satellite? Thanks again. [:)]

[Daft Doctor]

Oops sorry, didn't see the link on AnOther's post, very useful! [:$]   

[sid]

If you've already searched the forum you'll find that I'm a Humax fan. I find that it's better than the simple SKY box (boxes actually because I had a spell of replacing them frequently due to failure). I didn't have a SKY subscription nor did I have the hard disc SKY Plus box, so the Humax was a big improvement being able to show HD channels (BBC1 ITV1 and CH4) and the recording facilities, AND I don't have to rely on the Murdoch empire.

From your comment it sounds as though you don't think there's any advantage, so I would recommend that you stay as you are to avoid disappointment,  unless your SKY box is getting long in the tooth. Why not wait until you need to replace it?

 

[AnOther]

As regards cable installation you can get special flat adapters for passing them through doors and windows.

I would expect some loss of signal with such arrangements though.

[img]http://images.philips.com/is/image/PhilipsConsumer/SWV4350S_10-IMS-global?wid=430&hei=430&$jpglarge$[/img]

[Daft Doctor]

Thanks AnOther, that's another possibility to consider, if the signal loss isn't major (notwithstanding the Astra 2F footprint) that may be a very good option.  I know there's a hidden conduit into the apartment from the existing satellite dish, set up for French TV with a single feed upstairs into a mezzanine area.  I will need to have a second dish erected (the other apartments use that dish as well as ours), possibly switch over the coaxial connection from the French dish LNB to new dish LNB but doubling up the feed and getting it downstairs may be the crunch.  Chances are once we're in I'll get someone to take a look, running cables round the outside then in through a door or window may be the only realistic way.  Just have to make sure the proprietors are happy, they'll be living in the apartment downstairs!

[Sprogster]

Quillan, the new satellite should not have any impact on northern France as Sky and Freesat have to maintain sufficient coverage and signal strength for the Channel Islands, being part of Great Britain and liable to the UK TV licence fee!

Sky also have thousands of subscribers in Jersey and Guernsey and transmit BBC Channel Islands and Channel ITV.

[AnOther]

Expect some howls of anguish from the Spanish expat community though [;-)]

This is the anticipated footprint of the new 2F satellite.

[img]http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/Resources/ASTRA_2EFG_UK_ku_band_spotbeam.jpg[/img]

[Quillan]

[quote user="Sprogster"]Quillan, the new satellite should not have any impact on northern France as Sky and Freesat have to maintain sufficient coverage and signal strength for the Channel Islands, being part of Great Britain and liable to the UK TV licence fee! Sky also have thousands of subscribers in Jersey and Guernsey and transmit BBC Channel Islands and Channel ITV.[/quote]

Yes but have a look at where the OP is talking about and at AnOther's map and he won't be covered which is what I suspected.

[Daft Doctor]

Quillan, AnOther's 2F UK footprint map shows the area which should have reception with either a 45cm or 60cm dish.  Where we reside is just outside of the 60cm zone, which is why I think it is both likely that we will have reception but that an 80cm dish will be needed.  There is of course a chance that we will have no reception but on the info I have seen online I think this is very unlikely.  Time of course will tell however. 

[AnOther]

I agree, I am further South of the footprint than DD is East of it but fully expect to be able to continue viewing. Let's face it, the 2F footprint is virtually identical to the equivalent 60cm 2D one and if that is to be taken as anything approaching accurate then I should be getting hardly a whiff on a 'tractor seat' !

[img]www.astra2d.com/images/Maps/astra2d.jpg[/img]

I was anyway already planning to upsize my current standard UK 'tractor seat' dish to 80cm and have all the equipment so just need to get around to doing it.

The 80cm dish is going in a slightly different location so what I will probably do is get that up and aligned with an old single LNB but continue on the old dish and it's quad until 2F comes onstream, just so I know if it still works on that. Knowing whether it does or doesn't I will be better qualified to comment when (not if !) the 'HELP I've lost Sky' posts start to come in !

As I said, I think the howls of anguish will be mostly from our compatriots in Spain many of whom already have to resort to extreme measures for their Corrie and Emmerdale fixes !

[img]http://www.3pmfooty.com/images/Iberiafoot.jpg[/img]

[Patf]

We've got Humax HD, since early this year.

I can't remember how much it cost, but I know Eddie was very excited about it at first. Can't comment on the technical side, except that it has a facility where you can record one programme while watching another.

Personally I don't find any improvement in the clarity of the picture, the graphics are hard to read (grey on blue) and sometimes I can't even work out how to put it on!