Hardly - all it shows is that lnb pass through works.:)
The OP said
"It actually works incredibly well with the loopthrough (and surprisingly well without). I was able to simultaneously record BBC3 and BBC4 while watching Five last night without the loopthrough (they share a transponder) ... today with it, I have even more flexibility."
This is documented in the manual as the correct way to run the box with one cable from the dish. In fact, the manual doesn't even suggest you can run it with a single cable without the loopthrough!
It actually works incredibly well with the loopthrough (and surprisingly well without). I was able to simultaneously record BBC3 and BBC4 while watching Five last night without the loopthrough (they share a transponder) ... today with it, I have even more flexibility.
This box has been designed very well to work with one LNB. (Well, except for software updates maybe. <g>)
By any chance did you try and watch a channel on a different transponder but in same band when you were recording BBC3 and BBC4 (ie was it just channels on the same transponder you could get)
The HDR can only understand "USB mass storage devices" with FAT file systems or perhaps Ext2 (untested by me). Some memory sticks aren't true USB Mass Storage devices so I don't recommend their use in general. I have seen about half of USB Flash sticks aren't compliant.
Have any of the one cable guys tried to set a second recording technically not possible at the time ?. Does it just accept the reservation and it will fail if the first tuner fails to move to a suitable channel ?. Is it clever enough to know that a later programme reservation will move to a suitable position. Or does it just allow viewing only on the second tuner?
Has anyone had problems detecting USB drives? I've tried a stick and an external hard drive (both formatted for Windows) and can't find a way to get them recognised. I am pretty sure I'm doing the right thing but the manual doesn't go into a lot of detail here!
As others have mentioned needs to be formatted Fat or Ext2. However I did need to create a folder on my external drive with the system before it let me have the option to Copy - until I did that it was greyed out.
HDMI versions and control: Do you sony guys have any other non sony equipment connected? Think you'll find it needs a Sony badge on the gear to really work, it doesn't work with skyHD, nor Panasonic Blu Ray players.
I wonder how it will see say a 500gb external drive plugged into the back. Also exactly how would you format it.
You can get fat32 formatting software free on the net that eliminate the xp max partition size of 32gB. I have a 500gB drive formatted fat32 I use as a wav file server for my AV amp (no more searching for CD's)
HDMI versions and control: Do you sony guys have any other non sony equipment connected? Think you'll find it needs a Sony badge on the gear to really work, it doesn't work with skyHD, nor Panasonic Blu Ray players.
It is specification HDMI-CEC which is the means of signalling HDMI in version 1.3 etc. This is NOT Sony specific.
It should work on most modern equipment. Just because it doesn't on SKY is not surprising.
Sorry, I meant what formatting option would you use:)
On a windows PC FAT32 is the only option that will work with the Foxsat, there are other options on linux bootable computers. You can't have a file greater than 4gB on a fat32 volume but believe the foxsat will split larger files into sub 4gB bits. As I explained above you can't format a partition of more than 32gB on windows XP but that's easy to get over.
HDMI-CEC is an optional part of the HDMI specification and is also often poorly implemented or implemented in a manufacturer specific way. We had planned to implement this feature on the product but it has been a tough task to get the product to this stage and it is something we may consider as an update at a later date.
By any chance did you try and watch a channel on a different transponder but in same band when you were recording BBC3 and BBC4 (ie was it just channels on the same transponder you could get)
With one cable and no loop through, I'm pretty sure that it would only allow me to watch programmes on the same transponder, which is why I mentioned Five. That's logical as only one tuner was connected to anything.
With the loop through I'm currently recording ITV4 and E4 (same band, different transponders) but live viewing is restricted to those two transponders, so I'm watching More4.
Incidentally, the channel list (when you press OK) is pretty smart and greys out channels that the box can't tune to at the time. However, without the loop-through it implied I could watch channels that I couldn't.
I'd say the box works great with one cable where there's no other option -- and will do me till I get another cable wired up! -- but it's much better with the loop-through.
Have any of the one cable guys tried to set a second recording technically not possible at the time ?. Does it just accept the reservation and it will fail if the first tuner fails to move to a suitable channel ?. Is it clever enough to know that a later programme reservation will move to a suitable position. Or does it just allow viewing only on the second tuner?
Graham -- the box was clever enough to realise that I it can only see one band and wouldn't let me schedule two recordings from different bands against each other.
However, I haven't yet seen a suggestion of an alternative showing (for example, it didn't offer me a Channel 4+1 showing of a programme that clashed an hour before).
However, I haven't yet seen a suggestion of an alternative showing (for example, it didn't offer me a Channel 4+1 showing of a programme that clashed an hour before).
Thats cus Ch4 & Ch4+1 are different polarities at a guess
Thats cus Ch4 & Ch4+1 are different polarities at a guess
That shouldn't make a difference as both tuners would be free by then.
But actually, I think I was mistaken ... I've just done another similar test and the box has offered me a C4+1 episode of The Simpsons because of a clash with a channel on a different band.
With one cable and no loop through, I'm pretty sure that it would only allow me to watch programmes on the same transponder, which is why I mentioned Five. That's logical as only one tuner was connected to anything.
With the loop through I'm currently recording ITV4 and E4 (same band, different transponders) but live viewing is restricted to those two transponders, so I'm watching More4.
Incidentally, the channel list (when you press OK) is pretty smart and greys out channels that the box can't tune to at the time. However, without the loop-through it implied I could watch channels that I couldn't.
I'd say the box works great with one cable where there's no other option -- and will do me till I get another cable wired up! -- but it's much better with the loop-through.
So now if you record two on the same transponder can you watch any other on the same band (just trying to get my head around how far from the icord we currently are)
So now if you record two on the same transponder can you watch any other on the same band (just trying to get my head around how far from the icord we currently are)
Yep! Now recording CBBC and CBeebies and watching Film4.
I tried recording a film on film 4 last night but was already recording something else that overlapped (1 cable) and it offered me the +1 film.I pressed ok but it never recorded.
It is specification HDMI-CEC which is the means of signalling HDMI in version 1.3 etc. This is NOT Sony specific.
It should work on most modern equipment. Just because it doesn't on SKY is not surprising.
See Bob's answer too, but in fact it's rarely implemented properly. As a custom install professional, I don't actually need a lecture on how HDMI connectivity is supposed to work, I thought I'd help you out by telling you how rarely it works in practice, and that most 'same manufacturer' combos of gear stand a much higher chance of working than any other group of parts. If they are meant to be talking the same language, some people's gear speaks Geordie, and others speaks wiltshire. No rhyme or reason to it, we always turn it off. It's not a Humax bug, it's an HDMI bug.
Comments
The OP said
"It actually works incredibly well with the loopthrough (and surprisingly well without). I was able to simultaneously record BBC3 and BBC4 while watching Five last night without the loopthrough (they share a transponder) ... today with it, I have even more flexibility."
By any chance did you try and watch a channel on a different transponder but in same band when you were recording BBC3 and BBC4 (ie was it just channels on the same transponder you could get)
Bob
As others have mentioned needs to be formatted Fat or Ext2. However I did need to create a folder on my external drive with the system before it let me have the option to Copy - until I did that it was greyed out.
Is that one of those hairy ones that some people stick on their heads
Thank you masked avenger!
Bob
Well the cap on it looks exactly like that:)
In a PC
You can get fat32 formatting software free on the net that eliminate the xp max partition size of 32gB. I have a 500gB drive formatted fat32 I use as a wav file server for my AV amp (no more searching for CD's)
It is specification HDMI-CEC which is the means of signalling HDMI in version 1.3 etc. This is NOT Sony specific.
It should work on most modern equipment. Just because it doesn't on SKY is not surprising.
Bob
With one cable and no loop through, I'm pretty sure that it would only allow me to watch programmes on the same transponder, which is why I mentioned Five. That's logical as only one tuner was connected to anything.
With the loop through I'm currently recording ITV4 and E4 (same band, different transponders) but live viewing is restricted to those two transponders, so I'm watching More4.
Incidentally, the channel list (when you press OK) is pretty smart and greys out channels that the box can't tune to at the time. However, without the loop-through it implied I could watch channels that I couldn't.
I'd say the box works great with one cable where there's no other option -- and will do me till I get another cable wired up! -- but it's much better with the loop-through.
Graham -- the box was clever enough to realise that I it can only see one band and wouldn't let me schedule two recordings from different bands against each other.
However, I haven't yet seen a suggestion of an alternative showing (for example, it didn't offer me a Channel 4+1 showing of a programme that clashed an hour before).
Thats cus Ch4 & Ch4+1 are different polarities at a guess
That shouldn't make a difference as both tuners would be free by then.
But actually, I think I was mistaken ... I've just done another similar test and the box has offered me a C4+1 episode of The Simpsons because of a clash with a channel on a different band.
Stupid Lee, clever Humax!
So now if you record two on the same transponder can you watch any other on the same band (just trying to get my head around how far from the icord we currently are)
Yep! Now recording CBBC and CBeebies and watching Film4.
See Bob's answer too, but in fact it's rarely implemented properly. As a custom install professional, I don't actually need a lecture on how HDMI connectivity is supposed to work, I thought I'd help you out by telling you how rarely it works in practice, and that most 'same manufacturer' combos of gear stand a much higher chance of working than any other group of parts. If they are meant to be talking the same language, some people's gear speaks Geordie, and others speaks wiltshire. No rhyme or reason to it, we always turn it off. It's not a Humax bug, it's an HDMI bug.