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HUMAX Foxsat HDR or SKY+ HD


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Old 26-03-2009, 19:24
richlatham
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I currently have SKY+ and want to upgrade to HD since I have an HD TV. I don't watch a lot of Sky, so am reluctant to take their offering for an extra £10 a month, so I am considering the Humax Foxsat HDR.

I've looked at what's on Freesat and have noticed that Sky News and Sky Sports News are not available. Is it possible to pick these up with the Humax?

Still not sure whether to go Freesat, Sky+ HD or do nothing! Any advice appreciated.
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Old 26-03-2009, 19:27
Snoods
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You can get Sky News OK as it's available in non freesat mode, but Sky Sports News is not FTA so it's a no no. (Needs a Sky viewing card on satellite but it's free on Freeview)

Recording is of course free on freesat so no subscription required to record anything.
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Old 26-03-2009, 19:35
richlatham
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Sorry for being a bit thick, but how does "non-freesat" mode work?
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Old 26-03-2009, 19:48
Snoods
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Sorry for being a bit thick, but how does "non-freesat" mode work?
It's just all the FTA channels that are not on the freesat EPG. You do need the EPG to schedule recordings, non freesat channels you can record manually.
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Old 27-03-2009, 09:59
grahamlthompson
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Sorry for being a bit thick, but how does "non-freesat" mode work?
It turns the box into a simple free to air sat receiver that can tune in any free to air channels from any satellite you can point a dish at. With a standard dish there are hundreds of free channels on Astra2/Eurobird 1 that don't appear in freesat mode because they have not paid to be on the freesat epg. Before you can get into non freesat mode you have to tune some channels. (Doing this deletes any progtamme reservations you may have, once tuned and organised you can use non freesat mode without losing your reservations).

To set up non freesat MENU/SETUP/MANUAL TUNE. Leave the default settings and click search. In about 10mins you will have a list of around 450 radio and tv stations. (including 1 extra HD channel Luxe HD).

If you now goto Menu/Settings you have an extra item STB Mode, yours will now say Non Freesat, to return to Freesat mode simply change the menu option
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Old 27-03-2009, 10:02
White-Knight
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You'll get more HD on Sky of course but then again the situation is changing all the time with Dave, Fiver, Five US, Ch4HD and Five HD all rumoured to be lined up to join.

Ultimately Sky will always be better for content and at £29 for a Sky HD Box (Comet) its a cheap upgrade. However, as you already pointed out to yourself there's no such thing as a free lunch and it will cost you an extra £10 per month + an existing Sky + subscription. Ever stop paying your subscriptions and go FTA and your box loses the "+" recording functionality as well as the HD.

On the sports front there is no regular daily sport channel on Freesat at all. However, UEFA cup matches, FA Cup Matches, England Matches, Rugby, Wimbledon, Olympics, are all in HD when available.

Most other Freesat HD is odd film on ITV 1, nature programmes on BBC HD + Antiques Roadshow + Jonathan Ross + lost of kiddies programmes.

However, content is changing all the time no least since the BBC went over to 9 hours of HD per day and are currently taking feedback on programme content.

Obviously if 4HD joins, then there will be a lot more film content in HD.
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Old 27-03-2009, 10:32
awo1949
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On the sports front there is no regular daily sport channel on Freesat at all.
There is some regular sports content via the BBCi Sports Multiscreen (Red Button). This is often overlooked. It's not HD, and there's not a lot of it, but worth having nevertheless. Usually, there's just a few minutes of News summary in a continuous loop, and possibly two or three short programmes featuring topical sports, also in continuous loops. During major events that BBC are covering, there's often a lot more available.
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Old 27-03-2009, 10:42
BKM
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You'll get more HD on Sky of course but then again the situation is changing all the time with Dave, Fiver, Five US, Ch4HD and Five HD all rumoured to be lined up to join.
The "rumour" which you have just invented you mean??
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Old 31-03-2009, 11:37
PlanteZog
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No brainer really. SkyHD box is a pile of pants and after my 3rd box kept crashing with Power Failures (even in the future), usually when I was away on business or on holiday I was happy to dump it and move to the Humax Freesat+.

Reliability wise there is just no comparison and I have so far had 100% reliability with the Humax as oposed to 80% unreliability of SkyHD that needed rebooting every week!
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Old 31-03-2009, 11:58
Tern
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The "rumour" which you have just invented you mean??
Hardly.

They've been around for quite a while.

Some are more beleivable than others, of course.
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:00
Flyer 10
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If you have an HDTV, doesnt it have freeview built in? If so, use that and those 2 channels arent exactly the type youd record anyway.
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:16
BKM
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No brainer really. SkyHD box is a pile of pants and after my 3rd box kept crashing with Power Failures (even in the future), usually when I was away on business or on holiday I was happy to dump it and move to the Humax Freesat+.
Whereas my SKy+HD STB is coming up to 2 years old in June with zero problems!
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:26
Tern
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Whereas my SKy+HD STB is coming up to 2 years old in June with zero problems!
That's quite uncommon, though.

Most people I know with Sky have had to have a box replaced at least once.
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:33
BKM
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That's quite uncommon, though.

Most people I know with Sky have had to have a box replaced at least once.
The early Thomsons (including mine!) are prone to power-supply problems. This is is usual cause of replacements - or there is DIY capacitor kit to fix it (which I have but have never had to use!).

And the 1Tb HDD (which I installed!) also gives an effective VOD service - as I always have stuff recorded which I need to get around to watching!
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:40
davemurgatroyd
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Ultimately Sky will always be better for content and at £29 for a Sky HD Box (Comet) its a cheap upgrade. However, as you already pointed out to yourself there's no such thing as a free lunch and it will cost you an extra £10 per month + an existing Sky + subscription. Ever stop paying your subscriptions and go FTA and your box loses the "+" recording functionality as well as the HD.
Rubbish you can still view BBC HD, channel 4 HD, Luxe HD and soon ITV HD (when new software is finally on all Sky HD boxes). More than you can receive at present with a freesat box.
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:48
Tern
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Rubbish you can still view BBC HD, channel 4 HD, Luxe HD and soon ITV HD (when new software is finally on all Sky HD boxes). More than you can receive at present with a freesat box.
This is the Freesat+ forum.

A such we are interested in PVR's.

You cannot use a Sky PVR without paying a subscription of some kind. End of story.
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:49
grahamlthompson
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Rubbish you can still view BBC HD, channel 4 HD, Luxe HD and soon ITV HD (when new software is finally on all Sky HD boxes). More than you can receive at present with a freesat box.
The whole point was that you can't record them without paying for the priviledge
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:53
BKM
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The whole point was that you can't record them without paying for the priviledge
While true - that's NOT what white-knight actually said!
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Old 31-03-2009, 12:55
Nigel Goodwin
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That's quite uncommon, though.
Not at all, reliability is pretty good - but you never hear about the millions that have been no trouble.


Most people I know with Sky have had to have a box replaced at least once.
Again, those that haven't had any trouble (the vast majority) probably don't mention it.

We're a major ASA, and the failure rate on even the poor Thomson HD boxes is still low, Pace boxes so far have been 100% reliable, and Samsung have had one 'failure' - an intermittently noisely fan. However, other than the Thomson boxes, HD boxes haven't been out long enough for poor reliability to appear (including the Humax ones).
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Old 31-03-2009, 13:06
ian-d
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One of 250 left, your doing well

and the failure rate on even the poor Thomson HD boxes is still low, Pace boxes so far have been 100% reliable, and Samsung have had one 'failure' - an intermittently noisely fan. However, other than the Thomson boxes, HD boxes haven't been out long enough for poor reliability to appear (including the Humax ones).
It was getting to the point where I was recording a 10% failure rate on Thomson HD's, so stopped selling them. Must say that both the Pace and Samsung have been uber reliable so far, which makes them a priority seller. As for the Humax PVR, extremely reliable also, most bugs are software related, not hardware which is good from a retail point of view. Only had a single PVR return, DOA. As for Sky and Sky+, all rock solid.
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Old 31-03-2009, 13:06
grahamlthompson
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While true - that's NOT what white-knight actually said!
It is what the OP asked for though. He did not want to pay to record so any post requiring a subscription is strictly speaking a little off topic
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Old 31-03-2009, 13:17
Tern
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It is what the OP asked for though. He did not want to pay to record so any post requiring a subscription is strictly speaking a little off topic
Sky seem to have stepped up their patrols on this forum today.

It makes Sky and its fanbase seem pretty desperate when they feel the need to make off topic posts where no one (other than themselves) is in the least interested.
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Old 31-03-2009, 13:35
GaseousClay
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Sky seem to have stepped up their patrols on this forum today.

It makes Sky and its fanbase seem pretty desperate when they feel the need to make off topic posts where no one (other than themselves) is in the least interested.
Indeed as soon as the opportunity arises they pounce
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Old 31-03-2009, 17:14
theShadowman
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I did say yesterday that these Sky boys bite easily, and dont they just!
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Old 31-03-2009, 17:49
ian-d
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Yet they spend most of their time in the Freesat forum
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