I know, I have to be patience, and I think I have. I have been quiet for another month, but I do think it is now fair enough to ask Bob-Cat for an update, if there is any.

Is there any further news of any kind of a firmware update for the FOXSAT-HDR? either by satellite or by internet/USB?

(I just want to delete my recordings while watching other stuff and not have to wait for other scheduled recordings to be finished)

Wouter, still patiently waiting...

Seconded, I'm so bad at being patient without a drip feed of info..

I don't see the point in continually asking. I'm sure if bob had any news he would let us know. You will turn your box on one morning and the update will be there..........and all hell will be let loose as not everyone is going to get what they want

But thats the fun of it! It's like the British national sport. If it wasn't the HDR it would be the weather or Swine Flu.

I shall go back to lurking.. :sleep:

I fully agree about the delete function - it's the delete function that is really painful to use I also really hope they rearrange that whole area of file management.

We know it has to be fully tested - but.. pleasssssseeeee... enough is enough.

Patrick

Even if Bob won't confirm when the update will be released (assuming they have a planned date) it would be nice to know what has been fixed so far and maybe what else they hope to fix before an update is released.

Actually, by us making noise we show we care about this product and its development. If nobody was asking questions, making noise, etc., why would Humax bother to further develop an existing product for which they don't create extra revenue. It's all about customer feedback.

I'm sure Bob_Cat said the firmware was scheduled for June or July- not long to go now.

Bob_Cat mentioned April, and May as well ... .. .

All together now!

"But it's a long time from May to December and the days grow shorter when you reach September".

All we know is that it will be released when there's a 'y' in the day.

I am afraid I have nothing to say, I am mostly leaving the engineers to their task and I can't ask anything at the moment because this weekend is a long holiday in Korea. I don't follow every part of the development and fixes because I'm not a project manager. My current focus is on just one very special feature due this year.

Bob

Wot's that then you big tease ? Iplayer ?

A new firmware isn't just about the (ridiculous) delete process but about the seemingly increasing number of freezes we're getting.

It's not about convenience, it's about the box actually working...

I appreciate Bob_Cat's feedback and support, so the following comments are not personal but related to Humax in general.

I have to say that I am now starting to be less appreciative of Humax regarding their lack of a firmware update for the FOXSAT-HDR.

We all seem to agree there are some obvious issues that need fixing, being it the ease of deleting, or some freezes. Waiting for 6 months and still not knowing when an update is due is becoming very long and to an extend unacceptable. I'm not asking for new features etc, just improving a few basic functionality which seems to be under par at the moment.

It is nice to hear that in September, or thereafter, we get a new feature (i.e. bbc iplayer), but for me that is less important than fixing some long outstanding issues.

Wouter.

When they said 'May' I thought that was a ridiculous length of time but if they were making a really thorough job of fixing the niggles it would be worth the wait.

Now there still doesn't seem to be an update on the horizon I'm begining to wonder about Humax.

Their 'excellent customer service' and 'responsiveness' seem to be entirely mythical.

It's just a good job that the basic functionality of the box has been rock solid (for me) that saves the day.

Although frustrated by some of the firmware problems, I am happy to wait, assuming (and hoping) that the next release will have had proper testing before release.

In my working life, I have seen a great deal of commercial software that has obvioulsy not been properly tested, despite the reassurance of QA procedures etc. where within 5 minutes, I have managed to "break it" or find that basic functionality does not work.

Frank

If I thought that the delay was because they were doing a very thorough job of fixing all the niggles and a similarly thorough job of testing the changes I'd be happy.

However, after the amount of time that has gone by I rear it's more likely to be that they have only assigned one developer to the project and s/he is only fitting the work in between other commitments.

After all, how long did it take them to get the PVR out after the non-recording box? They've had nearly as much time again and yet produced nothing.

Really, not looking good.

Didn't the updates for the other Humax boxes take just as long, if not longer? Did they not make the boxes much more stable and add great features? Just go over to the Sky HD forums and see how many problems they have! You are all early adopters of new technology so you all need to be prepared to put up with bugs as all new technology that has come out has had.

from a personal point of view im happy to wait. The delete function isnt a great bother to me, i can just delete another time. I'd say it was a niggle more than anything.

the box as a whole is rock steady. I think it has frozen just once since i have had it (from launch) and if a big update is coming i would rather Humax test the box to death, as an early adopter with with a foxsat zapper I know how frustrating it can be to have an unstable stb.

the box as it is excellent and performs as described. I like anyone else want extra features added for free but i dont think Humax are being unfair.

I got the impression that they brought out updates for the non recording Foxsat a lot quicker.


I'm quite happy with the box as is.

I was just pointing out that they have spent an inordinate amount of time and not yet come up with anything and I think that does not bode well for a comprehensive set of bug fixes - it looks more like inadequate resourse allocation.

Naturally I will be very happy to be proved wrong.

I was referring to the Humax Freeview recorders- I'm pretty sure people said these had a similar amount of bugs and niggles, which were eventually pretty much completely fixed with extra features added. I really don't think you need to worry that Humax are on Alba's level of technical incompetence....

A resounding "hear, hear" to that!!! But I also doubt Humax are up to the level of respected big names such as Sony or some of the other niche players such as Technisat. It will be manufacturers such as these that I will be more likely to be looking when it comes time to replace my HDR.

The Humax HDR has one over-riding advantage at present. Its the only freesat PVR, and that looks to be the case for a while yet. With that in mind, it is well worth buying.

My thoughts exactly!

Drawing parallels from the PACE which I was using before the functionality of my HUMAX it is in a totally different league. It works for me and I am chuffed with it. Usually I am not so fortunate and it is a shame that not everybody has had the same experience.

Taking a further parallel from the industry where I work, all software updates are timeline driven. This forces a tick the box, get the bonus and move on culture. Thank goodness HUMAX do not seem to use this approach, or if they do they have someone like me who finds bugs and the timeline goes out of the window.

As another long time Pace user I would wholeheartedly agree. I've found the Humax on effectively its launch firmware as trouble free as the Pace after several years and many firmware revisions. The only minor irritation is the inability to delete whilst recording, but then this is something I'm used to with the Pace.
I can understand the frustration of users who experience recurring faults, but feel they are drawing the wrong conclusions. They are blaming faulty firmware when it's much more likely that they are unlucky enough to have one of the few boxes with a manufacturing defect. The solution is to return it for refund or replacement, not to try and convince everyone that the firmware is to blame.