Hi All,

Like many I have had my freezes on the box since quite early (purchased Feb 2009) but they have been "occasional" and usually while attempting to input from remote.

The last week it has been everyday and often as soon as I switch on. The box sits there displaying whatever channel it was left on at switch off and refuses all remote input. Only switching the box off mains and back on after 30 secs cures things. Obviously this is not good if the box happens to be recording at the time ( I have waited until the end).

The problem was made worse on one occasion when the box was locked up at start and had not recorded a series link several hours earlier. This was Chelsea Flower Show middle of the day.- Yes I know but I am married to a "Green fingers". strangely the prog was not even listed in the Schedule area! The prog recorded OK on the 2 days either side.

I am beginning to feel like a victim!!!

I had SKY+ for 3 years and it cost me £40 a month but it was pretty near bombproof in all respects. I just found I was paying the money out for endless repeats on Discovery Channels.

I then spent 2 years on BT Vision. Three boxes later it is still a Beta version. Endless freezes, missed starts of progs, missed ends of progs, refusal to take remote input etc. I still use it to download HD films and the 1080i upscaling on SD output is good (used for recording dozens of "In the Night Garden" - for my little Granddaughter). That is if it works, and the remote( I have two) is received about every other press. BT have told me the remote problem could be interference from other boxes in the cabinet - Blu ray, DVD recorder, Foxsat etc. - is that even possible when nothing else is being used?

Now I have had 4 months of Humax Foxsat HDR. In many ways it has been like the BT V box - great when it works. But I have no confidence that it will be trouble free when I switch it on.

I suppose it will have to go back for a replacement - a lot more money but does anyone know how the Panasonic Freesat+ boxes are panning out (sorry unintended pun)?



“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance" - Confucius

Very Expensive.

£999 for 500GB BR

£899 for 250GB BR

£699 for 250GB DVD

BTW if you catch the source button on the remote and it will refuse all input from the remote as the remote switches to sending codes to equipment other than the HDR.

I'll first acknowledge your Confucious quote, so with that in mind :-

1. You could have a faulty box. This is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. I know some people are putting these lock-ups down to software, and are waiting for a firmware update to sort them out. If you pick your way through the threads, those who have returned their box for a replacement, have generally been happy with the new one. I even got told I didn't know what I was talking about when I suggested a faulty box, but then that poster eventually returned his box as suggested, and the replacement was OK.

2. There are a few threads on here & over on Hummy.org talking about overheating causing lockups. Again, this is a valid theory to put forward. You mention it being in a cabinet with other equipment. Is it a closed cabinet? Is there plenty of ventilation room above and to the sides with a good airflow? This could be relevant if you are only recently seeing this getting worse, due to the warmer weather. I know with the sun streaming through the windows yesterday, my lounge was extremely warm until we opened the windows.

I can't speak to your question about the Pannys.

Rgds.


Les.

Hi - Thanks W-K and Savvy.

Yeah I am careful to ensure that I have the PVR selected. I switch the HDR on with the remote and then switch to TV to switch that on (as it autosenses the live input) then back to PVR to operate the box.

The cabinet is large and fully open so I don' think heat is the issue, especially as most problems occur after long periods of standby.

I guess I will just have to get a replacement. The HDD is 80% full and I was hoping to archive some of the HD progs. Is there any sign og Humax offering a box with a bigger drive as an option?

The other issue I have had, which "seems" to be worse recently is double key press inputs when I pushed just the once - like the OK is on a hair-trigger. I often find myself back where I started because I get a "NO" input I didn't want (say when selecting delete - thank goodness YES isn't the default position).

Can you confirm what firmware you have?

Hi Jzee

That would be 7.52

That will be the Loader version.

The firmware will be 1.00.nn.

Probably be 1.00.02 if you bought your box in February.

Rgds.

Les.

Hi Les and Jzee,

Yes absolutely right - appears to be 1.00.02

Box has been fairly OK the last 24 hours.

Hi, Just had a reply from those fine chappies at Humax Support -


Dear Sir,

Please try a factory reset, instructions are found on page 54 of the manual,

Many Thanks,

Humax Customer Support



Does that just reset some defaults or does wipe out all your recordings? You might think that asilly question, but BT Vision support often suggested a hard restart that did just that!!!!!!!!!

Just had further reply from Humax Support

Dear Sir,

It will delete your schedule but your recorded programmes will not be affected,

Many Thanks,

Humax Customer Support

If you have saved non-freesat channels you will lose those and any personal settings you may have made different to the defaults

Thanks Graham and All,

I have done the factory reset and re-populated my schedule - so we will see how it goes.

I hadn't customised too much so nothing lost there, and I had not really delved into non-feesat at all - can you run both? - switching between obviously.

Yes you can run both but adding/moving/deleting non-freesat deletes freesat recording schedules so best to sort out what you want to watch in one go. Therafter you can swirch modes to watch/record non freesat without losing your freesat schedules. No recording timer starts in NF mode though. I really only use non-freesat to record BBC HD without encryption

My "morning lockups" (blue light comes on but no-one home) have been very unpredictable, several in a week then nothing for months. If it happens again after the major firmware upgrade we're promised anytime soon then I'll take it back for a swap.

There seem to be a great many people who don't suffer from this, so I think its either a reception related bug or a hardware issue. I've thought on balance more likely to be firmware bug thus far, but after the updated firmware the balance of probability switches over to hardware for me.

Before leaving Humax suggest to at least give the next firmware a chance.

Interesting that you say 'morning lockups' is that because you always turn it on in the morning and leave it on all day or you really only get them in the morning?
If it is really only in the mornings then I'd suspect some kind of weather related condensation problem somewhere in your system. i.e. when you first power up the system there is a short or partial short caused by a small amount of condensation but once you've pumped a bit of power down the wires the condensation is vaporised and system works again.

[quote=swedish cook;32655647]My "morning lockups" (blue light comes on but no-one home) have been very unpredictable, several in a week then nothing for months. If it happens again after the major firmware upgrade we're promised anytime soon then I'll take it back for a swap.

QUOTE]
Just a thought, this sounds very like the problem in the early days of the HDR, where it locked up overnight during the housekeeping because many people hadn't installed the loopthrough R1 Out - RF2 In. Try checking the link - or if you have a two LNB system, swap the inputs to check the connections.

Oh Well I thought it would be too good to be true - a bit like finding an MP whose nose hasn't been in the trough!!!!!

Less than 48 hours after the factory reset the box has frozen again, soon after start-up it locked on "PLAYBACK" - didn't playback and wouldn't do anything else (remote inputs). It was showing the channel that it had been on at the previous switch off, and it hasn't always been the same channel either.

I guess I will message Humax support again for their input but it looks like the box will be going back.

As I said in my OP I am likely to end up back at SKY HD at this rate.

Hi All,

Humax Customer Support have emailed me a Warranty form to be sent to "repairs" - they will arrange collection from me. luckily I had a pdf copy from COMET as my receipt, so was able to easily attach that as well.

I suppose this means I don't get a new box - worrying. On the plus side I might get it back with the 50% unwatched stuff still on it?!

Apart from the Freezes, the box has started doing non-recording of scheduled progs now - randomly

The box was bought 5th February.

I will post when I get it back.

Thanks for your messages.

Dunwerkin,

I haven't followed all your issues, but if you believe you have a box "not fit for purpose", you can take it back to your original retailer.

I wouldn't go down the repair route, get it exchanged for a NEW box at Comet.

Rgds.

Les.

Hi Les and All - Humax support worked pretty well. I did get a completely new box delivered and was advised accurately by them that it would be just the box and absolutely nothing else. The whole process took about three days from sending the form by email to delivery. There were a few items on the HDD that I would like to have kept - but.........


The security process surrounding the delivery of the box was tight. The new HDR was sealed in a secure box and we had to cut the seal in front of the delivery man. The old HDR was then sealed into the box for return.

Up to now (2 days) all is well with the new box - so we will see how it goes.

thanks to all for your input and help.

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance" - Confucius

Good luck with your new box.

Has it got firmware 1.00.03 on it?

Rgds.

Les.

Hi Les,

No I have just posted in the thread about "lost Recordings" - It has 1.00.02 on it - ???????????

Also it has had one lock-up already as posted in Lost Recordings.

Now it really is beginning to hack me off

Do you think it might be better to let the box settle down at start-up say for 30 secs. I ask because often these Freezes occur soon after switch-on while selecting menus and options.

Cheers

Dave

Dave,

As in the "Lost ........" thread, I would follow up with Humax to see if you have got a returned box or not.

Your last point, I think, is very relevant. My wife, bless her, used to be really trigger happy with the remote (on any of our equipment, not just the HDR). As soon as anything was switched on, she'd be pressing buttons, into this, exit that, back into this, etc...... In fact she was always getting problems with her PC, by starting stuff up before the software had fully loaded and the HDD was still whizzing away.

I've taught her to switch something on, let it settle down, then think about what you want to do, and do it with slow deliberate button/key presses.

With the HDR, she now switches it on, lets the boot screen finish, then wait again until the little clock symbol appears on the front display (it's obviously doing some startup activity until this happens). Also, she will let the EPG fully load until the picture appears in the background, before attempting any EPG navigation. I'm actually really impressed that she's taken this on board with our Electronic/PC equipment.

This may sound like overkill, but we don't seem to encounter problems.

HTH.

Rgds.


Les.
Last edited by savvy : 13-06-2009 at 12:58

Hi Les,

Thanks for that advice - I will try to do things a little slower.

As for the "Manager" wielding the remote - well she won't until she can be assured that it will do what she asks it to do without hassle. She has already had a cursory glance at the function of the HDR and pronounced it "not as easy to use as SKY+ was". Since I have been saying " Oh dear - it has frozen again" (well something like that) it is rather difficult to put up a counter argument.

I may have said before in different thread that I tried BT Vision for a while and believe me I was constantly cursing that.

We will just have to see how it goes. I just hope that the BBC gets it "non-recording issues sorted.

Thanks again

Dave

How much would you like to bet that what you actually got was a reconditioned box ? One that someone had previously returned due to the same fault perhaps

Thats why I have told Humax that I want mine to be repaired NOT replaced with a re conditioned one.