Firstly, my apologies if my questions have been answered in other postings. I have tried - I have really tried to find the appropriate answers, but feel I am now going round in circles and confusing myself even further! My time is now of the essence as I am considering purchasing the Humax Foxsat+HDR for a birthday present next weekend! (Being rather shallow on this point, I think the Hummy looks nicer than the others!)

Question 1 - I think I have learnt that you can switch and watch Freeview channels or that you can tune in the Freeview channels, but are you able to record Freeview channels?

Question 2 - When Freeview HD comes on line in my region would Freeview HD play through this machine, or would I need to purchase yet another separate box, therefore ending up with two boxes - one for Freesat HD and another or Freeview HD?

Question 3 - I am not too clear about the USB (I think it has one anyway). Would you be able to connect this up to a computer to transfer recordings? If so, would it be any problem if that computer was a Mac?

Question 4 - Can you play recordings from a USB stick?

Thank you for your anticipated patience! I am rather long in the tooth for all this techno stuff to come easily, but whenever my Humax 9200T goes on the blink, my first port of call is always DS and I appreciate how knowledgeable everybody is, so I am feeling a little foolish asking these questions in the first place, but, as I said, time is now of the essence.

No, it's a Freesat box - it won't get Freeview, which is a totally different thing.


As above, completely different things.


You can copy to a USB drive, not direct to a computer - but only non-copy protected programmes (so not HD).


Yes, if it's in the correct format.

I think the OP means the Free to Air (FTA) channels which are not part of Freesat and so are not listed in the Freesat EPG. In which case you *can* switch modes to view them. Not sure about being able to record them (I think you can) and there are other issues with lost settings (eg timers) when you change modes back and forth.

Hi Lillyput,

As has been stated Frreveiw and Freesat are different (Why I don't know, why not just have one free to air sytem that uses different delivery techniques - bloody stupid capitalists). For the best of both worlds teaming a Freeview HD TV with a Freesat HD PVR or a Freesat HD TV with a Freeview HD PVR. Problem is Freeview HD is only just coming out so PVRs and TVs are difficult to get but this way you would have the maximum choice and only one box.

Well the transport stream is the same standard I think, MHEG the interactive bit is also standard. Obvious hardware differences apart the main differences between them probably derive from :
1. the satellite footprint for much free satellite covers large parts of Europe leading to differences in content licensing
2. the satellite aerial is a very directional receiver meaning that they don't need to worry about their transmissions interfering with (say) police radio, therefore there is many times more bandwidth available

So quite a lot is actually common and Freesat (the organisation) look after the Freesat program guide and don't have anything really to do with content.

Sorry mate I neither know are care the slightest bit about MHEG (?). My main point is that we have two different providers to supply one thing - free digital TV. Bleedin stupid!

Neither Freesat or Freeview are 'providers', they are merely delivery systems and EPG's - and in the case of Freesat not really a delivery system either.

They aren't the same because they are completely different, they complement each other - DTT has it's limitations, and so does Satellite - but the limitations are for totally different reasons.

Freesat is here solely to fill in the gaps that Freeview has, and to other more channels than the vast majority of Freeview transmitters will ever provide. It would be VERY nice if it could duplicate the terrestrial service, but the Freesat consortium decided not to make that possible.