Hello Humax People!

You may have heard that Digifusion PVRs are all about to go phut on 8th July as that's when the 14-day EPG is no longer transmitted for us.

So we're all considering our options and Humax is obviously a strong contender.

But where do I start to get a good overview of the current Humax boxes with all their little quirks and foibles (just reading this forum shows me that no manufacturer has got it 100% perfect yet).

The 9300T seems well thought of but suddenly there's a FOX T2 in the frame. I need to be able to read reviews / features etc by people who actually own these boxes - you guys!

I think it unlikely I'll go the FreeSat route - too much expense and upheaval. So it's standard terrestrial Freeview I'm after (I'm unlikely to be persuaded to wait until later this year for the HD models).

I (and my Digifusion co-owners) are looking for reliability and manufacturer support above all else.

Any pointers gratefully received!

TBH now is not a good time be looking for a new Freeview PVR. HD is being rolled out but the HD PVR boxes are either not available or are not mature.

One option is to try and pick up one of the old Topfield 5800 boxes being firesaled by Dixons / Currys at £80 a pop.

As Gomezz has said, this isn't a great time to have to buy a Freeview PVR. We are generally happy with our 9200T but as you have noted none of the current crop of PVRs are perfect. I would be tempted to get a reconditioned 9200 with a 320GB disk that are on offer from Humax Direct for a£105. This will have a warranty and should see you through for a few years when it will be hopefully a better time to buy. The advantage of the 9300 used to be that it had a faster processor and was less likely to suffer from slow response to the remote. The latest software for the 9200 largely negates that advantage although there is now a quirk that is under investigation by Humax where the EPG doesn't seem to update in response to schedule changes. I would expect this to be fixed in what I would guess might be the final software update for the 9200.

Hi RalphB. Yes get a Humax. Our experience of 9150 has been that the probs are history and it is excellent all round.

IMO the picture quality and colour is especially worthwhile, and our new tv upscales SD so, on the few HD channels which are available, there is no appreciable difference.

Sensitivity is also v.good. This meant we needed to manually tune the local 6 MUXs to avoid a more distant transmitter, but it copes well with poor reception days and helps prevent the usual other PVR ills.

I would also recomend a Humax, been using the 9200T for a couple of years and now with the new software its working well. I bought a Topfield when we had problems after the Digital Switchover on the Mendip transmitter but never really got on well with it.
Paul

I'm not surprised at the conflicting messages I'm getting, both here and in the main Digifusion forum and elsewhere on the 'net.

They range from "Humax are rubbish" to "Humax is the best" with less emotive responses in-between!

However, for all of Humax's (alleged) shortcomings I see a certain trend:

1. Humax is a viable company, determined to produce PVRs that the public will want to buy

2. Humax were stung by Topfield's ousting them from the #1 PVR company and don't want this to continue

3. The remain committed to providing OA updates for their existing customer base

4. Their legacy product support is slowing down their ability to produce new products (eg HD PVR) in the timescale they would like (see #2 above)

5. New products (designed recently) will presumably have far fewer teething problems because they have learned some lessons and understand how to deal with the Freeview technology better now (eg all the 'data' being sent along the actual program that is, apparently, overloading their legacy products - at least until the next OA update in the next few weeks)

6. The question remains as to how long they will support legacy products eg their 9200, 9150 and 9300 ranges once the new products have been launched and will undoubtedly require some form of fixpack

7. A lot of emphasis (industry wide) is on HD Freeview - IMHO a solution looking for a problem. Upscaled to 720 (or, ideally 1080) there is very little perceived difference in that and true HD (please don't flame me for stating my opinion based on very limited HD viewing!)

All these observations notwithstanding, I'm still keeping Humax on my shortlist as they seem to have their strategy honed well.

Anybody care to comment?

Hi RalphB. As I'm in the same boat as you, very interested in the outcome. Had a chat with my brother - he has a Humax 9200. Admit's it's been a bit buggy, but that the latest updates seems to have ironed out most problems. Had a look at Humax Direct and there a few tempting options (in the managers specials):

1) 9200 with 320GB disk at £105
Seems a good all round option. Depends whether the latest firmware really has sorted the wrinkles and if the performance is now okay.

2) 9300 with 320GB disk at £129
Should be better with the faster processor.

3) Foxsat HDR with 320GB at £199.
Actually really like my Grundig GFSDTR500HD Freesat+ unit and this would make an excellent companion. But, all my eggs in the satellite basket - not all Freeview channels are available on sat.
It also has a terrible bug with power failures - will not record unless manually brought of standby. If I knew they were going to fix it, I'd be tempted, but there's also a replacement model due soon...... (isn't there always!)

4) Use the Grundig as my main recorder, live with manual programming on the FVRTs for the odd extra recording. Then when the new Humax HD PVR is released, go for that.

Personnally, I'm favouring option 4 at the moment, but depends how MrsA gets on with manual programming. But I also need a new PVR for the parents and think that option 2, the 9300 would be best for them - easy to use and they can benefit from the HDMI uplink to their flatscreen TV. Would have a play with it first and if it seems okay, might even be tempted myself.

I'm replacing Fusions too.

I replaced a Fusion with a Humax 9300t. After a firmware update it's fairly solid except for losing the recording schedule and going back to defaults about once a month. Occasionally drops series link programmes. Slow to pause (no pron on it anyway!). Weird library/playlist/channel guide options. Only 8 day EPG but at least it should never go from 14 days to now/next. Slow to load EPG from standby. PQ only slightly below the Fusion. Remote slider fiddly but I've replaced with Logitech. Most other Fusion to Humax deficiencies are easily worked around and the series link is very useful.

All in all, for a trouble free box it's a very good buy but also very set in it's ways. If you want something more customisable I think the advice would be to go Toppy. I say think because I've only just bought one and haven't really got it out of the box yet. Will report back when I have.

What benefit would you expect? The majority find that the SCART connection gives a better picture but it does depend on the up scaling capability of the TV and personnal preference.

And hopefully have a few improvements on old functionality e.g. true favourites, more versatile subtitles, audio description and now&next scrolling could all be improved/included in the new range.

Like RalphB, I'm a newbie to Humax. So this was a bit of an assumption (dangerous I know!). But very useful advice - thanks.

As you might guess from the Digifusion owners appearing here, despite a few software niggles very early on (I'm talking 4 or 5 years ago - a distant memeory), we have had very good, stable boxes for a number of years. There's much disappointment in the Digifusion camp at the demise of our beloved boxes and a bit of frustration that the rest of the PVR market hasn't really developed a "perfect" PVR in the intervening years. Humax and Topfield have always been considered the leaders, yet we see many niggles with both. Being on the cusp of new Freeview HD offers, it's making the choice difficult, compounded by all the Project Canvas gossip floating around suggesting that even if I buy a shiny new HD capable box, then it too will likely be obsolete in around a year.

I've nearly ordered a 9300T a few times now, then backed off. It's only money (!!), so maybe a Humax Direct refurb 9300T seems a reasonable way for the next couple of years and let the HD and Project Canvas dust settle.

Yes that would be a reasonable choice but bear in mind that a 9200 is cheaper and has more functionality. In recent times I have tended to point towards the 9150/9300 becuase of the more powerful processors but with the latest software that is less important.

That would not meet my definition of fairly solid.

Neither mine...

Infinidim

Yes indeed. If I were looking for a replacement Humax Freeview PVR I would choose the 9200 as it has an RF Modulator which the 9150/9300 don't have. I use this facility to route the 9200 output to other rooms in the house. I also use a Vestel PVR to back-up the 9200 to cater for the shortcomings of the Humax (poor Accurate Recording performance compared to the Vestel). I daisy chain a third PVR and the Vestel (which have never had RF Modulators) through the 9200 so I can utilise the 9200s RF Modulator to distribute their outputs. Unfortunately Vestel have gone down the same route as Humax for their latest Freeview PVRs by removing one of the SCART outputs and also the Phono A/V outputs which were also available as a reasonably convenient output to at least one second room. So my options for replacement of my Freeview PVRs have become more restricted.

Colin

In the context of using a DigiFusion which needs powering off fortnightly and a full disk reformat twice a year I'd say an issue a month isn't too bad.

Having run both for a few months I'd still lean towards the Fusion for usability but the EPG issue has now killed it and I have to move on.

If I hadn't just found the cheap Topfield I'd have replaced my Fusion with a second Humax, maybe a HD version, so I'd have been willing to put my money where my mouth was with Humax again!

As it is I'll soldier on with the Fusion in the bedroom using Now/Next, keep the Humax as the main box for just now and stabilise the Topfield for a month or so. Then I can decide which gets the boot immediately (probably the Fusion) and which will likely go on Ebay when I've chosen a HD box after the marketplace has settled for 6 months.

Wow! Not a problem I've had. Only time I've power cycled is after the very occasional dodgy EPG, and only disk format after installing new disk.

That's really useful advice - thanks.

Can someone please clarify the functional/operational differences between the 9200 and 9300? I need to decide which of these actually matter to me. Ease of use and quick response will be high on the list (mainly because MrsA won't like a sluggish box, but the Yorkshire in her will like the lower price, and for my parents it needs to be simple - and I mean really simple ).

Certainly the 9200 at £90 (160GB) or £105 (320GB) is a good saving over the 9300 at £129.

I concur.

My DVFT boxes rarely need rebooting (there was a mini-spate a few months back when the EPG OA download went funny) but apart from that - solid (as my Windows 7 computer, anyway!).

Yes, we are all asking the same questions.

What a pity Humax aren't offering a special deal to us Digifusion owners - they could make quite a killing AND keep us in the Humax family for years to come. Loss leader and all that...

Operationally they are very similar (the 9300 software is clearly a minor evolution of the 9200). The 9200 has a modulator (to allow distribution via co-ax cabling) and a USB port for uploading and downloading content (note downloading is not fast). The 9200 has an IDE disk whereas the 9150/9300 have SATA disks. the 9300 has an HDMI port. Some 9150/9300 users report problems that are not commonly experienced on the 9200 (spontaneous reboots, spontaneous reset to defaults, minor glitches in playback); it isn't clear to me whether they are faulty boxes or inherent faults. I only own a 9200 so perhaps someone who owns both can comment on the perceived user experience differences.

The 9200 has an RF Modulator the 9300 doesn't. The 9300 has an HDMI output, the 9200 doesn't have this. The user interface is virtually identical on the 9200 and 9300, so usability is the same. Now that the 9200 and 9300 have had recent software updates the occasional periods of very slow response to the Remote which has affected the 9200 for a long time, and 9300s which have gone through Digital Switchover, have now been cured they are probably the same in this respect. However, the new updates appear to have introduced recording reliability issues on both units. See the thread here. Now the slow response issues have been solved I would say that compared to other PVRs I have used the Humax models are generally very responsive. IMO they are much less easy to learn to use than the Vestel PVR for example,

The 9150 doesn't have a front panel display, no HDMI, less connectivity and fewer choices of HDD size.

Colin

Edit:- I took a long time to compile my post. Sorry about repeating most of what Martin has said.

Colin & Martin, many thanks for your replies. I don't think there's anything in the differences that would be a deal maker/breaker for me.

It's starting to feel that a refurb 9200 with 320GB disk at £105 would be a good interim solution. Well worth the extra £15 over the 160GB model. If it lasts two years, this will give HD and Project Canvas time to settle down and I can decide what to do then. Who knows, I might even have an HD telly by then - and if I ever do get one, I can always use my Grundig GUFSDTR500HD to watch a bit of HD output. In the meantime, I can see the Grundig becoming my "main box" and the (possibly) new 9200 providing in-fill/spill over capacity.

Maybe it's just us, but we tend to use one PVR for all the regular scheduled stuff (will become the Grundig) and the other for one offs/films (could still be a Digifusion with manual recording, or a new/refurb Hummy).

I had the FVRT100 for about five years – dealt with all its foibles, power supplies, capacitors, replacement HDD, updated the menu screen etc. Then about twelve months ago it became obvious it had reached the end of its useful life with its cheap and over-stressed components.
I decided to go for the Humax 9150T and apart from a software update around Xmas 2009 which introduced an annoying *reminder* every time it was switched on, and which Humax ‘corrected’ after a couple of months or so, it has functioned as well as any PVR can do.
Humax have updated the software again just recently to remove a problem on the 9200/9300 which did not seem to affect my 9150, but because there was an update to the way the EPG was handled, mine was updated along with the rest. Unfortunately, in correcting one set of problems, they have now introduced another inconvenience with the EPG which now affects mine.
Would I buy another Humax? Yes definitely. I think it has the edge over the others within its price range, unless of course you would want to go for the all singing and dancing £800 Panasonic twin tuner with Blu-ray at the other end of the spectrum.

And to be honest, the Digifusion only became so damn good because of all the free, unselfish support that so many forum members gave, including modifying the operating system, different backdrops, learning how to fit a SATA or IDE laptop disk etc etc - the list goes on. Had Beko been around maybe they would have done this too, but maybe not.

On that score it seems as if Humax has its staff fixing glitches (and introducing new ones) as best it can within the constraints of the legacy hardware.

As an interim solution though, a Humax 9200/9300 may fit the bill... then when it's all settled once and for all, I can get an HD model for half the price they are selling for now!

Exactly. As a techie I would love to buy an HD recorder but as HD doesn't even come to my reion for another year I am inclined to wait and see how the different HD recorders pan out. I would certainly consider Humax as I think they have given excellent support to 9200 users and the hardware gives very few problems.