I have cancelled Sky+HD and have been left with a box no more useful than a door mat

It is not the Sky channels but the PVR functions I miss the most. I have freeview PVRs but can’t get Freeview HD here yet, so my only option to record FTA HD channels seems to be the Freesat but I have some questions for the freesat experts;

I had Humax freeview pvr in the past so I am aware of the reliability of their pvrs but my understanding is that Humax has stopped further support for current Foxsat HDR which is nearly 3 years old so;

1) Is it still wise to consider Foxsat or wait for the newer model?

2) Would you still prefer 3 years old Humax over newer models of Samsung & Echostar?
(I understand Samsung & Echostar have or had some software related problems as well but now updated or being updated?)

3) Can Humax or/and other two record non freesat channels?

4) Are you happy with SD picture quality of those freesat pvrs as well?
(I had a pace Sky+ box with pin sharp picture quality but it all changed to poor soft picture quality after upgrading to Sky HD box)

4) Any regret moving from Sky to Freesat+?
(Obviously not in terms of channel selection but the picture quality or the PVR functionality etc)

Many thanks in advance.

Yes Yes Yes The HDR which i might add is still being supported by Humax (who told you it wasn't)is very stable and I've told will be Humax's only freesat pvr for a while yet ,as the canvas box is on hold till i hear mid 2012 or later !

I can't remember whether it was on DS or other forums I read that the latest software update was the last one for Foxsat but I am happy if it is not the case.

Blimey mid 2012 is nearly a year away, can't wait that long need to make a decision soon!

Id never go to sky and dont miss it but Id also never buy another Humax model again, their non existent "support" is the worst Ive ever experienced for any product.

I'm very happy with my HDR and would recommend it.

Me too. Where's the problem, does "exactly what it says on the tin". Great piece of kit.
Who or what is "Sky" exactly? I thought the rain fell from it, sometimes the sun shines from it

I have to say I don't miss Sky at all since canceling a couple of months ago.

I have found the Humax HDR to be a good box with good PQ in both SD and HD.

However, for the everyday features the HDR seems clunky and quirky compared with my Pace Sky box, e.g it takes an age to delete recorded HD files and the 'Guide' button updates the EPG every time you press it, whether the EPG needs updating or not. There is a weird workaround for the latter but it shows that it is not as well thought out as the Sky boxes when it comes to ease of use.

Overall though I am quite happy with my decision.

Very happy with my HDR - asaik it's the only box that gives you the possibility of recording two channels and watching a third (that is on one of the two transponders recording).
From the posts I have seen it is the most reliable in recording what you have scheduled.
Would I buy another - did so last week.
Will I buy their YouView - box when it comes out next year? For sure.

I've just sold my samsung box and returned to sky.The service is not a patch on sky and with announcement of f1 on sky next year my mind was made up

If I could afford Sky, I'd probably have it. But I can't and I certainly can't spend the time watching all the sport I'd want to if I did have Sky!!

As a result, having had Sky before, I don't miss it and have been a very happy Humax user since the 9200 and now the Foxsat. The box is extremely reliable for us and gives us access to all the channels that we need. Yes, it has quirks but I can't compare it to the current Sky boxes so can't advise on comparing usability.

I'd have no hesitation in recommending the Foxsat to anyone, especially those in planning on saving a small fortune and leaving Sky!

I love my humax foxsat and had now for about 2 years. I left sky a few years ago because I was so frustrated with not being able to get through to customer services to change my package and I was paying £60 a month for sky not to employ enough people on the phones. I've never regretted it, apart from sky+ and it took a few years for the freeview PVRs to come out. If people didn't switch to sky we would still have the football, all the F1 and a number of other sports like the boxing. I'm betting sky will get the all the tennis next.

yes my mind is made up i will stay with humax & freesat, wait& see what you will be paying for f1 in 10 years with sky

I have had the HDR for 2 1/2 years now and I have just bought the Samsung Freesat box (Humax now been moved onto the upstairs tv). Samsung is the better of the two boxes and also the cheapest at the moment so that is the one I would recommend.

Our Sky went off this morning and we have 2 Foxsat HDR's to replace to two Sky+HD boxes. Certainly not going to miss paying £70 a month any more for sod all really. At least now we can record and watch back things without having to pay for the priviledge and the whole hard drive on the box is ours to use, not half of it kept for a service I didn't want and never used. The BBC/ITV player features are very handy for catch-up on things that were missed too.

A definitely happy switcher here.

The Humax is just about liveable with although it would be a lot better if it had a slicker UI that was even a tenth as good as my trusty Topfield/Mystuff Freeview (but alas, SD only) PVR.

It's all about horses for courses really. If you need the mainstream football and some other minority sports and/or lots of films then Sky is for you.

On the other hand if you only want good picture quality of the free to view channels available to everyone then there is no point in paying Sky a penny.

I dropped Sky a year or so ago and bought a Humax HDR for Freesat and a 9300T for Freeview (used in different rooms) so have every option covered and at far less than the annual subscription I was paying Sky.

On initial switch there are a few minor differences between the way the boxes operate but after a few weeks of use it isn't a problem.

I recommended the Humax Freesat HDR to friends and family, they are as pleased with them as I am. We bought the refurbished ones from Humax Direct and I would definitely buy another.

Short answers: Yes I'd buy Humax again, and I don't regrest moving from Sky one little bit.


Had the Humax HDR for two years now, not missed Sky+ one bit, but didn't have the movies or sport, pretty much everything else, was on an old family package the equivalent of all 6 entertainment packs.

The HDR works absolutely fine and is very reliable, has only ever missed about 5 recordings in those two years, and only crashed twice I would say.
My Sky+ box would crash often, and need to be switched off at the mains, main reason for not recording.
The HDR has not been powered off since I moved the TV & everything in Feb 2009.

Yes there are things in the menus etc that could be better (but you could say that about any product), but once you get over the main operating differences you'll soon forget you were ever paying for Sky!

Some things are even better, how many times when setting something to record on Sky+ did I forget to then press the button to do a series link.
The HDR asks you if you want the series link when you set the recording, nice!

And it took Sky about 18 months of trying to get me back before they give up!

Answers YES and N/A
Of course after 2 years we would if need be buy a Humax again..
Hhowever we still have the Sky box and 4 remotes and it is on virtually 24/7... providing all rooms in the house with a brilliant FREE service.
In fact..We have just bought a secondhand sky Box as a reserve..the RF modulator is just so convenient..
I would bet good money that for every query on the forums about the RF out ..there are thousands of timid ..possibly solitary ..middle aged folk who never leave Sky because the RF out keeps them locked in..
In our case a Panny TV with HD USB recording completes a contentment technology frame for the household..along with IR Dome cameras for the badgers in the woods..

I have an Foxsat HDR, which we used as our main box from first release up to about 18 months ago. We then got an excellent deal on Sky+HD and have used that as our main box since, but kept the HDR as a second box running in parallel with Sky (have got a quad LNB). The Sky deal finishes this month and I have cancelled Sky, on our 31 days notice now, so will be returning to the HDR as the main box again. I have thus experience of both, and think both have their strengths. Both work reliably. Both can feed the TV although the HDR is currently in the next room (long HDMI), but I have to confess, though, I really like the HDR, and am looking forward to restoring it to it's rightful place under the TV.

And to count the money saved

Just need to correct a misconception, there always has been two ways of accessing the epg on the Humax HD Freesat boxes.

Pressing Guide delivers a whole new epg from the Freesat home transponder and starts from scratch. Because this requires tuner 1 to access a EB1 transponder this takes around 40 seconds to download (and you lose your current programme in the background). This replaces the current cached epg from scratch.

While the box is on the current cached epg is updated dynamically so depending on how long the box has been on at least the next day or so should be up to date. This requires two key presses to access (unless tuner 1 is not available, if not you get the cached copy).

Without downloading a whole new copy (requiring access to tuner 1) and comparing it to the cached copy, how the box would know if the epg requires some updating is simply impossible

It's not a workaround at all, I say it gives you a choice that other boxes deny you.

The joke is Freeview offers you no choice so you are stuck with the epg carousel which can take 20 minutes or so to update the epg if starting from scratch. (compared to 40 seconds or so on Humax Freesat HD box).

Yes!!

...but the obvious way of getting the Guide (by pressing "Guide") didn't have a 40 second delay until the latest software update.

The tenacity of people claiming this is the end of the world is only matched by your tenacity in jumping and telling everyone that it's just fine!

It's a minor software cockup which has effectively broken the Guide button after two years of working just fine.


All boxes keep the EPG refreshed in the background - some do it using the fast data stream on Freesat's dedicated transponder when one tuner is not in use, all do it using the slow data stream on the current transponder when both tuners are in use.

The Humax is not giving you a useful choice, it's saying "I should have been keeping an eye on this for you, but I haven't been - would you like to wait 40 seconds while I go and get the data, or look at the old version I've saved".

Cheers,
David.

I own an HDR and am still a Sky subscriber. They aren't mutually exclusive you know. It can be quite handy having a second pair of tuners. Not all that often since most stuff is on the pay channels but enough to make a difference.

I left sky in 2002, and have never had the urge to sign up again. I'm happy with my Humax HDR + the wife can use it easily