Already got one FoxSAT HDR 320GB - quite like it - the interface / EPG is very clunky compared to the SKY HD one - is there anything better available now?

A terestrial box like the Fox HDR T2 would work too as we have both ariel and satellite connection by the other TV too - I believe there are more HD channels on Freeview than on FreeSat?

Any advice appreciated...

Thanks

The echostar is really good, the interface is actually quite snappy - better than the humax (echostar epg is HD) - and you can view your recordings anywhere! It has iplayer and echostar have been very receptive to customer feedback, providing support and updates, more than other box makers. They are based in the UK which helps - others make and test software outside of the UK, which has led to many problems - in other boxes, as you need to test the box and software with freesat - humax updates have taken many many months to go public and still have not fix major issues! The humax box is nearly the end of what humax can do with it as the box technology is out of date.

Don't get me wrong when freesat launched the Humax was very good at the time but with the issues stated above go with the Echostar! http://www.myechostar.com/

What is your budget?

For the £200.00 mark it is the Samsung, Humax for about £235.00, Echostar for about £285.00 or some Panasonic ones for more (with Blu-Ray built in).

None are perfect but all are reported to work (most of the time)

Automan.

Automan I've seen the echostar much cheaper another posted stated that two days ago!

Only said about

Also the Samsung can be got for £206.00 plus a cashback of £30.00 in the form of a pre-paid credit card.

One thought on the EchoStar is the standby power consumption?

I guess so it can respond to a request from the ethernet port that it must use more than the others in standby?

Automan.

Sorry don't know! the website should cover that. Thought eu directives covered standby power consumption.

Just had a browse of the EchoStar manual

It has two standby modes...
"Low power mode" and "Ultra Low Power mode".

Remote sling features do not work in "Ultra Low Power mode"

Manual does not seem to include power consumption data in any state of operation...

Automan.

Thanks for the responses guys... The Echostar HDS-600RS looks great - at £249.99 on Amazon...

The phone app looks interesting - but at £20 a little pricey - anyone used it for the slingbox bit of the functionality?

Thanks

You guys really aren't trying...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Echostar-H...-/360362965056

Or for somewhere you've never heard of...
http://www.puresatellite.co.uk/produ...om=google_base

(neither is a recommendation).

Cheers,
David.

I did trawl for the power consumption a while back - the Ultra Power mode as sub 1w as it is required to be.

The added things you get with the Humax, if you patch the firmware :
- ability to stream to just about any device without paying a bundle for the privilege
- ability to copy recordings over the network to PC so you can pop them on DVD or network storage

Can't speak for the Echostar, but I also recently left Sky (too much money, too little decent content, and the F1 deal pissed me off).

My local currys had the Samsung SMT-7800S and the Humax Foxsat HDR next to each other and both plugged in and setup, so I had a 30 minute play with each unit.

It was clear to me that whilst neither was perfect, the Samsung was clear winner, it's also cheaper.... The Humax is end of life, the Samsung is new and has lots of future (G2 platform support for Loveflim Youview etc... ).

For the love of humanity avoid the Sagem!!

I am receiving help through the digital changeover scheme and requested a Freesat HD box. I asked that I wanted to Humax and although they could not confirm they said it would most likely be a Humax 320gb. I said I was concerned at the 320 had been continued and is possible to the 500 they said yes. Will today they delivered Sagem and I expressed my concern that it was not a Humax but by the engineer that it it is the same.

Well this is a list of what is wrong with it:

1. Cannot record from EPG;
2. Cannot access the library from the remote control;
3. Getting an on-screen message saying the hard drive needs to be reformatted;
4. Picture freezes;
5. Can not search for programs to record like the Humax does;
6. Cannot record two programs and watch a third like the Humax does;
7. The EPG itself responds very slowly;
8. Overall a pretty poor build quality.

They say they coming down on Tuesday to look of the box and if they cannot give me Humax again attend the box away good. I hope they do! I know the Humax is not perfect but please please please get the Humax and nothing else! This whole thing is driving me mad!! The name of the installation. People who are driving me nuts are called Euro aerials. I will say no more about them.
I will let you know what happens

sorry,my mistake!
Last edited by bampsam : 01-10-2011 at 19:31

Nope all 4 of the the Freeview HD channels are now on Freesat. Some depending on postcode have full-HD 1920 x 1080 pictures compared to all Freeview channels 1440 x 1080.
Currently Freesat offers 1 extra HD channel NHK world TV.

The situation is shortly set to change big time. Freesat is about to get a big boost in capacity. Astra 1N is currently moving to 28.2E east expected to arrive mid october, This will mean a massive increase in capacity that freeview simply cannot match. At the best in the near future Freeview-HD may expect 1 extra channel sharing the same mux, picture quality is likely to suffer.

The humax box (together with all freesat HD boxes has a HD epg). There are no major issues with the Foxsat-hdr, there is nothing that stops it working as a competent and reliable pvr.

What do you consider a major issue

Actually when first launched it had some issues (nothing compared to the Samsung offering).Unlike the Samsung nothing that affected the pvr operation).

The legendary Freeview Topfield 5800 had similar issues at launch as well (one of which was the arbitary loss of audio which took a while to resolve). Still one of the best Freeview SD pvrs (mine is still used though nowadays the Foxsat-hdr, followed by the HD FOX T2 normally is used because of HD recording capability)

Yes Humax take a while to release updates, unlike other companies they believe in releasing beta updates to selected testers before they feel confident in an open beta release, sounds like a sensible approach to me



Additionally it currently has way more capability than pretty than any other Freesat box including the Echostar.

Leaving outside it's odd looks that preclude it being included in a rack with other kit.

Compare the Echostar with these features, none of which I believe the overpriced Echostar has (If you don't want the capability to stream SD only over the net it's an expensive option)

The capability to record two channels and watch a third even on a single cable

The capability to provide unlimited archive capacity to a USB drive and from a external usb device).

The capability to archive content to DVD by the USB port and HD content recorded in non freesat mode to DVD (AVCHD) or blu-ray blanks

Capability to record HD content without encryption and copy restrictions using non-freesat mode.

Independent streaming of recordings to multiple destinations on a home network. Each user can watch one recording diiferent to others can watch independent of what the main user is doing. (requires a free firmware patch)

Can use multiple lnbs or operate a motorised dish using non-freesat to view and record any satellite you can point a lnb at.

Can replay content not recorded natively, from usb. (using a third party utility (Thanks Raydon for both along with Mogi and others )

Easy updating up to 1TB drive that pretty well anyone that can use a screwdriver can do.

One of the most sensitive tuners going, capable of delivering reliable pictures in at the extreme of Astra 2D's foorprint.

Mine has a 1TB drive (externally mounted in a esata cradle) a USB connected 1TB drive also in a drop in cradle. If I run short of storage it's a few seconds work to drop in a another drive. The HD FoX T2 also has a USB 1TB storage drive. The Toppy has to cope with a 250GB IDE Drive

You clearly do not have a Foxsat-hdr. Passing on second hand comment from a few biassed and well known spammers without any practical experience is simpy naive.

One simple question (the truth please), have you ever used a Foxsat-hdr or (Foxsat-HD) set to output 1080i to a good HD display (Panasonic or Sony). ?

If you already have a Foxsat HDR, personally I would wait. Lots of things are happening in the new year with the G2 Standard and Youview. The Samsung S7800 seems the most future proof right now as it can potentially handle these things, but it also seems to be Samsungs test machine. They could keep updating it for years - or they could release a more polished and powerful version next year with Youview etc and drop support for the S7800.

My situation right now is that I've also just left Sky and I've bought a Foxsat HDR. I'm not really happy with it for many reasons, but I've realised I can sell it for pretty much the price of a brand new S7800, so thats what I'm doing. I'm sure alot more people will do the same early next year.

I was tempted by the Samsung BD-DT7800M Freeview HD+ box, but the lack of dual recording put me off. Other than that its features are awesome, and hopefully the S7800 will eventually have similar. From my limited research Freesat seems to be the better long term option as it will always have far more capacity for HD broadcasts.

One other thing if you decide to wait a bit - Sky will very soon offer you 12 months half price to try and get you back - quite a good offer depending on what you are looking for.

Your Sagem has a software "issue" with the present level software v 1.2.5 that is being addressed by Sagemcom at the moment - all of the problems you have experienced are related to this.
Humax and Samsung are also known to have some isolated software "issues" as well!
Unfortunately only a few Sagem boxes appear to have been affected, so just get your box swapped...

Thank you although issues 5 and 6 are features or lack of it as opposed to software, wont accept Sagcom anyway! unless I can be pursuaded by you lot out there!

Ugliest FreesatPVR ever.. Do people really have this abomination in their living room?

I am with you there. It looks like a prop from Blake's 7!

I loved Blake's 7, I wish they would bring out a PVR that looked like Orac.

But looks aren't everything, it is more important to pass the test of time.
http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/96861ed9.jpg
If I had a "Mummy" I would be quite happy to buy him or her an Echostar.

Agree with the first statement, thats what I intend to do.

On the piece about HD content, true but G2 will need to keep up with Youview, in terms of video on demand. Once high speed broadband is more common (next 12 months for many) we might start getting more HD over broadband.

My money is going to the first one that can offer unencrypted HD recordings for my collection ... there was rumour of one of the manufacturers breaking Youview ranks and aiming for an Internet delivered EPG to avoid the encryption requirements (somewhat bizarrely it sounds like if you use the broadcast EPG data you must encrypt and if you don't, well you don't need to, very weird if true).

My comment regarding Freesat as the better long term option was in comparison to Freeview, which from what I've read will probably always be severely limited by bandwidth.

Very longterm the future is always going to be something like YouView but as you say high speed internet availability is the problem, and disgracefully we are probably decades away from having universal high speed internet in the UK. Youview is just software with a set requirement for hardware - and the hardware needed is in pretty much everything nowadays (iirc my mobile phone could potentially run it!) - I cant see any reason why a Freesat box meeting the G2 standard cannot also have Youview if it also meets their standard?

Regarding the HD encryption, I think it will slowly fall away as HD becomes the norm. The current encryption demands are no different to the resistance to VCRs, dual tape decks, DVDR etc. Its already possible to buy (expensive) HDMI adaptors which allow HD copying.

God another Humax vs the world thread with your host basher Graham T. Humax is my life!
None of those upgrades you speak of are official.
They are tricky modifications people have to do themselves not via Humax. There is only fan support when things go wrong.
Humax HDR is at the end of it's life in terms of support or upgrades/updates by Humax.
Face the reality!
At least the features you claim the HDR doesn't do as standard are SUPPORTED by other manufacturers!