Today I tried to record a programme on BBC HD and another on Channel 4. The HD channel recording failed and said that another had taken priority. I thought that I could record 2 channels at the same time. Is this incorrect? Sorry if it's a silly question, but if someone could advise I'd really appreciate it. In simple terms though as I'm about as technical as a tea bag Thanks!

Which model Humax do you have? Although unless you have an old 8000T single-tuner model then that should not matter.

Hi, its a FOXSAT-HDR. I know that sometimes if you are taping one channel there are others you cant watch at that time, but I thought that as one of these was an HD channel and the other was channel 4, it would be OK?

Ah! So it is the Freesat / satellite PVR in which case you have really asked the question in the wrong section which is for Freeview. It sounds like you only have one feed to the PVR from the satellite dish. Is this the case?

Whoops sorry! I said I was as technical as a teabag, what a twit. I'll check out about the feed, if this is so, would that be the reason why? Is there a way to change it?

It would help to tell us a bit more. Do you live in a house with its own satellite dish and cable run(s) to the Foxsat? Or do you live in a flat with a feed from a wall socket? Or what?

Its a satellite dish and it has 2 leads, so it should have been fine. I'm sire it's something simple, I think I'll have to study the manual in more detail!

Look round the back, there are 3 f connectors. The two you have should be on the outer connections with nothing on the middle one. If wrong turn off the power to the box and unscrew the middle one and move to the outer.

Now power up the box and do a factory reset from the menus (even if you did not move a connection). Watch for a two cables found message as part of the reset.

Once fixed you should always be able to record any two and also watch a selection of third channels live as well.

In some cases you can record two and watch any third (EG bbc-hd and bbc1-hd)

Thanks so much for the help, I'll do that. I appreciate it.

Hi,
when you do a factory re-set you need the setting that says Two Cables (same). Also if you want to record two progs and watch you must chose SD as HD recordings use both cables, all the best.

HD does NOT use both cables. SD and HD use a single transmission stream from the satellite. It is only the bit rate that differs.

You can very easily verify this is true by disconnecting one of the satellite feeds and trying to watch a HD channel. It will work perfectly.

The only reason satellite recorders need two feeds from the dish is to allow the full range of channel combinations when recording two at once. Or watching one recording another. Nothing at all to do with SD or HD or any other form of transmission. If it were true HD needed two cables then how many would you need for 3D?

Completely wrong.

If you have a postcode that puts ITV1-HD Granada on your epg, then you can record both BBC-HD and BBC1-HD at the same time and also watch and live pause any of the other HD channels at the same time. (ITV1-HD, CH4 HD and NHK World TV).

You can do this using only a single cable and the loop cable from tuner 1 out to tuner 2 in.

Logically methinks @mikeybou had heard that the HD box requires both cable feeds, when it was the Sky+HD box being referred to, as the Humax Foxsat recorder as we know is more flexible in that respect.