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New Humax Freesat+ HDR 1000S review


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Old 04-09-2012, 12:23
Night Watchman
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Some pictures and some of the details in this article on TechRadar:

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/aud...1094623/review

And more info and specifications (no Wi-Fi) on the JoinFreesat website:

http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/humax-f...free-time-box/
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Old 04-09-2012, 13:19
Automan
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Very shiny box which will show up the dust a treat

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Old 04-09-2012, 13:29
nickdenker
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Does anyone know if this box has network media player capabilities like the samsung box? As the samsung box doesnt ever seem to be getting an update of any kind never mind G2, an upgrade may be a good idea, but the media player is something I'd really miss... So handy having all in one place.

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Old 04-09-2012, 13:32
REPASSAC
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Does anyone know if this box has network media player capabilities like the samsung box? As the samsung box doesnt ever seem to be getting an update of any kind never mind G2, an upgrade may be a good idea, but the media player is something I'd really miss... So handy having all in one place.

Nick
It has "Contents sharing via Home Networking"
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Old 04-09-2012, 13:46
nickdenker
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is that "in" or "out" ??

Bit vague...
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Old 04-09-2012, 14:01
grahamlthompson
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is that "in" or "out" ??

Bit vague...
afaik both
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Old 04-09-2012, 14:12
2Bdecided
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Some pictures and some of the details in this article on TechRadar:

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/aud...1094623/review
Has the writer ever used Freesat before?!

Free Time also offers some improvements on the recording side. It will offer you the HD option its available and you have the ability to daisy chain recordings so whole series can be recorded at once.
Wow - automatically offering the option to record HD and series - haven't had that on my existing Freesat box for three years!


Those hoping the EPG will be piped to existing Freesat boxes will be out of luck as the HTML5 technology used does require a whole heap of new silicon.
It takes five seconds for my existing Humax box to display a simple text list of programmes I've recorded, and goodness knows how many seconds to delete an hour-long HD programme. Those people who think the original Humax could run something like Google Chrome (or whatever the equivalent for set top boxes is) if only Freesat would update it, must be living in cloud cuckoo land.

Interesting to see the vitriol on Freesat's facebook feed for daring to launch an improvement that can't be back-ported to the original boxes. People really are strange.

It'll be interesting to see how it compares to YouView. I guess we'll have to wait for real users to get their hands on it before we know - most of the problems with YouView discussed here were missed by the press.

Cheers,
David.
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Old 04-09-2012, 14:26
nickdenker
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at last - some sense!! Think will wait for feedback before being a first adopter again!
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Old 04-09-2012, 14:56
mike65
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An ebay shop already has them has them for 250 and 280

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/High-Defini...id=p3686&_vc=1
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Old 04-09-2012, 15:04
REPASSAC
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An ebay shop already has them has them for 250 and 280

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/High-Defini...id=p3686&_vc=1
£30 extra for the 1TB seems a good deal to me.
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Old 04-09-2012, 15:29
grahamlthompson
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An ebay shop already has them has them for 250 and 280

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/High-Defini...id=p3686&_vc=1
I would take that with a serious pinch of salt.

http://myhumax.org/forum/topic/frees...ge/3#post-9787
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Old 04-09-2012, 16:37
Nigel Goodwin
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I would take that with a serious pinch of salt.
I would agree
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Old 04-09-2012, 16:59
lbear
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Has the writer ever used Freesat before?!
Clearly not or they would know that 365 or whatever it's called is available on Humax but strangely is absent from the on demand menu here.

Wow - automatically offering the option to record HD and series - haven't had that on my existing Freesat box for three years!
What it does not do is automatically opt for the HD version of all the catchup services. Unlike YouView, you have to set that up in each of the apps.

It takes five seconds for my existing Humax box to display a simple text list of programmes I've recorded, and goodness knows how many seconds to delete an hour-long HD programme. Those people who think the original Humax could run something like Google Chrome (or whatever the equivalent for set top boxes is) if only Freesat would update it, must be living in cloud cuckoo land

Interesting to see the vitriol on Freesat's facebook feed for daring to launch an improvement that can't be back-ported to the original boxes. People really are strange.
Precisely. In time scale terms you are looking at a Windows Vista PC attempting to run Windows 8 with all its features.

It'll be interesting to see how it compares to YouView. I guess we'll have to wait for real users to get their hands on it before we know - most of the problems with YouView discussed here were missed by the press.

Cheers,
David.
Well the IPTV option they have chosen is widely touted as the "established system used Europe wide" as opposed to the newer MHEG-IC used by Youview. This appear to not allow them the full integration of catchup services and your own recording in the "backwards" epg ("bepg"?) or in the individual programme information.

With Youview your recordings show up as such on the bepg. <free time> changes to show only the channel you are going back in and only the programmes available via catchup.

Youview now shows previous episodes available on catchup as an extra page on the Information Plate (Humax's term in previous boxes' manual) popup. This now also has space for thumbnail still and a detailed "genre" description of the programme strand as well as a sysnopsis of the individual programme.

This <free time> box allows "hunt and peck" text entry in addition to the SMS type input currrently only available on Youview (SMS entry is far quicker in my experience)

<free time> has more options to order your recordings including folders but the folders have wierd timings. It appears it list the duration of one programme rather than the total time - hence 9 episodes of Monk are shown lasting 55 minutes. What happens to shows with a feature length pilot?


<free time> has catchup from the BBC and ITV with 4OD and Demand 5 "coming soon" (I've heard that before from Humax when it took them from the October press presentation and April release of the HD Fox T2 to the following January to officially add USB recording). Youview has those available now plus Milkshake (children's content from 5), STV player in Scotland, NowTV from Sky for paid movies and BT Vision for their bb customers.

Both boxes give "recommended" programmes but the Youview version is related to catchup only and is listed by categories such as films, adult etc.

The Humax <free time> uses an external power brick whereas their Youview's is internal - ghost of the infamous blowing power supply capacitors in the HD Foxsat?


By the way I note that unlike the Foxsat HDR, there is no external "pass through" for the dish signal. Presumably that makes watching or recording more than one channel impossible for those with a only one dish feed available (so I won't be getting one!)
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Old 04-09-2012, 17:02
Nigel Goodwin
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By the way I note that unlike the Foxsat HDR, there is no external "pass through" for the dish signal. Presumably that makes watching or recording more than one channel impossible for those with a only one dish feed available (so I won't be getting one!)
Presumably that 'feature' was derived from the previous box that the HDR was developed from?, so the new box 'might' be a completely new box designed from scratch?.
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Old 04-09-2012, 17:14
lbear
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Presumably that 'feature' was derived from the previous box that the HDR was developed from?, so the new box 'might' be a completely new box designed from scratch?.
Even designed from scratch it is a surprising omission as it was a USP for the Foxsat HDR.

Not sure about the casing as it looks like they have crammed the innards into a small scanner. It seems to have a lot of ventillation holes despite the external power brick.

The addition of a CI slot (another difference from Youview) seems strange and I am wondering if it is based on one of their mainland European models. No mention I note of what happens with FTA channels not on the epg.
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Old 04-09-2012, 17:23
grahamlthompson
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[quote=lbear;60913884The addition of a CI slot (another difference from Youview) seems strange and I am wondering if it is based on one of their mainland European models. No mention I note of what happens with FTA channels not on the epg.[/QUOTE]

Confirmed the box is open to future pay for view services, presumably a cam and some sort conditional access card will be needed.
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Old 04-09-2012, 18:31
ian-d
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An ebay shop already has them has them for 250 and 280

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/High-Defini...id=p3686&_vc=1
Be very careful of this company, they don't have stock, have had a number of battles with Humax (and others) about underselling and if you check out their negative feedback, they all relate to not being able to get in touch with them; try emailing/phoning them first, you'll not get a reply! Had a lot of complaints about them through JF!

Interesting that mh.o only recommend two retailers! There are more retailers out there with good reputations selling significant volumes of stock.
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Old 04-09-2012, 18:34
REPASSAC
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Even designed from scratch it is a surprising omission as it was a USP for the Foxsat HDR.

Not sure about the casing as it looks like they have crammed the innards into a small scanner. It seems to have a lot of ventillation holes despite the external power brick.

The addition of a CI slot (another difference from Youview) seems strange and I am wondering if it is based on one of their mainland European models. No mention I note of what happens with FTA channels not on the epg.
I think the CI slot is a EEC requirement.
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Old 04-09-2012, 20:04
grahamlthompson
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Be very careful of this company, they don't have stock, have had a number of battles with Humax (and others) about underselling and if you check out their negative feedback, they all relate to not being able to get in touch with them; try emailing/phoning them first, you'll not get a reply! Had a lot of complaints about them through JF!



Interesting that mh.o only recommend two retailers! There are more retailers out there with good reputations selling significant volumes of stock.
Barry has added the usual High Street Retailers
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Old 04-09-2012, 20:22
acoolwelshbloke
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not so keen on the look, dust and scratch magnet and ugly too boot. :S
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Old 04-09-2012, 21:09
daviddakota
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Shoot, no wifi. I was banking on it; was planning on getting MiFi for streaming - we get great mobile broadband, but abysmal landline speeds.
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Old 04-09-2012, 21:12
Automan
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No MoCA support sending the video around your home using the old aerial cables?

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Old 05-09-2012, 09:06
Night Watchman
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An ebay shop already has them has them for 250 and 280
I see that they are only delivering them in 15-16 working days which is about the same time that they will be available in shops like John Lewis - where you will be able to see it touch it, feel it and walk away with it (if security don't out run you)
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Old 05-09-2012, 09:44
mike65
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I thought John Lewis charged an extra 30 quid as company policy!
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Old 05-09-2012, 17:21
REPASSAC
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No MoCA support sending the video around your home using the old aerial cables?

Automan.
I have not seen anything one way or the other - what MoCA capable devide do you have to receive it?
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