Very interesting...

They should replace the on/off switch with a dial. Then we could experience all the infinite variations of on-ness and off-ness in between zero (fully off) and 11 (for a really full-on experience).

Leave the damn thing on!

But, if you leave it on all the time, isn't it doing its 2 hour buffer thing constantly? Won't this a) use power and b) wear out the hard drive sooner?

Thats true although some people are bothered about that more than others. I usually turn mine to standby when I go to bed out of habit when I switch everything else off.

I suppose if you leave your machine on all the time, tuning to channel 8, or one of the 3## channels that isnt transmitting or apart time channel will not use the hard disk for buffering I think

Way hey lets ignore impending environmental crisises!

When on, the 9200t consumes about 20W. A typical kettle consumes about 3000W. Leaving the PVR on for 24h consumes about the same energy as having the kettle on for 10 minutes. This doesn't equate to many cups of tea, particularly if you fill the kettle up to max each time!

Putting it another way, if you replaced one 100W light bulb, that you typically leave on for 6 hours per day, by a 20W energy-saving bulb, then you'd recoup all the energy consumed by leaving the PVR on all the time.

That said, there doesn't seem to be much advantage in leaving it on all the time (except for the EPG, of course).

I don't understand what you are getting at with this post surely any saving of energy should be applauded

Anyhow back to original post ,my 5 are

1 keep EPG on HD

2 Put a reminder on programs so a message pops up when a selected program is about to start

3 chase play

4 auto padding

5 choice of present EPG or full screen EPG without the tv picture though sound could be left on

As some of you know, I've had this machine less than a week and the software hasn't updated yet - so I'm sure there'll be plenty more on my wish list to come but in the meantime, my 3 biggest gripes are:

1) More than 20 timers PLEASE!

2) PLEASE can we have an easy way to see what's currently recording - we're often recording 2 things and want to record something at the last minute. We then have to go into all sorts of menus to remember what we're recording to delete one of them. Other machines I've had show some sort of mark on programme on the EPG (a red/blue dot etc).

3) Names on recorded programmes being correct!

This is a long thread to read through so forgive me if these have already been corrected in the update.

Other than those, this is a brilliant machine and loving it compared to the others!

Caroline, just quicky, I thought I'd mention you can see whats currently recording by pressing stop button on the remote you can see whats currently recording (channel/name of programme and finish time) and an option to stop recording 1 or recording 2 if you have two recording at the same time. I think pressing play also shows you a small info bar showing you what channels are recording and what time they finish - but thats just for info. The stop button allows you to see what the name of the recording is and whether you want to stop any one of up to 2 recordings with a button press.

Aha! Thanks, I'll try it later when I get home - I guess there are loads of other short cuts I haven't worked out yet.

Well Chase Play seems to be coming (it's in the beta - and seems to be working OK) - and combined with the message that comes up when all timer recordings start this should be the answer to your reminder problem.

Of course you could just set it up to record already - you'd get the mesage and if you decide to ingore it the programme would be stored anyhow - but if your are recording something else at the time you lose the buffering ability. With chase play the recording solution would be better as you'd get the buffer from the start too.

Just at the moment, I would settle for the damnthing not freezing at random.

My 5

1) The ability to Sort by name / time / channel in the Genre search
2) More rows in the EPG (but not at the expense of the thumb view) Single line rows would almost double the number of rows
3) Store the EPG
4) Show what day you are looking at in the EPG ("Mon 14th" for example)
5) More shortcuts (make more use of colour buttons)

Can I have a 2nd 5 wishes...
6) Chase Play
7) Keep buffer when changing channels (on my old unit, this was a option if you pressed pause before changing channels - a good compromise)
8) Whats on + Info to display when you press an arrow. Right+Left shows next / prev, up+down shows CH+ / Ch-
9) Show program info (truncated if necessary) in EPG (top left) when moving through items (is a pain in the ass pressing info)
10) Store top 5 searches (Every week I have to type in the same god damn thing)

Ok, more...
11) Folders, I'd like the abilty to move recorded items into folders. There are some recording i'll leave on the box but I know it will become very annoying once I have to scroll down to the bottom every time. Even if it were as simple as 2 'automatic folders' like "Watched Items" and "New Recordings"
12) The ability to record every program that matches what I want to record on a specific channel. E.g. Suppose I always wanna record "LOST". I set the unit to record all instances of this program on "Channel 4" This way, I don't get the E4 / E4+1 repeats.


Sorry I did not adhere to the request for 5, but having used this unit for a few months now, I recognise its shortcomings.

These changes could turn a good box into a great box.

BTW, I'm willing to BETA test (are you listening HUMAX?)

Steve.

Hehe... I'm willing to beta test too.... actually... I'll quite happily debug it and and write some new cool features if you want, too. Just send me the sources and I'll be out of your way.

I hate that message. I really wish you could turn it off.

When I'm watching something via the DVD SCART, I get audio interruptions, and even sometimes complete loss of audio until I flick the input one way and then the other.

Ian

If only.

Actually, that should be my on my list...

13) Get copy of curent source code.

I'm a Newbie to the Forum, but I have been using Humax boxes since the early 8000T 40Gb Days.

My top 5 for the 9200T (although I assure you I have more) are:

* Humax to email everyone a least a week before an OTA update. Users could subscribe to a list, through the Humax website and just be asked for their model of Box. It was only be chance that I tuned to channel 1 and caught the last 1....04 update over the bank holiday weekend, after seeing it was repeated (missed the first roll out) on the dtg.org website.

* Full chase play (THIS IS A MUST)

* Add a 32X speed on the fast forwarding selection. 16X can be a bit slow (faster to use commercial skip forward, but then end up using skip back) and what's the point of X64 - it's so fast that by the time you've got to the bit you wanted to and pressed the play button, half an hour has zoomed past!

* Option to add padding/auto pad when reserving a programme from the EPG schedule screen. Auto padding (without the option to turn of and on) can cause more problems than it's worth. A suggestion would be after okaying the "would you like to reserve...", have a option to add 0, 1, 2, 5, 10 mins to start and 0, 1, 2, 5, 10 mins to the end using the navigation keys.

And lastly

* The EPG – Please sort this out so it loads quicker from standby /power on. I have wasted much time waiting for it to load/flicking between channels etc due to the fact that I had to turn it off – because the blasted thing has only gone and locked up again – because I was in a rush to get out and forgot to tune to channel 5 – only to return home and be faced by a still picture and to top that it’s missed the last 10mins of the last episode of my (delete as appropriate) favourite serial/film/documentary/soap/sports match etc.


That’s my thoughts…..

As I've been led to understand , PDC is technically not possible to broadcast over a freeview transmission.

It never worked 100% on several of my vcr's anyway. Whats to say it would do the same over digital broadcasts?

An OFF SWITCH for MHEG...............................

PDC is delived via the video stream on ATT (like teletext). Digital TV runs data streams other than through the video stream (which is frankly the better way to do it, if you can) this inculdes the now next guide which has the potential to be better than PDC. The broadcaster simply tells the box what is on Now and Next (with the programme times for it, synopisis, genre and theroeticalyy ratings (however if your box shows it you'll find late night porn clasiffied as U, like everything else)). The key is that the braodcaster doesn't have to change the "Now" programme on time it states and so could use it to tell your box precisly when the programme starts. The BBC (certianly used) to use this techneque. It's just no one else does and PVRs ignore it and many now next info bars don't show it, but what you seem from the full guide (oftern suplimted with now, next info) to be on.

1 stop it cutting the end off recorded programmes
2 sort out the EPG delays
3 get it to start up without going thro all the start up procedure every time
4 I'll ask the wife - She'll have another 2 I'm sure

Just thought I would put a note on to say if you are putting wishlist items on be aware that Humaxare also ready going to do the MHEG on/off switch, saving EPG in standby and increasing the numbers of timer and also the weekly (not sure about weekend) additional repeat timer option. There, you have more slots now for your wishlists!

[list=1][*]Better guide and recordings list show synopsis on the main screen, more search, edit options - see http://davidegiles.googlepages.com/guideetc.xls[*]better i bar show different channels, extended info (next 24 hrs say rather than now next) smaller when showing synopsis (don't repeat channel name, programme name etc...) Sky like now next on one "screen". In a perfect world Microsoft TV style mini preview in the i bar.[*]Search record option to require synopsis to be different[*]Better deleting: don't delete until need to for space, delete in order or marked for deletion, show programme waiting to be deleted in playback list (another section: Video, Audio, Deleted) allow TiVo style "keep 3 for 7 days" in reservation, prompt to delete if stopped within (say) 5 mins of end.[*]Better buffering, don't interrupt buffer (or anything for that matter) when recordings start/end. Buffer previous channel watched for significant time, use back button to skip between.[/list]More on 5: [list][*]Have two buffers primary and secondary (when not recording).[*]The fist channel you watch should be primary at the start.[*]When you tune into another channel this takes over the secondary buffer[*]When you have watched the channel for (say - make it configurable) 30 seconds, the buffers should be swapped. This shouldn't happen if the primary buffer in paused.[*]The back button should hop between the two buffers (or what would be buffered if recoding), PiP should come up with the second buffer.[/list]This would mean that channel hopping wouldn't stop your current buffer, the back button wouldn't be interfered with by channel hopping (it'd go back to a channel you'd been watching not flicked past for a second). If you were watching one programme and hopping back to the football during adverts, they'd both be buffered (so you can rewind to the goal you missed), it would just take the back button to hop, the PiP would show either the football or channel so you know when the adverts are.