[Mike21]

Taken from www.advanced-television.com

Quote:

Humax HD for DTH

Humax announces the launch of its first high definition digital satellite set-top box for the UK market. The Humax HDCI2000 is ideal for TV enthusiasts who cannot wait for the launch of HD services in the UK as it allows viewers to receive free-to-air HD satellite broadcasts and watch these on any HD Ready TV.

The HDCI2000 can receive and decrypt the latest MPEG4 HD transmissions, as well as display both MPEG2 HD and standard definition, free-to-air satellite signals. Other features include: optical output for Dolby Digital sound; two scarts to connect additional home cinema devices; a data port for software updates; HDMI video output; and two common interface slots, so viewers can add more channels via Pay TV services.

The Humax HDCI2000 will be available in the UK from March 2006 and is expected to retail at around £299 (E332) on the high street.

Does anyone know more about this receiver?
On Humax site it's nothing yet about this...
Interestingly, it's also priced at 299 Pounds

Mike

[Jarrak]

Yes the price suddenly brings people who expect SKY to sell the twin tuner, hard drive SKY+ HD for less than £300 down to earth

The STB is probably a sister product to the Humax PR-HD 1000 which is targeting the German HD broadcasts but obviously will have no trouble accessing any Dsat FTA HD channel either in mpeg2 or mpeg4.

[HEC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarrak

Yes the price suddenly brings people who expect SKY to sell the twin tuner, hard drive SKY+ HD for less than £300 down to earth

Well - yeah ... but ... Humax is not subsidized in any way ...

[pawlo]

Quote:

jarrak wrote :

Yes the price suddenly brings people who expect SKY to sell the twin tuner, hard drive SKY+ HD for less than £300 down to earth

Quote:

HEC wrote :

Well - yeah ... but ... Humax is not subsidized in any way ...

I quite agree, Sky will still have to sell their box ( probably bellow its true value ) as you need a subscription for it to do anything.

I will not pay more than £ 300.00 for one and that is final.

[Jarrak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEC

Well - yeah ... but ... Humax is not subsidized in any way ...

Exactly.

So either the SKY+ HD sells at cost so it will be far more expensive or it will be subsidised down from the higher price.
The point being anyone who thinks under £300 is the true value and thing higher is a rip off isn't looking at the actual market.

[Hellicopter]

In the article it says E332 i.e.Euros presumably, which is less than £299.
Alan

[Jay C]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellicopter

In the article it says E332 i.e.Euros presumably, which is less than £299.
Alan

332€ would be around £235.
This would make sense, as the HD(CI)1000PK is around £270. As I see it the 2000 will be a 1000 less the Nagra and card reader.

[Mike21]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellicopter

In the article it says E332 i.e.Euros presumably, which is less than £299.
Alan

At the current GBP/EUR exchange rate 299GBP is approx. 432EUR so 332EUR might be a typo!
Or, who knows, maybe it will be sold cheaper in Europe

Mike

[Keith]

Anyone heard any more about this receiver - I thought it was to be available this month?

[srhill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike21

Taken from www.advanced-television.com



Does anyone know more about this receiver?
On Humax site it's nothing yet about this...
Interestingly, it's also priced at 299 Pounds

Mike

??? link doesn't give any info about a humax hd box at all - very interestingly has an article date Monday 13th March when its only the 10th today ????

[Mike21]

Quote:

Originally Posted by srhill

??? link doesn't give any info about a humax hd box at all - very interestingly has an article date Monday 13th March when its only the 10th today ????

The above link was for the site, and not for that particular article.
If you need the link for that article, here it is:
http://www.advanced-television.com/2...eb20_Feb24.htm
You'll have to scroll down a little bit...

Mike

[Keith]

I've sent an email to Humax asking about this receiver, but as yet they have not replied. Has anyone else had any luck in getting any more info about this alleged receiver?

[Hellicopter]

Basically the same receiver as Germany without the CAM.
I am told is coming in to dealers next week.

Alan

[Hairybear]

More information about this box including user guide here:

Humax HD-CI2000 post

[Nabil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellicopter

Basically the same receiver as Germany without the CAM.
I am told is coming in to dealers next week.

Alan

Why would one want to buy this receiver for 299 when the Humax PR-HD1000 can be bought from Germany for around 260 pounds including courier charges and will have a bullt in cam extra.

Am I missing something?

[David (2)]

I asked this on Friday, but cant find the post...

For FTA HD and SD broadcasts, can a standard Sky digibox be replaced with the Humax? Is it just a simple case of changing the wire over (dish/LNB remains the same)? What would happen in regard to SD channels - do they "just work" like now? Would the Sky card (not subscription) also work in the Humax in order to decode Ch4 and Ch5? Last but not least, I am guessing the Humax doesnt have a hard drive (not a pvr box).

Thanks for any responses - I will add to Bookmarks this time!


Dave

[Alan58]

Looking at the brief spec. in the first post then in simple terms
you can disconnect your Sky digibox and replace it with the Humax. The connection on the back for the down lead from the dish/LNB will be a standard F connector.

The connection between the Humax and your television will be via the HDMI for Hi-Def broadcasts. I would think the standard def. signals will pass over the same HDMI link but I'm not sure
about this point. If they don't then the SCART output will be used.

As for receiving the Channel 4/5 FTV broadcasts not a hope in hell. The common interface slots mentioned will take a common access module (CAM) with a subscription card going into that. For example a Viacess CAM + ABSat viewing card. Channels 4 and 5 would need a Videoguard CAM to take the viewing card and there is no such item available other than inside a Sky digibox.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan58

As for receiving the Channel 4/5 FTV broadcasts not a hope in hell. The common interface slots mentioned will take a common access module (CAM) with a subscription card going into that. For example a Viacess CAM + ABSat viewing card. Channels 4 and 5 would need a Videoguard CAM to take the viewing card and there is no such item available other than inside a Sky digibox.

Strictly speaking the dragon cam would work, although you would need to put the card in a Sky dodgybox for key updates.

[David (2)]

I remember now, the Sky encoding system is limited to just their equipment. Its a standard unto its self.

Not sure how they can get away with doing that by law, but hey this is the UK.

Dave

[Chris Simon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David (2)

I remember now, the Sky encoding system is limited to just their equipment. Its a standard unto its self.

Not sure how they can get away with doing that by law, but hey this is the UK.

Microsoft has been taken to court by Europe for not opening up Windows protocols so that other software can work with it, thereby making it more difficult for other manufacturers to provide software and hardware that works with Windows PCs (not that it's stopped them before anyhow...). It does strike me as strange that Sky is allowed to restrict the software encryption to Sky-branded hardware, meaning manfucturers of other set top boxes find it difficult to break Sky's monopoly on hardware in the UK.

It's an even worse case of monopolisation than Microsoft actually, because you can at least buy computers with other operating systems. But for UK satellite TV reception (apart from the FTA channels) Sky is the only option. There is no other way. You can buy other equipment for FTA reception, but if there's a possibility of you wanting any more UK channels (especially sports and movies which Sky also have a monopoly on) then you're hardly likely to buy two sets of equipment. Sky equipment it has to be.

[Orbitalzone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Simon

It's an even worse case of monopolisation than Microsoft actually, because you can at least buy computers with other operating systems. But for UK satellite TV reception (apart from the FTA channels) Sky is the only option. There is no other way. You can buy other equipment for FTA reception, but if there's a possibility of you wanting any more UK channels (especially sports and movies which Sky also have a monopoly on) then you're hardly likely to buy two sets of equipment. Sky equipment it has to be.

While I totally agree with your comments, I must say that when I was supplying analogue satellite equipment for Sky every time some new channels came on, retuning or helping customers retune their gear was a nightmare and I am sure it was 100 times worse for Sky.... so although a tightly controlled system like Sky's is a nuiscience for 10% of the population (like us) who want a wide choice of receivers/PVR etc... from Sky's perspective it's ideal. One standard, one set of help guides for their tech lines.... one set of training etc. You have to admire their clever tactics in having such a tightly controlled system and they seem to have got away with this monopoly here in the UK and elsewhere.

Whatever you think about Sky, you have to admit they're clever sods!

[David (2)]

I hope that Ch4 and Ch5 go Free to air eventualy, as this would then allow people to get all 5 main channels on any non-Sky branded Satellite decoder.

Dave

[Namcop]

This box will sell for between £279 - £299 Stock will be available in the next week....... hopefully