|
||||||||
Software/Firmware update Foxsat HDR |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#76 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 163
|
Quote:
No amount of research would have got you a better box than the Humax.
Quote:
Even the Sky boxes allegedly have reliability issues. How many people do you know who's box has allegedly self destructed within a day or two of the end of the warranty?
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I left Sky for the reasons I did - but overall the Sky+ does give a better user experience than the HDR. Quote:
I for one would rather Humax took their time and fixed everything and added many wanted features and beta tested it all thoroughly before release than rushed it out full of further bugs.
I certainly wouldn't want them to rush out releases with more bugs, but bundling everything into a single release - including a major new feature - actually makes it far more risky that they will introduce new bugs.I would much rather they focused on one or two of the highest priority bugs at a time, get them fixed, tested properly, and have two or three releases over this last year. |
|
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#77 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,494
|
Quote:
Why is it better?
Surely the more things you change at once the greater the chance for a unforseen side effect. Automan. If they do them incrementally and rush each ne out with limited testing time then the 1st time they'll know there's a problem caused by one update conflicting with another is when its been applied at the user end. This is what happened with PC game I used to play. An update was released and the game patched and it upset two or three other things in the game and so users were then complaining and waiting for another update, which then caused more conflicts and problems and so it went on and on and ... Quote:
Agreed - A PVR that that wipes scheduled timers following a rescan and also that fails to record following a power cut is far from perfectly usable.
However, on a day to day basis, given most people don't rescan non Freesat channels, the Humax is a highly reliable PVR. In 2 years of ownership I've probably only missed 2 or 3 programmes that haven't recorded and I usually record 2 or 3 programmes per day every day and watch for up to 5 or 6 hours a day. The fact that my film folder now has 71 films archived in it should tell you I'm a heavy user. To me its very reliable. Quote:
The point is for MANY of us the Humax Freesat HDR is perfectly usable. I have had mine for 8 months and the only fault that really gets to me is the inability to delete whilst recording. I just delete programs once week in a quiet time.
It strikes me that anybody that praises the HDR gets there opinion criticised. So I agree with White Knight. it is perfectly usable. Thats got nothing to do with my expectations. Just a bit of patience learning the boxes quirks. Lets not get into another pointless argument again because peoples opinions differ. Quote:
I'm not a humax employee, but I am a subscribed member of the HDR fan club. Mine is in the loft, so opportunities for fiddling are limited. It has never been restarted in a year, and has performed far more reliably than the skyHD box it replaced. I am of the opinion that some members here need a sense of perspective. There's a kind of gang histeria that takes hold on DS, and the HDR has been mugged by it. I am a reseller, and I have also not had a single return of a HDR, not one. I daresay it'll come, as they age, but I can only speak as I find.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#78 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Cradley, Halesowen, W.Mids
Posts: 1,047
|
Quote:
Its only ITV HD that's affected. Far more serious is the non freesat scanning bug that wipes all schedules.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#79 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 163
|
Quote:
but there is also the other angle that without it the amount of extra testing would considerably push up the price and complex products may not even be economic.
It would mean that small companies without the financial backing would be unable to afford the development. But the rub for the larger companies that can, is that they (may) have increased sales. |
|
|
|
|
|
#80 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Cradley, Halesowen, W.Mids
Posts: 1,047
|
Quote:
In 2 years of ownership I've probably only missed 2 or 3 programmes that haven't recorded and I usually record 2 or 3 programmes per day every day and watch for up to 5 or 6 hours a day. The fact that my film folder now has 71 films archived in it should tell you I'm a heavy user. To me its very reliable.
![]() Slightly off topic - I am on holiday for 2 weeks so have setup my ultra reliable Freeview PVR as a backup. Not expecting it to have recorded everything though due to the 30th September DTT retune which I obviously haven't done and the fact that there appears to be reports of reception issues the past couple of days from Sutton Coldfield (according to the Freeview forum). I was quite shocked when I was scheduling my recordings in that it came to just over 51 hours of programming in 2 weeks I never realised how much TV I watched
|
|
|
|
|
|
#81 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Bucks
Posts: 90
|
Most if not all of the problems should be fixable by a firmware update, I’ve emailed Humax this afternoon with my concerns, I will post the reply if they answer, would it be fair to say that the biggest issue is the HD schedules disappearing because that is my main concern, most of the other issues are workable around would that be fair to say, but not to say they should be ignored
|
|
|
|
|
|
#82 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: South Coast, UK
Posts: 4,952
|
Quote:
Exactly the opposite. If its done as one update they have the opportunity to test the update as a whole with every change implemented back to back so if one update causes a problem with another its discovered.
If they do them incrementally and rush each ne out with limited testing time then the 1st time they'll know there's a problem caused by one update conflicting with another is when its been applied at the user end. This is what happened with PC game I used to play. An update was released and the game patched and it upset two or three other things in the game and so users were then complaining and waiting for another update, which then caused more conflicts and problems and so it went on and on and ... The trouble is they seldom happens and the boxes they play with will have recordings and planned recordings made and set with the intermediate version that are not released. Thus when the finished version is pumped out anything can happen. This is why I think it is better to do a few e.g. 3 or 4 small releases a year and then judge their negative impact (if any). Also of course better for public relations between Humax and their customer base who now all think we have been forgotten in favour of next years model. Still one thing I suspect we can all agree on is that all we can do is talk and dream about new firmware for our boxes and whatever we post on any forum will not speed it up it release assuming it even exists yet in a stable form. Automan. |
|
|
|
|
|
#83 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 253
|
Quote:
Still one thing I suspect we can all agree on is that all we can do is talk and dream about new firmware for our boxes and whatever we post on any forum will not speed it up it release assuming it even exists yet in a stable form.
Automan. . Let's also hope when it finally arrives it will be surprising us all with it's completeness and amazing functionality. ![]() Patrick |
|
|
|
|
|
#84 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 163
|
Quote:
Exactly the opposite. If its done as one update they have the opportunity to test the update as a whole with every change implemented back to back so if one update causes a problem with another its discovered.
If they do them incrementally and rush each ne out with limited testing time then the 1st time they'll know there's a problem caused by one update conflicting with another is when its been applied at the user end. Plus, a firmware upgrade on a device like HDR is almost certainly going to be a complete replacement of the existing firmware image - unlike PC software that gets upgraded in place due to the constraints of distributing a large image and potential issues with aiding piracy. So the chances of a conflict with between different updates is close to zero. |
|
|
|
|
|
#85 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Cradley, Halesowen, W.Mids
Posts: 1,047
|
Quote:
Most if not all of the problems should be fixable by a firmware update, I’ve emailed Humax this afternoon with my concerns, I will post the reply if they answer, would it be fair to say that the biggest issue is the HD schedules disappearing because that is my main concern, most of the other issues are workable around would that be fair to say, but not to say they should be ignored
|
|
|
|
|
|
#86 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Bucks
Posts: 90
|
Quote:
I suppose if the ITV HD channel became a standalone channel on Freesat (possibly to coincide with the launch on Freeview) then this would be no longer an issue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#87 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Southampton
Posts: 41
|
I like many other am frustrated at the length of time this latest release is taking,
and have just one simple point to make on the subject.Apple recently released an iPhone firmware update. Within just 2 weeks, a bunch of amateur hackers have once again found a way to jailbreak this release, just as they have every other release, and 2 weeks us an unusually long time for these guys. ![]() If a group of unpaid enthusiasts can do this in such a short timeframe, I just wonder why it takes a well paid team at Humax a year to not release an upgrade. ![]() Not that I'm having a go at Humax you understand, just curious. Makes ya think doesn't it! Regards Nick |
|
|
|
|
|
#88 |
|
Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,324
|
Quote:
I like many other am frustrated at the length of time this latest release is taking,
and have just one simple point to make on the subject.Apple recently released an iPhone firmware update. Within just 2 weeks, a bunch of amateur hackers have once again found a way to jailbreak this release, just as they have every other release, and 2 weeks us an unusually long time for these guys. ![]() If a group of unpaid enthusiasts can do this in such a short timeframe, I just wonder why it takes a well paid team at Humax a year to not release an upgrade. ![]() Not that I'm having a go at Humax you understand, just curious. Makes ya think doesn't it! As such they would not be in a position to release any changes until they are all complete and tested. The alternative would have been to complete all bug/feature fixes and do a release before starting work on the new features. Given the complexity of some of the issues involved (particularly the importance so many people seem to place on being able to delete at any time ) it probably got to the point where they decided that they could not delay starting work on the new features any longer and so it was necessary to bundle all the changes together.Just a theory but it explains why their behaviour with regard to this model seems so different to that with the non-PVR. |
|
|
|
|
|
#89 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Brackley, UK
Posts: 16,657
|
Quote:
If a group of unpaid enthusiasts can do this in such a short timeframe, I just wonder why it takes a well paid team at Humax a year to not release an upgrade.
![]() 2. Humax have to take far more care over what they are doing than the hackers. At the very least they can't afford to 'brick' every customer's PVR. They might also (although I have my doubts) be mindful of future upgrades. Hackers have things relatively easy. In most cases they have far fewer side effects or consequences to worry about. They can trot out any old dross and usually get away without serious issues. If there are issues then what do they care? It's not their warranty and not their problem. Having said that it does suggest something naff about the Humax development effort if they can't/won't release interim fixes. Any well designed and well implemented software project shouldn't be hard to fix. Issuing targetted fixes should not be a bigger risk than a complete re-release. There is such a thing as regression testing after all. Most software houses issue interim updates. We do them all the time. It's not a trivial matter but nor is it rocket science. I suspect the problem here is management/marketing. Someone just refused to sign off on fixes on that branch of the code. But I suspect the issue is just the nature of the beast. I know a couple of people who write software for consumer goods and it's not a 'nice' environment to work in. There seems to be huge pressure to get the next new thing out and little or no interest in helping existing customers. Probably because in most cases existing customers don't pay anything. The RoI is therefore how many people (like me) refuse to buy future product because of them failing to upgrade existing kit. I think that number is relatively low. |
|
|
|
|
|
#90 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 821
|
If as many people had the HDR as have iphones we would have a hacked firmware too by now and much more (a) functionality and (b) bugs too probably.
The Humax icord has already been hacked to open up its network functions, hopefully someone with appropriate skill and time will do the same for our HDR. |
|
|
|
|
|
#91 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Bucks
Posts: 90
|
Quote:
If as many people had the HDR as have iphones we would have a hacked firmware too by now and much more (a) functionality and (b) bugs too probably.
The Humax icord has already been hacked to open up its network functions, hopefully someone with appropriate skill and time will do the same for our HDR. |
|
|
|
|
|
#92 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: St Osyth
Posts: 3,249
|
Well,I don't know about these updates,I spose when they are ready they are ready....Just bought a Panasonic dvd hdd recorder(to "compliment" my Panasonic tv) I know we all moan about different things on our playthings but comparing the Panasonic software/firmware withe the Foxsat HDR and the Humax 9200t I have to say both the Humax's features,epg's and general presentation,are a mile ahead of the Panasonic.Praps we should all be a bit more appreciative,I know I am now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#93 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 163
|
Quote:
I have to say both the Humax's features,epg's and general presentation,are a mile ahead of the Panasonic.Praps we should all be a bit more appreciative,I know I am now.
Now, to be fair, most of the features on the Humax do work very well. But there are problems, which I have been affected by, that I consider to be serious. Other people will have different opinions, but I would gladly trade some features and presentation in return for getting rid of the most serious and annoying issues with the HDR. |
|
|
|
|
|
#94 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Brackley, UK
Posts: 16,657
|
Quote:
Other people will have different opinions, but I would gladly trade some features and presentation in return for getting rid of the most serious and annoying issues with the HDR.
![]() The only advantage is that since Sky is a subscription service it has more incentive to issue upgrades and fixes. It still introduces nearly as many problems each upgrade as it fixes but gradually the worst bugs go away |
|
|
|
|
|
#95 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: West London
Posts: 110
|
Quote:
I was actually hoping that someone with the appropriate knowhow would do something especially on the HD schedules disappearing which is quite a big problem.
Perhaps there were some things that I might have recorded if I'd realised in in time, but I think that is more ITV's problem than the Foxsat's. a) The way that they are doing it is a pain - having to faff around with red-button interactive - I understand the issue, but its ITV's problem to solve b) Frankly their HD offering is currently risible - just the very rare film or even more rare original drama. The schedule is barely worth a glance. I really don't see how this is a Humax problem (although I suppose you aren't really saying that it is). It is an implementation choice if ITV's. The result is fragile. My Foxsat records proper HD channels with full EPG just fine!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
#96 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: West London
Posts: 110
|
Quote:
The Humax icord has already been hacked to open up its network functions, hopefully someone with appropriate skill and time will do the same for our HDR.
We bought it in 2008 when there were no "interactive" services available for the ethernet port, it wasn't part of my purchasing decision and I doubt it was for most others. I *did* fancy the idea of a PVR with network connectivity and that part could have been a doddle to implement. FTP service in a Linux-based box vs. to-be-decided interactive services..... let's take a guess which is probably the easier to implement by about two orders of magnitude.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#97 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Bucks
Posts: 90
|
Quote:
Not a problem for me. I record several BBC HD programmes every week with no problem and I've not yet bothered with ITV HD.
Perhaps there were some things that I might have recorded if I'd realised in in time, but I think that is more ITV's problem than the Foxsat's. a) The way that they are doing it is a pain - having to faff around with red-button interactive - I understand the issue, but its ITV's problem to solve b) Frankly their HD offering is currently risible - just the very rare film or even more rare original drama. The schedule is barely worth a glance. |
|
|
|
|
|
#98 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 163
|
Quote:
a) The way that they are doing it is a pain - having to faff around with red-button interactive - I understand the issue, but its ITV's problem to solve
b) Frankly their HD offering is currently risible - just the very rare film or even more rare original drama. The schedule is barely worth a glance. IMHO, ITV's HD implementation isn't that much of a pain - in some ways it's preferable. I like that if you go to watch something on ITV, you are immediately told that there is a HD broadcast of it. With BBC, you have to know to check a separate channel's schedule - and it may not be simulcast. It would be better if it could be an alternate stream that was always automatically selected, rather than having to go through interactive. Quote:
I really don't see how this is a Humax problem (although I suppose you aren't really saying that it is). It is an implementation choice if ITV's. The result is fragile. My Foxsat records proper HD channels with full EPG just fine!!
![]() |
|
|
|
|
|
#99 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: West London
Posts: 110
|
Quote:
And much of the football they show.
... and DeadEnders, Holby, Casualty, Strictly, XFactor... Football on TV: It's just a green raster with noise. A random-number generator would be much less costly to run. ![]() ![]() Can I recommend Last Chance to See, Later With Jools.... |
|
|
|
|
|
#100 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: S Yorks
Posts: 367
|
Quote:
We bought it in 2008 when there were no "interactive" services available for the ethernet port, it wasn't part of my purchasing decision and I doubt it was for most others. I *did* fancy the idea of a PVR with network connectivity and that part could have been a doddle to implement. FTP service in a Linux-based box vs. to-be-decided interactive services..... let's take a guess which is probably the easier to implement by about two orders of magnitude.
![]() As for software updates, one word: modularity |
|
|
|
![]() |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 09:01.



I certainly wouldn't want them to rush out releases with more bugs, but bundling everything into a single release - including a major new feature - actually makes it far more risky that they will introduce new bugs.

I never realised how much TV I watched
. Let's also hope when it finally arrives it will be surprising us all with it's completeness and amazing functionality.
and have just one simple point to make on the subject.
