Just installed Humax HDR Fox T2 500GB

Donegal_TDI

I have a Panasonic TX L37 G15 and was happily enjoying RTE digital until just before Christmas when RTE changed their signal stream, I could no longer get the video channels on scan. No joy from Panasonic on this. So, I did a bit of research and came up with the Humax HDR Fox T2 as a likely candidate for a long term bet. I purchased it from Pulsat in the UK, from whom I have got tons of satellite stuff in the past, and it arrived yesterday, ~€330.

http://www.pulsat.com/products/Humax-Freeview-HDR%252dFOX-T2-500GB.html




Well, the good news is that it works and the picture quality set at 1080p is pristine perfect connected via HDMI. Teletext, EPG all work.
The little orange display on the box showing channel name/info is a nice extra.
There is no series link as yet and it does appear to be MHEG5 capable.
I have set a few programs to record today and will report back on performance.
My signal strength shows 75%, quality 100%, which isn't at all bad as I am 70km Northeast of Truskmore receiving on channel 53. However, I'm using a DAT 75 antenna which is one horse and cart of an aerial for what it can pull in. I'm in a valley and can't see any other transmitters anywhere.

However, if there is any money left after the EU and our new Government is finished with us, I may get another DAT 75 and install it at 90 degrees to the other, and it may be able to pull in enough signal from Strabane when it goes digital,
although direct line of sight is blocked by a rolling hill.



I'm installing an rf modulator to the scart this evening in order that I can view channels around the house on older tellys. Shame they didn't include an rf mod in the spec rather than a simple rf pass through.



I heard talk that RTE may be giving this box the Saorview seal of approval, can anyone confirm?

The remote functions were easily cloned into my Marantz RC2000 mk2.

Happy days so far.

STB

The G15s can be hacked to temporarily allow you into the settings to change it to the European model. You then scan for the DTT stations and save them. You then revert back to the original settings by changing the hex value back to what it was.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69166612&postcount=54

You must remember this is not an official Panasonic solution and not following the instructions carefully could leave you with a expensive door stopper.

There is a specific value for the 15s (you change the value to 0F (zeroF) instead of 20 (which is used on the g10s)). Obviously after you scan you change that value back to what it was.

Donegal_TDI

Thanks STB, but it was fear of bolloxing up a perfectly good TV that made me go the separate box route.
The Vieralink functions work well with other stuff from Panasonic and also Yamaha amps.
The G15 works really well on Freesat and it has LOADS of inputs, brilliant telly and great screen.
It really is a pity Panasonic did not come up with a firmware workaround for this i.e. manual acccess & control over terrestrial programme scans rather than auto only.
I know the TV can display the channels perfectly well, it just can't find them on scan, idiotic and very annoying.

STB

Donegal_TDI wrote: »

.
I know the TV can display the channels perfectly well, it just can't find them on scan, idiotic and very annoying.

Oh the hex hack works fine. It wasnt actually discovered with this in mind, but it works at allowing the channels show in a scan as it has the full service ID list when in Euro mode. Panasonic are to blame here. How they interpreted the UK spec differently to Sony and LG (both nreleased HD Freesat Combos) is anyones guess. Mind you they have a history of not caring a whole lot about their own consumers. Anyway even if you did the hex hack you would have a problem with default narrative audio stream selection in preference to english which has to be manually adjusted at each channel flick. Another fallout from D Book.

Know what would sort all this outside of firmware ?

A Panasonic Channel Editor.

Donegal_TDI

"A Panasonic Channel Editor."

If such a beast existed, there would be many happy Panny owners around the old sod.
Would nearly make me as happy as Fianna Fail's payback for ####ing us all up

As I only got the Humax yesterday,
I missed out on watching their new leader,
who only found his voice in the last 3 weeks and apparently suffers from 14 years of amnesia,
squirming & grovelling in glorious HD.

Payback is sweeeeeet!

I think it was DeValera that said that Fianna Fail, the Catholic Church & the GAA were the pillars of Irish society.
Well, as the first 2 have right royally screwed up, we are on one leg, and rocky at that as the Eu have us by the wobbly bits.

I see a potholed poverty stricken future looming on the horizon,
unless our bright shiney freshly elected TD's grow a monstrous pair of Kohounas,
each, not collectively,
and get us back on track without the usual cut and tax banter.
Winston Churchill said for a country to tax itself out of a recession,
is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift it by the handle.

Anyway, I digress,
as I have no broadband at home thanks to Mr Ryan & Ms Coughlan (both of whom are roumered to be flipping burgers somewhere),
more Humax matters tomorrow

The Cush

Donegal_TDI wrote: »

Well, the good news is that it works and the picture quality set at 1080p is pristine perfect connected via HDMI. Teletext, EPG all work.

MHEG-5 digital text and traditional "analogue" teletext i.e. TV3/TG4?

tonymayo

I heard talk that RTE may be giving this box the Saorview seal of approval, can anyone confirm?

Fingers crossed on that because it is a truly great multi-purpose receiver.

I also use it for media streaming and it works perfectly.

Also Humax recently enabled the media portal.

Of course, with any Irish IP address you can only access internet radio for now, but if they get Saorview approval RTE Player could be added in the future.

Donegal_TDI

The recordings I had scheduled for yesterday all failed other than manual recordings I had carried out.
Error message was "unable to track programme".
It seems others have fixed this by adding padding to start and finish 2 & 5 minutes respectively.
This "does something" to the so called "ar" recording which gets it's data from now & next which is supposed to track dynamic changes in start time of the broadcasters schedule for the programme.
Some have said this is an issue with the broadcasters data.
As RTE are in test mode, supposedly we are not dealing with a finished product as yet.
It doesn't sound like robust code programming to me on behalf of Humax
Will set this up in preferences this evening when I get home and also check firmware,
current on site is 1.02.07.

Any experience with "unable to track programme" TONYMAYO,
you seem to have been using this box for a while? Thanks.

tonymayo

Any experience with "unable to track programme"

No problems so far. I have the box about three weeks and have scheduled lots of recordings and they all worked from the epg.

Maybe you are also getting Freeview signal and there is some conflict. I am just in Saorview land.

My firmware is also 1.02.07

BowWow

tonymayo wrote: »

No problems so far. I have the box about three weeks and have scheduled lots of recordings and they all worked from the epg.
Maybe you are also getting Freeview signal and there is some conflict. I am just in Saorview land.
My firmware is also 1.02.07

I also have this box. Bought it early January. Great box so far. Recorded lots with it and no problems.
Firmware was an earlier version, but I downloaded 1.02.07 from the Humax site and now have that - very easy to load to box.
No experience with "unable to track program" You wern't trying the series link?
Box is highly recommended - if it does get Saorview approval that would be excellent.
Previously contacted Humax on that, Post 7 - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056104230.