Question Recommend Freeview Box

brydo666

Established Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
478
Reaction score
128
Points
147
Location
Glasgow
We'll shortly be making the switch from Sky Q to Freeview as we're only watching the FTA channels. This also allows us to remove the dish and cabling that runs along the outside of our building tidying up the exterior.

There are a number of Freeview boxes on offer and I'm looking for something that'll be a good replacement. The requirements are the ability to pause/rewind, series link record and have a snappy interface.

I'm swaying towards a Humax HDR-1800T at the moment which seems to cover our requirements and is a good price too - is this a good option?
 
If you can get a Humax HDR-FOX-T2 it's a much better box and even better with the custom firmware on board.
 
Thank you.

Got one on eBay - the remote looks like a Freesat one but I assume they are compatible.

Humax HDR-FOX T2 500GB Hard Drive, | eBay

The Humax remotes work pretty well all the boxes. You can set them to 6 different modes so you can use multiple boxes in the same room. I have two HDR-FOX-T2's, a Foxsat-HDR and a HDR-1000S in the same room.

The original HDR-FOX-T2 remote has buttons to transfer control to PVR, TV, DVD and AUDIO.

Head to Hummy.TV and locate the things every HDR-FOX-T2 owner should know thread.
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Thanks for the advice Graham. I only read a quick blog post but it looks like I'll be able to add the Humax as a library in Kodi which will be a real win with the wife.
 
Take note of GLT's third suggestion. There are T2 black belts over there and the custom firmware author is extremely active on that site.
 
Thanks for the advice Graham. I only read a quick blog post but it looks like I'll be able to add the Humax as a library in Kodi which will be a real win with the wife.

With the aid of the CF you can stream recordings to virtually any DLNA/UPNP client on your network. TV's, PC's, tablets, smartphones etc
 
Its interesting to note that in todays current market neither YouView, Freetime from Freesat, or the oh so poor Freeview Play offer such options..​
 
Just a quick note to say that I got our new aerial installed on Friday and started using this box - we're really impressed with it.

The channels we watch have equal quality to that on Sky Q, the menu is quick and snappy unlike the TiVo we hated before and the CF was a quick install.

I got the auto decryption set up and Samba too but for some reason the TS files don't open in VLC - I'll have a play around with it.
 
Just a quick note to say that I got our new aerial installed on Friday and started using this box - we're really impressed with it.

The channels we watch have equal quality to that on Sky Q, the menu is quick and snappy unlike the TiVo we hated before and the CF was a quick install.

I got the auto decryption set up and Samba too but for some reason the TS files don't open in VLC - I'll have a play around with it.

Are you sure the files have been decrypted ? It doesn't happen instantly. Can you open one using MediaInfo ?

MediaInfo - Download

Files that are decrypted have a green dec icon in the webif media list.
 
You were right, I noticed the Enc icon disappeared straight away and assumed it was done - I retried this morning and it's working well.
 
The lack of the Enc icon only means that the 'decryption prevention' flag has been cleared from HD recordings. It does not mean that the file has been de-crypted. It will stream OK and be de-crypted 'on the fly'. As GLT says above, when the file has actually been de-crypted, it will have a green 'Dec' icon.
 
I'm doing away with Sky at the end of June and planning on switching to a Humax with recording capability, unlike the OP I'm quite happy to leave the Sky dish in place, would it be virtually a straight swap connection wise with the Sky box?
 
I'm doing away with Sky at the end of June and planning on switching to a Humax with recording capability, unlike the OP I'm quite happy to leave the Sky dish in place, would it be virtually a straight swap connection wise with the Sky box?

The box is a straight swap provided it's replacing a Sky-HD box. However if you use the Sky RF remote viewing capability with magic eye remote control and wish to retain it you need extra kit.

If it's Sky-Q it's a bit more complicated as, unless you had a hybrid lnb fitted, the lnb will need replacing with a conventional universal type.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is Home Theater DEAD in 2024?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom