Humax HDR-1003S Problems thread

[transit]

There seem to be 3 categories of posters viewing this thread:

1. Owners of non VAST Humax PVRs curious about the new product

2. Owners of UEC PVRs who seem intent on rubbishing the Humax at every opportunity

3. Owners of Humax PVRs discussing problems that have arisen.

It was commendably started by Sunshine Coast who has commented on how Humax read it to glean information - good.

But one must query the usefulness of some posts here by non Humax owners on the subject of Humax faults, which they have not had first hand experience of because they own a different brand, a brand which has been roundly castigated on this forum for years but now appears to be taking on a more saintly aurora!

So gentlemen, an appeal to those in category 2 above to please dampen down your enthusiasm and praise for alternative products and post them in another more appropriate thread. The "mine is better than yours" type of approach is neither mature nor helpful to anyone and is getting irritating. All consumer electronics which is processor controlled has complex software running it. The more involved and the newer the product, the more problems arise. This thread is designed to discuss the problems involved with the new VAST Humax and is not one for A:B comparisons with alternatives.

Note I'm not saying comparisons are not helpful but this is not the place for them. It would be helpful if someone who owned both a UEC and a Humax started a thread to discuss how they compare.

I have just been through the last 78 posts and can't find any posts in category 2. There some comments from non-Humax owners saying things like [paraphrasing here] 'It wouldn't be acceptable if it didn't record 2 channels at the same time' and some other really mild stuff which just makes good sense.

The only criticism that seems harsh has come from Humax owners such as Sunshine Coast and his opinion should be considered an informed opinion.

As to A:B comparisons this has only happened directly with one post [#22] with one feature and that was after you invited the comparison.

[maudandken]

I WILL REITERATE WHAT I SAID EARLIER AND THE ABOVE POST IS JUST AN UNHELPFUL POST AND WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. Honestly, Tassie Devil you have hit it on the head with (2) above and i have followed this forum with amazement about the utter crap that has been written. Some of it appears to be jealousy because they did not wait and get the Humax.I have had mine for two weeks now and it is perfect for a couple of oldies and i'm sure that the whingers and the trolls will still whine but thank you for your help and looking forward to more of your helpful comments. By the way i have 3 other Pvr's so i can compare. IF YOU HAVE NOTHING HELPFUL OR INTELLIGENT TO SAY DONT POST AND WASTE EVERYONE'S TIME. Thank you again Tassie Devil for all the help you have given.

[transit]

I WILL REITERATE WHAT I SAID EARLIER AND THE ABOVE POST IS JUST AN UNHELPFUL POST AND WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. Honestly, Tassie Devil you have hit it on the head with (2) above and i have followed this forum with amazement about the utter crap that has been written. Some of it appears to be jealousy because they did not wait and get the Humax.I have had mine for two weeks now and it is perfect for a couple of oldies and i'm sure that the whingers and the trolls will still whine but thank you for your help and looking forward to more of your helpful comments. By the way i have 3 other Pvr's so i can compare. IF YOU HAVE NOTHING HELPFUL OR INTELLIGENT TO SAY DONT POST AND WASTE EVERYONE'S TIME. Thank you again Tassie Devil for all the help you have given.

Lets keep things accurate -- that's my strategy here. I've been through all the posts -- where are those that fall into category 2 and which ones are "utter crap". Which ones show any "jealousy". I think that you are way off the mark and your vision of this is skewed for some reason. No one is saying that the Humax is not "perfect for a couple of oldies" or anyone else for that matter.

IMHO any post that brings accuracy to a thread is a good post. Any post that brings hyperbole to a thread is a bad post. Please try not to post any more hyperbolic statements that include phrases such as "utter crap that has been written" when no such thing has taken place. If you feel that it has taken place then point it out -- that is what you should have done in post 82 -- that would have been constructive and brought greater accuracy to thread.

[therealyuriboy]

You really can't find any posts Transit? Maybe look a little harder

Almost any post by Tiny in this thread falls into category 2

Examples:

"Makes me wonder how much if any field testing with the VAST platform Humax did before they unleashed an unreliable PVR??"

"Big problem to me see above, my easy work around if this is a common problem will be to purchase the UEC 4639 that has uninterrupted chase play/time slip"

"This is really making the UEC look good, we bagged the crap out of the UEC4121 for what were compared to this very minor issues"

All these comments are based on no evidence, has anyone spoken to Humax regarding field testing? How does a non owner of a Humax PVR describe it as unreliable?

Just post bugs as you see them and leave the pro-UEC garbage to another thread. Any version 1.0 product will have some bugs, just report them and judge Humax on how quickly and efficiently they fix them.

[maudandken]

one thing i'm having Tassie Devil is a hdmi handshake problem with tv as i'm running hdmi to amp to projector and component to tv. sometimes on start up of tv it says on tv screen that the hdmi hdcp handshake is not completed but to use a component cable.problem is that i'm using one on the tv already. any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks. this happens very rarely though

[Tiny]

EDIT: for clarification & to prevent any further confusion my answers to therealyuriboy are the words in blue.

You really can't find any posts Transit? Maybe look a little harder

Almost any post by Tiny in this thread falls into category 2 Answer from Tiny: Incorrect; I am or should I say was a potential buyer of the Humax (still open minded; depending on how quickly Humax respond to the problems & release a firmware patch to fix them), as you would know if you had read other threads I've posted in. I thank Sunshine Coast & Tassie Devil for their time & effort in reporting these bugs so I can hopefully make an informed opinion on which VAST twin tuner PVR I will buy.
My intention of having an opinion on the problems posted by others is to clarify the facts & have input in the thread, not to "seem intent on rubbishing the Humax at every opportunity."

All these comments are based on no evidence, has anyone spoken to Humax regarding field testing?
Answer from Tiny: It's obvious to me that if field testing had been done these bugs would have been sorted out at Humax's expense & not been released to the public to find & live with. Instead thanks to Sunshine Coast & Tassie Devil who at their expense (sorry in Sunshine Coast's case he doesn't own the box) & time have taken the trouble to put the Humax to test & report the results here for all to see.

How does a non owner of a Humax PVR describe it as unreliable? Answer from Tiny: Just read the ongoing list of evidence from the quoted post's below.

Just post bugs as you see them and leave the pro-UEC garbage to another thread. Any version 1.0 product will have some bugs, just report them and judge Humax on how quickly and efficiently they fix them.

Will start with Post #1 from the thread starter.

Brand new unit, bought a week ago.



I have identified the following problems:

1. The skip function (► rocker button) does not work. You can program it to jump different amounts of time forward, but the programming is ignored. It always jumps 20s ahead, and sometimes longer (up to a minute) on an unpredictable basis
2. On several occasions now, I have scheduled a program to be recorded and then I get a "could not track" error message when I go to play it later. I think this only happens when the unit is recording 2 channels at once (not sure).
3. The remote is extremely noisy, with an audible CLACK every time you press buttons

List the errors and problems you have had with this unit in this thread. Thanks.

I was wrong about the Austar LNB/dish causing a problem when viewing. Looks like there is a bug in the software, something I had trouble explaining to Jay on the phone this morning although he said he would check it out.

The problem: A program is set by the timer to record say from 8 to 8.30. At 8.10 we start to view it, i.e. chase play - look at it before the recording is finished. After 20 minutes at 8.30 the timer fires to stop the recording BUT this stops the file playing and takes viewing back to live. It is then necessary to go to the Media Play to resume play.

I had not been chase playing for a bit so this misled me to blame the problem on the Austar connection, now obviously a red herring. The interruption does not occur if the recording has finished. I had trouble convincing Jay that this does not happen on other PVRs, or at least not on any I've owned and cannot recall it ever happened on the Humax 7500T.

Anyone else experienced this?

Happened last night to 60 Minutes. It was set up to record without any other concurrent recording, and no series/linked settings.

It happens almost every time we set up a few programs to be recorded. Invariably at least one recorded program will be greyed out, showing a duration time of "0 minutes" and when you try to play it a "cannot be tracked" error message pops up, and then you are offered a "Delete Y/N?" option.

We've been watching another channel while this happens, I suspect, on each occasion. Will keep tabs on this problem to see when it occurs in more detail. It's occurring every time we use the unit, so it's a biggy.

That is a new one for me.

How are you setting the timer? It is unreliable from EPG. You can do an initial setting there but drill down (via the yellow button) to confirm start, stop etc times.

But I have struck one bug. When viewing a file, if a timer fires it stops play. Most irritating. I've informed Humax of it but have had no reply yet.

It's happened again! Happens when you are watching TV (Channel A), recording Channel B, and try to record Channel C.

Click on image to see full size:

Unfortunately, I have just found that I get the "cannot track" error on recordings made while watching a recording. So this means I am getting this error with one tuner set to record, and simply watching a recording, the other tuner idle.

Another error: using the Fast Forward or Fast Rewind at the basic 2x speed, I am unable to locate the end of the adverts. If you press Stop as soon as you see the end of the ads, the play starts up to a minute later.

Really, I have to rate this unit as a 3/10. It's not ready for sale.

So, here is how the "cannot track" error occurs.



Notice how the unit is not recording as instructed. This will end up with the error I have shown above.

You will also see below 2 very knowledgeable people on this forum have made comment in this thread on the obvious results & value of field testing.

Quite likely, but with each firmware update, Optus gets a $20K fee to re-accredit the box, you'd think Humax would have thoroughly tested functions before release.

To their credit, UEC did extensive lab and field tests before releasing any firmware, but like any new design, we expect some teething problems.

I reckon. If you ask me, the UEC 4121 field trials were very successful. There were hundreds of suggestions and bugs brought to UEC's attention all at the cost of a dozen or so boxes. Should be a necessity for manufacturers given the strict nature of VAST certification.

In my opinion it is a basic requirement of a PVR to reliably record programs from the EPG & from manual set timer recordings. In this case on 2 tuners simultaneously.
A PVR that does not meet this basic requirement has major problems.
A secondary, however, major requirement (for me anyway) is that a recording being watched in time slip does not stop & exit to live TV becase a "timer fires."
It is not acceptable for a device priced over $500 to have this many major problems when released for sale to the public, Humax need to fix this quickly or find themselves in a Public Relations nightmare.
In the words of Sunshine Coast "Really, I have to rate this unit as a 3/10. It's not ready for sale."

There; I had an opinion if that's allowable on this thread. Pheww.

[maudandken]

I WILL REITERATE WHAT I SAID EARLIER AND THE ABOVE POST IS JUST AN UNHELPFUL POST AND WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. sorry i'm out of this now. if you want to talk about nothing go on TWITTER.

[Tassie Devil]

Will start with Post #1 from the thread starter.

So a couple of questions to you Tiny:
1. Do you own a Humax?
2. If not, what is the point of your post?

Looks like you are another poster in category 2. If so, could you please butt out and leave this thread to Humax owners who have something useful and helpful to contribute. Your contribution, which obviously took you some time, appears designed as a criticism of the PVR and adds nix positive to discussion. Any chance you could move on to discuss something you actually own and have experience about?

[Tiny]

So a couple of questions to you Tiny:
1. Do you own a Humax?
2. If not, what is the point of your post?

Looks like you are another poster in category 2. If so, could you please butt out and leave this thread to Humax owners who have something useful and helpful to contribute. Your contribution, which obviously took you some time, appears designed as a criticism of the PVR and adds nix positive to discussion. Any chance you could move on to discuss something you actually own and have experience about?

Guess you didn't read this bit in answer too the post by therealyuriboy " Incorrect; I am or should I say was a potential buyer of the Humax (still open minded; depending on how quickly Humax respond to the problems & release a firmware patch to fix them), as you would know if you had read other threads I've posted in. I thank Sunshine Coast & Tassie Devil for their time & effort in reporting these bugs so I can hopefully make an informed opinion on which VAST twin tuner PVR I will buy.
My intention of having an opinion on the problems posted by others is to clarify the facts & have input in the thread, not to "seem intent on rubbishing the Humax at every opportunity."
followed by the rest of the things in blue responding to his questions.

[Tassie Devil]

Guess you didn't read this bit in answer too the post by therealyuriboy " Incorrect; I am or should I say was a potential buyer of the Humax (still open minded; depending on how quickly Humax respond to the problems & release a firmware patch to fix them), as you would know if you had read other threads I've posted in. I thank Sunshine Coast & Tassie Devil for their time & effort in reporting these bugs so I can hopefully make an informed opinion on which VAST twin tuner PVR I will buy.
My intention of having an opinion on the problems posted by others is to clarify the facts & have input in the thread, not to "seem intent on rubbishing the Humax at every opportunity."
followed by the rest of the things in blue responding to his questions.

OK Tiny, you are a potential customer and that certainly qualifies you as someone interested. I guess I'm getting frustrated at the tone of this thread which has, of late, turned into a "bash Humax" thread instead of what was originally intended.

Perhaps a point about the cost of this PVR should be made. To be able to purchase something like the VAST Humax a few years ago for under $600 would have been regarded as a bargain (and don't forget you can do it for far less now by starting off with the STB). Some time ago people were paying over $1000 for HD PVRs that were totally unreliable. The Toppy 7000 took many years to sort out and even then bugs remained in the software.

Now let us put the VAST Humax into context. The series record does not work - the fault of the broadcasters, not Humax. It has no easy skip function because of Freeview restrictions - and that applies to all other VAST recorders and again is no fault of Humax.

So what are the faults that bother me?
1. Play stops at chase play when the recording stops - most irritating. This is really the only major one still concerning me.
2. One has to be careful when setting timers to avoid clashes (and that applies to every PVR in the house so really cannot be held against the Humax). And those timers have to be set via the menu - more time consuming than it should be.
3. No skip functions because of Freeview. But I have found a way around this to some extent - see below
4. Files cannot be deleted until played. Yes that is also annoying
5. Some functions like delete, subtitles, require going through a few steps although macros on the programmable remote have overcome that for me.

So what are the aspects of the Humax I like?
1. When setting the timer one can see what label will be given to the recording. If the label appears to be incorrect, a change of one minute with the start will correct that. That is a big plus in favour of the Humax because not all recorders do label recordings correctly. The UltraPlus here is OK for SBS recordings but unreliable for the ABC because, annoyingly, they do not stick to schedules. And of course the commercial stations are hopeless as they deliberately alter timing starts and stops. The MAGIC is the only other recorder I've struck that labels nearly 100% correctly.
2. Audio & video quality are first class.
3. This PVR effectively turns the system into an "intelligent" unit with access to programs on the internet - one can catch up with ABC & SBS programs missed + a lot of other sites. Downside of this is no FF etc control - you have to patiently start from the start to the end, but no ads make it more palatable.
4. And the biggest one for me is no more blackspot problems - and of course that applies to all VAST units.
Bottom line, the Humax suits us well.

The skip workaround:
I have transferred the > code from the navigator onto a normal button on the programmable remote. As discussed before, this does skip around 20 seconds. So, obviously 3 quick jabs of the button skips one minute, 6 jabs, 2 minutes etc. Not the most ergonomic and a curse on Freeview for having to do this but jabbing at that button is effective and is better than using FF.

[Tiny]

Lets keep it honest here tassie,
So faults that bother you 1 & 2 in the above post are enough to hold me off buying this box, Sunshine Coast's problems of not reliably recording are a definite clincher & you have experienced reliability issues in recording also as quoted below. These things are basic operations a PVR should perform.

snip..

So the results are mixed, some work for series, some do not work past the first recording and another did not even record for the first one.

The failure to record "Would I Lie to You" is a mystery because it did not record on the Humax PVR in the main system either and that setting was via the menu. And to add to the mystery that same ABC program DID record on an Ultra Plus fed from the Optus D1 satellite!!

So was this a breakdown of the VAST system or something wrong with the Humax? It makes no sense. snip..

[maudandken]

I WILL REITERATE WHAT I SAID EARLIER AND THE ABOVE POST IS JUST AN UNHELPFUL POST AND WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. so if you want to talk about nothing go on TWITTER.dont tell us whether you are going to buy cause i'm really not that interested. i'm interested in genuine comments about this box and until you get one i would go back to TWITTER.

[Tiny]

I WILL REITERATE WHAT I SAID EARLIER AND THE ABOVE POST IS JUST AN UNHELPFUL POST AND WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. so if you want to talk about nothing go on TWITTER.dont tell us whether you are going to buy cause i'm really not that interested. i'm interested in genuine comments about this box and until you get one i would go back to TWITTER.

Who made you the administrator of this forum or owner of this thread? You don't get to choose who posts in an open forum.
The truth needs to be kept intact here for prospective buyers & new owners that come across these faults.
You cannot just sweep them under the carpet.
Sunshine Coast started this thread & I applaud his genuine concerns about the Humax decoder & appreciate his documentation of events with Pics to prove his problems.

Out of respect to Sunshine Coast I will not stay out of the future this thread takes & let you & Tassie Devil hijack it from him.

BTW I don't do Twitter or Facebook & if your after hugs, kisses & cuddly conversation I suggest that's where you go. Have a nice day.

[viewer]

withdrawn...more research needed

[Tassie Devil]

Who made you the administrator of this forum or owner of this thread? You don't get to choose who posts in an open forum.
The truth needs to be kept intact here for prospective buyers & new owners that come across these faults.
You cannot just sweep them under the carpet.
Sunshine Coast started this thread & I applaud his genuine concerns about the Humax decoder & appreciate his documentation of events with Pics to prove his problems.

Out of respect to Sunshine Coast I will not stay out of the future this thread takes & let you & Tassie Devil hijack it from him.

BTW I don't do Twitter or Facebook & if your after hugs, kisses & cuddly conversation I suggest that's where you go. Have a nice day.

Some confusion here about who is hijacking the thread!!

OK Tiny, you have options:
(i) Go buy a UEC or Satking
or
(2) Wait for Humax to solve the problems, and of the ones you referred to from my post, only no 1 is the only genuine problem IMO, and yes it is an irritating one if you do chaseplay much. No 2 applies to most PVRs. The missed recording you referred to (and I probably should not have posted about) could easily be my fault as I have not had any more problems.

So, it seems some of my posts have given the impression the Humax PVR is a crude and unreliable recorder. That is definitely not the case. And I did refer to its sister, the 7500T as being the current best of the terrestrial bunch. Such a rotten shame that Optus, by im,posing the Freeview restrictions, have depreciated it so much.

So guys, please let us move on in peace and harmony. Posts are meant to be informative but it looks as if I might have projected the wrong information.

For those of you who have already "invested" in a UEC recorder, best wishes, but please stay out of rubbishing other brands. That is just childish and unhelpful and confuses others.

[efab]

FFS can you lot go some where else and have your tiff so that the thread can stay on track

[cvxmelody]

I tried connecting the Humax HDR-1003S via both HDMI and optical SPDIF to a Yamaha RX-V863 receiver.

Now, if I listen to a radio station that comes through as PCM stereo (e.g. ABC Classic FM), what I notice is significantly louder audio volume through HDMI as opposed to SPDIF. My impression is that the HDMI volume is "optimal" and SPDIF is too soft....

On the other hand, for a radio station that broadcasts in Dolby (e.g. Triple J) and output as bitstream by the Humax, there is *no* difference in audio volume between HDMI vs SPDIF when decoded by the receiver

If via the Humax Preferences, I set the audio output mode to "stereo", to force PCM stereo conversion regardless of source, then the louder volume of HDMI (PCM) vs SPDIF (PCM) again becomes apparent...

So what gives? The "Update Date" of my unit is "18 APR 2013" and software version is "AUSIAA1.00.14"

btw, the Yamaha receiver does not have any equalization or dynamic range control enabled. I have the Humax volume set to 20 (max).
Can others verify this behaviour?

[cvxmelody]

Although I haven't found a solution to the problem of the relatively low SPDIF output, fortunately there is an acceptable workaround to serve my specific goal of recording VAST radio broadcasts in best quality via the digital input of a PC. I was concerned the low volume would result in degraded fidelity even after software amplification (although it might be more psychological than anything else).
But in any case, I hooked up a Toshiba LCD TV to serve as HDMI > optical pass-through.

i.e. set-top box --HDMI--> TV --SPDIF--> PC

The TV was configured to pass PCM stereo through its optical out, without changing anything and of course maintaining the HDMI's more robust volume level. So now I can record this HDMI-derived audio through the PC's digital input. All's well that ends well...

I tried connecting the Humax HDR-1003S via both HDMI and optical SPDIF to a Yamaha RX-V863 receiver.

Now, if I listen to a radio station that comes through as PCM stereo (e.g. ABC Classic FM), what I notice is significantly louder audio volume through HDMI as opposed to SPDIF. My impression is that the HDMI volume is "optimal" and SPDIF is too soft....

[kabammi]

Hi all,

Can someone tell me why I use the volume control on my Humax 1003s remote, that it doesn't control the volume of the HDMI-connected TV output on all channels? It seems to work for Go! but not for anything else.
I'm on the East/Central VAST cast.

cheers

[banjo]

Hi Been using the new Humax for a couple of weeks now, and very happy so far.

One minor problem is I recorded several X factor episodes, for my other half (I cant stand the rubbish) ! Anyway when I went into media and try and delete the episodes she has watched, I could not delete them ?

I have recorded other stuff and had no problems deleting.

When I go into media the episodes have "enc" at the right hand side of the listing, any ideas what this means ?

Just gone into media again, and this time I was able to delete the offending items Weird or what !