This could get very interesting!
Brand new unit, bought a week ago.
I have identified the following problems:
- 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
- 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).
- 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.
Look Here -> |
This could get very interesting!
Don't have one myself, but from what I have read elsewhere in this forum:
Standby power consumption is actually over 12W, versus the claimed figure of 0.5W
Cheers, Tiny
"You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
The information is out there; you just have to let it in."
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.
Last edited by Sunshine Coast; 03-06-13 at 12:24 PM.
Indeed a biggy, if it doesn't perform it's primary function of recording reliably, its essentially useless. I'm just pleased I was not sucked into all the hype and settled for the UEC 4639. Better the devil you know!
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.
Having trouble configuring the remote to control the cat
No problem. Nothing is more frustrating than unreliable timers. However the Humax set up via menus further down is fine. I struck problems initially using their "record series option" - that does not work, I'm told by Humax because some series have episodes tagged with different codes and the Humax relies on seeing the one code so will not fire if not detected.
So I now set via EPG for a single recording, then go down via the yellow button to edit it. The Humax seems very touchy about clashes so it might be necessary to edit start stop times to avoid that. e.g. 7.30 sometimes runs a minute over (curse the ABC for doing that) so the following program, if required, needs it start time moved on a couple of minutes. That avoids their ABC advertising propaganda also.
Apart from the no skip & poor FF gripe I'm pleased with this PVR. And, if you are prepared to mess around with installing your own HDD, you can convert the STB to a PVR for less than the equivalent terrestrial model costs - now for VAST, that is progress!!
Having trouble configuring the remote to control the cat
Maybe, but it is no real problem here. I guess it all depends on how easily you let yourself get annoyed! Once you have set it from the menu to record daily, weekly or whatever then there is no need to revisit it until the series finishes. Nothing new there as most recorders are like that.
If all in a series was tagged as was anticipated by the Humax designers, then as soon as the series finished, recordings would cease.
But note that no PVR will automatically adjust if there is any significant change in the program time. So the bottom line is to keep an eye on schedules and be prepared to adjust the settings OR just daily set from the EPG, something I could not be bothered with.
Having trouble configuring the remote to control the cat
When I had Mystar I believe that you could set a series link and when it finished it would automatically cancel the timer.I was paying $120 a month!!
Most PVR's do not work this way and you have to check the timers.
ICE was said to get round this by updating changes on a more frequent basis and adjusting the timers , but again you paid for the service.
Wasn't freeview supposed to work this way?Again the boxes did not allow ad skipping but promised more up to date EPG.
If the commercial TV companies choose to ignore the EPG then there's not much you can do about it.
With a self install of a harddrive ( see Tassie link ) this would appear to make the Humax a much better proposition than the UEC.
When you say the Humax is touchy about clashes, can it reliably record any 2 channels at the same time like it should??
Makes me wonder how much if any field testing with the VAST platform Humax did before they unleashed an unreliable PVR??
Cheers, Tiny
"You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
The information is out there; you just have to let it in."
Tiny that is a bit harsh. It is NOT an unreliable product. I guess the problems that have arisen are due to Optus insisting on Freeview restrictions which have downgraded the usefulness of the Humax VAST PVR compared to its terrestrial cousin from where it was derived. Even so, The VAST Humax PVR is a sophisticated unit that turns any TV into being a smart one as it allows access to a heap of other sources on the net. A lot of thought and research went into the terrestrial unit so your wondering is off course. Freeview was supposed to provide the tags for series viewing but has not been implemented and that is not the fault of Humax, it is the fault of Optus in not ensuring that what was promised was not provided. Optus has put the restrictions of freeview on PVRs without the supposed benefits.
You are misinterpreting what I said about clashes. It is a dual tuner unit that reliably records from timers set from the menu with two broadcasts but one must be careful to avoid clashes. Perhaps an example might clear that up. If you set the 7.30 report to record from 7.30 to 8pm each weekday night then try to set another ABC program commencing at 8 pm it will register a clash. So you have the option of changing the 7.30 report to be from 7.30 to 7.59 or change the other program to start at 8.01 pm instead of 8 pm. In practice that change to 8.01 is the better option because the ABC carry on advertising their programs for the first couple of minutes anyway. But a second channel can be set to record at 8pm regardless.
I would be interested to read where the UEC is regarded as better than the Humax.
Having trouble configuring the remote to control the cat
Well, the UEC will allow you to view a 3rd live video stream [2 recording, 1 viewing] from a transponder that one of the 2 tuners are tuned to. Does the HUMAX do that? For all I know this is a completely common feature but I haven't heard it mentioned about the HUMAX.
I reckon this is a great facility and if the HUMAX didn't do this then IMHO it would be inferior in operation to the UEC.
Double post
Last edited by toyboy11; 05-06-13 at 02:11 PM.
Sigh - communication problems!! Looks like going into detail has caused confusion although an earlier post did indicate it records 2 channels at once.
Yes, the Humax will record two different channels simultaneously and you can look at a recording while doing this. AFAIK all twin tuner PVRs, terrestrial or satellite, allow this. I'll wait and see a bit and then might post up a detailed review of the Humax if it would be of any interest. Then again perhaps it is not of interest to those who have purchased elsewhere and posts on the new Humax are irritating although do provide a bit of derisive sport. It does seem that some are jumping on these posts and interpreting them to show the Humax is faulty and then extrapolating to decry the PVR is a load of junk.
And I'm not trying to generate a Humax vs UEC childish fight. I've own/owned 14 PVRs (a satellite UltrPlus, Satellite Topfield, Terrestrial Topfields, MAGIC & Humax) and am genuinely interested in what each can do and did look at the UEC lthough remain unclear as to how good it is. And I'm interested in knowing more about the SatKing although no one here appears to have tried one out yet
Having trouble configuring the remote to control the cat
I'm pretty sure that the Freeview restrictions which Optus have imposed prevent recording on anything but the 2.5" internal drive BUT it will play from the USB and stupidly, all the skip functions work from that - so I'm told. I have not tried it.
POSTSCRIPT: I just double checked in the manual (You guys are sadistic in making me actually read that!) and it confirms the above. It does not categorically state you cannot record via the USB but only mentions recording on the internal drive. And it discusses playing back music video etc from the USB.
Last edited by Tassie Devil; 05-06-13 at 07:23 PM.
Having trouble configuring the remote to control the cat
Bookmarks