New Freesat box recommendations?

Bloodrayne

Bloodrayne

Bloodrayne

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8 Feb 2004
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258
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In the wetlands...
Hi all,

I have a Humax 1010s that I would like to upgrade to something similar - so connected to a satellite dish, free channels, no subscription, with the option to record.

I am not massively sold on Humax as the version I have is a bit slow and clunky (also no longer has Amazon Prime...), but it received positive reviews so perhaps that’s all I should expect. Not sure if I should perhaps just upgrade my TV to something more high spec (and with the ability to record) and see if that’s a way to do away with the box entirely...

Any suggestions for things that I could look at?
 
I have the latest 4k Freesat recorder (made by Arris rather than Humax) and it's merely ok. The hardware itself is pretty good, but there are a few minor niggles and issues as the software feels very much beta quality atm. Certainly doesn't feel worth the £229 it cost :(

You're probably better keeping your Humax for recording TV, and pick up something like a Roku or the latest Chromecast with Google TV for any smart functionality you need.
 
Thanks - looking through the reviews of various systems there doesn't seem to be one that is universally loved (clunky interfaces, etc); I never had any problems with the Sky Box previously but have no interest in paying for Sky again!

My 'upgrade' thought was because my current box is currently becoming temperamental (although it has never been flawless), and the lack of Amazon Prime app is similarly annoying.

Did think about getting a Chromecast earlier in the year, but my whole set up is dated - Humax, Sony TV about 9/10 years old, and a PS3(!) that I use for DVDs/Blu-rays...
 
I've had the same dilemma, and ended up keeping the sky box for a few years, on the best deal I could haggle out of them for the basic stuff we watched. This year I've finally cancelled it, and just rely on the basic single channel Freesat receiver in the TV, and an Nvidia Shield for streaming everything else.
When the old Plasma TV finally gives up (that'll be a sad day) I'll just make sure the new one has a similar setup with a Freesat tuner and maybe usb recording, as streaming and catch-up TV is better than giving money to Sky.
 
mikedigitales said:
I've had the same dilemma, and ended up keeping the sky box for a few years, on the best deal I could haggle out of them for the basic stuff we watched. This year I've finally cancelled it, and just rely on the basic single channel Freesat receiver in the TV, and an Nvidia Shield for streaming everything else. When the old Plasma TV finally gives up (that'll be a sad day) I'll just make sure the new one has a similar setup with a Freesat tuner and maybe usb recording, as streaming and catch-up TV is better than giving money to Sky.
Click to expand...

I would quite like a TV that does it all to free-up space, but last time I was looking I couldn't find one that could do it all (I could record, but only whilst I was watching the same channel - which is not quite what I want..); will keep looking in the hope of stumbling across a brilliant product (I'd be willing to pay more for the right box, but I just can't find one without problems)
 
Does it have to be freesat?

If you can use Freeview, then an AppleTV with the Channels DVR App and a HDHomerun will do everything need, in terms of integrating Recorded TV with Smart Functionality.

I looked at several different solutions when I came to replace my SkyQ subscription, and that was one of the best
 
Still might be an worth an option worth looking at - Aerial installs aren't typically expensive (or can be easily self installed in your loft if in a decent signal area), and maybe opens up some other options.

The Humax Aura is another Freeview based option that's just come to market - PVR but based on Android TV, so will almost all Smart apps available, including things like Plex for local media libraries etc.

https://uk.humaxdigital.com/product/aura-uhd-android-tv-recorder/


Worth bearing in mind that if you did want to go for the latest 4k Freesat box, unless you upgrade your dishes' LNB to a SkyQ style one, you would still only be record 2 things at once (whereas the latest Box will record up to 4 channels at once, with the correct LNB)
 
I was in a similar situation as we only have a satellite connection in the living room so we had a Freesat box (HB-1000S) with our TV. While the picture quality of the box was very good (1080p upscaling), the hardware and particularly the software on the Humax boxes is lacking. The box took a full minute to startup from cold, the software was buggy and crashed frequently and it was very slow to use the guide and "smart" features. In the end the TV (which was over ten years old!) broke and we got a Panasonic TV with a built in Freesat tuner to replace them both. This has a much better TV guide than the Humax box, starts up instantly, doesn't crash (yet) and it removes the need for 2 remotes (one for the box and one for the TV). The TV will record (as most will) if you connect a hard drive. Personally I have never felt the need to record anything due to +1 channels and streaming services, but then that's me! Humax are seemingly the market leader for set top boxes but they are blighted by buggy software (that does at least look nice). I'm not sure what the other options are? Can you use a sky box without a subscription?

Also I think having a Chromecast/Roku/Fire stick is a better route to streaming that anything built in.

Dave
 
Yeah, I am with you with the recordings - but other people in the house don't feel comfortable without 150 recorded episodes of Come Dine with Me... (wish I was joking)

Will look at TVs then and see what I can find that does both recording and freesat.

Which is the best out of Chromecast/Roku/Firestick or is it all depending on what you want to do?
 
As a non amazon customer I prefer the Chromecast, but I think they are all very good. Obviously the fire stick makes sense if you have prime.

The new TV option was a fairly drastic option, but then we needed a new TV as ours was broken. Obviously if you are replacing an almost new 60" oled TV just to get one with a built in freesat tuner, that would be a bit extreme! But we got a £350 40" (non 4k) one that wasn't vastly more than a decent freesat box.

If it were me I would just buy one, then claim you didn't realise that it didn't record or something!

Dave
 
divuk83 said:
As a non amazon customer I prefer the Chromecast, but I think they are all very good. Obviously the fire stick makes sense if you have prime.

The new TV option was a fairly drastic option, but then we needed a new TV as ours was broken. Obviously if you are replacing an almost new 60" oled TV just to get one with a built in freesat tuner, that would be a bit extreme! But we got a £350 40" (non 4k) one that wasn't vastly more than a decent freesat box.

If it were me I would just buy one, then claim you didn't realise that it didn't record or something!

Dave
Click to expand...

My current TV is knocking on a bit (9/10 years old); I do tend to be averse to replacing anything that isn't broken, but it may be the easier option - just need to think of the recording side of things (can I claim that they must have dropped that feature? Can I endure months of tutting and eye rolls? ...)

silverblack said:
You could look in to an Enigma 2 box that's what i use for Freesat.
I have the Gigablue UE 4K.

https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/digital-receivers
Click to expand...

Thanks! I've not heard of these before, will take a look
 
silverblack said:
You could look in to an Enigma 2 box that's what i use for Freesat.
I have the Gigablue UE 4K.
Click to expand...

Is there a particular forum/review that turned you onto them ?
I like the Linux option, which is also on my older/ageing Humaxt2+foxsat(broadcom chipset too) has been reliable, and I think they have good drivers with the sat/freeview frontends,


A more DIY linux solution with raspberry pi, will be one contender for me
jpaul said:
RaspberryPi 4 DVR
Click to expand...
 
jpaul said:
Is there a particular forum/review that turned you onto them ?
I like the Linux option, which is also on my older/ageing Humaxt2+foxsat(broadcom chipset too) has been reliable, and I think they have good drivers with the sat/freeview frontends,


A more DIY linux solution with raspberry pi, will be one contender for me
Click to expand...

I use this forum as i use the Openvix software covers all the main boxes too with individual forums.

https://www.world-of-satellite.com/forum.php
 
I've had a VU+ Solo2 for at least 10 years and I control it from my PC with OpenWebIf.
You can also put your own Images on and addons from a site like this - https://vuplus-images.co.uk/index.php

Browser version of EPG

vu+solo2.jpg
 
Thanks - the Gigablue UE 4K looks good, but there's very limited web feedback about it (or I am looking in the wrong places) is it relatively straightforward and idiot proof? I'm always half tempted by more technical tinkering, but as it's the main TV the most important thing is that it's user-friendly for everyone and a stable platform.
 
Only complaint i have with the Gigablue is the remote has to be pointed directly at the box to work.
But the remotes are not great on these boxes no wifi or bluetooth here.
VU boxes are the best but the pricing reflects that.
I would look on youtube regards setting up these boxes that will give you a better idea.
Couple more forums for you to browse.

https://www.linuxsat-support.com/

https://www.techkings.org/
 
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