New Freesat box recommendations?

Bloodrayne · 10 Nov 2020 at 20:47

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?

Bloodrayne · 11 Nov 2020 at 09:21

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...

Bloodrayne · 11 Nov 2020 at 15:43

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.

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)

Bloodrayne · 11 Nov 2020 at 16:21

I think so - the connection is via a satellite dish and we don't actually have an aerial on this house (was removed by previous owners), so my understanding was that meant it had to be freesat.

Bloodrayne · 11 Nov 2020 at 20:41

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?

Bloodrayne · 12 Nov 2020 at 10:46

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

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

Thanks! I've not heard of these before, will take a look

Bloodrayne · 13 Nov 2020 at 10:20

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.

Bloodrayne · 13 Nov 2020 at 13:37

Thanks - will take a look through those forums and probably sign up and ask for feedback; I have no issue with paying more for better quality!