Home Cinema

Thanks for the quick review, how does it compare to Sky's SD picture and sound?

Presumably if you are using an HDMI cable, 5.1 will come out of that too?

AFAIK, the HDMI output is stereo only, with 5.1 only available over the optical digital connection - and of course only with those programmes broadcast using Dolby Digital.

SD picture is the same as sky as far as I can tell (it comes from the same satellite).  I dont have sky hd. One handy feature not mentioned above is that the remote doesnt seem to need line of sight so I've hidden mine vertically behind my plasma. The remote still works perfectly! I'm using a surround amp that either works off the optical cable, or via hdmi up to the tv and back down to the amp via rca. Both sound as good as freeview. BBC HD transmits in dolby digital so that always sounds a bit better I think. I'm off to cancel my Sky subscription!

Andrew can you connect HDMI and OPtical simoultaneously so you can listen to the sound via the normal means normally but switch on your amp and mute the tv to get 5.1 when you want that little bit more?

For normal means read tv - fingers got away from me whilst typing!

Thanks edinburghphoto,

will wait to see how the other hd stb's do before i get one

Alsone,

AFAIK yes.

Hi,

I live in a block of apartments with a communal satellite dish with a single aerial (LNB) routed into my flat. For this reason I can't get SkyPlus or SkyHD as I have been told you need a dual LNB.

Will these new freesat boxes work in my flat or will I need a dual input from the dish in my flat?

I also heard that Pace recently announced that they will be making a system for flats which will distribute Sky, broadband phone etc. - have you heard anything on this?

Hiya all....

I can't tell from all the blurb but all the freesat boxes only appear to do 720p ? Please, someone tell me we arn't being stiffed again by the legendary 'HD Ready' !

The Humax does 720p/1080i

jlo83 - I had the same problem. Given the box has only one tuner I would say yes, it would work. You only need the dual LNB for the dual tuners in Sky+ of Sky HD which works in the same way with dual tuners.

Quite often systems have some spare sockets at the distribution box. I collared the installation/service people and paid them to run an extra cable to my flat. Cost me £160 but got me dual LNB and I now have pretty good Sky HD.

JimF

Andrew, thanks for the reply, thats good to know as I don't won't to have to run cinema sound all the time.

mecazev, 1080P isn't the be all and end all of viewing.

1080P can't even be trasnmited at the moment becuase it takes up too much bandwidth.

Also, on a good tv such as the Pioneer 428XD which is HD ready, What Hi Fi's tests have shown theres very little difference between tv sets which are full HD and the Pioneer. Although the Pioneer loses some detail, it still blows most of the full hd sets out fo the water for picture quality which goes to show full hd ready isn't everything!

Just be careful of dead pixels on Pioneer sets as Pioneer aren't very sympathetic in my experience.

Cheers Andrew.

Excuse my ignorance but isn't it a bit odd that the HDMI only streams in stereo? Is it normal that this is done? Do you reckon a firmware upgrade might rectify this in the future? Got rid of all my coaxial and optical cables as i thought HDMI is the future!

Andrew,

interesting article. One thing I am unsure of is the usage of the SKY satellite vis-a-vis dual use. I do not wish to lose SKY+, but also do not wish to have a second dish. Is there a pass-through / parallel /switching option available that you know of?

Cheers

Charlie

What is the USB port for? Adding a HArd Drive to make it a PVR????

Anyone know if Humax is going to bring out a hi-def version of the 9200T (PVR with a twin-tuner)? If so, how much? Ta.

kaSh - it's the same as the Sky HD box in this respect. I guess it's something a firmware upgrade could - as in would be able to, not will - address in the future.

ccartmel - switchers not reccomended, ideally you need a quad LNB fitted to provide the extra output for the Freesat box, or perhaps two, should PVRs with twin tuners appear.

trevormed - USB port currently only there for engineering purposes, apparently.

6th,rep - no information as yet, but I would expect such PVRs to appear in the fullness of time.

Hi Andrew i have one more final question. do you know if the Pace DS-810 XE box also requires the use of it's optical socket for 5.1 audio or is that carried via the HDMI socket?

Regards,

Kash

Yes, ka5h, it seems to be the case that it needs the optical link too.

I understand that the BBC FreeSat Channel line up at launch is 'Missing' many of the channels currently available on the 'Free to Air' services from the  Astra satellites; because these channels do not wish to pay to be on the FreeSat EPG.  Does anyone know if consumers will also be able to 'Tune' their FreeSat Humax boxes to these NON FreeSat  channels (Even though they will not get an EPG for the extra channels)?  Or are the technologies incompatable?

hi can you help. got my humax hd box 100% signal. 90% quality. hd picture fab. BUT sd picture very poor phoned humax they said. have had losts of phone calls about this ring back in one weeks time

There's at least one more alternative HD box - Maplin do a complete package including Sat dish for £160, that includes the Fortec Passion HD receiver. Has anyone tried this?

Personally I'm waiting for a box that includes a PVR and gives excellent quality HD and SD, as I want to get the most out of my 50" HD ready plasma. Standard Def off air is pretty good with my PS50Q97HD TV watching at 5 metres away so I see no need to rush.

liberato - it's something we commented on in the above review. So we'll be fascinated to see what happens in a week's time.

How does the Fortec Star Passion HD Satellite Receiver cope with the standard definition signals if the HUMAX is showing fuzzy will Fortec's be better?

No idea - so far this Humax is the only Freesat receiver we've tested

can i get a refund on my humax because the SD picture is so bad bought from argos

The moment has arrived to go for hd in our household. Mainly because we have misplaced the freeview remote control and terrestrial is..  well. IFrom your forum sounds like 1080i resolution is going to be enough to be able to receive a decent picture. Please recommend a Panasonic 32" screen with great blacks, freeview integrated and we'll wait for the Fortec review. Thank you. I read your review on the P'sonic with freesat integrated they have freeview and analog tuners anyway. I can cope with a freesat box underneath, pvr preferred. I just hope the remote doesn't have legs again.

Perhaps my last post was confusing?

Lets put it simpler: If I bought the Humax Foxsat-HD Freesat set-top box would I be able to tune it to receive LUXE.TV in HD?

Anyone???

liberato - given that Argos offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, I don't think you'll have a problem. See here.

thanks andrew think l will keep it as a HD box only.

to call me confused  YES you can receive LUXE tv in HD you need to

1.menu

2.set up

3.manual tune

4.trasponder

5.us right key untill you see 12643 H 27500 A then press ok

6. save.

hope this helps you.

Though why anyone would want to receive Luxe TV escapes me...

out standing HD pictures on luxe hd tv , a good test for the humax box. and your tv.

Thanks - liberato; so I can have my cake and eat it.

Andrew - I chose Luxe.tv as an example, what liberato's reply means is that I can also use a FreeSat box to pick up non Freesat SD/HD channels if I so choose.  This puts paid to complaints that the Freesat channel line up, is limited.

This raises an interesting question; accepting that liberato's response is correct.  Will the FoxSat box (or any other Freesat box) also be able to drive a motorised dish - so we can benefit from the Freesat EPG on the Freesat channels AND enjoy the wider benefits of other satellites albeit without the EPG?

dos anyone know why o why is SD picture on the humax so poor

HELP..........

After a bit of advice and guidance. I am awaiting delivery of  a humax fox sat hd box and need to know  what cable to use to join the box to my sky satellite dish. Basic stuff I guess but when you dont know---

The dish has two leads one goes to the sky+ box, the other which I want to use, used to have a sky multi room box attached. This cable ends in the attic and I need to run  getting on for about 20 to 25 metres of cable to link it to the fox sat hd box. There is an existing coaxial  cable in place that I could use.

Would this work or do I need  a different type of cable?

Also will the hd quality be compromised by such a long cable run.

Any comments and advice appreciated

Dr Lodge: Passion HD from Maplin gives good HD picture from BBC HD, and has done for several months during the preview period.  SD pictures are better than Freeview on my Philips TV, and Dolby digital output via Denon AVR 1906 / KEF 1005 is good.  My only worry is that when ITV HD first becomes available via the red button, the Passion software won't be able to deliver this without a software upgrade.

Forget it,the hd pics are ok, the audio dreadful and it is not covered by Argos 30 day warranty.Am in middle of a civil action to get my money back,

Ah the perils of being an early adopter

Does anyone know the release dates of other HD receivers? Or indeed when What Hi-Fi will be reviewing them?

"dos anyone know why o why is SD picture on the humax so poor" - liberato

"Forget it,the hd pics are ok, the audio dreadful and it is not covered by Argos 30 day warranty.Am in middle of a civil action to get my money back" - lordstokey

Hmm - after the long wait for FreeSat this is very disappointing to hear, I guess we will have another wait for decent equipment.  Sky HD is looking tempting again - I just wish it was not so dammed expensive so I can justify it to the wife ;-)

Thanks Liberato for instructions to tune Luxe HD – I’ll try this tonight. Can you, or anyone else tell me if this method is possible to tune Channel 4 HD or ITV HD? I've heard  ITV are running some trials - but is there a dedicated test channel? Is channel 4 scrambled for subscribers via Sky HD only?

Thanks!

Are we likely to see other satellite receiver manufacturers being free to produce either Freesat boxes or Freesat capable boxes.  Of those so far only Humax has any pedigree in the manufacture of Satellite receivers.