Home > Consumer Reviews > Humax Freeview playback Digital TV Recorder PVR-9150T 160GB Twin Tuner PVR

Pros :Impressed by features and relative ease of use.
Cons :Would prefer printed manual. Can't edit channel numbers. Support service not sparkling.
Note :When buying a second recorder I bought a Sagem!!

I bought the Humax PVR-9150T for my mother, who at 67 years old, is a bit of a technophobe. No need to worry here because the set up and operation couldn't be simpler. Plug it in and it searches for channels etc.
Recording couldn't be easier. No more looking through video tapes to see what can be recorded over etc, just simpley find the programme you want to record on the electronic programme guide and press the record button, job done! The series link feature is a god send too, another button press and every programme of a series will be recorded. The same with playback, find the programme in the recorded list, press select and off you go! Another great feature is being able to pause & rewind live tv, no more waiting for the ad break to make a cuppa (or fill the wine glass!!!).
Getting to grips with the remote control took a little time, getting used to what button did what etc, but after a couple of days it was easy.
My mother lives in a fairly weak freeview signal area and her previous box used to pixilate badly, but no concerns with the Humax. All the channels are crystal clear with no pixilation at all.
As I said at the start, my mother is a technophobe, but she has taken to this like a duck to water. She reckons its the best electrical product she's ever bought, and I tend to agree with her.

I have been using the Humax 9150T for 2 months and I am completely satisfied with this product. After reading the reviews I was concerned about the mention of noise when the machine was on. I have to say that I am not aware of any noise. The machine was very easy to set up, simple to use althought the manual which comes on a disc is 73 pages long and is a bit long winded. I am now able to record two programmes and watch a third all at the same time, as well as pause, rewind and fast forward while watching recorded programmes. I can also watch a programme while keeping an eye on a second programme in a corner window, which comes in handy when the Olympics or tennis are on. I can also skip commercials when watching a recording and remove commercials when I record something to dvd. As I still have not finished reading the full manual, I am sure there is other suprises yet to come with this machine. I thoroughly recommend the Humax 9159THumax Freeview playback Digital TV Recorder PVR-9150T 160GB Twin Tuner PVR

Having read favourable reviews on Humax products I bought this item on August 15th. Oh how I wish I hadn't! I've missed so many programmes that I was looking forward to because the machine freezes - often and unpredictably. I contacted Humax on November 18th by email and they responded within minutes admitting that there was a known fault and that they were to release an over-the-air download "probably this month (November)." I emailed again on the 29th as I was getting extremely frustrated - no reply to date (mid-afternoon December 1st) so my patience has finally run out. The unit is being returned to Amazon and I'm writing this review.

Bought this to replace a Humax F2-Fox T Set top box because I wanted to be able to record from the Freeview Digital channels. I would normally have bought this from Amazon but "Richer Sounds" had it at the same price with the option of extending the guarantee to 5 years for only an extra £11.95. Sorry, this time Amazon lost out.

I had to choose between this and the 9300. The guy in the shop said that if you wanted HDMI upscaling or planned to add cinema surround then go for the 9300 but if these things were not important to you go for the 9150. The other advantage of the 9300 is the hard disc is twice the size but as the sales guy said, he has a 9200 and he has never managed to fill it.

The actual pvr has been trouble free so far. My main concern when reading other reviews was the fan noise. You honestly don't notice it. It only comes on when it first starts up and when it gets hot, which shouldn't happen if properly positioned with ventilation round it. The noise it makes is minimal anyway and I had to put my ear up quite close to hear it - with the tv sound on you can't hear it.

It does everything the other reviews mention. The only drawback is the EPG. It takes about 5 minutes or so before it has any info on it - and this is if you follow the instructions to start on BBC 1. For some reason when it is tuned to BBC 1 it reacts quicker. Other than that I have no complaints.

Another winner from Humax.