Home > Consumer Reviews > Humax FOXSAT-HDR Freesat+ 320GB HD PVR Digital Box- Installation Recommended

Before purchasing I read all the reviews and was almost put off by lack of "user friendly" interface, poorly designed remote, difficult file management etc.... I am pleased that I decided to go ahead. Picture and sound quality are excellent and it is very easy to use. I don't know what all the fuss was about. On the down side, it took 4 visits from the satellite installer to get it working correctly. This messing about I attributed to HUMAX technical support. I could not verify the post code during the setup process and on contacting Humax they advised that it was pointing at the wrong satellite. Humax failed to advise me to do a factory reset on the box followed by a software download before it would all work.

I spent a great deal of time checking lots of reviews before I purchased this item, and I'm glad I did.

I did't have SKY and really had no intentions of going down that route, so ended up purchasing a DIY satellite Kit from B&Q (A Philex branded kit, which was easy to install and gave remarkable pictures). It was therefore inevitable that I would have to purchase a PVR like the HUMAX to allow me to record digital programmes. I was a bit concerned that the HUMAX wouldn't be fully compatible with the Satellite kit, but I needn't have worried. When the HUMAX arrived from Amazon (the usual impeccable ordering and delivery service that we've all come to expect from Amazon), I had it up and running within 10 - 15 minutes. It was very straightforward to set up, and even though I've got an old fashioned TV that takes up most of the living room, the picture was absolutely stunning (I set the HUMAX up for a 1080 pixel TV, and even though my TV couldn't display this level of detail, it still gave me the best picture I've ever seen on my TV).

So far I've had the HUMAX installed with simply one feed from the satellite, so at the moment I can only watch (or record) one programme at a time (this isn't fault of the HUMAX, it's just a consequence of a single feed from the satellite). But I've just taken delivery (from Amazon, of course) of a quad LNB to replace the single LNB on the existing satellite, together with twin cable, so I'm now really looking forward to now being able to take advantage of all that the HUMAX has to offer - being able to record two programmes at once, or being able to watch one channel whilst recording another. Exciting!

What do I like about the HUMAX? Well apart from the quality of the picture (and sound), it's very well constructed, the on-screen displays and menus are logical and intuitive, and the remote control is very sleek and actually quite classy. In operation, there is absolutely no operational hum from the unit (despite many other reviews I've read saying that the Humax is noisy). And the large and clear display on the front of the unit itself means that it's really easy to see what channel is currently being watched or what recorded programme is being played back.

Anything I dislike about the unit? To be honest, no. It would be churlish to criticise anything at all, as it's really a rather well-designed and thoughtfully programmed unit. I've currently got it connected to my Panasonic 2.1 surround system and my old Philips 32" CRT TV, and the quality of the entire viewing (and listening) experience is simply amazing. If I was forced at gunpoint to really criticise the HUMAX, I would have to single out the slightly smallish PLAY button on the remote control. This is used whenever you want to pause a live recording. In my house, such a thing normally happens when the phone rings and I'm half-way through watching X-Factor or a really engrossing film, and it usually means that I'm grabbing at the remote control quickly and trying to find the buttons required for pausing live TV. It would make life just a little bit more convenient therefore if the PLAY button was just a tad bigger... I hope you're listening, HUMAX.


Otherwise, I really could not fault it. Well done HUMAX, ten out of ten in my book.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. How excited I was when I read the 5 star reviews. So - I plugged it in with my brand new 42" HD Panasonic. It didn't find a signal. So I plugged in my old Sky box. Signal strength and quality fine. Humax back in. By-pass that step and enter my postcode. Postcode invalid! What? So I tried lots of postcodes. Same story. I go in the "back door" and manual tune. It found lots of channels but nothing you'd want to watch (Luxe HD looked impressive though!).

Then I ask a friend to plug his Technomate receiver in. Just to check the dish one final time, you understand. Oh yes - it picked up lots and lots of channels including all those you might want to look at - including glorious BBC HD.

Conclusion - the Humax does work. I'm now waiting for Technisat HDFS (cheaper with USB PVR) and have full refund from Amazon. Thanks Amazon - great pick up and refund service.

So - unfortunately my view - formed by experience - is HUMAX FOXSAT PVR BAD!

We had a Sky+ box which died (after 5 years) and have just replaced it with this. We must be really thick because we found installing and setting it up quite difficult. Getting the satellite dish wired with two cables, buying a new head (with two output sockets), tuning, etc. However, now it's up and running and the picture is fantastic, especially HD (we have a Sony Bravia TV which already had a great picture, we thought). However, the menus are really NOT user-friendly and it occasionally does weird things like lose half the channels from the listing. The listing also goes backwards in time which is really confusing - you can't tell where you are sometimes. And the recorded stuff is in PC-like folders. It's nothing like as simple to use as the Sky menus but I guess we'll get used to it ...

Easy to set up (and I am over 60!); free sat is excellent and is going to get better with such things as BBC I-player coming soon.