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Humax PVR9300T 320GB Twin Tuner, PVR
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £159.00Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share105 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
NOW NOT SO NOISY Humax PVR9300T...
(3 out of 5) by J. A. Verity on Oct 30, 2008 (UK)The PVR300T is as good as all the previous models, it is let down by a few things though...
The main thing you WILL notice about the PVR300T is the noise it makes... unless of course you have the latest update (27/11/2008 - v1.00.12), if not grab the update which WILL make a big difference!
The ability to send your digital channels via the RF cable is also missing, (even though the manual states you can, you cannot, appears Humax badly edited the manual from a previous model)...
also the RF loop through (for sending analogue signal to your TV/VCR) only works when the PVR is ON... but you can set the "Power Saving in Standby" (miscellaneous settings) option to "Off" and then it will allow you to watch analogue while its in standby). I also used to be able to send a digital signal to a second TV (on previous model) via the RF, on this model that is not possible via that method...
Humax also need to look into cacheing the 7 day guide to the HDD, so it dosnt need to be downloaded every time the device is turned on, and then it could update itself on the go... you can speed up your EPG download time by setting the PVR to turn on Automatically in the morning (for example) and switching itself to BBC1... this will allow it to update the EPG the quickest...
The clipping of recordings at the front of some programs may occur on some channels (also some say they can miss the end too)...
USB port?... this PVR has a USB port, one slight problem, you cannot do anything with it... HUMAX sort it out... give us the ability to Transfer the data TO our PC's and Mac's
UPDATE: This product is MUCH better its now near silent... face the fact Humax before this update the PVR9300T was Noisy... even my computers made less noise... Now worth a 4 Star Rating... Not quite worth all five stars as the device still has flaws...
The main thing you WILL notice about the PVR300T is the noise it makes... unless of course you have the latest update (27/11/2008 - v1.00.12), if not grab the update which WILL make a big difference!
The ability to send your digital channels via the RF cable is also missing, (even though the manual states you can, you cannot, appears Humax badly edited the manual from a previous model)...
also the RF loop through (for sending analogue signal to your TV/VCR) only works when the PVR is ON... but you can set the "Power Saving in Standby" (miscellaneous settings) option to "Off" and then it will allow you to watch analogue while its in standby). I also used to be able to send a digital signal to a second TV (on previous model) via the RF, on this model that is not possible via that method...
Humax also need to look into cacheing the 7 day guide to the HDD, so it dosnt need to be downloaded every time the device is turned on, and then it could update itself on the go... you can speed up your EPG download time by setting the PVR to turn on Automatically in the morning (for example) and switching itself to BBC1... this will allow it to update the EPG the quickest...
The clipping of recordings at the front of some programs may occur on some channels (also some say they can miss the end too)...
USB port?... this PVR has a USB port, one slight problem, you cannot do anything with it... HUMAX sort it out... give us the ability to Transfer the data TO our PC's and Mac's
UPDATE: This product is MUCH better its now near silent... face the fact Humax before this update the PVR9300T was Noisy... even my computers made less noise... Now worth a 4 Star Rating... Not quite worth all five stars as the device still has flaws...
120 of 124 people found the following review helpful:
Spoilt by very noisy fan
(3 out of 5) by Mr. S. Wilson on Sep 9, 2008 (UK)I already own a Humax PVR-9200T, and on needing a second freeview reciever to use with a TV in another room, I decided to buy the 9300T (from Turbosat through Amazon). My intention was to move the older version to the other room and have the newer model in the front room. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened, the older version is staying put in the front room and the newer model is going into the other room. This is entirely due to the very noisey fan. This is a pity because Humax have made some worthy improvements to this model; it is now smaller, has an HDMI connection, a larger capacity hard-drive, and has a power-saving capacity when it goes into standby, where mercifully, the fan stops. On my older model the fan runs continuously, but is quieter. On the newer model the fan is very intrusive and can be heard over the sound of the TV, which spoils the whole experience. It is a pity Humax have spoilt an otherwise good product for the sake of a noisy cooling fan!
132 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
Humax Improved
(5 out of 5) by Hugo on Nov 29, 2008I'm happy to be the first to review this product with it's new software upgrade.
When I purchased this a week ago I was horrified at the ridiculously loud fan noise. After contacting Humax to see if it was a fault I was told an over the air upgrade was coming this week. What a difference it makes, it's gone from being the loudest PVR on the market to the quietest! So instead of telling people to avoid it give it five stars. The picture quality is superb with no blocking or freezing, it's a piece of cake to reord shows and even series. And it never misses the end of a show, a big improvement on my old one.
Sure there are a few ways I'd like the software to be improved but it's nothing you can't work round with a few clicks. Top marks.
When I purchased this a week ago I was horrified at the ridiculously loud fan noise. After contacting Humax to see if it was a fault I was told an over the air upgrade was coming this week. What a difference it makes, it's gone from being the loudest PVR on the market to the quietest! So instead of telling people to avoid it give it five stars. The picture quality is superb with no blocking or freezing, it's a piece of cake to reord shows and even series. And it never misses the end of a show, a big improvement on my old one.
Sure there are a few ways I'd like the software to be improved but it's nothing you can't work round with a few clicks. Top marks.
59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
Handles the basics - just
(2 out of 5) by NickE on Oct 6, 2008 (London)I have to admit I was hoping for a bit more from the Humax PVR9300T, since the 9200 seems to have a good reputation. Although it does the basics, this unit has enough flaws to move it down to a two star rating in my book.
Firstly, there's the noise. And yes, it is noisy - unacceptably so. I have a couple of desktop pcs which are quieter. Luckily, this is mitigated by the fact that the fan turns off when you put the Humax into standby mode, from which it will still record. While you are listening to the tv, you probably won't notice the fan noise. But still, I'll take off a star for this.
Secondly, usability. I just find the interface/remote a little unintuitive. It's ok, once you figure it out, but far from perfect. Example? To record a program from the schedule you press the 'OK' button - The 'record' button doesn't do it. The control system has a few strange controller choices like this, which stop it from being an instant hit. Once you know the way around you'll live with it, but expect to be helping other people.
Thirdly, the guide. The humax takes up to 10 mins to download the guide data each time you start it up. That's not from off to on - that's from standby to on. So you'll be starting it up a lot. This means you can't immediately program it to record anything. You'll have to wait for the data to come down. And, you'll turn it on to program it a lot, since the noise will make you want to leave it in standby most of the time.
In addition, you'll most likely want to look up the schedules on the internet first and then go and program the unit - the guide display can show only five channels and 2 1/2 hours. You can forget about using it to look ahead and program in your choices for the week, you'll still be looking at the guide when the week's over. If you don't know exactly when a program is on already, don't expect to find it quickly from the guide (in fairness there is a search feature to pick things out by name, but it is not much fun to have to use this).
The last issue I have had is that the humax fairly frequently seems to cut off the last few minutes of a program. You can change the setting to ask the unit to record a few minutes of overlap, but for some reason this is not compatible with the feature which allows you to record a series - so you will have to turn all series link off to achieve this. There seems to be no easy way around this. For individual recordings you can tweak the end time, but it is a pain to have to remember to do this, and it won't help you with series. This is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping would work out of the box.
So there you go. Two stars. Does the job - just. It may or may not be as good as the competition at this price point - I couldn't comment. Better than nothing? A lot better. Perfect? Far from it. You shouldn't raise your expectations too high.
Firstly, there's the noise. And yes, it is noisy - unacceptably so. I have a couple of desktop pcs which are quieter. Luckily, this is mitigated by the fact that the fan turns off when you put the Humax into standby mode, from which it will still record. While you are listening to the tv, you probably won't notice the fan noise. But still, I'll take off a star for this.
Secondly, usability. I just find the interface/remote a little unintuitive. It's ok, once you figure it out, but far from perfect. Example? To record a program from the schedule you press the 'OK' button - The 'record' button doesn't do it. The control system has a few strange controller choices like this, which stop it from being an instant hit. Once you know the way around you'll live with it, but expect to be helping other people.
Thirdly, the guide. The humax takes up to 10 mins to download the guide data each time you start it up. That's not from off to on - that's from standby to on. So you'll be starting it up a lot. This means you can't immediately program it to record anything. You'll have to wait for the data to come down. And, you'll turn it on to program it a lot, since the noise will make you want to leave it in standby most of the time.
In addition, you'll most likely want to look up the schedules on the internet first and then go and program the unit - the guide display can show only five channels and 2 1/2 hours. You can forget about using it to look ahead and program in your choices for the week, you'll still be looking at the guide when the week's over. If you don't know exactly when a program is on already, don't expect to find it quickly from the guide (in fairness there is a search feature to pick things out by name, but it is not much fun to have to use this).
The last issue I have had is that the humax fairly frequently seems to cut off the last few minutes of a program. You can change the setting to ask the unit to record a few minutes of overlap, but for some reason this is not compatible with the feature which allows you to record a series - so you will have to turn all series link off to achieve this. There seems to be no easy way around this. For individual recordings you can tweak the end time, but it is a pain to have to remember to do this, and it won't help you with series. This is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping would work out of the box.
So there you go. Two stars. Does the job - just. It may or may not be as good as the competition at this price point - I couldn't comment. Better than nothing? A lot better. Perfect? Far from it. You shouldn't raise your expectations too high.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Another solid Humax
(4 out of 5) by tallpete33 on Aug 31, 2009 (London, UK)Having owned one of the early Humax PVRs, the excellent PVR800 for many trouble-free years, I decided it was time to upgrade when I bought a Sony Bravia LCD TV for the following reasons:
1) Twin tuner
2) Larger recording capacity (up to 200 hours)
3) HDMI upscaling
4) Series Link
For those who are unsure what a Freeview PVR (Personal Video Recorder) is, it is essentially the free-to-air version of Sky+ i.e. it is a Freeview receiver with an internal hard disk that allows you to do everything Sky+ can do (record, pause and rewind live or scheduled TV) and in some cases better. No discs or tapes required. Obviously no Sky subscription means no Sky channels don't forget, apart from Sky 3 for some reason.
As Amazon were the cheapest (£163.99 delivered), I bought there again and super saver delivery was a decent 3 days. Out of the box, I was surprised to see it came with both a SCART and HDMI lead which is unusual, but welcome. Setting up was an absolute doddle, just a case of plugging in the power, co-ax input (from wall to box), co-ax output (to TV) and of course the HDMI to the TV. I then went to the menu to search for channels and was up and running in about 10 minutes. I was helped in the setup as the menu is very similar to my old Humax (I haven't needed to look at the CD manual) but with a few useful tweaks. A case of if it ain't broke.....
The box itself is fairly attractive in a black and understated way. The remote is also quite smart and sleek. The advanced buttons are hidden under a sliding flap at the bottom which is a good idea. Recording is very easy; just find the programme on the excellent (if slightly small) EPG and click ok. You are prompted for option of series link (which works brilliantly by the way) at that time also. Playback is just as easy, find the programme from your recorded list and hit play; as few as two button presses. If you only watch some of it, the PVR remembers where you left off, similar to most DVD players. Having a twin tuner, you can start watching programmes being recorded before they have finished which is very useful, as well as watch one channel and record another.
Unlike the Sky EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), the Humax shows a small picture of the selected channel (with sound) and has an excellent search facility that includes genre (e.g. movies, sport) or name search with an on-screen keyboard. The only drawback is that the EPG may take a minute or two to fully load from standby but this is not uncommon among any digi-box.
From power on, the fan is noisy for all of 5 seconds and the box then operates silently which I was very relieved about. Anyone suffering from a noisy fan should update the system firmware from the menu which should fix the issue. Standby power usage is 0.9w which is green enough for me.
The picture (you can toggle between 576p or 720p) is very good. Despite having a 1080p TV, I find 576p is more natural. It is better than my 800 but not massively so and has that slight "digitised" feel to it on occasion but it depends a lot on the age and format of the programme you are watching. The new series of Waking the Dead for example looks amazing whereas old episodes of Frasier are slightly blurry and washed out. If anything, the inbuilt tuner on my TV delivers a slightly clearer image but the features on the 9300 mean I will use that much more for general viewing. I get the occasional pause but only in bad weather when my ariel is taking a battering from the wind.
The picture-in-picture feature is under the flap and very useful and easy to use. You can move the small picture around to different corners or even have 50:50 - handy for when there's two games on.
Overall, I am very happy with this box and glad I've upgraded though the 800 is still sitting under my TV whilst I catch up on old episodes of The Wire. Humax have fixed the fan issue and whilst it may take a bit of getting used to (if you haven't owned one before), it is an excellent alternative to Sky+ for price, features and recording capacity.
1) Twin tuner
2) Larger recording capacity (up to 200 hours)
3) HDMI upscaling
4) Series Link
For those who are unsure what a Freeview PVR (Personal Video Recorder) is, it is essentially the free-to-air version of Sky+ i.e. it is a Freeview receiver with an internal hard disk that allows you to do everything Sky+ can do (record, pause and rewind live or scheduled TV) and in some cases better. No discs or tapes required. Obviously no Sky subscription means no Sky channels don't forget, apart from Sky 3 for some reason.
As Amazon were the cheapest (£163.99 delivered), I bought there again and super saver delivery was a decent 3 days. Out of the box, I was surprised to see it came with both a SCART and HDMI lead which is unusual, but welcome. Setting up was an absolute doddle, just a case of plugging in the power, co-ax input (from wall to box), co-ax output (to TV) and of course the HDMI to the TV. I then went to the menu to search for channels and was up and running in about 10 minutes. I was helped in the setup as the menu is very similar to my old Humax (I haven't needed to look at the CD manual) but with a few useful tweaks. A case of if it ain't broke.....
The box itself is fairly attractive in a black and understated way. The remote is also quite smart and sleek. The advanced buttons are hidden under a sliding flap at the bottom which is a good idea. Recording is very easy; just find the programme on the excellent (if slightly small) EPG and click ok. You are prompted for option of series link (which works brilliantly by the way) at that time also. Playback is just as easy, find the programme from your recorded list and hit play; as few as two button presses. If you only watch some of it, the PVR remembers where you left off, similar to most DVD players. Having a twin tuner, you can start watching programmes being recorded before they have finished which is very useful, as well as watch one channel and record another.
Unlike the Sky EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), the Humax shows a small picture of the selected channel (with sound) and has an excellent search facility that includes genre (e.g. movies, sport) or name search with an on-screen keyboard. The only drawback is that the EPG may take a minute or two to fully load from standby but this is not uncommon among any digi-box.
From power on, the fan is noisy for all of 5 seconds and the box then operates silently which I was very relieved about. Anyone suffering from a noisy fan should update the system firmware from the menu which should fix the issue. Standby power usage is 0.9w which is green enough for me.
The picture (you can toggle between 576p or 720p) is very good. Despite having a 1080p TV, I find 576p is more natural. It is better than my 800 but not massively so and has that slight "digitised" feel to it on occasion but it depends a lot on the age and format of the programme you are watching. The new series of Waking the Dead for example looks amazing whereas old episodes of Frasier are slightly blurry and washed out. If anything, the inbuilt tuner on my TV delivers a slightly clearer image but the features on the 9300 mean I will use that much more for general viewing. I get the occasional pause but only in bad weather when my ariel is taking a battering from the wind.
The picture-in-picture feature is under the flap and very useful and easy to use. You can move the small picture around to different corners or even have 50:50 - handy for when there's two games on.
Overall, I am very happy with this box and glad I've upgraded though the 800 is still sitting under my TV whilst I catch up on old episodes of The Wire. Humax have fixed the fan issue and whilst it may take a bit of getting used to (if you haven't owned one before), it is an excellent alternative to Sky+ for price, features and recording capacity.