Home > Consumer Reviews > Humax PVR9300T 320GB Twin Tuner, PVR

Had this for a few of days now, after ditching my Thomson box, which just kept freezing and not turning on..only over a year old. Hughes direct were quick to deliver and had no problem with them, although as others have said they send this out in its product box, not within a brown box, but you could say they are reducing the impact on the environment.

The Humax pvr9300t is well worth the money and once you get used to the functional differences then it's straight forward to operate.

Set up it a breeze, just connect, switch on and its scanning channels
before you do anything else and then save them and you're there. Each channel is displayed in the led on the pvr itself (nice touch!) and the time is downloaded from the aerial and pretty close to the radio controlled clocks. Yeah. The EPG is slow to download, due to Humax beleiving that 9300t should have the most up to date programme inf and will adjust recording times if a programme's schedule changes, but leave the pvr, for 5 to 6 minutes, on BBC1 and all channels and days are populated or set it up to auto switch on before you're ready to watch.

Unlike other pvr's depending on which mux (multiplex) you are recording on you are able to watch a third programme whilst recording two other programs (whilst normally viewing TV just press OK to see the other channels available when recording), not heard of this on another box. Another nice touch!

If you're having trouble with programmes series linked on Channel 5 and find every occurence of a programme set to series link is recored (including the one's on FIVER), this is not the box but the interesting way Channel 5 have imbedded their series link data and can easily be overcome by manually setting a programme up to record weekly.

Finally. Fan noise..the software is fully up to date and this is a non existent problem..some old reviews may state it's noisey.

In summary. This is a great piece of kit.

**Update**
Had this now for a couple of weeks and I must say I am well chuffed with it. Watch it more than Sky+.

**Update...Update**
Had this nearly a month now and like McDonalds....I'm loving it!

Pros: Easy to programme. Simple to operate. Quiet operation. Excellent picture quality, and with a large 320GB hard drive, tons of space for recording favourite TV programmes.
Cons: Takes a while to boot up and populate the EPG so that you can schedule a recording. Suggest it is switched on a good 15mins before scheduling a recording. Humax say it populates quicker if tuned to BBC1 for some reason.; if connected to a 1080HDTV via HDMI cable it upscales to 720p and not full 1080p. Also can't control the volume level via PVR remote, have to use TV remote which is a bit of a bind. Humax say this is normal with this model and if connected via a scart lead then volume should be controllable via PVR remote but definitaion lowered to 576p. Yer pays yer money and makes yer choice. Still an excellent piece of kit for all that. Perhaps later models will be modified to correct this?

I recently bought the 9300T for my mother as I've owned the 9200T for a couple of years now, it's still going strong and I wouldn't be without it.

The noisy fan other reviewers have mentioned has obviously been sorted on newer models as I can only hear a slight whirring if I put my ear right next to it, I believe a software update was released to sort it out for those who bought the earlier models.

The 9300T is a lot sleeker looking that the 9200T and smaller in size it also has a larger hard drive and HDMI connection. Other that that the functions are pretty much the same.

The ability to pause live TV, chase play, series record and the ability to record two channels whilst watching something I recorded earlier are all functions that I have got so used to using I would find it very difficult to be without them.

The manual itself, though OK is not the best but there are sites on-line where Humax (hummy) users will readily give you advice if you can't find the answer already posted.

In summary, once you've owned a PVR you wouldn't want to be without one and Humax is in my opinion the best!

I bought this after various reviews on programmes like the Gadget Show and Amazon. Amazingly simple to set up but the whole time it's on, the fan is making a lot noise in the background. I managed about an hour before I packed it back up and returned it. If you have a glass doored cabinet or a noisy household to drown out the noise, I'm sure it's great but otherwise I would stay clear.

The 9300 is the replacement for the 9200, of which I have two already, with the main difference being a doubled hard drive size and HDMI socket and upscaling, but it is still standard definition output also via scart or composite. Other than that they are the same machine and can still be easily controlled using the same remote.

With a recently upgraded 40 inch LCD screen I was not happy with the picture quality I was getting with the 9200 and decided to see if the HDMI of the 9300 improved it. I have not been disappointed.

I cannot tell if it is the HDMI and/or upscaling technology that has improved the picture but it is now more stable and crisp on moving images and rock solid on static images and graphics. I consider the machine worth the price just for this alone and I doubt an SD signal can be much improved than it is this side of HD. There is also no trace of any interference that can sometimes be seen more easily on larger screens.

The EPG is still the same and can take a while to download, but I watch something first and then look to programme, so this is a minor annoyance and the fan noise of the older reviews is non-existent and unless I had been aware of it would never have known. It is in fact quieter than the 9200.

Other than that it is the 9200 improved slightly with a new output standard and is a must for the improved picture quality on modern large screens. I have no hesitation in recommending it as an upgrade for 9200 owners with large screens or for anyone who has never owned a Humax before.

Whilst a largely unknown brand I consider Humax to be the Freeview PVR manufacturer that can't be beaten and with the 9300 they have made a great product even better.

And for reference it comes with a HDMI cable, so you don't need to buy one.