Humax t.v. recorder

[Sorastro]

Got rid of Sky early last year.......needed something to record programmes with so someone suggested Humax so bought one.
Since then I have contacted Humax's "help line" twice, If I'd known what a pain Humax was going to be I would have found a cheaper alternative or even kept Sky. O.k. maybe because I'm not tech savvy a lot of my woes may be my fault, but then again compared with Sky, to me anyway, Freeview is a minefield.

I decided that, for what I was watching, Sky wasn't value for money so got rid.  Firstly I didn't realise that I would have to CONSTANTLY re tune the Humax channels, as the frequencies kept changing, and as the manual with the box might as well have been written in Swahili for all the good it did me. I sent off an E mail to them and they came back with concise instructions on how to re tune the box {which bore very little resemblance to the manuals instructions} Over the months I have mastered this, but the real annoying thing about it was that especially on my old t.v. I had last year, I just used the t.v. remote for on/off and volume only, the rest on the Humax remote, if I deviated from that i.e. accidentally press a button on the t.v. remote I lost all  Humax channels, then every time I got Humax back there was no sound. This happened every time and to get the sound back I had to unplug the box from the mains {for at least 20 seconds} and plug it back in again and the sound was back.
So this was my second help line question, and according to Trustpilot reviews I wasn't the only one with this problem, so I knew it wasn't just me messing up. The reply they sent me by E mail was unfortunately deleted but it really didn't matter as I couldn't understand it anyway, all I can remember is it mentioned inserting a USB stick in the front of the box.

Since then I have had a new smart telly with all that goes with it but I've yet to use any of them because of the sound problem.
If anyone out there knows the solution, or anyone knows a local engineer proficient in Humax faults, shout up thanks.

[Alsatian]

I has a Humax satellite recorder box but, unlike you, I got rid of that and went back to sky.

The remote control was worse than useless unless you were sat in front of the box (Google that and see how many results come up!), also it wasn't a very friendly user interface. I also had a fair share of failed recordings with no rhyme or reason why. Unlike some boxes (eg Bush) they're not a cheap unit and I expected more of them.

Not a fault with Humax, but I found Freesat to have their own problems, the final straw for me was the fact that Channel 4 decided to 'take their ball back' and remove the HD element of their broadcast along with their All4 catch up service!

Whilst I'm not on Mr Murdochs Christmas card list, at least it's a fairly reliable service. I've got the Sky Q box and I can record three programmes whilst watching a fourth which saves messing about with the +1 channels.

[Sorastro]

Finally got round to sending off an E mail to Humax about my "no sound" problem and they sent me a reply with an attachment.
Basically I had to download this then separate the zip file from the download and then the download left put it onto a USB stick, insert the stick in the front of the Humax and let it "upgrade" ...........and it worked!!

Now all I've got to do is find out what to do with all the internet channels on the "new" t.v. Since I've started experimenting with Netflix I.T.V. hub and the like,not being overly tech savvy , it brings up more problems but hey I've plenty of time.

At the end of the day Humax is still a major pain in the rear compared to Sky, but at least it's not costing me anything!

[Old Cruser]

We have a Humax recorder.
Had it several years now and I agree they can be a pain in the butt!
I bought it from Marshalls in Clay Cross and and the engineer came out and looked at it.
It did sort the current problem but we still occasionally  have to unplug both TV and Humax box to get them connected

[Sorastro]

Due to me sticking with it I now have a fully functioning smart t.v.

Now I'm using the internet for the t.v. as well as my computer I feel I'm now getting my monies worth out of both.
As my daughter said, when I moaned that instructions should be in idiot speak for people like me,
"If they keep doing that dad, you will NEVER learn"

[Fly]

Someone once mentioned she'd had a new tv recorder box, so I asked what she'd done with the old one. She told me it was in the wheelie bin, so I dug it out.  They have a hard drive in them that might be useful in other pieces of equipment/computer.  I get home and decide to 'Google' the model number just to see if other folk had had issues with them.
Bingo. The company had sent a software update out, OTA, (Over The Air), but it was corrupt and stopped some boxes from working.
Same thing, download the software, update it manually.
If I'm not mistaken, that was about 5 years ago, and it still works to this day
Never throw owt away till you've asked a geek