Humax HDR-1100S 500 GB Freesat with Freetime HD TV Recorder - White

Has worked. Well for many years and it is easy to set up

Finally got around to giving Sky the boot and moving to Freesat. The Humax appeared to be the best brand on the market and this was the latest model available. The box is smaller than the Sky unit and although I didn't like the round lines initially once its under the TV it looks fine. Setup process was an interesting proposition as the unit crashed on setup, I restarted it and it crashed again. I thought this was going to be a DOA unit, however I found the issue. I was using wired Ethernet connection to the device, when the cable was connected from power up the setup would crash. If I waited until I got to the network setup screen and then plugged the cabled it worked. So I think there is a bug there in the firmware, to be fair I suspect most users would use WiFi to connect it so this might be because I am still a wired man.Once setup the unit found all the channels straight away, and to be honest I was surprised at the picture quality. The SD channels, I've been used to living in HD land with Sky, were a lot better than I was expecting to the point that I don't really miss HD. There are a few HD channels on Freesat and they are very good as well. The on demand channels work efficiently as do the pay-per-view options like movies.The unit has been pretty reliable, I've had to reboot it once as the guide went wonky. However this is nothing new as the Sky box used to have it's moments. The guide is pretty easy to use and it does everything a PVR should do. A couple of things I miss from the Sky box, like the ability to scan through favourites with a press button and on a recording there is no function to start viewing it from a time other than the start.The only negative of the box is the hard disk is quite noisy, not a typical chattering but a low volume hum this is pretty easy to tune into. I guess the box doesn't have much in the way of sound insulation and it is sat on a glass shelf so the noise is getting reflected out.Overall I am happy with my purchase, it does everything I need and more to the point I am not missing my Sky box.

Purchased this after ditching Sky and being told to keep the recording facility is not free. I've had a Humax basic receiver before but after checking out reviews I decided on this model. It comes with all cables and the receiver itself is very neat and compact. Not bulky like the Sky box. The set up was so easy and straight forward I was amazed how quickly it scanned the channels once I put in my post code. The HD picture quality is better than Sky I would say. Some people complained about the remote clicking but it's not an issue with me. Or the fact the light is on the bottom of the unit. I can see it clearly. I did have a problem finding the right code to operate my Samsung tv which I had to google as it's not shown on the Humax web site or if it is I could not find it. I'm not sure it's still right as there are so many different codes and you have to go through them all but again it's not difficult. It pauses live tv which is a great plus. The recording facility is easy. I downloaded the App so I could record programmes from my iPhone which I do first thing in the morning before work. Plus you can also use it to operate your tv. I paid a fortune to Sky not realising that minority of the channels I was watching were all on freeview 😡😡 how naive we all become with complacency. Take your cards out and see just what your paying for?? Ditch Sky folks and save yourselves loads of money. This unit is a highly recommended piece of kit. I would say with all it's added facilities it out does the Sky box. The 500gb storage is ideal for me but the added bonus of the larger storage recording capacity would be ideal for a larger family. It's a no brainer folks 👍👍👍

Yes it's the user interface is a little laggy and slow but other than that it's a brilliant replacement of the Virgin Media TiVo box with no monthly costs. With a price of £180 it will pay for itself in 5 months.You can install the FreeSat app on your tablet and smart phone and remotely record shows once the HUMAX box is paired when you're out and about (or even on the other side of the world). You can even create a series link on your favourite shows via your smart-phone or tablet just like the Virgin Media TiVo box.NOTE: I had to call a satellite installer to install a second coaxial wire from the satellite dish on the roof to the living room (since I already had the FreeSat dish with an existing coaxial wire which was fitted in 2010). This was a one-off cost of £75. The installer did state that if a new dish was required the cost would be an extra £50.If you have a single coaxial connector the box will still play FreeSat shows and record BUT you will NOT be able to switch channels. Don't even think of buying a 2-way splitter since that will not work either. You have to have two dedicated coaxial wires connected from the FreeSat dish to the FreeSat box in order to record one show and watch another or even record two live shows and watch another recording. If your TV has built-in FreeView you can record two shows concurrently on the FreeSat box and switch to FreeView on the TV to watch another show if you need to.Just a side note, my Virgin Media package was costing me £65 per month for the basic package with the Tivo box, land-line rental and 100Mbps broadband. So I purchased this box as the replacement of the TiVo box since it has no monthly costs and switched my broadband from Virgin Media to Talk Talk which is costing me £26 per month. My internet speed is slightly less than Virgin Media at 75Mbps but I'm no gamer and the household does not stream HD / 4K content concurrently so makes no odds. So thats a saving of £39 per month which equates to £468 per year!Overall very pleased with the HUMAX box, it has a capacity of 500GB which is more than enough for me.