Is it worth replacing an HDR-Fox T2 for something newer?

[noth...@aolbin.com]

I've had this for a long time but, apart from the occasional wobble, it
works fine. Do newer Freeview boxes offer anything that would make it
worth updating?

[Scott]

Mine works fine and I have no plans to upgrade. My only thought would
be: if the hard drive were to fail, how concerned would you be about
losing all your recorded programmes?

[Phil M]

I got a Humax 5000 a year or so ago to replace my Fox T2, but it's so
slow and the user interface is very bad. It just sits there in case I
need to record an extra programme when the Fox T2 is already busy.

PhilM

[Max Demian]

On 14/02/2021 11:08, noth...@aolbin.com wrote:

The Fox has lots of useful features that aren't present in newer models.
There's nothing stopping you from keeping it and connecting another one
as well: I've got a Panasonic HDD/DVD recorder in addition to the Humax,
enabling me to record films to DVD and also resolve clashes when there
are more than two programmes at the time that I want.

--
Max Demian

[Woody]

You don't need to loose them, just export them onto a memory stick or an
external hard drive and maybe the important ones can then be written
onto a DVD? The unit stores items on the internal drive in encrypted
format but decrypts them as it exports them.

[Roger Mills]

Are you sure that's the whole story? My recollection is that that's true
for SD recordings but that HD recordings need to be massaged by the
"Foxy" app before being exported in order to remove the encryption.
--
Cheers,
Roger

[Peter Johnson]

On Sun, 14 Feb 2021 11:08:39 +0000, noth...@aolbin.com wrote:

Have a look at the Humax Aura, released last November. Key feature for
me is that it ihas three tuners, can record four programmes while a
fifth is viewed, the PR says, I've never checked.
Being new means that the components are up to date and speedy and the
graphics look modern.
The OS is based on Android so is claimed to be capable of running
Android apps, which I also haven't checked.
It has the iPlayer, All Four &c built in but doesn't have, and won't
run, Netflix, a deal breaker for some. Powering up the players is
very quick, unlike the five-year-old Panasonic (DMR-BWT850) box that I
also have (keeping for its DVD playing capability).
If looking into it, don't take too much notice of what the early
adopters were complaining about - there have been a couple of firmware
updates since realease and I find it to be a capable box. Chat on the
My Humax forum suggests that Humax is interesting in addrssing issues
raised.
It is not the cheapest box on the market but I think that at the
moment it is the market leader in terms of its specification.

[noth...@aolbin.com]

On 14/02/2021 11:08, noth...@aolbin.com wrote:

Thanks for all the replies so far. It seems that the newer boxes only
offer more tuners, but I record very little TV so, for me, that's not a
reason to change. One thing that might persuade me to change is if the
newer boxes had an improved UI, so all this cursor left-a-bit /
down-a-bit nonsense on the zapper was done away with. Perhaps the ideal
would be a keyboard on the zapper, or a touch sensitive pad to control
the cursor.

[Chris Green]

It's called a laptop! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

[Scott]

On Sun, 14 Feb 2021 16:29:38 +0000, Woody <harro...@ntlworld.com>
wrote:

What I was suggesting was that on an older machine the hard drive is
more likely to fail, then it would be too late to recover the files
(and there is no back-up). This could be a reason to replace the
device periodically though personally I am prepared to live with the
risk, my assumption being that I could watch some of the programmes at
least on the BBC iPlayer instead.

[Davey]

I bought one of Humax's refurbished HDR-FOX T2 1TB units in 2013, and
after a few years, the HDD started to have some read/write
failures. I took the opportunity to replace it with a 2TB drive.
Important (to me) programmes are transferred over to my PC via FTP, and
then saved on a separate dedicated mobile HDD.
--
Davey.

[Scott]

On Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:54:15 +0000, Davey <da...@example.invalid>
wrote:

But it's conceivable that the drive could fail catastrophically. I
see this as a risk to be factored in.

[noth...@aolbin.com]

Actually, it would also be good if a newer STB supported iPlayer, which
my Fox T2 hasn't done since some time last year. :-(

[Tim+]

Integrated streaming apps in TVs and PVRs always end up being disappointing
in my experience. A combination of hardware and software quickly becoming
dated means that the apps either become clunky to use or stop working
altogether.

I use my TV as a monitor, my PVR just to record/time shift and a Firestick
and Apple TV box for streaming.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

[noth...@aolbin.com]

Yes, *I* prefer to use my phone and chromecast, but SWMBO hates using
her phone for anything other than voice and whatsapp - beyond understanding!

[Davey]

On Sun, 14 Feb 2021 11:08:39 +0000

My Fox T2 has just hiccoughed, and I don't know if it is terminal or
not. Tests are ongoing, as they say. But the basic concept of
the OP is relevant to me also, just in case. I looked at Fox T2s on
ebay, and it amazes me what people are asking for them. I also looked
at the Aura, suggested earlier, but I don't need half of what it
offers, and it's £250.

--
Davey.

[Woody]

Have a look at the manager's specials (if still available) on the Humax
web site.
Experience suggests if it is aged that the hard disc might be dying and
they are simple to change.

[Davey]

In fact, it's the HDMI output module, or whatever, that has failed.
SCART works fine, as does everything else that I can test. Our TV set
is small, and so HD is hardly distinguishable, so I still have a
useable machine.

I gave the unit a good old dusting down inside.

As for the Hard drive, I replaced the original a couple of years ago
with a 2TB unit, brand new, so that should be fine for a while (he said
hopefully).

Thanks for the thoughts.

--
Davey.

[Indy Jess John]

You could always put in a relatively low bid for one on ebay now and
again. Sooner or later you are likely to win one[1] at what you regard
as a reasonable price. You power it up to make sure it works, and do a
scan for stations. Then turn it off, put it back in the box it came in
and keep it as a spare.

When you need to replace your one, just take your current 2TB disc out
and put it in the spare, and you have still got all the recordings you made.

[1] I had bought a spare Panasonic PVR like that when I was the only
bidder at the end of the auction, and when my current one died I
intended to swap the discs over. When I took the top off my current
failed one I could see that one of the capacitors on the power board had
obviously failed, and when I replaced it and cleaned off the mess the
failed one had made on the board it was working again (and still is), so
I still have my spare I had got "just in case".

Jim

[Davey]

On Sat, 13 Mar 2021 12:18:35 +0000
Indy Jess John <jimw...@OMITblueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> You could always put in a relatively low bid for one on ebay now and
> again. Sooner or later you are likely to win one[1] at what you
> regard as a reasonable price. You power it up to make sure it works,
> and do a scan for stations. Then turn it off, put it back in the box
> it came in and keep it as a spare.
>
> When you need to replace your one, just take your current 2TB disc
> out and put it in the spare, and you have still got all the
> recordings you made.
>
> [1] I had bought a spare Panasonic PVR like that when I was the only
> bidder at the end of the auction, and when my current one died I
> intended to swap the discs over. When I took the top off my current
> failed one I could see that one of the capacitors on the power board
> had obviously failed, and when I replaced it and cleaned off the mess
> the failed one had made on the board it was working again (and still
> is), so

All good thinking, indeed.

Cheers,

--
Davey.

[Norman Wells]

My attempts at replacing three visibly failed caps in my Panasonic PVR,
one on the power board, which I posted about here a month or so ago,
sadly didn't work. I got a slightly different message on the display
but it still wouldn't boot up, and so it's now up in the loft. What you
really need, I suspect, is a method of testing all the capacitors in
situ on the board, which I didn't have.

Worth a try, but no guarantee at all of success.

[Dave W]

On Sat, 13 Mar 2021 12:18:35 +0000, Indy Jess John
<jimw...@OMITblueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

>You could always put in a relatively low bid for one on ebay now and
>again. Sooner or later you are likely to win one[1] at what you regard
>as a reasonable price. You power it up to make sure it works, and do a
>scan for stations. Then turn it off, put it back in the box it came in
>and keep it as a spare.
>
>When you need to replace your one, just take your current 2TB disc out
>and put it in the spare, and you have still got all the recordings you made.
>

>Jim

I'm not at all sure that's true. On my Humax Foxsat HDR, I installed a
bigger HDD than the existing one. However when I put the old one back
I couldn't play the recordings that were on it. I think the encryption
to prevent you copying had changed its key to suit the new drive.

One of the advantages that my machine has over others is that someone
has produced software that allows exporting of HD recordings on it.
But if I plug the HDD into a PC they are encoded so can't be played in
the PC. To copy, I can connect my PC to the machine via Ethernet
cable, then copy the video files into the PC using third-party
software that displays the folders.
--
Dave W

[Woody]

I know its a much longer job, but you can also plug a memory stick into
the front or side socket and copy out the programmes that you want to
keep. The machine will decrypt the files as it exports them.

[Davey]

I had wondered about this overnight. Similarly to your experience, the
Fox T2 encrypts the programmes it records, so they need to be decrypted
by a system such as HummyTV's CF programme, which is a wonderful suite
of utilities. I am not sure that an HDD used on one machine will be
readable by a different one, and you confirm that doubt.

--
Davey.

[Davey]

On Sun, 14 Mar 2021 09:22:02 +0000
Davey <da...@example.invalid> wrote:

> > One of the advantages that my machine has over others is that
> > someone has produced software that allows exporting of HD
> > recordings on it. But if I plug the HDD into a PC they are encoded
> > so can't be played in the PC. To copy, I can connect my PC to the
> > machine via Ethernet cable, then copy the video files into the PC
> > using third-party software that displays the folders.
>
> I had wondered about this overnight. Similarly to your experience, the
> Fox T2 encrypts the programmes it records, so they need to be
> decrypted by a system such as HummyTV's CF programme, which is a
> wonderful suite of utilities. I am not sure that an HDD used on one
> machine will be readable by a different one, and you confirm that
> doubt.

This applies to SD recordings, I don't keep HD ones, due to their size.

Taking this a little further, it is possible that the second machine
would read and play any already-decrypted files, which means that one
should decrypt programmes if they are to be kept.

--
Davey.