9300 stuttering

M

Michael Thomas

New Member
Following on from my thread regarding formatting, I did format the drive but the stuttering still occurred. So Humax sent me a replacement.

My question is this. These replacements...are they new or reconditioned because this one is also stuttering. It is not the transmitter because I recorded the same programme on a Hitachi fed from the same aerial (looped through). The Hitachi does not stutter. The 9300 did. I went back to the same point in the programme just in case it was a one-off but the 9300 stuttered in exactly the same place.

Signal quality is 100%.

A reconditioned unit is one explanation.
 
Michael Thomas said:
My question is this. These replacements...are they new or reconditioned because this one is also stuttering.
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It will almost certainly be reconditioned. You are aware that stuttering on play back of certain programs (presumably because of something distinctive in the encoding) is a know problem that affects the 9300/9150?
 
No I didn't. Many thanks for that bit of info. Is there any indication as to type of programme, content etc. EG live sports action, action movies, kitchen sink drama.

Out of curiosity are there any PVR types out there that don't have any inherent problems ?
 
It depends what you call an inherent problem. The HDR-FOX is pretty good, but has been tripped up by changes in the broadcast standards which have required firmware updates to overcome, and at the moment there is an unresolved problem recording the new BBC HiDef channels which is currently not understood.
 
Inherent problems? Well, by that I mean, stuttering on some recorded programmes (like the 9300 as indicated above) due to encoding/decoding inadequacies. Or the old Hitachi that seemed to have a memory leak as it needed to be power cycled frequently to prevent stuttering on recorded programmes. That's the sort of thing that I mean by 'inherent' problems.

Thanks for the recommendation for the Fox but its capabilities are way beyond our simple needs ! No HD. No wish for streaming videos or multimedia servers etc. Just a good old bog-standard two channel PVR.
 
I was only pointing out that, even on our "gold standard" HDR-FOX T2, external conditions can change outside the manufacturer's control and affect how well it performs, because it then has to cope with things it was not designed to cope with. I suggest that such problems are not inherent. I am trying to think of an inherent problem with the HDR-FOX (there were many when first released) that have not been addressed by firmware updates, but I can't think of any right now.

I don't know, but the reported stuttering on the 9300 could be the result of the DVB stream being altered after the 9300 was designed, and might require more than a firmware update to fix if the hardware codecs are no longer up to the job.

As for whether the HDR-FOX is overkill, as they are available for about £150 as a Humax refurb with warranty, I suggest not.
 
Michael Thomas said:
No I didn't. Many thanks for that bit of info. Is there any indication as to type of programme, content etc. EG live sports action, action movies, kitchen sink drama.
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No not really; it is (in my opinion) to do with the way a particular program is encoded for transmission so if one program in a series exhibits the problem then chances are that all the others will. The problem was first reported a couple of years ago and at the time Humax said they would fix it but nothing has happened since. If you have recently purchased the 9300 then I would be inclined to reject it as unfit for purpose.
Out of curiosity are there any PVR types out there that don't have any inherent problems ?
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The HDR-FOX T2 and the later HDR-2000T are decent boxes with only a few niggles (currently the HDR-2000T has more niggles than the HDR-FOX T2 but as a current production box there is more chance of them being fixed).
 
Why do you insist on calling a programme a program when others in the thread spell it correctly?
 
Michael Thomas said:
£150 is a lot of money for many people. A basic box can be bought for considerably less.
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Then can I suggest you get what you pay for? As I recall, you were lamenting that PVRs do not appear to be free of inherent problems.

Footnote: just because I choose not to start an argument by replying to subsequent posts, doesn't mean I necessarily agree with them. Everyone is entitled to a point of view, but which one is right will not be decided by a slugging match.
 
4291 said:
Why do you insist on calling a programme a program when others in the thread spell it correctly?
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Why are you being pedantic? What is the point? I am at least trying to be helpful. Can I politely suggest if you don't like my use of the English language that you ignore my posts.
 
Black Hole said:
Then can I suggest you get what you pay for? As I recall, you were lamenting that PVRs do not appear to be free of inherent problems.
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I don't agree. It is not unreasonable to ask for a simple PVR that does not have any inherent problems. Nor did I say or imply that all PVR's had inherent problems so please don't put words into my mouth. I simply asked for recommendations for a basic PVR.
 
Well just spoke to Humax tech support. Trying to tell me that it is a signal problem. When I pointed out that the Hitachi was fine recording the same programme he told me that that was the problem...two devices meant that the signal was split 50 % between the two boxes! The fact that the Humax showed 80-90% signal strength and 100% quality seemed to pass him by. His response was that it might have been at that level when I checked but that it might have been a momentary problem...yeah, right. Their suggestion is for them to collect the box and have it repaired. Yeah, right again.

When I mentioned the stuttering problem he replied that Humax fixed all faults... yeah, right again. Numpty.
 
Out of curiosity I had a quick look at the various offerings on Amazon and a look at the customer reviews. On balance Humax actually comes out reasonably well with only around a 10% 1* rating on the 9150, say. But then reading the comments shows QA is not Humax's strong point. Having said that there are some manufacturers who get more negative than positive comment!
 
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