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Aura UHD android TV recorder November launch

Sorry, I haven't even worked out how to set low power mode yet. I searched the settings for it.
Press and hold the power button until you see a box on screen with the following text

Power off

Do you want to shut down?

CANCEL OK

Select OK for low power mode.

Details are at the bottom of page 6 in the user manual.
 
Long power press is fairly common on Android devices
For shutdown or restart, yes, and, at one point, for screen captures.

So, is it for when you don't want to record anything? My box asks me how often to check the schedule. Remote recording requires this.

What I don't get is, why is the HDD even on except during recording and playback?
 
I would call that shutdown rather than low power mode. In shutdown, a phone won't do anything at all (except accept user input to start up again). Why would anybody want to do that with a PVR?
The product guide state "in deep standby mode" ... "that the box works for the scheduled recording but not the automatic update".
I.e. it still works as a PVR.
It appears not to have a default setting so that deep standby mode is the default and you always have to use a long power press if you want it to operate in low power mode.

Once used does it switch the standby default so that for a light standby you then need to use a long press?
Either way, how does the (initial?) default not being deep standby mode satisfy the consumer electronics power usage regulations?
 
My box has performed flawlessly since the last lockup. However, it froze today, it started and got to the home page but was unresponsive until I did a power cycle.

Now, given that I have this happen to other Humax boxes, both past and present, is it hardware? firmware updates?
 
Freezes and crash/reboots are different symptoms of firmware implementation faults. Things don't freeze up for no reason - the problem is when the firmware/software hasn't been written to account for and sensibly deal with every possible error condition.

The execution path might end up in an infinite loop waiting for something which will never happen (all such loops should have a timeout clause), or execution has been made to vector to an illegal place which might be just data or might be other code (potentially out of step with real code, where instructions occupy a variable number of bytes), and the "code" could cause the execution of a stop or some kind of reset. A typical example is if the return stack is popped more times than it is pushed, so the final pop retrieves an invalid execution address and the code bombs off to oblivion.

It is easy to criticise, but fully certified software is exceptionally expensive and reserved for safety critical systems. In the less critical consumer market, it is financially impossible to test every possible execution path under every possible condition to check that all bases have been covered. However, given the experience that Humax ought to be aware of with the HDR-FOX's network stack, you would hope they might have thrown a bit more money at testing that part in future models.
 
I haven’t seen any issues yet, possibly because I've only been using the standard short press. I think the spinning wheel might be more persistent. The DTR-T1000 did lock up several times, requiring a full reset and sacrifice of recordings. For what it’s worth, the old remote works to some extent with the Aura, and the smaller Freeview button offers a less tempting target for my not-enormous thumb. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be an obvious candidate for the Home Button. For the Android TV it's the Menu button on the One-for-All. The Logitech media keyboard with the nano receiver works, but I’m probably looking for another remote.
I'm still waiting for an update later than October 29th.
 
It is easy to criticise, but fully certified software is exceptionally expensive and reserved for safety critical systems. In the less critical consumer market,
Yeah, just wait until word/review gets out that the box you bought for recording tv does NOT record tv because it crashes. See then how less critical the consumers are. They lost my custom for one.
 
Nope. I'm very sure "most" purchasers don't read reviews, they just buy what's available on the shelf at Currys.

The consumer market is critically dependent on price and timing, and doing enough testing to satisfy your want could mean it never getting to market at all.
 
Things don't freeze up for no reason - the problem is when the firmware/software hasn't been written to account for and sensibly deal with every possible error condition.
That's not quite true, I had forgotten about metastability. Poor hardware design can provoke firmware crashes if an asynchronous signal is used to affect the sequence of code execution, or if the timing requirements for memory access etc are not rigidly adhered to (by fitting a cheaper or reject memory module, for example). This cannot be overcome in firmware, only by correcting the hardware defect.

However, I would hope this is unlikely; the critical components are (probably) all within the SoC and thoroughly verified by the SoC provider (Broadcom?), while other async systems such as network interface likely reside in off-the-shelf LSI with reference designs for implementation (if not also in the SoC).
 
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Nope. I'm very sure "most" purchasers don't read reviews, they just buy what's available on the shelf at Currys.
Of course those of us on these forums are not "most" purchasers. I read reviews with a critical eye and rarely go into Currys to get anything. (A self-imposed long-standing boycot of Dixons)
 
Nope. I'm very sure "most" purchasers don't read reviews, they just buy what's available on the shelf at Currys.

The consumer market is critically dependent on price and timing, and doing enough testing to satisfy your want could mean it never getting to market at all.
Who is the target customer for this? Someone who watches AND wants to record a moderate amount of TV. If one of two features does not work properly how many are you gonna sell?
Not many according to this review:
Badly designed remote , kept going on and off.. not very pleased with it at all

Johnny, 55 - 64, S.wales
 
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