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Disillusioned Arris Freesat user . .

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Phillip Deackes

New Member
I had the Arris Freesat box. I like the Freesat platform but the box is awful. Two complaints. With my HDR 4K panel the box insists on sending out an HDR signal, no matter what is playing. The picture quality was dreadful. All my sources go through an HDMI switchbox so I don't want to disable HDR on the TV. Dolby Digital is also broken on this device.

I have an old BT YouView box which gives me a far better picture, but I miss the extra HD channels on Freesat.

Would a Foxsat box be appropriate for me? Would I get the Freesat EPG and recording ability? I am not interested in the catchup or online services - I use an Apple TV for those things.

Many thanks.
 
Phillip Deackes said:
without any enforced HDR
Click to expand...
I presume you mean High Dynamic Range? Confusing when "HDR" (as in Foxsat-HDR, HDR-FOX etc) when talking about Humax models means "High Definition Recorder".

Is there really no video output setting for a non-High Dynamic Range option? That seems like an oversight.
 
Black Hole said:
Is there really no video output setting for a non-High Dynamic Range option? That seems like an oversight.
Click to expand...
freesat and Arris between them have messed up the box and updates have messed up even more.

OP's could probably remedy issue of HiDR by setting box to output 1080p and connecting direct to TV and disabling HDR on that hdmi input... but as that doesn't fit their preference :speechless:
There's been a similar thread on AVForums with a user of a 'Sofabaton' remote, who seems happy with Freeview now.

Also from AVForums someone has used a https://www.hdfury.uk/product/dr-hdmi/ to stop the HiDR (needs usb power) with their setup. Alternative cheaper devices may or may not work.

That won't solve the fixed stereo or 5.1 sound issue (but C5 HD do actually broadcast a permanent 5.1 sound signal flag on satellite).

Note that the LNB will need changed if the freesat 4k box is currently used with a $ky Q LNB for more than two tuners.
 
I bought a Humax HDR1000S Freesat box from CEX. It gives me a really nice picture, the sound switches correctly to and from DD5.1, unlike the Arras box, and there's no dreaded HDR imposed on non-HDR channels. Given it's an old box some catchup services are missing, but I use my AppleTV box for online viewing. I can't believe how much better it is than the Arras box. I thought it might be slow, given its age, but it is just as snappy as the Arras. I popped a new 1TB hard drive in it. I used to have an HDR1000S many years ago and had clearly forgotten how good it was.

I needed to change the LNB, but I've installed many a satellite system in my life so that was a very simple job.

As @Rodders53 rather sarcastically pointed out, connecting my Arras box to a different TV input didn't suit my preferences at all. I have a rather excellent switch box which switches HDMI inputs but also separates the audio of the selected input to send to my home cinema amp. I thus need only one HDMI cable to my TV, but also in the same trunking I have various other cables (mains, speakers and so on) and adding another HDMI cable would be too much. It basically wouldn't fit. Besides, Argos refunded me for the Arras box so I have saved nearly £200 in the process.
 
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