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EPG awful

J

JellyBelly

New Member
Hello

Just spent an hour reading all the start here guides and what have you and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information seeping into my grey matter. I thought I'd post and ask questions instead if that is okay?

A few months back I bought myself an Humax HDR FOX-T2 as it was recommended by a few people as a good replacement for a Topfield TF-5800 PVR. My Topfield PVR hadn't died and was working okay but it has only standard def tuners and as I watch mostly HD channels I wanted a PVR to watch and record them as well. However, I am not very impressed with the Humax features. Specifically the EPG and ability to set recordings from it. In fact, that's an understatement, I think it is an awful epg.

It has been suggested that I've been spoilt a bit because I used a custom firmware with a 'TAP' called MyStuff on the Topfield PVR that gave me a ton of features not available on most PVRs. Maybe so, but you cannot even switch to alternative epg view (vertical listing for example) which makes navigating the Humax epg for making weekly recordings a real chore - I do scour the channels every Sunday...for things I want to record and watch for that week, so set the recordings and watch when I can. The Humax makes that a horrible experience. I find myself using my TVs epg to see what is on then going back to the Humax afterwards and finding the programmes I want to schedule for recording. Not exactly what I was hoping for.

So, with the above in mind, if I installed the custom firmware available here, would it provide alternative epg views and features directly via the Humax or are all the extra features available only through a web interface?

Thankyou

JB
 
Oh darn! Okay, thanks. I'm sure that the web interface is terrific but not what I'm after. I'll probably sell the Humax in that case and look for something else with a better epg.

Thanks for reply.
 
JellyBelly said:
Oh darn! Okay, thanks. I'm sure that the web interface is terrific but not what I'm after. I'll probably sell the Humax in that case and look for something else with a better epg.

Thanks for reply.
Click to expand...

I think you'll find the web interface would make your weekly scour of the channels very easy. Why don't you give it a go?
 
With the webif you can set the EPG to have up to a 6hour wide grid so can see the entire evening in a single view and with a simple Next day button you can scan through the entire week in 7 clicks.
With the remote scheduling package you can add recording while you are away and in case you miss them in the schedule you can set up automatic recordings by keywords.

The Humax is a good machine and with the customised firmware and associated packages it becomes an outstanding machine,
 
I too, came from a Toppy. Admittedly, it was a bit of a culture shock. I didn't like the EPG format at first either. OK we can't do anything with the native EPG, but on the WebIf it can be tweaked a bit. I would persevere a bit longer if I were you.

I doubt you will find another box with the EPG format you desire, and could end up returning quite a few!
 
Okay, well I may just give it a go then before jumping ship. I'll take a look at the instructions. And I suppose you're right, and I could be looking for something that isn't out there...fruitless search IOW. But it's very annoying that it is entirely possible to properly equip a PVR with a useful feature set yet none of the manufacturers seem to do it. If you're familiar with MyStuff for the Topfield then you'll know what I mean and what is possible.
 
I am. I have used MyStuff as long as I have had the Toppy. I still have them. Two 5810's. But they are now retired!
 
JellyBelly : Take a look at the screen captures of the Web Interface on the WiKi HERE if you do decide to install the Custom Firmware, there is a guide starting HERE
 
I've never owned a topfield always had Humax PVR's

What does the topfield EPG offer that the Humax doesn't?


Sent from my GT-I9300
 
A picture says 1000 words. Here is a link to some screenshots of the Toppy MyStuff EPG. MyStuff is far more than just an improved EPG.It really takes the Topfield (5800 & 5810) to a different level.

http://www.toppy.org.uk/~mystuff/cgi/Screenshots.cgi

I have two Topfield 5810, fully working but now retired. I much prefer the Humax (I have 3) with Custom Firmware. The clincher is the HD tuner.

If I am honest, I don't really miss the Toppy. I thought I would, particularly MyStuff, but the ease of access (WebIf), RS and a few other things make the Humax better, for me anyway!
 
ian_j said:
I've never owned a topfield always had Humax PVR's

What does the topfield EPG offer that the Humax doesn't?


Sent from my GT-I9300
Click to expand...

Almost limitless mods that are on the box and appear on the TV so you don't need to access via a computer. There are TAP's for virtually anything you can imagine a pvr might do and some you would never have thought of :)

I guess new kit is hobbled by the restrictive DRM that the the broadcasters impose on users of the Freesat and Freeview epgs.

The box is designed in a way that third party apps can easily be loaded. A bit similar to the Android platform in some ways. Just look how many apps are available for Android.

For instance (a bit impractical) you can record an entire mux with just 1 tuner.
 
I personally don't have any issues with the standard EPG, it lets me set recordings & browse the channels without issues.

What really ups the Humax's usability is the WebIF

Being able to browse channels while travelling or on a work break is excellent.

Having the Remote Scheduling Portal send me emails for shows (86 of them) that match my searches is an absolute godsend.

I even set stuff to record last year while on holiday.

Have a play around with the custom firmware you may find it meets and exceeds your needs.
 
I can't comment on the Toppy as I've never used one but I had similar feelings when I changed from the TIVO I'd used for over 10 years to the HDR T2. It just felt so clunky ( and to be honest the Toppy screenshots posted earlier look messy to me ).

All I can say is don't be too hasty - most of what we imagine to be "intuitive" is actually just very familiar. After a while it falls into place and you notice what you have rather than what you used to have.
 
I've also not used a Toppy, but the only thing that struck me as 'might be nice' in Wallace's pictures (no offence intended) was the single channel epg.
However, our mileage obviously varies from others as we have a Radio Times subscription and use that to pick our viewing, usually while having breakfast (with no TV on), so the epg is mainly just used to find those progs and set the recording.
 
MikeSh said:
I've also not used a Toppy, but the only thing that struck me as 'might be nice' in Wallace's pictures (no offence intended) was the single channel epg.
Click to expand...
There is a very good single channel EPG in the Humax web interface, see THIS IMAGE from the wiki.
 
I must have turned into such a humax fanboy! I actually feel a real need to defend an epg!!

That being said, I never had a toppy, so it sounds like a case of not missing what you never had in my case.
I'm more than happy with the epg on the fox t2 but I admit I have always thought of an epg as a tool to find programmes you know are there rather than discover new ones. I do tend to see whats on at prime time on the HD channels by moving to 9-11pm on the current day with the 4 HD channels showing and use the "day forward" button to skim through the week - that catches most things worth watching.

I would also have to echo the comments regarding the webif and rs. This is what you will end up using to schedule most recordings - plus the list of most popular recordings on rs is a good place to discover new shows.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
 
MikeSh said:
I've also not used a Toppy, but the only thing that struck me as 'might be nice' in Wallace's pictures (no offence intended) was the single channel epg.
.
Click to expand...

If you click on the channel icon in the webif epg it will show everything on that channel in the next 7/8 days. I use it all the time to see what classic series ITV3 & Drama have upcoming.
 
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