New Fox user with a few queries....

[socrates]

I'm in the process of weaning myself off an old Tivo onto the HDR-Fox T2 - going quite well so far, though I do miss the simple interface and remote.

There are a few little irritations you may be able to help with. Is it possible to set the TV channel showing at start up? At present it defaults to Dave which I rarely watch - imagine the shock of Jeremy Clarkson being the first thing you see at switch on! Also the guide always starts up on TV rather than Favourites ( ie the 8 watchable channels out of the 200 or so mostly crap ones ) - can that be fixed?
Is it possible to switch off the Fox's display which is redundant and distracting ( especially when scrolling )?
TV portal only occasionally works with iPlayer. My broadband is rather slow so its a bit stop/start - but I can get round that by pausing for 5 - 10 minutes and playing catch up. However sometimes it just hangs whilst trying to start a programme and the box has to be rebooted.

Still, at least I can watch TV without having to reboot the STB every day or two, unlike my previous Phillips.

 

[Kev_w]

First - good choice of PVR - you wont regret it!

All of the little irritations you mentioned can be fixed - but it depends on if you fancy installing the custom firmware developed by af123. He has developed a little mod that allows you to set the channel the box starts up with and another that allows you to re-order the channels - meaning you can put the good ones at the top. He has also delevoped a mod that lets you - among other things - turn off display scroling and set brightness of the display. Its like he had you in mind when he did it all!

At present it defaults to Dave which I rarely watch - imagine the shock of Jeremy Clarkson being the first thing you see at switch on!

Where did you get your HDR from? I believe that the normal behaviour is for the box to start up showing the last viewed channel? It sounds like somebody has already been tinkering??

 

[Ezra Pound]

socrates

As you probably know, the HDR can be loaded with some Custom Firmware that adds extra features to the standard Humax ones, with the CF you can select what channel it wakes up on (and at what volume). the Guide starting on TV rather that favorites can usually be fixed (Not always) by pulling up the favorites EPG and selecting from this list a program that changes the channel, this is usually enough to lock it onto favorites. The scrolling display is also contrallable using the CF

 

[Kev_w]

Is it possible to switch off the Fox's display which is redundant and distracting ( especially when scrolling )?

Just out of interest - what colour is your display? Its just as standard I find the display to be far too dim to be distracting...

 

[socrates]

I've just realised why it starts on Dave - I followed the advise to suppress OTA by setting a reminder at 4:20 and picking a channel at random must have hit Dave. I'll change it to something more suitable. As it's just a reminder it hadn't occurred to me it would actually change channel.
If I set this reminder from the favourites epg perhaps this will also lock the epg as Ezra suggests.

I've had a quick look at some of the Custom Firmware features and they sound interesting but I think I should take some time to get properly acquainted with the standard box first ( as the above indicates ).

Thanks for your help - any suggestions with the TV Portal issue?

 

[socrates]

Just out of interest - what colour is your display? Its just as standard I find the display to be far too dim to be distracting...

A sort of dull red - I agree it's dim, I guess I'm touchy about such things. I have to remove all labels from laptops, fridges etc. And don't get me started on the red button!

 

[Kev_w]

A sort of dull red - I agree it's dim, I guess I'm touchy about such things. I have to remove all labels from laptops, fridges etc. And don't get me started on the red button!

Just asking cos a few of us have increased the brightness so that you can read it! Also, you'll be pleased to know that the red button can be sorted out with the custom firmware too!

Thanks for your help - any suggestions with the TV Portal issue?

I cant think of anything useful - sounds like its a problem with your broadband speed not been up to it but I hope i'm wrong.

Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

 

[Ezra Pound]

I any suggestions with the TV Portal issue?

Not sure about the 'just hangs whilst trying to start a programme and the box has to be rebooted' but the slow broadband can be helped by the CF, I-Player, YouTube etc. streams are recorded as file on the HDD, this file is not accessable with the normal Humax firmware but with the CF the file can be copied to the My-Video area, Note that the buffering of the stream will be halted if you exit the TV portal, It won't be written to in background

 

[Ezra Pound]

Also, you'll be pleased to know that the red button can be sorted out with the custom firmware too!

I'm don't think there is CF fix for the red button, although it is only displayed when watching 'Live TV' so if you press Pause then Play you will go into chase play and there will be no redbutton or Book Me icons

 

[HarveyB]

When "press red button" is displayed, just press the GREEN button and the instruction should disappear. This is true for my HDR, my TVs and my previous Topfield PVR.
I think it's a freeview standard.

 

[4ndy]

Pressing GREEN dismisses the red button icon. This a BBC red button function, so works with TVs as well.

 

[socrates]

So many replies! Its good to know there's an active user base.

Pressing green gets rid of the red button temporarily but it often comes back after ad breaks etc. And of course you can't press green if auto recording. Some STBs give you the option to disable MHEG functions permanently.

However Ezra's comment is enlightening. Having used Tivo for over 10 years I'm used its ways. It is an analogue box which digitises the incoming video stream for recording, pause etc. Since switch-over I've been using it with an external STB ( controlled by the Tivo ) so the STB puts out a live video stream complete with red dot which the Tivo records as is. But of course the HDR records the digital stream so can remove the red dot on playback. So no more spoilt recordings.

On the TV Portal issue - I've just reconfigured my network to move the modem to my primary phone point, switched to DLAN rather than WiFi and generally cleaned up. Speed is starting to creep up so hopefully over the next few days my IP profile will adjust. Speed was around 1.75 Mbps, sometimes dropping lower. Today it was up to 2.4Mbps. But I'm not convinced speed is the whole issue.

 

[brianmt]

The favourites thing was fixed in the last software upgrade. Mine now always wakes up in favourites also the wake up channel can be set in Preferences >time

 

[socrates]

The favourites thing was fixed in the last software upgrade. Mine now always wakes up in favourites also the wake up channel can be set in Preferences >time

Was that update the 10.02.28 one? I was under the impression that one was best avoided because of the automatic retuning issue and the consequential loss of recording schedules. That was why I set up the reminder.

 

[Black Hole]

Ya pays ya money and takes ya choice. Sticky favourites and sly retunes, or optional retunes and slippery favourites... hmm!

 

[Ezra Pound]

But of course the HDR records the digital stream so can remove the red dot on playback

Yes, the Red Button and Book Me icons are never recorded on HDR, they are not part of the video stream they are overlaid (or not overlaid) by the PVR

 

[Ezra Pound]

The favourites thing was fixed in the last software upgrade. Mine now always wakes up in favourites also the wake up channel can be set in Preferences >time

I think the 'Preferences >time' option will only affect the wake up channel when setting a Power On Timer

 

[brianmt]

Yes 28 has been fine for me, I have never had a retune. Retuning is not a problem in the north west and yes " I think the 'Preferences >time' option will only affect the wake up channel when setting a Power On Timer" but that what was asked "Is it possible to set the TV channel showing at start up?". Also the favourities thing was addressed in 27. I know what I would prefer !!

 

[Black Hole]

I don't use favourites so that's not a problem for me. Just wait until the autumn when they sneak in a DSO and you happen to be away for a couple of weeks expecting a nice catch-up!

 

[brianmt]

Why would Winter Hill sneak a Dso in the autumn ? Just asking