This Humax Box is Possibly Deceased

misfit

New Member
Dear All

If you had a HDR Fox T2 and it had died and you needed to replace what would you purchase? The Humax Fox T2 has served me well and I like it very much but, and here is the problem, HDR Fox T2 are no longer being made so is this a good long term investment? What would you recommend?

Would anyone recommend purchasing another HDR Fox T2 if they were in my position even if it is no longer being made?

What would you do in my place?

I await your replies with interest

Edit to my original post the above product seems to be very rare now indeed. I do not know why as it is a gem. It should be like the VW Golf and remain the same forever or Porsche 911. Luckily I did read the newbies guide so steered clear of the rocking horse analogy.

Please help

Best

M

PS

Reason I think my box has died. If you think otherwise please let me know:
I have a HDR Fox T2 Freeview + box out of warranty. My box stopped recording and playing programmes. The folders are empty but display programmes and the films section were greyed out. They now have pictures again but will not play for longer than 5 mins before freezing. I tried reformatting the disk back to factory settings but it says processing and then turns itself off. I have tried manual update with format HDD ticked but it repeats the same process and turns itself off after 3 hours and when I restart it is in exactly the same position. Please help.
 
There is a chance replacing the hard drive might save it. If you disconnect the existing drive and the box still works (as much as you would expect without a hard drive - ie as a tuner, like the HD-FOX), there is a reasonable chance that fitting a replacement drive will get it up and running again. (What you have tried so far would only help if the hard drive was working.)

If I were buying another, I would source a HDR-FOX from wherever - no hesitation. If I were not bothered about custom firmware etc, I would probably go for the HDR-2000T. See the relevant forum section for details.

PS - you've posted in the HD-FOX section. Don't be surprised when it gets moved.
 
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I agree with Black Hole that there is a good chance that the Humax just needs a new hard drive which is a straight forward job.
 
Thank you very much for your advice. I will seek the help of an expert but at least I know what to say now. I would not know how to take anything apart so useless in this department.

If you were bothered about custom firmware would that change your thought process?

I may need to purchase in advance and ask him/her to fit as basically I want whatever works as well as it did up until a few days ago. This is very important to me and I do not mind paying a little extra to get the best option.

Thank you for your help so far
 
PS I did not realise HD and HDR as I just thought they were the same. This is the first PVR I have purchased so I do not know about the differences with other models.
 
If you are completely non-technical, with no interest in using custom firmware on the HDR-FOX, then you probably wouldn't notice any difference if you bought yourself a HDR-2000T (or a HDR-1800T come to that). The custom firmware that has been developed for the HDR-FOX (and HD-FOX) is the primary reason for us to remain dedicated to the HDR-FOX.

It sounds like attempting repair may not be an option for you. By the time you have purchased a replacement drive, paying for a technician to swap them will eradicate any cost saving over buying a new Humax. Bear in mind also that this cost and effort may prove to be a wild goose chase.

There is a ready market for second hand HDR-FOXes, even broken ones, and this could offset the cost of buying a new Humax if you were prepared to try selling on eBay. You might even strike a deal with the users of this forum - but some trust would be required to complete the transaction outside the security systems enforced by eBay (other on-line auction sites are available).
 
If you are prepared to have a go yourself, I'm sure we can guide you through it. Do you not even own a cross-point screwdriver?
 
If you are completely non-technical, with no interest in using custom firmware on the HDR-FOX, then you probably wouldn't notice any difference if you bought yourself a HDR-2000T (or a HDR-1800T come to that). The custom firmware that has been developed for the HDR-FOX (and HD-FOX) is the primary reason for us to remain dedicated to the HDR-FOX.

It sounds like attempting repair may not be an option for you. By the time you have purchased a replacement drive, paying for a technician to swap them will eradicate any cost saving over buying a new Humax. Bear in mind also that this cost and effort may prove to be a wild goose chase.

There is a ready market for second hand HDR-FOXes, even broken ones, and this could offset the cost of buying a new Humax if you were prepared to try selling on eBay. You might even strike a deal with the users of this forum - but some trust would be required to complete the transaction outside the security systems enforced by eBay (other on-line auction sites are available).

Hello Black Hole

I am completely non technical so for example I have no idea what a cross head screwdriver is. With regards to my ex Fox T2 I use whatever updates come OTA. Yes I did think about a 2000T and that was top of my list but I kept thinking about what you said about second hand being a good alternative and I went down that route although it has less space. I did not realise that when I bought it but I have managed to get it going. Easier said than done for me believe me. A friend did it for me last time as I could not set it up. Yes the replacement drive was £50 and the second hand box was £65 so it was a no brainer in the end as long as it keeps going that is as I obviously do not know how the long the person before me had it but I suppose that is the risk one takes but the Humax Fox T2 does everything I need from recording TV and I can also record the rock show on the radio and not all boxes allow one to record the radio as I looked into getting Sky at one point just because when boxes go bang they come out with a new one and fit it for you but in the end I could not stomach a monthly fee and one can not record the radio on a Sky box which is a deal breaker for me.

I would not wish to breach any security systems and I know the provenance of mine, and it is mint condition, so I may try and get it fixed at some point so I have a spare in case this new old one fails at any point.

Thank you for all your help and I will definitely keep an eye out here

Best

M
 
PS I forgot to add another reason I decided against a 2000T is because I spoke to someone at Humax, and you have to remember what I said earlier about being a technophobe, but I was told it does not set up in exactly the same way as the Humax Fox T2 and I may need a splitter so having no idea what this meant other than I thought I could set up a Fox T2 but anything different to that I thought I may struggle with so went with what I know as it works. They did say something about the aerial but I did not understand. At the current time it goes through the box and works perfectly. They did say something about standby but I said the Fox T2 switches off after 3 hours but if I set something to record when the box is in standby it records so that is all that matters to me.

What I did not understand was if it is basically a Fox T2 without the display, as I have been told, why would it not set up in exactly the same way or have I misunderstood?

Thank you

Best

M
 
The difference with the early 2000T (although I thought it was later fixed), was that it would only pass TV signals through the box (from aerial in to aerial out) when the unit was on and working, e.g. when the unit was in standby the aerial out did not work, so if you wanted to use the aerial to feed something else,say the TV set, then you had to bypass the 2000T with a splitter
 
Yes the replacement drive was £50 and the second hand box was £65 so it was a no brainer in the end as long as it keeps going that is as I obviously do not know how the long the person before me had it but I suppose that is the risk one takes but the Humax Fox T2 does everything I need from recording TV and I can also record the rock show on the radio and not all boxes allow one to record the radio as I looked into getting Sky at one point just because when boxes go bang they come out with a new one and fit it for you but in the end I could not stomach a monthly fee and one can not record the radio on a Sky box which is a deal breaker for me.
You either have big lungs or you don't read what you write. That's nearly War and Peace.
 
I am completely non technical so for example I have no idea what a cross head screwdriver is.
I find it hard to believe anyone could be that unobservant. You know what a screw is? You know what a screwdriver is? Have you never noticed that some screws have cross shapes in their heads??

I would not wish to breach any security systems
I only meant the methods eBay use to ensure people don't cheat on payment etc make transactions through eBay reasonably secure. If you were to broker a deal with a member of this forum (for example), you would probably want to build some trust in that person before entering into a transaction. The frequent flyers here would most likely be trustworthy, as they value their on-line reputation.
 
BH said:
I find it hard to believe anyone could be that unobservant. You know what a screw is? You know what a screwdriver is? Have you never noticed that some screws have cross shapes in their heads??
That is rather disingenuous of you BH. If someone admits to not knowing what a cross head screwdriver is, then they probably don't. As for a splitter, that's getting quite a bit technical for this guy.
A splitter is a small, inexpensive device with three or more sockets. You plug the aerial cable into one of them and a cable from the other two to two different devices that need an aerial signal. With some boxes you do not need one as they have two aerial sockets on them, one an input from the aerial and the other is an output that you can take to, say, your TV, thus eliminating the need for a splitter. Typical splitter looks something like this (click)
I think the OP's 'security systems' are the sticky tabs that may or may not invalidate your guarantee.
 
But to use F connectors you need the technical skills to :
1. select the right size connector
2. Have some handy
3, have some spare co-ax
etc. etc.
Personally, I wouldn't dream of using one or recommending that type. I would always use shielded F connector type, but had I linked to one, there would be the risk of the OP saying the plugs were different. The link was to show the OP what one looked like.,
 
That is rather disingenuous of you BH. If someone admits to not knowing what a cross head screwdriver is, then they probably don't. As for a splitter, that's getting quite a bit technical for this guy.

Google?
 
Yep. That's right if you want to find out what it is, but if you don't really care, then why bother. The OP was using it as a example of his lack of technical knowledge.:rolleyes:
 
Disingenuous? That doesn't fit my understanding of the word. I am just pointing out that straightforward observation of the modern world and a bit of lateral thinking should resolve things like this. How do we get to understand new words? Not usually by having them explained - we hear/read them in context, and use the context to extend our understanding. I am suggesting the OP is overstating his/her lack of technical ability. One might not be competent at wielding a screwdriver, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people beyond kindergarten would be able to work out what a cross-point screwdriver is. It does what it says on the tin (drives cross-point screws).

The "cheap crap" aerial splitters are available from the superstore supermarkets, along with linking cables, all ready to buy off the shelf and install by the least competent of AV users. They may be all that's necessary, and being "crap" is not relevant. The problem will be if there is a weak signal or poor infrastructure upstream, and then they may fail to provide a solution - in which case the technically unsophisticated consumer will have to call for help, but it may not come to that.

(As an aside, I have a "neighbour" - some distance away - so dismissive of her husband's abilities that she calls me in whenever they have problems with remote controls, phones, TV signals, retuning... I only co-operate because I feel sorry for her husband. Those of you with whom I have personal contact will be aware that I suffered a bereavement recently, and in return for my kindnesses in the past, this neighbour has rejected my wishes over the funeral arrangements. That's up to her, but she's cooked her goose over any tech support in the future!)
 
Thank you Ezra Pound.

Sorry for War and Peace prpr. Sometimes if I trying to get my point across in an area where I am uncomfortable I have a tendency to waffle.

Black Hole If I am completely honest I have never undertaken any DIY. I do not purchase flat pack unless there is an option to have it made up. Other than that I have not needed to have DIY skills. I know this sounds terrible but it has worked for me so far.

I understand but as I loathe change I am going to stick with both Fox T2's and also I am attached to the display on the front

Thank you Trev but you are right a bit advanced for me

Black Hole - No I really am not. I could not get my original Fox T2 to work so a friend came up from London to tell me I had the leads in the wrong sockets. I really am not underestimating my technical skills. It may sound crazy to you chaps but I have always preferred to have other people do this. The type of person that knows what they are doing because if I, as an inexperienced person, were to take something apart I have always followed the philosophy I could do more harm than good.

It reminds me a long time ago when my car broke down. A chap said if you bump start it you don't have to wait for the experts, in this case AA, but it completely died and the chap from the AA said I was lucky I did not cause more damage as took him a while to get it going. He said rather than trying anything you were not sure about you should have just waited for the expert. This seems like good advice especially as he said some people who tried what I did landed themselves with a much larger bill. He did explain but it went over my head.

Thank you for all your comments and more importantly your help. I really would not ask if I knew the answer. If I ask what you think is a stupid question it is because I am naïve but I say to my staff there are no such things as stupid questions.

Best

M
 
There is nothing wrong with 'leaving it to the experts' but, you will be in danger of being ripped off if you don't have a basic understanding of the bits of tech. that you use, I'm not saying the AA man was guilty of this, as he probably have nothing to gain from misleading you, but you can see that if your car has a flat battery and you tell the mechanic that you think the car has a faulty alternator, that he is less likely to try and sell you a new (and much more expensive) engine for your car, than he is if you tell him you don't know one end of a car from the other
 
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