Have just treated myself to a new 4K Tv. At present I like to record missed programmes using Sky Plus, but my contract runs out very soon and I am not renewing it. Don’t need a Freeview box as new Tv has this option.
Is a USB stick the way to record missed programmes for me.
It depends on the TV.
If it can record, it will probably only record 1 programme at a time and you wouldn’t be able to watch anything else at the same time.
I use a Freeview box as it is much more versatile.
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We gave up Sky a couple of years ago and had a similar discussion. In the end, though we could with the TV, we haven’t bothered to add a USB drive to it as nearly everything can be streamed now if your internet connection will allow.
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Humax Freesat box woul probably be your best bet.
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We’ve successfully recorded on to a USB stick from Freeview, works well
I’m not sure everything is recordable, HO has recorded craft type programmes and the odd film. It’s been stuff that she can’t get on Virgin Media, most are recorded normally on the VM box otherwise or from catch up.
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We have three Humax boxes. Record 4 channels and watch fifth on each box, not that I’ve ever reworded 12 things at once mind. We have one in each living room and one in our bedroom. They are all DLNA so you can watch them all from any location. They have series link, all sorts. Love them. Tried other brands but humax is the best. DLNA sharing HD programs is a faff as first but I managed to get it working. You can route them too and watch your recordings remotely.
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Thanks
Couldn’t get a USB stick to record Freeview on our LG smart TV, but what did work was a Seagate 1 TB portable hard drive plugged in to the USB socket on the TV. However, it’s ok for recording something if you’re out, but unable to record one program and watch another channel at the same time.
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The best solution, but even that might fill up rather too quickly if you set it t record stuff while you are out!
On my old Samsung “Smart” TV I tried lots of USB sticks that should have been fast enough at 15-20MB/s Write speed, and seemed OK when measured with H2TestW on a PC, but the TV itself had a speed check as part of the drive format (directory shuffled to exFAT with a specific sector size) and rejected them.
Eventually I found some sticks that worked, all with a sustained write speed better than 30MB/s, nearer the top end of USB2. This suggests the TV had a very small data cache and relied on the stick to handle the slightly lumpy variable data rate of compressed DTV broadcasts.
However almost all hard drives have ample caching, and if the sustained internal disc write speed is above only 6MB/s then it will be OK for most ordinary 1080p HD, but it would need better than 20MB/s for 4K. Here the main limit is the power needed from the USB socket, and the Samsung has one USB socket with 1.5A available for it. But with only one tuner we don’t use it much to record.
Our old (2012) Humax Fox T2 (a bit smarter and two tuners) could write to any stick the old (2012) Samsung rejected. The external 1TB drive I ended up using on it for archive and transport lives in a caddy with a separate power supply, because a simpler USB powered caddy needed more current than the Humax would supply.
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Thanks Richard and everyone for the technical advice. Think I have been persuaded to go with the Humax Freeview Recorder option, so that I can record more than one programme at a time.
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If you select start and end padding you need to be able to record at least two at a time too. because my mrs records the soaps, one at 7 to 7:30, one 7:30 to 8, they over lap a bit with the padding. You don’t have to turn on start or end padding but it’s annoying to miss the last 20 seconds of a program.
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Yes. This is essential. Twin tuners allow this.
Also, if there are last-minute changes not all broadcasters bother to update the shifted program’s start/stop times on the embedded live-timing schedule seen and followed by the better recorders.
So the padding can help, and it does not add too much overhead on disc space compared with the annoyance of missing a vital bit.
Ch5 etc (ViacomCBS group) programs are significant offenders here, most of the others are usually (but not always) more diligent.
With some Freeview receivers the twin-tuners are clever enough to allow watching a third channel if it shares the same rf multiplex as one being recorded while the other tuner is also recording.
The odds are quite good here with typically about 100 TV channels sharing only 7 or 8 UK DTTV multiplexes.
I also vote for a family of networked Humaxen in a busy household with several viewers and multiple smart TVs. It is a good idea to have one Humax on a dish for Freesat as well as the usual one (or more) for Freeview Play. We have a four-LNB dish with two outputs going to the reliable old Freesat Free-Time Humax, the other two each to a smart TV as an optional signal source to the DTTV aerial. All TVs and DVRs should be linked by good gigabit Ethernet switches, not wifi, to the usual gigabit router hub to prevent stuttering and interference when sharing or on catchup.
By far the worst twin-tuner DVR I’ve had was a few years ago from Panasonic, and a neighbour’s much more recent and slightly better Panasonic DVR unfortunately has the same flawed philosophy. Don’t be tempted!
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thanks
If you are thinking about the Humax box, then don’t get the DVP5000T, it is awful.
After having several very good Humax boxes I got the FVP4000T, which was supposed to be good. Not only have several useful features been removed but the thing was so slow I sometimes wanted to throw it trough the window. When the FVP5000T came out I upgraded, thinking they would have resolved the issues with a new model, unfortunately this box is just as bad as the previous model.
Finally I changed to a Manhatton T3R, which is not only a bit cheaper but also a much faster and more intuitive box to use.
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Personal opinion here but I can’t agree with KJ-MX5. Just replaced our old Humax YouView box with an FVP-5000T and love it.
Triple tuners that can record up to four simultaneous programs while watching another. Been using it around a month and not missed the start or end of any recordings. No problems with slow operation of any features. The old YouView box slowing down was one reason for changing.
I did do a software update when setting it up. Purchased second hand via eBay and the previous owner hadn’t updated it.
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Thanks, have you used ethernet or usb connection from box to tv?
I had a couple of these Humax boxes and kept them up to date. I never had any issues with recordings and the triple tuners were a big plus point. I just found them a big dissapoint after the Humax boxes I had in the past.
They removed a couple of useful buttons that meant getting to certian features or information was slower and more confusing.
I would have kept the box if it hadn’t been so slow responding to the remote.
It really depends if you are going to need to record 4 programmes at a time, or if 2 is enough.
Both the Manhatton and Humax boxes have built in WiFi for internet access, and I have just connected them to the TV with a HDMI cable.
Humax FVP-5000T connected to main TV via HDMI cable. Connection to home cinema kit via SPDIF digital optical cable. Also composite video and audio connections to a modulator to feed the signal to other TVs around the house. That way we can be watching a recording in the lounge and wander through to the kitchen and it’s on the TV there simultaneously.
There’s something very satisfying in having Freesat and using your old Sky dish while not paying Sky a penny for it!
Been using a Humax Freesat box for 12+ years. Totally reliable and a useful alternative if your Freeview signal plays up.
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I agree the newer humax menus are not as intuitive as the older boxes. I still have a 10 year old humax box in our snug and that’s our favourite. It does only have twin tuners so you can record two channels and watch a third, where as the neeer boxes record four as you watch a fifth, but it’s so much nicer to use!!
I had a Panasonic about 5 years ago, entirely due to not liking the new humax menus, it was absolute trash. Decided to get used to the new humax menus. Only one good thing the Panasonic did was a one touch fast forward that would skip a commercial break perfectly on recordings, but tbf 2 presses of the FF button is 4 minutes and that’s generally within a couple of seconds anyway.
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