Humax HDR-1100S 1TB Freesat with Freetime HD TV Recorder - Black

I found this box better than expected, having got rid of a sky hd box the installation was straightforward, just plug in the co-axial cables from the old sky dish etc. I found the remote & menu takes a small bit of getting used to but I prefer it to the newer sky q remote and menu which I find fiddly (I use it in a relatives house all the time and still don't like it). Essentially it has all the same functions as sky - series link, records etc etc, also you can use you-tube, Netflix etc, the WiFi works no problem. I found that the channels are similar except that you obviously don't get the sky channels of which the only one I watched was sky atlantic, you still get sky news for free, so unless you really watch overpriced sky sports (which in my opinion is the only reason to have sky) then save yourself another bill every month. I found the picture quality actually better than sky, channel 4 is only available in sd but the picture quality is still good, the hd channels - BBC, ITV, Channel 5 etc are crystal clear. The 1tb hard drive offers a lot more recording space than our last box, I've only used up to 20% of it so far, so it's probably best suited for busy households, but if it's just a small household then the 500gb version would probably be more than enough. I find with tv in general and even you-tube lately that you're constantly bombarded with ads, the only way to watch some programs is to record them, the forwarding function on the remote is great, it will do a 2 minute forward with one click so for most programs click it twice and you're through the ads quickly. So far so good, there are a few niggles re. the menu as other people have pointed out e.g. a few functions could be programmed with one button click and they should filter the hd version of channels a bit better but overall once you get used to it there's no problem and there's no monthly bill, what's not to like about that.

First off, I recommend this Freesat HDR-1100s 1TB to anyone wishing to break free from the shackles of monthly subscription TV from Sky or anyone with a satellite dish who wants more channels than standard free to view channels through a terrestrial aerial. Having been a subscriber to both Virgin media and most recently Sky TV and getting fed up with the constant price hikes without substantially justified reasons, we decided to take a review of what channels we actually watched on a regular basis and where we could access those channels without a huge monthly cost. As we don't live near a decent terrestrial transmitter that broadcasts a plethora of free to view channels (our local outputs 10 channels !) and already having a satellite installed thanks to our Sky subscription, we decided to utilise what we had. Firstly, we bought an Octo LNB for the satellite dish to replace the Sky Q LNB as the Sky Q LNB will not work with Freesat so if your thinking of doing the same and have Sky Q, you will need to do the same. Thankfully it's a simple job to remove and replace the LNB. Secondly, we bought this Freesat HDR-1100s. It really is as simple as unplug the cables from the sky box and plug them into the Freesat box and off you go. Bear in mind that this has twin tuners to allow you to record multiple channels therefor two cables are required from the satellite LNB to the Freesat box. As we bought an Octo LNB (8 ports), we can have up to 4 recordable Freesat boxes, or upto 8 non recordable boxes. The Freesat system takes a little getting used to but it's pretty simple in its interface. We receive around 200 channels and a few HD channels. It's nowhere near as good as Sky Q but then again your not paying a monthly fee so it is what it is and that's the trade off. Picture quality is as good as can be expected for SD channels. We have a 65" screen in the living room and SD content is never going to be great on that size of screen but it's watchable. The few HD channels available are as good as Sky and Virgin Media also. Sound Quality is also very good. There is also a selection of Catch up and On Demand apps which work well with the system of being able to go back a week and watch what you've missed without having recorded the programme. All in all, it's a very good system. Between Freesat, Amazon Prime videos and Netflix, we are spoilt for choice and there is masses of HD and 4K UHD content available of Amazon and Netflix that we are quite happy now and saving around £1000 per year on TV subscription packages. What's not to like about that ?

FreeSat...... Seemingly a poor relation to freeview? Few equipment manufactures seem to support this format, and even the future of FreeSat seems in doubt from time to time. Channel 4 not available in HD. What ever next? However, I was forced in to purchasing a Humax box when my Panasonic product packed up. Having, dish and cabling for satellite, it was just too much faff to contemplate changing over to freeview. A Sky box was an option but price seemed to be against it. So Humax it was. I read many of the reviews and noted the negative comments. (Why do we look at those first)? It arrived, plugged it in and away we went, really easy to get going. The lack of an instruction manual was daunting, but in the end I didn't need it. Picture quality is excellent a real step up from my old box which was admittedly past it's best. The mains input to the Humax is via a smoothed and regulated power supply, the signal being delivered by 'Monster' cable with gold plated terminals. Sound is not an issue as I drive a 'Focal Dome' 5-1 system through a Pioneer amplifier. I am thrilled in all respects with the output from the Humax and am very pleased with my purchase. OK, in use: the box does run very hot, generally not an issue (I have a class A stereo amp) but I question the longevity of the electronics running at that temp.! I noted the comments about noise in operation, this is only an issue for me when the system is recording. As others have mentioned the sound is lost in the output from the speakers. I would have liked a more visual indication that the system is recording. Using the same (somewhat obscure) light to indicate standby, on, and recording is an economy too far. The system boots up quicker than my old Panasonic and links seamlessly with the external amplifier and TV. The onscreen menus are clear and easy to read, navigation is easy enough as one becomes increasingly familiar with the system. The remote control is another matter. All the buttons are there, but for me they are not in the most logical place or of appropriate size. The buttons I use most are for the TV guide and recordings menu and these are really small and tucked away at the top of the remote when the most natural position to hold it is with the hand at the bottom. But that could just be me. All in all I love the picture quality and stability and have all the functionality I require. My anxieties come from the future of FreeSat as a system. I can't see other manufacturers returning to the format or indeed Humax being motivated to expend time and money in product development until FreeSat stabilise their platform.

Promises so much, delivers most of it....badly As we pretty much only watched the free to view channels I cancelled Sky about a year ago and bought 2 of these boxes, a 500GB and a 1TB. It was probably the biggest mistake I have ever made with my viewing equipment. Firstly, don't be taken in by 'freetime' giving you access to every programme shown in the last 7 days. It only lets you view the programmes that are on the catch up TV apps like iPlayer, ITV Hub etc anyway. It's a quick way to get to those programmes you have missed but not the great feature that it promises at first glance. Now onto the box itself..... The good: Nice feature of if you select a channel to watch in SD, if the programme is being shown in HD then it asks if you want to change to HD. It records (mostly) Picture quality good. In the guide it tells you how long the current programme has left to run. The Bad: Seeing whether the box is on and/or recording is difficult as it is a small light UNDER the front of the box so unless it is reflecting on the shelf it sits on it and you are in the right position it is impossible to see. Starting up from standby is very slow. Yes, Sky is slow as well starting from OFF but pretty much instant from 'standby'. Remote is terrible, it is very clicky, can be unresponsive and some buttons on my remote have already packed up. Probably the most important one to switch to operating the Sat from TV has stopped working rendering the remote useless controlling the sat box (it is stuck on TV). Luckily I have a Logitech Harmony remote which works with the box (and much more responsive than the box's own remote anyway). Series link recordings disappear for no reason. As an example, Sunday Politics consistently records one episode then the series link disappears for the next week so if you do not remember to set the recording again you will miss the next programme - this is consistent with this show, happens every week. If you are watching a programme and decide you want a series link, you can't (easily), if the programme has already started you have to go into the guide and go forward a week and record/series link the next episode. Recordings randomly fail for no reason. The shading that appears on the bottom (like when it asks if you want to view the HD channel) sometimes sticks and you cannot get rid of it. A reboot of the box is the only solution. The box has random reboot issues. If you have a lot of episodes in a series recorded and you want to delete a few single episodes, this can take an age as it takes 5 (yes 5!) button presses to do it for each episode after you have navigated into the series in your recordings. Recordings for the same series have occasionally appeared in different groups. I have actually had episodes from one series appear in the collection for a completely different series. if you have 2 programmes set to record (say A & B) and you have the box on the channel that 'A' is being shown on. Occasionally you will get a clash message and it forces you to cancel one of the recordings even though you are on the same channel that one of the recordings is being shown on. There are more issues but these are just the ones that we regularly get. It appears there is little to no testing of their software before release and as such is full of bugs that will make your experience using the Humax box a frustrating and unfulfilling experience. Avoid.

The humax HDR-1100S satellite recorder is very good and the latest box. I chose the 1TB HDD in piano black. The product is built of good quality. The box was easy to set up and easily connected wirelessly to my home router. The viewing guide is easy on the eye in a green and black display. The RC is a nice shape with ff and rewind at the top. The main menu is on a button in the centre. Volume, Page up and down is easy. The RC is universal and can be set to most tv's saving the need to keep swapping remotes. The picture quality is excellent in both sd and hd. The picture quality can be set to 1080p or 1080i. There is a handy function called, Showcase which shows recommended programmes from previous days to watch or soon to be shown so you can easily set to record or watch an episode or a series. This has a function called free time where it is possible to scroll forward and set up recordings or back to view programmes. There are free and paid apps in, On demand which have bbc iplayer, itv hub, channel 4 and channel 5 which have varied programmes most people will be familiar with. There is netflix, you tube and curzon which were handy too. I was also impressed your smartphone can link to the box and an app can be downloaded so recordings can be set away from home or view the tv guide can be done. I chose the 1tb size had which is plenty of storage place. Negatives for me is the box has a blue light which comes on when powered on which turns to red when recording or the box is in standby mode. I had a recording set as I was turning on the box but as the display still showed red I assumed I could not get my box to turn on. I think it would have been good a three colour light was fitted to avoid this problem in future. There are plenty of satellite channels to view and record and will save me money in the long run as I no longer have a sky subscription. My only wish was Amazon prime was also an app on On demand. Then all my film and tv viewing options would be complete. Overall an impressive piece of kit it has far more viewing options I have not covered.

SKY wanted £10/mth just to allow recording on an existing non-subscription - free channels only SKY+HD box - blatant profiteering imo. Bought this Humax as an alternative to record Freesat progams and it performs superbly - should have bought one years ago. Before buying from amazon visited a national electronics high street retailer to obtain advice and to see what the item looked like. The display space allocated for Humax products was tiny and sales staff were very focussed on promoting SKY packages as an alternative - and doing so by casting Humax in a negative light. It appeared they didn't want to sell Humax products at all. Positives: 1) Very easy to set up and use following connection to a satellite dish. 2) Simpler menus and far more responsive than the SKY+HD box it replaced. 3) Excellent picture and audio quality on live and recorded programs. 4) Very simple 'one button' recording of single or series programming which so far has worked faultlessly. 5) Excellent remote control. 6) Able to record two programs while watching another. 7) Will wake up from standby to record - ie does not have to be left permanently 'On' when not viewing the TV. Negatives: 1) Bafflingly the Standby/On light is mounted underneath the front of the unit where it is difficult to see. 2) Runs hot when in use. Hope this doesn't impact on reliabilty. 3) Feels and looks cheap. Prefer the older Humax designs. Seems corners have been cut. Overall: Superb device - does what it says it will do without fuss - beats SKY with ease.

I already have 2 of the original versions of this product which have to be plugged into the network router. I did it via Homeplugs. This new design has the wi-fi that was lacking before. The set up to my existing network was really easy (once I found my network router password). It works flawlessly. The new Humax is considerably smaller now and that is a great plus. It has lost the scrolling screen that showed the channel or recording details, but again that is no problem. The picture quality is excellent and the remote is easy to get used to. It is a first class product and this new version costs considerably less that my original ones cost in the first place. That is quite refreshing in a time when new models usually command premium prices over the models they replace. Highly recommended and of course, free to use with a massive number of channels.

The HD picture quality and electronic program guide are excellent and with two tuners it should manage most recording requirements. The EPG works well going back to pick up last weeks programs to activate the BBC iplayer and ITV equivalents. The bad points are that unlike an old VHS tape machine you cannot feed a second TV via an aerial feed or take out the VHS tape and put it in another player. The modern equivalents of DLNA server and saving to USB stick have not been implemented. If the Humax box breaks you lose all your saved recordings - there is no back up with this model, unlike earlier Humax models of recorded files via the USB port. The USB port is used for input only and only supports a limited range of photos / video /music formats. The menus to drive the input USB feature are very poor and undocumented. It only works with some streaming video services, for example Amazon Prime video is not supported.