Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[ronnyd]

When I leave the sky box recording late at night, I put both the sky box and tv on standby. The reason is that both of them, and other stuff, are plugged into one extension block so one flick of a switch at bedtime turns everything off.
You can turn both the tv and box back on in the morning from the sky remote, but try telling wifey how to do it. The most simple of operations but, no, far too technical.

I feel you're pain Steve. 

the trouble with More4 etc is that you still have to endure adverts before & during the programme. At least they can be skipped through when recorded.

Very true. 

[johnnydog]

Been using 2 x Humax 1100s in different rooms OK for some years, though what idiotic design with the indicator light underneath necessitating sticking a piece of silver paper under the light so it is visible.

I also have two Humax boxes in different downstairs rooms - their Freesat HDR 1100S models, and they are brilliant. Dumped Sky several years ago, and never regretted it, and infinately cheaper overall. One of the best recorders made by Humax, but sadly no longer made after Humax stopped their affliation with Freesat.
Can't rate them highly enough.

[Andy H]

I got mythtv working with a dual Hauppage tuner card (on Linux) about 15 years ago. It needs to have the firmware installed each time it is restarted. Can't remember what I had to do to make that happen - I think 'hotplug' was involved

I haven't tried Kodi

Yeah, I want something that is faff free. It has to be Mrs TB friendly.

the biggest faff was extracting the firmware (.fw?) file from the Windows installation. Once I had that I had to create a new script file that loads the firmware when the tuner is initialised . Once set up it just works with no  further intervention.

[Kevin Wood]

It took me long enough to faff about getting mythtv to work that, by the time I'd got something half working, I'd realised there's nothing on TV worth recording anyway. I never managed to throw enough computing power at it for it to not run like a total dog. 

[Andy H]

Mythtv indexes everything. I miss being able to run a quick search of everything I have recorded and everything scheduled for the next 2 weeks.

[TheBoy]

It took me long enough to faff about getting mythtv to work that, by the time I'd got something half working, I'd realised there's nothing on TV worth recording anyway. I never managed to throw enough computing power at it for it to not run like a total dog. 

And to start adding the level of power needed for a single piece of hardware to do backend and frontend functions means fans (or very elaborate quieter cooling systems).

Its the same problem with all those ones that were originally forked from XBMC.

Although, for me, that main reason for only spending a couple of hours with MythTV was nobody made any Linux drivers for my tuners...   ...and when I pissed around enough to get an old SD only Hauppauge one to work, I realised the PC wasn't powerful enough.

[TheBoy]

Been using 2 x Humax 1100s in different rooms OK for some years, though what idiotic design with the indicator light underneath necessitating sticking a piece of silver paper under the light so it is visible.

I also have two Humax boxes in different downstairs rooms - their Freesat HDR 1100S models, and they are brilliant. Dumped Sky several years ago, and never regretted it, and infinately cheaper overall. One of the best recorders made by Humax, but sadly no longer made after Humax stopped their affliation with Freesat.
Can't rate them highly enough.

With the experiences of my last 2 Humax devices, I don't think I'd get another TBH. Shame, as the original was great, if a bit sluggish, and still working in it's new home.

I think I'd just buy the cheapest triple/quad Freeview recorder money could buy next time.  Its not like Humax offers anything unique, and quality seems to have gone down the toilet.

[TheBoy]

When I leave the sky box recording late at night, I put both the sky box and tv on standby. The reason is that both of them, and other stuff, are plugged into one extension block so one flick of a switch at bedtime turns everything off.
You can turn both the tv and box back on in the morning from the sky remote, but try telling wifey how to do it. The most simple of operations but, no, far too technical.

Are you sure you should be turning off the Sky box?  Don't know specifically about the new stuff Sky pedal, but generally these devices are designed to be left "on" (inc standby) 24/7, and often do "stuff" when idle overnight.

My setup, power wise, behind the telly, is one of those remote controlled power strips (with all the usual anti surge crap in), that leaves certain outlets on permanently, with the others going on and off with the strip's remote.  Can't remember what make, as I don't venture into that rat's nest of cables too often . Belkin? Startech? One of those sorts of companies, anyway.

[STEMO]

When I leave the sky box recording late at night, I put both the sky box and tv on standby. The reason is that both of them, and other stuff, are plugged into one extension block so one flick of a switch at bedtime turns everything off.
You can turn both the tv and box back on in the morning from the sky remote, but try telling wifey how to do it. The most simple of operations but, no, far too technical.

Are you sure you should be turning off the Sky box?  Don't know specifically about the new stuff Sky pedal, but generally these devices are designed to be left "on" (inc standby) 24/7, and often do "stuff" when idle overnight.

My setup, power wise, behind the telly, is one of those remote controlled power strips (with all the usual anti surge crap in), that leaves certain outlets on permanently, with the others going on and off with the strip's remote.  Can't remember what make, as I don't venture into that rat's nest of cables too often . Belkin? Startech? One of those sorts of companies, anyway.

You, yourself, have mentioned on here in the past about sky+ boxes drawing 25 watts even when on standby. I don't GAF what they do overnight, they can do it during the day. I even switch it off when I go out.

[TheBoy]

For current Humax owners, have they sorted out standby yet, or is it still the case if you use a proper standby, it takes anywhere between 4 and 12 mins to turn back on?

By standby, I mean <1W power, not the old scheme Humax used to use which effectively kept the device on all the time at 20-40W (which isn't really standby).

Effective standby is important to me now, as I try to reduce my leccy bill after ending up on a standard variable tariff.

[Andy B]

.....

By standby, I mean <1W power, not the old scheme Humax used to use which effectively kept the device on all the time at 20-40W (which isn't really standby).

.....

How would I measure it? My Humax turns on again quite quickly .... a few seconds.

[TheBoy]

.....

By standby, I mean <1W power, not the old scheme Humax used to use which effectively kept the device on all the time at 20-40W (which isn't really standby).

.....

How would I measure it? My Humax turns on again quite quickly .... a few seconds.

So its not actually going off in the case of Humax - it simply changes the LED colour, and drops the signal telling the TV its on from the HDMI port.  Power consumption still remains about the same as if you didn't turn it off.  Or certainly thats the case with most Humax boxes, including the latest Aura box.

[STEMO]

.....

By standby, I mean <1W power, not the old scheme Humax used to use which effectively kept the device on all the time at 20-40W (which isn't really standby).

.....

How would I measure it? My Humax turns on again quite quickly .... a few seconds.

So its not actually going off in the case of Humax - it simply changes the LED colour, and drops the signal telling the TV its on from the HDMI port.  Power consumption still remains about the same as if you didn't turn it off.  Or certainly thats the case with most Humax boxes, including the latest Aura box.

Exactly the case with my sky box.

[dave the builder]

Exactly the case with my sky box.

you can choose the power saving options on SKY HD boxes 

and NOW TV boxes

and YOUVIEW boxes

your BETAMAX video recorder / player maybe not Uncle Stemo 

[STEMO]

Exactly the case with my sky box.

you can choose the power saving options on SKY HD boxes 

and NOW TV boxes

and YOUVIEW boxes

your BETAMAX video recorder / player maybe not Uncle Stemo 

No need. Switch off at the mains turns it off, no power being used. I think power saving settings merely power down after a certain period of time, thus putting it into standby, when it's still using around 25 Watts.