Humax Freesat Support Site

[Barry]

The support site for Humax freesat is Here (http://www.humaxdigital.com/freesat/default.asp)

Lots of useful info, including a link to the manual for the Humax Foxsat HD receiver.

[son_t]

Cheers Barry,

So where can I get one? http://www.hummy.org.uk/invison/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[grahamlthompson]

Anybody know if the Humax HD outputs HD up to 1080i from the component output and if the digital audio socket is optical or wired ?. The specs I have seen don't actually say.

[son_t]

The optical output is a S/PDIF not a COAX... As for component, we need to ask HumaxSupport... certainly component should be able to carry 1080i, and if, on the Foxsat, the component is there as an alternative to HDMI, then it should carry 1080i... we need to check...

[grahamlthompson]

The optical output is a S/PDIF not a COAX... As for component, we need to ask HumaxSupport... certainly component should be able to carry 1080i, and if, on the Foxsat, the component is there as an alternative to HDMI, then it should carry 1080i... we need to check...[/b]
S/PDIF can be on 75ohm coax or a toslink optical connector and the only spec I have seen says only S/PDIF. I ask the question because when I purchase I have to locate the box close to the TV and remote from the surround sound amp, There are already suitable 75ohm coax connections but it's probably too far for toslink. Also my TV has only 1 HDMI socket but has a spare 720p/1080i component input and I really don't want the clutter of a hdmi switch. These two facts will have a significant effect on my choice of a HD Freesat box.

[son_t]

Here a picture of the back of the FOXSAT-HD: http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/images/free...xfoxsatrear.jpg (http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/images/freesathumaxfoxsatrear.jpg)

You can see it is an optical S/PDIF (and not a mini-TOSLink either). The FOXSAT is the only box with component out...

I don't understand about the coax/toslink being 'too far' - you can get up to a 10m TOSlink cable, from here: http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/cab...cable-075m.html (http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/cables/toslink-optical-cable-075m.html)

[grahamlthompson]

Here a picture of the back of the FOXSAT-HD: http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/images/free...xfoxsatrear.jpg (http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/images/freesathumaxfoxsatrear.jpg)

You can see it is an optical S/PDIF (and not a mini-TOSLink either). The FOXSAT is the only box with component out...

I don't understand about the coax/toslink being 'too far' - you can get up to a 10m TOSlink cable, from here: http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/cab...cable-075m.html (http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/cables/toslink-optical-cable-075m.html)[/b]
Hi thanks for your efforts. The practical limit for optical is about 6M and that's for a straight cable .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDIF

In my case it would have to go round some obstacles (fireplace hearth) and have some sharp bends. The spare coax connections are behind the skirting board and were installed before the fireplace. Not to worry I have found optical to coax converters on e bay. If any one else needs this solution search on "Optical to Digital Coaxial SPDIF". They cost about £11.00 delivered

[son_t]

Many thanks Graham for the optical 6m limit and the convertor... very useful, as my AVR has both connectors (in fact as two optical and one co-ax) but most of my equipment has optical... so utilise the co-ax that convertor is very useful...

[monder]

I hear that many Satellite installers don’t go into your loft because of insurance purposes and just chuck the coax over the exterior of the roof. I therefore want to run the cable myself to where the dish will be, in readiness to get one of these boxes. What don’t know is, if HD requires any special coax.

I installed a some satellite grade coax for my hummy and is works great and have half a drum left. Anyone know if it will be good to carry HD signals? I suspect it will be fine.

[grahamlthompson]

I hear that many Satellite installers don’t go into your loft because of insurance purposes and just chuck the coax over the exterior of the roof. I therefore want to run the cable myself to where the dish will be, in readiness to get one of these boxes. What don’t know is, if HD requires any special coax.

I installed a some satellite grade coax for my hummy and is works great and have half a drum left. Anyone know if it will be good to carry HD signals? I suspect it will be fine.[/b]
Should work without any problems. Lots of people have utilised ancient sky dishes to connect the new HD boxes to without any difficulties.

[nvingo]

I hear that many Satellite installers don’t go into your loft because of insurance purposes and just chuck the coax over the exterior of the roof. I therefore want to run the cable myself to where the dish will be, in readiness to get one of these boxes. What don’t know is, if HD requires any special coax.

I installed a some satellite grade coax for my hummy and is works great and have half a drum left. Anyone know if it will be good to carry HD signals? I suspect it will be fine.[/b]
The HD signals are only different data carried in the same satellite channels (transponders) as the SD data.
The satellites have a finite number of transponders which each basically "reflect"* a signal from the uplink station to the receiver dishes. None of this cares what data the zeros and ones represent. That only matters when the receiver has tuned the signal and extracts the AV stream.

You can now buy twin coax for feeding a satellite PVR from a twin/quad/octal LNB, but it's several times the cost per meter of two individual cables, worth considering one of these in readyness for a PVR later.

*The process may involve frequency and power level changes ie. receive and re-broadcast, but in any event the data that's packaged within the signal remains unchanged.