Hi,
I am looking into getting a Freesat recorder box in the uk however don’t know whether to go for humax or Manhattan.
Has anyone had both and could let me know which menu is easier to use for programming recording etc .
Freesat is a trade name which is used under licence by certain approved manufacturers. With Manhatten and Humax you're looking at two out of the three manufacturers who can use it. The Third is a company called Arris.
I mention that it's a trade name for a couple of reasons. First, because Freesat falls under the UK's official broadcast system umbrella its channel listing is structured in a way that's familiar with the way Freeview digital TV works; e.g. the first five channels are BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, Ch4, Ch 5. This doesn't seem like such a big deal until you look at satellite receivers from 3rd party companies. Their channel list isn't in the same order, and they'll also include lots of channels that can be received that require additional subscriptions. By default, a Freesat box only lists the free-to-air channels that are part of the UK's digital TV service.
Second, Freesat has three generations of boxes. Manhatten has a Gen 1 licence. The Manhatten SX box is sold as a receiver only, not as a recorder. What's more, it has no facility to record to USB. The company used to make a recorder; the HDR-S. But that was discontinued some time ago. A Gen 1 licence doesn't include the ability to use internet services for catch-up TV either. Your £59 buys you a basic Freesat HD tuner only.
Humax have a Gen 2 licence. Up to a couple of years ago this was the latest thing. Gen 2 boxes came as tuners and as recorders with built-in hard drives. They also included access to catch-up TV such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub etc.
TTBOMK, Humax no longer makes new Freesat HD boxes. Periodically there is some refurbished stock released, but the pickings have become rather thin recently. What changed was the arrival of the Gen 3 boxes, but they're not from Humax.
French manufacturer Arris won the contract to supply the next generation boxes. Gen 3 boxes include UHD streaming/download. They also support more than the standard twin tuners. Using a box with a dual output wideband LNB enables it to view and record 6 channels simultaneously. It can still be used with a legacy LNB as used by Sky HD before they went Sky Q. With that LNB the Arris box reverts to dual tuner mode.
In new stock then your choices are the Manhattan tuner-only box or one of the Arris boxes which are sold as
Freesat-UHD. Humax is no longer on the table other than the occasional refurb unit or a second-hand box.
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