Humax Freesat+ boxes hit by London 2012 Olympics glitch

[dutchman]

Humax and Freesat have acknowledged that a technical problem has meant that owners of certain satellite digital TV boxes cannot record any of the BBC's special Olympic channels.



The corporation is running 24 live video streams throughout the duration of the Games as part of plans to cover every sport from every venue at London 2012.

Humax only sells one Freesat+ set top box in the UK with a personal video recorder functionality - the Foxsat-HDR - but it is understood to be one of the biggest sellers on the market.

In a statement on its Facebook page, Freesat - which has heavily promoted its "summer of subscription-free sport" - admitted that owners of Humax Freesat+ boxes currently cannot record the BBC's live streams.

The company said that users can still record Olympic action on the BBC One and BBC Three channels, and claimed that no Freesat+ boxes made by other manufacturers are affected by the problems.

Speaking to the BBC, Humax's UK service manager Michael Caughey said that Humax was made aware of the fault on Tuesday (July 24), but has been unable to find a fix.

n a post on Freesat's Facebook page, Humax UK said that a software update for affected Freesat+ boxes is on the way.

"For all those with a Humax box. It's looking positive that we can fix this bug for you," said the firm.

"We've already developed a software update and early tests indicate this is working correctly. Testing continues this afternoon and we will post on our Facebook page when we have confirmed dates/ timings for release."

For a selection of cut-price Humax and Foxsat boxes see this page: http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/prodCat.asp?cat=factory

[dutchman]

Humax still working on Freesat box Olympics glitch

Humax has said that it is still working on a fix for a technical problem that meant owners of Foxsat-HDR satellite digital TV boxes were unable to record any of the BBC's Olympic channels.

The technology firm apologised last week after a glitch on the Freesat+ devices meant they failed to record the 24 live HD streams being offered by the BBC throughout the duration of the Games.

The company said that it was working on a fix to resolve the issue, but that failed to materialise over the weekend and Humax has now confirmed that it is still in testing.

"We know this is very important for those of you with a FOXSAT box and we've asked for an update on the testing this morning so we can let you all know how this is progressing," said Humax on its Facebook page.

It appears that the software fix has been finished, but both Freesat and Humax are putting it through rigorous testing before moving to roll-out, to ensure the update actually fixes the issues.

Humax only sells one Freesat+ set top box in the UK with a personal video recorder functionality, but the Foxsat-HDR is understood to be one of the biggest sellers on the market.

Freesat - which has heavily promoted its "summer of subscription-free sport" - advised affected users last week that they can still record Olympic action on the BBC One and BBC Three channels, but the live streams will not record.

[dutchman]

Humax fixes Freesat box Olympics glitch

Freesat has confirmed that Humax has fixed its recent Olympics glitch.

Humax apologised to customers last week after a technical fault on the Freesat+ devices saw users unable to record the 24 live HD streams on offer from the BBC during the Olympic Games.

Freesat explained in a statement that all boxes will automatically download a patch tonight in order to fix the issue.

"Freesat are delighted to say that Humax have found a fix for the recording bug. A software update has been sent to boxes via an OAD (over-air-download)," the statement read.

"All Humax freesat+ boxes left in standby will automatically update overnight (around 3am), so don't power off tonight. Once the update has finished, you should be able to record the 24 BBC Olympic channels (151 - 174) from the EPG as usual.

"If our viewers want to update the box earlier, they can manually upgrade using the box Menu, Setup, Software Update and selecting Automatic Update."

They concluded: "Freesat are really grateful to Humax who have really pulled out all the stops to find and issue the fix as quickly as possible."

Users criticised Humax and Freesat for not preparing for the potential problem, especially as the BBC announced the launch of 24 live HD streams on multiple digital TV platforms a while ago.

Freesat has heavily promoted its "summer of subscription-free sport" in recent months.