Freeview HD PVR - Philips / Pace HDT 8520

[professorhat]

antmanc:The moment the Humax becomes available at John Lewis (anyone a clue on when this will be?) I'm afraid this Philips box is a goner.

Have heard that others have now picked up the Humax from JL so worth giving your local branch a call and see if they have it in stock now - you can find their number on the JL website.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Ah, the joys of firmware

Just a reminder that there's a review of the Humax Freeview HD PVR - the long-awaited Humax HDR-Fox T2 - in our new, October issue. With subscribers from today; in shops by Tuesday.

 

[bluebrazil]

thanks clare for including this product in the magazine, i have one question tho, does the unit connect to the internet wirelessy or does it need to be cabled to a router?

 

[Clare Newsome]

It's a wired rather than wireless solution at the moment.

 

[bluebrazil]

thanks clare, thats kinda a deal breaker for me tho. guess i will have to wait for the other manufacturers to make something that utilises wireless

 

[daveh75]

bluebrazil:thanks clare, thats kinda a deal breaker for me tho. guess i will have to wait for the other manufacturers to make something that utilises wirelessWhy limit yourself to a product with wireless built in ? Use homeplugs, they're better than wireless solutions IMO.

 

[bluebrazil]

i havent got any spare sockets near my kit daveh, i find the i player on the ps3 works faultlessly via its wireless connection so i will wait till theres another well reviewed hd pvr or maybe buy a new telly

 

[professorhat]

Update is now available on the Philips website here!

In typical Philips fashion for this product, the post below still says that the update is due out early September! However, if anyone has the machine still, let us know how it looks now - I'd be interested to know, though I can't see myself going back to it even if everything is now perfect!

 

[Anonymous]

thanx prof for the heads up.

software downloaded quick and easy via USB etc but..........have NO idea what the update includes because Philips hasn't bothered giving us a list of changes-if i've missed the list, will somebody tell me where it is lol!!!

am extremely happy there's an update, just a pity i'm gonna have to waste time searching for changes! is this just an update to fix bugs or do we have some extra features?! gotta go to work now so will check it out after and post any findings etc.

thanx for all your support with this tread prof. just seems a bit ironic that the update's released as soon as you change boxes!! although, don't feel too bad as i've NO idea if this update's done anything!! will keep ya posted.

**just noticed it now displays the title of your recorded stuff on the front display instead of just saying 'play' etc.**

 

[professorhat]

According to other sources, this isn't the full update and possibly shouldn't have been released. Good news is, a few people have installed it and it hasn't bricked any machines at least, so if you have you should be okay.

From reports I've seen, very little has been fixed - you can now choose to watch a channel from the EPG by pressing OK (what an idea!) and you instead press the record button to record the programme. You can also now page up and down the EPG using the channel up and down buttons. Plus the display puts the name of the recording as you say. Slightly hazy whether Dolby Digital has been enabled on it, but one person is reporting extreme lip sync issues when he enables it so looks like even if it is, it's possibly not useable.

Not sure if the update will be up on the website long since Philips may take it down if it's the wrong one. Suggest grabbing it while you can if you want at least the benefit of choosing a channel from the EPG, though the risk is apparently you can't downgrade and it hasn't been fully tested yet. Maybe download it and wait for a few days to see if others get major problems before installing yourself (no good for you I know butch01...

)

 

[Anonymous]

**updates found** (by checking on other forums to save time etc)

-you can finally go to a channel thru the EPG by pressing 'OK'

-rewinding recorded stuff now works as it should!

-some people mentioning the dolby digital now works but i can't get it over HDMI-is it only over optical then like a sky box then?!

-looks like the update might have been released early by accident and might not include all the features etc!! are we just unofficial beta testers?!

 

[Andy Clough]

From what Philips has told us, it plans to issue a firmware fix in September to enable the HDT8520 to output Dolby Digital 5.1, but this hasn't been implemented yet AFAIK, unless anyone else can tell me otherwise.

When we tested the box last month, it definitely didn't output DD5.1 at that stage.

 

[professorhat]

butch01:-some people mentioning the dolby digital now works but i can't get it over HDMI-is it only over optical then like a sky box then?!

Quite possibly, my Digital Stream can only output Dolby Digital over the optical connection. I think the Humax is the only Freeview HD PVR box so far which can output it over HDMI.

 

[professorhat]

It seems v4.22 of the software available on the website is the update (at least according to some Philips support personnel, others still aren't sure if there is an update yet or not

).

So it looks like the improvements are just the ones mentioned above I'm afraid i.e. finally a working EPG, but most of the bugs remain.

 

[Anonymous]

EVERYBODY, CALM DOWN!!

been at 'work' all day but have been checking out the forums on my phone etc-quite heated lol.

whilst i think Philips/Pace have been extremely lame in the communication front and very slow with update progress, at the end of the day i've been using this box for months and have been more than happy overall. one of my biggest problems was the EPG, but today that's been sorted etc. am i the only person who's happy about getting an update?! lol. don't get me wrong, i'm still hoping for further updates but in general mine works just fine. (problems such as Prof's are a different matter-i'd be ****** too!)

now everybody's complaing about DD still not working!! sorry if i'm mistaken, haven't most boxes had a similar problem?! even this very site has just reviewed this box and given it 4 stars and mentions it didn't encounter the any of the bugs listed by some furious forum (other) members!! forgive me if i'm wrong but isn't dolby digital is only used by BBCHD which only broadcasts in the evenings so i can cope with this problem til it's sorted.

i had two choices: 1, get a quality (in hardware terms) box asap and enjoy the world cup in HD or 2, wait indefinately for the humax (i know it's sweet but why wouldn't it be when it's 6 months late?)! i stand by my choice, niggles aside i've been watching HD for months and been happy.

the rubbish xbox with a 1 in 3 fail rate doesn't even get this much hate lol

maybe i'm getting old, but i for one am glad we live in a time where you can even get updates, if you didn't like a feature on your laserdisc player, you'd be

 

[professorhat]

butch01:forgive me if i'm wrong but isn't dolby digital is only used by BBCHD which only broadcasts in the evenings so i can cope with this problem til it's sorted.

There's a few C4 shows and movies with 5.1 now as well - not sure about ITV HD as there's rarely anything on which attracts my attention!

From what I've seen on other forums, most people are just venting frustration at Philips and their inability to communicate with their customers. Most companies will issue a list with a firmware update of things that have been addressed, but with this one, it's been guesswork on the part of their customers. People are still not fully sure if DD 5.1 has been included, but it looks like it hasn't from what I've seen others write. On other fixes, it just seems to be so inconsistent - some people say something has been fixed, others say it's still a problem, whilst lucky ones say they never had that problem in the first place. It all seems to be a bit of a lottery and, without any information coming from Philips, people are understandably getting aggravated.

I get your point on having been able to watch the World Cup in HD and not getting too many issues and I felt the same for a while until I started seeing more and more of the bugs others were reporting creeping in as the weeks went on, and then finally getting the "Signal Lost" error every time it was switched on and so I swapped it out. And it's only now I've used the Digital Stream for a few days that I really appreciate how bad an experience owning the Philips was!

I admire your patience if you decide to stick with the Philips, but if you have the ability, I would seriously recommend swapping it for the likes of the Digital Stream or Humax boxes - even if you're not seeing the lip sync issues, or the duplicated recording issue, or the issue of standard definition programmes being recorded instead of HD versions, or any of the other myriad of issues that I saw at one point or other, the other PVRs mentioned just offer a much more user friendly experience from my point of view, and that's ultimately what these consumer devices are meant to do.

Best of luck!

 

[professorhat]

List of bug fixes now available here - no mention of Dolby Digital, so perhaps another update is due in September? Who knows - would probably be easier to get blood out of stone than find out from Philips / Pace

 

[Anonymous]

as always, thanx for the info prof-if you only worked for Philips/Pace...........

yeah, i agree with you in many respects. after swapping from PLAYtv's slick menus for example, i didn't like the menu system used by the 8520, but to be honest i'm used to using this box now and upon refection, PLAYtv also had many faults and bugs b4 delayed updates were given. to this day it still can't even do 'series link' (although i hear a belated update including this is on the way along with PLAYtv 2)

with this update (minor!) for the 8520 and with the future ones planned, i really don't feel the need trade this box in. picture and sound quality (providing the DD update comes) are the priority to me and on that level i feel the Philips is excellent. I'm getting a projector soon and i'm already storing some HD movies for future viewing!

 

[Andy Clough]

professorhat:
List of bug fixes now available here - no mention of Dolby Digital, so perhaps another update is due in September? Who knows - would probably be easier to get blood out of stone than find out from Philips / Pace

Thanks, as ever, for the update professorhat. I've posted a News story and emailed Philips/Pace to get clarification on the Dolby Digital 5.1 issue.

Part of the problem here is that the box is actually manufactured by Pace, not Philips - they licence the brand name. So it's really the Pace tech guys who will (hopefully!) have the answer. I'll let you know as soon as I get a response.

 

[Andy Clough]

I now gather there'll be another upgrade in September specifically to fix the DD5.1 problem - that's not addressed in the V4.22 software upgrade discussed here.

 

[martynsh1984]

just done the update, even the simple press ok to view from the epg is enough to keep me happy. simple things and all that!

does anyone know how (or indeed if it is possible) to use the hard drive to store music in like a jukebox mode? or is it possible to play direct from USB?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

If you've not been able to update via USB then it seems an over the air download is planned. More info here on the Philips website.

According to the DTG schedule this is between 13 to 15 September.

 

[Anonymous]

Finally did the firmware update last night after hanging on to see the impact from other users.

First impressions are that although the changes are relatively small, they are a welcome improvement. Improved EPG functionality is much better, although the new update has introduced the ability to select a programme from the EPG, it now means that if you (inadvertently) press the Ok button on a highlighted programme scheduled in the future, the box leaps out of the EPG and onto the channel specified. D'oh! The method for deleting programmes was fine IMO, but now we have regressed and now have an extra button to press. The corrupt recorded programme details appears to be corrected and also scheduled recordings are now ordered chronologically. Not had a re-occurrence of the dreaded HD lip syncing issue but that may be just luck. I had read that people who were not using either digital out's for sound (ie only HDMI) were not experiencing any HD lip syncing issues, so I may give that a try. It looks like my box has been taken off 'death row'...for now!!

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like the public prosecutor has appealed and death row beckons again!

After using the box for over 2 weeks with the new firmware upgrade the following 'old habits' have re-surfaced:

£ Lip sync issues on HD (both recordings and live Tv).

£ Scheduled series recordings set for a programme on a HD channel randomly decides to switch to the SD option and record that! Go into the scheduled recording settings and it's changed!

£ EPG recording the +1 or SD programme even though the setting is for the HD version. However, this error is not consistent with all Series recordings.

£ EPG still exhibits recording display errors; i.e. 'red' highlighted SD programme as well as the required HD version or no 'red' highlighted programme for one which has been set. Basically, the EPG recording display cannot be relied on to display an accurate representation of the actual recording settings or what the PVR will record!

After rewiring the box to use the HDMI cable for audio instead of the digital audio out, I had high hopes of curing the lip-sync problems (after hearing promising reports on another forum); but how wrong I was. D'oh! Apart from the unreliable and inconsistent recording performance (SD and +1 programmes instead of the required HD); the biggest issue for me is the infuriating "Accurate recording" feature. If you interpret "Accurate recording" as missing the beginning of a programme or the end, then this is the box for you! Without a 'padding' feature, you cannot even adjust the recording start/finish times. In this digital terrestrial TV age, I thought programmes broadcast a start/finish signal which triggered PVR's and ensured programmes were captured in their entirety regardless of unscheduled delays?

My saints' patience is being well and truly tested. If only I could say the same for the Philips/Pace software!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Well, another update from one of the (no doubt) few Philips HDT8520 owners. After my last post (which I also sent to Philips) I received a more detailed and personal response (copied below). The much maligned Philips/Pace customer care service (previously a potential Trades Description Act lawsuit) appear to have got their act together and decided to listen to their weary HDT8520 customer(s) and show that they are proactively seeking to improve the issues with their product. Of course, talk is cheap and the proof (or is that prof!) of the pudding etc will only be satisfactory in terms of actual deeds. Anyway, with the benefit of the doubt tucked firmly under my arm, I shall continue to participate in the ultimate test of human endurance and sanity, i.e. continued ownership of a Philips HDT8520! Is that a light I see at the end of the tunnel....................?

"Thank you for your e-mail. Please accept my apologies for the difficulties you have been experiencing with your Digital set top box. Please can you advise if you are listening to the HD box through your T.V or an AV receiver as Dolby Digital Surround sound has not yet been included and using an AV system is not advised as it may incur issues? We would recommend using the sound through your television until this feature is added in a future update.

I can confirm we are currently aware of an issue between HD and SD recordings, Pace is currently investigating this issue and this will be corrected in a software update however the other schedule display issues you have described have been corrected in V4.22. If they are still occurring then I would recommend performing a factory reset on the unit to ensure changes made have taken effect by pressing Menu on your remote control and selecting Setting, Set up, Factory reset and reset settings.

Please can you advise of instances when the HD & SD issue has occurred providing the following information for each programme so we are able to pass your feedback for investigation?

1. Schedule Information - date

2. Schedule Information - Start and end time

3. Schedule Information - Channel

4. Library Recording Information - date

5. Library Recording Information - Start and end time

6. Library Recording Information - Channel

This product does not have a feature called "Accurate recording" and currently relies on the scheduled broadcast times however manual recording is currently being looked into and may be introduced in the future. I hope these steps help you to resolve the problem, but please do not hesitate to contact me again if you need some more assistance. Please remember to quote your reference number if you need to contact us.

Kind Regards, Product Support Advisor Pace Customer Care"