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My thoughts on the Humax F1-CI
The following information is just my own personal view of the Humax F1-CI box.
Your own experience my differ. (let me know if it does !)
The F1-CI comes with two common-interface slots which will allow you to add conditional access modules (CAMs)to receive the scrambled channels. I have both Irdeto and Seca CAMs and both work very well in the F1-CI. One thing I have noted is that the CAMs get VERY hot during operation, however this seems common with other manufacturer's models also, so seems to be a feature of the CAM, rather than a problem with the Humax.
I have a Cambridge 0.7dB LNB and a 1metre solid dish, mounted on a SatWalker 180 H-H mount. I use the analogue Echostar LT7800 to actually move the dish, rather than use the DiscEq function of the F1-CI, as this receiver/decoder has a built-in positioner.
The picture quality is great, clear, vivid colours, and excellent audio. As with all digital boxes the picture breaks up on low signal levels, but I manage to get great pictures from most channels.
This box has a built in modulator to feed your TV/Video via the aerial socket, rather than having to use a SCART lead, and allows you to connect it in-line with your existing aerial.
It also has a socket to allow you to connect an analogue receiver. This socket removes the need for any external switches or a dual output LNB. There are only a couple of problems with this arrangement. The first is that the signal to the analogue receiver is slightly lower than if it was directly connected to the LNB. The second is that the Humax has priority over control of the LNBs polorisation, therefore if both the Humax and the analogue are switched on, some channels will not be received on the analogue receiver (if the Humax is switched into standby mode the analogue receiver works perfectly). This is not really a problem, but is something to bear in mind when using a combined system.
Humax themselves seem to be keen to remove the bugs in the current software (which are now fairly minor in nature) and are also developing their own channel editing software. Updates for these are available on the company web-site (for FREE) and are very easy to download to the receiver (see other pages on this site for details). Humax appear to have a lot of commitment to this box (and to the other receivers in their range) and do respond (eventually) to comments and bug reports.
Basically the Humax F1-CI is a quality receiver, with good future proof capability. When I eventually change/upgrade from the F1-CI, I will almost certainly choose another model from Humax, as I have had a very good experience with this Humax box.
All in all I would recommend this receiver to anyone looking at buying a digital system. However I would ALWAYS recommend that you visit a couple of dealers, and view the systems they have on offer, BEFORE buying any digital system.
Regards,
Iain
