Breakfast recorded on a Freesat Box remains at 720 x 576. Possibly the reason SD looks better on a freesat box than the Aura

[attachment=86298,1773]

Just to add this into the mix, I’m having a nightmare trying to get the Aura to display at anything else besides 1080p/50Hz.

I want to output HDTV on my old Panny plasma at native 1080i/50Hz for UK broadcasts in the way my Freesat HDR-1000S does, as 1080p gives a less vivid and detailed picture (particularly on 576i SD material), but the Aura flatly refuses to entertain it.

I’m including snapshots for comparison & I’ve tried the following for the Aura:

Tried setting different resolutions from the selection on the Aura

1080p/60 Hz – 1080p 60Hz

1080p/50 Hz – 1080p 50Hz

1080i – 1080p/50Hz

720p – 720p/50Hz

Swapped included High Speed HDMI Cable for old HDMI v.1.3a

(Aura Setting 1080i)

Result: 1080p/50Hz

Tried different HDMI inputs on the TV

(Aura Setting 1080i)

Results: 1080p/50Hz

The only way to output 1080i/50Hz it seems is when the Aura is routed via HDMI through a powered (Yamaha) AV amp then back into the TV, which presumably just adds another layer to the mix.

Even then the Aura still shows 1080p when the AV amp is definitely outputting a ‘Processed’ 1080i.

When the Amp is switched off, the Aura then reverts to 1080p/50Hz.

I know there’s multiple settings within the Aura, but I’m unsure where else to look as I’ve been through all the “Auto” settings, sub-menus and factory reset the unit but to no avail, as the Aura seems to insist on choosing 1080p/50Hz with no override.

Looking at the version number, I’m currently on the most recent 29th January update and I’m hoping it’s something straight forward I’ve missed.

Humax Aura – 1080i Setting

[attachment=86306,1775]

Humax HDR-1000S – 1080i Setting

[attachment=86306,1776]

True enough & I realise the requirement will likely eventually go the way of the ark, but for it’s ills, the requirement to deinterlace is (mostly) the broadcast standard in the UK via aerial-based Freeview.

I guess I’ve been spoilt on the Panny Plasma as it does such a good job of deinterlacing & I’ve just let it do the heavy lifting.

It probably doesn’t help watching lots of old programmes either.

For all the Aura’s good points (and there’s many now a proportion of the bugs have been ironed out), it just seems a major omission for an item badged as a Freeview Play receiver not to include a functional 1080i 50Hz selection, in the same way 1080p 50Hz & 1080p 60Hz progressive has been.

The switching on the Aura is a nightmare when it’s choosing the best quality for the content shown & I’d rather the box didn’t decide what’s best for me, based on equipment I don’t own.

I admit, I’m a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to subscribing to 4k streaming services which will make the argument an irrelevance, but for legacy purposes including 1080i 50Hz as an option on the Aura would be good to see for people with big TV’s that aren’t 4k.

Hope Humax can fix these issues, with a future update, that I’m still getting on my Aura –

1.Random video pixellation which lasts for about 1 sec either live, catchup or while playing a recording.This does my head in. None of my other TV equipment ever does this – Sony 4K OLED, Panasonic PVR etc. I’m using double screened HDMI and Coaxial cables which are separated from each other, 4G filtered distribution box and a variable signal attenuator just on the Aura box and tried signal levels from 55% to 90% in 5% steps and it still does it very infrequently – signal quality always at 100%.

My Humax Aura box is also fully updated.

I must stress the pixellation can be between 1 and say 5 times each evening for just 1 second but a pain.I’m leaning maybe to a video resolution or refresh rate mismatch or the Aura has a bug that needs resolving.

2.EPG still does not display all series linked recordings although they do record correctly and are displayed in the recording schedule.

3.Recordings with a guidance flag ask for a pin code when I want to delete them – is this normal? 🙄

4.After an Aura reset I have to switch the network wifi button on then off to get the Aura to recognise it’s connected via ethernet.

PIN to delete is a bit odd. PIN to play makes sense, but not delete, when it’s being dictated by the guidance settings. By all means have a “lock” that prevents certain ones (configured by user) from being deleted.

howarp – 2 hours ago  » 

Hope Humax can fix these issues, with a future update, that I’m still getting on my Aura –

1.Random video pixellation which lasts for about 1 sec either live, catchup or while playing a recording.This does my head in. None of my other TV equipment ever does this – Sony 4K OLED, Panasonic PVR etc. I’m using double screened HDMI and Coaxial cables which are separated from each other, 4G filtered distribution box and a variable signal attenuator just on the Aura box and tried signal levels from 55% to 90% in 5% steps and it still does it very infrequently – signal quality always at 100%.

My Humax Aura box is also fully updated.

I must stress the pixellation can be between 1 and say 5 times each evening for just 1 second but a pain.I’m leaning maybe to a video resolution or refresh rate mismatch or the Aura has a bug that needs resolving.

2.EPG still does not display all series linked recordings although they do record correctly and are displayed in the recording schedule.

3.Recordings with a guidance flag ask for a pin code when I want to delete them – is this normal? 🙄

4.After an Aura reset I have to switch the network wifi button on

then off to get the Aura to recognise it’s connected via ethernet.

I have a similar set-up to you and are seeing exactly the same issues apart from the network one. I use an ethernet cable and have wi-fi switched off, apart from location services, and have had no issues. Cable is connected to a Netgear Gigabit distribution switch.

I don’t have parental guidance enabled so why should I need a password to delete a programme when no password is required to watch it in the first place? My previous 5000T just deleted them.

Like you the random pixilation is my main issue at the moment, I never saw this on my 5000T and the Aura is connected to the same signal feed and attenuator as it was a direct replacement. I have only seen this issue on recordings but I don’t watch much live or on chase play.

Please raise your issues and any suggestions with Humax support, they are listening and the more customers reporting these issues should hopefully help resolve them more quickly. You can email them on uksupport@humaxonline.co.uk

I currently have the following with them including some minor niggles:

1. The pixilation as you described.

2. Deleting programmes with guidance flag requiring a password when parental guidance is off.

3. Back EPG not populating on all channels.

4. When scheduled series linked programs change their name e.g., QI: Rejoice! A Christmas Special becomes New: QI the schedule does not check and update the name in the schedule list. The program information screen does have the correct name.

5. Very minor but recording timestamp information top left when playing/pausing recordings is grammatically incorrect. It should say Recorded at and not Recorded on as the preposition is before a time.

Suggestions:

1. Allow transparency of Schedule / Recordings / Play screens to be changed or switched off. Switching off option would improve text clarity and remove distracting movement behind.

2. The ‘What’s on Now’, ‘Next’ etc sections of the FreeviewPlay top navigation screen seems to be fixed to channels 001, 002, 003 …. Would be better if it reflected the channels selected in the separate Top Picks screen. where appropriate, when they have been replaced. I can’t see a way of changing these.

It’s good if Humax are taking on board the issues as constructive criticism, as it’s meant that way. I certainly want Humax to succeed with this box & I get the feeling the commenters here want the same.

The Humax HDR-1000S I’m running alongside the Aura, so my direct comparison is with that plus the Panasonic Plasma panel I’m outputting both Humax units to.

If certain features can be imported into the Aura that are present on the HDR-1000S, I’d have no hesitation to recommend it to anyone looking for a one box solution but at present I feel that the Aura is still off that point due to various issues which I feel sure can eventually be resolved in time.

It’s good that Humax support are listening though and are open to suggestions.

I logged the lack of 1080i/50Hz selection in the Aura’s Audio & Video Settings with Humax Support, which is a major issue for me due to the Aura’s inferior PQ on SD content compared to the HDR-1000S.

A ‘direct’ or 1080i/50Hz setting on the Aura to let the panel deal with the deinterlacing would be a start to match the specs on both the HDR-1000S and the FVP-4000T/5000T.

Both boxes I’ve found are much better performers with SD content than the Aura.

Another massive miss for me is the lack of a Humax Client on the Aura for Media serving, similar to the “Humax Media Share” on the HDR-1000S.

Using the most popular Android apps on the Aura is a nightmare to try to get a reasonable PQ from items stored on a Home Network.

The plus point is Plex on the Aura is snappy & responsive in the app & the GUI looks good, but the file transcoding is bad & the picture stutters.

For example:

For a SD 576 (interlaced) .TS file

A cursory push of the S/AD button on the Aura remote says the original file is 704×576@25fps.

The “Output” for display is 1080p@50Hz.

The “Video Resolution” however, has 1080P@60Hz during playback. It’s then where the footage starts to stutter and go out of sync, presumably meaning frames are being dropped either in the app or by the Humax box itself.

In Kodi for Android, the same (interlaced) file :

704×576@25fps

“Output” 1080p@50Hz.

“Video Resolution” 1080P@60Hz

The audio is well out of sync too on Android Kodi, and even the GUI button presses have a sound delay from the remote button input.

After looking at the ‘system’, ‘display’ settings in Android Kodi on the Aura, the refresh rate seems to be fixed at 1920x1080p 60Hz with a greyed out area where you can normally amend to match, which might mean the Aura on the Android side is locked to the US standard?

The Client on the HDR-1000S (via Humax Media share) plays all files flawlessly using Media Share as a client and Plex as a server from a Windows PC, with excellent SD and HD PQ.

So as a workaround I’m currently using the HDR-1000S for media streaming as the original quality seems to be maintained with no lag.

Both Aura and HDR-1000S are ethernet hard-wired.

Whether this is an easy fix I’m unsure, but I hope this info is of some use somewhere along the line…