Humax 5400 & 5400z

D

Dougal

Guest
Hi Guys,
I'm gonna be honest with you all and admit I'm a newbie to this hobby, and am currently trying to get a decent setup together, a friend recommended a Humax 5400 to me, but I see the Humax 5400z advertised also.. what's the difference between these, does anybody know, is there likely to be incompatibilities when using funcards with the 'z' model or what?? Any info much appreciated...

Dougal
 

rolfw

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Technomate 5402 HD M2 Ci, DM7000s, Transparent 80cm Dish, Moteck SG2100 DiseqC motor, lots of legacy gear. Meters: Satlook Digital NIT, Promax HD Ranger+ spectrum analyser.
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Hi Dougal, the Z model is a later version and has certain hardware changes designed to stop the firmware flashing that had become so popular with the earlier model. Fortunately it is still possible to flash them with the addition of a small board, called the Z board.

If you buy one that has been already flashed, there is very little difference from the 5400 and it can then be further updated with future upgrades.
 
D

Dougal

Guest
Hi Rolf,
Thanks for your response! I could'nt find that information anywhere! I was reading a review of this receiver and it seems it has only limited Diseq 1.2 in that it supports only 16 sats to position, but I read another review somewhere else
and they quoted 32! I ca'nt make my mind up whether I will go for one of these patched receivers, OR a Magic Cam and card... would you have any views yourself?
 

rolfw

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Technomate 5402 HD M2 Ci, DM7000s, Transparent 80cm Dish, Moteck SG2100 DiseqC motor, lots of legacy gear. Meters: Satlook Digital NIT, Promax HD Ranger+ spectrum analyser.
My Location
Berkshire
Unfortunately Dougal, things are so uncertain at the moment, that there are no easy answers. Personally I would go for the Magic Module and supplement that with a better receiver, but as to the merits of the different receivers, well that's another question.
 

wolsty

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VU+ Duo, Humax IRCI5400z, Sony Bravia KDL-32EX403, 1.1m Triax, Technomate TH-2600 DiSEqC mount, Sony BDV-E280 Home Cinema system, ancient Logik Freeview PVR.
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If you're new to the hobby, I strongly advise against modifying a 5400z yourself. The cost of the z board (which you use only once), coupled with the need to download the right software and to understand what you're doing when you've got the back off the receiver, plus the chance of invalidating your guarantee by tinkering with the hardware and software means that the unmodified 5400z is not such a bargain for the newbie. Better buy a ready-patched 5400z from a reputable dealer, who will have done the work properly and who will give you a guarantee. Once the modifications have been made to the 5400z, it performs just like the 5400 and you can patch it with new firmware and software as often as you like. For further information, have a look at http://www.axs-ict.nl/humax5400/Talen/English/index.htm

I've had a 5400z since November 2001 and it's worked well with a cheap French DiSeqC 1.2 motor. The 5400z has 32 satellite positions available. Some are pre-set, so this may account for the confusion as to whether there are 16 or 32. But in any case, if all you want are the films, the football and the mature content, you're unlikely to use more than about 5 satellites. Remember that your dish size will also determine the number of satellites from which you can receive and that a DiSeqC motor will not work satisfactorily with a dish much bigger than 1 metre (some enthusiasts have pushed the dish size to 1.2 metres, but that really seems to be the limit).

Finally, there is the question of future-proofing. No one really knows what hardware will be required when the new encryption systems SECA II, Viaccess II, Iredeto II) are hacked. Memory seems to be the limiting factor but, given the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the satellite community, especially all those people who've comprehensively modified the 5400 to meet changing conditions, it seems very likely that some form of add-on (eg additional memory) will become available. It's also possible that the hackers will find some way to do more of the decryption on the card (which may require a card with increased processing power and memory) which would be the cheap solution. If the worst comes to the worst, the 5400z has 2 CI slots, so you'll always be able to buy a slot-in CAM to accommodate any increase in memory requirements.

But there is always the risk that the new encryption systems will defeat us; in which case, the 5400z will be a particularly expensive FTA reciever!


wolsty


:)
 
D

Dougal

Guest
HI there again Guys.... yeah, it is really hard to make a decision on this. I'm really tempted to go for the Humax solution as it seems to be a well supported reciever software wise and it has won the acclaim of many from what I can see. The Magic cam on the other hand sounds like an easy answer, but I'd be concerned (maybe unnecessarily) about the cam being in compatible with different brands of reciever.

Perhaps it is a bad time to get involved in a big way in this scene at the moment, given the emerging 2nd generation encryption systems... but I don't want to hold off any longer 'cos I've been itching to get into this for ages!!!

Is there any particular reciever that you would reccommend to hand in hand with a magic cam??

Thanks for your advice once again, it's been invaluable!
 
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