Popular YouView Humax Box Set To Face Total App Meltdown

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In a move that marks the end of an era for some YouView enthusiasts, the once-popular Humax T1000 YouView box is set to lose most of its internet-based functionality soon.

Despite its age, the Humax DTR-T1000 has remained a staple in many British living rooms, offering a bridge between traditional Freeview content and the burgeoning world of online streaming services.

This downgrade affects a wide range of users, from those who received their units through BT and Plusnet to individuals who were using the devices independently.

As a result, features requiring a broadband connection, including access to popular streaming apps like BBC iPlayer and Netflix, will no longer be accessible on the T1000 model.

Some Freeview functionality will remain (the ability to record over-the-air channels, for example) – but the box will basically become a ‘dumb’ recorder (see full details below).

YouView on a TV with apps

Established in 2010 and launched in 2012, YouView offers a “hybrid” television service that combines Freeview channels and radio stations with popular UK catch-up apps like BBC iPlayer, ITVX (on some devices), NOW, and more.

YouView can be accessed either via a standalone set-top box or through boxes provided by BT TV and TalkTalk (along with Plusnet in the past), which use YouView as their interface for paying subscribers.

BT TV’s flagship box, for example – the 4K TV Box Pro – is based on YouView.

The End Of The Road For The Humax T1000

This week, YouView confirmed that the now 10-year-old T1000 box would lose most of its functionality on February 28, 2024.

Humax DTR-1000 YouView box
Humax DTR-T1000

The core change revolves around the discontinuation of internet-based features.

While the device will retain its ability to receive aerial signals, thus preserving its functionality for recording live Freeview channels, any feature that requires an internet connection will become inaccessible.

This includes a suite of popular streaming apps such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 (previously known as All4), My5, Netflix, and EE Player.

ITV Hub and its successor, ITVX, already stopped working on the T1000 a long time ago.

ITVX on TV man confused

Furthermore, users will find themselves unable to access TNT Sports channels or view any past recordings from these platforms.

The loss extends to the device’s innovative features like the Backwards Programme Guide and the display of image thumbnails, which have enhanced the user experience by offering a more interactive and visually engaging interface.

The technical specifics behind this shift involve an updated configuration being issued to the devices, effectively removing all network services.

This includes not only the aforementioned streaming services and IP-based channels but also the enhanced TV Guide data that users have come to rely on for planning their viewing schedules.

While the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) data transmitted over the aerial will remain visible, the enhanced EPG data, which includes show thumbnails, will cease to be available.

YouView Humax DTR-T1000 with guide

Additionally, the Humax T1000 will be blocked from accessing any YouView or BT online services. Even if the devices do not immediately pick up the new software configuration, they will still be prevented from connecting to these services.

In its announcement, YouView explained that the T1000 set-top box was released over 10 years ago, “and since then, we’ve launched more devices using newer technologies with more features and apps available.”

For “the best YouView experience”, the company suggests that customers look at the set-top boxes available from BT/EE and TalkTalk, or Sony Android TVs with Live TV and Catchup.

YouView new ui in living room
Photo: YouView

Of course, affected users can look for the missing apps on other devices – such as Smart TVs, or dedicated streaming sticks like the Amazon Fire TV.

The Lifecycle Of Digital TV Boxes

As we see more and more in recent years, the rapid pace of technological change often makes older boxes obsolete – even when people are still happy to use them.

For instance, ITV Hub stopped working on many older boxes and Smart TVs, shortly before the launch of its successor, ITVX. 

In January 2022, ITV announced that its streaming app, ITV Hub, would cease to function on three older YouView boxes (including the T1000) due to upgrades in content protection technology.

This move affected devices primarily used by TalkTalk and BT customers, necessitating either an upgrade of their boxes or a shift to alternative devices for accessing ITV Hub.

Even more notably, ITV Hub also stopped working on the Humax FVP-5000T and FVP-4000T Freeview Play boxes (without any future support for ITVX) – despite the FVP-5000T box being a popular device owned by a large number of households.

Humax FVP-5000T ITV Hub collage b

Similarly, the BBC iPlayer app was discontinued on the Humax HDR-2000T Freeview Recorder in November 2023.

This decision was attributed to unresolved technical issues that made it impossible to continue supporting the app on this model.

The Humax HDR-2000T, a device that had been a household staple since 2013, suddenly lost a key feature, leaving users to seek other ways to access BBC content.

BBC iPlayer Humax HDR-2000T collage

However, the upcoming complete discontinuation of any internet-based functionality on the T1000 is quite a major step, even if the device is more than 10 years old.

These instances underscore a significant challenge in the digital TV box lifecycle: the pace of technological change can render devices obsolete much faster than in the past.

Streaming services need to update their software and infrastructure to deliver high-quality video streams, which means that older devices can quickly fall behind.

This not only impacts the ability of users to access new content but also raises questions about the sustainability of consumer electronics in an age of rapid innovation.

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10 thoughts on “Popular YouView Humax Box Set To Face Total App Meltdown”

  1. Can’t help wondering if there is anyone out there who could write some 3rd party replacement software for the box which would re-enable the internet connectivity?
    If so they would be very popular I guess and could even make a bit of money out of it!

    Reply
  2. I won’t be buying another Youview box, I’m done with them. First they slowed everything down by forcing an update that used remote thumbnail generation ( used to be done on the box) now they are about to cripple the EPG. The T1k works perfectly as a time shifter.

    Reply
  3. The latest Humax Aura has all the latest apps for ITV X and BBC iPlayer, including remote access. The PnP feature has gone and the processor needs more power, but it works ok. When Freeview Play goes, so will this version of Humax.

    Reply
  4. Big buisness does it again
    It is getting too greedy
    All the HD channels that take up double the room for recordings was bad enough but now no free catchup to counteract it especially the BBC channels C’mon I pay a TV licence but still have to pay more in the long run.
    Greedy blighters
    X

    Reply
  5. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Humax T1000, it’s a great PVR, with surprisingly good sound quality. I’m now in despair that decisions like this are taken without consultation of users. It seems to be on a whim that these changes are made! And as others point out, hardly a green policy to prevent unnecessary wasting otherwise good hardware! I’m hoping that I will be able to access the many concerts I have on mine!

    Reply
  6. Disgraceful waste of a good piece of equipment now out of date as they call it let alone more stuff to let down our our environment, was a brilliant peace of equipment and on principal were not be buying any more of their equipment

    Reply
  7. Be aware of the problems with streaming services and the ability of the company concerned to shut you down whenever they want. Cash cow are not the right words, rip off would be more like it !!!!

    Reply
  8. Same thing happened to EE s box a few years ago. Great box, terrific interface, big hard drivenough, rendered useless without proper notification. Worse the software upgrade made recordings inaccessible, which surely was unneccessary. All this tech headed for landfill in an increasingly shortening cycle is horrifyingly wasteful and damaging to the environment. What a complete waste.

    Reply

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