Freeview

Aug 16 2010

REVIEWS: Humax HDR-Fox T2

High-def home hub?

Humax HDR-Fox T2 . Home Cinema, Freeview+HD, Set top boxes, PVRs, Humax, Humax HDR-FOX T2 0

Ever since Freeview HD began hosting three free-to-air high-def channels the chase has been on to deliver the ultimate piece of hardware. But while simple Freeview HD receivers have impressed with their pretty pictures, only a recorder can truly improve your daily life.

And that’s exactly what Humax’ latest does. There has been a slew of Freeview HD recorders of late from the likes of Panasonic, Digital Stream, Sharp and Samsung, but not all include Freeview+ functionality. That’s crucial since Freeview+ introduces series links and scheduling from the EPG; in short, it brings the freedom that a recorder should.

And there are few products that offer as much freedom as the HDR-Fox T2. Following on from its simple and successful forbear, the HD-Fox T2, this far larger incarnation introduces a 500GB hard disk for making recordings. That’s around 125 hours of high-def recordings from the three HD channels, or 300 hours of SD.

On the rear is the all-important HDMI output, flanked by ports for USB, Ethernet LAN, a Scart, Composite video, analogue audio and optical audio – the latter capable of taking Freeview HD’s native HE-AAC sound and changing it into the Dolby Digital surround sound before outputting it to a 5.1 amplifier or home cinema system. That’s a rare feature on rival boxes (to our knowledge Philips is the only other brand to feature Dolby Digital on its Freeview HD gear – as found on its DTR-5520 Freeview HD receiver).

There’s a further USB slot on the front of the unit (as well as a CI slot for Top-Up TV viewing cards), and a good job, too; a Wi-Fi USB adaptor is available from Humax, which will obviously permanently occupy the rear’s USB port, though you could argue that Wi-Fi should be built-in.

From external USB drives or sticks a plethora of file formats can be played. Although WMV files aren’t recognised, almost everything else we tried was – including DivX HD (MKV) files and even VOB files, an improvement on the HD-Fox T2’s frustrating file compatibility. A nice media player deals with MP3s, though, oddly, WMA music files are treated as video files (though they play without problems). Files can also be transferred to the hard disk after a relatively simple process. If you think physical media is just too pass?, this unit’s Ethernet (or Wi-Fi adaptor) enables these same files to be streamed from a PC or Mac. That Ethernet is also set to deliver online content services such as Sky Player.

It’s not all good news, however; playing digital media necessitates choosing whether you want to playback media from wither the hard disk or USB, and also whether you want to play video, music or photos – not a major issue, perhaps, though not being able to just play whatever, whenever can become a little tiresome.

It is, however, the user interface and 8-day electronic programme guide that are at the core of this box’s brilliance. Showing seven channels across 2 hours, series links and single recordings can be set in seconds from an interface that’s as fast as it is good-looking, with excellent use of high-res graphics and nuanced colours.

This slick approach carries on with HD channels, which are presented in glorious HD and with plenty of colour and contrast to keep the detail company, though we did lose reception for the HD channels (only) for a short period, suggesting that this product’s tuner isn’t as sensitive as it could be. Switch to a normal TV channel and quality takes a dive; the HDR-Fox T2 isn’t as skilled an upscaler as it should be. Recordings, meanwhile, are identical to the original broadcast and a delight to skip through using the excellent lightweight remote, though there are no editing functions.?

Verdict:

For the most part a joy to use, this slick and speedy set-top box/home hub’s Freeview+ functionality is perhaps as important as its high-def ambitions and puts it alongside the likes of Sky+ and Virgin V+ on sheer ease of use. It does lack a third tuner – as all Freeview HD recorders do – but trumps its rivals by adding DivX HD and Dolby Digital support. It may look similar to other Freeview HD recorders on the market, but presentation is key and Humax’s concentration on its user interface has once again paid-off – this is the finest product in its category.

Tags:
Home Cinema Freeview+HD Set top boxes PVRs Humax Humax HDR-FOX T2

Humax HDR-Fox T2 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:03:30 +0100

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REVIEWS: Humax HDR-Fox T2

By admin • Watches • • Tags: Freeview, hd receivers, home, home cinema system, home hub, USB

Aug 13 2010

REVIEWS: TechniSat HDFV

Smooth operator

TechniSat HDFV . Home Cinema, Set top boxes, Freeview HD, Technisat, TechniSat HDFV 0

A tiny, but very significant contribution to the exploding Freeview HD market comes from TechniSat in the form of its diminutive HDFV. It’s highly unusual since whether it’s a simple receiver or a recorder is largely down to how you use it.

At its core the HDFV tunes into the likes of BBC HD and ITV HD – alongside all the other digital TV channels on Freeview – and pumps top quality TV into an HD Ready TV. It’s actually capable of 1080p video, though no HD channel is currently broadcast in such quality. Still, this box is at its best when outputting 1080p rather than in 720p or 1080i standards.

That’s when its picture quality and onscreen menu graphics are at their sharpest, and best. The EPG and user interface are generally impressive, though the former should really float over what’s currently playing on live TV. It’s also saddled with a font that jars with an otherwise stylish, speedy and simple system.

Slightly more confusing is what the HDFV offers aside from HD channels. To make the most of the HDFV we recommend you use the rear’s USB port for an external hard drive – that way bringing live TV pausing, rewinding and recording to the party.

If you fancy making recordings there’s a “DVR-suitability test” for any USB stick or drive, which in our test took around a minute.

Once a recording has been made, it’s saved as a TS file, a type of MPEG-2 file that can be played on a PC or Mac using VLC software, among others. In our tests a FAT-32 hard drive had to be formatted before it could take recordings, despite the HDFV passing it for suitability.

Impressive stuff, though don’t make the mistake of comparing this to a ?250+ dedicated Freeview+HD box – the HDFV is without one-button programme or series recordings, and with just one tuner you’ll have to watch whatever channel you choose to record (though you can record while watching a previously made recording).

Attaching an external hard drive or USB pen drive is probably the best use of this box’s single USB slot, even if it’s solely for pausing and rewinding live TV. You can play digital media files from a USB thumb drive, though only the basic – JPEG, MP3 and MPEG – files are dealt with. Considering the popularity of MP4, AVI, WMV, DivX and even DivX HD files, that’s rather disappointing.

The other – and, we have to say, conflicting – use for that lonely USB slot is for wireless networking. The file compatibility stays the same, so don’t get too excited, but the HDFV can wirelessly (using a TechniSat WLAN adaptor, sold separately) bring files to a TV that are stored on a PC on the same wireless network. It’s easy to set-up, but it henceforth occupies the USB slot on the rear, making it impossible to stream from a PC and play files from a USB stick/make recordings in the same session. The simple solution, of course, would be to fit the HDFV’s front panel – which merely houses an abandoned foldout slot that is presumably used for viewing cards on a sister model – with a further USB slot.

If you do need to connect to a PC – and considering the HDFV’s rather “light” features in this department, it’s probably not worth bothering with – it’s best to a use a wired connection to a broadband router; in doing so you’ll free-up that USB slot for pausing and recording duties.

As well as presenting a list of recordings, the HDFV’s Nav menu has options for deleting, organising and editing recordings. The latter is impressive; you choose exactly where the start and end points are as the recording plays in a quarter-size window. Once done, the recording can be renamed, bookmarked, or scaled-up.

Verdict:

With a posher look than most Freeview HD receivers, TechniSat’s HDFV packs just enough punch to push it above the competition – and at enticing pricing.

Tags:
Home Cinema Set top boxes Freeview HD Technisat TechniSat HDFV

TechniSat HDFV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:59:10 +0100

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REVIEWS: TechniSat HDFV

By admin • Watches • • Tags: 720p or 1080i, digital tv channels, external hard drive, Freeview, recording, USB

Aug 3 2010

REVIEWS: Sharp TU-T2HR32

Boxing clever
Sharp TU-T2HR32 . Home Cinema, Set top boxes, Freeview HD, Freeview+HD, Sharp, Sharp TU-T2HR32 0

As always, the cable and satellite boys have already gone one-up in anticipation of this first batch of Freeview+HD recorders – Sky’s added 1TB hard drive models to its HD boxes, and Virgin Media’s V+HD has had three tuners for yonks.

Which all leaves this two-tuner, 320GB Freeview+HD recorder looking a little conservative, though when it’s put to the test it proves to be the best in its category – and with no subscriptions, could entice some Virgin and Sky subscribers out of their expensive contracts.

Key to the TU-T2HR32 are its twin Freeview HD tuners. Able to tune-in BBC HD, ITV HD and either 4HD (England), S4C HD (Wales) or STV HD (Scotland) if you live in the right area (check your postcode at www.freeview.co.uk), this black box with blue LED lighting on its front can record one channel while you watch another – or even record two while you watch a recording.

Its other talents come largely from its Freeview+ specification, though the way Sharp has presented some nifty features makes this as friendly – and fast – as boxes from the big boys of broadcasting. Shuffling around the 8-day electronic programme guide is a breeze, with one-button options to record programmes throughout the schedule, or even set series links. Even if you find a programme on an HD channel you want to record, the box gives you the option to take it as a SD stream to save space – and on a 320GB hard drive, that could be crucial (we figure that the HDD can take around 80 hours of HD broadcasts, or 160 hours of SD – though more than likely you’ll want a mix if both, of course).

Recordings – which are identical to the broadcasts and rich in detail, with SD channels upscaled just enough – are presented in a list with a neat preview function that starts to play the recording in a small window. Recordings can then be protected or deleted, though it lacks basic editing functions such as name changing, splitting or merging. This box is also able to pause and rewind live TV; when paused the box counts the seconds and minutes in the bottom-left-hand corner of the screen, which is accompanied by slightly unnecessary blue flashing lights on the box.

What we did notice is that during operation that hard disk gets hot – with the result being the constant whirring of a fan in the back of a unit. It’s not a deal-breaker, though it’s almost as loud as the dreaded Xbox 360.

Connectivity-wise the Sharp has it all. Two RGB Scarts (why, we’re not sure – they don’t handle high-def resolutions) join the all-important HDMI output, while there’s even a RS-232 port in case you want to merge it into a full draw-the-curtains-and-dim-the-lights style custom installation. More versatility comes in the shape of both coaxial and optical digital audio outputs, though the Sharp TU-T2HR32 can’t convert Freeview HD’s audio streams into Dolby Digital so – baring a firmware update – surround sound from TV channels is off the menu. The USB port is similarly redundant, being only for software updates and not for MP3, JPEG or DivX file playback.

Our final very minor criticism is that the remote control is distinctly low-rent. Although it’s mapped out relatively well, the remote control suffers from some small buttons and a rather cheap build quality; we even had trouble getting the batteries to stay in.

Verdict:

Lively, colourful pictures from both standard definition and HD channels are an essential part of its allure, but the way it’s built around good-looking, easy to use onscreen menus – and the speed of the box itself – makes for an attractive option for anyone after HD recording.

Tags:
Home Cinema Set top boxes Freeview HD Freeview+HD Sharp Sharp TU-T2HR32

Sharp TU-T2HR32 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:25:42 +0100

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REVIEWS: Sharp TU-T2HR32

By admin • Watches • • Tags: electronic programme guide, Freeview, hd broadcasts, recording, sky subscribers, TU-T

Jul 29 2010

REVIEWS: Samsung BD-C8500M

Capable combi in cruise control

Samsung BD-C8500M . Home Cinema, Blu-ray players, Freeview HD, Freeview HD+ 0

Spotted selling online for around the ?400 mark, this bulky deck from Samsung seeks to kit-out a home with two of the most sought-after AV products of our time – Blu-ray and Freeview HD recording – but ultimately proves not to be the must-have product it first appears.

A gloss black and rather bulky casing is interrupted by two rather unusual design strokes. The first is a line of touch-sensitive controls whose lights extinguish one by one when the machine is switched-off. The second is far weirder. The machine’s top features black smoked plastic that hides some slowly expanding, then contracting, blue lights over both the Blu-ray disc drive and over the hard disk. They have the odd – and rather disturbing – look of beating hearts, and thankfully can be switched-of in the menu’s general settings options, under “light effect”. If you can’t quite bear to switch it off completely, it can be set to “beat” only when the machine is making a recording.

Not that this deck’s limited recording skill is worthy of its own light show; with just a single Freeview HD tuner it’s only able to record the channel you’re watching (for up to 6 hours). It’s not even possible to set recordings from the attractive black, white and green 8-day electronic programme guide, making this a bare bones Freeview HD recorder.

Elsewhere it impresses; a “plug and play” wizard takes you through the tuning-in of Freeview channels and network settings – the last one is crucial since the box doesn’t?automatically look for your broadband and/or wireless router unless you ask it to.

Recorded TV contains a list of programmes you’ve recorded, with a static thumbnail image from each recording beside details of its title, duration and date recorded. Recordings can also be ordered by date, duration and genre, while favourites can be tagged. However, this otherwise well laid-out screen doesn’t indicate how much room is left on the HDD, with only a convoluted inspection of the tools menu (it is under device information) revealing the truth.

More impressive is Blu-ray playback, which is spotless and well handled; BD Live downloads can be stored to the HDD, though only to a fenced-off 2GB portion, which does seem a chance missed. Playing a Blu-ray disc isn’t as easy as you might expect; during our test we struggled to get the unit to forget about Freeview HD. With so many functions to deal with, the remote is saddled with a toggle button that determines which function – BD/HDD or TV – it controls. The indicator light shows orange or green accordingly, but it could really do with dedicated “play BD movie” and “digital TV” buttons.

The deck’s built-in Wi-Fi module doesn’t let us down; it is fast and essential for this machine’s real skill: online content. Internet@TV is stuffed with apps for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, though LoveFilm isn’t enabled yet and there’s no sign of BBC iPlayer despite promises from Samsung.

Elsewhere that Wi-Fi module streams media of almost any file type from a networked Mac or PC, a USB stick, blank discs and, better still, files can be copied to and from between devices and the HDD, with the exception being that files cannot be copied to a disc or a PC/Mac from another source.

On the rather smart interface files are listed with moving thumbnails, much like recordings from Freeview, but they only kick-in after you’ve viewed the file, which doesn’t make much sense.

Meanwhile the treatment of a CD is superb. While any DVD player can play music from a CD, this Samsung consults an online database as soon as a disc is inserted and displays a playback screen with all song titles listed.

Verdict:

Limited Freeview HD recording options take the gloss of this otherwise exemplary combi, but if you’re after a Blu-ray player, multi-skilled media hub, simple Freeview HD tuner and, crucially, like the prospect of access to LoveFilm and the BBC iPlayer, the BD-C8500M could drive your home ents for years to come.

Tags:
Home Cinema Blu-ray players Freeview HD Freeview HD+

Samsung BD-C8500M originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:13:25 +0100

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