Humax PVR-9200T freeview recorder

Posted by T3 Online on Mon 22 Oct 2007

Sky+ may have finally met its match.

With twin tuners, a 160GB hard disk and a great EPG, could this be the Freeview recorder that helps you forget about Sky+?

The twin tuners mean you can watch one channel while recording another, or alternatively, record two channels at the same time. Like other Freeview boxes, this one supports the seven-day electronic programme guide that makes it easy to schedule recordings. However, the Humax goes one better, because you can type in the name of the programme you want to record and have the PVR search through the EPG data to find when it's on. This method is very fast, and entering the name using the remote is easy, like texting on a mobile phone.

In fact, this box has a whole bundle of useful little tricks up its sleeve. For example, the Ad Skip button enables you to quickly jump forward in either 15-, 30- or 60-second bursts in order to zap your way through an ad break on a recording. What's more, you can also use the editing function to remove ads altogether from recordings. This is particularly handy should you want to back up a movie onto a DVD recorder.

There's also a handy USB port on the front for downloading MP3s and pictures onto the PVR and uploading recorded videos straight to your PC. The only real feature that's missing is the ability to watch the start of a show while the end is still recording, something that many rival products support.

But that's a relatively minor issue on what is in all other respects a fantastic PVR. With its responsive controls, easy-to-use menu system and superb range of features and gadgets, we'd go so far as to say that this is the best Freeview PVR currently available, and the perfect alternative to Sky+.