Humax HDR-Fox T2 Freeview HD recorder

The high-definition (HD) terrestrial television service Freeview HD is now available to half the country, allowing them to watch BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in HD, with more channels to follow.

The Humax HDR-Fox T2 is a Freeview HD recorder that can be used to watch and record both HD and the existing standard-definition Freeview channels. With two tuners, you can record two things at a time, or record one and watch another.

It’s a sleek black unit with channel and volume buttons on the front. At the back there’s an HDMI connection for flat-panel TVs, an optical sound output and a wired network connection. There’s also a Scart socket for connecting to older non-HD television sets, though if you don’t have one of these and aren’t planning to buy one, you may as well go for a non-HD video recorder which will do the same job for less money.

Picture quality was excellent even on the standard channels, while HD is accompanied by full Dolby Digital surround sound – something missing on many Freeview HD boxes so far. With a clear programme guide it’s very easy to set recordings, including recording a whole series with just a couple of button presses. The remote control was straightforward, with good sized buttons, and can also be programmed to control your TV, DVD player and audio system.

The network connection on the back allows the device to stream music and video from any computer on your home network, which worked very well, though not all formats are supported: audio files must be in the MP3 format, for example, and it failed to play some videos in the MKV format, though Divx and Windows Media files played fine. Humax plans a catch-up TV service for later in the year, which will use the internet connection to access services such as Sky Player.

There are a couple of quirks: start watching a programme after the recording has begun, catch up by fast-forwarding through the ads, and it won’t always go straight back to the live show. The programme guide search function didn’t work, though Humax says it will be fixed this month (September). We would also prefer to see more than five recordings at a time when browsing through the list.

But, there’s no doubt that, minor niggles aside, the Humax HDR Fox T2 is a reliable video recorder that’s very easy to use. It could be perfect solution for people who have been waiting to upgrade to Freeview HD – just remember to check the coverage in your area before buying.