NEW Freeview HD Digital TV Receiver Tuner Set Top Box Terrestrial + USB Port Schedule Program Recorder

I love this product. It does exactly what I want it to do - records TV onto a memory stick/hard disk for me to put onto my plex server for watching later on. So for those who are wanting some more detail as to what it does here goes. Connecting the box is very simple and the set-up is too. I have a good signal here so I got all the channels I would get on a more expensive tuner. The picture is pretty good, maybe a little soft for some but I find it acceptable (it is very similar to the quality you would get with a DVD recorder from about 10 years ago). I am using a 8GB Lexar USB drive which plugs into the side of the unit, I might get a larger capacity one later on. I did try and use the SD card reader slot with a SanDisk 32GB MicroSD card with an adapter but it could not read the card to write to it. Anyway, you use the EPG (which is a little slow, but it works) to find the programme you want to record - you then "book" it into the PVR, what is really cool is you can choose when to start and when to stop recording which is great to stop it from cutting off the intro or end of a programme (which used to wind me up silly with Sky+) - I often pad 10 minutes each side to avoid this from happening. Then I put the device into standby and leave it, the next day I unplug the USB drive and put it into my computer. The files are MTS format and record at the resolution of the program - so 576i for standard def or 1080p for HD content. The recordings come in at around 15000kbps of video bitrate which is very good, audio is set at 128kbps which is also plenty good enough. It is worth turning on deinterlacing in VLC to get an even clearer picture. What is really neat is that it will record whatever aspect ratio the content was broadcast in, so for older programmes (that are the ones I want to record) it will record them in the proper 4:3 format, but then click back to 16:9 for adverts. The only issues I have with this item are: - The controller is pretty rubbish, buttons are squishy and don't always register and the layout is very confusing with terms that seem confusing - If you unplug a USB drive from the device it will sometimes get upset and then refuse to record to the USB drive - to remedy this you just need to turn the device off and then back on again with the USB connected (i think this is because it possibly runs on a Linux operating system which often has issues with drives that have not been removed properly)

With the Freeview HD box I can now receive ALL channels including CH 57!

Tradional tuner box. Medium sized You get a lot in the box cables - scart, remote control cable. Changing channels is slow because program info loads simulataneously. The device has many options that you have to be sure are set. If you are watching freeview all you channels will be higgledypiggeldy and have weird numbers unless you set the program option LCN to "ON" and sort to "By LCN". The TV format should be PAL not the unwatchable foreign and pc format NTSC. This device doesn't have so many setting options (like setting screen transparency, being able to constantly show a digital clcok or seeing multiple channels on the EPG and visually (1 live and 8 stills ), as its cheaper tiny version, but there are compensations such as recording in advance which you can't on the cheaper version. Like the cheaper version you can have USB and camera card in a the same time for extra capacity. You can record by time where it will record any station you flick on to. You record in advance by accessing the book list via the "info" button via the EPG only. One fault is the colour action buttons don't match the remote but the order is correct so the first button instead of being blue is red ot he remote but the action is still "Add"(a recording). The MAGIC thing I have discovered is that although it doesn't have 2 tuners, which allow you to record and watch any channel, this particular device accidently has the next best thing depending on which chanel you are reocrding you can record and watch from 2 - 20ish other channels as long as they are on the same freqeuncy chanel. Freeview channels are usually from 21 to 29 (find it by doing a manual search) the BBC ones are all on 23 so you can record BBC1 which watching any other BBC channels. The majority of Channel4 stuff is on 26 but a few things like E4+1 are on 22 so you couldn't watch that while recording Film4. The device occasionally resets itself making you lose things. This is annoying as i am constantly having to turn on the subtitiltes, which you have to do via menu not a simple remote button like on the cheaper version. When it resets the last channel stored in the last channel button (that useful button which allows you to flick between the current and last channel) just remains on the current channel. However since i removed the device from the powerdown plug it doesn't reset/ turn the TV off or to standby (like its cheaper version does every 5 mins, both on and off the powerdown plug ) unless it warns you in advance by its power saving inactivity system.

I've had excellent results from using previous Iview terrestrial digital boxes as recorders, and this one also promised well, the only gripe was that you needed to go in again to edit recording times to embrace start and end times HOWEVER, I had other pre-occupations for a couple of weeks and when I came back to using it, there was no tv signal across the whole range, just a blank screen at each supposed tuned channel. Tried everything with changing cables etc. but there is clearly a break in the ariel lead or associated wiring within the box. Attempts to retune just brought up zero recognized channels. Given my attempts to get it working again will probably invalidate the guarantee and the fact it is such a cheap item I probably wont seek reimbursement, but working for just a few days ain't a recommendation for seeking a replacement anyway.

Easy to set up and find stations and a perfect picture , so no complaints there. I already had a 64gb usb memory stick and after 5 minutes figured out how to record and playback programmes. To delete a program from the stick though had to remove and put it into my laptop. The only problem I have , is certain buttons on the supplied remote , interfere with our TVs main controls. For example, when I want BBC1 , pressing 1 on the channel number selector pad , alters the "source" setting of the TV , away from Scart 1 so have to get the other remote for the TV itself to get back to the scart source. The volume-up button brings up the TVs menu settings ! It's probably just a clash with my make of TV (Hanspree) that won't happen with other makes.

Good quality

Great item at a bargain price

Guess you get what you pay for, I bought this to test a TV and aerial installation installed in a house renovation project. I frequently lost HD channels and had to re-tune. The remote has the smallest buttons imaginable and the interface for the TV guide and channel selection is not very slick at all. Cheap, works, but not great quality.