276°
Posted 20 hours ago

HUMAX FVP-5000T 2 TB Freeview Play HD TV Recorder - Carbon Black

£134.995£269.99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

This recording function works for shows up to eight days in advance, since that’s around when the EPG runs up until. Since you can set an entire series to record you don’t generally need to see beyond a week anyway. But, again, setting lots to record isn’t really something you need to consider, since the three-tuner-toting box can record up to three channels at the same time while you’re watching another. So you may find yourself hitting record more often than you used to. It really is addictively easy. Humax FVP-5000T: Multi-room and beyond The box does show a full guide to the Freeview services but occasionally, totally inexplicably, shows chunks of 'No Information'. Note: Other TVs, including the one on the end of the loop-through show full guide with no gaps so not a signal issue. If the thought of buying one of these boxes for every room in your house makes your wallet ache, fear not. The FVP-5000T will work with more affordable repeater boxes like the Humax H3. That means you can have one of these boxes in another room and enjoy TV as if you were watching on a dedicated box. Another thing I particularly liked about the interface was the Global Search function. You search for the name of a show – and the device will look for it wherever it can – so on your hard drive (shows you’ve recorded), on the Electronic Programme Guide (so you can mark the show for future recording), AND on the catch-up apps (so you can watch it right now via the internet.) This was part of ITV’s move to upgrade its content protection technology ahead of the launch of its new streaming service, ITVX. The new service was incompatible with many older devices, including the FVP-5000T.

That “smooth” experience is hampered a bit by the slow interface – something I really wish Humax would fix in the future – but not enough to stop me from recommending the device.

Humax FVP-5000T: Recordings

Keep in mind, when you’re using Freeview Play, it’s basically a fancy and convenient way to use the built-in streaming apps. However, those apps are different from recording shows directly – as they’re not kept on your hard drive, but are streamed to you from the internet. While the Aura is spot on for sound, we still recommend that you buy the cheaper but still brilliant Humax FVP-5000T while you still can, and add a Google Chromecast with Google TV if you also want streaming. The experience won’t feel much more split than the Aura already does but, more importantly, the smart offering will be more complete and a little better for picture quality too. I'm aware of the "+" button to skip to a day. This doesn't excuse the clumsiness and snail-like pace of doing the most common operation on an EPG when browsing - i.e. scrolling left or right. This is the most common operation, which those people less technically literate (such as old people) will rely upon. The first is brand. Looking at the brand of the product is often a really good indicator for judging product quality. For example you’d expect a much higher quality product from a brand known for providing excellent quality than you would from an unknown or even a budget brand. However, the discontinuation was somewhat expected at this stage, given that the device lost support for ITV Hub in 2022 and never supported ITV’s new streaming service, ITVX.

Audio output is highlighted by Dolby Digital Plus and Pulse sound, so you get the purest and cleanest cinema sound in your living room. More information on quality can be found in this old but still very helpful article from Harvard Business Review. Freeview Play gives you the best in TV for Free with 75+ TV Channels and 25+ Radio Stations, including 15 HD TV Channels for stunning high definition viewing. When Brian May plays his solo at the end of the piece, it’s like he’s making his guitar sing. Again, the sense of place is captured brilliantly in a credible rendition of the sound of the old Wembley Stadium full of 72,000 people clapping in time and singing along to Radio Ga Ga. I agree -- same here. The catch-up services have really poor picture and audio quality, and the inability to be able to skip ads. is frustrating. However, it would not surprise me if PVRs disappeared from the marketplace in the not too distant future, leaving just TVs with multiple tuners and recording capabilities as the only option.This news may come as a blow to consumers who have relied on the device for its robust features and reliable performance over the years. Simply navigate to a show in the EPG, select it and you’re then given the option to either record the show, record the entire series or set a reminder. Since the box comes with options of a hefty 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, you’ll probably end up setting everything to record, just in case. That said, so much is available on demand that you can always watch that way if you forget to set a recording. Since the Humax FVP-5000T can record three shows at once while playing another live, you can enjoy multi-room viewing in two rooms at once, minus the fight for the remote. This was complemented by its generous storage options, which ranged from 500GB to 2TB, providing ample space for a variety of recording needs.

I'm aware how to forward and reverse skip. What was once a single button operation on the HDR Fox T2 is now a potentially 3 press operation (Press right to display the menu, press up to highlight the time skip feature, press left or right to skip left or right). One key press to 3. That's a GUI catastrophe. The picture quality through the Freeview Play tuners in both SD and Full HD is every bit as good as that of the FVP-5000T. Watching Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is on BBC2, we get some inviting shots of a French antiques market on a cloudless summer’s day. The cobbled streets and stalls are bright and colourful, but with a realistic sense of tonality and texture. Having to tap a channel number rather than browsing or pressing "next channel" relies upon you having to know the channel number (e.g. you have to know that 101 is BBC One HD). This is a ridiculous "solution" (It's not a solution) to have to rely upon in a product in 2018. The suggestion not to press channel up or down to avoid long delays of several seconds between channels seems amazing in a so-called high end product demanding a premium price. Pause live TV to answer the door or make a cup of coffee then return to where you left off. No more missing that vital moment or dialogue. If you prefer to dive right into catch-up TV – which works for up to seven days gone by – then the On Demand button on the remote takes you to a menu for that too. This lays out content either by channel, app, recommendation of Freeview Play, or you can search by category like Comedy or Drama. This includes recommendations for shows on live at that moment too.This combination of features made the FVP-5000T a robust and versatile choice for those looking to enhance their Freeview experience – even though, in my review, I noted how its interface was never as swift as one expects from streaming devices these days. The ITV Hub And ITVX Saga That means you won’t be able to save them forever (BBC iPlayer, for example, keeps most shows for 30 days), AND you won’t be able to fast-forward and skip commercials on apps such as the ITV Hub or All 4.

Another nice touch is the “Smart” HD switching and recording. If you’re watching (or recording) an SD channel that also has an HD version, the device will offer you, on-screen, to jump to the HD version. The Aura isn't up to Humax's normal high standards. I have loved Humax's FreeSat and then the previous via-ariel Freeview versions of this set-top box for the last 14 years and upgraded last year. This has been nothing but buggy and irritating. For the money, you get a lot of features to boost your evening of telly viewing. Plus, considering the complexity of those features, Humax has somehow delivered a really simple system to use. The FVP-5000T offers a great blend of good looks, ease of navigation, breadth of content and modern accessibility. The Humax Aura’s three Freeview Play tuners bring access to over 70 non-subscription live TV channels and over 20,000 hours of on-demand entertainment through the catch-up services, with BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5 all present. Those tuners allow you to pause and rewind TV, as well as record up to four channels while watching a fifth one live.Panasonic PVRs aren't exactly stellar performers either, based on my experience and ownership, but it's pretty much Panasonic, Humax, or something secondhand. As the demand for catch-up and streaming services continues to grow, the demand for time-shifting devices seems to be shrinking. I doubt that PVRs, as we know and love/hate them, will be around for much linger. Should you misplace the zapper, there are on-body touch controls for power, volume and channel selection. Audio Description is also available plus Subtitles, so those with poor sight or hearing can enjoy shows with everyone (these are recorded automatically if broadcast).

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment