TV recording boxes - recommendations please

kingfisherblue

My son is looking for a box to attach to his TV, so that he can record programmes. His TV has Freeview.

There are so many recording boxes available, and I don't want him to waste money. There are some cheaper ones (about £30ish) on Amazon, but most are around £100 more than that - the cheap ones seem only to record whilst you are watching the same channel, which defeats the object! He wants to be able to record whilst he is out at college or work.

So, I'm hoping that some friendly MSErs can help me, even though I don't venture onto this board often.

Thank you for any advice.

KFB xx

macman

Humax is the brand leader: the Freeview model he picks will depend on whether he wants on-demand services in addition to the basic recording functions: the former require an internet connection.

teddysmum

Having had two other brands in the past, I agree on Humax .We have two boxes, several years old, which still work with the bedroom tv.


The other two brands failed within three years and my sister's (not sure of brand, but it's not Humax) has also been outlasted by our current boxes.


One box is due to go with the main set now we've left Sky, but as either ITV or Panasonic (they blame each other) will soon not support ITV Hub, I may treat myself to the latest model Humax ,which records up to 4 programmes at once and has catchup. (It also comes in black, whereas for the last new one you only got black with the most expensive version , otherwise brown or white)


Have a look at Humax Direct where they sell discontinued or refurbed models with warranty and cheaper than retail.

Robisere

We have left Sky and changed the Dish LNB to accept Freesat, then bought a Humax HDR-1100S. In your son's case, for 2-tuner options and Freeview, with a 320 GB hard drive, this is ideal:
https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/refurbished/hdr-1800t-320gb-5547ad.html

At £109 it's above your budget, but has Humax quality and 12 months' guarantee.

• Up to 70 Digital Channels
• 12 in Stunning HD
• BBC iPlayer
• YouTube
• Record 2 Chanels At The Same Time
• Stream Photos, Music, Video Files
• 1 Year Warranty

wongataa

Get a Freeview Play or Humax Youview box.

kingfisherblue

Thanks everyone, Humax seems to be the way to go.

My son's maximim budget is around the £100-£120 mark, although we did look at the cheaper end of the market first, simply because he's still in college and like most teenagers, wants more than he can actually afford! (Now working part time as well, though, so he can save towards other things that he wants ).

I'll have a chat with him once I've emailed the links over.

Thank you again for taking the time to help out.

KFB xx

poppasmurf_bewdley

I've been using a secondhand BT Youview box I picked up for £30 on eBay for the last nine months.

It's done everything I require of it, and even has access to iPlayer and the other terrestrial catchup services plus Netflix and others.

Patrick_Stewart

How do the Humax boxes work regarding internet connection? We have Virgin TV and would be cancelling that in order to use the Humax via Virgin internet. We've never had any issues with Virgin TV (except the cost) and were wondering if the TV will lag via the Humax? The connection is pretty good, about 20mbit I think...

Mister_G

The Humax box will either get its day to day signal (for recording) via a terrestrial aerial or a satellite dish, depending on the model.

The internet connection will be for the catch up services via the likes of BBC iplayer, ITV Hub, All4 etc.

JJ_Egan

Should have no trouble getting the free over the internet services . BBC IPlayer ,ITV Hub etc .

GaleSF63

I've had a BT Youview box for just under 3 years. If it gave up now, I would replace it with the same. You can record 2 channels at a time, and watch a third (limited). No problems except the very occasional freeze which has always been solved by unplugging it for a few minutes. (£122 at the moment.)