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Digital Boxes DVB-T2 / M-PEG-4
NEW! - Sharp TUT2HR32
Freeview HD Recorder
This is the first Freeview HD HDD Digital Recorder. As it has only just been released, at present we can only find one retailer - Very (Littlewoods) - £249.00.
- Digital HD TV Recorder designed to receive and record Freeview HD services
- Twin Digital Tuner
320GB Hard drive
- Freeview+ HD
- 8 day Freeview TV guide
- One touch recording + Pause and rewind live TV
- Simultaneous 2 channel recording whilst watching a pre-recorded programme series, Split and Multiple/Alternative Recording
| 1 |
|
RF IN (Antenna in) |
7 |
|
Ethernet (RJ45) |
| 2 |
|
RF OUT (Antenna out) |
8 |
|
HDMI |
| 3 |
|
TV (SCART) |
9 |
|
VCR (SCART) |
| 4 |
|
SPDIF |
10 |
|
Optical (Infra Red) |
| 5 |
|
USB |
11 |
|
RS232 |
| 6 |
|
Cooling Fan Outlet |
12 |
|
12v DC |
Positive remarks:
Its what we have been waiting for. It has all the bells and whistles (see brief overview above) with a great sleek look and feel.
- MPEG 4 and backwardly compatible with previous versions.
- Comes with both USB and a RJ45 ethernet socket.
Disappointing aspects:
We are a little disappointed for the following reasons:
- Only a 1 year warranty when other manufacturers are offering 2 years on their equipment
- No CI slot for extending the service to Top-up TV
- The price - RRP £280
That being said it is a great offering from Sharp
Conclusion
If you can't wait for the price to fall, go out and order it now - at least you will be able to see and record your favourite programmes in HD.
Sharp TUT2HR32 - Very (Littlewoods) - £249.00
Specifications
| Tuner & Channel : Terrestrial |
| Number of tuners |
2 x DVB-T/DVB-T2 |
| Hard Disk (built in) |
yes |
| Hard Dish capacity |
320Gb |
| USB port |
yes |
| USB recording |
no |
| USB playback on other devices |
no |
| SD Upscaling to HD |
yes |
HD output - 1080p / 1080i / 720p / 576p
|
yes |
| Technical |
| MPEG 1 |
yes |
| MPEG 2 |
yes |
| MPEG 4 |
yes |
| Audio - MPEG1 layer I & layer II, MP3 |
yes |
| Audio - MPEG2 layer II, Dolby Digital |
yes |
| MPEG2 AAC/AAC+ |
yes |
| Rear Panel Interfaces |
| Audio R / L Connector |
yes |
| Audio R / L Output |
yes |
| Digital Audio Output |
yes |
| CI Slot |
no |
| USB |
yes |
| RGB Video Output |
yes |
| RGB Video Input |
yes |
| CVBS Video Output |
yes |
| CVBS Video Input |
yes |
| S-Video |
no |
| Analogue Audio Output |
yes |
| Analogue Audio Input |
yes |
| Digital Video Output |
yes |
| HDMI |
yes |
| Ethernet |
yes |
| RF Input |
yes |
| Loop-through Output |
yes |
| Power Supply |
| Input voltage |
AC 220-240V |
| Power consumption |
Standby (TBA) |
| Power consumption |
Max (TBA) |
| Physical specification |
| Size (W x H x D) |
300 x 55 x 259 (mm) |
| Weight(Net) |
4.1 kg |
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Digital Boxes DVB-T2 / M-PEG-4
Humax HD Fox-T2
This is the first Freeview HD digital box to hit the UK market, and soon other manufactures will follow suit.
- HD Channels TV reception through an aerial
- Dolby Digital+ Audio Output
- RJ45 for sharing with other devices such as PC & NAS through Home Networking
- 8-day on screen electronic programme guide
- Interactive TV service via MHEG
- Parental Control
- Subtitle and Audio Description
- Perfect digital transmission for picture and sound through HDMI output
- Auto detection of new channels
- Fully compliant to UK DVB-T2 and backwardly compatible to DVB-T
- Standby power : less than 1W
- Resolution format : 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i
- Play media contents in external HDD or memory through USB (MP3, JPG, XViD)
- Portal Ready for future purpose
Positive aspects:
It is a great piece of kit that both looks good and has a far superior and impressive programming guide compared to the previous generation of digital boxes
- Gone are the days of re-tuning - this beauty takes this chore to another level, seamlessly adding channels in the background.
- The ability to connect to other media via a RJ45 network socket.
- Another plus feature is the ability to operate most of its functions from the front of the box, something missing from many PVR's - ideal if you lose the remote control.
- 2-year onsite replacement warranty
Disappointing aspects:
We are a little disappointed in this offering for three reasons:
- Does not have an internal HDD so cannot record. With only one tuner - this means that you cannot play-rewind-pause live TV, however you can play recordings from an external HDD or Memory stick
- No CI slot for extending the service to Top-up TV
- The price - around £180
Conclusion
If you can't wait and get HD on your TV through your aerial this could be the Freeview HD Box for you. At this price Freesat is a good contender, after you pay for the box/satellite dish - their content is free as well. But in our opinion it is well worth waiting to get the extra features (such as the ability to record) that will inevitably come along and at a cheaper price. You can purchase this model from:
Humax HD Fox-T2 - John Lewis,- £179.00
Humax HD Fox-T2 - Very - £169.00
Humax HD Fox-T2 - Comet - £159.99
Humax HD Fox-T2 - Argos - £159.99
Humax HD Fox-T2 - Amazon - £138.99 Best Buy
Specifications
| CPU/MPU/Mainchip |
BCM7405 |
| Flash memory |
32MB |
| SDRAM |
256MB (+64MB) |
| EEPROM |
8KB |
| Tuner & Channel : Terrestrial |
| Number tuner |
1 DVB-T/DVB-T2 |
| Input Connector |
IEC 169-2 Female |
| Frequency Range |
48.5MHz to 226.5MHz(VHF)
470MHz to 862MHz(UHF) |
Signal Level
|
-70 to -10 dBm |
| Demodulation |
OFDM |
| Mode |
2K, 8K |
| FEC mode |
1/2,2/3,3/4,5/6,7/8 |
| Guard Intervals |
1/4,1/8,1/16,1/32 |
| MPEG Transport Stream A/V Decoding |
| Transport Stream |
MPEG-4 PART2/MPEG-2
ISO/IEC 13818 |
| Profile Level |
MPEG-2 MP@HL,
MPEG-4
AVC
MP@L3,
MP@L4, HP@L4 |
| Input Rate |
15Mbit/s Max |
| Aspect Ratio |
4:3, 16:9 |
| Video Resolution |
1080p,1080i,720p,
576p,576i |
| Audio Decoding |
MPEG/MusiCam
Layer I & II |
| Audio mode |
Single/Dual Mono/Stereo/
Joint Stereo |
| Front panel interface |
| Display |
7-Segment |
| LED |
3 |
| Buttons |
4 |
| CI Slot |
N/A |
| USB |
N/A |
| CAS Slot |
x |
| Rear panel interface |
| SCART |
1 TV, 1 VCR |
| RF |
N/A |
| RCA |
1 Video, 2 Audio |
| Component |
N/A |
| S/PDIF |
1 |
| HDMI |
1 (with HDCP) |
| Data port |
Ethernet |
| USB |
1 (PVR) |
| Power cord Type |
UK 3pin fixed |
| Power Supply |
| Input voltage |
AC 90-250V (Free voltage),
SMPS |
| Type |
Embedded switch mode
power
supply unit |
| Power consumption |
Standby Under 1W |
| Protection |
Separate internal fuse
&
lightning protection |
| Physical specification |
| Size (W x H x D) |
280 x 45 x 200 (mm) |
| Weight(Net) |
1.42 kg |
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Digital TV DVB-T2 / M-PEG-4
Panasonic TX-P42G20B HD Fox-T2
This is the first Freeview HD TV on sale in the UK, more will follow soon.
- HD ready
- Full 1080p
- Over 100Hz
- Built in Humax Digital Fox-T2 Tuner with all Freeview channels
- Also a built in Freesat HD tuner
- Neo PDP with Black Filter
- VIERA Cast
- WiFi Ready (optional)
- Intelligent Frame Creation Pro
- Infinite Black (Dynamic & Native Contrast)
- Smart networking
- Display mercury and lead free
- Long panel life (up to 100,000 hours)
Positive aspects:
This television boasts some superb features and is part of the Panasonic VIERA G20 Plasma TV Series.
They
use advanced NeoPDP technology, delivering superior image quality.
All G20 models feature:
- 600Hz Sub-field Drive
- Intelligent Frame Creation Pro
- 1080 Lines Moving Picture Resolution
- Infinite Black (Native Contrast of 5,000,000:1)
- VIERA CAST
- VIERA Image Viewer for motion picture and music playback
- VIERA Link
Disappointing aspects:
We can't fault the TV - it is very impressive and comes from an established range of reliable technology, however for some of the same reasons mention about the Humax Fox-T2 it would be great to have a CI slot for extending the service to Top-up TV
Conclusion
A great piece of kit, but we are sure that soon the Humax Fox-T2 tuner will have features added for little or no affect on the price. If you are desperate to go Freeview HD or even the added bonus of Freesat which is also built into the model then this must is a great choice. However you could wait for other manufacturers of tuners to come up with their offerings and see what mix and match comes from the television manufacturers. You can purchase this model from Comet
- Price around £1,100.00
- Remember only two areas in the UK are able receive Freeview HD at present
Specifications
| Type |
Plasma |
| Size |
42 |
| Tuner |
| Terrestrial |
Digital HD Tuner |
| Satellite |
Freesat |
| EPG |
7 days |
| Record |
Yes - external HDD
via USB port (TBC) |
| Picture |
| Picture enhancement |
Vreal pro 5 |
| HD Ready |
yes |
| 1080HD |
1080p |
100Hz & over
|
yes |
| Response time |
0.001 ms |
| 24p Technology |
yes |
| Light Sensor |
yes |
| LED Technology |
no |
| Pixel resolution |
1920x1080 |
| Contrast ratio |
5000000:1 |
| Picture-in-picture |
no |
| Sound |
| Sound system |
Dolby digital |
| Audio power output |
(RMS) 20 watts |
| Connectivity |
| RGB SCART sockets |
2 |
| S-Video |
no |
| Component video |
yes |
| AV inputs |
yes |
| HDMI |
4 |
| Headphone |
yes |
| PCMCIA/CI Slot |
no |
| DLNA Technology |
yes |
| USB |
1 |
| HDMI |
4 |
| Physical specification |
| Size (W x H x D) |
102.9 x 69.3 x 30.8 (cm) |
| Weight(Net) |
1.42 kg |
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