PVR
and multimedia
Recordings
can be scheduled by pressing record while watching, from the EPG, banner or the
Showcase and Search menus. You're asked if you want to record a series and,
should a clash occur, can opt to record the next available showing. You can
also apply start and end padding times either side.
As
mentioned, you can record one channel at a time and if both are on the same
transponder (BBC One HD and BBC Two HD, for example) watch - and timeshift -
one while recording the other. An automatic timeshift buffer lasting up to 30
minutes kicks in when you switch to a channel and - providing you're not
recording another - you can hit record to store timeshifted TV as a permanent
recording.
We
could record while playing a recording, using players (with the exception of
ITV Player), YouTube and Humax's TV Portal or playing/ streaming media files.
You
can watch a recording while it's taking place, resume watching where you left
off previously and protect them from deletion. Recordings and timeshifted TV
can be rewound and fast-forwarded at up to 32x normal speed or you can skip
around for short periods of time with the help of a progress bar.
The
TV players also appear in an On Demand menu where you'll also find a slick
version of YouTube.
The
box can also play numerous media files located on USB drives or networked
storage devices. MP3, XviD, MKV and JPEG are among the list of formats
supported, but while the box detected our networked Windows 7 PC and Western
Digital NAS drive, it wouldn't stream some of our MKV files.
Humax's
TV Portal is a less impressive bonus with Flickr, Picasa and Wikipedia among
the best known of an otherwise underwhelming selection of web-delivered apps.
Performance
The
HB-1000S generates decent if not exceptional-looking pictures. Though it won't
transform the often poor-quality output broadcast by the likes of VIVA, SD TV
upscaled via HDMI is reasonably smooth looking. Hi-def TV looks sharp and
detailed and audio sounds good too, especially when using the optical output
Verdict
It
may be limited when used as a recorder, but the Freetime and multimedia
playback features, support for non-Freesat channels and overall performance
make the HB-1000S an attractive purchase.
The
planned addition of multi-room slave functionality further strengthens its
appeal.
Features ·
Price: $166.95 ·
No LNB inputs: 1
·
LNB Loopthrough:
No ·
Selectable FEC:
Yes ·
Symbol rate
range: 2000-45000 ·
CAM: None ·
Common
Interface: None ·
Teletext: DVB
decoded ·
EPG support:
Freesat 8-day ·
Timer: No ·
Hard drive: No
(USB drive required) ·
Catch-up TV/VoD:
BBC iPlayer; ITV Player; 4oD; Demand 5; YouTube ·
Media playback:
Via USB/ network ·
UHF modulator
tuning: No ·
Software
upgrade: Over-the-air ·
Data ports: 2x
USB 2.0.Ethernet ·
AV outputs ·
SD out:
Composite video ·
HD out: HDMI ·
Audio out: HDMI;
stereo phonos; optical digital audio
|
