Humax PVR-9300T

Hello there, I'm Ian Morris and this is the Humax 9300T, a Freeview+ PVR with a 320GB built in hard-drive, and a brilliant set of features to make sure you never miss another episode of Top Gear again. Unlike brilliant online video, sucky regular TV tends to happen at a specific time on a specific day, which can be annoying if you're busy shinning up a mountain or running a marathon. With the 9300 though, you can record any TV programme by pressing a few buttons. With Freeview+, you don't even need to worry if the time of the programme changes at the last minute, because the recorder gets updates from the broadcaster and won't start recording until the right moment. You also get features like series link, which allows you to record every episode of a TV show, pretty much at the touch of a button. There is also a picture in picture mode, that you might find useful if you want to keep an eye on the news while watching X Factor. As you might have noticed, the 9300 is also pretty good looking. On the front there is a display that tells you what channel you're tuned to. The whole front of the machine looks incredibly stylish in fact. There are a couple of bits that are concealed by a drop-down cover. One has a slot for a TopUpTV card, the other has some basic controls for those times when you can't lay your hand on the remote control. Speaking of the remote control – here it is. Not exactly gorgeous is it? Nevertheless, it's easy to use, the buttons are large enough for even the most sausage fingered to have no problem with them and the more advanced controls are kept hidden beneath a sliding cover here at the bottom. At the back you get the usual inputs and outputs for aerial leads. There is also an HDMI socket on this model, which is a huge improvement over previous Humax PVRs. This means that you will get the best possible digital picture on your HD TV. The Humax even claims to upscale Freeview to 720p. Of course, the reality is that standard definition TV is never going to look great on a big-screen TV, but that's hardly Humax's fault. You also get digital and analogue audio out and the usual pair of SCART sockets. As far as picture and sound quality go, both are excellent. The whole machine is a doddle to set-up and use. The menus aren't the most beautiful we've ever seen, but they are functional and straightforward enough for all but the most technophobic to get on fine with them. The EPG is straightforward too, and we found ourselves recording a lot of rubbish, just because we could. If we had one criticism of this machine, it would be the noise it produces, mainly from the fan built into the back. With PVRs some noise is inevitable, but with the 9300, we actually think it’s loud enough to distract you when you're watching TV. We may have an unusually loud one here, so have a check before you buy to be absolutely sure you can live with it. I'm Ian Morris for CNET UK and this is the Humax 9300T