Thomson DHD4000 user reviews

Liam Moloney 10 January 2007

Good: The large number of features, the great software updates which have improved the product further and the connectivity.

Bad: Limited storage space, and a lack of editing abilities

Comment: Apart from the small 40GB hard drive and the lack of editing options it seems to be pretty much perfect, i have had it now for about 8 months and apart from running out of space and it freezing up rarely, I love it. All the features you would want are there and the picture and sound are super.

chris rogers 30 December 2006

Good: Excellent software - receivers etc

Bad: Runs too hot - premature failure of electronics

Comment: Good design of software, epg and DVT receivers. No cooling fan for electronics - I know there is a fan under the hard disc. My box has just failed after two years.

Anonymous 8 November 2006

Bad: Its continuous crashing/freezing

Comment: Had one for about a month, but slowly it's been getting worse and crashing more and more often. I've set recordings and have come home to see that it's been frozen in standby all night and not recorded anything. I’ve had it actually record but then the recordings playback skipping and freezing like watching DVD streaming through a 28k modem. TV channels will regularly go black, requiring a re-power to see any picture. And this week's problem is that pressing play causes it to go black, requiring (as with most crashes) for it to be unplugged at the mains and re-started. Oh, and also, it takes about 40mins every night to update program guides (at which point it’s off and you can’t use it or watch any TV).

Anonymous 9 October 2006

Good: Easy to use

Bad: No component output

Comment: We bought it for less than £100 from Argos. I don't think they have any left. If an upgraded version with say HDMI or component output comes along we will be in the market. We have not found the hard drive size a problem.

Ken Bowen 5 August 2006

Good: Ease of use; quality of picture

Bad: Remote a little fiddly

Comment: I bought it for its two hard drivrs and found I probably have the best on the market, certainly for the price.

Monty Stewart 22 August 2005

Good: Straighforward recording, navigation and playback

Bad: Noisy, prone to crashes

Comment: I have two of these things one of which I've modded with a 120 GB hard disk which runs fine if a bit noisy. My second one crashes at least once a day by freezing up the screen and the only way to get it reset is to yank out the plug. It's a good cheap solution if it works if it doesn't your left wondering whether it was worth it to save a few pounds.

c dickson 2 June 2005

Good: Twin Tuners

Bad: Inefficient and noisy fan, small HDD.

Comment: Have all professional reviewers merely read the marketing literature ?
This is a great product, completely wasted by the sloppy way it has been bolted together. It runs hot and noisy due to inadequate noise absorption poor internal layout and cheap fan unit.
Could have been a contender!

Little Tyke 19 May 2005

Good: Dual tuners, possible integrated hard drive

Bad: It is a little boxy, and looks like a refugee from the 70's

Comment: OK, so it's a bit New Brutalist to look at (although it's not made of concrete), but this Thompson does the job. It's got dual tuners with a thirty minute buffer, which effectively means you can watch two TV programmes at once, or watch one and record the other. You can even throw caution to the winds and record two channels at the same time. It's got an intuitive EPG (cuts down on the faffing about time), and it's good at picking up a signal. So, apart from the fact that it looks like it could have been used in the Apollo space missions, this box gets the thumbs up.