What Is A Freeview PVR?
Freeview PVR (Personal Video Recorder) is a way to allow you to receive Digital TV on your analogue TV. You receive free digital TV channels, plus radio and interactive services, through your aerial with no contract and just a one off payment for equipment.
It is very user friendly and allows you to pause live TV, and record shows on its built-in hard drives.
All Freeview PVRs have an in-built Freeview programme guide called EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), and you can just browse it and select things to record.
With a twin tuner, you can record one digital channel and record another and with some record two digital channels whilst watching a third.
Why Buy A Freeview PVR?
Well, I’ll review mine and you’ll know why.
Most Freeview PVRs do more or less similar things so I am going to review the Humax PVR-9150T because that is the Freeview PVR that I have myself and so know best. Humax is also renowned for its top quality feature filled dual tuner freeview recorders.
The Humax PVR-9150T Freeview PVR that I have was bought refurbished from the Humax website. It has:
- It is a Freeview+ Box with Simultaneous viewing of one channel and recording another channel
- It can simultaneously playback a previous recording and record 2 channels
- Has upto 100 hours of recording on an integrated 160GB HDD
- Has Picture In Picture (PIP) for viewing 2 programs on 1 screen
- Allows Pause & Play live TV (Time Shift Recording), rewind and fast forward
It has an Auto Timing feature where you don’t need to add extra minutes to the start and end of the programme,you just tell the box to record the exact programme (this is the default anyway). If the programme is delayed, advanced or otherwise re-scheduled, the Humax just records it at the new time.
You can also link your favourite series to record whenever they’re on.
One other feature is, that you can turn the subtitles on very easily and as I’m hard of hearing, I find this function very useful. It means that I don’t have to keep the telly on so loud at night.
I know it sounds weird to say that this little box has changed my life, but it has! No more having to wait for the ad break in order to go to the loo or get a drink. You fit TV viewing around your life rather than the other way around.
I would definitely recommend getting a Freeview PVR – I absolutely love it and would not do without it.
