Humax HB-1000S review

The Humax HB-1000S is a compact Freesat HD set-top box that lets you view catch-up TV programmes through its regular electronic programme guide (EPG), stream media from media servers on your network and make use of its many online services, such as YouTube.

It doesn’t have a built-in hard drive to which you can record TV programmes, but you can attach a USB drive and record to that. Sadly, the HB-1000S only has one Freesat tuner, so you won’t be able to record a programme to an attached drive while watching another. Even so, with a drive attached you’ll be able to pause and rewind live TV and use it like a regular PVR in every other respect.

Setting up the HB-1000S is a simple affair. You simply attach a HDMI cable, Ethernet cable and the lead from your satellite faceplate. When you first switch on the HB-1000S you’re walked through the setup procedure. The setup screens are structured for clarity and instructions are easy to understand, so there’s no confusion about what you’re being asked to do.

The screens ask you to select the picture options for your screen, such as resolution, aspect ratio and so on, and enter your postcode to receive the correct ITV and BBC channels for your location. An onscreen keyboard makes entering your postcode a quick and easy process, and you can also use the remote control’s number pad to enter your postcode in the same manner as you’d write a text message on an old mobile phone.

The entire process takes only a few minutes, if that, and afterwards you’re ready to watch Freesat HD TV. The HB-1000S uses the excellent Humax interface and EPG seen on more expensive models such as the HDR-1000S. It’s mostly quick and responsive, with just the odd hesitation. It’s a very high quality interface that looks superb whether you’re browsing for a programme, searching through a recording or finding an online service.

To find a programme you can either use the full EPG, which also shows the channel you’re currently watching so that you don’t miss anything, search for a programme using an onscreen keyboard or use the Now and Next function. The image quality is great, even if you’re watching standard definition channels. Unfortunately, there are only five Full HD channels available at present, but hopefully more will be added in the future as more channels join the service.

ONLINE SERVICES
The HB-1000S has a truly comprehensive set of online services, and not just the generous complement of catch-up TV services that include BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD and Demand 5. You also get YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, Teletext Holidays and portals for OK!, the Daily Express and the Daily Star.

You can use the HB-1000S’s EPG to view programmes you’ve missed, but it’s good to browse for shows using the specific catch-up TV apps, especially the 4oD app, which lets you browse collections of programmes that you won’t see on the EPG. The other services, such as the news portals and photo sites, are pleasant additions rather than must-have features.

MEDIA STREAMING
The HB-1000S lets you stream movies, music and photos from the media servers it locates on your network, such as your NAS or your router. Sadly, the high bit rate Full HD video we streamed from our NAS proved too jerky to watch. We have no trouble streaming Full HD videos to our smart TV and PlayStation 3, so the problem is not with the NAS or the network connection. However, we had no trouble viewing lower bit rate 720p and standard-definition videos. The HB-1000S played our WMVHD, MOV, H.264, MKV, MPEG4 and Xvid HD videos, but wouldn’t play our DivX HD video.

Music played and streamed from our NAS to the HB-1000S perfectly, with the interface showing a progress bar, time elapsed and time remaining as well as a large list of other tracks in the folder. You can move the tracks to create your own playlist, remove tracks from the playlist, repeat the track, repeat the playlist and shuffle tracks. The Humax HB-1000S gives you a comprehensive set of music playing options, so if, like us, you regularly stream music through your TV you’ll love this feature.

You can select individual photos from a list in a folder, but once you’ve selected an image the HB-1000S will play the rest of the images in the folder as a slideshow by default. You can pause on a particular photo and easily navigate through previous and upcoming photos.

It’s a shame it won’t play Full HD video smoothly, because otherwise the media streaming features of the HB-1000S are fantastic. It’s worth noting that you can also play media from attached USB drives, which is handy if you have your media stored a USB drive rather than network-attached storage. Curiously, our DivX file played perfectly from an attached USB drive. We had no trouble playing Full HD videos either.

CONCLUSION

The Humax HB-1000S may be inexpensive, but the Freesat HD set-top box packs lots of features into its small frame, with a comprehensive and well-performing set of local and online media playing features. We’d prefer two LNB inputs so that we can record one programme to an attached USB drive while watching another. However, in all other respects it’s a brilliant device that sit brilliantly next to a second TV set in the kitchen or bedroom.

Indeed, we’ve seen dedicated media streamers with fewer catch-up TV services and less pleasing user interfaces than HB-1000S that cost not much less than the HB-1000S, and they don’t let you watch regular TV. If you want a set-top box with twin tuners and a built-in hard drive for recording programmes and rewinding live TV, then consider the Humax HDR-1000S for around £200. However, if you already have a PVR or Sky+, and are looking for an additional device for your home, the Humax HB-1000S is fantastic value.