Humax DTR-T1010 review

The Humax DTR-T1010 is the company’s second YouView box, but rather than something completely new it’s really just an external facelift of the excellent Humax YouView DTR-T1000 PVR.

Although the DTR-T1010 is a much better-looking PVR, thanks to the brushed-metal effect front panel, inside it’s effectively the same as the model it replaces, running the same YouView operating system. It’s certainly not aimed at existing Humax YouView owners then, but for anyone looking to buy a new Freeview HD PVR, there’s a whole lot to love about the DTR-T1010.

HARDWARE

For starters, it’s really well built and we love the look of the PVR and the way that the LCD screen shines through the metal-effect front panel. Once you’ve turned the box off, it also means that it looks a lot sleeker.

We love the new-look, with the brushed metal effect front looking making the DTR-T1010 look much sleeker than its glossy plastic predecessor

The DTR-T1010 was originally available in both 500GB (£249) and 1TB (£299) versions. However, the company has now added a massive 2TB model to the line, which could be ideal for real TV lovers.

As each box has identical features and specs otherwise, the choice of hard disk just comes down to how much TV yo want to record and how much you’re willing to spend.

According to Humax, you should get 125 hours of HD programming or 300 hours of standard definition programming on the the 500GB box; moving up to 250 hours of HD programming and 600 hours of SD on the 1TB box; and the 2TB model doubles that again, with up to 500 hours of HD programming and a whopping 1,200 hours of SD programming.

Price is also important to think about, with the 500GB box currently costing £229, the 1TB box costing £249 and the 2TB box £299. Based purely on price and capacity, the 1TB box is the best value, with the 2TB model a premium upgrade. That said, £299 for a 2TB set-top box certainly isn’t bad value and if you find yourself constantly running our of room on your PVR, this should be the model you choose.

At the rear are all of the usual connections you’d expect to find on a PVR, including a single RF-input for the dual Freeview HD tuners, HDMI out (Humax provides a cable), and composite and SCART outputs for older televisions, as well as an optical S/PDIF for audio.

All of the outputs you’d expect are on the back

As this is a YouView box, it’s essential that it’s connected to the internet to use all of the services. There’s only an Ethernet port provided (a cable’s provided) and there’s no way to hook up a wireless adaptor at the moment, even though there’s a USB port. If your router’s not close to your PVR, we recommend using HomePlug instead – possibly the TP-Link TL-PA511 AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adaptor Starter Kit for just £27 at present.

You get the same remote control as with the DTR-T1000, but that’s no bad thing. It’s well laid-out and the keys give plenty of feedback, so it’s responsive and easy to use.

The remote control is well designed and comfortable to use