Manhattan T2-R 500 GB Freeview HD Recorder - Black

Product Information

Because of their determination to get this sorted, "it's our top priority to understand & resolve as reliable timers are a must for a PVR", I'm willing to persevere with the box for now . Connecting the T3-R to the internet is essential for using its FreeviewPlay and streaming features, and that can be done either with an Ethernet cable (connected directly to your router or via a Powerline Adapter) or via WiFi (802b/g/n). If your device is located far away from your router, you might want to look into a WiFi range booster.

It has now frozen several times and has to be disconnected and twice started to flash the picture on & off with a warning the hard drive was full. It wasn't as I clear the trash out once a week and at the time had no recordings to view or any set to record, disconnecting it fixed that! Freeview offers around 70 standard definition (SD) channels, 15 high definition (HD) channels and more than 30 radio channels (depending on your location). Already have an aerial? This is the option we’d recommend. Good quality TV set-top boxes give you access to a wide range of free-to-air digital channels – or to subscription channels through Sky or Virgin – and will let you record them to catch up later. That’s helpful if you’re a Wimbledon fan but the kids want to watch something else. Do note that recording a series depends on its correct tagging by the people behind the Freeview EPG. Occasionally, they mis-tag shows, and episodes from a series you’re recording might get skipped. Thankfully, the T3-R is smart enough to know that an episode is missing, and IF there’s another airing of that episode at a different date (AND it’s tagged correctly), the device will try to record it again. It’s also really worthwhile spending the time to look at the key differences between the two products. For that you can use our comparison table about which looks at the main features of both products to give you a clear idea of where one product perhaps benefits over another. When comparing the two it’s a really good idea to have an idea in your mind of the key features that you need from your Set top boxes as this will help you to narrow down the products that do or don’t meet your criteria.

Best Budget Freeview Recorders

Programmes deleted and emptied from the Trash could not be re-recorded and any repeats were indicated as already recorded.

The Automatic Service Update (ASU) previously took place every time the T2-R entered standby. It now takes place only once overnight. One exception is the Google Play/YouTube workaround I mentioned, so you can also buy 4K films on Google Play – and watch them here, in 4K, via the YouTube app.The T2•R can also be manually set to a resolution in the Picture & Sound section of the Settings menu. This could cause an issue if you set a resolution (e.g. 1080p), then move the T2•R to another TV that doesn't support that resolution.

And now – the T3-R, which combines ALL these features in one very affordable device. So at this point, if you’re looking for a Freeview box, I would say the real decision is whether you want something cheap and basic – like the T1 – or a full-featured box that will upgrade your Freeview experience, like the T3-R. Live TV App, when installed on a mobile device and paired with the FVP-5000T when in the home, provides a multi-room solution for viewing TV in another room. While most Freeview channels are still unfortunately in Standard Definition, there are 15 HD channels – so if you set a recording of an SD show that also has an HD version on the equivalent channel, the TR-2 will automatically record the HD version, which is a nice touch. When a partial or failed series recording is re-recorded by the T2•R, the original recording will be deleted, unless it is in the process of being viewed. The neatness, clarity and responsiveness of the T2-R's everyday user interface is worth praising. It's driven by a decent handset that can also operate many TVs.As of this writing – almost two years after the original review – this is still the best Freeview experience you can get, assuming you’re interested in content from Freeview channels, and are willing to pay the one-time price of the device. Plus, Manhattan keeps adding features with free software updates, so that’s another benefit. When the box is turned on, observe that the Hard Drive ready message is displayed briefly on the screen during booting. Please allow time to finish Loading Hard Drive & Recording Features, as the time taken to complete depends on the data stored on the HDD.If and when it doesn't finish loading (after 10min) only then try the power reset option It was not possible to set an instant recording on a channel immediately after using an MHEG red button service on that channel. It was still possible to record from the Channel Banner or TV Guide. Automatic trash removal now takes place in Standby. Previously this would take place after boot-up and could slow the system down if there was a lot to remove. The interface is beautiful and most importantly – fast. The “smart” recording features are useful, and navigating your recordings is easy. Picture quality is great, but – as always – depends a lot on your aerial reception.