HUMAX FVP-5000T 2 TB Freeview Play HD TV Recorder - Carbon Black

Product Information

The discontinuation of the Humax FVP-5000T marks the end of an era for a device that was once a go-to choice for Freeview recording. This recording function works for shows up to eight days in advance, since that’s around when the EPG runs up until. Since you can set an entire series to record you don’t generally need to see beyond a week anyway. But, again, setting lots to record isn’t really something you need to consider, since the three-tuner-toting box can record up to three channels at the same time while you’re watching another. So you may find yourself hitting record more often than you used to. It really is addictively easy. Humax FVP-5000T: Multi-room and beyond As quiet as it is speedy, the box makes 1080p content look sharp, but comes into its own when you have a 4K HDR TV, as both picture technologies are supported. It's limited to the YouTube app to deliver HDR content at the moment, but it is future proofed at least for when the terrestrial TV providers start offering the content. The large 2TB hard drive will store up to 1000 hours of standard TV (SD) or up to 500 hours of high definition TV (HD) The box does show a full guide to the Freeview services but occasionally, totally inexplicably, shows chunks of 'No Information'. Note: Other TVs, including the one on the end of the loop-through show full guide with no gaps so not a signal issue.

Record up to 4 programmes at the same time you watch a 5th with the choice of three hard drive sizes However, Manhattan is planning to launch two new Freeview boxes soon, the T4 and T4-R, although their release has been delayed.

Goodbye, FVP-5000T

Setup couldn’t be easier. Plug the aerial in, power in and HDMI to your TV and everything is set to go. Then you just follow a simple on-screen guide, which automatically searches for TV channels over your aerial connection and lets you connect to your local Wi-Fi network. That’s it. The whole process took no more than five minutes for us, with no techy knowledge necessary. If you know all your TV channel numbers off by heart, good for you; although perhaps that’s a sign that you need to get out more. For those of us without the memory of Rain Man, there is a handy Guide button to see the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) on screen. This lays out the live TV on offer in an easy-to-see format, with what’s on now, what’s coming up and – if you tap left – what you’ve missed. Humax has had great success with its What Hi-Fi? Award-winning FVP-5000T set-top box and, four years into its life, a replacement was long overdue when the Aura launched in 2020. For both specs and looks, the Aura was the upgrade we had been waiting for. However, Humax has assured us that the device should be more widely available again in approximately two weeks. Goodbye, FVP-5000T

Connections include an HDMI, optical digital audio output, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB ports (one 3.0, the other 2.0), plus terrestrial aerial loopthrough. Wi-Fi is 2.4GHz/5GHz dual-band. Bookmarks sadly have not been implemented for several generations of Humax boxes. Nor are they available on any current Freeview+ box. The device was also an early adopter of Freeview Play, seamlessly integrating live TV with catch-up and on-demand services. Humax FVP-5000TEverything I posted is correct. I know the interface very well. I am a computer programmer and have a PhD in a programming/GUI related field so I know my onions. For the money, you get a lot of features to boost your evening of telly viewing. Plus, considering the complexity of those features, Humax has somehow delivered a really simple system to use. The FVP-5000T offers a great blend of good looks, ease of navigation, breadth of content and modern accessibility. While the Aura is spot on for sound, we still recommend that you buy the cheaper but still brilliant Humax FVP-5000T while you still can, and add a Google Chromecast with Google TV if you also want streaming. The experience won’t feel much more split than the Aura already does but, more importantly, the smart offering will be more complete and a little better for picture quality too. Another nice touch is the “Smart” HD switching and recording. If you’re watching (or recording) an SD channel that also has an HD version, the device will offer you, on-screen, to jump to the HD version. A good, dedicated Freeview box, like the FVP-5000T, gives you a range of features not available on a telly. You can record programmes onto the internal hard drive (and choosing what to record is super-easy, using the electronic TV guide), you can even set it to record a full series and it’ll get recorded automatically every time a new episode airs.

That “smooth” experience is hampered a bit by the slow interface – something I really wish Humax would fix in the future – but not enough to stop me from recommending the device. If you don’t want to splash out on another box, or don’t need one then the app can help. The Humax Live TV app lets you watch content via your box. This uses the aerial to feed the signal into the box then sends it to your connected device on the same network via Wi-Fi. A pretty seamless way to watch shows on another device. When out of the house this same app is a handy way to access your box to set recordings, but be warned it won’t let you watch live. With 3 tuners record up to 4 programmes simultaneously whilst watching a 5th. With smart recording never miss a recording, the guide will suggest alternative recording times avoiding recording clashes. Simply navigate to a show in the EPG, select it and you’re then given the option to either record the show, record the entire series or set a reminder. Since the box comes with options of a hefty 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, you’ll probably end up setting everything to record, just in case. That said, so much is available on demand that you can always watch that way if you forget to set a recording.

Humax FVP-5000T: Setup and installation

The first is brand. Looking at the brand of the product is often a really good indicator for judging product quality. For example you’d expect a much higher quality product from a brand known for providing excellent quality than you would from an unknown or even a budget brand. Another cool place where this integration is evident is when you’re watching a live show that’s also available via a streaming app. So for example, I’ll stumble across Doctor Who20 minutes after it had started – and the FVP-5000T will offer to start the show from the beginning – by loading it up directly from BBC iPlayer.

Should you misplace the zapper, there are on-body touch controls for power, volume and channel selection. The Aura isn't up to Humax's normal high standards. I have loved Humax's FreeSat and then the previous via-ariel Freeview versions of this set-top box for the last 14 years and upgraded last year. This has been nothing but buggy and irritating. Re your other issues, suggest you visit the MyHumax faq threads for the 4000/5000T (including how to display the programme info). A casual observer might think the humble Freeview timeshifting business had given up the ghost with the trend toward streaming and ubiquitous catch-up TV. The development of new PVRs has been driven by premium Pay TV operators, leaving those that have cut their monthly subscription contracts to squabble over simpler streaming boxes. BBC iPlayer, All4, Demand 5, UK TV Player, CBS Catchup, Legend, Pop Player, BBC Sounds, STV Player, Netflix, YouTubeSince the Humax FVP-5000T can record three shows at once while playing another live, you can enjoy multi-room viewing in two rooms at once, minus the fight for the remote. Partner the H3 with any Humax Freeview Play PVR and stream recorded content and live TV via the PVR’s hard drive utilising its 3 tuner capacity. Thanks to its powerful boxes offering responsive interfaces where other similar competition slows to a crawl, Manhattan has made a name for itself in the set-top box space. Dive into YouTube and Under The Red Sea in 4K SDR also looks lush, with vivid colours and scads of detail in both fish and coral reef.