Humax HB-1000S

91% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Generous features ; Slick freetime EPG and menus ; Superb HD pictures

Wi-Fi not built-in ; Limited non-Freesat mode ; Plasticky fascia

Elsewhere the Humax can upscale any channel to 1080p and is compatible with Dolby Digital Plus.

Slick catch-up ; Good user interface ; Elegant design ; Video streaming ; Excellent image quality and upscaling

A bit ugly ; Poor TV portal ; Pretty much unusable in non-Freesat STB mode

Ultimately, the HB-1000S should be considered a modestly fabulous alternative to pay-TV propositions from the likes of Sky, Virgin Media et al as well as Freesat's own PVRs. It's just the ticket for those looking for a low price way to shed the yoke of...

Easy to use Free Time platform ; Fully integrated on-demand ; Excellent media playback

Would have looked better white ; Limited TV Portal content

Good quality image, high-def (where applicable), easy setup, Free Time catch-up an elegant solution, keen price, faster EPG navigation than some competition

Need a dish for live TV, slow start-up from cold, no Wi-Fi (wired only), lacks premium channels (as expected), inexplicable dish/connection outage can occur

The Humax HB-1000S could be your perfect, cost-effective home solution for free live TV. If you happen to have a satellite dish in place - or you could install one if Freesat tempts you enough - then this affordable box is simple to setup and delivers...

Versatile Free Time functionality; well-featured USB recording ability; multimedia playback; small form factor

Single tuner limits recording; Wi-Fi not built-in; TV Portal needs more worthwhile apps

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...

The Humax HB-1000S box is rather nondescript in appearance. Compact in size with dimensions of 200 x 155 x 30 mm (W x D x H), the metal box is well perforated with punch holes on the top and slots along the sides and base of the unit. An on/off button...

The Humax HB-1000S may not offer recording to a hard disk, but it's a very low-cost way to access Freesat, and includes the latest catch-up TV services and the benefit of home networking. While you can plug in a USB storage device for recording, if...

the best tv programme guide I have ever used. Far superior to the Panasonic one I have used for several years.

Not available with its own inbuilt DVD copying facility, i.e. to copy onto a DVD that can be viewed on another TV set.