HUMAX Aura Android TV 4K Freeview Play Recorder with Google Assistant and Chromecast - 2TB

My old You View box that I bought refurbished keeps resetting and I’ve lost my recordings several times. I originally replaced with a Manhattan Box. That was a mistake and I returned it. The Manhattan box felt inferior and dates and functionality is nowhere near as good as the /YouView. For example, you can’t download apps for streaming so keep having to switch back to tv and the menu was clunky. The new Humax feels like an old friend in new clothes and whilst it can’t quite match a subscription TiVo Box, it does a very good impression! I’m am happy with 2tb of recording space too. Menu layout on TV is a bit different but not too much to get used to. You can download apps via the Play store and get all the usual streaming apps, with the exception of Netflix. That’s a shame but I can deal with one tv switch. Voice control is a nice touch. It was easy to set up and so I’d recommend paying a bit more and buying the Humax. As an aside, when I bought the Manhattan, I found it was missing some essential wires (like an Ethernet and aerial cable) that I then had to buy. Whereas, the Humax came with them all. It really is the best hard drive tv recorder out there that doesn’t come with a hefty monthly subscription to pay. With this, you can choose to pay for extra if you want it but with 177 free channels plus on demand, I can only see sports fans and movie buffs maybe wanting the extra

Bought as a replacement for a Virgin Tivo box. As long as you already have a good freeview ariel this is brilliant. You will master the remote fairly quickly (also has codes to control basic TV functions). Does everything a Virgin Tivo box does:-Record up to 4 channels (SD) and play one.Record 2 HD channels (HD) and play one.Upscales to 4K via HDMI ARC port - supports Dolby and DTS.Has Optical Audio out as well.Record Series just like Virgin Tivo.Watch from start on BBC channels via BBC iPlayer.Connects to storage (NAS and USB).App (android) lets you programme and watch recorded programmes on other devices.You can set remote to operate volume on Aura box or TV. (I set to TV so whatever I watch I can control volume universally).Lots of other stuff thats great as well - has all of the apps BBC/ITV/Ch4/All5/UKTV/Amazon Prime etc. Really pleased.Only drawback is that it does not have a dedicated Netflix app. However most smart TV's have that built in anyway as mine does. Also there are forums that say it maybe added in a later update.

In comparison to the stunningly good Virgin Media STB, the Aura is acceptable. It kind-of does everything you'd expect. It was pleasing to discover that both the initial annoyances were resolved in the settings.There is one significant disappointment - lack of options on series recording. One week on and It's already missed a recording because a program was broadcast on a different channel. And you cannot specify a series number to start from.As well as that, even after tweaking the program guide display settings, it is still significantly less usable than the VM box. Text clarity is on the poor side, there is no program summary as you move around guide, and titles are often truncated.Overall it's a worthwhile device.

This is the second one I have purchased. I got if for my Mum, as I was impressed with mine. Picture and sound quality is superb. Easy to use too.

I needed a replacement for an old Humax HDR-FOX T2 which had provided excellent service for more than 10 years. Naturally, I viewed the Aura, especially with its three tuners, and considered to be a good and more modern replacement.Upon connecting it up the Aura it immediately downloaded a system update which was a bit surprising because the last update was 6 months ago. There were a few minor niggles immediately apparent, such as the guide not fully populating etc. The system development was a bit “rough” - but not a job-stopper, at least for me.After using the Aura for a few hours it became apparent that COM7 (channel 55) was suffering from intermittent but very severe pixelation and sound drop-outs. All other multiplexes were OK. I checked the COM7 reception on the HDR-Fox T2 and it was perfect and at the same moments in time, as were four TV’s all fed from the same aerial system. The signal quality reading was jumping about wildly, anywhere between 0 and 100% when the picture was pixelating. Normally it showed 100%. The signal strength also varied, but nowhere near as much, and was normally about 80%. At this point I suspected that the unit had a manufacturing fault and consequently returned it as being “faulty”.I obtained an identical replacement, but that was exactly the same. This unit had the same fault, which was now most likely to be a RF tuner design shortcoming.COM7 is a national multiplex broadcast from transmitters all on the same frequency – channel 55. It is a Single Frequency Network (SFN), and provided the time difference is within acceptable limits the signals from different transmitters combine and reinforce the reception. If the time difference is too large they interfere and cause data to be lost and hence the pixelation. In my location I can receive COM7 from at least 3 different transmitters and the signal levels from them naturally vary with changing atmospheric conditions, leading to the intermittent drop-outs. The problem was at its worst around the time of sunset and sunrise. It was concluded that the Aura tuners perform very poorly and are not capable of reliable SFN reception in all conditions.So, beware of buying an Aura if you live in an area where COM7 can be received from different transmitters – it may not work reliably. Many other owners have also reported pixelation and reception issues with the Aura. Clearly, the tuners are “weak”.Following these problems I gave up on Humax and bought a Manhattan T3-R which receives COM7 without any problems and has never showed any sign of any reception problems.

This product has to date proved to be an excellent addition to our home.

The DTV reciever is weak lots of break up even with a new aerial. Re-boots randomly and locks up quite often. Does support lots of steaming apps and has the ability to record so you can skip those annoying adds. The lack of Netflix is strange. AFAIK probably the most complete PVR on the market but let down by too many bugs.takes too long to boot up especially as this happens a lot.

Performs extremely well, recording TV channels and keeping the recordings organised and available indefinitely. Well worth the money!