Goodmans GHD8020F2 review

Goodmans' GHD8020F2 is the blandest-looking PVR in the group, but its unobtrusive silver chassis, green LCD and single standby button mean it should blend unnoticed into most living rooms.

The setup wizard asks whether your TV is standard or widescreen and then searches for digital broadcasts, quickly finding all the expected channels. The interface looks basic, with primary colours and a rather chunky font. It reacts quickly to button presses, though, and is easy to understand and navigate.

Channel changes are smooth, and now and next programme information is presented instantly. Alternatively, you can scroll through the now and next information for each channel using the arrow keys and select the channel you want with the OK button. It's a good idea that lets you find out what's on without having to open the EPG.

Although it's basic-looking, the timeline EPG can show two hours of programming for 11 channels at once, which is more than every PVR in the group can manage, apart from the almost identical Evesham PVR. There's no EPG video window, so you can't keep an eye on the current programme while you browse the EPG. You can schedule two recordings at once, and trying to schedule a third recording brings up a window that lets you sort out the conflict. While recording you can also watch previously recorded programmes.

The GHD8020F2's timeshifting mode is less impressive. It doesn't buffer automatically, so you have to press pause to get it started. Even if you are watching a scheduled recording you can't simply rewind to the beginning, as you can access buffered material only after the point at which you first paused. Timeshifting is impossible if you are recording two channels, even if you are trying to timeshift one of the channels you are recording. The search speed is limited to 32x, so it can take a while to scan through a long film to find the part you want to watch.

Its timeshifting mode isn't the most flexible of the PVRs in the group, but Goodmans' GHD8020F2 is still fairly capable. However, Evesham's DTR250 is almost identical, costs just £1 more and has a bigger hard disk.