Humax HDR-FOX T2 review

There are a few problems which prevent the HDR-FOX T2 winning an award, however. One is the poor screen, which is almost illegible unless you’re very close to the box. Previous blue screens were better, but the dim orange/red display here is too small, dim and cluttered. A more serious gripe is the relatively disappointing upscaling of standard definition broadcasts. Compared with an old PVR-9200T using RGB scart, the HDR-FOX T2’s image on BBC News is softer and text looks fuzzier. Of course, quality is partially down to the TV’s upscaling capabilities, but since the HDR-FOX T2 doesn’t switch between 576i and 1080p when you change channels, you have to leave it at 1080p for the HD channels and rely on its upscaling for SD channels.

Although we like the remote control, the playback buttons (above the coloured buttons) are very small compared to older models and, finally, there are no editing facilities to chop recordings to keep only the portion you want. This means extra storage space is used up.

On the whole, the HDR-FOX T2 compares well with Virgin and Sky’s boxes, so if you’re desperate for HD and don’t want a subscription, this is the best choice. It’s still very expensive, but it’s worth the premium over other Freeview HD PVRs.