Humax PVR-9300T review

Long-awaited follow-up twin-tuner PVR delivers the goods

Humax
The 9300T oozes user-friendliness across the board

TechRadar Verdict

It may have been a long time coming, but this Humax is a slick, easy-to-use and flexible twin-tuner offering exceptionally good value for money

Pros

  • +

    Ease of use

  • +

    Great picture quality

  • +

    Unusual features

  • +

    Flexibility

  • +

    Good remote control

Cons

  • -

    USB function removed

  • -

    Glitchy edits

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Humax's incredible PVR-9200T raised the bar for twin-tuner PVRs when it launched back in 2005, and as a result, the follow-up has been more eagerly awaited than the Second Coming in some quarters.

Well, the wait is over with the launch of this model, which hopefully builds on the brilliance of its predecessor.

For a start, the design is leaner and more compact, with a snazzy black finish and an improved display panel that clearly shows the entire channel name and time.

The PVR-9300T is the first Humax model to sport an HDMI able to output 576p and 720p, although not 1080i. But the big socketry mystery is the USB port.

We hoped this would allow transfer of recordings to a PC for editing, or MP3 and JPEG files to the hard disk as per the 9200T, but sadly the port was redundant on our unit. Humax says this non-functional oddity will eventually be removed, as users apparently don't regard USB as a key feature.

Sharp, well-defined and richly coloured pictures are the order of the day through the HDMI output, thanks largely to the unit's effortless 720p upscaling of live TV pictures.

Considering the Humax PVR-9300T's wealth of talents and its price, it offers better value for money than its Topfield rival. Performance is first class, it's easy to use and it delivers its wealth of features with a slickness missing from most Freeview PVRs on the market. Buy one.