TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
3D interface
- +
Hi-def pictures
- +
BBC iPlayer service
- +
Common Interface slot
Cons
- -
SD pictures from Freeview
- -
Flimsy remote
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Most new brands dip a foot in the UK consumer market, but Advanced Digital Broadcast's (ADB) debut product is full-throttle Freeview HD – and with BBC iPlayer to boot, the i-CAN Easy HD 2851T is a mighty tempting piece of kit on paper.
Smaller and lighter than other Freeview HD boxes we've tested, the i-CAN also sports an unusual look; the typical black box is replaced by a rounded white fascia that's interrupted only by a smoked black plastic swatch that curves around the entire product, hiding a small display and a Common Interface slot.
The latter could be especially useful given Top-Up TV's ambitions to offer Sky Sports channels in the near future.
As well as being Pay TV-ready, the i-CAN pushes its 'hybrid box' claims by offering direct delivery of the BBC iPlayer. Come the end of 2010, most Freeview HD boxes will be able to offer iPlayer after a software upgrade (all of them have an Ethernet LAN port as standard), but ADB has developed its own swish and simple interface to put the i-CAN ahead of the curve.
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