Humax hopes silver box will make YouView shine

Humax DTR-T1010
New on the outside, same on the inside

Humax's new YouView box - the DTR-T1010 - replaces the original DTR-T1000, though it's purely a cosmetic overhaul. It has a new silver finish that looks a lot more premium than the plasticky T1000.

Inside, both boxes are the same. The T1010 will set you back the same as the T1000 did at launch too, with the 500GB model costing £300, and the 1TB £330. However, some shops have dropped the price of the T1000 since its launch in July, with the 500GB option costing £250, and the 1TB going for £300.

The T1010 will replace the T1000 in shops, so if you're after a bargain, you'd better get your skates on to catch the discounted model.

Weak high street sales

The T1010 is on sale now at John Lewis. Other retailers like Dixons will have stock later this month, Humax says.

YouView launched back in July. Sales in the high street are said to be pretty poor, but partner deals seem to be doing much better.

Recent figures show it has around 230,000 subscribers, and TalkTalk is reportedly seeing more than 10,000 new sign-ups every week.

YouView is a much cheaper alternative to Sky or Virgin, but even with catch-up services from the BBC, Channel 4 and the like, it still doesn't have as many options as others. It's early days yet though for Alan Sugar's service, and if the price of the boxes comes down it could really take off.

Stay tuned for a TechRadar review next week.

Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.