However, as a Freeview HD box it is compatible with the terrestrial service’s slow-moving IPTV machinations. Journey to the distant end of the programme guide and you’ll find streaming ‘net channels in slots 110 to 115. While several of these have yet to be activated, both China 24 (aka CCTV) and Sports Tonight are live.
Menu options
The BBC iPlayer is also accessible, albeit from the Red Button menu on the standard definition version of BBC One. Although ostensibly a Red Button service, it requires the deck to be on-line to work.
This convolution aside, the deck is a doddle to use. It employs a generic Freeview HD EPG and recordings appear under the Title List tag. Naturally, as the DVR is Freeview HD enabled, any recording request prompts an immediate offer to timeshift in hi-def if the show is available. There’s also provision for series linking.
Recordings listing
While there’s no video media playback from USB, the deck’s media reader can display JPEGs and play MP3s, albeit without album art. You can also move this content from USB onto the deck’s hard drive, allowing the SVR-HDT1000 to function as a media jukebox.
Once you’ve done this, you can filter hard drive content by category, helpful when you begin to max out drive space. Recorded image quality is true to source; I noted no recording-induced artefacts. Hi-def programmes look beautiful, with plenty of fine detail in evidence.
No frills but fuss-free
Not only can you move music and photo content onto the drive, you can also export recordings off. This ability to archive from the HDD is most welcome. Not only does it guarantee you’ll never run out of room, you can also bank entire seasons of shows on external drives, which could save a few bob on Blu-ray boxsets down the road. There are caveats, of course. Recordings are made using the XFS file system and remain locked to the deck they originally came from.
Verdict
Overall, the SVR-HDT1000 can be considered an accomplished Freeview HD TV+ recorder. It may lack some of the connected frippery and complexity of its rivals, but it’s eminently usable, refreshingly quiet, and pleasingly versatile. ®
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Sony SVR-HDT1000 Freeview+ HD DVR
COMMENTS
Geek users?
LOL. Some (highly technical and computer literate) people work for a living, and can't be dicking about with patching their TVs when they get home. Or just want something the kids or (computer illiterate) wife can switch on from standby. This box is pretty good at that (I have the 500Mb version). It could do with DNLA or access to the same services that the Sony BD has, but it does the job it does very well.
God I hate people who describe themselves as geeks just because they can load Ubuntu onto a PC and call it a PVR.
Actually locked recordings are mandatory for Freeview HD
"Archive to an external disk, but locked to the box? That's understandable for pay-TV subscription channels, but unacceptable for Freeview."
It is mandatory for any Freeview HD product to apply copy controls as signalled at least to the HD content. The simple way of doing this that many boxes choose is to encrypt the content with a device specific key. Often they do this with an encrypted partition or taking over the whole disc but they could do it on a file basis. I think many consumers would find it very confusing being able to do some content but not others and the rules aren't completely simple anyway.
"31watts, with an external wallwart PSU? More hot clunky clutter behind the TV."
Also 31W isn't that much for a dual DVB-T2 tuner plus HD decode plus writing two HD streams to disc plus reading one stream from disc which will be the only time that the maximum power is taken. I for one would prefer the wall wart generating the heat behind the TV than it being internal and making the cabinet hotter.
"No DVD or Blu-ray player, no video media playback from USB?."
They have those products if you want them but this isn't it.
"And they want £350? I'l pass."
The price does seem a high at £350 but a quick Google shows that Richer Sounds are selling it at £280 although I would go for the £220 500GB model.
Disclaimer: Ex-Sony Product Planner, didn't work directly on these products but know people who did.
PS3 PVR ?
No thanks
It would mess up my after tea gaming while recording Great British Railway Journeys.
Exactly what I thought
I can only assume that Sony expect people to believe they'd get better results from something with the word Sony written on it than from something with the word Humax written on it. Which I doubt is true nowadays.
Still, as an avowed cheapskate (spend more than £600 on a TV? Are you kidding?) I'm not exactly the target market.
