Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/07/03/review_hd_sagemcom_rti90_320_t2_hd/
Sagemcom RTI90-320 Freeview+ HD recorder
Rare breed
Posted in Personal Tech, 3rd July 2010 08:02 GMT
Review Since Freeview HD hit the terrestrial airwaves late last year a decent selection of standalone receivers and TVs has gradually become available but only now are retailers starting to shift the first DVRs. The not so snappily-named RTI90-320 T2 HD is the first Freeview HD product from Sagemcom, formerly part of French telecommunications mega-brand Sagem.
Sagemcom's RTI90-320: a 500GB version is also available
Selling for a tidy sum, this 320GB model can store 180 hours of HD programming, whilst a step-up 500GB version, the RTI90-500 T2 HD, will soon be available for around £300. Pricey these boxes may be, but we’re still sailing firmly in early adopter waters so there’s little chance of prices falling for a while yet. Nor, sadly, can you expect to find much in the way of bonus features beyond standard DVR capability.
The spec offers no surprises with one-touch recording, pause and rewind for live TV, an 8-day EPG with series link, favourite channel lists, DVB subtitles and Teletext. Connectivity is basic too with one HDMI 1.3 output, one Scart, an electrical digital audio output, stereo audio phonos, an RF loopthrough, a front-mounted USB and an Ethernet port.
The latter two are for future use only, which means no multi-media or networking functionality at present, but BBC iPlayer compatibility seems a safe bet at some point. Aesthetically, the box is something of a surprise to anyone familiar with Sagem’s raft of previous Freeview and Freesat kit. Out goes the dour grey squat design, in comes the compact shiny black rectangular look favoured on the Freeview catwalk.
Build quality isn’t of the highest order but the fascia is pleasant enough; there are buttons for changing channels and powering up the box, that idle USB socket and a 4-digit 7-segment LED-lit display. Power comes from an external 12V supply, so no cooling fan is needed.
External makeover, but its internal navigation is where it needs it
Installation is straightforward – you make the usual language, aspect and video output (Scart or HDMI with resolution setting up to 1080p) and audio choices, and the box insists that you enter a parental code before conducting a channel search.
Sagemcom may have adopted a smart new exterior look, but the box’s interior could do with a makeover. From the red and grey colour scheme to the uninspiring icons and ugly font, the user interface feels 10 years out of date. The LED display has a rather industrial feel to it too.
The unused Ethernet port awaits an upgrade at some point to awaken functionality
Worse than the offensive GUI is the tardiness with which the box responds to commands from the remote control. The handset itself is rather cramped, albeit sensibly laid out but you have to train yourself to think in slow motion when pressing buttons, particularly when scrolling through the channel list with the cursor, as you can easily end up choosing the wrong channel due to it sluggishness. Another aggravation is that to try and change any of the box’s settings you have to input the parental code - in slow-mo of course.
The EPG is decently laid out and more versatile than some. It opts for a mini window of the live broadcast with options to show one, two or four hours ahead in list or grid view, plus there’s day and date selection. The favourite channel setup wasn’t working on my box but I imagine Sagemcom will fix this with an OTA update soon.
Effectively laid out, but not the most responsive
The RTI90-500 T2 HD’s PVR functions are a little eclectic. The twin tuner, series-link, manual scheduling, live pause and a two hour buffer (one hour for HD) are standard but fast forwarding and rewinding is possible at 4x, 10x , 60x or a blistering 300x, whilst ironically, there’s no slow-mo option. Recording management includes manual creation of folders and the ability to merge two recordings into one, an odd one for which I can’t see much demand.
The manual states that audio can be set to output in stereo or multi-channel but hooking up to a home cinema amp using the digital audio conduit shows that the RTI90-500 T2 HD cannot transcode from AAC – which the HD broadcasters are using to carry audio descriptions – to Dolby Digital. Sound quality is actually pretty decent although I did experience an ITV HD broadcast that needed the volume cranking artificially high.
Does the job, but lacks finesse
Picture quality is certainly up to snuff. HD and standard definition recordings and live broadcasts are a match for my plasma’s built-in Freeview HD tuner and my Sky HD box. In the most important aspect, the RTI90-500 T2 HD at least lives up to expectation.
Verdict
The RTI90-500 T2 HD is a royal pain to use with its sluggish (and rather ugly) menu system. And with its slightly cheap build it doesn’t exactly have the hallmarks of a cutting-edge piece of home entertainment. That said it does deliver the Freeview HD goods (and standard def ones too) both as a tuner and a recorder, which is ultimately the most important thing. ®
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