HUMAX FVP-5000T 2 TB Freeview Play HD TV Recorder - Carbon Black

Product Information

If you prefer to dive right into catch-up TV – which works for up to seven days gone by – then the On Demand button on the remote takes you to a menu for that too. This lays out content either by channel, app, recommendation of Freeview Play, or you can search by category like Comedy or Drama. This includes recommendations for shows on live at that moment too. However, the discontinuation was somewhat expected at this stage, given that the device lost support for ITV Hub in 2022 and never supported ITV’s new streaming service, ITVX. The device was also an early adopter of Freeview Play, seamlessly integrating live TV with catch-up and on-demand services. Humax FVP-5000T

Having been put out a little by Ch4's decision to drop their HD offering from Freesat I was tempted to try Freeview again. The last time I used a Freeview PVR was when weak digital signals were still run alongside analogue and HD was unheard of. Having bought new TVs with Freeview HD built-in, seeing how good the signal now is and after a review of this forum and a few queries I decided to give the FVP-5000T a try. The interface, however, is where my one main disappointment with the FVP-5000T lies – it’s slow. TOO slow for such a feature-rich (and expensive) device. You feel the lag with every press of a button – you have to wait for the guide to show up on the screen. You have to wait for programme information screens to show up. And you have to wait 2-3 loooong seconds whenever you switch a channel – which turns flipping-channels into a sluggish ordeal. More information on quality can be found in this old but still very helpful article from Harvard Business Review. Audio Description is also available plus Subtitles, so those with poor sight or hearing can enjoy shows with everyone (these are recorded automatically if broadcast).

Humax FVP-5000T: A Brief History

Setup couldn’t be easier. Plug the aerial in, power in and HDMI to your TV and everything is set to go. Then you just follow a simple on-screen guide, which automatically searches for TV channels over your aerial connection and lets you connect to your local Wi-Fi network. That’s it. The whole process took no more than five minutes for us, with no techy knowledge necessary.

Since the Humax FVP-5000T can record three shows at once while playing another live, you can enjoy multi-room viewing in two rooms at once, minus the fight for the remote.

Humax FVP-5000T: Multi-room and beyond

A good, dedicated Freeview box, like the FVP-5000T, gives you a range of features not available on a telly. You can record programmes onto the internal hard drive (and choosing what to record is super-easy, using the electronic TV guide), you can even set it to record a full series and it’ll get recorded automatically every time a new episode airs. That “smooth” experience is hampered a bit by the slow interface – something I really wish Humax would fix in the future – but not enough to stop me from recommending the device.

Channel changing is near instant if you simply tap in the channel number you want, (Same works in the epg to skip to a channel you want to see the epg at the curent time) When partnered with a Freeview Play FVP-5000T PVR the Espresso will view live TV from one of the FVP’s built in three tuners. Not only that all your recorded programmes can also be viewed via Espresso given you multi-room TV in any room you choose! If you don’t have a Freeview Play PVR don’t worry your Espresso can still deliver a wealth of Free TV content with our built in apps via the internet. This news may come as a blow to consumers who have relied on the device for its robust features and reliable performance over the years. This was part of ITV’s move to upgrade its content protection technology ahead of the launch of its new streaming service, ITVX. The new service was incompatible with many older devices, including the FVP-5000T. The world of set-top boxes has evolved rapidly in recent times and the go-to name for TV streaming has just upgraded to stay ahead of the rest. Yet Humax’s goal is still to offer simplicity and general ease of use, with modern features such as integrated catch-up TV, media viewing and app support all included.If the thought of buying one of these boxes for every room in your house makes your wallet ache, fear not. The FVP-5000T will work with more affordable repeater boxes like the Humax H3. That means you can have one of these boxes in another room and enjoy TV as if you were watching on a dedicated box. The FVP-5000T is an impressive Freeview recording box that does most of what you could hope for. The advanced integration between the “live” Freeview channels and the catch-up apps, as part of the electronic guide, will be a game changer for some, combining both worlds for one smooth watching experience. Having to tap a channel number rather than browsing or pressing "next channel" relies upon you having to know the channel number (e.g. you have to know that 101 is BBC One HD). This is a ridiculous "solution" (It's not a solution) to have to rely upon in a product in 2018. The suggestion not to press channel up or down to avoid long delays of several seconds between channels seems amazing in a so-called high end product demanding a premium price. If the brand you buy is important to you, our best advice is to spend some time writing up your own list of ideal brands. That way when you come to the point where you’re comparing product options you can filter to only show the products from brands in your list. Audio output is highlighted by Dolby Digital Plus and Pulse sound, so you get the purest and cleanest cinema sound in your living room.