The Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 HD Freeview HD Recorder / Sagemcom RT190-320 T2 Freeview HD Recorder

Quick Facts:
Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 HD and Sagemcom RT190-320 T2 HD

Estimated Cost:£249 (320GB), £299 (500GB)

Release Date: End of April 2010

Retail Outlet: Most Major UK & Online retailers

Review of Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 HD / Sagemcom RT190-320 T2 HD

Sagemcom RT190-500/320 T2 HD Freeview HD Recorder" /> Sagemcom are one of the first manufacturers to announce a release date for their Freeview HD Recorder. There have been several fully working Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 Freeview HD Recorder's out for testing and the results appear to have been extremely positive. When this Freeview HD Recorder goes on the market it will be availiable in two models. The first is the Sagemcom RT190-320 T2 HD which is a Freeview HD Recorder that has a 320GB hard drive; and the second being the Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 HD which is a 500GB version.

We have been lucky enough to receive one of the first prototype recorder and have run it through its paces. Sagemcom have told us that the RT190-320 T2 and the RT190-500 T2 Freeview HD Recorder will both offer full and unrestricted access to all the currently transmitting HD Freeview channels. Both HD recorders will come with an 8-day EPG along with the ability to pause, rewind, stop and of course record Freeview HD programs.

The Sagemcom RT190-320 T2 Freeview HD Recorder and the Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 HD Freeview HD Recorder have both been fitted with the all important twin tuner. Having a twin tuner means that that you will be able to record up to two different TV channels at the same time. This coupled with the ability to watch a third channel and pause / rewind the live TV means this is a very powerful recorder. If you are unsure of how good this is it is pretty much the same service as Sky+ and Virgin TV currently offer on their digital services. For those of you who enjoy watching TV series in HD, Sagemcom have built in the series link functionality which allows you to do a "Series recording" and ensure you don't miss an episode with this Freeview HD Receiver. Sagemcom have said that the RT190-320 T2 Freeview HD Recorder (the 320GB model) will be able to record around 160 hours of Freeview HD (SD) recording. The larger RT190-500 T2 HD Freeview HD Recorder (500GB model) will be able to store up to around 250 hours of TV (SD) recording.

The Verdict: Sagemcom RT190-320 T2 HD / Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 HD

Both the Sagemcom RT190-320 T2 HD and the Sagemcom RT190-500 T2 HD work extremely well as a simple Freeview HD Box receiver. The built in recorder has not been tried and tested by HD Freeview Box.com (we only had a prototype) so we cannot give you a full review of all the features just yet.

In terms of its look, the Sagemcom Freeview HD Boxes definitly look the part. Both Boxes are small, stylish and compact so it will look great next to most modern TV systems. Sagemcom have not mentioned an Ethernet port or USB port, but we do expect that this will be fitted as standard by the time the Freeview HD Receiver is released in the UK. We hope this is the case otherwise you may not be able to access the interactive services which you will be able to do with Freeview HD Boxes and Recorders. Although Sagemcom is a relatively small and unknown brand, from our research we have foudn that the product appears well made and includes most of the features you would expect. In terms of the memory, we would definitley reccomend opting for the 500GB model, however we expect that you will be able to update the hard drive at a later stage anyway.