Best Freeview HD Recorder

It has been estimated that nearly twenty million HD-capable displays have been sold in the UK up to now, with a large number of those not even being used to watch HD content. There is an increasing amount of Freeview HD content being broadcast from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in addition to Freesat, creating an expanding market for HD receivers and now HD recorders. An HD recorder acts as an HD receiver and media streaming device, with features varying from box to box but expect some ability to up-sample SD (Standard Definition) and boxes are usually capable of firmware updates, that is an upgrade to their software during their lifetime.

When looking for the best Freeview HD box it`s worth doing some research to make sure you get the right item for you, with the first HD receiver only hitting the shops in August of 2010 the capabilities of the technology is still very much in flux, check that a box offers future proofing by supporting Dolby 7.1 sound, this is not yet broadcast but represents the future of HD sound, if you intend on creating the seven speaker setup necessary to take proper advantage. Support for the MP3 music and DivX film data formats are vital.

Humax brought the first HD Receiver to market and now offer the Humax Foxsat HD Freesat Digital TV Recorder, a very capable, if expensive at £250, all around device. It has up to 200 hours of SD (standard definition, the normal, non-HD TV signal, with roughly one third of that in HD) recording with sharp and impressive up-scaling of SD to 1080p and allows you to access over 200 channels including HD ones though you must have a satellite dish to do so. Set up is very easy making this recorder suitable for a busy buyer who just wants it to work with a well designed and intuitive interface. the player can auto scan for new channels, has up to seven days of programmable recording based on the programme guide. High quality, flexible and future-proofed but very expensive.

The Hitachi HDR505 is competitively priced, available for as little as £110 and equipped with 500 GB of storage, allowing up to 250 hours of SD recording. It is also easy and quick to set up with picture-in-picture support as well as two tuners allowing you to watch one channel while recording another. It allows up to eight days of recorded programming with Freeview Plus, Digital Radio and Teletext. As a basic option is box is good value.

The 3view 3VHD,£299, is a hybrid device that acts as both a Freeview HD recorder and a video-on-demand player. It has 500 GB of storage, swappable for up to 1 TB. Set up is easy and good support exists for upscaling SD to 1080p, with a clear picture that`s free of blockiness. It has auto-detecting setup and with a wireless USB dongle becomes wireless-capable, making it very flexible as a home media hub.

With the world cup on the way many manufacturers are rushing HD Recorders to market, check reviews to make sure the one you are considering is not suffering from teething problems. When buying surround sound systems check the level of support each box offers, only a few support up to Dolby 7.1.