Manhattan T2-R 500 GB Freeview HD Recorder - Black

Product Information

When playback was paused and you pressed the Left button to skip back, playback would skip back and correctly resume but the Playback Banner would show the pause icon instead of the play icon. You did not set the T2-R’s volume to max before programming your Manhattan remote to control your TV. If you can connect the device directly to your router with an Ethernet cable (you can use a powerline adapter if your router is on a different floor), it’ll download the updates from the internet. No streaming apps (such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix, etc’) – which means you have to get another streaming device for those.

The USB port, unfortunately, can’t be used for anything else (so you can’t connect an external hard drive, for example.I found the remote intuitive, I set up the machine and the channels and worked out how to record in well under an hour. It was not immediately obvious that deleting a recording must be done via "Recording options", but it's easy enough when you know. The box also comes with a remote control, batteries for the remote (which is a nice touch), an HDMI cable, a power adapter, and a “Get Started” guide. Since the T2-R doesn’t support streaming apps, you might wonder what the Ethernet and USB ports are for. I checked some queries with Manhattan regarding their new box and the only thing that seems to be missing (for me) is a lack of CEC control on the HDMI connection.

If your planned recording clashes with others you've scheduled, the box helpfully offers options to resolve it where it can, such as recording something when it is rebroadcast in a different time-slot. The TV Guide now indicates in the info area when a programme is running late, starting late or has started early.Very easy guide and menu system coupled with a remote that can be taught TV remote Power, AV and Volume buttons make it an excellently designed package. The device doesn’t have to be on to record – as long as it’s connected, and on standby, it’ll record everything you set it to, at the right time.

a further issue was discovered whereby seemingly randomly, channels or scheduled recordings could be removed during the Automatic Service Update in standby. I remember getting my first PVR fifteen years ago – a Pace Twin with a 20GB hard drive, rendered useless a few years later by technical changes to the terrestrial broadcast platform. You can choose favourite channels and use the yellow button to just see your favourites listed, which saves paging through channels of no interest. The only negative is that sometimes whilst watching recorded TV, it freezes, and the TV has to be switched off, and started again. While it’s not really a cheap Freeview box, it’s still cheaper than some of the competing boxes, without passing on important functionality.If the aerial is known to be working but the PVR isn't receiving a signal, then the first thing to check is that everything has been connected correctly.

By the way I hadn't noticed but while recording two programs you can watch a previously recorded program at the same time.

So far it's recorded everything I want, and the recording process is extremely simple and all done on one button, record, delete, save, series link.