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HUMAX Aura Android TV 4K Freeview Play Recorder with Google Assistant and Chromecast - 2TB

£9.9£99Clearance
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About this deal

Built on Android 9 (aka Pie) with integrated Freeview Play, the Aura behaves like an Android TV when it comes to operation – much like the new Chromecast with Google TV. That said, if you have your heart set on a single-box solution for your TV recording and video streaming, the Aura is a solid choice. It’s one others have sought to capture, and like the wake produced by a boat, in Sky’s stead has followed a succession of efforts from BT, Manhattan, Virgin and Humax. While the Aura is spot on for sound, we still recommend that you buy the cheaper but still brilliant Humax FVP-5000T while you still can, and add a Google Chromecast with Google TV if you also want streaming. The experience won’t feel much more split than the Aura already does but, more importantly, the smart offering will be more complete and a little better for picture quality too. To access entertainment, change the volume, get answers on screen and more, just ask Google. Supplied with a voice activated remote, there’s no need for a separate Google speaker.

The ultimate test of any piece of tech kit is would you buy it again or recommend it to someone you care for? Nope. Even the way the remote control is layed out is rushed and not intuitive. The button to find your recordings is hidden away and too small. I'm constantly miskeying and once you press the wrong button you lose what you were trying to do and clear the cached program you were trying to watch. Dive into the settings and there are plenty more features to have a look at. One I’d recommend is ‘Dynamic Refresh Rate Scaling’. The Aura scales the resolution of each app to the resolution of the TV (in this case 4K). I found it was too annoying with its constant blinking and oftentimes crashing. Featuring a high capacity, 2TB hard drive, it's easy to record, pause and rewind live TV. The extra-large capacity storage holds up to 1000 hours of TV - enough to be able to catch up on all your favourite TV even after an extended break away. With the pause and rewind function, interruptions from phone calls are no longer an issue - simply pause the live TV and resume when you're free again.

Since Sky Q appeared the notion of what a set-top box has changed. In an age of multiple entertainment sources, Sky’s box wasn’t interested in offering a range of television channels but in heralding a smarter age of TV viewing. Unfortunately, red flags started flying when Netflix wasn’t preinstalled and were only raised when the Google Play store announced that the Netflix app wasn’t supported on this particular device. The Now TV app would install, but on launch sent up an error message saying that the service wasn’t available through this device. You can just about get away with not supporting one of these services. Missing both is a big mistake. Away from the video side, the hi-res audio support is a welcome addition. It means those connecting the Aura to a decent external speaker system can get a strong performance from locally stored or streamed audio files, even if connecting through the HDMI, which can handle up to 24-bit/192 kHz levels.

Humax is one of the popular names in the set-top box market, and after the success of the FVP-5000T, it launched the Aura in 2020, a box that combined the Humax experience with the smarts of Android TV. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 27th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) Freeview Play is supported, bringing all the UK catch-up and on-demand apps. There’s a 7-day EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) to rifle through, and you can start recordings from within the Freeview section as well. There’s also a ‘Kids’ section that gathers all the apps for children into one place. Of course, an aerial cable is required to get Freeview up and running for live TV. The same HDMI connector on the TV was used for the other boxes along with the same cable, except for the TV’s built in Freeview. The two pictures are from the Humax Aura and the SkyHD(the picture with the (Google Assistant is integrated into the remote control, allowing users to benefit from Google Home services – simply press the button to activate voice control and ask an unlimited number of questions such as finding out the weather or travel information, choose favourite types of content, change channel or volume – or connect to smart home devices to play music, switch on the lights or heating, and much more. CEC Control - can’t be turned off, so I had to deploy an in-line CEC disable connector. While using ‘family style’ HDMI settings for use with just a TV or soundbar may work, with a HiFi/AV System this is often not that simple. It should allow for complex systems that need to choose HDMI/CEC options - e.g. my AV Amp can individually select CEC Control to allow volume, device on/off etc. However, notable by its absence is Netflix. Humax is acutely aware of this hole in its streaming service armoury, and we’re told discussions are ongoing – but as yet there’s nothing to report.

The update will happen automatically in standby mode. Alternatively, you can access the update manually through the settings menu.

Conclusion

For an easy, top quality connection to your TV, the Aura uses HDMI. The set-top box also features an optical digital output – perfect for connecting to a home cinema system or soundbar. The Aura supports connection to a TV’s internal speakers, via optical or HDMI ARC (up to 5.1ch), and Home Cinema via HDMI (up to 7.1ch). As well as the aforementioned live TV channels, there’s a binge-tastic box-set collection and thousands of hours of on-demand content courtesy of BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, UKTV Play, CBS Catchup Channels UK, Horror Bites, STV Player and BBC Sounds, all in one place and all for free – thanks to Freeview Play. But on the app front, there is plenty to choose from within video, music, sports, and fitness. You can count on Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+. Lionsgate+ ITVX, Paramount+, TikTok, Mubi, Deezer, Roxi, Discovery+, BT Sport, Steam Link, Spotify, Vevo, Tidal, UFC, Peloton, BBC Sounds and DAZN. It’s not as many as Fire TV, Google TV, or Roku, but it’s a strong enough proposition. Speaking of recordings, the Humax Aura has three tuners so you could in theory record up to four channels simultaneously while watching another – you can also pause and rewind live TV as it’s happening. There are two versions of the Aura set-top box with a 1TB and 2TB version, the former is good for up to 500 hours of standard definition or 250 hours of high-definition content, while the latter doubles that to 1000 hours of SD and 500 hours of HD.

The Aura comes in 1TB and 2TB versions, allowing for up to 500 and 1,000 hours of recording respectively, and both include three digital tuners, allowing you to record up to four programmes while watching a fifth (depending on what you’re actually recording). There’s also the Humax Aura app for iOS and Android that enables remote planning, recording and viewing on the go.There is Chromecast for casting to the box from a mobile device, along with Google Assistant to search and find titles, or perform tasks such as navigation through the interface, opening an app or starting a recording. Freeview Play takes the nation’s most popular TV platform to the next level by offering easy to access, catch-up TV. With over 70 subscription-free channels and 20,000 hours of on demand TV available, there's always something to watch on Freeview TV. The Humax box benefits from all the usual Freeview Play functions, such as a retrospective TV guide with integrated mainstream catch-up players including BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5, plus Freeview Play curated highlights. There’s also UKTV Play, CBS Catchup, Horror Bites, STV Player and BBC Sounds on board, along with a library of on-demand content from the Freeview archives. Android is the interface of choice, divided into four tabs in Google Assistant/Search, Home, Discover, Apps, with settings located on the far right. It’s like any other Android TV screen in use. However, these minor points aside, anyone looking for an accomplished PVR that can also add a sophisticated smart platform to their TV is sure to be delighted. As a result, the Humax Aura comes highly recommended.

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