Humax HD-FOX T2 review

And you could do worse than to receive those broadcasts on the HD-Fox T2. It may only be a receiver, with no hard drive and no recording talents (yet), but Humax has put a lot of care and attention into its feature list in order to offer future-proofing and value for money.

As a result, it certainly has enough extra talents that'll help the box stand out, even amongst a sizeable crowd of peers.

To begin with, it is a half-decent media streamer - capable of playing DivX, XviD, MP3 and JPEG files stored remotely.

The Ethernet port on the rear (which may have a further future use if Freeview MD Ilse Howling's 'Project Canvas' mutterings come to fruition) allows you to hook the box to your home network and subsequently access your media.

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Sadly, there's no Wi-Fi - wired connection only - and its file-compatibility list could be written on the back of an ant, but for those only just getting into the world of DLNA, it's a doddle to set up and provides a happy, user-friendly experience.

You can also play the same file line-up via a USB memory stick thrust into the back of the unit.

Again, as with the Ethernet port, the USB 2.0 socket offers promise of further functionality at a later date, in the guise of adding PVR-abilities to the box (the possibility of recording video onto an external storage device).

However, this will only be enabled by a firmware update and there's no confirmation as to when this will happen.

The rest of the features are more befitting an existing Freeview set-top box (STB), but everything has been fine-tuned on the HD-Fox T2 to make it as pleasant an experience as possible.

Even the setup is as easy as can be. Unlike other HDMI-sporting SD boxes we've tried of late, it will recognise that you're feeding video via the port from initial boot-up. We've often had to put a Scart lead into an STB first to set up the HDMI connection, but not so here.

In addition, the Humax receiver whizzes its way through the channel-scanning process like a caffeinated cheetah.

Aesthetics also play a large part in its ease of use, and the box has the best-looking graphical user-interface that we've come across - Sky and Virgin Media included.

Its eight-day EPG pops up with absolutely no lag and is clean, clear and concise. Its scroll-time is better than most, and there's little delay in flicking from channel to channel.

Externally it's a looker, too. While diminutive, the fascia looks like a classy Samsung Blu-ray player, and sports a natty click pad for navigation should you mislay the remote.

Not that you would, the controller is about as big as the unit itself - albeit similarly tasty and expensive looking.

And, although not as pretty, the rear is a cornucopia of connectivity, with video-fetishists catered for by the inclusion of two Scarts and a composite to accompany the HDMI out. Audio fans needn't feel left out, analogue stereo outputs are on offer alongside an optical digital.