Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
There's no doubt that Freetime represents a sizable step forward for the Freesat platform, bringing it in line with more contemporary options. However equally it doesn't take long to come to the conclusion that the service isn't quite ready for primetime.
There is a definite sense that Freetime has been fast tracked purely to compete with YouView. What other excuse is there for the hilarious 'My Musics' headline in the media playback section? There's no doubt that the broadcaster will firmware update much of this nonsense off the box in due course, but in the meantime this is not a hardware upgrade worth rushing into.
We Liked
The refreshed user interface and the integration of catch up services is welcome. The fact that you can also use the box to play files from USB or across a network is another big plus.
We Disliked
The box is clearly buggy, from grammatical goofs to unpredictable operational failures. Stay clear until the first round of firmware updates at least (Freesat won't be able to announce them fast enough).
Final Verdict
The germs of a good upgrade for the Freesat platform are here, but this debutant this has been bundled out before it's ready. Given how much polish went into YouView, this fumbled rush to market comes as a bit of a surprise.
