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Sharp join the likes of Panasonic, Sagemcom and Digital Stream with the issue of its first such product.
However, with Toshiba, Humax, 3view, Philips and Icecrypt (the T2400 – an update to its excellent T2200) about to join the market, competition could get intense – and leave this Sharp's 320GB hard disk looking rather puny.
We liked:
Endlessly customisable, this box performs well with both SD and HD pictures. The onscreen menus are clear logical and well designed, with the box's potentially confusing features a joy to use.
We disliked:
The 320GB hard disk may prove a touch too small for some, while the bog standard remote control proves a disappointing counterpoint to the unit itself.
Verdict:
Sharp has made one of the finest Freeview HD recorders, though it's a one-trick pony; media playback and transfer of files from USB would be a nice addition, as would some kind of media streaming. It has an (presently unused) Ethernet LAN port, after all.
There's also a question mark over the size of the hard disk, with 500GB or more being our preferred option, but there's no doubt that this simple to operate and impressively designed box will suit many looking to add something extra to free digital TV broadcasts.
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