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The five standard terrestrial channels just don't seem to cut it these days - those 'water cooler moments' discussing last night's telly are more likely to feature the latest cutting edge comedy from BBC3 or hip US imports on E4 than something from the standard five terrestrial channels. It's time you went digital, if you haven't already, and if you want extended channel choice without feeling the need to line the Murdochs' already bottomless pockets each month, the ideal choice is a Freeview set-top box.
Giving access to a wealth of free to air digital channels, with more finding their way onto the service all the time (most recently More4, soon to be joined in July by FilmFour) there's never been a better time to go digital. Of course though, with all this extra choice there will be occasions when you'll miss something that you want to see, and that's where a Freeview PVR comes to the rescue to record all those programmes onto a self-contained hard drive. It makes keeping track of all your recordings easy too.
A Freeview PVR has much more to offer than may first be apparent, as well as the recording facility you can pause and rewind live TV, record episodes of the same show each week automatically and on models with dual tuners (as all these models have) to record one channel while watching another at the same time.
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Humax DuoVisio PVR9200T
After the warm reception and all-round praise for the company's Humax's earlier model, the PVR-8000T, received hopes were high for this, its cooler big brother. Essentially sticking with the design brief of the 8000T, the 9200T (or DuoVisio, as it prefers to be known) keeps the mirrored panel across the front, adds a second tuner and squeezes in a massive 160GB hard drive.
The mirrored panel at the front has been split into two - the left hand side housing the controls and the display, the right a flap hiding the connections for Top Up TV and a USB lead. The controls that appear on the front fit seamlessly into the design and the display will show the current channel and the current time - a nice feature missed by the other units on test. The display itself seems to 'float' on the mirrored panel reminiscent of the current Sony Walkman range. Humax has got the design of the PVR9200T absolutely right and we think it's the best looking of the models here.
A quick glance at the back confirms the familiar RGB-Scart, Scart, S-video and composite connections. There is also a USB port on the front which will allow you to transfer MP3 files and photos over to the DuoVisio, though the options aren't as varied as those on the Topfield.
The EPG is superb but not perfect. At up to seven days it's not quite as long as some of its rivals but makes up for it in its ease of navigation and an excellent search facility that allows you to view upcoming broadcasts by name or genre. So, for example, you can view a list of all the films due to be screened that week and instantly set which ones you like the look of to record. The only real drawback of the EPG is that it has a touch of the Fisher-Prices about it, being colourful and blocky as opposed to the sleek opaque look of the Inverto. Nitpicking? Probably.
The DuoVisio has some great features: PIP, two-hour time shift recording, one-touch recording, renewable recording, one-minute advance (perfect for skipping through adverts in recordings), the ability to record two channels while watching a third, whisper-quiet operating and an ultra-fast digital text service. The picture quality is among the best on test - strong, true and vibrant colours which are clearly defined make for a truly rewarding picture.
The DuoVisio has so much going for it: a great EPG, a massive 160GB hard drive, a reasonable price tag, an eye-catching design and some great features. As an all-round PVR it really does tick every box.
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Plus points
Large hard drive; attracttive design; superb EPG; comparatively cheap
Minus points
The EPG's graphics are a little basic
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Inverto IDL 7000T
Inverto is another brand that's hardly a household name, but again, like Topfield and Humax, it is making a name for itself in the bizarre absence of the bigger manufacturers in the Freeview PVR market.
The IDL 7000T's design is quite different to the other PVRs here. Instead of going down the standard AV route, Inverto's design has more in common with the minimal clean lines of the iPod and comes in a choice of white and black models. The design is likely to split opinion but here at AVR we certainly like it. The LCD on the front displays the channel currently being viewed and the power button glows red when recording which looks pretty groovy. The simplicity of the design scores highly with us and simplicity is a theme that runs through all aspects of this product as you will soon see.
The connections on the back include RGB Scart, Scart, S-video and composite which provide ample options to get yourself started. Set-up is very straightforward and the menus themselves are very well presented, floating on top of the channel you are currently watching via a translucent effect.
The EPG is good if a little basic. It's very easy to navigate through and see what's going on, but it lacks a search function and the ability to view programs by genre. A word of warning - the first time you use your Inverto the EPG will only display what is currently being aired and the next show. This is because it needs to download the full 14-day EPG overnight (at 4am we believe).
Like the others, you can select renewable record and never miss another episode of Neighbours again. Recorded programmes are broken down into a series of scenes, which we at first thought was a clever way of avoiding ad breaks but later proved to be much less exciting. In fact, there's no resume function if you stop the playback halfway through viewing a recording, so it allows you to skip back to were you were. More or less.
Though perhaps not the most flexible or well-featured of all the players there is a charm to the IDL-7000T. Its simplicity and intuitive nature make it an excellent choice for a simple-to-use, no-nonsense Freeview PVR.
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Plus points
Iconic design; straight forward to use; excellent 14 day EPG; quiet operation
Minus points
No resume in playback; expensive
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Panasonic TUCTH100
Panasonic is probably the most recognizable of the manufacturers here, and with their excellent reputation for midrange gear, our hopes were high. The TUCTH100 is solidly and attractively built, holding the design of a conventional DVD player with a brushed aluminium finish.
Connectivity is pretty standard but all you're likely to need. There's RGB Scart to link to your screen, a non-RGB Scart to link to your DVD player or AV receiver as well as composite and S-video outputs for greater flexibility.
The set-up of the TUCTH100 is intuitive, straightforward and at the same time thorough. There are plenty of features, options and customizations you can tweak, including PIP (picture in picture), the ability to change the live TV buffer from between 15 to 60 minutes (this determines by how much time you are able to rewind a live signal) and to set the length of the banner time-out anywhere up to ten seconds long (the banner being the now and next box that appears when you change channel).
The EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) is absolutely crucial to the success of any Freeview PVR, it really can make or break it. Fortunately Panasonic has done a pretty good job - everything is presented clearly, there is the ability to view what programmes are coming up in various genres such as Sport, Film and Entertainment and reserving programmes to record can be done with the touch of a button. Another great feature is the ability to edit recordings and export them to an external DVD recorder, the TUCTH100 will actually show you how much space a particular recording will take up on a DVD.
So far, so excellent, but crucially the TUCTH100 has one or two fatal flaws. Firstly, there's THE NOISE! The TUCTH100's fan presumably started life as rotors on a helicopter. Even in standby mode the fan remains just as noisy, even more of a problem when you consider the other models on test were quiet as a gnat's whisper.
Maybe you can live with the noise but there's a bigger problem - this PVR is unable to record when in standby mode and suffers from software issues that cause frequent crashes. Imagine the horror when we realized that Die Hard hadn't been recorded due to this - mere fury isn't enough to describe the rage we felt.
The upshot is that you'll need to leave the TUCTH100 on constantly if you have recordings scheduled. Okay, so it's not a disaster but it's definitely a pain and could certainly lead to the occasional mishap. Software updates have been planned but have so far been cancelled as they have not been able to fix the problems - as such it's hard to recommend the TUCTH100 over the other units here.
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Plus points
Slick design; sophiticated EPG
Minus points
Very loud fan even in standby; software problems; no record from standby
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Topfield TF5800
The TF5800 is the most expensive player on test and the Topfield brand has an army of diehard fans behind it proclaiming the brilliance of their PVRs. But is it worth the extra money and does it live up to its owners' enthusiastic praise?
From a design perspective the Topfield is unremarkable, neither beautiful nor ugly, but won't look out of place in an existing set-up. It's relatively thin but features a surfeit of controls on the front panel. Flip around the box to reveal the usual PVR connections: RGB Scart, Scart, S-video et al. But the really interesting thing about the Topfield is the USB port which allows easy linkage to a PC so you can transfer recordings for straightforward editing and burning to DVD.
You can also send MP3 files to the TF5800 to play back through your television or AV set-up and you can download TAPs (Topfield Applications). The software of the Topfield is open-sourced so technical minded folk are able to create their own software and share it online. This means you can download everything from updated and refined EPGs to games and changes on the LCD display. Powering up the TF5800 results in an alarming amount of noise. But fear not, the initial humming and whistling lasts only a few minutes, after which the PVR is as quiet as a Chelsea fan in Middlesbrough.
The menu system of the Topfield is very good; easy to navigate with a wide range of features to explore. A nice touch, typical of the many features the PVR has, is the ability to vary the opacity of the menu over the picture.
The EPG that comes with the Topfield isn't its strong point. When browsing the channels in the EPG a small window in the corner displays the current channel being viewed. Which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that while browsing the menu this picture constantly changes along with the listings you're viewing. In turn this causes a brief delay which can be infuriating to say the least.
Recording is operated by the touch of a single button and programming recording is barely any more taxing. The PIP is well executed and the picture quality superb - outlines are razor sharp and colours adapt, appearing vibrant when they should and softer when appropriate. It has dual tuners but can also perform a neat trick that allows you to record two programmes while watching a third.
Topfield is a brand you may not have heard of before, but don't let that put you off - the TF5800 is excellent. This is the most expensive player on test but then it does have a massive 160GB hard drive to show for it. The only drawback is its lacklustre EPG but this can be corrected by downloading a new TAP. If you enjoy the prospect of being able to fully customise your PVR then this is the clear choice.
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Plus points
Solid build; fully customisable; great picture quality; tonnes of options
Minus points
Expensively priced; disappointing EPG
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In any group test there has to be an overall winner and while there is one recommended as the best of the bunch, the decision isn't as black and white as it may first appear. Notwithstanding the disappointment of the Panasonic TUCTH100, the other PVRs all really impressed, and impressed in different ways. 
