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CNET editors' rating:
3.5 stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 35 reviews
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Product summary
The good: Combination TiVo DVR/DVD recorder; easy disk-to-DVD archiving; superb interface; progressive-scan output; works with virtually any satellite or cable box.
The bad: Requires additional monthly or lifetime fee; no way to edit out commercials; limited flexibility when dubbing camcorder videos.
The bottom line: The Humax DRT800 offers an excellent combination of TiVo and DVD-recorder functionality--but you'll need to pay a subscription fee to use it.
Specifications: Product Type:Type: DVR; Dimensions (WxDxH): 16.5 in x 12.8 in x 3 in; Color: Black; ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 11/16/2004
- Released on: 10/14/2004
Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more.
The Humax DRT400 and DRT800 models look all but identical from the outside. They're each housed in a rather bland silver-and-black body that could easily be mistaken for that of an old VCR. A centered disc tray sits directly above two message lights, which glow orange to acknowledge signals from the remote and red during hard disk or DVD recording. A readout on the right-hand side displays status information and the clock/timer. Other front-panel elements include a small, five-way joystick for maneuvering the onscreen menus, six standard video-transport controls (Play, Stop, Rewind, Eject, and so on), and the TiVo Home button. A flip-down panel on the left-hand side hides a full set of front-panel A/V inputs, including S-Video and, on the DRT800, a FireWire connection.Humax modified the standard TiVo mini barbell remote, throwing in a few more keys to cover DVD functionality. We found operation intuitive and comfortable. You can program the control to power on a variety of televisions, and the Humax changes channels on your cable or satellite box. Most users will need only one remote to handle DVD, TV, DVR, and channel-surfing commands.
The Humax uses the superb TiVo onscreen interface for all standard DVR and DVD functions, including setting up the device, listing recorded shows, displaying the electronic program guide, searching the guide, and controlling DVD recording and playback. The menu is a model of intuitive design, especially compared to the convoluted systems used on competing combo recorders from Panasonic and Philips.
The Humax DRT series offers all the great DVR functions that made TiVo a household name. You get a 14-day real-time onscreen electronic programming guide (EPG) for antenna, satellite, or cable. You also get the ability to pause and rewind live TV, capture dozens of hours of programming on the internal hard disk (40 hours on the DRT400; 80 hours on the DRT800), and play back one show while recording another. Other TiVo-only goodies include WishLists (making it easy to record any show with a favorite star, director, or genre), Season Passes (to record all first-run episodes of your favorite programs), and Home Network Features (which let you schedule recordings through TiVo's Web site, stream music and photos from your networked PC, and watch programs recorded on other networked TiVos within your home). Humax and TiVo are pledging to add TiVoToGo support later in 2005, but since you can already convert your videos to a transportable DVD format, its current omission won't be missed by many. Not as sexy but just as important is a feature that most DVD recorders lack: control over cable and satellite boxes via an IR blaster or a serial cable (both included). This capability makes it easy to record from the hundreds of channels available on just about any digital set-top box.While all of those features are compelling, they'll cost you $12.95 a month or a onetime fee of $299 (go for the latter if you intend on keeping the unit for more than two years). That's above and beyond the $400 (DRT400) or $500 (DRT800) purchase price. By comparison, the Pioneer DVR-810H and the Toshiba RS-TX20--both of which are all but identical to the DRT800--ship with the stripped-down TiVo Basic service. It's not nearly as versatile as the full TiVo service, but it offers basic recording functionality and a three-day electronic programming guide without requiring you to shell out any additional cash.
The Humax updates its EPG via the built-in dial-up modem or your home network; to use the latter, you have to connect your own Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter to one of the recorder's USB ports. While the Humax is network-friendly, its initial setup routine requires you to use a standard phone line, which is a drag if you've switched to a Voice over IP (VoIP) provider such as Vonage.
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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 35 reviews
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