We were big fans of the Humax HDR-1010S, so much so that we gave the PVR box our coveted Best Buy award. Humax has followed up on its winning formula with the HDR-1100s a smaller, more streamlined set-top box that now has integrated Wi-Fi.
The new model is considerably smaller than the older box due in part to the removal of the front LCD screen that Humax says no-one really needed. We would agree that it’s a bit redundant as there’s no need for the box to tell you you’re watching BBC One when your television is already doing so. There’s a small colour-changing status indicator to quickly let you know the box’s status at a glance, which is also far less distracting while you’re watching the telly.
There’s also no more Scart socket, which has helped cut down on size as well, and no-one in this day and age will miss the connection. The new box measures 280x48x200mm, which shouldn’t take up too much space in your AV stand. It’s available in a choice of glossy black or white as well, giving you a bit more freedom to co-ordinate with the rest of your furniture and devices should that be important. For the first time, black and white will also be available across all the difference models of HDR-1100s, which will be available in 500GB (£189), 1TB (£219) and 2TB (£299) versions.
As with other Freesat boxes, the HDR-1100s will work subscription-free and connects to a satellite dish, either an existing one or you can have one installed. This will give you access to 200 free TV and radio channels including 11 in high-definition. The HDR-1100s will integrate with all of the UK’s terrestrial catch-up services including BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All4 and Demand 5.
The Freetime interface is deeply-integrated into the catchup services, so navigating through the list of programmes and selecting a programme will open up the relevant service and take you straight to the content. Backing up through the catch-up service will also take you back to the Freetime interface, rather than going through the menu hierarchy of the catch-up service. It all felt nice and seamless and navigation felt suitably smooth. There are also other services including YouTube and Curzon Home Cinema. Humax promises that more services will be coming in the future.
The HDR-1100s will also work with a Freesat app for iOS and Android that can be used to navigate through content and then control the PVR for watching content and recording programmes. Users can also instantly trigger recordings of programmes via web links that Freesat hope content providers will start using to promote their programmes.
In terms of connections, there are two USB ports you can use to access photo, video and music content. You can also connect to a NAS on your network to also access your content. You can either use the built-in Wi-Fi or the Ethernet port on the back of the box. There’s HDMI or composite for connecting to your television and optical S/PDIF for audio.
We came away suitably impressed with the HDR-1100s. It builds upon many of the great features we loved from the HDR-1010S and its smaller form factor is more attractive. We’ll be putting it through its paces so expect a full review very soon.
The HDR-1100s is available now from John Lewis, Currys & PC World, Richer Sounds, Argos and other retailers.
