Humax HDR-FOX T2
We’ve had an influx of Freeview HD recorders on TrustedReviews over the last few weeks, which means at long last there’s a wide range for consumers to choose from. The latest model to come under the microscope is the Humax HDR-FOX T2, which was actually the first Freeview HD PVR to hit the shops. Humax is usually the brand to beat when it comes to free digital TV, so it’ll be interesting to see how its twin-tuner PVR measures up to rival machines from TVonics, Philips/Pace and Sharp.
In terms of looks and build quality it measures up very nicely indeed. It’s much bigger than Sharp and Philips’ recorders and more conventional than TVonics, yet it’s still immensely attractive. There’s a glossy black finish covering the casing, which is a fingerprint magnet but deeply stylish, while the front panel is pleasingly uncluttered. It features a ring of blue light in the middle, four tiny silver buttons and a dimly lit orange display panel that’s quite hard to read. It shows the full channel name and an icon that tells you if the current channel is hi-def.
On the back you’ll find an excellent array of sockets, which unusually includes a common interface slot that allows you to add pay TV channels like Sky Sports 1 and 2. You also get HDMI, Scart, composite, optical digital and stereo audio outputs, plus Humax even chucks in two USB ports for uploading firmware updates or playing back MP3, JPEG and DivX from storage devices and external HDDs – it’s the only recorder of the four we’ve seen that will play MP3 and DivX. Also worth a mention is the on/off switch on the back which comes in handy if you don’t like leaving devices in standby overnight.
Another of the Humax’s unique features is its ability to hook up to a home network through the Ethernet port on the rear. You can stream music, video and photos from connected PCs and other devices, and when you combine that with the USB functionality the Humax is more of an all-round entertainment hub than a digital TV box. We tested out the network streaming by delving into a wireless Vista laptop packed full of files, and after some brief hesitation at the start the Humax played all of our files smoothly with excellent sound quality.
Soon Humax will introduce an Internet TV portal for the HDR-FOX T2, which will bring Sky Player, catch-up TV services and internet radio into your living room. The HDR-FOX T2’s feature list is already first class, but IPTV will make it unbeatable.
The rest of the spec is equally impressive. On board is a 500GB hard-disk, which equates to 125 hours of HD recordings or 330 hours of SD, and of course the inclusion of two DVB-T2 tuners means it’s flexible when it comes to recording. You can record one channel while watching another or record two channels while watching a third, which is always a bonus (something that even Sky+HD can’t do). And of course you can also watch a programme from the start while it’s still being recorded.
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HDR-FOX T2: nice PVR, pity about the interface
4th August 2011, By HC
Most reviews of Humax’s HDR-FOX T2, digital hard disc recorder, rave about the “superb PVR (personal video recorder) that lets you watch and record Freeview and Freeview HD channels.” Boasting twin tuners, HDMI connectivity, a massive ITB hard disc, home networking functionality and MP3, JPEG and DivX/XviD playback from USB devices, Humax have clearly considered who their users are and what they want to do. I would therefore agree that it is a “top-notch box”. However, the same cannot be said of its remote control.
Humax have made an obvious effort to simplify the remote. The limited number of buttons and spacing between buttons increases usability; which is no mean feat with the complexity of features. However, Humax have clearly forgotten one key factor in their design; the context of use (http://www.system-concepts.com/articles/usability-articles/2010/exciting-times-for-human-centred-design-standards.html).
So let’s think about this: where, when and how would you use this remote? Many people are likely to be sitting on the sofa or lying in bed, possibly with the lights dimmed or turned off. They might be tired after a long day at work, perhaps relaxing with a glass of wine or beer or concentrating on using their mobile phone or laptop at the same time. They want to navigate the remote controls by touch alone without looking away from the screen. One of their main tasks might be to watch a recording from the previous day, fast forwarding through the advertisements.
Looking at the remote, one might assume the central navigation would perform such common functions as play, pause, stop, fast forward and rewind. While it is possible to navigate between recordings, start and jump around the recording, separate buttons are required for specific navigation functions. The buttons assigned to these functions are the smallest on the remote and clustered close to the neighbouring buttons. This means that some of the most frequently used buttons have limited tactile discernibility. For operation under poor lighting, whilst fighting tiredness and/or the effects of alcohol this is likely to cause considerable problems frustration for users.
Considering the context of use, it seems obvious that the central navigation should be used for the play, pause, stop, fast forward and rewind functions. This is consistent with many similar remote controls so also increases learnability for new users. So it seems to me that the designers neglected to think about the most basic context of use, and focused on the technical features – a common pitfall which user testing could have avoided.
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