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The first Freeview Play set-top box is now on sale
Freeview Play, the new service that marries live and catch-up TV in the same programming guide, launched earlier this month. Not that many people have been able to give it a whirl, since it's only been accessible on Panasonic's 2015 range of Viera TVs via a software update. You'll see plenty of new goggleboxes supporting Freeview Play as standard in the near future, but today Humax has released the first set-top box that adds Play functionality to whatever currently takes pride of place in your living room. The WiFi-enabled Humax FVP-4000T boasts a compact design and "leather-look top," available in "mocha" or "cappuccino" colour schemes and two storage configurations. The 500GB version, which should afford enough space for around 300 hours of recorded TV, is priced at £200, while the 1TB model is only a little more expensive at £230. You'll find them on sale now through Humax's online store, as well as at retailers including Argos, Tesco, Maplin, Currys/PC World and John Lewis.
Whenever you next decide to upgrade your TV, definitely keep an eye out for baked-in Freeview Play functionality. But, we're not quite sure who Humax's new set-top box is supposed to appeal to. After all, the feature that defines Freeview Play is the ability to scroll back through the past seven days of programming in the EPG, and launch seamlessly into catch-up services when you find something you'd like to replay. YouView set-top boxes have had this exact same functionality for some time, and you can pick up a BT-branded 500GB model (no subscription required) for as little as £140. YouView boxes also offer a greater selection of on-demand and streaming services, including Netflix, which won't be available on the Freeview platform until early next year.
