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Humax HD-FOX T2 and Panasonic TX-P42G20B become the first Freeview HD tuners on sale in the UK
Slowly but surely Freeview HD is making its entry into UK homes. The well-reviewed Humax HD-FOX T2 is living up to its promise of being the very first Freeview HD tuner around, and is now available to buy via the company's online store or at your local electronics outlet. Priced at £180 ($281), its listing on the Humax Direct Sales site has an amusing "this is NOT a recorder" blinking message to inform people that it lacks the PVR functionality that the forthcoming Toshiba HDR5010 will bring. If your disposable income stretches a bit further and you want your tuner integrated, Panasonic will happily exchange its 42-inch TX-P42G20 plasma for £1,100 ($1,717). It's the successor to the TX-P42G10 and boasts a 600Hz refresh rate along with a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio and the prerequisite 1080p resolution. There's nothing we can do about the dearth of Freeview HD programming for the moment, but at least the hardware is finally out there.
Humax HD-FOX T2 is first Freeview HD box in the UK, garners positive review
When you think back to the dark ages of the nineties -- just four terrestrial channels and the inevitable snowflakes on your screen if you were in a poor reception area -- it just wasn't a very good time for free television in the UK. Fast forward to today, and dirt-cheap Freeview boxes are getting their inevitable, in fact somewhat belated, upgrade to HD. The Humax HD-FOX T2 will cost a predictably hefty £170 ($270) at launch, but as its kind starts to infiltrate the market that price should suffer an equally appropriate precipitous fall. Offering decent media streamer capabilities via wired Ethernet, the T2 stands out with its attractive GUI and blisteringly fast channel scanning, while giving you pretty much exactly the performance you'd expect from a high-quality Freeview HD box. The UK HD rollout is set to start in earnest this March and you can learn more about it at the links below. [Thanks, Dave]
