Manhattan T3-R Freeview Play 4K Smart Recorder 1TB & CDL Micro 1.8 m Gold Plated TV Aerial Cable (M-M) with Adapter (F-F) - Black

So this is a review for the Manhattan T3-R Freeview Play 4K Smart Recorder 1TB which is the new upgraded PVR - I wanted to make that clear, because some of the reviews here appear to be talking about another model for some reason.I spent some time reading reviews for other top line recent PVR models before deciding on the Manhattan T3-R. We've been with Sky for 15 years, the missus has gotten used to the Sky box interface and even though we'd been paying over the odds for years, we felt reluctant to go down the freeview/PVR route because there didn't appear to be anything out there that could match the interface of the guide, recordings, etc. But the kids are watching Netflix these days, we rarely watch Sky content, so it seemed prudent to start looking for a decent PVR. You're probably reading this because you're afraid of making that leap into something different. We were in the same boat.After spending a few weeks with it now, we're so relieved that it seems to do pretty much everything the Sky Q box could and I'm left bewildered by some of the reviews written against this product here which almost made me not buy it in the first place.So first of all let's dispel some false claims written in some of the other reviews... Yes, it *can* pause and rewind live TV, quickly and effortlessly. You *can* watch from the start of a program that is currently recording. You *can* choose from the guide and start recording a program from the guide. You *can* move frame by frame forward should you want to. I say all these things because I've done them and there is at least one other review here that oddly said you couldn't.I like the fact you can record a single program, or set it to record an entire series if you want to. Brilliant for Corrie, Eastenders and all the other rubbish the wife watches!You can press a button 'Recordings' on the remote and it neatly lists the recordings in either 'All' or 'By Series' - You can see scheduled recordings you have set to record into the future. If you delete a program you've recorded, it even saves it for a while in the 'Trash' tab section - Just in case the kids decided to delete the last episode of Peaky Blinders before you got to watch it! Just fish it out from the trash. When you first plug it in, it searches for all the channels automatically. The channels are then all listed into a guide which has its own button on the remote. All the Freeview HD channels are crisp, record and then play perfectly in superb quality. The 'Home' menu also includes apps such as YouTube and YouTube Kids. The unit is very responsive and does not lag at all when flipping around in the menu, which I believe is a common complaint for PVRs.Going back to the guide, the programs are not only listed nicely, but you also get program information, photos of the programs (not in every case), all similar to what you might see on the Sky box interface.- *edit* We've had the unit for months now and it has never let us down recording something we wanted. I thought it might flip out over Christmas with all the recordings we gave it to do (some of them airing on different channels at the same time), but it managed the tasks perfectly.So what *don't* I like about it?- {*edit* Have used this device extensively for several months now)... The single most frustrating issue this device has is an *infrequent* syncing issue between audio and visual on recordings. In fairness, I must stress it only happens *sometimes* but the sound will (ever so slightly) go out of sync with the picture. It seems to happen more if you are pausing a lot, rewinding, forwarding through a program. It's not permanent for that recording and it can be resolved by stopping the program, going back out to the menu and back into it again where it will resume where you left it (or switching the device into standby and on again). It doesn't happen a lot, but the fact it happens at all is frustraing. I'm hoping a future software/firmware update will resolve this issue.- Some have mentioned it, and I'm inclined to agree, I think it would be nice in addition to the static blue LED light at the front have a recording lamp, so you know when it's recording. You just have blue for 'on' and red for 'stand by' modes. It's not a deal breaker for me though, maybe I was just used to having that with Sky.- Would be nice to have apps like NowTV (missus watches Teen Mom! on MTV... I know, I know) available on the main menu. Fortunately our smart TV has the app, but would be nice to have it and others on the Manhattan.There are a couple of minor quirky software peeves that I come across every now and again but nothing major that would put you off this excellent machine.In general, we are delighted with it. The remote is a little 'clunky' and the missus prefers the modern Sky remote we got with the Sky Q box - She'll miss it only because she's used to the Sky remote, but again - Not a deal breaker. I found myself getting annoyed with her that somehow she preferred paying £90 p/m just so she can feel all jolly with a superior remote control unit!It's worth saying the interface is certainly different to Sky's. It will take you a short while to get used to it, but once you do, it's just as functional, if not more functional than the Sky Q box interface.I'll be sure to come back and update this review and edit it (already have, twice) should anything go wrong with the unit, but for now at least, we're over the moon with this purchase and will save us a small fortune in the long run!

I have been looking for 'The Perfect Freeview PVR' for a while now.I have been using the BT YouView Box UHD DTR-T4000 until now. I have also used the earlier BT YouView model, and before that, a Humax HDR-2000T. I really like the way the YouView boxes offer a seamless TV experience that merges on-demand programming into the programme schedule, so you can click on any programmes from previous days when looking back through the scheduler and click on a programme to start watching it (assuming it is available on-demand).I was on the verge of trying the Humax FVP-5000T (which was reputed to be about as good as PVRs currently get, though apparently a bit sluggish to use).Now that I have name-dropped what I believe to be the best options out there at the moment (I've heard of some Panasonic 4K Blu-ray players that offer Freeview PVR functionality too), let's bring the Manhattan T3-R into the mix....First of all, it doesn't currently have any support for subscription online services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This isn't an issue for me, as I can play this content on my 4K TV, or on my NVIDIA Shield, or 4K Blu-ray player (you'll be hard-pressed to find many other devices out there that don't support these).However, it does support catch-up TV apps for BBC, BBC News, BBC Sport, ITV, Channels 4 and 5, and some other niche channels.One thing that immediately bothered me is that there is no LED display to show at a glance whether a programme is recording. You can check by going into the info for the programme and check the recording status, but this is a faff.The menus and interface all seems clean, intuitive and responsive. The ability to navigate forwards and backwards in the programme schedule and jump by day to set recordings is handy, similar to YouView.The buttons on the remote are very helpful, with shortcuts directly to your recordings, the programme schedule and the apps. The remote is good quality, but feels a bit too light in my hand though - not substantial.In terms of recording, my other half was put out that you seemingly can't start watching/recording a programme part way in, and still access the beginning of it retrospectively (which the YouView boxes do). There is a function which appears very clever (though I've not tried it in anger yet) which always attempts to record in HD (where available) by default, but will record in SD as a contingency should the HD material fail (the signal for my HD channels isn't always reliable, so programmes can fail to record). If this works as expected, it is an invaluable feature for us!Overall, the T3-R does a decent job of presenting the SD, HD and streaming video - at least as good as any other box I have tried, perhaps better. The streaming on-demand content in particular looks better on the T3-R than on the BT YouView boxes, which had always looked a bit interlaced.I've not had an opportunity to watch any UHD/4K content yet, but I have high expectations, based on the SD/HD performance I have seen.In summary, I am very happy with my purchase. I am confident that this box is pretty much as good as it gets for Freeview PVRs at the moment, and if Manhattan are able to introduce subscription apps (Netflix/Amazon Prime), then it will be on par with anything else out there on all levels.

If you locate and record your programs via the EPG (the Guide), then this product isn't for you. You cannot search the listings for a program. It does not have that feature (unlike my 2 previous Recorders) - that is a show-stopper for me.It also can't play back recordings in slow-motion.The face of the unit gives no indication of what is happening, channel, recording, scrolling through supported HD formats, this caused some frustration when setting up due to a faulty cable elsewhere.I found the 'user interface' unintuitive and frustrating.When I returned home this evening, it was mid-way through recording a program, however I was unable watch the program from the start. i.e. while it was recording, (again something I could do on my previous unit) although in fairness I had lost the will to live at that point. There were other minor frustrations as well. I sent it back for a refund this evening.

This is the box Humax should have made. All the functions of the FVP-5000T but as you want them to be. Fast, clean, proper searching, a proper skip button and all the rest. Excellent box - so far so good.

5 stars from me, great bit of kit and love the all new features.Would recommend this to anyone.