Tvonics DTR-Z500 Tests (Satellitenreceiver)

An update of last year's HD500, the Z500HD from South Wales-based TVonics is a serious attempt at a uniquely talented Freeview HD recorder - and a successful one, to boot. With two tuners and a 500GB recorder, the Z500HD represents the start of the...

HD picture, user interface, HDMI switching

Lacks editing options, no DivX or MP3 playback, no networking

Cheaper and better than TVonics’ last effort, this rugged Freeview+ HD recorder concentrates on its core duties. Add a no messing user interface, unique clutter-busting HDMI switching, and a tight, tough design and TVonics’ latest is one of the best...

Pausing live TV isn't just about getting Sky+ you know, there are other variants that don't require you to pay a monthly subscription, but with Sky boasting such an easy interface can TVonics challenge? We get watching TV to find out. Small, black...

500GB of storage, easy to use, some nice features

Can't favourite channels, design is a bit niche, no off switch

If you aren't looking for a subscription based offering (i.e., Sky) then this is one to check out

Dreadful

Awful PVR. Faults include: bad lip synch, frequent crashes, unresponsive remote control, slow to start up, EPG takes ages to fill when you switch it on from standby. Mine has just has a hard disk failure and rather than try and repair it I put it in...

3 Words

Rubbish rubbish rubbish And believe me when I say that I'm being complementary about it. I've had nothing but problems with this. At one stage I was tempted to rip it put of its socket and dispatch it to the nearest skip. Problems I've had is that...

It doesn't work!

I originally bought the previous version, the FP1600, direct from Tvonics. I wanted something that worked silently for the bedroom and this fitted the bill. There were some niggling little problems from time to time, such as recording every single...