All singing, all dancing. This beast has got to be the one sitting underneath your tv this Autumn.
LG HR400 Best Price
LG HR400 Blu Ray Player and Freeview Recorder Review
This is the latest release from LG who are now building a substantial range of respectable Freeview Recorders. It’s so new, in fact, that it still doesn’t appear on the LG website.
In essence, you could say this machine is primarily a Blu Ray player and therefore has no place on this site. However, that would be extremely short sited – be prepared to be wowed.
Yes, it plays Blu Ray DVDs – or high definition DVDs. The HR400 incorporates a feature called HDLive – which uses the internet connection to retrieve up-to-date content related to the DVD. So for example, the unit can download exclusve previews, unseen footage, out-takes etc, that were all released after the DVD had been made. It will also be used to try and sell you extras, such as ringtones, wallpapers etc. For me, there is a better use of the ethernet connection still to come, but it’s a bonus.
The HR400 also packs in true Freeview + with a 160Gb hard drive and the usual features of series link, EPG, chase play etc etc. Disappointingly, this model only has a single digital tv tuner, so it doesn’t have the ability to record two different channels at the same time. If you have a TV with Freeview built in, then you can always watch one channel on the TV while recording another on the HR400 – you just won’t be able to record 2 channels simultaneously.
Then there is a network (ethernet) connection on the rear allowing you the unit in to your home internet connection. This is obviously a cabled connection so you will have to consider where your router is to make use of this. But when connected, the HR400 has a built-in YouTube Player. So for those times when you are waiting for Top Gear to start in 10 minutes and haven’t got time to watch a full episode you have recorded earlier, turn on YouTube and entertain yourself with some internet-humour!
Overall this looks to be a very promising unit. Best prices just above £350 is realistic for a Blu Ray player and freeview recorder combined and stock starting to come on to the UK market now.
LG HR400 Price Comparison
Also consider:
- Humax PVR9150T
- Humax PVR9300T
- LG
Similar Freeview Recorders:
Please can you confirm Does this Unit Have a Twin Digital Tuner
Thanks Peter – i’ve looked in to this and I don’t think it has. When the report was written all we had to go on was information from the retailers themselves, and I can’t find anything to confirm it has a twin tuner. Shame, because with twin tuners it would have been a fantastic all-in-one. I’ll update the report accordingly.