BT G4 YouView+ Smart 500 GB Freeview HD Digital TV Recorder Set Top Box

Had an old humax box for the last few years but had the common problem of the tv guide not showing all the channels or recordings not working whenever it felt like it. Bought this box instead and I'm glad I did. Very easy to set up (just follow the on screen questions) and within a few minutes I had all the freeview channels and a tv guide which was populated for ALL channels for the WHOLE week ahead. Plugged in the included 10 metre ethernet cable to my router (luckily they are next to each other!) and now I can browse backwards a week in the tv guide as well and select play from the guide which then opens the programme in the relevant on-demand player. The remote works perfectly and anything you press happens very quickly. On my old humax box everytime you paused a recording and pressed play you would have to rewind a few seconds as there was a delay so you missed some of the programme but with this box everything is instant. Even pressing the fast forward 60 sec button a few times quickly will skip the adverts and then start playing instantly again. The search button on the remote works very well (although it didn't work at all until I plugged the box into the router) and as you type it auto-completes, looking for any programmes with the letters in as you type. You can then choose whether you want an on-demand version of the programme (to watch) or a current one which is on in the future (to record) The HD channels look really good (even the standard ones look better than they used to) and if you try to record something in SD and it's available on an HD channel then you get a message asking whether you want to record the HD programme instead. There's also an Android youview app which shows you the tv guide and you can record the programmes directly from the app even when you're out of the house (This has been a bit hit and miss when I tested it, I get errors a few times in a row when attempting to record something and then eventually it does appear in the recording schedule on the box, but I wouldn't rely on this too much. Not much help around either to try and work out why it doesn't always work!) Been using this for just over a week now and so far it's very impressive. Also very small compared to other dvr's.

I bought this box to replace a Virgin Media TV system which I have used for several years but can no longer justify the cost. The day I ordered it, the seller called to say the box would be an upgrade to the PRO version, which arrived the following day. Following the instructions in the handbook, the setup was automatic and straight forward. I'm fortunate to live within 2 miles of our local TV transmitter with a clear line of sight so, with just an internal TV aerial placed in my loft, I get 98% signal strength at 100% quality (as indicated in the box settings menu). All the regular Freeview broadcast channels are available and the HD picture quality is excellent. There's also a good range of broadband apps available, some are free, some you pay for, your choice. I've used this box for less than a week so I can't really comment on its reliability or if any glitches may appear in time, for instance I've only had 2 channels simultaneously recording and there were no problems but I understand it can record 4 at a time so maybe some problem may show up then, we'll see. The only slight negative I have is the User interface. After 11 years of Virgin Media and Sky before that, I keep looking for a STOP button when in playback but there isn't one (I guess BACK does that). The User interface is very different to what I'm used to but I'm getting there. The point is, it may be different, but it can do everything the other system did and a bit more. So overall I'm very pleased with this box and would happily recommend it to anyone looking to replace one of the contracted systems.

I got this to replace a Humax box that finally gave up the ghost. The reason I only gave 4 stars was it came without instructions, I found it easy to set up but anyone that is new to set top recorders shouldn't have many problems as it goes through each step. I found this easier to use than the old Humax box and it starts up faster so you don't have that 'eek I've forgotten to switch it on in time moment' as we don't leave equipment on standby for long periods. It's nice and small so fits on the same shelf as the blue ray player leaving the bottom shelf with plenty of room for my son's game cube (retro but he likes some of the games), the controller and whatever dvd set we're going through at the moment. Some have mentioned about the blue lights but we haven't found this to be any distraction and very quickly got used to it and at least we know the broadband extender is working :-) Since it came we've used the catch up tv with very little buffering even with bbc iplayer which was always buffering with our old box and have recorded programmes with no problems. All in all a very nice little box for the price - very happy with it.

For over 12 years we subscribed to Sky TV. Like many other people I know, we mainly watched channels that are free to air. We were getting a discount on our Sky package, but I just couldn't justify paying a subscription after a channel audit revealed that we occasionally watched a couple of the subscription channels. So I researched alternatives and decided to give YouView a try. I'm very impressed by the functions and features of this box, so I decided to write up a short review. In summary . . . - TV Guide is very modern, clear and easy to use - Good range of catch up TV / On demand players like BBC iPlayer, Netflix - Excellent search capability - Good performance when scrolling through the Guide and menus - LEDs on the front tell you when your box is connected to Broadband and when it's recording - Can be used as a fully functioning PVR, even if you don't subscribe to a TV package (Sky disable recording features, sigh) - Very quiet - Low energy consumption, even when in use - Nice compact size to fit under the TV - Works well with a Sky look a like remote > https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00TH3HWHA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If Amazon Prime Video was included amongst the players, that would be the icing on the cake. I do not subscribe to BT or TalkTalk Broadband, so I don't see any of their subscription channels or player on my Box. It works like a generic YouView box. Some people say they can't live without their Sky+ - well, there is life after Sky for recording, pausing, rewinding etc. The YouView box is a joy to use and I'm very happy to be saving the money I used to pay Sky.

Great box ..this is the second one I have bought so easy to set up and use ..would recommend it.

See updated review below. This is my second one of these boxes (3rd if you count one I got for the mother-in-law!) as we use in two rooms on separate TVs - I can't fault this box - better than the sky interface in fact - really nice looking interface and very intuitive. Full collection of catch up (which can be cleverly accessed via the EPG for going back in time) and various apps to access a variety of streaming services (a few missing which hopefully will follow with future sw updates) - almost all you need. The recording functionality is excellent. The box itself is small and well made the remote is much nicer than what you can usually expect. Highly recommended. Updated review. It's now 18 months since I purchased this item and it looks like the hard drive has died. As with many others if you check out the 1 star reviews, the product won't come out of the start up cycle. I contacted Amazon who said I had to speak to the supplier as it was a market place purchase, which was 'Simply 4u'. They never got back to me, I tried a couple of times, but no response. It seems like the product has a high fault liability. I will probably avoid a market place purchase in the future and there is no comeback if the supplier does not respond. To summarise, good when it works, which is not long enough.

Very quick delivery and worked perfectly

The unit is good in that it can record two different programmes at the same time. Now for the not so good:- Unless you already subscribe to BT you wont be able to use all of the functions and be unable to download any apps; The instruction manual is very poor. The installation instructions in the product description are far more clearer. Also it doesn't explain many of the functions/how to's. You have to find out by trial and error; the remote is terrible. It will never win any design awards. The volume up/down and mute functions are placed on a single rocker button as are the programme up/down functions; the scroll left, right, up and down buttons are very small and badly situated beside the two rocker buttons and underneath/over the information/back buttons; and in the centre of it all is the OK button. It is all so cramped together it's very difficult to select the button you want without actually looking at the remote. Hence only 3 stars from me.