I’ve opted to replace the TiVo box completely. Costing the same price as my TiVo Series 1 (£300), the HDR-FOX T2 boasts some nice features but is it the TiVo replacement I’ve been looking for?
Having rushed home with my new gadget, I decided to wait for the kids to go to bed before unboxing and setting up. Kids in bed, I opened up the packaging to find
HDR FOX T2 Device
Scart Cable
HDMI Cable
Remote plus batteries
Instruction Manuals
Like any other geek featured male, I put the Instruction Manuals and scart cable back in the box. Setting up was easy. I connected the TV aerial, HDMI cable and network cable before plugging the device into the mains. The mains cable could have done with being a bit longer but with a little effort I managed to hook it up and turn it on.
The guided setup was easy to follow and relatively quick to go through. The auto-tune managed to find all of the FreeView channels and the default network settings were enough to get the box connected to the internet.
The next thing you’ll want to do if you do get yourself a HDR-FOX T2 is to ensure that you have the latest firmware installed. There are currently two ways to upgrade the firmware. Navigating through the menus you find the over-the-air (OTA) firmware upgrade section. This didn’t work for me but wasn’t really an issue. The HDR-FOX T2 allows you to upgrade via a USB stick. As the HDR-FOX T2 can be connected to the internet, it was a little disappointing to find that there wasn’t an option to upgrade via a direct internet download. I did manage to upgrade by downloading the firmware and placing it on a USB stick that I then inserted into the HDR-FOX T2. The included instructions were not too hard to decode but be warned that the instructions are correct when the ask you to be patient during the firmware upgrade.
Firmware updated, I rebooted to find the features I’d read about before buying the device.
Application version: FHTCP1.02.07
Loader version: a7.30
Micom version: 9.3
System id: 80BC.7E00
Update Date: 21 Jan 2011
Time to have a play. Will it live up to my expectations?
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