I was given this freeview box as a present after I was left bereft when my original one (different make and model) broke. I have been nothing but pleased with this machine - although it has a very similar spec to my last machine it is much more reliable.

The main features are:
* being able to record two channels simultaneously, whilst watching a third programme from your 'saved programmes' list OR recording one channel and watching another
* TV Guide available for the next 8 days
* being able to save up to 100 hours of recorded TV
* being able to pause and play live TV

The set-up of this box was dead easy. You plug it in to the relevant points (TV, wall sockets etc) and when you turn it on the machine guides you through the set up which is mostly just pressing 'ok' for programme search. This only takes a few minutes and then you are good to go.

It's worth reading the manual before you start to use the machine to make sure you are getting full use of the box. I didn't and only discovered a few months later by accident that it has got games on it as well (the controls for which are on the main remote, but sneakily hidden under a panel). It's easy enough using the main functions - you go into the TV Guide to find the things you want to record and just select 'ok'. It then asks you if you want to just record one episode or a whole series. You can then view all of the planned recordings in the 'planned recordings' section. If it looks like there might be a clash of recordings then the machine will tell you so and you can select which programme to delete.

For my money, one of the best features of this machine is that it picks up transmitter signals from TV programming and starts to record when the signal transmits, and stops recording when the signal stops. This basically means that it will always start recording for the start of the programme, and will always stop when it ends. Only on a very few occasions has the last minute or two of a programme been missed. This system is better than the one I had in my old machine where it would start recording by 'time' and then you had to record 5 minutes before and after the programme to allow for delays to the schedule.

The box doesn't look anything special - it's pretty plain in truth - but simple can sometimes be a good thing and I don't need bells and whistles to know that something's good.

The machine retails for about £130 in the shops but it is a total investment in my opinion. It's only a one-off payment as well, which is better than signing up to a monthly subscription service.