HUMAX Aura Android TV 4K Freeview Play Recorder with Google Assistant and Chromecast - 2TB

Product Information

The update will happen automatically in standby mode. Alternatively, you can access the update manually through the settings menu. The same HDMI connector on the TV was used for the other boxes along with the same cable, except for the TV’s built in Freeview. The two pictures are from the Humax Aura and the SkyHD(the picture with the (

Android is the interface of choice, divided into four tabs in Google Assistant/Search, Home, Discover, Apps, with settings located on the far right. It’s like any other Android TV screen in use. Along with an HDMI 2.1 port, there’s optical digital audio output, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB ports (one of which is 3.0), and terrestrial aerial loop through. Dual Wi-Fi is standard. The Aura can perform its own internal upscaling, the strength of the upscaling can be tweaked in the settings from ‘Smoothest’ to ‘Sharpest’, though to be honest I can’t see much of a difference bobbing up and down between the settings. With Chromecast built-in as standard on Android TV, AURA enables users to stream photos, videos, music and other media to their TV screen from a laptop, tablet or mobile phone via a home Wi-Fi network. That said, if you have your heart set on a single-box solution for your TV recording and video streaming, the Aura is a solid choice.There’s more here than just regular television and movies. The Google Play Store and Stadia give you access to thousands of excellent video games (just add a Bluetooth controller), while Google Assistant can also be used to control your smart home gear including lights, heating and smart speakers. Freeview Play: all the telly, all the time Built on Android 9 (aka Pie) with integrated Freeview Play, the Aura behaves like an Android TV when it comes to operation – much like the new Chromecast with Google TV. Google Assistant is integrated into the remote control, allowing users to benefit from Google Home services – simply press the button to activate voice control and ask an unlimited number of questions such as finding out the weather or travel information, choose favourite types of content, change channel or volume – or connect to smart home devices to play music, switch on the lights or heating, and much more.

With integrated Google Assistant and access to thousands of apps via the Google Play Store, AURA syncs with the user’s Google account to deliver a customised home entertainment experience built around the individual or family. For ultimate flexibility, Google Assistant also provides voice control for frequently-used TV commands, and allows users to ask questions, discover information and activate smart home devices. For an easy, top quality connection to your TV, the Aura uses HDMI. The set-top box also features an optical digital output – perfect for connecting to a home cinema system or soundbar. The Aura supports connection to a TV’s internal speakers, via optical or HDMI ARC (up to 5.1ch), and Home Cinema via HDMI (up to 7.1ch). HDD sizes: 1TB or 2TB | Tuner: Freeview Play| 4K: Yes | HDR: Yes | Smart platform: Yes, Android| Wi-Fi: Yes, dual band | Dimensions: 258(w) x 43(h) x 200(d)mm | Weight: 764g | Inputs: 1xHDMI 2.1, 2xUSB, Ethernet, optical audio Unfortunately, red flags started flying when Netflix wasn’t preinstalled and were only raised when the Google Play store announced that the Netflix app wasn’t supported on this particular device. The Now TV app would install, but on launch sent up an error message saying that the service wasn’t available through this device. You can just about get away with not supporting one of these services. Missing both is a big mistake.As well as the aforementioned live TV channels, there’s a binge-tastic box-set collection and thousands of hours of on-demand content courtesy of BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, UKTV Play, CBS Catchup Channels UK, Horror Bites, STV Player and BBC Sounds, all in one place and all for free – thanks to Freeview Play. Freeview Play provides 95% of the nation’s most-watched TV, all for free. There are more than 70 live TV channels, alongside nine on demand players: BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, UKTV Play, CBS Catchup Channels UK, Horror Bites, STV Player and BBC Sounds. If you’re spending hundreds of pounds a year on streaming subscriptions, you might be surprised at the amount of content you can get for absolutely zero extra: Freeview Play delivers 95% of the UK’s most-watched television at no additional charge. Speaking of recordings, the Humax Aura has three tuners so you could in theory record up to four channels simultaneously while watching another – you can also pause and rewind live TV as it’s happening. There are two versions of the Aura set-top box with a 1TB and 2TB version, the former is good for up to 500 hours of standard definition or 250 hours of high-definition content, while the latter doubles that to 1000 hours of SD and 500 hours of HD.

) blue pause logo). All devices showed a correct red level except for the Humax Aura. Away from the video side, the hi-res audio support is a welcome addition. It means those connecting the Aura to a decent external speaker system can get a strong performance from locally stored or streamed audio files, even if connecting through the HDMI, which can handle up to 24-bit/192 kHz levels. Humax is one of the popular names in the set-top box market, and after the success of the FVP-5000T, it launched the Aura in 2020, a box that combined the Humax experience with the smarts of Android TV. Problematic recording setups and losing programmes - including for a series link having to go into the recording info, deleting and recreating a series link - as just selecting series after pressing the Recording button only selects one programme. This must be easy to fix, so why hasn’t it?

However, these minor points aside, anyone looking for an accomplished PVR that can also add a sophisticated smart platform to their TV is sure to be delighted. As a result, the Humax Aura comes highly recommended. Humax has had great success with its What Hi-Fi? Award-winning FVP-5000T set-top box and, four years into its life, a replacement was long overdue when the Aura launched in 2020. For both specs and looks, the Aura was the upgrade we had been waiting for.