Humax has launched a digital video recorder with support for Freely. The Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely can record up to four channels at a time on a 2 terabyte hard disc, enough for up to a thousand hours of recordings, when connected to an aerial. However it does not support the recording of Freely services that are delivered online.
The recording feature on Aura EZ requires an aerial. In other words, although the recorder adds support for the Freely app, it does not allow recording of the online streams.
That works for those that want to be able to record programmes for later viewing, without relying on apps and the on-demand catalogues of broadcasters.
To do so, they will still be tied to an aerial connection that relies on a digital terrestrial television network that British broadcasters seem to consider as approaching the end of its useful life.
Commercial broadcasters have never been keen on digital video recorders, that have now been around for a quarter of a century, preceded by a couple of decades of home video recording on tapes.
Although playback of recorded programmes increases the audience, viewers can use them to avoid watching adverts. The measurement systems on which the television advertising market is based are a notoriously blunt instrument.
To compete with online advertising, broadcasters are pursuing online delivery that allows targeted and directly measurable.
Rather than encouraging home recording, broadcasters would rather drive viewers to their online players, where they can offer personalised recommendations and further viewer engagement.
Yet audiences to the programming of traditional broadcasters are in general decline. While their online viewing is increasing, it is not compensating for a gradual decline in their audiences in the face of increased competition from new entrants.
So, the Humax recorder is a strange hybrid. It is a highly specified digital terrestrial television recorder, coupled with a Freely app for its user interface.
Yet Freely, which is predicated on linking to the online apps of broadcasters, does not offer recording facilities.
To schedule a recording, users can press the Menu button on the remote control, which reveals the seven-day TV guide. Humax is developing its own Aura EZ app, which will be available to download free of charge in the future.
The Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder is available for a recommenced retail price of £249.