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June 2010Icecrypt T2200

Freesat Freeview euro tv skyThe best kit, The best programmes

scan and set screen and sound preferences. The excellent fonts, graphics, icons and menus do at least combine efficiently to make using them a cinch.

The menu system lets you alter settings such as the transparency level of the menu screens, parental controls, and the video output, which is scalable to 1080p. Setting favourites is straightforward and it makes sense to create an HD group (there are five default categories). These can then be accessed quickly via a dedicated remote button.

File playback from uSB is not as slick as the menu system and compatibility seems a bit flaky (it would not play mkv files copied from a Mac). Video and recordings can be fast-forwarded or rewound up to 64x. JPeGs can take an age loading but images and movies do look sparkling when they finally show.

navigating the ePG and getting programme information is as good as you can hope for and the provision of a timer could be useful for recording TV shows using a separate recorder. Possibly the biggest niggle is that the box takes a a good 30 seconds to boot up – the price for such a low rate of power consumption in standby (under 1W).

As for image quality, the HD channels are as sparkling and detailed as they are on Sky, whilst SD channels are excellent too n Adrian Justins

FeaturesFreeview HD: Yes MHEG-5: YesTeletext: YesEPG: 7-day DVB UHF modulator tuning: noCI slots: 2Timer: Yes

Software upgrade: via uSB or OTAFormat support: DivX, AVI, MP3, MP4 MKV, M2TSVideo outputs: HDMI, Dual Scart (RGB), uHF out

Audio output: Digital optical audio, HDMI

Icecrypt T2200A slick interface and versatile functionality are the icing on Icecrypt’s Freeview HD cake

The Icecrypt T2200 is a welcome addition to the fledgling Freeview HD ranks, although priced at a whopping £170, it needs to offer more than

just pretty pictures to impress us.There are no major surprises when it comes to the

connections around the back with a 1080p-compatible HDMI leading the show. Dual Scarts offer analogue output, and a digital optical socket means you can enjoy Dolby Digital audio using a compatible amp.

For the price, you might expect Wi-Fi or even some form of home networking, but for now the ethernet port is redundant. At least there are twin CI slots which can currently be used for inserting an eSPn CAM, and soon, receiving Sky Sports from Top up TV. A PVR update expected by August will enable single-tuner recording to uSB connected drives, but as copy-protection disallows the recording of many TV shows it’s unclear yet whether you’ll be able to play them on other devices such as a PC. Humax’s similarly priced HD-Fox T2 sports a uSB socket that will eventually allow exporting of recordings to an external drive, but only in standard def.

Nice fasciaThere is a uSB socket here (handily mounted on the front panel), which is for playing back music, photo and video media files. The fascia and top panel don’t seem commensurate with the price tag, but neither are they bargain basement quality either.

The remote control is a mixed bag. It’s nicely weighted and feels well built, but the buttons are on the small side and a bit of colour coding or variety in the button sizes wouldn’t have gone amiss either.

Installation is fairly simple. As there’s no setup wizard you’re expected to explore the various menus to channel

n www.turbosat.com n 01795 429 666 n £170

VerdictThose prepared to accept the early adopter premium could do a lot worse than the Icecrypt T2200. As a way to enjoy Freeview HD, it’s on a par with the Humax HD-Fox T2, offering an equally good menu system and first-rate HD pics. The specs are similar but the Icecrypt’s CI slot gives it the edge.

RatingsPLUSn HD picture and sound quality n CI slot n Slick user interface

MInUSn Pricey n Flaky USB media playback n Slow to boot up

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TesT FReeView HD