Featuring a high capacity, 2TB hard drive, it's easy to record, pause and rewind live TV. The extra-large capacity storage holds up to 1000 hours of TV - enough to be able to catch up on all your favourite TV even after an extended break away. With the pause and rewind function, interruptions from phone calls are no longer an issue - simply pause the live TV and resume when you're free again. 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. The Humax Aura’s three Freeview Play tuners bring access to over 70 non-subscription live TV channels and over 20,000 hours of on-demand entertainment through the catch-up services, with BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5 all present. Those tuners allow you to pause and rewind TV, as well as record up to four channels while watching a fifth one live. 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. The Aura comes in 1TB and 2TB versions, allowing for up to 500 and 1,000 hours of recording respectively, and both include three digital tuners, allowing you to record up to four programmes while watching a fifth (depending on what you’re actually recording). There’s also the Humax Aura app for iOS and Android that enables remote planning, recording and viewing on the go.

The ultimate test of any piece of tech kit is would you buy it again or recommend it to someone you care for? Nope. Even the way the remote control is layed out is rushed and not intuitive. The button to find your recordings is hidden away and too small. I'm constantly miskeying and once you press the wrong button you lose what you were trying to do and clear the cached program you were trying to watch. 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. To access entertainment, change the volume, get answers on screen and more, just ask Google. Supplied with a voice activated remote, there’s no need for a separate Google speaker. 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.As you’d hope for with any PVR, recorded image quality is transparent to source. That means linear HD channels look crisp and detailed, with bit-starved SD channels a little more bleary around the edges. The recording accurately reflects both, for good or ill. 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.

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 ( On paper, it’s a potent combination, with Android giving Humax a leg-up with Google Assistant voice control, Chromecast streaming plus the load of apps in the Google Play store. Just how strong is the aura that surrounds Humax’s set-top box? DesignThe Aura trades a touch of detail for this better blending and, while some might prefer harder edges to stone walls, it feels like a well-judged decision from Humax. There’s a proper sense of complexity to the bright blue TV shelf as one of the bargain hunters haggles over a few Euros. It makes for a more natural aesthetic to the picture and feels believable when upscaled to 4K. However, notable by its absence is Netflix. Humax is acutely aware of this hole in its streaming service armoury, and we’re told discussions are ongoing – but as yet there’s nothing to report. In terms of firmware, Humax states that it will be upgrading numerous aspects of Aura’s performance, from video and audio enhancements to an improved UI experience. 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. 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

But on the app front, there is plenty to choose from within video, music, sports, and fitness. You can count on Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+. Lionsgate+ ITVX, Paramount+, TikTok, Mubi, Deezer, Roxi, Discovery+, BT Sport, Steam Link, Spotify, Vevo, Tidal, UFC, Peloton, BBC Sounds and DAZN. It’s not as many as Fire TV, Google TV, or Roku, but it’s a strong enough proposition. The Kid’s Zone offers live as well as on-demand content, and has its own age-appropriate search function. Taking voice control one-step further, Google Assistant also works in controlling a wide range of smart home devices, such as lighting, thermostats and cameras. Use voice control to set the ideal viewing environment, with the lighting and temperature just so.

It’s the best Freeview Play and streaming box yet, but the Humax Aura still needs work

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. Freeview Play takes the nation’s most popular TV platform to the next level by offering easy to access, catch-up TV. With over 70 subscription-free channels and 20,000 hours of on demand TV available, there's always something to watch on Freeview TV. The Aura isn't up to Humax's normal high standards. I have loved Humax's FreeSat and then the previous via-ariel Freeview versions of this set-top box for the last 14 years and upgraded last year. This has been nothing but buggy and irritating.

Dive into the settings and there are plenty more features to have a look at. One I’d recommend is ‘Dynamic Refresh Rate Scaling’. The Aura scales the resolution of each app to the resolution of the TV (in this case 4K). I found it was too annoying with its constant blinking and oftentimes crashing. 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. One feature that will certainly be appreciated by parents with little ones to amuse is the aforementioned Kid’s Zone. This is a content-protected area with a cheerful UI that allows kids and parents to browse together for things to watch. Helpfully, thumbnails have clearly marked running times. I find playing audio through the Aura’s apps to be similar enough to playing it through the TV. The slight difference I can hear is that there’s a little more weight and excitement to bass when watching the Eternals on Disney+. The picture quality through the Freeview Play tuners in both SD and Full HD is every bit as good as that of the FVP-5000T. Watching Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is on BBC2, we get some inviting shots of a French antiques market on a cloudless summer’s day. The cobbled streets and stalls are bright and colourful, but with a realistic sense of tonality and texture.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.