Humax Freeview range lifts off (IDTV - Sep 26, 2003)

Korean set -top box manufacturer Humax has formally launched its Freeview receiver range into
the UK market. At the press event which marked the launch in London, commercial director
Dale Heathcote declared that "what we are not is a basic set-top box manufacturer".
Accordingly, the products on show ranged all the way from a low-end non-MHEG Freeview
receiver (the F2-1011T) to an entire home cinema set-up, comprising a DVD+RW recorder, an
AV receiver, and an LCD-based IDTV. Heathcote added that "the data is suggesting people are
moving away from a basic box into 'combi' products."

The first two products to hit the UK are the above -mentioned F2-1011T (if you see a box for
sale called the F2-1001T, it's the German version), and the F2-Fox-T ( recently reviewed on this
site). They are both currently available online - from Dabs Direct and Easibuy - and should also be appearing in independent retailers initially. UK sales manager Brian Barker claimed both
boxes were "selling very well."

Next up will be its single-tuner Freeview PVR - the 8000 -T, hitting retailers in October in a
target price range of around £200 (this model is effectively the Fox receiver with a PVR drive
added). Around the same time will come the DV-100T, at a "sub-£200" target price (again, this
is basically the Fox box plus what Humax claims is a "good quality" DVD drive).

As for the LCD-based IDTV, Humax is hoping at least the 17-inch model will be launching by
Christmas. 22-inch and 30-inch versions will be launching later. After that, some time in the
New Year, will come a twin-tuner PVR with a removable hard drive, the PVR 9000-T. Humax
hasn't quite worked out how to price this yet, nor whether consumers will actually want a
removable hard drive. But if the standard 40GByte unit gets used up too quickly, the option will
be there to upgrade to a higher capacity (e.g. 60 or 80 GBytes).

Everything bar the 17-inch LCD IDTV was actually on display at the Humax press launch, so it
looks as if these projected launch-dates are somewhat more trustworthy than those we have
been given in the past. According to what we were told by staff on the Humax stand at the
National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in April (see the Smart Show report), most of the
above products should already be in the shops!

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