August DVB400 Set-Top Box Receiver with Freeview HD Recorder

I bought this little box to watch the world cup matches in HD on my older 40 inch TV in the kitchen. I have to say installation was quick and easy and the quality of the HD pictures were excellent. The box is very small, only a little larger and fatter than an apple TV so I have it sat on top of my set (which is wall mounted). It shipped with the latest firmware (3.7) so no issues with lip sync. Also changing channels is snappy.I briefly tried out the time shift feature after plugging in a usb dongle, so I could pause and rewind live TV which works fine but there is a progress bar along the bottom of the screen while in this mode. I have not fully tested the record mode as yet This item was ordered Friday and I requested Sunday delivery and it arrived on Sunday, so great service. I recommend this item if you want to get HD free view pictures. Some previous reviewers have mentioned the remote, which although is small it is perfectly functional. I have ordered a One For All Essence 3 remote so I only have one remote for my three devices (TV,August and Roku LT) At £34 this is great value and I highly recommend ++update Ok so I have now tested the record feature. I set up to record the football on BBC1 HD for two hours and then record the news on BBC1 HD directly following. This worked perfectly, but my observation was that between recordings there is about a 10 sec gap while it ends the first recording and then counts down to start up the next. I have to say the recording quality is excellent and when played back on my TV and then on my iMac the image is superb. I should point out I used a usb hard drive for this test. I then put in a usb dongle and did test recordings with similar results, although over a shorter period of time due to the capacity on the usb dongle. To give you an idea of how much storage is used in HD recordings, the 2 hour 5 min recording came to 7.59 gigs. It was recorded as a single file with the file name BBC_ONE_HD-06182014-1959.mts. I should also point out that when recording has started you cannot adjust or add further recordings without stopping the current one. Considering this device is around £30 I think it is an outstanding piece of kit, all you need is a usb dongle or usb drive and you have a fully featured PVR, but for me I am happy to just use it for the excellent HD channels

I REALLY wish I could give this a 0 star rating! This is an awful little product, it is sluggish, needs to be retuned every week and the record function is embarrassing! I bought this for my grandma who still hasn’t got the internet or satellite TV! She already had a free view box that she could record programmes and set reminders from but this still worked off the SCART connection on her TV, I thought I’d get her one that she could could utilise her HDMI connection with, but I want to emphasise the fact that THIS BOX IS THE WORST THING IVE EVER BOUGHT FROM ANYWHERE! Just to summarise why... 1) It took 2 attempts to programme the box initially, the first time it found 8 channels! 2) When I finally got the channels to install, it takes the EPG (programme guide) around 5 minutes to load the channels 3) The EPG itself is less advanced than a free view box I had 10 years ago, you have to change the channel to see what is on that particular channel 4) The lag is ridiculous, this alone makes the box a waste of time, you press a button and nothing happens, press it again, still nothing, so you press again, this time after a few seconds it receives all 3 commands at the same time and you’ve skipped 3 channels; and so the process starts again... 5) The ‘record’ function! This is not a function that this box should have! It hardly has the CPU power to run the EPG, try running the box while it records another programme! WASTE OF TIME! 6) Just to top it off and to to put the final nail in the coffin for the box, it randomly decides to factory restore itself every week (the only thing that it does consistently!) meaning that you need to go through the whole process of retuning! These are only the 6 most frustrating things about this box! I will be returning! Don’t waste your money and I would strongly recommend that you disregard all reviews of this product that praise its performance. DO NOT BUY!!!!!

I was looking for a cheap way to get HD Freeview channels on my HDTV which only has a SD Freeview receiver built in, this unit is cheap and compact, connects via HDMI or Scart (you won't receive HD resolution through the Scart socket) and is a piece of cake to set-up, there is no HDMI lead supplied in the box so you will need to buy one, the remote control is small but works quite well sometimes requiring a second press before it responds, the unit also has a USB port on the front to connect a USB stick or external hard drive for recording. In use the menu system works fine, it isn't as polished as a high end unit but you wouldn't expect it to be, the electronic program guide has its limitations, you can only see one channels listing at a time and the HD channels only show times and not the programs, maybe this will change with a future firmware upgrade but more of that later, picture quality is very good as are the recordings, HD recording which uses approx 3gb of memory per hour of recording is excellent especially given how cheap this unit is with the bonus recordings can be transferred to a PC to be archived or easily edited with freely available software. The one problem that has occurred is that it occasionally drops a channel or two for no apparent reason, it might be fine for days and the next time it is turned on one or two channels are missing, the only way round it is to rescan. I looked on the August website to see if there was a firmware upgrade available, there was and the serial and SW numbers confirmed it was compatible with my unit, what was included in the upgrade I don't know as they didn't make that information available and it became irrelevant anyway as despite successfully downloading and unzipping the file, transferring it to a USB stick and the unit recognising the update file each attempt to update would fail despite it initially looking as if it was taking place, checking in the menu confirmed it was still the original firmware version, whether the problem lies with the file or the unit is uncertain at this point, I will keep a check on the manufacturers website, but apart from this one problem it is a good little unit that provides very good quality HD channels at a very low price.

I am moved to write my first review ever of anything because I feel this is such a good product and could be outclassing machines costing so much more. As it is it is a compete bargain. It gives the facility to watch and record Freeview SD and Freeview HD. Many of the reviews here are not correct about the negative sides of the device. Lip synch is not an issue with the updated software (oddly not posted on August's web site, but given by email, as stated in a review here), but there are some annoying features - some of which August are planning to correct. Before I give a list of annoying 'features' I must just say again that at a price below £40 it is an amazing bargain. I looked up to £150 and could not find a device that suited me better. OK it does not have a built in hard drive - but I actually think that is a plus - most of the boxes with built in HDD do not allow you to take the recording off to archive on DVD or computer; so the HDD fills up and you are forced to delete. With August you can attach an external HDD if you like - for about £60 you can get a 2TB external HDD; so the August device would cost under £100 and have way more space than other devices. Better however, in my view, to just pop a memory stick into it; then after some recordings take the memory stick to a computer and archive the ones you want to keep. This saves the money for upgrading your computer's hard drive! There are some annoying (and potentially easily solved) issues with the recording feature: (1) Recorded programme file name does not have the programme title (just channel and date and time) - this you can edit on computer, but it would be easily solved by August (2) There is no automatic record time padding feature to avoid chopping late programs. Better would be an EPG time update link. You can add a few minutes to the end, but it is a chore - come on August! (3) There is no playback resume feature for recordings once the device is switched off (i.e. you are thrown back to the start when you watch the programme again) - this I would LOVE as a feature (4) There is no program series recording feature to automatically find next episodes (you can repeat record daily / weekly/ monthly) - again a bit of a pain (5) There are no automatic chapter break additions to recordings every few minutes or where blank (to find adverts) to allow skipping in playback. (6) no EPG titles for HD - SD EPG shows more or less correctly (sometimes skipping chunks of time though), but HD channels just have times and no programme titles or details. They still record fine though. These things turn an otherwise excellent device into something that is somewhat harder to use. It would be a killer recording device if August could correct some of these issues. I have contacted them and they say they are looking at them. As for some of the criticisms in other reviews here - the remote does have small buttons, but they all have a useful function (except teletext in UK) - NTFS works really well (FAT32 will mean that large files are chunked, but also works as expected) - 1 hour takes around 1 GB for SD and 3GB for HD - Missing channels? - channels need to be broadcasting when you scan for them (e.g. BBC3 will not be picked up until after 7pm, and so appears missing if you set up your box earlier). For the price it is worth 5 stars. If pitted against a £250 machine... maybe not! But I have personal experience of worse machines for around £150.

Just set this up, took me 5 mins, plug aerial in back and HDMI cable from TV to recorder ( if you dont have a HDMI port you can also connect via Scart lead) Plug into mains, select your channel on TV ie Av1 ot Hdmi 1 etc.. and TUNE!!!!!!! You need to have this switch ON, FOR IT TO BE ABLE TO FIND CHANNELS. once searching commences, you can then see the channels on your TV screen. you will need to use the remote that came with BOX to change channels etc, and to RECORD, not your TV remote!!!!, Instruction manual, scart lead, remote control and Batteries all inc in the box, took me 5 mins to get out of box, and attach cables!!!! I WILL BUY A SCART LEAD AND CONNECT IT- I DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS, just my TV only have 1 HDMI slot, so i will need to change cable to CD player if i want to watch a DVD, so if i attach a Scart lead i will be able to watch them all with no changing of cables I STRESS THIS IS MY PREFERENCE YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY AN EXTRA CABLE!!!!!! so far so good, just need to get used to putting the box and and using the remote that came with box!!! Picture, sound, etc all clear no issues!!!!! CONS: 1.THE ONLY ONE THING IS USB PORT AT THE FRONT OF BOX SO MEANS YOU NEED TO HAVE USB STICK STICKING OUT ALL THE TIME. not a major issue, but if you have kiddies you may want to remove it other wise little fingers may get hold of it!....2.Since using this i have found that you cant watch a different channel whilst recording... ie if i was watching ITV3 and wanted to record a film on Sony Movie Channel, i would have to watch Sony Movie Channel...3. the keys on the remote are quiet small as well. 4.This was not compatible on my 32inch Smart TV, i set it up in there to see if i could record one program and watch another on big TV but it kept saying No signal, tried several times, gave up in the end...

Good price under £30. I wanted it to replace my other HD Freeview boxes as it records in .mts which is compatible with Windows Media Player and reportedly also plays back most files including .ts (transport stream) files. The recording function worked, but it wouldn't play my .ts files, and I have more than 1 TB of .ts files. I was impressed by the picture on Standard Definition as it was very clear, however there were streaks on the set for High Definition channels. Customer Support initially insisted I had a bad aerial, and after sending them a .ts file sample, eventually admitted that this August box can't play .ts files as stated. When I requested a refund, Customer Support then asked me to 'send' the set top box to them, even though they had received it several weeks earlier by recorded delivery and had ran tests on the device. This is a very promising but unfinished product.

So far so very good. On first appearance I was disappointed by its diminutive size but small is beautiful and it is an asset if you're pushed for space. In performance terms it soon proved it's worth. I'm no techie but installation was a doddle. At first the results seemed disappointing and I had half a mind to send it back. The picture it gave on a new but cheap 22" full HDTV was grainy and worse than the TV's inbuilt free view (which provided only non HD channels and was my reason for buying this little gizmo). I sat down, looked through a comprehensive instruction manual, went into the menu and switched the Antennae Power on (sounds cosmic!). I went and bought a HDMI cable, ditched the initial scart connection I had made (Dinosaur credentials)checked out aerial lead connections. After an existential moment (not quite!) I took a deep breath and scrolled down the TV Source menu to HMDI input. The results were astounding: crystal clear images, detailed and with gorgeous colours. It made my cheap TV purchase worth the while (almost) and felt like redemption. Living in a block of flats with a basic aerial socket connector on the wall I bought this gadget to retrieve my cheap TV purchase (nobody will be allowed to forget this) and water has been turned into wine. If you don't have a TV with an integral HD Freeview or access to cable then the August HD box is worth every penny of it's very reasonable cost. In addition there's also the record options and lots of other multimedia paraphanelia.This is a little box of jewels. Eh? Hold on as they say up North!

This must be the most irritating piece of equipment I have used.... EVER! Works fine in terms of getting the channels required. However every time I have tried to arrange the channel listings in some sort of sensible order, as one is supposedly able to do, it scrambles the order when next the tv is switched on. So, if I set BBC1 to channel 01, BBC2 to channel 02 etc. , these do not remain set. The next day BBC1 could jump to channel 29 or 106, or any other random no - which means I spend huge amounts of time in finding the channels I want each day. The programming simply doesn't function. After 30 mins of arranging the channels each time , it is infuriating when they randomly change for no reason the next day. It is quite ridiculous the number of times I have re-set and saved the channel order..I have asked the manufacturers if I am doing something wrong but no suitable response. Returned the box to the manufacturers after 3 months of frustration, and their engineers say that there is nothing wrong with it and it is out of time for a refund. Well, if there is nothing wrong with the equipment, why would I return it ? I have been told that maybe I have a poor reception in my area. However they checked online and found I had a good reception. Other set-top boxes have worked fine, so unable to understand why this does not. Also bought a high capacity memory stick to record programs onto. The only time I tried to record (a 1-hour programme) I had an error message saying the USB drive was full. What a waste of money and time for a hopeless product and unsatisfactory customer service. I will never look at August products again.

Tempi spedizione ottimi. Apparecchio ottimo!! Lo uso attraverso la presa hdmi e restituisce ottime immagini sia per canali Hd e non. Per adesso lo uso con penna da 32gb connessa senza problemi. Riconosce sia Fat32che Ntfs. Telecomando buono, lo uso dal letto (3m circa)e risponde bene. Ho notato che la sintonizzazione se digiti il canale ci mette 2/3 secondi ad apparire ma non mi sembra un grosso problema..soprattutto xche io lo uso solo per registratore xche la Tv ha già il decoder integrato. Rispetto al vecchio decoder che avevo è 1000 volte meglio..Registrazione migliore qualità, ingresso hdmi, nessun problema con chiavette di grosse dimensioni, immagini di migliore qualità. 5 stelle meritate ovviamente in considerazione del prezzo!! Lo ricomprerei sicuramente e lo consiglio!

Simple a installer , je l ai mis dans la chambre sur une television hd ready (qui ne recoit pas les chaines HD), double connection, peritel et hdmi, tres utile pour les anciens televiseurs, port usb pour lire vos films et enregistrer vos programmes au formats standarts et en HD 1920*1080 SANS PROBLEME ,mais si vous voulez enregistrer le meme programme en resolution inferieur ,pas de probleme vous descendez la resolution en 720p 576 etc , sur clef usb ou disque dur ,les 2 fonctionnent .... les fichiers enregistrés sont récupérables pour le pc et lisible directement sur mon televisieur principal samsung sans reencodage ( mais si vous enregistrez 2 à 3 heures , le première fichier est reconnu puis les autres il faut changer l'extension , mais c est normal puisque la video est fractionné vu la taille .Vous renommer simplement les fichiers en avi ou mp4 par exemple ).je recois toutes les chaines + LES 6 chaines HD, je n'ai pas trouvé un meilleur qualité prix (prevoir cordons peritel ou hdmi). j habite au dessus de montpellier ,la couverture tnt est correct. Lecture des fichier mkv , mp4 , et divx en HD... un point negatif !, je dirais un ptit temps de latence au changement de chaine ,mais c est relatif ,1 à 2 secondes..... En resumé ,je suis sastifait et j en ai pris un 2 eme pour ma mere agée de 72 ans qui ne veut pas se separer de son vieux televiseur analogique ....

Der August DVB400 ist ein exellenter DVBT receiver der sogar einen HD mediaplayer integriert hat . sämtliche Formate incl mkv sind für Ihn kein Problem.timeshift und epg Aufnahmen beherscht er perfekt . Für diesen Preis ein sehr zu empfehlendes Gerät.

Das Gerät konnte keine Sendersoeicherung behalten nachdem man es ausgeschaltet hat! Bin echt unzufrieden! Mein Vater hat den Nachfolger DVB415! Der ist komischerweise total zufrieden und hat diese Probleme nicht! Schade das der Nachfolger nich mehr verfügbar ist, sonst hätte ich den sofort genommen!

Aperto lo scatolo non vi nascondo che qualche dubbio mi è venuto, plasticoso, leggero e piccolo. Installato e acceso, invece, tutto veramente ok, ricerca canali senza intoppi, compresi quelli hd, telecomando con tasti che non si devono pigiare troppo forte, cambio canali rapido, immagine buona. Rapporto prezzo/qualità buono, consigliato.