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When we think of gadgets that people love to be as thin as possible, smartphones, tablets and LED TVs usually come to mind – not your average Freeview box. However, Echostar is vying for the ‘World’s Thinnest Freeview PVR’ title with a new gadget.
The HDT-610R – a catchy name we’re sure you’ll agree – packs everything you’d need from a Freeview recorder into an impressively slim and sleek case. In case that model number just doesn’t stick in your memory instantly, Echostar is also calling it the ‘Ultra Slim Box’ – much better.
At an incredible 14mm thick, this really is a wafer-thin Freeview box. It’s a PVR which means it packs a hard drive for recording your favourite telly – a 500GB drive to be precise – which is normally a rather thick component, which makes the 14mm thickness even more impressive.
The 500GB hard drive will allow you to record, store and play back TV – and plenty of it too. You’ll also be able to pause and rewind live TV and create series links for your favourite weekly or daily shows, which will tell the box to record every episode automatically.
Alongside the hard drive is a Freeview HD tuner and a HDMI out port, which when connected to a HDTV will allow you to pick up a selection of High Definition channels from the Freeview service, including BBC HD and ITV HD.
Incredibly, there are even more tricks inside this tiny box. It’ll connect to various on-demand services such as the BBC’s iPlayer and BoxOffice365, allowing you to catch up on any telly you’ve missed.
The Echostar Ultra Slim Box will be available to pre-order from May 4th – although we’ve never heard of anyone pre-ordering a set top box – with the UK pricing yet to be announced. John Lewis, Maplin and Amazon will all be stocking it in the UK, and you can also enter a competition to win one at ultraslimbox.com.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
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