Philips HDT8520 PVR reviews: 2 Freeview Tuners HDR with HDMI

Philips HDT8520 PVR reviews: 2 Freeview Tuners HDR with HDMI reviews

Ask an Owner

+ This digital TV recorder has no outstanding positive points. - It scores poorly on range of features.

No prices available

7.6 out of 10 based on 94 reviews.

Also known as: Philips HDT8520 HDD, Philips HDT8520 HDR See full product description

Ease of use	7.7
Image quality	8.9
Sound quality	8.0
Design	8.1
Range of features	7.5
Value for money	7.7
Overall rating	7.6

Some customer reviews of Philips HDT8520

Most helpful reviews

Di, East Yorks TV series fan

Score 10.0/10

Good points:: Easy to set up, good help from helpline
Bad points:: None so far...

Ease of use	10.0
Image quality	10.0
Sound quality	8.0
Design	10.0
Value for money	10.0
Overall rating	10.0

Was this review helpful?

Confirmed purchase: 29 Oct 2011

julian , leicester Bargain hunter

Score 9.0/10

Good points:: picture quality very good
easy use timer
Bad points:: no picture in picture when looking at the tv guide

Ease of use	8.0
Image quality	10.0
Sound quality	8.0
Design	9.0
Value for money	9.0
Overall rating	9.0

Was this review helpful?

Confirmed purchase: 29 Oct 2011

Dave , Bargain hunter

Score 9.0/10

Good points:: Lots of storage, easy to use, great design
Bad points:: Series link records +1 and subsequent repeats

Ease of use	10.0
Image quality	10.0
Sound quality	10.0
Design	8.0
Value for money	10.0
Overall rating	9.0

Was this review helpful? 1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 28 Oct 2011

anton, london

Score 2.0/10

Good points:: Reviewer left no comment
Bad points:: keeps freezing

Ease of use	5.0
Image quality	5.0
Sound quality	5.0
Design	5.0
Value for money	1.0
Overall rating	2.0

Was this review helpful? 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 26 Oct 2011

Jon, Reading Technophile

Score 7.0/10

Good points:: Straightforward setup, Indication when powering up and down. Easy to patch to current release level 7.21. - http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?scy=GB&slg=ENG&sct=DIGITAL_TV_RECEIVERS_SU&cat=BLURAY_AND_DVD_CA&session=20111102055003_217.171.129.236&grp=SOUND_AND_VISION_GR&ctn=HDT8520/05&hlt=Link_Overview
Bad points:: EPG cuts off current channel (No Picture in Picture or sound) until cleared when it returns unless altered.

Ease of use	8.0
Image quality	9.0
Sound quality	7.0
Design	8.0
Value for money	9.0
Overall rating	7.0

Was this review helpful?

Confirmed purchase: 26 Oct 2011

adam, edinburgh Bargain hunter

Score 3.0/10

Good points:: it looks good
Bad points:: if all you want is the equivalent of a video recorder then this is for you. If however you want something more like Sky + then avoid. Bite the bullet and get yourself a Humax.

Ease of use	5.0
Image quality	9.0
Sound quality	8.0
Design	9.0
Value for money	5.0
Overall rating	3.0

Was this review helpful? 0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Confirmed purchase: 21 Oct 2011

phil, selby Bargain hunter

Score 9.0/10

Good points:: New software updates have improved the recorder immensley, it is now much quicker to respond to the remote. Can now set to record programmes manually rather than through the 'guide' option. Philips on-line help is fantastic, they were extremely quick to respond to my questions when I had trouble updating the software and helped me to down load it 'on air'. Easy to install and set up. Good value for money.
Bad points:: When setting to record series programmes through the 'guide' option, it records every episode + repeats. No picture in picture when looking at tv guide etc.

Ease of use	8.0
Image quality	10.0
Sound quality	8.0
Design	8.0
Value for money	10.0
Overall rating	9.0

Was this review helpful?

Confirmed purchase: 21 Oct 2011

Read all 94 customer reviews

See lowest scores See highest scores

This Philips HDT8520 is reviewed on Pocket Lint

This Philips HDT8520 is reviewed on TechRadar

Product Features

Freeview or Freesat tuner	Freeview
Freeview is free digital terrestrial TV. FreeSat is a free digital satellite TV service, which gives you HD programming from people like the BBC without having to pay for a subscription to a service like Sky. You need a dish to receive Freesat but not Freeview. For more information see the Freeview site or the Freesat site. FreeSat is a free digital satellite TV service. The main benefit is that you can get HD programming from people like the BBC without having to pay for a subscription to a service like Sky. You’ll need a dish to recieve the signals though.
Freeview or Freesat tuner	Freeview HD
Freeview is free digital terrestrial TV. FreeSat is a free digital satellite TV service, which gives you HD programming from people like the BBC without having to pay for a subscription to a service like Sky. You need a dish to receive Freesat but not Freeview. For more information see the Freeview site or the Freesat site. FreeSat is a free digital satellite TV service. The main benefit is that you can get HD programming from people like the BBC without having to pay for a subscription to a service like Sky. You’ll need a dish to recieve the signals though.
Connections	Ethernet

Extra functions	Electronic Program Guide

Number of scart ports	2
Scart sockets are places where you can connect other devices to your TV. If you already have a DVD player, a VCR and a Playstation you might want to make sure your new TV has enough Scart interfaces so you don’t have to keep crawling round the back of the TV.
Hard disk capacity (Gigabytes)	500.0
Hard Disk capacity is measured in GBs which stands for Gigabytes. A gigabyte is 1000 MB or megabytes. The more GB you have the more info like photos and music you can store.
Upscaling	No
Upscaling DVD players use video processing techniques to improve the quality of a standard definition image from a DVD to a near high definition (HD) image.
Number of receivers	1
Energy Savings Trust feature	No
A Yes means this this product has been rated as being energy-efficient by the Energy Savings Trust. Good for the environment and good for your electricity bill!
Reception standard	Digital
Release date	2010-05-11
The date the product was originally made available for purchase.

Also known as: Philips HDT-8520, PHP hdt8520

Manufacturer's Description

Don’t miss a thing with the Philips Freeview+ HD PVR! It not only integrates the top audio-visual technology, but also boasts remarkably low power consumption in both active and standby modes and has been designed to function almost silently.

Free your viewing

8-day Electronic Programme Guide
You want to know what programmes are available today and for the next 7 days so that you can avoid missing your favourite shows by planning your evenings or making pre-scheduled recordings. The data is broadcast by the programme broadcaster, and when this data is available, the product compiles the information and lists it in the TV Guide. Simply enter the menu or press the GUIDE button on the remote control to access the programme guide. The programme guide will provide programme information listings for today and the next 7 days.

Never miss an episode with Series Recording
Programming recording of a series becomes as simple as recording a single event. By pressing a few buttons you can programme the recording of all the events belonging to one series. Press the GUIDE button to open the Electronic Programme Guide, select the programme you want to record and press the OK button to confirm the programming of the recording. If the selected programme is signalled by the series logo on the Electronic Programme Guide screen, you programme the recording of all the events in the series at once.

Twin tuners to view a channel while recording another

Ability to pause and rewind live TV
A live TV programme is now under your control. You can pause the programme by pressing the PAUSE button and resume playback at the point where it was interrupted by pressing the PLAY button. You can go backwards by pressing the FAST REWIND button and replay scenes you have already watched. If you want to return to the live TV programme, just press the STOP button.

One touch recording
Set a recording by pressing just one button on the remote control. Programming no longer required.

Reduced power mode

Standby consumption < 0.5 W
The smart power management of the receiver leads to power saving in standby mode. The receiver goes to the standby mode that achieves < 0.5 W power consumption automatically, without your intervention.

Superior TV experience

1080p via HDMI for superb HD picture quality
With video upscaling to 1080p you’ll be able to see even more detail thanks to a sharper, more true-to-life picture. The resulting HD video output signal can be shown on your HD television through an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connection.

Optimal sound quality with Dolby Digital 5.1 output
Because Dolby Digital standards, the world’s leading digital multi-channel audio standards, make use of the way the human ear naturally processes sound, you experience superb quality surround sound audio with realistic spatial cues.

More info at Philips's website

We searched for this product high and low,
from House of Fraser to Tesco,
no one is selling it, we're sorry to say,
not 408 retailers nor anyone on eBay,
but please don't worry even if it hurts,
you can look for alternatives or