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It lets you watch over 180 channels subscription free from your existing satellite dish

Available from: currys.co.uk

The Freesat Recordable 4K is a set-top box that lets you watch over 180 channels subscription free from your existing satellite dish. It connects to the internet and grants access to some major catch-up and streaming services – BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Netflix and more. If you have a compatible TV, you can even watch 4K TV shows and movies.

While expensive, it works fast, includes plenty of catch-up players, and is simple to use. We like its compact and discreet design, too.

On test, it quickly displayed programme guides, on-demand players and all menus. You can scroll backwards as well as forwards in the TV guide, launching previously broadcast shows in just two clicks. This is much easier than loading the on-demand player and searching for the particular show you’ve missed. The 500GB hard drive is enough to hold 125 hours of recorded HD TV and you can record up to four shows at the same time –you’ll need a wide-band LNB satellite dish to do this though. Also included is a mobile app that lets you record shows and control the device remotely.

There’s no Channel 4 app on the set-top box, so you won’t be able to watch previously broadcast shows from this channel unless you've recorded them - Freesat says it hopes to resolve this soon though. There’s currently no search function either, but, again, Freesat says it plans to offer this feature shortly.

We evaluate the ease and success of recording programmes across several channels and find out how many you can record and watch at the same time. We also assess how user-friendly and easy to navigate the interface is, along with how simple it is to access catch-up services and which ones are available. We also put other features, such as parental controls and smartphone apps, to the test to see just how effective they are.

All product information provided by the manufacturer is correct at time of publication.