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115 reviews
Apr, 2025
alaTest has collected and analyzed 115 reviews of Tvonics DTR-Z500. The average rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews.
We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Tvonics DTR-Z500 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 91/100 = Excellent quality.
Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)
alaTest has collected and analyzed 33 user reviews of Tvonics DTR-Z500 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 3.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk.
61% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.
Expert review by : Andrew Williams (trustedreviews.com)
The TVonics DTR-Z500HD PVR will let you watch and record Freeview HD broadcasts.
Easy to use ; Good picture quality ; Built-in HDMI switch
No video playback over USB ; No archiving of recordings
You can’t record the signal from these inputs onto the PVR’s hard-drive though, a limit of HDMI's digital restrictions as much as anything else. Recording is limited to the two Freeview tuners here. There’s a 500GB hard drive built-in, and while the...
Expert review by : What Hi-Fi? (whathifi.com)
The tiny TVonics DTR-Z500HD PVR packs a huge hard drive
Small and convenient ; 500GB HDD ; detailed picture with standard-def and HD
Not as intuitive as it could be ; no streaming or smart functionality ; noisy picture
Not quite an unflappable all-rounder, but still worth a closer inspection
Expert review by (homecinemachoice.com)
How do you stand out in the crowded Freeview HD PVR market? Excluding media streaming and DLNA networking is hardly in keeping with the Freeview zeitgeist, but the DTR-Z500HD boasts a couple of handy features that look compelling. One is a built-in...
The slickly-designed user interface makes this box a pleasure to use. The fonts and colour scheme are attractive, and navigation between menu screens is fast and logical, although programme information is basic. The remote control is classy despite...
The Ethernet port is part of the Freeview spec, but there’s no compulsion to use it so here it’s simply using up real estate on the rear panel
Expert review by : Stuart Miles (pocket-lint.com)
Pausing live TV isn't just about getting Sky+ you know, there are other variants that don't require you to pay a monthly subscription, but with Sky boasting such an easy interface can TVonics challenge? We get watching TV to find out. At £200 this...
500GB of storage, easy to use, some nice features
Can't favourite channels, design is a bit niche, no off switch
At £200 this massive hard drive PVR offers plenty of space for recording, probably more than you'll ever use, and some nice features for the money. It's quiet too.
Expert review by : paul_smart (gadgetspeak.com)
This is the latest offering from TVonics, the 500GB machine has what some would describe as a bare interface with the front showing up to three pin hole LED's these appear in different combinations of red and green.
I myself prefer a little more information on the unit such as a clock showing when on standby, the length of the recorded program you are viewing that has elapsed or the channel you are watching
Expert review by : mfereday (gadgetspeak.com)
Are you ready for the switch-over? Maybe it is time you considered how best to make the move from analogue to digital television.
The 500GB hard drive should give you enough storage capacity of up to 250 hours of content. Helping keep this content under some sort of control is a Library feature. This module will display all available recordings which can be sorted into a specific...
Expert review by : paul_smart (gadgetspeak.com)
In February this year (23-2-09) I reviewed a pre production version of their 250GB version. Here I am looking at the resale version and the one I have is 500GB and it takes a long time – with normal watching – to fill this unit up.
The unit looks identical to and even having seen that previously it still takes a while to get used to the display on the unit being only three LED’s. The one dead centre can be either red or green dependant on if the unit is on or off. The right one...
Expert review by (channel5.com)
A standard definition Freeview set-top box, the TVonics DTR-Z500 has 500GB of storage, an eight-day EPG and twin tuners. Output is courtesy of two Scart sockets and a (proprietary) optical jack. The good Do you still have your primary school report...
Solid construction, good components and a mighty half terabyte of storage should be enough to woo anyone, even if one day you’ll miss High Def functionality. TVonics DTR-Z500 is tagged with TVonics DTR-Z500, TVonics and Freeview receiver. Select a tag...
Expert review by : Alun Taylor (reghardware.co.uk)
It may lack HD goodness, but the Z500 is well made, easy to use, quiet and stylish.
If you're not concerned about matters HD and have no intention of shifting content between your DVR and PC then the Z500 is not a bad buy. It's very easy to set up and use, has one of the best EPGs we have come across, has an excellent remote control...
Consumer review (reevoo.com)
Does what it says on the tin!
Sometimes a bit slow to start up.
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