Jordan O'BrienHumax has become the first set-top box manufacturer to announce a box supporting Freeview Play.
The Humax FVP-4000T is the first time Freeview Play has been made available outside of 2015 Panasonic Viera TVs.
Freeview Play launched earlier this month with the goal of marrying catch-up TV and live TV together in one guide.
Several set-top box manufacturers have committed to building Freeview Play boxes, including Manhattan TV and Vestel, meaning Humax won’t be alone in the marketplace for long.
The Wi-Fi-enabled Humax FV-4000T has been designed to be different from other set-top boxes on the market; with a minimalistic design, complete with a faux-leather top.
Installers will be able to get the Humax FV-4000T in two different colours, either ‘mocha’ or ‘cappuccino’; whatever suits the installation.
There are also two storage configurations with 500GB of storage offering around 300 hours of recorded TV, while a 1TB model will offer double that.
Freeview Play offers similar functionality to YouView set-top boxes that are already available from Humax and other manufacturers.
YouView also boasts a cheaper price point than this Humax box and includes the likes of Netflix, which won’t be available on the Freeview platform until early next year.
Freeview Play’s strength will likely be in being integrated into existing televisions, although Panasonic is the only one to commit to the platform thus far.
Sony has already committed to YouView and other manufacturers have yet to declare support for Freeview Play, leaving Panasonic as the only supporting manufacturer.