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Get beyond that mealy–mouthed moniker, and you’ll find the LG RHT497H’s USP could not be simpler. Slap it into your HD TV and it’ll take care of both DVDs and Freeview +. Sound too basic? Well how about upscaling the lot to an eyeball delighting 1080p. Throw in a 160GB HDD that can store 477 hours of video, a DVD recorder, DivX support via USB, alongside MP3, WMA, JPEG and MP4 and you’ll quickly realise the LG RHT497H is right out of the top drawer.
In the looks department, the LG RHT497H is more Leona Lewis than Susan Boyle. The set top box is as sleek as any we’ve laid our hands–on and the good looks are certainly not just skin deep. Menus fade out rather than disappear and there’s a Sky+ bashing record function, letting you snarf entire series at the push of a button. Plus you can pause live TV, just for good measure.
The LG RHT497H’s 160GB HDD is more than ample for stashing the last few episodes of Come Dine With Me and your favourite Columbo movies. And that DVD recording function is ace, meaning there’s no need to scour unorganised shelves for your ancient copy of, ahem, Sleepless in Seattle.
There are some nagging issues which you won’t find on other competitors. The EPG is more crowded than a rush hour tube train. That means navigation can be tricksy and skipping through to the next day’s shows is a frustrating experience.
If Freeview’s your thing though, this is a top notch way to get decent resolution video, far better than the source material, onto your box. It’s a workhorse. Think of it as the Ringo Starr of gadgets – solid, dependable, but nothing too flashy.
