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They’re stupidly named – nowt personal about a box that sits in the living room and which we fight over control of… but I finally gave in and bought a ‘Personal Video Recorder’.

Torn between the Topfield and the Humax, I plumped for the Humax – it was so much cheaper and I sense it’s easier to use – and as it’s less-hackable, less of a time-sink.

I think I made the right choice – on the downside, I can see why they it the ‘Hummy’ – it hums! I know two people who have them and I never noticed it before, but the fan is a bit louder than I’d hoped. On the plus side, it was a doddle to set up and use. Within no time I was watching back a programme that was still showing from the start, whilst recording another. And it felt good. I felt smug.

Of course, I couldn’t resist a fiddle. I’d heard Mac software for getting stuff off the Humax using its USB interface was about and this blog got me started. It seems to work – at least on a short clip – but it’s insanely slow, though – but that’s true of the Topfield as well. And even before I bought it, I’d decided that what gets recorded on the box, stays on the box…