Telewest TVdrive review

While we were waiting for Sky to launch its HD TV box, Telewest charged in early like a horny rhino in mating season. And good on it, we say.

Erase and rewind

It fires out HD in both 720p (progressive scan at 1280×720 pixels) and 1080i (interlaced at 1920×1080 pixels). The 720p picture is particularly stunning: no fuzzy or jagged edges, and although solid areas of colour can look a bit grainy, they do appear to jump out of the screen.

Triple tuned

The TVDrive is also bang up to date with three tuners, so you can record two different channels while watching a third. Setting a recording is a piece of cake and playback controls are much like you’d get on a bog-standard DVD player.

Plus, if you still manage to fall foul of the recording button, the Replay service will save the day, letting you watch any show you’ve missed.