The Nikkai A52HF is very good overall, got a 250gb 7500rpm hdd in there and it runs silently, clock is very acurate dispite what others have said, very easy set up, perfect picture quality, much better than the basic freeview box i used b4. very basic and easy to us for anyone that is not technically minded.

With a good signal, the box works well and is reliable.
HOWEVER, the clock display is 5 minutes adrift, with no means of correcting it apart from changing the time zone, which is useless. This makes setting a recording time a convoluted and long winded process.
Unless this has been fixed, I do not recommend the Nikkai A52HF.

Continued.....
Got a replacement unit from Maplin (updated design)
However, the unit isn't much better. I've only had it a few weeks and it's already......
a). Frozen once whilst fast forward/reviewing a recording (biggest problem with the old unit)
b). Recorded the wrong program, despite being initiated through the EPG (Electronic Program Guide) ...which is supposedly fool proof!
c). Frequently failed to update the EPG although my TV has no problem gathering the same Freeview information.
d). Locked up whilst recording and would not respond to the remote control or front panel On/Off button.
e). Recorded a program for over 8hrs(!!) when it was configured to record for just 2hrs.
So, in summary, this unit is going back too...... this time for a full refund.
I wouldn't advise anyone to buy this item!

I bought one of these units over 10months ago & have had nothing but problems with it since!
Within the first few days, I noticed it had a tendency to lock-up whilst fast forwarding in play mode (only possible to recover by powering down the unit). Maplin have since added a note about the HD needing to be in master mode. However, mine was already correctly configured but still locked-up.
The unit has 12 months warranty so thought I'd persevere.
Within the past few weeks, it has failed completely & has permanently locked-up (internal flash screwed-up?). The unit has been returned for a replacement.
Maplin are now selling a different style unit (under the same part No. A52HF) ....but is the firmware any better?? If not, that'll go back for a complete refund before my 12months are up.
To be continued....

All that the above reviews mention and mine has just stopped working after 9 months. Switch on, 2 seconds of tv then freeze, no response to remote or buttons. It's absolute rubbish. The thing is I have 45 recorded programs to watch and have to buy another barebones one if I want to do so.

I purchased the Nikkai A52HF from Maplin many months ago for £49.95 - I know they are a tenner cheaper now... The Reason I purchased was that I had a spare 80gb fluid bearing drive (important if you are worried about the sound of the the hard drive 'whirring'!) kicking around...
Initially all seemed ok - initial installation went ok... As a basic Freeview receiver it works fine (apart from lack of interactive!) - but as it in bare bones form is double the price you should expect more! The PVR functionality is rubbish... It works - sometimes. You cannot rely on this unit to record your set program... There seems to be virtually no memory available to capture the full EPG - when you enter the full EPG you always have to wait for it to update before you can scroll forwards to set recordings... programming a record is fairly intuitive bad made unacceptably frustrating thanks to the buggy firmware which regularly keeps resetting to the current time and date when you are trying to scroll forwards to set a recording - all the time waiting for the EPG to update!

In summary the basic hardware is good value for money - but the firmware lets it down badly... There appears to be no way to upgrade the firmware - so you are stuck with it!

This has to be the worst example of a product that has reached the retail marketplace with a method of operating that ranges from frustrating to impossible to use!

Maybe you get what you pay for - but bear in mind if you are having to purchase a hard drive as well - you are in right in the middle of the fully equipped Freeview PVR's without all of the drawbacks above!

I can guarantee if you buy one of these your 'bargain' purchase will turn out to be rather poorer value for money than originally anticipated...

Hi - I bought a Nikkai A52 HF freeview recorder from Maplin, and I couldnt find the pin code for change back to the factory settings. No firmware upgrade opportunity on the whole internet...
It has freezon, i couldnt switch off either -- one way -the plug out from wall... after that not doing any at all, just showing Nikkai - 0% reception...
When I plug the aerial cable to the tv ( very old... (15 years old tv) --excellent signal - -- with nikkai A52 HF - jump, pixcelated, freezed pictures, jumped voices - rubbish - - maplin -in swindon - dont know anything about this product -- they only sell it...

I bought this as a cheap replacement for my now very old Pace Twin, unfortunately the feature set of the Pace far out strips this unit.

Only recommended if you have a spare drive kicking around, as a considerably better unit can be available with a drive for not a lot more.

I ordered my Nikkai A52HF it from Maplins at 4.30 pm and it was deliverd at 9.30 am the next morning, 17 hours free delivery and a price of £39.99 best value bit of kit I've bought for years, I can't fault it.

I will get a second Nikkai A52HF to use in the computer room as i think this is a good system.

I bought a Nikkai A52HF from an eBay vendor and put a donated 40GB hard disk in it. Including postage, it cost me just under £30. It replaces a five-year-old Panasonic TUCT20 Freeview box .

I have experienced none of the problems of poor reception and freeezes that other reviewers have reported. The picture quality is as good as the Panasonic box delivered and the sound is noticeably better. Recordings play back glitch-free and smooth. There's a proper mains plug and on/off switch rather than a silly psu brick or wart.

The box itself feels as if it was made from the thinnest possible metal. This does little to absorb the noise from the hard disk, so it's best to put the recorder in a cabinet rather than leave it out. It's also a good idea to select a quiet hard disk. for it..

The instruction manual is poor - badly translated and unclear. The information is all there - somewhere - but you have to dig for it.

The software has the look of a preliminary version.

- Although it does work, it's clumsy and unintuitive in use. You can only record one programme at a time, despite the twin tuners, so you can't time-shift the channel you're watching if you're recording another at the same time.

- There are no interactive or teletext, so no red button features,

- The changeover between shared channels, for example CBBC and BBC3, takes an age.

- No Freeview Playback functionality.

If I had paid the original price of £60 for this unit and another £50 or so for a hard disk I'd be feeling pretty fed up. As it is, I feel that for £30, as the recorder basically works OK, I've got decent value for money.

I purchased the Nikkai A52HF from Maplin for Xmas 2007, I installed a "used "160gb hard drive and recorded my first film.
This was unwatchable< I contacted Maplin who informed me my Aerial was at fault,
I purchased a new Digital aerial but still had problems, again contacted Maplin, who informed me it was a Hard drive problem, Fitted a NEW hard drive, same problem.
Returned it to Maplin to have the unit returned to me informing me it was working fine and it was my fault the hard drive needed to be set as "Master"

On checking the hard drive confirmed it was set as master and tried again.

SAME problem!

Maplins have now refused to give me a refund stating if is outside the returns date.

Goodbye Maplins and Nikkia
I will never buy from you again

Not nearly as bad as other reviews have suggested. Worth a look if sourced cheaply (less than the RRP of £59 at Maplin) and if you have a spare hard drive from an old computer. And also if your waiting to upgrade your kit in the not too distant future.

I ordered the Nikkai A52HF on 4/12/08 from Maplin and took delivery of it shortly after. As it was a Christmas gift, it was not put into use until 27/12/08 or thereabouts. I fitted the unit with a new 160GB drive and began to use it.

Most channels were received OK , but Channel 5 reception was rather poor, so I changed the aerial with little improvement. I fitted an aerial booster but still Channel 5 was not received well - the picture would break up or freeze, and the audio would also cut out now and again.

My 4 year old Mitsui set top box coped with either aerial arrangement faultlessly, as did a recently purchased Digital LCD TV, so basically, there is little wrong with my aerial set-up.

I might have tolerated the poor performance for C5 (although C4 was not that great) except that the PVR function then stopped working:

In the last couple of days I have found that whilst the unit appears to be recording, on trying to play back, nothing has been recorded - the file is listed as either 0MB or 1MB, but is evidently empty. Older recordings still played OK, and the pause TV is still working.

In an attempt to get the PVR mode working, I re-formatted the drive, losing all saved material, but this has made no difference. I have to conclude that this unit is not really fit for purpose, and am currently seeking a return authorisation from Maplin.