Set Top Boxe Reviews

Brilliant machine, bought mine in January for my wife as I was fed up with cassettes/timers etc. Wife loves it and has even mastered recording programmes for herself. Would and have, recommended it to various friends and Have demonstrated it to show the simplicity of operation. Impressive machine!!

Peter

20/06/2007 08:15:17

THOMSON

DTI1000

I`ve had this box hooked up to TIVO, on non stop for about 3 years now, and its absolutely rock solid, never had any problem with it.

Tivo Man

14/05/2007 15:37:36

THOMSON

DHD4000

No problems - does more than any other for the price and seems a lot more reliable and quiet than the competition too. Highly recommended

happy

28/02/2007 19:15:16

Fusion

FRT100

I think this product is great. it has served me well for 3 years. it never crashes, channels are in fact quite quick to change and it isn`t noisy at all!!!!!!

Reviewer of the year

25/01/2007 09:24:03

Matsui

DTR3

Bought this box recently to go with the TV in the conservatory. The dealer I bought this from provided a free scart lead so at less than £20 was a great bargain. Once everything was connected, switched on and box went through its first time set up routine. Over 30 TV channels and numerous radio stations detected and saved. Picture quality is excellent as is the ease of setting the picture and sound output.

Stepperdoc

20/01/2007 11:25:12

SAGEM

ITD64

Bought one of these yesterday and so far am really pleased especially after having had cable/satellite before and paid £30 a month. Easy to use, takes a matter of minutes to get up and running. Just read up on your aerial first, I had just a had new standard aerial fitted the roof and reception is A1+++++ so I had no issues at all but some older aerials may want replacing, is worth the replacement for the quality of the picture. There is also a freeview website so you can check coverage and get info on your aerial.

Dan W

17/12/2006 12:30:27

Echostar

T101-FTA

If you have a poor signal, this product is more likely to work than any other. I have tested it in 3 locations across the UK, and it decodes a digital signal even when the analogue reception is covered in `snow`. In the same situation, a Sagem box only managed to find 10 out of the 70+ channels.

Jeremy

01/12/2006 15:01:46

Alba

I`ve had one for ages and it`s fine

Gordon

01/12/2006 14:55:11

Wharfedale

Wharfedale: DV832B is the same unit as the Matsui DTR-1. That said I have found it to be excellent value for money.

The good Quick respones in changing channels. All avaliable channels received (although I live in a strong signal area). Neat and easy to use remote control. You can change to the required channel directly from the electronic programme guide (I have seen it posted that you can`t). Good picture quality. Better than our UHF analog. Price £30.

The Bad No UHF modulator to rebroadcast over a coax cable. So you do need a scart input on your TV/Video (or if TV has RGB inputs a scart/RGB converter could be

used). Not the prettiest box in the world.

To sum up. Want a freeview box, have a scart connection, live in an area with fair reception, buy one! It works very well and only costs £30!

26/11/2006 21:51:02

Humax

I have had this machine for nearly 1 year and it is a great product. Although occasionally it can crash it is not problem to re boot. You can also recorder 2 channels and play back a recording at the same time. I am confused that James ranked this product as 2 out of 5 if he was having so many problems?? I am now buying this as a present for my Mum and Dad at Xmas. Oh my boyfriend is a software engineer and is really clued up in technological products and he went out and bought this for me so it must be good.

I would not be without mine and what magazine in 2005 ranked this as 5 out of 5.

Anon

17/11/2006 17:37:24

Humax

F2FOXT

had it a week now, theres nothing better. had a philips previously it was rubbish, sent it back, glad i found the humax brand!

ray

28/10/2006 09:44:24

Philips

DTR100

I am so so pleased with my Freeview box; it really is top notch! Clear reception, very user friendly and has lasted forever :P Plus it doesn`t cut out like others! Five stars.

Nikki

26/06/2006 12:56:21

Sagem

ITD61

Excellent picture, easy set up. Doesn`t freeze like Sky!!!!!

Anon

27/05/2006 17:04:15

Alba

Worked perfectly. Tried it out at our caravan using a very old caravan aerial again worked perfectly. Would recommend it.

Acker

26/05/2006 08:07:22

Sagem

ITD61

Excellent picture, easy set up. Doesn`t freeze like Sky!!!!!

Anon

26/05/2006 08:06:54

Alba

works for me!

02/03/2006 10:20:37

Humax

Amazing product!!!

Mike

02/02/2006 09:26:21

Sagem

bought this for bedroom and its great, works brilliant no problems whatsoever.

ray

12/01/2006 10:32:22

Sagem

Bought this from Argos at £30. It is a great piece of kit. Works beautifully. Absolute bargain.

Anon

10/01/2006 11:10:59

BUSH

DFTA1

I own several freeview set top boxes (one of which is 3 times the price of this), and so was not expect much from this box. However, I can really say it is an excellent box. In addition to the good picture and sound quality, the box is easy to set, has very fast text and an easy to use program guide. This was upgraded to a 7 day guide via a firmware update. The now and next guide is also very quick, as is channel changing.

Bush DFTA1

10/01/2006 11:10:54

Matsui

DTAR10

A fantastic set top box. Easy to set up, a doddle to operate, good picture and excellent sound quality. Very pleased, I`d certainly recommend. Box is small, smart and discreet. I`m not yet an old `foggie` (sic) but have no hogh-pitched ringing in my ears like the previous reviewer.

Mike

06/01/2006 12:20:03

Bush

DFTA1000

Brilliant item. Sets itself up. Hidden behind tv. Nifty small remote control.

Richie H

30/12/2005 15:53:13

GOODMANS

Hi, I bought this product, long time ago, in England. Nowadays, i´m living in spain, i´ve tryed to use it in here, but is not working. Can anyone help me with that. Thanks. If you know what to do, please, just e-mail me at corsonone@hotmail.com. Thanks again.

Can you help

18/12/2005 16:14:45

GOODMANS

GDB5

My good lady bought this for me last year and I am extremely pleased that she did so. The picture and sound quality as far as I am concerned is excellent. The DAB side of the device is as good as I think it could get. No hissing , static etc and crystal clear broadcasts . The only gripe I have is the limited EPG. Now and next is not the best way forward and I would like to think Goodmans would be able to write a firmware update for the GDB5 that would enhance the EPG.

Anon

22/10/2005 13:54:22

GOODMANS

Argos lists this in catalogue as only now & next epg, with old ver 3.11 software it was. our old 3.11 box had over air upgrade to 4.1 now has `7` day epg, encypted channel scan or not option to save having to delete them after re-scans, fav` system too, current purchases from argos ships with ver 4.1 software as of october 2005. Only thing lacking is ability to re-arrange fav-list channel order. I miss that from other dig receivers

John @ NE Essex

22/10/2005 13:54:06

Humax

PVR8000T80

Best equipment I have ever bought, EPG fantastic picture quality great, very slight disc noise on startup but I have two and am now awaiting delivery of the PVR100 (twin tuner version). Bryan Fretwell Somerset UK.

Anon

19/10/2005 14:24:19

SONY

VTX-D800U

Bought one of these when my SAGEM ITD62 box failed to deliver the goods, lots of drop out channels, poor power socket caused reboots often, generaly unreliable, etc. Wasn`t sure whether my aerial was up to the job but on installation (dead simple, following Quick setup guide) the box just worked. Found lots of channels (124 TV) and NONE have any digital dropouts. I`m very pleased. Ease of use: Excellent. Quality of picture and service: Excellent.

Pat@Nottingham

31/07/2005 10:23:58

DAEWOO

SV900

Just the machine you need for recording freeview while the DVDR market is still full of inferior product. I had forgotten how much easier it is to manage tapes than DVDs. because it is a digital source VHS quality better than analogue VHS. Good enough for missed soaps etc. I am surprised that there are no competitors.

roadcred

25/07/2005 11:29:57

Sagem

PVR6240T

Excellent product. It does just what it says - very competently.

Fisrt Time PVR User

31/05/2005 12:57:36

SONY

VTXD800

top notch

jon

05/05/2005 09:35:23

PHILIPS

DTR500

I upgraded my aerial prior to buying the DTR500 from my local Tesco. It picks up all the freeview channels well, has co-ax digital out as well as phonos. This was important to me as I wished to run it through an AV amp. The two scart sockets on the back are RGB and S-video enabled giving a very good picture on my 32ö widescreen CRT TV. Very easy to set up and use. Good remote. Very happy all in all a good buy.

Tom from

26/02/2005 11:19:35

PIONEER

DBR-TF100

good build, good picture and good sound, feels more expensive than panasonic tut3 model, which feels like a toy in comparison

davie

03/01/2005 11:01:29

THOMSON

DT12300

A nice little box allowing upgrade to topuptv. Good picture quality and software update over air also.

neilt

02/12/2004 13:39:12

Fusion

FRT100

Great, 100%. Buy it NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MD!

02/12/2004 13:38:01

GOODMANS

Easy to set up, clear menus works well and gives clean picture even on edge of freview area with standard tv aerial on roof. Scart lead too for price. Good buy.

colin

11/09/2004 12:49:19

Humax

PVR8000T

Superb product. Pause live TV, 1 week EPG, software can be upgraded via your PC, then can record radio too!

John_100

11/09/2004 12:48:27

PHILIPS

DTR1500

I am in a poor reception area, I tried several different STB and phillips offered the best reception. Menus were not much different to any I tried. Its a pitty its not TUTV compatable though.

Anon

11/09/2004 12:47:47

GOODMANS

The name Goodmans doesn"t reflect excellence to me. This freeview box could easily have SONY written on the front. Easy to set up/use excellent quality, clear menus

Richy759

20/08/2004 17:12:07

PANASONIC

TUCT30

Compact, amazingly easy to set-up and excellent quality. Poor instruction manual otherwise top marks.

Justin

06/07/2004 10:24:53

Echostar

T101-FTA

Simple to set up and great reception considering poor quality of the aerial in my home. Pity no slot for Top Up TV card...unless I have missed it!

Steve Pearce

12/05/2004 08:55:17

PHILIPS

DTR1500

In my opinion it"s the best looking box on the market & sits vertically or horizontally. If it"s channel variety you"re looking for - get Sky, if you want a better picture (plus true 16:9 on your widescreen tv)& the chance to buy Barras quality stuff at 95% discount ;)this is for you. I got a great bargain at"greatsaves.co.uk"#68 inc.delivery!!! #9 cheaper than on this website listing (24-7electrical #77 inc. delivery). All-in-all well worth it.

graeme0781

12/05/2004 08:54:28

PHILIPS

DTR1500

Excellant Reception so easy to install and move from room to room.

Grahame Cooke

06/05/2004 12:37:43

Echostar

T101-FTA

great product,up and running within 10 minutes of coming out of the box.

By the way, i bought this item for £49.95 from tesco. I dont think you"ll find it any cheaper

ray

06/04/2004 13:40:21

Pace

DTR210T

Bought this purely on size/features for the price. Already own Thompson Freeview DTI1000. The Pace DTR210T was quicker on autosetup, quicker to move between channels and quicker on info guide and teletex. Given that it also has AV Hi-Fi audio output it's a better buy. So far no hangs and reboot, unlike the Thompson DTI1000

Iain - UK

02/04/2004 09:17:38

Labgear

DTT100

Excellent quaility and hassle free updates. Well worth the money particular in areas of poor reception.

22/02/2004 12:47:30

Pace

DTR210T

The previous reviewer is talking absolute rubbish - this is a new model and is probably the highest rated box out there at the moment - check the Digital Spy Digital Terrestrial forum for a discussion on this box - you'll find that almost everyone rates this box.

Richy Boy

26/11/2003 16:22:36

GOODMANS

GDB2

very good with the update 3.1 but crap with the update 1 to 3 cos it keeps swithing off. but the upside is that it gets the new update automatically so you get the update anyway, good init

Robert

27/06/2003 08:30:05

Nokia

221T

This box is very very good and has everything you expect AND more!

A digital audio SP/DIF output makes it suitable for DolbyDigital 5.1 amps and other similar gear, by connecting it and listening you get the most out of the audio (digital all the way in crisp clear quality unlike analogue stereo outputs you get on most gear and fair sound quality)although there are analogue outputs too if you are not so equipped for DD5.1 sound. Having digital coax output ensures that when the broadcasters do get DD5.1 transmission, you'll receive the same surround sound quality as broadcast on the output.

Picture and sound quality are very good indeed and it didn't have any trouble picking up any of the stations on freeview at all.

Anthony

09/05/2003 10:31:13

Techwood

TWDFV1

I loved this box but one day it just stopped working and you can`t find anybody to fix them so I just wasted my money buying a no name brand like Techwood.

big simon

06/07/2007 17:16:36

Goodmans

GDB10F2

I have owned the Goodman`s GDB10F2 since November 06 when suddenly it decided to go faulty that is switching it self on and off even when run in a cool place. It also gets very hot over the internal power supply which I think would improve matters if a small fan was fitted? When working it did perform very well both in picture quality and quickness of text display

ARL Plymouth

16/04/2007 11:14:26

Wharfedale

i bought this box late 2006 and working fine...receiving all bbc1 and all the normal channels and 2day it lost most of its channels. im using the portable aerial supplied as I do not have a direct ariel connection in my flat??? need help people!!!!!! email me wid info rc94@hotmail.co.uk

Anon

06/04/2007 13:15:01

Digifusion

Buying a digital video recorder really has tranformed the way that we watch TV. An even bigger change than colour TV or video tapes. I haven`t watched adverts in months - fantastic! Having two tuners is quite brilliant, and there have been times when we have watched something on the hard disc while two other programmes recorded at once. As for that old-fashioned business of having videos and rewinding and fast-forwarding - a thing of the past, thank goodness. Ok, it`s not all sweet smells and heavenly singing. The background to all the menus is pretty awful and must have been designed by a colour-blind imbecile, but you do get used to it. We have had a couple of occassions when it hasn`t recorded something, but this has been when we`ve been watching other things on the hard disc. It does sometimes freeze-up, but this switching it off at the wall has always solved this. The cooling fan was noisy early on, but very quickly settled down so that it can`t be heard: if it`s properly vented then this is what you should expect. The remote is a bit cheap (I`ve seen worse on far more expensive products) and the layout is pretty poor. For these reasons I`m giving it a 4/5 rating instead of full marks. So,a few, minor and annoying faults in an otherwise amazing product. From other reviews it sounds like a gamble as to whether you get a duff product, but this can happen with stupidly expensive electronic items too (maybe not as often though). Being able to pause TV and record at the touch of a button (two touches of the green button in fact) is so easy that we have been battling with the kids who want to use it too. That`s fine, because it makes them actively choose what to watch in advance instead of having to watch what`s on. How well the FVRT200 works was brought home to me this week when I bought a fancy new `recordable DVD + HDD 80GB + freeview` box from another manufacturer, which I am now sending back and getting a refund on. It`s nothing like as good as the FVRT200. Also, I can get a refurbished model for about a third of the price, so I`ll roll the dice and take the gamble on buying a second box for the kids. Yup, I was so impressed by this product that I am going to go and buy another one.

Happy

27/03/2007 12:59:26

Sagem

Maybe the buzzing that people have been noticing is the sound of the tranformer, which on mine I have noticed a buzzing noise. I have the argos only, (although I bought it in Tesco, get it said Argos on the packaging), it is smaller and pebble shape but, (I think), is ultimately the same product but only with one scart. The features are limited, but simple to use, and the remote, (different to the larger ITD 58 model), is easy to use, but there is a lag between pressing something and a response, probably the processor I suspect. Overall it is a good looking, cheap and reliable piece of kit, (crashed just once had it for weeks, and probably beacuse it got too hot. I do think recording off the tv, (RF modulator), should be included and another scart (2) would help. I am connecting it to my pc through a composite to usb convertor to my pc, and get a line of annoying white dashes at the top of the screen, this does not happen on anything else I connect, does anybody know how to solve this as I would be grateful?

Paul Branson

08/01/2007 15:29:57

Sagem

ITD59

It`s alright, nothing special. Nice remote, picture quality is OK, but sometimes the menu freezes. Apart from that, it`s good value for money.

Paul

06/12/2006 07:20:30

Digifusion

We`ve had one of these for about 8 months. During that time it`s lost the library a few times, and I`ve had to reformat the disc. Mostly it`s good, though the manual is not very clear about some issues, such as compressing stored files down. [Perhaps there were different versions of the manual? The printed one we had seemed deficient in some areas.]

One thing I`ve never got to work is One Touch Recording. I don`t know if it`s just our machine, or if this is a common problem. According to the manual it only works if the programme is in the EPG, but I`ve tried that as well and it still doesn`t work. Changing channels when doing programme chasing is also not a good idea, though programme chasing is great for skipping through adverts. Tune in or record a programme which is about one hour long, and then start watching about quarter of an hour after the start. Usually you can get to the end about the same time as normal, but save about 15 minutes worth of ads. It`s safest to set the programme in the recordings list, but it also works without, providing you don`t change channel during the ads!

I contemplated taking it back to Dixons when it wiped the library for the second time, but balked at the thought of having to go back to tapes or DVDs. I`ve seen very good quality on some DVD recorders, but this is so much more convenient and the quality is mostly pretty good. It helps to set the TV SCART output to the best possible for the TV - though this depends on the TV used. It took us a while to discover the S-Video mode for our previous TV. It`s definitely worth trying out the different modes (RGB, Composite, S-Video) to see which gives the best picture.

Dave M.

01/12/2006 14:58:48

Sagem

Hi I have a sagem id59g and didn`t know the installation code, after reading your reviews I tried 1,2,3,4 which is what one of your reviewers said was the code for the id58 and this worked.

Dave Doncaster

Dave Doncaster

17/11/2006 17:37:07

Goodmans

GDB10F2

I have owned a GDB10F2 for several months. It has worked very well- both tuners allow rapid access to radio channels either using the 7 day programme guide or by direct entry of the 3 digit LCN. Very occasionally on some multiplexes I get 2 second black holes in the video- some sort of interference as my Panasonic TUCT20 box goes out of lip sync by a couple of seconds on the same multiplexes occasionally. The only other problem is that if the Goodmans remote is used to channel hop by using the up/down buttons and then another remote for TV or HiFi (not Goodmans) is used the digital box does more channel hops- annoying but it doesn`t happen if a no-action button like `menu` is pressed after the hopping so not a disasterous software problem.

Anon, Cornwall

19/10/2006 12:36:01

Humax

Perfect machine, although had problem of it getting stuck in standby. emailed them and got prompt reply and software upgrade that fixed it. Cannot fault service or product. Things do go wrong with electricals, and its how they treat you that matters. Ease of use and quality of recordings rank high, as well as feature list. Well worth the extra money than buying a cheap £99 single tuner model. Check it out!

Vicar

06/10/2006 07:46:07

Alba

Couple of hours understanding it and setting up--excellent results with old tv and even older standard chimney aerial

Norham viewer

06/10/2006 07:45:45

Wharfedale

I brought this a few days back, although the pictures are very clear I keep loosing the signal may be because i live in the area with low signal freequency, am not sure,

Anon

08/08/2006 21:02:41

Humax

HDCI2000

just a great hd reaciver with great hd picture

philip borg

08/08/2006 21:02:11

Matsui

DTR3

So far, so good, very good picture and easy to set, lots of features, just the same as an expensive box.

Amalia

05/06/2006 12:08:23

Hitachi

HDB65

Just bought this freeview box. I live in South Shropshire and we get our TV from Winter Hill which is over 70 miles away. I`ve put up a new aerial and used high quality cable and we are getting really good reception. I am very impressed. This is the first digital box I have used so I can not say if it better than others but this is good enough for me.

phil (new freeview man)

25/04/2006 09:43:22

Bush

DFTA1000

What a revelation!

I was worried by other reviews but I needed the small form factor to plug into a wall mounted LCD TV so went ahead and purchased anyway.

It works great, fast channel change, good EPG, etc and no lock-ups yet after the first week.

Yes the picture quality is not the best but well up to standard for the bedroom TV. I don`t think it would be good enough for the main TV in the house because digital artifacts are noticeable.

Overall good value, very small basic freeview adapter I`m very pleased.

Oh by the way mine only runs warm not hot has some reports have suggested.

Derek

02/04/2006 07:59:07

Digifusion

I bought one of these at Christmas from Currys. Its the best piece of kit I`ve bought in a long time. Yes there are issues about the quality of picture in LP and EP mode, but these could be addressed by a booster, however I always use SP and its not a problem. I did lose the entire library once but am willing to take the risk -its not the end of the world. I could not go back to tapes now, this is so convenient especially with the two week programme guide. I really like the fact that the drop down information for the programme is also saved, so not only do you have the name of the programme but you also have the details - useful, if like me you`ve forgotten why you`ve recorded something. I would happily buy another one, they are excellent. Steve C

Steve C

02/03/2006 10:27:42

Alba

Bought mine today channels crystal clear picture. Brighton & Hove area.

Hawkman Clive

17/01/2006 09:07:30

Bush

DFTA1000

great freeview adapter can hide away 7day EPG, but a few bugs in software teletext sometinmes freezes & unit sometimes switches it`s self off. If BUSH sort out these bugs with software upgrade the with be a brilliant product..

Dean

15/01/2006 14:32:23

Digifusion

Super convenient way to time-shift tv progs, can be slightly tempremental by very occasionally locking up, resolved by switching off at mains and turning back on. Very easy to use, superb bit of kit. Only real problem after 15 months the power supply packed up, no time to order from manufacturor so got one from Maplins, a superior quality item for £30. Requires 12 volt 2 amp supply.

Mick M.

Mick Merritt

30/12/2005 15:53:31

Fusion

FVRT100

Great unit. I like the way you can record one channel & watch another or even record two different channels at the same time. It has the usual pause and rewind for up to half an hour of the live programme you are watching. I didn`t find it particularly noisy. The 7day programme guide is not great. You can only do this for one channel at a time instead of being able to see as many channels as would fill the screen (normally about 5 or 6) The only other `minus` is there is no `Information button` to see information about the live programme you are watching and you have to use the `Programme Guide` to see this. Doing this switches off the picture and sound. Otherwise good value for money

Fred

23/11/2005 11:00:28

Matsui

DTR3

Gets good picture ,easy set up ,epg very good,top value for money

vimto

23/11/2005 10:56:36

Sagem

Wireless TV / Video Sender

Ive seen a lot of bad reviews for this product but,Ive had this set top box for 2 months so far and...touch wood Ive had no problems what so ever.Id recommend sagem itd58 to ne1!

shaun

21/11/2005 14:53:51

MATSUI

TUTV1

Easy to set up, good clear picture although I am in supposed `non receive area`.Got from Currys for £45 ,when pushed they threw in a scart lead also.

teg

30/09/2005 11:53:31

MATSUI

DTR2

Good product, menus very intuitive, sound and vision excellent. Shortcomings - no controls for changing channels on the box, and remote control can be a bit dodgy sometimes.

One mans view

13/09/2005 08:34:28

Inverto

IDL800T

£30 from Dixons and Currys. A good basic freeview box, picks up the free channels without trouble. Good/typical DVB picture quality. Switches itself off at 3am everynight for updates and stays off, which might be problematic when recording with a timer. Nothing extra-special, but it`s the cheapest way of getting more free channels. I`m not a big TV watcher, I`m very satisfied with mine. £30 from Dixons and Currys.

31/07/2005 10:24:04

SAMSUNG

SIRU2001

Superb picture and sound.easy set up.Occasionally freezes if on for long periods,but excellent value.

smc

19/03/2005 19:25:46

Labgear

Excellent pictures and sound, remote control signal return can be a bit patchy.

Pet Vet

26/02/2005 11:22:11

SAMSUNG

SDT7000+

V quick to find channels and quick response - good epg etc all compared to old Nokia Media master. However - states this has RGB Svideo and CVBS capable scarts in write ups and manual supplied - but it does not - Svideo not possible from menus

gizmo

14/01/2005 09:34:45

Fusion

FVRT100

This product is great. It does exactly what it says on the tin. Superb picture, easy set-up for recording and good quality sound. BUT, I couldn"t live with it. Even when switched off, it makes a continuous noise, I think from the hard disc. You have to unplug from the wall to get silence. Currys were kind enough to let me try a second one before I took that back as well for the same reason.

If you like peace and quiet to read a book when the TV is switched off, this isn"t for you. If your TV is always on or your house is noisy, it is fantastic. Sorry, I really wanted to love this device. I tried for 2 weeks but in the end it just drove me crazy.

Guy

19/12/2004 21:50:06

GOODMANS

GDB4

very good,ocassional picture freeze,very good signal strenght.100% better than the gdb2/3

gdb2 hater

05/11/2004 10:33:35

GOODMANS

I-Player Digibox & Keyboard

Dead easy to setup, and even works with a set top aerial. Excellent value for money

john a

05/11/2004 10:32:44

PANASONIC

TUCT30

Good product it installs its self, you can find out the signal strength of each channel. Need tidy design very small in size. The only down side is that the 7 day TV guide only shows current and next program because the broadcasters do not give more information.

Andy

05/11/2004 10:32:17

PANASONIC

TUCT30

I thought this little panasonic freeview box was perfect because of the size, it fits on top of my small dvd player and my video so i have it all stacked up rather then it being to big and have to put it somewhere else. I took no longer than 4 min to wire it in and then i was set to go, turned the power on and waited another 3 min while it found all my channels. After that i was amazed at the quality that my reception had im proved by, i was then skipping through all these channels and wondered how i got all of these so cheaply. I got my panasonic TU-CT30 for £59.99 in Currys, thats the best deal ive seen this box, and to me its the best one, well im going to get back to my chanels now. Hope you all enjoy your panasonic Freeview like i am.

Dan Payne (southampton)

11/09/2004 12:49:28

Nokia

221T

Nice STB, reception not as good as others though - better than most. If you want TUTV in a poor reception area, this is better than the Thomson dti2300 - put you will need a CAM (£40). Give it space for heat dissipation. No Now and Next page as seen on other STB"s, though the inclusion of Three games is good for childish entertainment.

Anon

11/09/2004 12:47:49

THOMSON

DHD4000

very good recorder live pause good bonus being freeview would have been better with the (top-up tv ) compatability

rick

20/08/2004 17:12:25

MATSUI

DTR 1

excellent!

balke

20/08/2004 17:12:04

THOMSON

DTI1000

As the previous reviewer says, it does exactly what is says on the box. Some Freeview boxes apparently tend to crash a lot but this one seems fine to me. Sound quality is acceptable although, if fed directly into my hi fi, it sounds a bit like an early CD budget player - a bit metallic! However, if you like Radio 3, you"ll find there is much less compression of the music listening via FreeView than by DAB (or FM, of course.) With a bit more attention to the sound quality o/p and we won"t need DAB for in-house listening!!!

Graham Nelson

08/06/2004 07:53:37

Netgem

Highly recommend this set top box, although surfing the web is difficult and time-consuming - would be ok if this is your only option for going online. Simple to set up.

Dave

12/05/2004 08:54:42

FERGUSON

FDT2000

Got one of these for Xmas 2003 - very easy to set up it was literally a case of open the box, plug in the cables, mains, SCART and RF loopthrough as shown in the instructions and turn it on. It found all the programmes with no prompting from me. It has a RJ45 port on the back - cant find any reference to this anywhere.

David Adams

22/01/2004 11:36:59

THOMSON

DTI1000

Does what it says on the box! Easy to set up, easy to use, twin scart and loop through and audio analogue output. ITs good reliable and looks nice. I'm just disappointed that the volume control doesn't work via the SCART connection, so 2 remotes are always in use: 1(Thomson) for channel and one (Sony) for TV

Iain M Strachan

13/01/2004 10:40:14

SONY

VTX800U

Have just purchased and found set up to tv very easy. Adding video proved more complicated due to our own internal layout. Will update review later when technician sorts out the problem (£20 To set up). Otherwise, pleased so far and no new aerial required.

newtoview

16/11/2003 12:36:21

PANASONIC

TUCT20

I have used this product, but find it 'slow' to use compared with 'Sky'.

I also find the Controller rather small and not (in my opinion) man enough for regular use. It feels like a toy.

However, after saying it's slow and the remote controller is rather toy like, it does work and meet it's claims.

CRW

23/07/2003 17:08:59

GRUNDIG

GRP6000

Nice unit, good picture/sound quality, still happy with it, OS software could be slightly better, had to read the manual to learn how to switch between TV and DVD mode. Really can't grumble for £200

Steve

10/07/2003 12:07:16

GOODMANS

GDB2

It is crap when you first buy it I thought mine was crap but I did the software update and it changed from crap to brilliant. No longer does it switch itself off, it has better resolution on the onscreen display and it is vastly more reliable. NOW THE epg "now and next" actually says the correct programmes for the times!!

Paul David Smallman

30/06/2003 15:09:45

Nokia

221T

Quite impressed, works well even in area where Freeview is allegedly not available, easy to set up and good on-screen menus, 2 scarts and RF loop thorugh, RGB and composite output.

Only criticism is lack of an S-video output - for those of you with only 1 RGB enabled scart on your TV, you've got to choose between the Nokia and your DVD player - I've chosen the DVD player but it's a constant source of annoyance that I'm not getting the best out of this little Nokia box!

Dazzer, Kent

19/04/2003 19:23:53

GRUNDIG

GUDSTB1000

This device has many good features, including an audio output (phono) which is unusual with freeview boxes at this level. There are problems with sound dropout however, These occur at about ten minute intervals, last for a second or two and then self correct. There is no effect on the picture so this is rather strange. Two different examples of the model have produced the same fault in two different locations. Hopefully, there will be a software upgrade to correct this (current level is 2.1).

Frankie P

03/06/2007 07:33:56

Techwood

TWDFV2

not a bad box although no uhf modulated output, but does have loop thru. Handbook says there is 7 day EPg but menu option is missing. Performance seems fine

jimll fix it

14/05/2007 15:36:53

Sagem

Yea ive got the same problem.its a continuous buzz.ive had the box for less than a year and it has the same problem sometimes,it re-starts itself automatically and this could be a pain!!! i guess the buzzing noise is as a result of a component not properly fitted or something. Sagem you guys need to upgrade!!!

Ruby

16/02/2007 18:07:43

MATSUI

DTR2

Brought this box about three years ago. Its very basic with now and next. But it does its job. It gets all the channels and displays the now and next with no problems. The program guide is good with being able to see what channel your on in a little screen in the corner. However the TV remote is very frustrating to use. Sometimes your press 1 and it will switch to channel 9 or your press mute and the box will go on standby. Press standby and the volume goes up. This happens 25% of the time and while a bit annoying doesn`t stop you using the box. Just have to be patient and keep pressing the button you want till it does it. If you can afford a better box get it but if you can get this box cheap then its a worthwhile intro to digiboxes.

Big Col

13/02/2007 08:40:48

Goodmans

GDB7CA

product okay... so far. Bought from sainsbury`s for a steal at 27.99. yes its a bit slow but my main problem is not being able to select a channel from teh Guide/EPG. if this was sorted then its great for what it does and the price

MissusD

08/01/2007 15:32:09

Wharfedale