Top Deals From the Weekly Email
Cheap Freeview boxes
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Freeview boxes allow you to watch multi-channel telly on any TV, for just a one-off cost. The price of these boxes now means you can spend way less than £20, to boost your channel count to just under 50, without even changing your aerial.
This is just as well, since in a few years terrestrial TV antennas will be switched off completely, to be replaced by their digital counterparts. Here's a run-down of the cheapest boxes around.
Technika ECO1STBA08 Single Scart, £14.93 in-store
The punchily-titled 'ECO1STBA08' (pictured) is the current cheapest box offered at the larger, electronics-toting Tesco Extra stores. The box itself is really basic, with only one SCART socket, a 7 day Electronic Programme Guide & Remote Control. It does have one feather in its cap though; according to the blurb it's been energy saving trust approved for low power consumption. Phone ahead to check for stock if you want one.
Top Deal: Clarity Digital Set Top Box, £14.95 for collection.
Another basic box, this one boasts decent picture quality as well as the a 7 day EPG, remote control and small form factor. It's available half-price at Argos, for £14.95 if you reserve and collect. Buy online and get it delivered and the deal's not so good, since Argos wants £5.95 for postage. The feedback's excellent for this box, hence I've made it top pick.
For high-def tellies: Wharfedale LPDV832HDMI £29.99 for collection.
Another box from Argos, this is the cheapest I've seen with a digital HDMI output for better picture quality on HD-Ready TVs (which don't have freeview built in already). While you still won't get a proper 'high-def' image (that's impossible on regular freeview at the moment), it'll look a far less foggy than it does through SCART. Aside from this, the box is much the same as the others, with a 7-day EPG & remote control, and power consumption's very low too.
Various freeview boxes from £4.99 in-store - Very Limited Stock.
This note wouldn't be complete without a mention of stack 'em high, sell 'em cheap hi-fi retailer Richer Sounds' freeview clearance deals. Various end-of-line boxes, starting at just £4.99, are listed on the Richer Sounds Website.
These haven't been included higher up since availability is very limited, but it's well worth checking your local branch for a bargain, just scroll to the bottom of the freeview boxes page to find the cheapies.
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Spotted a better freeview deal/got feedback on those above? Please post in the Forum Discussion and I'll investigate.
The digital switchover.
In 2012 all of the UK's TV will be delivered digitally, and all analogue terrestrial transmitters will be switched off to free up extra bandwidth for digital. In terms of choice this is good news for most; after all, Freeview's 47 channels beats terrestrial's 5 by a pretty safe margin, and most people that can get it are happy with the service they receive.
It's also good news for the estimated 18-25% of the population that can't currently get a digital signal; the digital switchover website insists that when the country goes fully digital it can ramp up the power of the broadcasts so they reach more people.
Here's the official list of switchover times. It's hardly to-the-minute, but it should give you a rough idea of how much time you've got.
Switched - Whitehaven
Switching currently - Border
Starting in 2009 - West Country, Granada
Starting in 2009 to 2010 - Wales
Starting in 2010 - West, STV North
Starting in 2010 to 2011 - STV Central
Starting in 2011 - Central, Yorkshire, Anglia
Starting in 2012 - Meridian, Carlton / LWT, Tyne Tess, Ulster
Can I record shows?
If you want recording functionality, the best option's a freeview PVR, which is basically just a freeview box with an added hard disk drive for recording. The beauty of these is that you can just breeze through the programme guide choosing the shows you want to watch, and it'll record them all so you can watch them when it suits you. For a rundown of the best deals, read the Cheap Freeview PVRs note.
What about HD (High Definition)?
It's likely that when the switchover is complete there will be a few HD channels available over Freeview, though limited bandwidth means there won't be many. Furthermore, to receive them you'll need a new, HD-capable box, which can understand the higher definition signal, and obviously an HD Ready TV.
If you already have the latter (and it doesn't come with freeview built-in), it may be worth considering an upscaling freeview box, which will output regular freeview through the better quality HDMI cable interface, and 'upscale' the picture so it looks better on your TV.
Want more channels and HD now? Consider Freesat.
The BBC and ITV's joint venture into non-subscription satellite broadcasting, Freesat, is now fully up and running. There are just over 80 channels (inc. 2 HD ones) at the moment, slated to increase to over 200 next year. Freesat HD digiboxes currently cost around £140, and since it's a satellite service, it's likely you'll have to pay for installation too, yet once that's done you're all set.
For more information about Freesat, read the full Freesat forum note, which also includes alternatives.
Buying second hand? Watch out for older Daewoo, Labgear, Triax & Bush units; some will no longer work.
A few early freeview boxes, which in their time could retail for more than £100, have recently been rendered useless by UK-wide upgrades to digital Freeview transmitters. These upgrades have added many more channels, and the boxes in question don't have enough memory to hold the updated NIT (Network Information Table), which give them the channel info.
Outrageously, the owners of those affected have been left with little choice but to buy a new box outright, since the boxes are all out of warranty, the last being sold around the beginning of 2007. The Freeview website's unapologetic coverage of this suggests owners of Daewoo, Portland & Bush boxes should contact the manufacturers (contact numbers below) for 'further assistance'.
If you've done so, please let us know what happened in the forum discussion thread. The boxes known to be affected are:
- Bush IDVCR01 - set-top box and video recorder (Tel: 0871 230 1777)
- Daewoo DS608P - set-top box and video recorder (Tel: 0870 100 2525)
- Daewoo SV900 - set-top box (Tel: 0870 100 2525)
- Labgear DTT100 - set-top box
- Portland DP100 - set-top box (Tel: 0870 100 2525)
- Triax DVB2000T - set-top box
Some Thomson Top Up TV boxes have also encountered problems, but thankfully the company's released a Top Up TV Patch to solve the problem (follow link for installation instructions).
So, if you're planning to buy a second-hand box, steer clear of the models listed above. We shall continue to investigate this, so watch out for updates in the Free Weekly Email if you've been affected.
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