TV and Radio Accessories
Our page of handy accessories for TV and radio users in the UK. Make more of your viewing and listening experience with a handy add-on
On this page, you’ll find details of some products that might be useful if you’re looking to improve your digital viewing and listening.
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TV and Radio PC cards
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Spend a lot of time in front of your PC? Why not watch TV from your PC? Plug a small box into your USB hub, or a card into a PC slot, and watch TV from your PC. Some of the models allow you to record TV onto your hard-disk, dub video onto your PC, listen to radio, or receive Freeview or Sky.See our On Your PC page for more on PC TV and radio cards. |
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Just how many remote controls do you own? If you’ve lost or broken a remote control, or you’d like to keep your coffee table clear by reducing the number of remote controls, consider an all-in-one controller. We’ve found that one online store stocks a huge range of remotes, with prices from £15 to £700.Take a look at the range of replacement remote controls at PartmasterFailing that, consider a universal controller, that can handle multiple remote control devices. Otherwise Argos or Maplin Electronics carry a good range.More on TV remote controls on our dedicated TV Remote Control Help section. |
DAB Digital Radio |
DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting, and there are plans in motion to replace FM radio with this newer digital radio standard. DAB offers s a wider choice of radio listening with a range of extra channels not currently found on FM, such as: BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC 5 Live Extra, talkSPORT, Planet Rock, Capital Life and theJazz DAB offers digital quality – signals that are less prone to interference and hiss. Find out more about the DAB revolution on our DAB Digital Radio page. |
| SCART Switchers
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Own a DVD, Video, Tivo and Satellite receiver? Chances are, they’ve all got SCART sockets, and you’re forever plugging and re-plugging SCART leads.Need a SCART splitter, or switcher? See our SCART Splitters section for help and advice |
Wireless AV senders |
If you want to receive TV or video on a second TV in the house (from say a Sky TV box or a video recorder), the normal way of doing this, is by running a cable from one room to another. If this sounds like too much hard work, or you want to be able to move between rooms, then a wireless TV link is a good option. It transmits pictures from your video/DVD, satellite, Freeview or Cable TV box over-air to another TV elsewhere in the house. These are supplied as a transmitter and receiver set, and are mains powered.They can transmit over short distances, through walls, although if you’re trying to transmit through several walls, or over a long distance, they can be less effective.
For more on Video Senders, see our Video Senders page |
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Control your TV and digital satellite system from other rooms in your house wirelessly from up to 75 feet away.Composed of two units – an infrared signal transmitter and an infrared signal receiver. Infrared signal receiver senses infrared signals from any AV equipment remote like VCR, Digital Sat/Satellite receiver and cable box Hi-Fi remotes.Take a look on Amazon for ‘Remote extenders’ or try the Remote Control Extender at Play.com.If you have Sky and a wired aerial connection to your second TV, you can make use of a solution such as Sky TV Link. Also note that some Wireless AV senders support Infrared remote controlling as well as wireless video. |
Slingbox – TV over Internet |
Watch your TV and DVDs over the Internet… if you have Broadband at home, with a Slingbox, you can access your home TV setup and watch TV or recordings over the Net. Great for if you’re away from home, or want to set your Sky+ box remotely.For more, see our Slingbox in the UK page. |
Signal boosters 
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If you’re suffering from a weak TV signal, or interference to your TV picture, then in some cases, you might find that a TV signal booster can help.These are small, mains-powered boxes that you plug your TV aerial down-lead into. It amplifies the signal and connects to one or more TV sets in your home feeding the TVs with a boosted signal. Boosters can also amplify FM radio signals.Check out the Labgear 1 Set, Labgear 2 Set or the Labgear 4 Set boosters, depending on how many TVs you want to connect to.
If you’re planning on using a Magic Eye to change channels remotely, look for a booster with ‘digital passthrough’. Boosters are available from both Argos and Maplin Electronics.Note that boosters don’t offer much help if you have a poor (noisy) signal), as the booster will also amplify the noise as well as the signal. More on boosters on our Splitters and Boosters Explained page. |
Noise Cancelling Headphones Noise isolators
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 Sennheiser PXC 250 noise cancellers – Awesome headphones. Powered by two AAA batteries, these headphones from the specialists Sennheiser, cancel out ambient background noise. They can silence an office, filter out train, tube and plane noise, and add clarity to music while listening in a noisy environment. We’ve heard noise-cancellers before, but these are truly impressive. They are lightweight – fold into a supplied carrying pouch, are comfy, and have a great dynamic range.Priced from £65, the PXC250 headphones are available from online mail order stores includingPlay.com and John LewisFor a serious set of over-ear headphones with noise-cancelling technology, you’ll find it hard to beat the Denon AH-NC732  If you’re looking for a quality set of inner-ear headphones, stick with Sennheiser and go for either the Mx500 or the Mx550 – They’re available for around £18 from Amazon & Argos – Not noise-cancellers, but they offer great sound and have an inline volume control.If you’re after something more serious, try the Shure E3C noise isolating earphones (pictured). These have WideBand MicroDrivers, and come with a range of earpads to let you choose the ideal inner-ear fit.Available in black or white from Play.com , Amazon or AdvancedMP3players for under £100 – Amazing sound and great isolation from external noise. |
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What do you do if your TV doesn’t have a SCART socket, and you want to use some equipment that only supports SCART? A common problem for games console users, or for those trying to get a Freeview box to work on an older TV. If your telly doesn’t have a SCART socket, then you need something called a UHF modulator.This is a box that converts SCART signals to an RF signal that can be sent via a TV aerial cable. Plug a SCART socket in one end, and an aerial lead to your TV in the other, and all should be well. We use a Universal RF Modulator (Code VH89W) from Maplin Electronics with excellent results. There’s also a slightly cheaper one at TVcables. For more help, see our RF Modulator or No SCART pages |
 
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In the radio and TV industry, having accurate clocks in every studio is essential. Until the 90’s, stations used expensive systems for getting the accurate time, but now radio controlled timepieces are available for home use. Radio-controlled clocks are accurate to the second, and self-correct when the clocks go back or forward due to summertime adjustments.For more details on radio-controlled clocks and watches, see our dedicated Radio clocks page.Worth a look: Standard white clock for £24.99 from Maplin Electronics |
Sky Radio |
The Sky GnomeThe Sky Gnome became available in October 2005, and is a wireless device that receives audio transmitted from the Sky digibox wirelessly. This lets you listen to the Sky Digital radio stations from around the house. The box has a range of about 30 metres, and allows remote channel switching of Sky and Sky+ boxes. Available in Blue and Orange, it runs from rechargeable batteries for up to 8 hours of remote playback of sound.These are sadly no longer available directly from Sky, but you can pick them up quite cheaply on Ebay.co.uk. |
TV/Radio listings |
Forget spending money on weekly TV listings magazines, and stop struggling with your electronic TV guide. Whether you have the standard five channels, Sky, Freeview or cable, keeping track of the stacks of available channels can be tricky. Consider using an electronic TV listings service, to help make sure you don’t miss out on upcoming shows. Electronic Guides are available for:
See our guide to electronic TV and Radio guides |
USB Turntable  |
Got a huge vinyl collection tucked away in the loft? Get yourself an ION USB turntable that connects to your PC – You can use this to transfer your old singles, albums and even 78s to MP3, WAV or WMV format – ideal for your iPod or MP3 player. Bundled software allows to you copy music at double speed, and can automatically remove crackles and noise from your records.Available from Maplin , Firebox and I want one of thoseUpdate: There’s also a USB audio cassette converter available. Check out the USB Cassette converter from Firebox, Argos and Maplin. |
