Freeview Box Comments – Archive

Archive: Comments on various Freeview Set-top boxes

Radio and Telly’s Freeview Quick Picks
GOODMANS GDB18FVZS2: Basic box with 2 SCART sockets. Amazon / Currys £25	BT YouView: Freeview HD recorder plus on-demand content. More info: get.youview.bt.com	Humax PVR-9300: Includes a hard-disk recorder that holds 160 hours of TV. Currys £164

Comments on set top boxes should now be made via our Set top box forum
This page contains a selection of older comments made by site visitors before 2004:

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: Why the i-player is better than Nokia 221T
Comments: I have both the Nokia 221T & the Netgem. If I was buying another one, I would opt for a Netgem.

The Netgem seems to cope much better with low strength or low quality signals – eg on my Nokia, the UK History channel is un-watchable, whereas the Netgem copes quite well with the same signal.

PQ and sound on the two is much of a much-ness – probably more dependent on the quality of the signal than differences between the two boxes.

Also, the Netgem has a much better user interface. Its so much easier to switch between radio & TV channels on the Netgem.

The Netgem has MUCH better diagnostics than the Nokia. The Netgem will provide you with much better information about the quality of the signal you are getting (strength, quality, signal / noise ratio, Bit Error rate)

The Netgem also has digital out, two scarts, widescreen switching.

And finally, there is more scope for Netgem to provide updates due to the built-in modem.

The only area where I think the Nokia is better is in build quality. The Nokia feels substantial, whereas the Netgem definitely feels a little flimsy.

And, No, I do not work for Netgem – but I have just spent 120 smackers on buying one, and the Nokia has been relegated to the bedroom.

Submitted by: TheSeer ()
Received on: Wed Jun 25 23:57:31 2003 from IP address: 82.64.66.236

Make and model: Pace Twin Digital TV Recorder
Features: This device comprises a receiver and hard drive recorder.
Comments: This machine has one big fault: its inability to play back an apparently successful recording of a TV programme. This fault is intermittent but crippling to the reliable use of the machine as a recording device. You simply do not know when a recording will fail. Promises from the company to fix this fault have not been realised. There are also numerous minor glitches.
Submitted by: Doug Payne (grumpage@btinternet.com)
Received on: Sun Jun 22 11:42:17 2003 from IP address: 217.39.14.26

Make and model: Samsung SIRU200i
Features: Twin Scart, RF, etc
Comments: Re-launched early June with latest features and updates. Great looking box, small and stylish. Easy set-up. Picture and sound excellent. Quick channel switching. A bit mean that no SCART lead was included but competitively priced. Worth putting on anyone’s shortlist.
Submitted by: chris k ()
Received on: Thu Jun 12 09:33:38 2003 from IP address: 212.219.94.67

Make and model: NetGem i-Player Interactive
Features: Nothing is as good as an iPlayer
Comments: Which one is the best box ?

I took time to read many threads.
For absolutely only one box I found expressions like this:

– i-player The best box by a mile!
– Why is this box working so perfectly?
– Nobody else currently offers such a quality product
– Now Leaves Others Standing …
– Nothing is as good as an iPlayer

The common point of all these appreciations it is that each time the i-player leaves gaining after a comparison test with the best boxes existing. (Nokia 221T, GDT 2, Labgear …)

Moreover i-player + broadband + HDD makes it possible to do so many things….

Submitted by: Lucien ()
Received on: Thu Jun 12 09:11:25 2003 from IP address: 212.234.203.198

Make and model: Goodmansgdb2
Comments: Got two of these.

one seems to have upgraded. Other one suddenly stopped working. It was being used 10 mins before (watching lunchtime ‘neighbours’ 9.6.03, Sad!) was turned off when prog finished but ten mins later son tried to use it for video channels and has not worked since connections etc been checked. reset button pressed, changed to another room but still cannot turn on to even manually update software. Seems strange this happened a few hrs after one of them updated! Both on same aerial so surely both should have updated simultaneously.
Submitted by: Susan (Armstrong)
Received on: Tue Jun 10 21:51:48 2003 from IP address: 81.131.39.152

Make and model: Pace DTVA
Features: Freeview decoder box
Comments: Excellent way to get digital TV without paying monthly or having a dish attached to the premises! Unit has worked totally problem free though ITV programme listings are often not updated. Pity about the choice of channels, some of them are dire, and others are only on for a short time daily. With a better choice of channels Freeview would be even better.
Submitted by: Colin (review@coldal.com)
Received on: Mon Jun 9 14:01:09 2003 from IP address: 212.137.57.25

Make and model: GRUNDIG GDT2000
Features: TWO SCARTS
Comments: I have had this box for six days now, I was initially impressed by the easy installation, not having an external antenna. Then as so many before me it froze. It could only be reset by turning it OFF at the wall, even the button on the box wouldn’t work. It freezes regularly when using the search functions in the ‘guide’ feature. I have contacted Currys who say a small number have be returned with this fault and other faults, which they didn’t tell me. I will be able to receive a ‘free’ replacement, however after reading the comments about this box will ask for an alternative. Free to air is well worth the money for the box, just not this box.
Submitted by: N Farnworth (husky_joe@hotmail.com)
Received on: Fri Jun 6 20:30:27 2003 from IP address: 80.46.147.238

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: Best box for weak signal area- iPlayer’s the best box by a mile!
Comments: To be fair though, the new generation of non-Setpal boxes are a lot better than the On/ITV Digital generation too though! I’ve got really crap reception and tried out the Phillips On digital box and it sort of worked but the picture did break up a lot. I bought a Netgem iPlayer and I don’t have any of the problems I had with the old gen box – perfectly watchable now.

Can’t comment on Setpal boxes versus the iPlayer, but out of all the rest, the iPlayer’s the best box by a mile!

Submitted by: wurlycorner ()
Received on: Fri Jun 6 14:28:08 2003 from IP address: 82.65.247.53

Make and model: AverMedia DVB-T
Features: Digital PCI card with remote
Comments: Bought 2 cards for my PCs as I’ve just installed a Televes DAT75 aerial mounted in the loft with head amplifier and LabGear 4 way distributor. A Goodmans digi-box is connected on one line and works pretty well (My analogue signal was always and still is crap)).

The PCI cards, however, do not pick up any signals whatsoever. Have spoken to AverMedia UK tech support who have been very polite but I don’t think they know what the problem is or how to tackle this. Surely the sensitivities of the card and Goodmans box are not THAT different?

Considering returning to Maplin Online and buying Hauppauge – prefer to stick with AverMedia given the better spec – if only it would work!!!
Submitted by: Arif (aj_rahman@hotmail.com)
Received on: Thu Jun 5 16:40:39 2003 from IP address: 193.129.0.129

Make and model: Thomson DTI1000
Features: Two Scart sockets, RF Loop Through, RF Modulator
Comments: Connected up the receiver to a One For All SV-9010 indoor aerial in my first floor flat in Tw13 fully expecting to have problems and bugger me if it didn’t work first time. The automatic search facility did report that one or two channels had a bad signal, but that didn’t actually seem to stop it from finding and setting up all the Freeview channels that I was expecting.

The receiver came with Elgist 2.1.0, which I believe resolves the lock-up problems that earlier purchasers were experiencing and I’ve certainly only had anything like that happen once, when I lost Digital Teletext and Interactive services and had to power-cycle the receiver in order to get them back.

Minor irritations are that the remote control’s television functions only work with a Thomson television, so I have to keep my Sony remote control handy as well. Also, I don’t find the Services or Favourites menu facilities at all useful, as they don’t contain any program information. The Guide, however, seems quite good for checking what’s on, although I have little experience of similar facilities on cable or satellite to compare it to. It would be useful if it were possible to alter the channel order in the Guide though.

Submitted by: Pagan (pagan@ukonline.co.uk)
Received on: Thu Jun 5 11:52:06 2003 from IP address: 139.143.5.160

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: OAD
Comments: For your information at the moment the Goodmans OAD is the only file to be downloaded during the week beginning 09/06/03. This means that the OAD should carry on from 10am on the morning of Monday the 9th until 9am on the following Monday, 16th June.”
Plenty of time to get it
Submitted by: Goodmans ()
Received on: Wed Jun 4 12:32:08 2003 from IP address: 217.237.188.125

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: In response to DR Feltman,

I have had a GDB2 since Christmas. With a small amount of research (i.e reading Digital Spy Forum and this forum) I have updated the firmware on the GDB2 several times (easy to do if you have any common sense!). The latest firmware has really improved the box. If anyone wants the latest update (even from V1.0.0) it is just a case of putting the box into standby on the 9th June. It has been mentioned several times on this forum already.
PS I also work as a designer in the electronics industry (and also have the boring qualifications). In my experience qualifications can be a handicap to common sense.

I have just purchased a Goodmans GDB2. It exhibited all of the faults described by other users here, such as switching itself off uncommanded, then not switch on again when commanded; text and control functions hardly ever work and then often only after 30 or more attempts, lock-up and general instability. I returned it to the store (Argos) and they replaced it. The next was the same, except also the buttons on the remote control stuck as well. The next and the next replacements were identical.

The Goodman’s Helpline rings and rings and is never answered. All of these items sold by Argos have SW version 1.0.0. So beware; do not buy from Argos. They are still trying to dump their old stock on the unsuspecting public.

I am now returning the last replacement for a full refund. I have never seen such a load of rubbish! How they ever released this to the market like this I just cannot believe. It is completely unprofessional. The people who did this are real cowboys.

How the government believe they will be able to turn off the analogue transmissions with rubbish like this being sold apparently in all seriousness defies all credibility!
Submitted by: Dr. R. D. Feltham ()
Received on: Thu May 29 17:49:25 2003 from IP address: 81.7.57.80

Submitted by: M ()
Received on: Tue Jun 3 14:40:26 2003 from IP address: 213.123.250.133

Make and model: Nokia 221T vs Netgem iPlayer
Features: Which do you think is better? Nokia 221T or Netgem iPlayer
Comments: Before I bought my iPlayer I spent ages looking round trying out various different boxes and reading whatever I could about them (there weren’t many reviews at that time, unfortunately). The Nokia and the iPlayer were the only ones in the running after about a day!

I tried them both out back-back in the shop and decided the extra dosh for the iPlayer (at the time) was well worth it – much easier to use, more features, easier to up-date etc. and although there were a few problems with it at first, they’re sorted now. No questions asked, get the iPlayer, I say (make sure you up-date the software to the latest version when you get it home though, if it doesn’t come with it from new!)

View thread

Submitted by: wurlycorner ()
Received on: Mon Jun 2 21:09:59 2003 from IP address: 213.228.44.224

Make and model: Labgear DDT100
Features: Auto Updates on Standby. RF loop through.
Comments: Good value at £79.50 from John Lewis at end of April. No problems at first, simple setup, excellent sound and picture and all available channels tuned in. From then on every time the unit was switched on from standby it locked up for one minute (green screen) reset and then worked fine. Labgear helpdesk told me the latest software would sort this but not available until the end of June. After three weeks the unit then required running the setup program every time it had reset (No channels found) Labgear helpdesk baffled. Returned the unit for full refund… Should have looked at this website first. Netgem i Player now looks the best bet!
Submitted by: Martin Huggett (martin.huggett@saint-gobain.com)
Received on: Mon Jun 2 09:31:55 2003 from IP address: 194.250.6.42

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: To answer the question below the software update is still scheduled to broadcast on 7-10 June. Between these dates to get it go to menu, then configuration, then search for the software (sorry I can’t more precise as this feature is a bit different in the software I am using), I think the box may also be able to auto-update overnight.

The new software is already available from http://gdb.freddys-utilities.co.uk/ but as please also look at then information in the GDB2 discussion thread on the http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ forums. The new (ver. 3) software is excellent: no crashes, all text channels e.g. free2play and interactive services such as Murder Game work correctly, text is fast, EPG works perfectly, BBC Parliament works, onscreen graphics are improved. It is easy to update the box yourself using a male-female serial cable (£5 from Maplin), I would recommend you do this before taking your box back to the shop.
Submitted by: ()
Received on: Fri May 30 16:23:22 2003 from IP address: 195.93.34.7

Make and model: Thomson Dt1000
Features: twin scart, phono sockets, rf loop through
Comments: What can i say, it does exactly what it says on the tin.
Setup a piece of cake, one button does the lot!!!! Even my wife could do it.
Reception good, picture quality is as good as DVD. Moves through channels and menus smoothly and quickly.
Has a tendency to lock up occasionally, but its no big problem, just remove lead from back and put it back in or try the remote battery trick. For the price this is selling at its worth it!
Submitted by: Matt Robertson (mjicorobertson@hotmail.com)
Received on: Fri May 30 09:18:11 2003 from IP address: 212.240.148.90

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: Nobody else currently offers such a quality product
Comments: I have no problems at all with the latest software, it seems very stable and bug free, and has countless features that other set top boxes lack – have you actually tried other set top boxes, especially the cheap ones – they’re riddled with bugs and what I’d consider to be major problems. At least Netgem have the decency to correct problems in a timely manner, that’s more than I can say for most STB manufacturers who still haven’t got it right.

Nobody else currently offers such a quality product, and a few quid more to have all those extra features and a top quality picture is worth it IMHO. Yes someone else could copy the box (Sony is reportedly going to be using the same IBM chip in new STBs), but it would take them a long time to get the software to the same level of features and reliability that netgem have.
Submitted by: cybersoga ()
Received on: Fri May 30 00:23:13 2003 from IP address: 81.56.117.241

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: Total instability and unpredictability
Comments: [I would mention first that I am an indentured Apprenticeship-served Electronic Engineer and am also formally qualified to PhD level in Electronic Engineering.]

How the government believe they will be able to turn off the analogue transmissions with rubbish like this being sold apparently in all seriousness defies all credibility!
Submitted by: Dr. R. D. Feltham ()
Received on: Thu May 29 17:49:25 2003 from IP address: 81.7.57.80

Make and model: Goodmans gbd2
Features: not a lot
Comments: Well We are nearing June WILL WE GET OUR UPGRADE GOODMANS?? I issue you a public challenge! It would be oh so nice! to actually get the long awaited software, will I be proved right or wrong only time will tell, Frankly I doubt it!
Submitted by: Nigel Keating (nigeljkuk@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Thu May 29 15:43:06 2003 from IP address: 195.8.175.27

Make and model: GRUNDIG 1500
Features: IT WORKS
Comments: There are two different digital boxes in my house and this box is the best. No problems apart from the RC freezing up but this will get sorted out by the new firmware coming soon. The thing i want to know is how many empty channel slots are there. I have Ch14. and Ch15. but are these the only empty ones, what about the Ch24. to Ch29. or are these non-existent (Blank spaces). The Reason i asked is because its a right bummer if the only new channels will be in the empty channels not filling the non-existent channels.

Submitted by: PM5K (cyberjake5000@hotmail.com)
Received on: Wed May 28 00:25:35 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.69

Make and model: Pace Twin
Features: Twin tuner, HDD-based PVR
Comments: I’ve only had the unit a couple of days but I’m *very* pleased with it. It replaces a Pioneer (ex ON Digital) box and so it’s interesting to see the improvements in a ‘next generation’ unit. The UI is clear and easy and commands are carried out much quicker. The Pace Twin seems more sensitive than the Pioneer, and handles interruptions to the data stream much better. (i.e.no horrible noises just a split second loss of audio, and/or very brief pixellation.) If I was being very critical I’d say the video is slightly ‘soft’ compared with analogue, but then again there’s no visible noise on the picture, no horrible dot crawl or any of the other ‘delights’ of analogue. Overall, great – and what’s more SWBO approves. She’s moaned for ages about the irritations of using a VCR and never being in the right place on the tape – or even having the right tape! – but she’s taken to the Twin like a duck to water. Well done Pace.
Submitted by: Dr Rob (arm610@liverpool.ac.uk)
Received on: Tue May 27 11:59:55 2003 from IP address: 138.253.119.101

Make and model: ThomssonL1000
Comments: Not sure what to buy so went to Argos so I can take advantage of returns policy and cos they have the Thomson for £71.They said no refunds/returns on set top boxes! Several previous people (eg Andrew ) said they managed to return theirs. Interested to hear about which dealers.
Anyone know of any recent reviews/comparison articles-Its v difficult to decide what to get.
Submitted by: John (janakasiri@hotmail.com)
Received on: Tue May 27 11:20:21 2003 from IP address: 158.94.164.31

Make and model: Pace Twin Digital Recorder
Features: 20 gb hard drive, twin skarts, two digital decoders (watch one channel/record another), rf loopthrough, optical out etc
Comments: Grate box, I have been unable to fault the box since purchase, the only small problem is the remote is perhaps a little too long. Currently there is no digital text on it, but it is possible to update over the air to firmware which will work with digital text. Quality of recordings are grate, the hard drive is virtually silent (unless you put your ear to the box). UI similar to that of the TV adaptor from same manufacturer. Well worth the money.
Submitted by: Andrew Hodgson (andrew@nospam.hodgsonfamily.org)
Received on: Mon May 26 16:45:04 2003 from IP address: 195.166.147.102

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: Nouveau Netgem Now Leaves Others Standing
Comments: The latest software and firmware update (4,2,2) is an amazing and profound leap forward in major directions – leaving the Netgem many streets ahead of all set box makers.

New:
Broadband facility
Your own ISP and email
Hookups for HD and other accessories now onboard
Freeze Picture
Improved EPG with larger writing and instant option boxes
Automatic and Manual Software Update options
Transparency and background adjustments on menus
SPIF/5.1 switching
Favourites and channel numbering options
Settings on picture in picture during now-next scrolling
Instant video timer and reminder icons
New channel identifiers and internet channel screens
Pay to view card options list
Customer feedback links and mention of new three year warranty if left connected.

All this and a host of other refinements make this French smoothie incomparably the best. The new firmware makes this seemingly faster than ever. You name a feature and the Netgem now has it.

The only losses appear to be a largely hidden internet channel list and fixed output levels on audio outputs (pity if you have amplified speakers – better if you connect to an amp).

For current owners, this is not just an update – it’s an almost total revamp of most functions and is almost too good to be true.

http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/t/62764/ds.html
Submitted by: Alasn ()
Received on: Mon May 26 09:28:30 2003 from IP address: 212.234.203.198

Make and model: Goodmans/GDB2
Features: Five event timer
Comments: Although the set top box works well the only problem i find is that having a Philips television and a orian vcr, The GDB2 remote is also tends to operate the television and the vcr bit of a problem that has to be solved.
Submitted by: Mr A S Brown (allan.brown560)
Received on: Sun May 25 12:40:51 2003 from IP address: 62.254.0.40

Make and model: Thomson Dt1000
Comments: Bought a Thomson Dt1000 to replace Nokia and Philips Ondigital boxes. The Thomson will not display a program in widescreen unless originally made in the format. Most of Freeview is not. Went through every adjustment possible with no effect. Returned for a refund. Picked up a Panasonic Ct20 as replacement and thought picture dire. Returned also for refund
Submitted by: GeoffA (g.andrews@tiscali.co.uk)
Received on: Sat May 24 23:19:32 2003 from IP address: 80.225.220.146

Make and model: PIONEER T210GB
Comments:Could anyone with the PIONEER T210GB please give me the ir(infared) code for a philips tv.i recently got one and it did not come with a separate sheet containing the ir codes but it says in the manual that there is a separate sheet to refer to,to get the codes and the pioneer web-site doesn’t have the manuals anymore. please could you e-mail me at gavinski101@yahoo.co.uk Many Thanks
Submitted by: Gavin M (gavinski101@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Sat May 24 23:18:52 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.176

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: Two scarts, v2.1.5 software, currently £63.99 from Argos
Comments: Just got this box and am very pleased with it. All working flawlessly for hours now without problems, installed all channels instantly. Goodmans have updated the software so all lock-ups reported elsewhere on this page have been cured. EPG updates well, box also handles the signal through our set-top aerial perfectly at 75% strength.

Another software update is due in early June that will fix all remaining (minor) problems. See the forums at digitalspy.co.uk for dates – it will only be broadcast for one weekend, although a manual update is possible too.

Hope this is good news for the disgruntled GDB2 owners – couldn’t be happier with mine.
Submitted by: Ant (n.a)
Received on: Fri May 23 01:05:02 2003 from IP address: 81.86.80.186

Make and model: Pace DTR 730 (More on Pace range)
Comments: I have lost the handset setup code, can any one help. Very pleased with the box, good picture and easy to set up.
Submitted by: Andrew (teambutlers@fsmail.net)
Received on: Thu May 22 22:33:11 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.171

Make and model: Thomson TDI 1500
Features: One Scart , RF loop through, scart lead,remote
Comments: Happy with box, works well with scart through a Thomson VCR to a Thomson TV no problems TV turns on when box is turned on. Also works well with JVC TV with poor set top aerial. However (yes there is one) with a 5-year-old Sony 22″ vary bad flicker, change Aerial and Leads no better could be a fault with the Sony but its DVD and VCR work fine through the scart. Some freezing and mains reset is required but well worth the price £80 macro. area London w5, w7.
Submitted by: nickm (nickmaddison@hotmail.com)
Received on: Mon May 19 22:56:27 2003 from IP address: 62.64.217.246

Make and model: Panasonic TUCT20
Features: Digital and analogue signals?
Comments: I have been looking to get digital tv Freeview for some time as I live in wales and can barely get the normal 4 channels (s4C and bbc wales are truly dreadful). My question really is about operability with the Panasonic TCT20.

I would like to be able to retain my analogue signals thru my arial whilst having digital thru the same arial. this is so that I can watch an analogue channel and record a digital based digital channel at the same time. This is important as I work long hours and often the family has different viewing tastes when I’m not at home. I have no interest in digital radio, audio or internet services and wish to keep my current internet setup untouched. I also at this time only want the free to air channels such as channel 5.

My TV has one SCART socket, one composite port and one RF port. I have a VCR – Sharp VC-Mh711and a DVD Player. is it possible for me to keep my existing channels (and record them if required) whilst having digital channels (recordable if required) with my current setup?

Is it possible to have the following set up?

TUCT20 connected to SCART IN on the VCR – to enable digital channel recording via the VCR
Arial RF IN to the VCR – to enable analogue recording via the VCR
Arial RF OUT from the VCR to the Television – to enable analogue viewing on the television whilst retaining the capability to record a digital channel at the same time
SCART OUT from the VCR to Composite In on the Television – to enable the viewing of digital channels on the television whilst retaining the capability to record an analogue channel at the same time

SCART OUT from the DVD Player to SCART IN on the Television – to enable the viewing of DVDs

or have I got this completely wrong? Can I use the RF loopthru to do this instead? I’m afraid I’m a little technically in the dark on this one! Any help anyone could give me would be much appreciated.
Submitted by: Raj(chandr@coleggwent.ac.uk)
Received on: Sun May 18 15:48:25 2003 from IP address: 81.131.85.11

Make and model: Hauppauge DEC2000t
Features: Freeview standalone or PC controlled. mpeg2 recording.
Comments: Startup as standalone receiver is straightforward. Slow to respond to remote.
Very flaky installation of software. Updating s/w from Hauppauge web site means a laborious deinstallation, reboot, re-install, reboot. Dear oh dear. This is 2003, XP.
Good user interface on screen, smooth playback even at fullscreen on Sony Viao 600MHz laptop. USB IS fast enough.. The key to smooth playing is stop all other applications, especially network. Plenty of diskspace. Also the manual tells all the control panel settings needed to improve playback.
Recording was straightforward. It produces a file whose name is the programme channel plus time of recording. Playback with WinDVD is good – indistinguishable from live stream as it should. But then it gets murky with these files. Quicktime with mpeg2 decoder on PC will not play them. PowerDVD will not play them. TMPGenc will not recognise them. Shipped the mpeg2 file over to G4 Titanium Mac. Cleaner 6 wil not read them, says header is wrong. Quicktime 6 plus mpeg2 plug-in plays them, wow, and more to the point, allows them to be saved as new mpeg2 file. Now Cleaner and TMPGenc will read this file. The manual says NOTHING about burning the files to DVD. Why do Hauppauge think we bought the damned thing?! Nero also complained about the files so I am sure they cannot be burnt straight to DVD. After the laborious Mac loop I think they probably will. But my Sony DVD+/-R/W doesn’t arrive till next week so I cant tell. Stay in touch, I’ll report back when I’ve got my first DVD with a closest copy of the transmitted mpeg2 stream on disk.
Value for money? Haggle the price down to about £120 as I did and then you are paying about £20 or £30 extra for the PC part PLUS an mpeg2 recording facility. Compared to a visit to a London theatre or a footie match, that’s not bad for a few nights entertainment (or frustration) and it does look as if this will produce (eventually) DVD compliant files.
It is slightly less ugly than the DEC1000 (ugh) and you probably wont want to hide it. It looks different and visitors will ask what it is.
I’ll give it 4 stars out 5. It would be 4.5* at £100 and only 3* at £140 which some shops charge.
Submitted by: Robin(robin_ryder*hotmail.com)
Received on: Fri May 16 14:06:26 2003 from IP address: 194.36.2.72

Make and model: NetGem i-Player Interactive (More on Netgem)
Features: The box is now very attractive
Comments: Netgem have fixed all the bugs.
So the box is now very attractive compared with others and i’d say it was the best one to buy even if you’re not interested in surfing the net with it!
Netgem I-Player £129 with 4.2.2b4 firmware
———————-
Pros:-
* Excellent picture quality, very sharp (tested via RGB scart)
* S-Video or RGB + Composite via Scart
* On screen text and graphics are anti-aliased (smooth)
* Surf the web broadband (USB ethernet adapter required) or dial up
* MHEG (digital text) is fast
* Second scart in/out with RGB passthrough
* Optical SPDIF output
* USB Socket can connect to many different devices
* Video Timers can start video recorder recording automatically via scart pin 8.
* Firmware updatable over the internet

Cons:-
* None

Submitted by: cybersoga ()
Received on: Fri May 16 11:19:03 2003 from IP address: 212.234.203.198

Make and model: Grundig Gt1500 (More on Grundig range)
Features: Amazing ability to crash and mute itself
Comments: Well this box has been a bit of a pain from the start. the RF loop through seems to make our analogue signal rather foggy (not sure if the box is interfering with it or not….). The most annoying traits are it’s insistence on locking up and, more annoyingly, not outputting any sound – hence hours of silent films when recorded!!!! if any one else has experienced this or has a remedy to this problem i would love to hear about it.

Also, the timer program menu is annoying to say the least. you select the start time, but then have to put the duration of the programme in hours:minutes, resulting in some brief mental arithmetic – why not just have a finish time!!! Additionally, it then displays the duration of the programme in minutes on the timer list view; talk about inconsistent.

this box gives terrible signals (we are in a high signal strength area), but someone did suggest that because we have a very strong analogue signal it may be crossing over and corrupting the digital one, and the signal drop outs are all the more noticeable for the incredibly loud CLICK and POP and FRAZZZLE.

In summary, this piece of junk is for the chop this weekend and is being returned to Dixons from whence it came…
Submitted by: James Laidler (newsmonkey@gmx.co.uk)
Received on: Thu May 15 17:46:42 2003 from IP address: 213.122.45.1

Make and model: Panasonic TU-Ct20
Comments: I took tthe plunge (finally) and got two of these boxes. No problems with the boxes overheating, just great sharp pictures. Sound is nice and clear as well. Only gripe is that they don’t transmit the right “aspect” to my Widescreen TV – possibly due to the SCART supplied.
Submitted by: Gary Walker (defeat2002@hotmail.com)
Received on: Thu May 15 17:21:14 2003 from IP address: 62.189.101.227

Make and model: Netgem i-Player (More on Netgem)
Features: RF loop through picture quality
Comments: Having substituted the i-Player for my VCR utilising the existing cables,the RF loopthrough picture quality showed a severe degradation compared to that provided by the VCR.
Netgem advised that it is important to use the cables provided with the i-Player.
Having substituted the Netgem supplied aerial lead the problem appears to be eliminated.
The digital picture quality is superb,and a software update should be due shortly.
Submitted by: Terry Maurice ()
Received on: Thu May 15 16:19:01 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.75

Make and model: Grundig GDT2000 (More on Grundig range)
Features: easy set up, two scart connections (TV and vid), parent lock etc
Comments: Initially impressed… Good reception even though we don’t use an external or roof top aerial. Sometimes get interference but not too bad so far. However, have now experienced the freezes or locking up of the technology that other users have experienced. The remote control goes first, and you are unable to change any channel or even turn the box on/off from standby. You have to use the buttons on the actual receiver box itself, and then they stop working as well and you are unable to do anything. The remote control looks very cheap so we just thought it was that at first. This problem happens about twice a day and mostly when it hasn’t been used for a couple of hours. Very interesting to read other peoples experiences. I can’t believe STBs cost near on £100 when there are still so many technological glitches.
Submitted by: Dawn ()
Received on: Wed May 14 09:38:11 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.209

Make and model: Hauppauge DEC2000t
Features: Set-top-box with USB PC connection
Comments: Absolutely terrible! I’ve just sold it on eBay after only 5 days with it. Locks up too often and can’t even receive teletext or interactive channels when used as a stand alone unit (can on PC). Nice idea having a PC connection etc, but the software is terrible, requires a very fast PC (ideally with USB2) and is very slow to operate. Please avoid these Hauppauge products like the plague!!!! I’m off to buy a regular box (non-PC) – probably a Panasonic.
Submitted by: David ()
Received on: Tue May 13 20:32:48 2003 from IP address: 81.86.150.133

Make and model: Goodmans GBD2 (More on Goodmans range)
Comments: Hi, I have been reading this forum(s) and have found that alot of you have ot questions to give to goodmans!. There is a website ( actually its a forum ) where goodmans responds to the users questions, he’s helped me alot!, and a new OAD ( Over the air download ) will be coming in 7-10 Jun 2003!. The address is : – www.digitalspy.co.uk and click on terrestrial TV forum and you can go down to Goodmans GBD2 Campaign, whi9ch is 27 pages long as he has given us 57 replys!
Submitted by: Thanh Nguyen (thanhnguyen@beeb.net)
Received on: Sun May 11 14:52:45 2003 from IP address: 81.131.57.50

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: If i have no tv/av connection(i lost my original remote control,i am using 4 in 1) how do i tune digi-box into my t.v. its very frustrating,been trying all day,if anyone knows could you please email me at tracey@lydon6826.freeserve.co.uk. thankyou.
Submitted by: Tracey Lydon (tracey@lydon6826.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Sat May 10 16:15:19 2003 from IP address: 195.92.194.15

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: V2.1.5 F/Ware
Comments: The aerials should not be a problem, except they are both located in the loft (there is no way they are going outside, particularly as my place is a 3 story town house).
Mine is a high gain aerial (about 6ft long) as I altered it a while back to improve channel 5, and as it’s from Crystal Palace I believe it is the same band (A) as the analogue was.
My Parents get a slightly better signal with their smaller aerial, again supposedly the correct band (A).
Does anyone have an email address for Goodmans technical ? Don’t think I have.
Peter.
Submitted by: PeterB ()
Received on: Fri May 9 08:45:18 2003 from IP address: 62.173.97.50

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: V2.1.5 F/Ware
Comments: Not quite.
Firstly, if the video is not in standby, the control signal between it and the GDB2 seems to lock the GDB2 in the mode it is in (either standby or on). The GDB2 absolutely refuses to respond to the hand control standby/on button whilst the video is on. The only way one can re-gain control the GDB2 is to Standby the video recorder first(Both video recorders tried are Toshiba models, one an mono version and the other a Nicam stereo model).
Secondly, the GDB2 switches on and off not only the TV output with the DTV/TV button on the hand control, but also the I/O to the VTR. So if one wants to watch a normal analogue channel on the TV, and record DTV from the GDB2 (as the manual says one can), one has to get the TV to display Analogue even with the GDB2 set to DTV to allow the recording. My Hitachi set is not capable of displaying Analogue TV whilst being fed a DTV into scart1, and using scart2 does then not auto-switch the TV from the GDB2 – A no-win situation. The GDB2 should do what the button says, switch the TV output without switching the audio/video scart at the same time.

Submitted by: PeterB ()
Received on: Thu May 8 13:23:20 2003 from IP address: 62.173.97.50

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2 (More on Goodmans range)
Comments: how the hell do u work this thing, i have no manual with it, do i need scart connection? i don’t even get a menu screen when i search to install on my tv. can i download a manual anywhere?
Submitted by: rob (robjaguar222@aol.com)
Received on: Thu May 8 11:06:13 2003 from IP address: 195.93.48.9

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: No, James, you can’t. Not with GDB2 and not with most/all boxes.

Mat, you have had a few bad boxes – ours works fine now (apart from switching itself off occasionally).

PeterB, can you explain your problem more clearly? I think you are saying that the problem is that if you switch on the GDB2, it auto-switches channels on the TV to the GDB2 SCART input, if the GDB2 is in DTV mode. And if you switch on the video, it auto-switches channels on the TV to the video SCART input.

If I understand that correctly, then why are you blaming the GDB2? My videos only auto-switch the TV if you press “play” or programme them – not if the video is just sitting there switched on, minding its own business. UNLESS I have the videos set to VCR mode (using the TV/VCR button). But then that would be a mistake because there’s no point using that VCR mode.

Tell me I’m misunderstanding and I’ll reconsider!

Cheers

Mark.
Submitted by: Mark (MarkyMarkD@dsl.pipex.com)
Received on: Wed May 7 22:05:03 2003 from IP address: 81.86.146.176

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: V2.1.5 F/Ware
Comments: Just bought two Goodmans GDB2s, one for my Parents’ and one for myself.
Overall they seem good (but I do find on both the signal strength only seems about 1/3 up the white bar, and signal quality about 2/3 up the green bar – is this correct ?).
BUT – GOODMANS TECHNICAL – PLEASE READ
There are two bad bugs:
1/ When connected to the video recorder, it is not possible to switch in and out of standby. So if one’s video is on (not standby) and the GDB2 in standby, one cannot use the terrestrial until one standbys the video – ridiculous. Also if the GDB2 is on, one cannot standby it unless one puts the video into standby first. — This is completely confusing my Parents who are around 80, even I find it aggravating, originally thinking the box kept locking up.
2/ When one pushes the TV/DTV button it turns off the output to the video recorder as well as to the TV. I therefore cannot record terrestrial and watch analogue (my Hitachi TV decides to take the syncs from the scart even when overriden to an analogue channel if the GDB2 is set to DTV, and the VCR has nothing fed to it if I select TV). The GDB2 should really only switch it’s TV output on and off with the TV/DTV button, and leave the signals on to (or from) the video.
Submitted by: PeterB (sdcpuk@yahoo.com)
Received on: Wed May 7 13:28:42 2003 from IP address: 62.173.97.50

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: Recently bought this box, what a mistake. Came with v2.1.5 and locked up every 10 minutes. I returned it (presuming it was faulty?!!) and the replacement now locks up every 2 minutes and only a reset fixes it. It has almost gone through the window a few times. Don’t waste your time buying this. The support from Goodmans is a joke too.
Submitted by: Mat ()
Received on: Wed May 7 11:31:22 2003 from IP address: 172.185.167.35

Make and model: Nokia Mediamaster DVB9850T (More on Nokia range)
Features: Original onDigital box
Comments: Probably the worst product that Nokia have ever made, probably because of the flakey software supplied by onDigital. Crashes regularly, especially when trying to access text pages. Slow to respond to the remote.
Remote is uncomfortable to hold and has no Subtitles button as my Philips STB remote has.
Submitted by: Phil Rogers ()
Received on: Tue May 6 22:00:31 2003 from IP address: 81.5.166.183

Make and model: Philips DTX6370
Features: Original onDigital box
Comments: Have had this box since the days of onDigital. Generally works very well, but is sometimes slow to respond to the remote. Crashes occasionally – perhaps once every couple of months. the software in the onDigital boxes was provided by onDigital and the box manufacturers had to make their hardware work with it.
As I understand it, most of the problems with these boxes are due to the flakey software. Pity we can’t get upgrades for them.
Submitted by: Phil (phil@dryicecomputing.com)
Received on: Tue May 6 21:56:24 2003 from IP address: 81.5.166.183

Make and model: Nokia 221T (More on Nokia range)
Comments: I too am experiencing lock-up problems with this product.
Examples of lockups:

1) used remote control to put decoder into standby mode, the decoder then refused to come out of standby. Had to cycle power.

2) some channels only showed for a minute or so then disappeared. Re-appeared only by choosing the channel again via the navi bar.

3) lockup can occur when increasing adjusting volume using remote control. Seems to occur on some channels only.

I gather from reading other comments that the decoder is sensitive to internal temperature. If this is true then shame on Nokia. (One key engineering activity when designing a product is thermal management.) The Nokia 221T SHOULD be capable of operating ok at all typical room temperature, in winter and summer.

If the lock-up problem is with poor signal strength on one or any of the six transmitted multiplexers then the Nokia box should report something like ” problem with reception on channel …” rather than just sit there. Having said all this and on balance, I’ll probably keep it. Good quality sound and the in/out video AUX SCART socket is useful for connecting the Video player (note only need two SCART cables).
Anthony.
Submitted by: Anthony ()
Received on: Tue May 6 14:27:13 2003 from IP address: 144.32.41.13

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2 (More on Goodmans range)
Comments: The GDB2 OAD update is due between 7th and 10th June (nt the first of may). The new software will probably be obtained before that date but you will need a PC and a 9 pin Rs232 extension. Further details will be released on the Digital Spy Forum (Goodmans GDB2 Update Campaign Thread)

Submitted by: Martin ()
Received on: Mon May 5 15:48:25 2003 from IP address: 213.123.250.133

Make and model: Sony VTX-D500U
Comments: Hi can any one help.
I picked up one of these great boxes from Makro. I am really pleased with it I have it linked via an optical cable to a Sony amp, and the sound is brilliant.

The only problem is that none of the interactive features work on the box. Is there any way to correct this? I have been told it is down to the manufactures settings in the box, but these can not be changed without what I assume is an engineers Smart Card.

Can anyone help

Submitted by: Andy Macfarlane (email@andymacfarlane.co.uk)
Received on: Sun May 4 15:18:17 2003 from IP address: 81.96.19.161

Make and model: Grundig GDT 1500
Features: Software Updates
Comments: Support for their Freeview boxes must be problematic,especially since I understand Grundig sold their U.K. set top box manufacturing facility to Thomson.
The performance of Thomson’s box is superior to that of Grundig’s,according to a recent comparative test of most of the available boxes.
Submitted by: Terry Maurice ()
Received on: Sat May 3 23:01:38 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.209

Make and model: Grundig GDT1500 (More on Grundig range)
Comments: Considering purchasing this model. However I understand that Grundig are in Administration. Many Grundig products are currently being sold reduced at major outlets. Will this affect this box receiving future downloads, new channels etc ?
Submitted by: David (davidrowe@coulston65.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Sat May 3 14:59:09 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.65

Make and model: goodmans GDB2
Features: MACRO £71 INCL VAT
Comments: I BOUGHT THE BOX FROM MACRO £71 VERY CHEAP WORKS A TREAT BUT SEE WHAT YOU ALL MEAN ABOUT THE REMOTE BUT NOT A BIG PROBLEM READ ALL THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE SOFTWARE BUT MINE HAS THE NEW 2.1.5V ON IT BUT HAVE JUST LOST THE SOUND TO CBEEBIES CHANNEL PHONED GOODMANS AND GOT THROUGH QUITE QUICK 15MIS AND WAS TOLD TO PRESS THE RESET BUTTON ON THE BACK AND FIRST TIME INSTALL AGAIN.HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM.AND HOW DO I FIND OUT WHEN THEY SEND NEWS SOFTWARE THROUGH
Submitted by: GARY (biggaza1@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Thu May 1 11:51:44 2003 from IP address: 192.18.1.9

Make and model: Daewoo DS608P
Comments: Bought two of these, both to work with an indoor aerial in the Cf5 (Cardiff) area, Upstairs one which has the April software is perfect, but downstairs which has the December software does lock up, pixellates and has green screens occasionally. Also the remote on/off locks up sometimes. Not another update until 19th May so will wait to see if there is an improvement, Brilliant picture otherwise and now have Sky Sports News. I was with ntl before but getting too expensive.
Submitted by: Ed Salamon (ed.salamon@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Wed Apr 30 19:36:00 2003 from IP address: 62.252.32.6

Make and model: panasonic tuct-20
Comments: Good display and no problems with freezing. Am buying another for a relative – has anyone seen it less than £99?
Only problem seems to be an on screen message nearly every day to say that a new channel has been detected, but when I go through process for auto-update, I don’t have anything new added. Any ideas?

Submitted by: K Warren (kennywarren@blue yonder.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Apr 28 18:16:16 2003 from IP address: 80.194.140.147

Make and model: hauppauge 1000t
Comments: After help from a very nice man at QVC who did his best, he suggested that I should try and get hold of their(hauppauges) help line and check that it would send analogue and digital through the loopthrough, I had tried two emails but they only responded after the second, ironically after I had rang them-probably a coincidence
the box suggested it would the manual made no mention, and he confirmed you have to split the feed before it goes through the box, so sadly back it went, apart from low sound was very happy with it.
Submitted by: jocose ()
Received on: Mon Apr 28 15:48:26 2003 from IP address: 62.30.24.222

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: Picture/Sound quality;Software updates
Comments: Despite official advices that we are not in a reception area,I have just purchased the Netgem i-Player. Set-up was easy,and fast,and all available channels have been received. The picture,and sound quality is excellent- even on the ITV,and Channel 5,stations. I agree with Someone’s comments that the RF loop through seriously degrades the analogue picture quality. Netgem assure me that the software upgrades will take place this week,and that the problems with RF loop through picture quality,and absence of a timer facility will be rectified. Time will tell! It is early days with the Netgem,but so far I am very impressed with the quality of the results,and also with the customer advice line.
In passing,the promotion from John Lewis no longer appears to be available. In fact they deny all knowledge of it having existed. So Someone,you were very lucky.
Submitted by: Terry Maurice ()
Received on: Mon Apr 28 13:21:29 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.65

Make and model: Daewoo Setpal DS608P
Features: setpal, autotune, screen saver, easy to use, full easy to follow manual.
Comments: Got the box few months ago from T.J. Hughes £79.00, setup ok, picked up all channels from the winter hill transmitter, good strong signal from my large aerial on roof. worked ok for few weeks, then started to get pixelisation & sound loss etc, checked all connections and found all to be ok, tested other 6 different digiboxes i had, all worked ok, the auto update did not fix the problem, as the weeks went on, it got worst, contacted daewoo who said may have fault in box. took it back and got a replacement. set it up ok, auto updated ok, found i had to tune RF 4x to find clear channel, unlike first box! which found the channel first time, then tested the scart worked ok, in all 4 scart sockets on tv, picture and sound good, not a good screen saver, can not turn channels line up off, selection from menu unlike other boxes unless you restart box, also no volume control on remote this is a let down.
good points: easy to use, easy to set up about 2-3mins, auto update, tells you if new channels are coming on, easy to use remote, all cables with it, easy to follow handbook, easy to follow menu system, screen saver on music or non moving tv channels, good sound via RF, better via Scart, same with picture.
bad points: no volume control on remote, no channel line up changer in menu, one scart socket.
Great for persons who are not tech minded and, want easy use, would recommend it to anyone.
Submitted by: gordon (gordonmarchant@netscape.net)
Received on: Sun Apr 27 16:14:44 2003 from IP address: 217.44.27.180

Make and model: GOODMANS GDB2
Features: NONE ( BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WORK)
Comments: I Bought a Goodmans GDB2 from macro today it took me only 2 minutes to set up.
Only to find it would not come off standby, i went throu all the technical hazzle after 1 hour to find it was nothing but faulty. My request to any one who is thinking about purchasing one of these useless items is basically don’t waste your time. I can honestly say i will never again purchase any goodmans products. P.S THANK YOU GOODMANS FOR NOTHING!
Submitted by: bal (bal.kandola1@btinternet.com)
Received on: Fri Apr 25 20:04:44 2003 from IP address: 81.135.103.204

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: Lack of timer and USB support
Comments: Yeah, but the date keeps slipping – from March (if not earlier) to May so far. Some users have been waiting on this software update since the end of last year, as features that were advertised as being there at launch (USB support for ADSL, ethernet, etc.) still aren’t. See the thread at http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/t/47189/ds.html

However, I have managed to get a better analogue picture now – and ITV and ITV2 have reappeared. So *if* this software update does appear, I’ll be completely satisfied.

Submitted by: Someone (somebody@somewhere)
Received on: Fri Apr 25 15:12:47 2003 from IP address: 81.86.191.187

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: lack of Timer
Comments: Re Someone’s comments of 22/04/03. I have contacted Netgem who have advised that a software update,to be released in about 2 weeks,will contain a Timer facility.
Submitted by: Terry Maurice ()
Received on: Fri Apr 25 13:16:23 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.66

Make and model: GDB2
Features: GDB2 v Panasonic
Comments: I think you need to decide what’s more important to you:-
2 Scarts (GDB2) which mean you can fully scart your video as well as your TV (provided your video has two scarts)
OR
Modulated output through coaxial cable (Panasonic), which you’ll need if you ever want to use the box with a no-scart TV in the future.

Very few boxes (just Nokia, Grundig and Netgem, so far as I know) offer both.

I bought the GDB2 3 weeks ago, having looked at several boxes in John Lewis, and wouldn’t swap it for any of the others despite its occasional sulks (which should be resolved in the forthcoming software update anyway.

In my opinion, the Panasonic box itself looks nice, but the remote is extremely small and fiddly and personally I’m not keen on the appearance of its menus etc.
And on top of all this, the Goodmans box is cheaper!

Submitted by: Barb (barbara@polydorou.plus.com)
Received on: Thu Apr 24 13:33:15 2003 from IP address: 62.173.115.130

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: I’m looking at getting a couple of STBs this weekend. I’m looking at the Goodmans GDB” and Panasonic TUCT20. Can any one advise on what one is best – I’m concerned about the heat generated by the Panasonic – has anyone had any experience of this (or otherwise)?
Submitted by: Gary Walker (defeat2002@hotmail.com)
Received on: Thu Apr 24 13:12:57 2003 from IP address: 62.189.101.227

Make and model: Goodmans Gd2
Comments: Unfortunately before I could get round to upgrading the OS from v1.0.0 (bought from John Lewis) it stopped working completely. Just sat there on standby ignoring the remote control. I’m going to wait a few months and see how the GDB3 turns out I think.
Submitted by: Stew (Stochasticus@hotmail.com)
Received on: Wed Apr 23 17:21:50 2003 from IP address: 129.215.34.86

Make and model: Goodmans GBD2
Comments: I too have bought this box – the GBD2; I had one from John Lewis with the v1.0.0 software installed. I was experiencing ALL of the symptoms mentioned here by other users – the EPG showing incorrect now + next, the intermittent power-offs, fast channel hopping lock-ups etc… After reading the really useful information provided on this site and the Digital Spy discussion forum I downloaded the GBD2 v2.1.5 software and then uploaded it onto my GBD2 box via the Rs232 port.
I FULLY RECOMMEND UPGRADING THIS VERSION !! :0) ALL OF THE ABOVE BUGS HAVE DISAPPEARED! Totally happy with my purchase now ;o)…….good luck….
Submitted by: Bertieslk ()
Received on: Wed Apr 23 16:37:53 2003 from IP address: 217.40.234.2

Make and model: Netgem i-Player
Features: 2 SCARTs, RF loop, digital & analogue audio, internet access, USB
Comments: Very, very unhappy. No timer. OK I should have checked, but for a box at this price not to include a timer is unbelievable… no, make that criminal. RF loop massively degrades analogue picture quality too. Also lost ITV1 and ITV2 signals after originally finding them (though that could be ITV’s problem). It’s probably going back to the shop…

Should have got a Thomson (tried my parents’ one which worked fine on my aerial – including ITV1 and ITV2).
Submitted by: Someone (somebody@somewhere)
Received on: Tue Apr 22 14:05:16 2003 from IP address: 81.86.191.187

Make and model: Sony On Digital
Features: …Needs a can of heiniken
Comments: Please can somebody help me out. I have been using a Ex Ondigital Sony DVB receiver for a while now..While watching over 1/2 an hour of TV the lip sync seams to go out. The longer the unit is left the worse the problem gets. I think the box is great especially the sound but it drives me mad when I have to change the channel up and the down to re-align the sync. Any suggestions.!!please help me by emailing me if there is a fix…thanks!
Submitted by: James Baker (jamesbaker470@msn.com)
Received on: Mon Apr 21 23:01:44 2003 from IP address: 80.40.36.1

Make and model: DAEWOO DS608P
Features: SETPAL tuning, Single SCART and RF feed-through re-modulator
Comments: Excellent box, and good value at £80 Currys/Dixons. I’m in S.E. Northumberland and Channel 5 is naff without a large external antenna and a good rf booster. This sorts the problem and provides all the other Freeview channels as well for about the same cost as the antenna I would have needed to get analogue channel five. Tuning is a piece of cake with the fully automated SETPAL and good instruction book. Crisp, punchy picture quality and fast response.
As widely reported on this page, out of the box the decoder is loaded with December 2002 software and does give unreliable performance. (Check version by pressing ‘Status’ then ‘Info’ on remote). Problems I experienced were spontaneous dropping of channel causing picture freeze and pixelation or green-screen, then no response to remote. Otherwise the box would insist on rescanning all channels at initial turn on before it would fly. Some of these events coincided with other electrical activity in the house, like central heating switching on/off or the refrigerator causing mains glitches.
However all problems were sorted when the box downloaded updated software dated March 2003. All functions are now totally reliable and bug-free so far as I can tell. The software downloads only appear to be transmitted at the weekend (Saturday I think) do don’t panic if your box does not find new software the first time you switch it on – it will eventually, you need take no action yourself. Stick with it – this box knocks the spots off most others in this entry level price and Daewoo customer service are quite helpful as well, something you don’t see very often these days.
Submitted by: M Newton ()
Received on: Mon Apr 21 18:46:51 2003 from IP address: 80.40.66.12

Make and model: Aver DVB-T PCI Card
Features: Digital Terrestrial Receiver PCI Card
Comments: This may be of interest to readers here. Maplins currently have an introductory offer saving £20 on a new Aver PC TV card similar to the Hauppauge Win TV Nova-t.
For £79.99 you get the following:
Aver DVB-T Digital Terrestrial Receiver PCI Card –
· Watch digital terrestrial TV and listen to digital radio on your PC!
· Fully Resizeable TV (Up to Full Screen)
· Auto channel scan and name recognition
· 16 Channel Preview
· Digital VCR(PVR)
· Time Shift allows you to continue from where you pause the live show
· Record/ playback live TV programs and video
· Record video in MPEG 2
· Schedule recording
· Additional AV/S Input, connect other video sources (DVD/VCD/VHS/Camcorder)
· MP3 Radio Recording Function
· Single and multiple still image capture
· Supports Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
· Fully Functional Infrared Remote Control
For info go to: www.maplin.co.uk/
With economical price, you can enjoy the same functions as Set-Top-Box. In addition, you can even do what STB can’t do：
video capture (DVD/VCD/VHS); time-shifting; recording and so on.
The AVerTV DVB-T also includes a fully featured Infrared Remote Control that lets you access every feature with a simple press of a button

Submitted by: John (jhdalton@lineone.net)
Received on: Mon Apr 21 18:01:11 2003 from IP address: 80.4.79.22

Make and model: Daewoo Setpal DS608P
Comments: After favourable comments here, bought one from T J Hughes for £79 and have had the box a few weeks now. Generally easy to set-up but as I was splitting my signal to a PC I was not getting full aerial strength and only 30 channels.
So I re-arranged the system with a 2gang Maxview aerial amplifier (£10 from a local TV specialist so half the price of a similar one from Currys) and a couple of new aerial leads costing a £3. It is set up with a splitter from the aerial feed taking a feed straight to the box, which is then connected to the TV (or video) by scart. The aerial input to the TV via video remains unchanged (coming from the other splitter feed).
Now get 45 channels in an area not supposed to be able to receive Freeview (surprising as I live in the centre of England near Coventry). Have had no problems with lock-up, green screening, need to reset, interference from other remotes/appliances etc. And I appreciate the ability to resize my picture to suit my wisescreen set.
My neighbours were so impressed that they bought one too and that was set up in-line and got all channels out of the box (its why I rejigged my system). The only problem they had was forgetting to keep the box switched on when using the VCR when out of the house.
Also tried the box at my parents near Manchester in an area with poor C5 reception. Again it worked fine giving a full complement of channels and overcoming the poor C5 reception problem.
Submitted by: John (jhdalton@lineone.net)
Received on: Mon Apr 21 17:46:49 2003 from IP address: 80.4.79.22

Make and model: PACE DTVA
Comments: THIS MODEL WAS OK WHILE WORKING WITH A QUITE OLD FERGUSON TV.
HOWEVER WHEN I GOT A NEW SONY WIDE SCREEN TV I FOUND I COULD NOT ADJUST THE COLOUR ON THE TV, NO MATTER WHAT I DID THE COLOUR REMAINED THE SAME(I LIKE THE COLOUR TURNED DOWN A BIT).
I HAVE NOW DISCONNECTED IT.
Submitted by: brian jones (broyaluk_aol.com)
Received on: Mon Apr 21 13:59:34 2003 from IP address: 172.189.149.13

Make and model: hauppauge 1000t
Comments: Have this box from QVC, all features seem good, like the remote, has crashed on ceefax once after trying to go too fast, but after that everything ok, only problem seems to be I cant swap between analogue and digital, on the channels 1-5 for analogue just blank black screen, told could be conflict with cable box so remove it, still same problem, any ideas? am seriously thinking of having to return as we want to be able to use both analogue and digital. Can you usually get both on these boxes? I thought you could but am I mistaken? Any advice appreciated
Submitted by: jocose ()
Received on: Sun Apr 20 17:15:32 2003 from IP address: 213.48.235.62

Make and model: DAEWOO DS608P
Features: Query
Comments: My Friend has just purchased a DS608P STB. It works perfect on his Television & installed very well.
However I am also considering buying one, so he tried it on my TV (Hitachi C2558TN).
It scanned in lovely 46 channels & there was good reception stats from the set from the Crystal Palace transmitter.
But when we tried watching a channel we got no sound or picture. My Friend had downloaded the latest download.
We tried with different cables to no avail. The TV has only one scart socket & the AV kicked in ok.

Initially BBC 1 worked but then a red message appeared warning a poor signal was being received when we know the Stats are ok.

Any ideas please ?
(Tonypayne1234@hotmail.com)
Submitted by: Tony Payne (Tonypayne1234@hotmail.com)
Received on: Sun Apr 20 11:33:31 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.165

Make and model: Goodmans GBD2
Comments: I got mine from Makro for £71.00 including VAT. If you know some one with a Makro card it’s hard to beat.
Submitted by: PeteH (PeteHeyes@AOL.co.uk)
Received on: Sun Apr 20 04:05:42 2003 from IP address: 62.60.13.247

Make and model: Pace (More on Pace range)
Comments: I have installed this for my father at a Po7 location. He has had an upgraded arial (installed last year) but we cannot receive any ITV channels – he especially wants ITV2 for the Tour de France in July. I have also got hom a satellite dish (no subscription) and he is unable to get ITV2 on this although he does receive lots of other channels. Any ideas would be helpful. I would also like to know if anyone has any idea how to get English standard programmes ITV1, BBC1. in France and how much etc. My mother had a house in Brittany which we visit twice a year so we don’t want to pay out too much. Help would be appreciated. Ginette
Submitted by: Ginette (ginette@onetel.net.uk)
Received on: Sun Apr 20 00:55:54 2003 from IP address: 212.67.97.79

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: Purchased 5 months ago. Good picture. Good sound. All the usual problems as experienced by other users. Strangely the picture on RGB setting is inferior to CVBS even though my TV is a new model Panasonic.
Submitted by: D.Fletcher (douglas@fulltilt.fsnet.co.uk)
Received on: Wed Apr 16 11:32:19 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.208

Make and model: Netgem’s i-player
Features: A useful device with loads of potential.
Comments: Netgem’s i-player is a DTTV adaptor with a twist. As well as giving you all Freeview’s TV channels it provides access to the net and email, making it a real all-rounder. This extra functionality is reflected in the price – £20-40 higher than most Freeview receivers.
On the side of the unit is a USB port for connection to USB devices and PCs – though this requires further software and drivers, which aren’t yet available. Other connections include two Scart sockets, an optical digital audio out and an analogue stereo out.
The i-Player is configured quickly and easily. It makes a local-rate phone call, which downloads the logos for the EPG and details of interactive services, then it auto tune all the channels. Internet sites are also listed as channels.
This gizmo is a superb performer. Web browsing is a cinch, though slower than on a PC. DTV pictures and sound are very strong, and the power under the bonnet ensures that interactive services are speedily accessed.
A useful device with loads of potential.
OVERALL *****
What Video Widescreen Entertainment, April 2003
Submitted by: What Video Widescreen Entertainment ()
Received on: Wed Apr 16 10:09:08 2003 from IP address: 212.234.203.198

Make and model: Pioneer DBR210GBS
Features: It is totally reliable and trouble free, unlike many other STBs – see below
Comments: Over the years I have run the following STBs

Pioneer DBR210GBS ( 2 still in use ) – Overall the best of the old ITV boxes, quick and stable and judging by the comments on your web site, more than a match for many of the new boxes- but also see below on the Sony model.
Pace – Ok ‘middle of the road’ performance – until it broke down !!!
Nokia – Pretty poor in every respect.
Philips – Not bad picture or sound quality, but slow and poor tuner sensitivity – needed more signal than the others to stop picture freezing –
had to use an aerial amplifier, which none of the other STBs have required.
Sony – Very stable and good sound/picture quality – BUT no text/interactive capability (1 still in use)

Like others on your web site, I find that overall the Pioneer is one of the best of either the old ITV or new boxes, but the Sony is just as quick, stable and has superior sound quality, but with no text or interactive facilities.

As the Sony has no text or interactive facilities and because of its superior sound quality, I use this mainly as a
Radio Tuner plugged straight into the Hi Fi – although I sometimes use it to record a digital channel to VCR, if this
clashes with the other digital channel that I want to watch on the lounge TV (via my Pioneer box) at the same time.

The other Pioneer box is used in the bedroom – also totally trouble free!

In view of the above, I have not considered buying a new Freeview box yet, as my Pioneers/Sony are working fine and unlike many of the newer STBs
at least these are stable and have 2 scarts and full timer facilities for use with a VCR – I cannot understand this omission on some of the new STBs,
– surely as the number of channels increases there is more need to do time shifting recording!!!

Submitted by: Trevor Williams (trevor.h.williams@btinternet.com)
Received on: Tue Apr 15 17:01:41 2003 from IP address: 62.3.68.120

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: 2xScart , Digital text, Widescreen
Comments: This is a good value box (£79.99 argos). There are problems with the now/next programme guide and when you change channels the box can just blank, a software update is due to be transmitted this month (april) which may fix these problems.
But day-to-day for 4 months I’m very pleased. Excellent picture quality, saw ‘the conversation’ on bbc4 on Sunday night, brilliant film. 3 24hr news channels has been a bonus during the last few weeks.

Submitted by: James Gallagher (iceblink1@hotmail.com)
Received on: Tue Apr 15 16:14:26 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.70

Make and model: Grundig GDT1000
Features: 2 scart RF loopthrough
Comments: I bought it for Dad who living in Lee-on-Solent couldn’t get Channel 5 on analogue.

Working well, with RF loopback into VCR can record analogue channels with videoplus,(still not channel 5) record digital from AV. 43 channels very clear since installing loft aerial (from Argus £39-99) As shipped didn’t work well, then downloaded (painfully) software update and tuned itself to the new aerial. Beautiful.

Only problem is need to reload services weekly/fortnightly.

Will get one for myself now.
Submitted by: Teri ()
Received on: Tue Apr 15 00:39:22 2003 from IP address: 213.48.202.105

Make and model: goodmans GDB2
Comments: hi there, just about to buy a goodmans gdb2 , how good are they, looking at the comments, I’m not really sure about buying now, what’s the programs like, ? any good ? i live in the sunderland area, tyne & wear, any comments, thanks julie
Submitted by: julie newport (julie.newport@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Mon Apr 14 19:16:08 2003 from IP address: 62.254.64.6

Make and model: GRUNDIG GDT 1500T (More on Grundig range)
Features: Quite Good
Comments: I have bought this box about Christmas time and hasn’t been much of a problem. The think i want to know is, is there anyway of getting other channels (Apart from the usual 30). Is there anyway of ‘Unlocking’ frequencies to receive more. “External circuits are also welcome (Need the Scheme though)”
Submitted by: PM5K (cyberjake5000@hotmail.com)
Received on: Mon Apr 14 18:38:19 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.209

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: One scart, no RF out (loop through video) power downs, crashes, does not store all channels even with an upgrade aerial.
Comments: Just about to return my second box back to Index (first box would not detect upgrade aerial).Beware buying from catalogue stores as their models are sometimes way out of date with their software. Both my boxes had software version 1.0.0 which considering Goodmans have highlighted a problem with their 2.1.5 software and are about (May) to do a 95% upgrade what chance have us mere mortals with an original software of 1.0.0. Beware box also gets hot if you do not give it enough room to breath!

Happy hunting.
Submitted by: Jeff Cave (jacave@globalnet.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Apr 14 09:00:37 2003 from IP address: 80.189.24.144

Make and model: sony vtx-d500u
Features: on the blink
Comments: I now have a similar story to James Dean note(April 6th). The Sony worked fine for about 4 months but has ow developed a worrying “freezing” syndrome. No response to remote/stb controls. If the unit is turned off, and on again after about 15 minutes, it might work, for another 10 minutes or so. Is something going on out there in the ether ?
Submitted by: kevinD (Kevduggan@lineone.net)
Received on: Sat Apr 12 21:32:42 2003 from IP address: 80.40.93.11

Make and model: Thompson DTI1000
Features: Twin Scart, can switch on VCR with TV link (pin 8) enabled
Comments: How often are software downloads broadcast? My box is at version 1.5.
Submitted by: Mike Sapsard (msapsard@nldram.co.uk)
Received on: Sat Apr 12 11:47:02 2003 from IP address: 81.6.247.1

Make and model: Grundig GDT1500
Features: No ITV or C4 services from So45
Comments: Bought this box from Dixons for £79.99 and was pleased with all the additional services and functions however although I can receive 46 channels there are no ITV or C4 services at all (missing all 6). Was told to keep selecting add new services button but nothing. When I selected replace existing channels the 6 missing ones appeared but were really bad quality. Why is this since I can receive all other services fine? Does it mean I need an aerial upgrade just to get ITV and C4 services. Any help would be appreciated.
Submitted by: Paul ()
Received on: Thu Apr 10 12:42:49 2003 from IP address: 81.135.121.95

Make and model: Pioneer DBR-T210GB
Features: Loads
Comments: I bought my Pioneer box second-hand on e-bay, and although I didn’t get the scart and Rf lead it seems pretty good. Initially it wouldn’t pick up ITV based stations, and Ch5 was ok sometimes and broken others, so I bought a new wide-band aerial and now I can get every channel ‘loud and clear’ I am quite impressed by it, and the remote has some control over my Panasonic Vcr and my Sony TV.
I definitely recommend a set, like this, that has 2 scart sockets.
Submitted by: Malcolm Derrick (mjderrick@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Tue Apr 8 17:02:27 2003 from IP address: 62.253.128.6

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: All the people who are having trouble with their GDB boxes should take a look at the following thread on the Digital Spy forum: http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/t/53291/ds.html As some people have pointed out new boxes now feature the v.2.1.5 software which is much more stable than v.1.0.0 software. It is possible to download the update to your PC and load it with an Rs232 cable onto the box. Having done this myself I am much more satisfied with the box (no more random turning itself off :¬)) ). The update is available at http://www.marksmith.dsl.pipex.com/receivers/gdb2.html and http://gdb.freddys-utilities.co.uk/, but please, please, please read the digitalspy thread first, (there is also looks of other info on here about software updates to Goodmans boxes if you can’t or you don’t want to do the software update yourself).
Submitted by: Kew ()
Received on: Mon Apr 7 21:48:22 2003 from IP address: 195.93.48.9

Make and model: Nokia MediaMaster 9850T (onDigital) (More on Nokia range)
Comments: Superb box with which i’ve had little problems. Never crashes (as some have reported), and the software seems to work fine. It is a little slugish to respond to button presses from the remote, and the buttons on the box itself seem not to work!?

Also it doesn’t work with Teletext or NTL Text, but seems to work fine with BBCi Text. With Teletext and NTL Text the images are missing and it often stops responding requiring a channel change to ‘unstick’ it.

But apart from that its a good little runner :)
Submitted by: Mike (webmaster@pandasurf.com)
Received on: Mon Apr 7 04:46:24 2003 from IP address: 80.1.5.56

Make and model: Goodmans gbd2
Features: Sound no Pictures!
Comments: I now joined the club :(
Bought this box in February. It worked great with the usual lockups now and then, until 2 days where I could get nothing but the sound. All the screen goes black with random green flicking square here and there.I unplugged everything left it for half an hour and it was back to normal. But tonight, it would not budge!!!! How sad! I changed the Scart cable to no avail. I change channels to only get their sound. I am back to my the basic 5 channels thru my TV. So much for the Freeview. real aggro, that is. ditto for the customer service. – the typical essex boy message as highlighted by someone else.
Submitted by: James Dean (Jamesd@aol.com)
Received on: Sun Apr 6 22:25:25 2003 from IP address: 81.77.123.42

Make and model: Panasonic TU-CT20
Features: Problems seem to be associated with inadequate cooling
Comments: Having seen good reviews of this model I decided ,despite using a communal aerial to take advantage of one of Argos Managers Special Offers.I positioned the box on the set top with open access to free ventilation all round,limited only underneath by the depth of the stubby feet fitted to this unit.I got moderate reception on some channels.However in general reception seemed fragile and prone to freezeups and occasional picture breakups.Even more annoying the box locked up on power standbye and could only be persuaded back to life by unplugging and reconnecting its power supply. A replacemnt box behaved in exactly the same way. A call to Panasonics help line was not helpful.I then noticed that for such a low powered unit the box was running suprisingly hot.I repositioned the unit to allow at least 2 clear inches of clear space under it.Loh and behold everything began to operate normally with reliable stable reception of enuogh useful stations to please me and no problems responding to the remote.The ventilation holes in the case look rather inadequte to me,perhaps Panasonic should look into this apparent cooling poblem
Submitted by: Ben Goodman (bengood@tiscali.co.uk)
Received on: Sun Apr 6 16:54:51 2003 from IP address: 80.40.36.30

Make and model: goodmans gbd2
Comments: Having tried gbd1 and phillips and pannasonic boxes, plugged and unplugged tvs videos etc eventually settled for goodmans GBD2 box, Discovered the faults like everyone else has, remote intereferes with tv etc,tells you there are no channels reinstall, which then fails, most annoying that the manual fails to tell anyone to press the LITTLE BLACK BUTTON! near the mains lead which when it does crash restores everything!Spoke to goodmans re software upgrade, promise march, then april, now promise may! WE SHALL SEE!!! Wouldnt it be nice if just for once manufacturers put their customers first and gave definate dates and more importantly kept their word about software upgrades, please feel free to e mail me with your experiences.
Submitted by: nigel keating (nigeljkuk@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Fri Apr 4 15:37:47 2003 from IP address: 195.8.175.27

Make and model: Grundig GDT2000
Comments: I have experienced similar ‘lock-out’ problems as others have. I too have swapped out to a new box. However I have been told (by a reliable source) that the lock out is caused while ‘skipping’ through the channels, the machine gets stuck in a loop as it tries to receive each channel as you skip through to the next. This can happen from within the ‘Guide’ but this problem is fixed in software release 2.1. The problem can however still happen by skipping through on the P+/P- buttons. The safest way is to select your new channel from within the ‘Info’ menu, therefore you are moving directly to the new channel selected. Hope this helps. Good luck and happy viewing.
Submitted by: Help (f2v@hotmail.com)
Received on: Fri Apr 4 13:57:18 2003 from IP address: 194.205.173.98

Make and model: NETGEM i-player
Features: Slinky, fast, good for internet, well integrated, picture-in-picture, reliable.
Comments: Having tried most of the Freeview boxes, this NETGEM i-player is my favourite. It tends to be robust and virtually lock-up free (unlike the Nokia 221T and many others). Intuitive in use with excellent quality and as much future proofing as is available at the moment on any model.

The remote has a wonderful action and it is easy to enter long channel numbers etc. The whats on section is joint best (along with the Thomson).

All in all, this box is pretty, slim, efficient with seemingly very high quality and reliability. The only criticisms are: PIP too small, no favourites, and no evident software update menu. Apart from this, the Netgem is outstanding (and represents particularly wonderful value for those without an internet/email facility).

Facilities are numerous and include twin scarts, audio outputs, optical output, card inputs for future possibilities in pay per view, online interactivity, games, rf throughput, volume control and one of the best EPGs available. Very useful diagnostic menu – particularly for signal strength.

Highly recommended as a well featured and reliable unit with all round good design and performance (unlike most of its rivals).

Submitted by: Alasn ()
Received on: Fri Apr 4 13:07:16 2003 from IP address: 81.56.12.148

Make and model: Goodmans GBD2
Features: Random Powerdown and Intermittent Lock-Up
Comments: We are using this box in Romsey (postcode SO51 5SJ) and receiving all the multiplexes from the Rowridge (Isle of Wight) transmitter using a high-gain wideband aerial. This random power-down business is a right pain. We returned from an evening out to find that a 90 minute broadcast we had been recording was blank for the first hour due to the box’s annoying habit. Does anyone know if this problem is hardware or software related? If it’s software, then maybe the forthcoming upgrade will fix it. If it’s hardware, then what are Goodmans going to do about all these disatisfied customers ?
Submitted by: The Romsey Massive (romsey@fsmail.net)
Received on: Thu Apr 3 12:36:48 2003 from IP address: 194.201.166.113

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: One scart, no RF out (only loop through) crashes,
Comments: Just wanted to let people know this box uses the same Infra-red codes as many Arcam products (amp, cd player) so when you flick up a channel on the Goodmans remote it changes the input on many Arcam amp. The number ‘5’ on the Goodman remote also skips forward a track on my CD player. Obviously in a home-cinema setup this is bad.. I managed to get a full refund at John Lewis but it took a while, they wanted 15% for the open box. Man what is the world coming to when electronic returns are hard even at John Lewis.
All the freeview boxes i’ve tried seem like poor attempts. A sales person even had the nerve to say all the boxes crash so its not a fault.
Submitted by: TomJ ()
Received on: Thu Apr 3 10:46:32 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.75

Make and model: Panasonic TUCT20
Comments: I exchanged a thompson box, on which the remote locked up periodically, for this one which I thought might be an improvement, as it is the same manufacturer as my TV. However the Panasonic TUCT20 remote/box locks up even more than the Thompson – it is going back! I have a good signal, showing 10 and when the boxes work they are very good, but the lockups are so regular that they make me think that I may have connections/tuning incorrect somehow. In both cases the connection and general information provided is inadequate.
Submitted by: C. Harrison (christoph.harrison@btinternet.com)
Received on: Wed Apr 2 21:34:00 2003 from IP address: 81.135.96.155

Make and model: Panasonic TU-CT20
Features: Oven like heat emanating from the top
Comments: Initially I was very pleased with this box, easy to tune etc. I can’t get SDN Mux, but this is probably down to weak signal, as I’m far away from Isle of Wight where the signal comes from round here. But after having for 5 days, locked up and wouldn’t respond to remote several times. But the real worry is how hot the box gets after a couple of hours, even on standby. And this is with a mains plug based transformer. I don’t really want to leave it on over night now to record from. I don’t know if this is just a fault with this single box, or a ‘feature’ of the model.
Submitted by: Stuart Porter (s.m.porter@talk21.com)
Received on: Wed Apr 2 19:37:37 2003 from IP address: 193.113.57.165

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Features: It has failed after 6 hours!
Comments: Well! what can I say about this amazing piece of, well, junk now.
Installed as per the instructions, all ok.
The scenario follows:
The box loaded all of the available stations and continued to work for the evening of the purchase.
The next day was like a tale from the TV rouge traders programme. For a start, the so called technical help line was unavailable during the hours that it states it should be, I was constantly listening to a monotonous Essex man’s voice recording.
The fault is that the standby light constantly blinks and appears to disable functionality. The fault section in the glossy does not mention it, and is probably only useful top complete idiots or at best, the uninitiated. The design seems to be somewhat limited, no power switch, and very vunerable to catastrophic failure (like it has.)I am wondering if this box was knocked up on a Friday and not tested at all, seems to me that it is not fit for purpose under the Sale of Goods Act, I will persue that one, in the absence of any help from the manufacturers. And judging from the complains that I have read and heard about so far, might very well contact that famour TV programme for a remedy and public exposure. If anyone has a printing business how about making some flyers to put through peoples doors saying how the machine is fairing?
Yours sincerely,
Proud owner of a £100 free to view box that is useless.
Submitted by: chris langham (chrislangham@oldtown126.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Wed Apr 2 19:17:13 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.176

Make and model:Hauppauge DEC 1000-t
Features: No RF loop-through
Comments: This unit is advertised as having a RF loop-through, however as I have now discovered that isn’t true at all. As this unit was for my parents, both in their seventies, the ability to continue to watch and record analogue TV in the normal way was very important. The intention was that the digital channels would appear on the TV as another channel, so 1 – 5 continue to be the terrestrial channels with 6 as the video and 7 as the DEC box. I am trying to return the unit as “unfit for purpose” but the supplier is refusing to refund me. I would strongly advise anyone NOT TO BUY this unit. Hauppauge haven’t been very helpful either, they have not replied to my e-mails to their Support department, apart from their e-mail response after I complained about not receiving a reply that said I should expect to wait for at least TWO DAYS to get a reply! I won’t be buying any Hauppauge products again.
Submitted by: Mike (Mike.Barnes@azlan.com)
Received on: Wed Apr 2 14:12:45 2003 from IP address: 193.129.67.110

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Comments: Bought the box, installed it in minutes with no problems with a clear picture. However we should have read some of the comments on this page, the box appears to lock up.We have found turning off at the wall socket and switching back on clears this but annoying when half way through a programme. Probably most annoying problem is the loss of channel settings resulting in having to go through the automatic tuning setup when you switch the box on. May have overlooked it but was unaware that you have to leave the box in standby mode for updates is this correct? thought this was restricted to Sky only. Would be helpful if Goodmans either through the press or email via their guarantee card system would let customers know when upgrading was going to take place. Tried the Goodmans tech help line, after ringing for a while you get an automatic message that all the lines are busy,not yet managed to speak to a “real person”.
Submitted by: hughes (tommy1244@aol.com)
Received on: Wed Apr 2 13:17:50 2003 from IP address: 195.93.48.9

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Comments: The current interactive “murder game” operates fine on the old Nokia (On digital) box, but the newer Goodmans GDB2 cannot handle it, with none of the colour buttons providing the text features and everything else that the Beeb is actually broadcasting. Will this ‘upgrade’ fix the problem – too late?
Submitted by: John Radford (john@raddish.co.uk)
Received on: Tue Apr 1 21:41:05 2003 from IP address: 81.131.66.228

Make and model:NetGem i-Player Interactive
Features: The little Gem
Comments: As a digital TV adapter, the i-Player excels
The i-Player is faster than average… and switching between the channels is also speedy
That translates to a faster and more responsive internet experience than with earlier internet TVs
The i-Player has all the features of an upmarket free-to-air digital terrestrial receiver
Logging on the internet is as easy as watching TV
Taking into consideration the target customer, the i-Player is impressive
The all-singing, all-dancing i-Player is an excellent product

Submitted by: WHAT VIDEO & TV, Feb03 ()
Received on: Fri Mar 28 17:16:34 2003 from IP address: 81.57.135.215

Make and model: GDB2
Features: OAD
Comments: Just to clarify when we download upgrade ,You will need to do the following

1. the box will need to be in standby with Automatic update enabled (Default setting)
2. The update cannot be done if the BOX is being used for obvious reasons
3. By repeating over 2 to 3 months we hope to capture 85%, it is also planned to put the software into production ahead of time to preload the pipeline.
4. One interesting observation on tests so far Now/next is almost instantaneous and text is working much faster (more like normal analogue t/text)
Will give you an update as we get deeper into the testing

Submitted by: Ref Goodmans ()
Received on: Thu Mar 27 10:34:10 2003 from IP address: 217.237.188.125

Make and model:GDB2
Features: Download Upgrade- May2003
Comments: Just to keep you all upto date on the progress on this front, we have 2 solutions

1. Basic bug fix for some of the problems already highlighted i.e. 2.1.5 +

2. Complete new stack including MHEG update and nicer looking interface(UI)

The timing difference between the two is 3 -4 weeks therefore guess what , we have opted for option 2

Million dollar question – when – end May – we have to get in the queue on the engineering channel and finalise the testing of the stack – before you ask we don’t have a bin file yet, but when we do 3-4 weeks time I’ll ask my good friend why? to host it.
This is a major upgrade (95% software change) and we are debugging to ensure all will be well thru OAD, we are also trying to improve some features within the Menu system, will keep you posted.
Please be patient – I will release more info as soon as I have it.
We are very sorry that it cannot be sooner.

In terms of the mechanics of the OAD we envisage it will be broadcast for 48 hours at a time repeated over 2 or 3 months this should get our OAD capture ratio upto around 85%

Submitted by: Ref Goodmans ()
Received on: Thu Mar 27 10:18:41 2003 from IP address: 217.237.188.125

Make and model:Netgem I-player
Features: fast, good interface and future potential
Comments: I brought this because of the potential software upgrade which will allow Internet access through existing ADSL connections but have been really impressed at how well it does it’s full time job!

It responds really quickly, the interface is intuitive and it is physically small.
Submitted by: Philip (prmedloc@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Thu Mar 27 00:01:09 2003 from IP address: 81.86.243.105

Make and model:NetGem i-Player Interactive
Features: BEST BUY
Comments: Netgem has gone one better than its competitors
Pictures are superb, crisp, detailed and stable. Sound is also very good
Should you want to search the Web from the comfort of your armchair, you can
Entertainment (interactive channel) includes EastEnders and Fame Academy, while Community has Where I Live and 10 Downing Street!
(Internet) pictures download much faster than on many PCs
Overall, we were very surprised by how good the internet access is via the Netgem
RATING 8/10
WHAT HOME CINEMA, March03
Submitted by: WHAT HOME CINEMA ()
Received on: Wed Mar 26 09:50:26 2003 from IP address: 212.234.203.198

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Comments: Good box though have the problem of turning itself off and on again and channels go out of sequence when flicking through. Any sign of the upgrade yet?
Also have trouble receiving ITV, ITV2, Channel 4 and ITV News, but only during the day! Any suggestions?

Other than that, very impressed overall.
Submitted by: kevin (k.giles2@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Tue Mar 25 21:23:54 2003 from IP address: 80.3.64.5

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Comments: Could some one please tell me do you get digital subtitles on all channels and does the subtitles record when recording on to vhs thanks.
Submitted by: George Howard (george2230@hotmail.com)
Received on: Tue Mar 25 15:57:32 2003 from IP address: 62.64.232.214

Make and model:Thomson DTI1000
Comments: Very easy to setup in postcode ST14 with all channels coming in well. In Comet however I noticed that among the programmes that should be received is CNN but no sign of this. Quality of picture is excellent but the remote control is a bit of a joke.
All the buttons should work on a Thomson TV and VCR but on my Panasonic equipment only the channel button works and this is so sensitive that the slightest touch moves it two channels. As usual mine has locked up three times despite the latest download.
The instruction book is only about four flimsy pages and is not very good.
The box itself is sturdily made with a good appearance. No channel numbers are shown however.
Runs quite warm either in standby or on although it states only 10w consumption.
i get the feeling that these boxes and perhaps others have been rushed out and there is room for much improvement and sophistication.
If this box was a TV or VCR it would be unacceptable with its inherent faults but it does provide perfectly good clean digital results.
There is a RF loop through but I think this is just for terrestial TV. I have tried to run RF to provide digital TV in other rooms from this equipment with no success but this may be down either to my equipment or my ineptness.
In hindsight I should perhaps have bought a Panasonic although it only has one scart but it would have probably worked from my existing remote which would have been a bonus.

Submitted by: A.Booth (Alvin@frobisher.fsworld.co.uk)
Received on: Thu Mar 20 21:28:59 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.165

Make and model:Thomson DTI 1000
Features: Two SCART Sockets. RF Loopthrough
Comments: Post Code PO9. Further to comments dated March 6th. Now have a wide-band roof mounted aerial. Reception now V.good on all available channels, a 6dB attenuator was required on the down line to increase the signal/noise ration of the BBC Channels. Box now updated software without problems to 2.1. Still occasional lock-ups of the remote control though.
Submitted by: Tim aldworth (tima@serco.com)
Received on: Wed Mar 19 13:55:31 2003 from IP address: 195.50.81.249

Make and model:PIONEER DBR T210 GB
Features: PLENTY!
Comments: FURTHER TO MY LAST COMMENTS, IVE BEEN READING ALL YOUR MESSAGES AND ALL I CAN SAY IS I MUST BE LUCKIER THAN I THOUGHT! MY BARGAIN WORKS PERFECTLY, PICKS UP EVERY AVAILABLE CHANNEL AND RADIO STATION AT EQUAL SIGNAL STRENGTH, ALL THE FEATURES WORK AS THEY SHOULD, ITS NEVER GIVEN ME ANY PROBLEMS(YET)! AND ALL ON A SMALL INDOOR AERIEL(4 ELEMENT).(IM IN THE GRANTHAM AREA,CENTRAL/CARLTON)
Submitted by: STEVE ()
Received on: Wed Mar 19 01:12:02 2003 from IP address: 81.135.57.178

Make and model:Pace DTVA (More on Pace range)
Comments: I purchased the above in September 2002 & it works perfectly! Had problems with Dixons who were reluctant to sell me the product as my postcode was “not in the transmission area”. After some persistance they eventually sold me one and after having set it up the signal turned out to be 90%! As I say perfect picture, easy to use, no problem with the timer & able to receive Channel 5 at last!
Submitted by: Trev (trevor@ban.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Mar 17 11:21:08 2003 from IP address: 193.113.48.7

Make and model:Grundig GDT2000

Features: 2 scart sockets, very small box

Comments: I bought the box a week ago from Dixons for £119, after three days the remote would not work at all, unplugging etc. didn’t help, so took it back and tried another one, the same thing happened after one day, is there a fix for this, obviously I can’t enter setup or anything without the remote, or use text.

Submitted by: Chris (chris_tully@hotmail.com)

Received on: Mon Mar 17 10:44:42 2003 from IP address: 213.18.248.28

Make and model: Daewoo DS608P
Features: Single Scart, easy to setup and good list of channels in my area, and text on BBCi
Comments: I finally took the plunge and, although the post checker just laughed at me in RH2 (Harpenden), bought a box from Curry’s in Hemel. My new external high gain aerial points towards Sandy Heath, my neighbours don’t seem to. I receive a list of 10 channels (I managed to get 16 at one point) excluding the ITV series (ITV1,ITV2,4,5). SNR is low at about 20% but the channels I get are of very high quality. I need to change the lead from the TV to the point on the wall as the connection is poor (# channels ranges between 4 and 16) and perhaps I’ll look into the directing the aerial at some stage.

Please can I ask everyone to put post codes in. The post code checker seems to be quite conservative (small c!).

Good luck all.
Submitted by: Alex ()
Received on: Sun Mar 16 17:57:06 2003 from IP address: 213.210.12.24

Make and model:Thomson DTI1000 Update

Comments: Update from earlier post

Downloaded 2.1 software a few days ago and the random lockups have disappeared from the 1.9 version. I’m now 100% happy with this box.

highly recommended!
Submitted by: Jason Blundell (jason_blundell@email.com)
Received on: Sat Mar 15 19:49:25 2003 from IP address: 81.86.214.165

Make and model:Panasonic TU-CT20
Features: Single SCART
Comments: Having read the comments on this page I went for the Panasonic as others contributors suggest that it works and is reliable. My existing aerial was never very good for analogue signals, the Panasonic found MOST channels quoted for my postcode at http://www.dtg.org.uk/. I have just bought the cheapest aerial signal booster from Argos (£12.75) and it has now found the rest of them. The only channels having low signal strength are standard analogue BBC radio stations, but the Panasonic delivers them without problem. Verdict: this is an excellent product which works very well.

My only complaint: small remote with tiny buttons – not to be recommended for the elderly, those with poor eyesight, or with remote-swallowing sofas!
Submitted by: Jim ()
Received on: Sat Mar 15 16:46:03 2003 from IP address: 217.206.48.162

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2

Comments: Bought mine initially from Index. Had the well-documented problem of box switching off randomly – even when remote was hidden. Returned it but Index had non in stock (“each daily delivery usually sells out within an hour”) so had refund and bought another from Argos. This which works fine. As my wife has hearing problems have set digital subtitles on permanently. They are clearer than analogue and also there is the huge advantage they can be recorded on an ordinary vhs. Note that when in subtitle mode you can’t access some other text. This includes ident captions which normally appear when using radio channels. Maybe this is no bad thing as I suspect they would get burnt onto screen (I believe that some freeview box manufacturers are to provide screen savers).

Submitted by: Mick Goodenough (goodenough@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Wed Mar 12 16:17:14 2003 from IP address: 62.255.64.6

Make and model:Labgear DTT100
Features: Auto tuning.
Comments: Out of the box all seemed quite well. 5 out of six muxes coming in solid – nice picture. However, when it asked if I should rescan it lost the plot, or should I say the channels. Since the rescan I can’t get more than two back.

It doesn’t seem to be signal strength, sometimes it gets a signal at strength 0 and still pulls in all the stations. But each time you rescan it finds some different combination from 0 to 3 muxes. Why no add-only tuning to accumulate stations? Why no manual tune?
Submitted by: Dave Roberts (Magpie5212@yahoo.com)
Received on: Tue Mar 11 23:43:11 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.163

Make and model:Panasonic TU-CT20

Comments: As with other comments on this model I was dubious of single-SCART output, but opted for it on grounds of size (none of the others would have fit in available space).
In use, I have not found the single SCART to be a problem:-connected to VCR by SCART and RF loopthrough, and on to TV by both, but as VCR to TV SCART is fully wired biderectional I have every facility I require (audio from existing VCR output to Dolby prologic hi-fi and Freeview remote grabs VCR/TV inputs when turned on,even with VCR in standby)
Could not initially receive QAM64 channels, but this was easily corrected by aerial change which I half expected to be necessary (Labgear ANU300DXW with full fittting kit. £19-99 from Argos).Can now watch Newsacstle’s European matches which are always sidelined to ITV2 or news channel and have high quality radio source for audio recording (maybe record companies should worry more about this than MP3 file sharing).
Submitted by: J.D.Chambers (john.chambers1@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Sun Mar 9 21:06:14 2003 from IP address: 62.254.64.6

Make and model:Thompson DTI 1000

Comments: The box will only work on my mono set and not on my new nicam stereo set. On the stereo set I lose the sound completely from one of the speakers and hear the dialogue for the programme I’m watching a few seconds before it appears on screen! I also get a very poor picture for ITV1 if I switch back to analogue on the stereo set but on the mono set everything is fine. I live within a few miles of the Sutton Coldfield transmitter and have a new rooftop aerial. I have consequently totally abandoned using the box with the new TV (which is a shame because I only wanted to use it on this one).
Submitted by: Jill Wilson (jill40@btinternet.com)
Received on: Sun Mar 9 16:19:30 2003 from IP address: 213.122.207.251

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Features: Available from Argos £79.99
Comments: With the new firmware V2.1.5 the GDB2 is now a great Freeview box with non of the earlier resetting problems. The EPG now works fine also. The new firmware will be available for OTA update end of March or early April.
Submitted by: ()
Received on: Sat Mar 8 23:27:34 2003 from IP address: 195.137.100.89

Make and model:PIONEER DBR T210GB
Features: PLENTY!
Comments: I BOUGHT THIS DIGITAL RECIEVER AT A LOCAL AUCTION JUST 3 WEEKS BEFORE FREEVIEW WAS ANNOUNCED FOR TWO POUNDS! I WOULD HAVE GOT IT FOR ONE POUND IF I HADNT BEEN SO KEEN TO GET IT AND HELD BACK A BIT, AS NO ONE ELSE BID AT ALL AND IN FACT THE AUCTIONEER AND THE CROWD PRESENT LAUGHED AT ME AS IF I WAS MAD FOR BIDDING! WHOSE GOT THE LAST LAUGH NOW, SUCKERS? ONLY PROBLEM WAS NO REMOTE BUT, AND I SWEAR THIS IS TRUE, ABOUT 4 WEEKS LATER I WAS AT A CAR BOOT WHEN WHAT SHOULD I SPY BUT AN ON-DIGITAL E-MAIL ADD-ON KIT,BOXED AND COMPLETE CONTAINING A UNIVERSAL REMOTE TO MATCH ANY MAKE OF DIGITAL RECIEVER JUST BY PUNCHING IN A 4 DIGIT CODE. PRICE? ONE POUND, BUT BECAUSE I WASNT TOO SURE THEN THAT IT WOULD OPERATE WITH MINE I HAGGLED IT DOWN TO 50P! CAN ANYONE BEAT THAT? AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT BOTH RECIEVER AND REMOTE ARE ABSOLUTELY SUPERB! THE PICTURE QUALITY IS OUTSTANDING AND IM ONLY USING AN INDOOR AERIEL ONLY THING THAT UPSETS IT IS MY NEIGHBOURS CITROEN 2CV WHEN HE PULLS IN OR OUT OF HIS DRIVE I WOULD RECCOMEND ANYONE TO BUY ONE OF THESE IF YOU CAN FIND ONE, BUT NOT ROUND MY AREA AS IM AFTER ANOTHER FOR THE BEDROOM!!!! CHEERS STEVE
Submitted by: steve ()
Received on: Sat Mar 8 10:02:13 2003 from IP address: 81.131.139.12

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P
Features: SETPAL™ on board, nice crisp menus.
Comments: YES! this is the one people! Using a Labgear loft aerial £19.99 from Argos and Pacific booster from ASDA WAL-MART £7.49 I get excellent results from a postcode that the DTG says can’t get Freeview!!
Getting all channels from the Mendip transmitter, and the SETPAL™ actually filters duplicate channels from the neighbouring Wenvoe transmitter. I think the Labgear and Triax boxes are identical. This box is the one to get. http://www.setpal.co.uk
Submitted by: Gus Honeybun (g7000@msn.com)
Received on: Fri Mar 7 23:54:54 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.69

Make and model:Nokia (refurb) Mediamaster (More on Nokia range)
Features: 52 channels (at last count)
Comments: Great stuff …….. simple and no problems .. from an inhouse loft ‘digital’ aerial ……… even though it says it will not work with my post code ….. so have a go and try it …. im BT38 7QR JB
Submitted by: John Burgess (bjbchelsea@hotmail.com)
Received on: Thu Mar 6 14:21:24 2003 from IP address: 62.253.231.17

Make and model:DAEWOO DS608P Setpal
Features: One button setup. Setpal.
Comments: Bought from TJ Hughes for £79! Worked out of the box very well. I live on the South Coast near the Isle Of Wight and it picked up all the channels really well from the Rowridge transmitter. This is on a maxview indoor aerial. I also live on the ground floor of a block of flats with poured concrete floors. This is usually a killer for reception. The Daewoo picture and sound quality is excellent, and it rarely drops a channel even when the signal stength drops right down. Changes channels quick as well. As long as you have a clear signal you should not experience any of that green screen lockup problem. Also the remote locks up. With a nice clean signal there are no problems at all. True widescreen pictures are great. Does pickup electrical signals from motors and fridges though resulting in momentary freezing or sound glitches. Other than that I think this box is excellent and great value for money. Highly recommended!
Submitted by: Angus McBangus (tashanash@hotmail.com)
Received on: Thu Mar 6 12:21:55 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.66

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P
Features: Works Well in Low Signal Areas
Comments: I live in a low signal strength area with competing signals from 3 different transmitters. Works fine where a previous On-Digital had failed to give reliable reception. I had the “green screen” lock-up problem but since the software update on 28 February it was worked faultlessly. Overall, highly recommended.
Submitted by: Bob ()
Received on: Thu Mar 6 10:45:24 2003 from IP address: 194.75.128.2

Make and model:Thomson DTI 1000
Features: Two SCART Sockets. RF Loopthrough
Comments: Post Code PO9, SE Hants. Using existing Loft Arial, Tunes in between 43 and 47 channels fairly rapidly, depending on time of day, signal strength etc. No ITV or Ch4 though. Ch5 is a bonus although it does break up fair bit. No reported problems with the Remote Control yet! All other available channels are excellent quality. However, 04/03/03 A Screen prompt appeared indicating the availability of a software upgrade being available to take the installed software from 1.9 to 2.1. Attempting to download this resulted in the first 5% of the progress bar only, then nothing for ~20 minutes. Subsequent attempts either failed to indicate the 2.1 software available or a repeat of above. Is this a function of signal strength?
Submitted by: Tim Aldworth (tima@serco.com)
Received on: Thu Mar 6 09:31:49 2003 from IP address: 195.50.81.249

Make and model:Thomson DTI 1000

Comments: PO6. Connecting & setup went smoothly, and all fine apart from problems on ITV / 5 (the QAM 64 channels) using the loft aerial. However all channels are fine with a set-top aerial in the bedroom! It appears the loft aerial isn’t aligned properly (see the links from www.digitalspy.com for details of transmitters and alignment!)

This set (purchased March 03) has an insert saying that it now has a RF out facility, so that people without a Scart connection can also use it. I haven’t put this to the test.

Highly recommended.

Submitted by: PeteB ()
Received on: Wed Mar 5 22:33:06 2003 from IP address: 62.64.233.229

Make and model:Nokia 221T (More on Nokia range)
Features: 2 Scarts, RF modulator, analogue & digital audio output
Comments: Cost £139.99 at Currys – replacement for Grundig GDT2000 (see below). Performance was very good through Scart and RF modulator. Picture quality through VCR also very good. Nokia’s interface worked well although I had a couple of lock-ups in 2 days. BUT, switching off and then on again after it had been on for a while, the box would refuse to come out off standby until left for an hour or so. The Nokia was returned to Currys for a refund. Is there a fully featured AND reliable box available?
Submitted by: SJP ()
Received on: Wed Mar 5 21:43:52 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.76

Make and model:Grundig GDT2000
Features: 2 Scarts, RF modulator, audio ouput
Comments: Seems to be a new model similar to Grundig GDT1500/Thomson DTI1000 but with RF modulator. Cost £119.99 at Dixons. Performance with 3 different TVs was good from Scart (RGB & composite) and RF modulator, but it locked up three or four times in three days. No problem finding all channels near Exeter (EX3). However, picture quality was very poor (unstable, varying colours, noise bands) through Scart or RF when connected to 3 different VCRs so it was returned to Dixons who refunded without a quibble.
Submitted by: SJP ()
Received on: Wed Mar 5 21:27:03 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.76

Make and model:Panasonic TU-CT20
Features: 1 SCART socket, RF loopthrough, L-R Audio output
Comments: This box is really good. I had been considering Freeview for a while, but after seeing my friends’ Nokia boxes either freezing every day or being so slow it was painful to watch TV, I didn’t know which model to buy. After seeing the Panasonic TU-CT20 in George Henry Lee’s the salesman said if I wasn’t happy with it I could return it for a refund. I haven’t been back. Setup was easy, fully automated with no problems. I plugged it into the second SCART socket on my Sony VCR (Line 3 input), which allows me to watch an analogue channel whilst recording a digital channel from the Panasonic TU-CT20. People who don’t know how to do this can email me and I will explain in more detail how to do it (it’s actually really easy, Panasonic should include this in the manual). Overall I’m really pleased with it, highly recommended!!!
Submitted by: Jamie Kelly (jamiekelly@mac.com)
Received on: Wed Mar 5 15:20:18 2003 from IP address: 213.122.28.179

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P
Features: Doesn’t switch itself off!
Comments: Bought this one from Currys as a replacement for the frankly duff Goodmans GDB2. Excellent box. Easy setup. Software update installed okay. Stayed on ever since I’ve had it! Are you listening, Goodmans?!?!
Submitted by: Paul Taylor (pjtaylor@email.com)
Received on: Wed Mar 5 15:06:23 2003 from IP address: 193.122.23.222

Make and model:Grundig GDT1500
Features: 2 SCARTS, RF loop through
Comments: Had the box for 2 months now, only problem is it needs resetting once a week or so, but otherwise no complaints! Styling of the box is appealingly different.
Submitted by: Rich (rbantges@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Wed Mar 5 14:01:59 2003 from IP address: 155.198.17.122

Make and model:Panasonic TU-CT20
Features: Appalling instruction leaflet
Comments: A nice looking box, good reception although can’t get C5, QVC, BBC Parliament for some reason. main problem concerns the appalling instructions which seeem to assume some high level of technical expertise, e.g. “AV Out allows selection between RGB and video. To store your selection press OK”. What and why ?!

The instructions do not explainh how to connect to a video; to date i have tried all manner of different connections but can still only record what I’m actually watching on TV. How do I connect it so I can tape a channel other than that I am viewing ? What channel do I select to record from the box ? i e-mailed the Panasonic help-line when i first bought the box at the beginning of February but dear old Panasonic have not bothered to reply. Anyone else able to help. PLEASE
Submitted by: Keith Wright (k.wright@livjm.ac.uk)
Received on: Wed Mar 5 12:51:23 2003 from IP address: 150.204.254.140

Make and model:Panasonic TUCT20
Features: Good but why only 1 scart ?
Comments: Neat little box, the smallest of the lot. Works fine in poor reception area (south Devon) with £20 loft aerial. Haven’t noticed any problems with functionality apart from occasional MPEG artifacts but this is to be expected thanks to my reception area. Does have a glitch in all audio outputs through RF are mono – is this right ? Could solve this with a Scart out to the VCR but why only 1 scart Panasonic ? I have Panasonic TV & VCR so bought this to be compatible as possible and the remote can control very basic functions of TV – on/off,volume but this is not much use really as you still need the TV remote to switch to RGB A/V input. RGB output is very nice but 2 outs other than RF would have sold this box to me so I can connect TV and VCR without a splitter. Looks like it’s going back for a Goodmans GDB2.
Submitted by: Swoop ()
Received on: Mon Mar 3 14:47:28 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.174

Make and model:daewoo DS608P
Features: RF loop-through Single scart
Comments: £99 from Dixons..first toe in the water and have been pleased with the results apart from:
cannot get it to tune in using RF only despite following the intructions meticulously several times.. Perfect using SCART..but this means the VCR doesn’t get a look-in (TV has a single SCART, as does VCR, so cannot chain them)
Submitted by: J (damsonjam@plus.com)
Received on: Sat Mar 1 17:43:24 2003 from IP address: 212.159.86.172

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P
Features: NEW FIX IT SOFTWARE UPDATE ARRIVES
Comments: Well we’ve all been waiting for it to get rid of those lock ups and green screens. Mine auto updated on Friday (software now dated 11 February). So far everthing fine, no further lock-ups. Watch out for the new naff ‘screen saver’. Looks like I’ll hold on to the box a bit longer, well done Daewoo!
Submitted by: Dinger (DavidBell@FreeNet.co.uk)
Received on: Sat Mar 1 10:55:56 2003 from IP address: 62.64.217.174

Make and model:DEC 2000-T
Features: MHEG (PC Only) Record to PC
Comments: Great idea, but Celeron owners beware! You need at least a Pentium 3 500mhz or AMD Athlon XP2100 to run this kit on a PC. My celeron 1.2ghz/256kb just couldn’t handle the raw MPEG2 running over USB 1.1

Tv use is purely functional. Mini-EPG is baron ‘n’ basic. Remote looks cheap and suffers from the ‘Thomson lock-up disease’ now & again. Bad firmware means LED never turns red in standby mode (and I know it should)

Hauppauge support pretty bad really. A niffty gadget, but needs development.
Submitted by: Gus Honeybun (g7000@msn.com)
Received on: Fri Feb 28 23:19:50 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.66

Make and model:Goodmans GBD2

Comments: Just purchased the Goodmans GBD2 from Argos for £79.99 following a disastrous experience with the Sony VTXD500U which would not get a clear picture and featured constant interference. After many phone calls to Freeview, Sony (who said they’d washed their hands of all the boxes and no longer deal with them) and various aerial companies, I discovered that the problem was a faulty scart socket on the box. The Sony was purchased from the Littlewoods Extra catalogue on-line and there was no mention of it being an ex-ITV Digital box. The product has now been returned to my local Index store and I am waiting for a refund.

I bought the Goodmans GBD2 model from Argos and am really pleased with it. It was so simple and easy to set up and the picture is crystal clear. Very easy to use and I wouldn’t hesitate it recommending it to anyone. It is also a nice, compact size, compared to the Sony which was on the large side.

Happy free-viewing!

Submitted by: Donna (donnaprice1@aol.com)
Received on: Wed Feb 26 00:03:32 2003 from IP address: 195.93.48.9

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Features: BLINKING STAND-BY BUTTON! WHATS GOIN ON?
Comments: I purchased the box only yesterday, it was working fine at first but then all of a sudden it reset by itself and now the stand-by light just seems to be continually blinking on & off. Whenever i switch the plug on, it just blinks so its not working at the moment. Im not sure whats wrong with it, can anyone help please?
Submitted by: Amar (dholboy@hotmail.com)
Received on: Tue Feb 25 23:02:21 2003 from IP address: 81.131.71.80

Make and model:Pioneer DBR-T210GB
Features: ex ITV Digital: twin scart, digital text,
Comments: After purchasing this box, I have never come accross any faults or problems and it has run consistantly superb!! The remote control has the feature of programming most makes and models to use the volume and channel select. A relative of mine purchased the latest Thomson box, and in my opinion, it does not even compair to the pioneer both in picture quality and through channel selection!! The only problem is getting hold of one now that it is no longer made!
Submitted by: Richard, Leeds ()
Received on: Tue Feb 25 21:56:36 2003 from IP address: 62.252.208.91

Make and model:

Comments: Can I ask everyone to include as much of their post code as they feel they can within their text so that we can pick up some sort of map of reception. Quite a few people seem to have reception where the postcode checker on the freeview site says they shouldn’t.

Thanks muchly.

Al.
Submitted by: Alex ()
Received on: Tue Feb 25 10:52:18 2003 from IP address: 213.210.12.24

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P
Features: Keeps Locking up
Comments: Have no problems with picture quality when i aan get a picture and not agreen lock up screen which can happen upto 3 times a day. Do you have to do something special to get updates to the software or is it automatic. If the upgrade this weekend does not work back to the shop it goes
Submitted by: Simon Arnold (welovetoeat@btinternet.com)
Received on: Mon Feb 24 23:55:58 2003 from IP address: 217.41.12.11

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P
Features: Can you get it to work on a ‘One for All’ remote
Comments: This is a great box, picture excellent!. £79 at TJ Hughes. Suffering from same lock-ups as Miles, lets hope promised software patch sorts things out!.
The remote control which comes with box is unbranded. Want to get my ‘One for All 4’ to work the set, but all my efforts have failed ie.can’t get the code. Anyone one, cracked it, or knows of a generic remote that I can buy? It only a matter of time before my kids bust the original. Help Appreciated!
Submitted by: Dinger (DavidBell@FreeNet.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Feb 24 18:57:23 2003 from IP address: 62.64.161.246

Make and model:Goodmans GBD2

Comments: Could anyone tell me the uhf fequency that the music channels are found on, as these are the only channels i cannot recieve. Everything else seems to be workin fine and i am pleased with the goodmans model
Submitted by: tracey (tduckhouse@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Feb 24 15:45:39 2003 from IP address: 195.171.132.137

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P

Comments: Bought a DS608P yesterday. Installation was extremely straight forward but since installing the digi box it has locked up three times leaving a green picture on the screen. Contacted Daewoo (0118 9252 577) who inform me that it is a software error that will be fixed in the next update this weekend. If the problem persists after the 3rd March contact them again. Only other problem is that the digibox installs to the same channel as the video (AV1) so cannot work simultaneously. I’m sure there is a work around but yet to figure it out.
Submitted by: MYLES FITZGERALD (mylesfitzgerald@hotmail.com)
Received on: Mon Feb 24 14:44:04 2003 from IP address: 213.121.212.121

Make and model:PACE DTVA

Comments: This box gives great pictures, but for me it has become troublesome for two reasons. I have a large 4:3 projector and wanted to get digital TV for the 16:9 broadcasts. The Pace handbook for this unit expressly says that it will deliver 16:9 pictures to a 4:3 TV. The truth is, it doesn’t. It has been modified by Pace to recognise the interim 14:9 ratio that is sent out by broadcasters, so in terms of picture size generally the viewer is still gets the disadvantages of viewing analogue transmissions. Secondly, Pace downloaded a timer modification some time ago, which was most welcome. However, once again, it is problematic: sometimes it doesn’t bother to record, or else it records the wrong channel. I emailed Pace about this, and haven’t received any reply. Finally I bought an ex-ITV Digital Pace DTR735, which has proved faultless (so far) with nice pictures, and a timer system that works. So I’m not bashing Pace as such. I just think the DTVA is a piece of kit to be avoided.
Submitted by: TREVOR POPPLE (trevor.popple@granadamedia.com)
Received on: Mon Feb 24 10:22:54 2003 from IP address: 213.38.69.36

Make and model:Labgear Setpal DTT100

Comments: Great box, easy to set up and use. Even better after the (automatic, free) upgrade to text support.

However, it locks up about once every two days, with a lime-green screen and maybe a few display artifacts.

The crash occurs regularly at midnight on the dot (a good reason to go to bed?)

Hopefully LabGear can fix/upgrade in the same manner as they upgraded to text?

cheers,
Stephen C.
Submitted by: Stephen ()
Received on: Fri Feb 21 22:58:02 2003 from IP address: 217.33.199.34

Make and model:Thomson DT1000
Features: RF Modulator RF loopthru
Comments: Purchased this from Comet for £99. Box arrived on 19th Feb 2003 with 1.9 software loaded. Setup was easy and it works great apart from random lock ups with the Remote. There was an addendum in the manual:-

“When putting in or replaceing batteries in your handset,you may experience some difficulty operating your receiver. If this occurs we recommend
1) Remove batteries 2) Press and hold the program + button for 3 secs
3) Insert batteries 4) Press STB button”

It looks like Thomson have aknowledged that there is a problem with the remote locking. Hopefully they can fix it in a future release
Submitted by: Jason Blundell (jason_blundell@email.com)
Received on: Thu Feb 20 12:38:46 2003 from IP address: 81.86.214.165

Make and model:Sony VTX-D500U
Features: No text or interactive services as it comes
Comments: This is a former ON DIGITAL box and there’s no hiding it as it’s all over the on screen menu graphics and on the front panel too, but the good news is that this is Sony Kit, so you’re getting something which is likely to be pretty good purely by definition. I got mine by accident, because what I paid Makro for was a Pace On-Digital box from an expected shipment, but when they came in, they turned out to be Sonys, stocks of the Pace having been exhausted by demand. At first I wasn’t too pleased as I hate any colour other than black for video and audio components, so as you can imagine the current trend for silver grey everything (including cars) drives me up the wall. The Sony’s gun-metal grey isn’t quite so offensive, but I still didn’t like it much. But then I turned the box on, and I reluctantly had to admit that I’d accidentally bought something which was a lot better than I had a right to expect it to be. One thing it’s particularly good at is managing the picture so that it correctly fits the screen ratio you’ve chosen for the output – this can be 16:9 for those of you with widescreen sets, or 4:3 standard or 4:3 letterbox, in which it displays a widescreen transmission in the correct aspect ratio as a narrow band across the screen. Even when the broadcaster keeps going from widescreen to 4:3 format and back, the Sony copes effortlessly and keeps everything looking right. I’ve had this box for a couple of months now and have never had a problem with it – my only grumble is that there’s a disturbing trend towards allowing QVC style ad-sales channels to invade and therefore consume valuable bandwidth on freeview channels. Get ’em off!!
Submitted by: Graham G ()
Received on: Mon Feb 17 20:37:46 2003 from IP address: 80.225.42.246

Make and model:Goodman GBD2

Comments: Bought from Argos 17 January.
Excellent sound and picture even though allegedly I am in a non-digital area!!
Same problem as others with this receiver – it switches itself off randomly when changing channels. Usually switches back on after 4/5 seconds. Sometimes resets to BBC1.
Also no picture on BBC Parliament. Should be 1/4 screen.
Helpful man at Goodmans Technical Support said this morning when I phoned:
1. There are some minor bugs in the software.
2. Use the reset button (at the back by the mains lead) to resolve the switching off problem. No need to retune.
3. Software upgrade in March. This will happen automatically over the air (very clever).

Submitted by: David Miller (pageant@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Mon Feb 17 14:52:28 2003 from IP address: 80.3.138.27

Make and model:Labgear DTT100
Features: note on compatability with TiVo….
Comments: Since I first posted my rave comment on the Labgear DTT100 SetPal box early last December, I’ve had a couple of emails from readers who noted my comment about TiVo not knowing the control codes for this box. I can announce that since early February TiVo’s software has been updated so that it can now control all the SetPal boxes (Labgear DTT100, Daewoo DS608, and Triax), and I can only repeat my enthusiasm for this box even more emphatically!
Submitted by: Arwel Parry (arwel@cartref.demon.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Feb 17 14:28:29 2003 from IP address: 158.152.70.105

Make and model:Grundig GDT1500
Features: 2 scart, rf loop through
Comments: The Panasonic from Comet lasted 3 hours before it fried itself. Got a GDT1500 from Dixons. Worked fine for 10 days, then total lack of life. Replacement worked for 2 weeks before the timer function went bananas (switching channels during a timer event, missing out days of Daily timer events, recording random channels etc). 3rd box now in use: had to re-tune from scratch when it “forgot” which channels is had it in its Service List. Very slow to change channels. Audio output low.
Is there ANY box out there which does not have software glitches AND has a decent specification? And why do they all run so hot?
Submitted by: J Robertson (justjgr@hotmail.com)
Received on: Sun Feb 16 17:42:50 2003 from IP address: 62.31.64.2

Make and model:Grundig GDT1500 (More on Grundig range)
Comments: From Currys 14 feb 2003. Auto setup worked a treat. Very good picture quality.When increasing TV volume, the volume goes down or up randomly.Recording to VCR is poor,intermittant B/W, lines and distortion.
The menus for selecting favourites etc. just scroll continuously.Impossible to use.Very unusual general activity, changes channels,switches off,remote sometimes good,sometimes bad. Bit of a let down really.
I would like to hear of any similar problems or cures.

Submitted by: John Heath (john@studio64.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Sun Feb 16 07:20:10 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.166

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2

Comments: I am very pleased with the GDB2 apart from three things:

(1) It switches itself off at random without cause. I wonder whether the reason explained earlier (its own remote control randomly sending commands) is the fault – as I am often watching the digi-TV in another room it definitely isn’t interference from another remote.
(2) It lose channels randomly which is very annoying when you are recording by timer and end up with a completely blank tape.
(3) The timer doesn’t appear to allow consecutive programmes – e.g. end one at 2100, start next at 2100 – and makes you have a one minute gap which is stupid. If I’m wrong about this please explain how I make it do them consecutively!

APART from all that, it’s a nice box. Shame it doesn’t have RF output as well as RF loop-thru, but I am managing by using a VCR to convert the digibox output to RF. OK except when I need to actually use the VCR!

BTW I need the RF output so I can watch the digi output in two rooms using an RF lead split at the VCR output (which would have been the digi output ideally) supplying two TVs in different rooms. I suppose I could do it, better, with a SCART splitter and a SCART cable between the rooms but I haven’t got one of those in place and it would be a hassle to install it.
Submitted by: Mark Dowling (marky_markd@hotmail.com)
Received on: Sat Feb 15 23:43:57 2003 from IP address: 81.86.146.176

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Comments: We bought this box a week or so ago from Argos and it does tend to reset itself quite frequently (almost every day). It seems to do this randomly, although I am beginning to wonder if another remote control (for our cable tv?) is interefering with the Goodmans box. When it resets itself, the box seems to lose all channel info and request us to do a first-time installation. This then fails to work, with the message that no signal was found, check the aerial etc. Shardy, re your post, this sounds like the problem you report. The work-around for us is to switch the box off at the mains, wait a minute, switch it back on and then proceed with the installation which then seems to find the signal ok. Strange and rather annoying…

A few other problems include occassional loss of channels (it seems particularly reluctant to display Channel 4 despite a strong signal!), occassional loss of the “now and next” program info, and sometimes the channels seem to get mixed up.

Our TV normally displays a ‘nicam stereo’ logo when a programme is being broadcast in stereo, but no programmes via the Goodmans box get this displayed. However, this may be due to our TV or the setup we are using. We cannot tell from listening if the reception is in fact in stereo. Does anyone know if the digital programmes are in nicam stereo?

The Goodmans reports it is using software version 1.0, and lets you search for updates. Never finds any though. Anyone know if there is an update available and if so, how to get it? We are hoping that an update might sort out these bugs.

If anyone is thinking of getting a digital set-top box, I would hesitate to recommend the Goodmans GDB2 as it stands. However, digital tv does provide a fantastic picture and is well worth the cash for the extra channels and the true widescreen broadcasts.
Submitted by: Pete (pthake@hotmail.com)
Received on: Thu Feb 13 12:32:27 2003 from IP address: 172.179.18.10

Make and model:Goodmans GBD2

Comments: We purchased the box 3 months ago, unfortunately it had no instructions for set up and use. Goodmans sent instructions for GDB1 and later promised to send the correct ones…we still await! The box has worked well and appeared good value for money. Idle hands have now lost all channels and we no longer can operate the box. The message tells me to check the antenna and then to install new channels. Nothing I have tried allows me to reset the system, but without instructions I find it difficult. I would welcome help from anyone PLEASE!
Submitted by: Shardy (shardy502@btinternet .com)
Received on: Wed Feb 12 22:48:57 2003 from IP address: 81.132.58.224

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2

Comments: After reading reports here I wondered if it would work when I took it home. Plugged it in, followed the very simple instructions, it found all the channels, picture perfect. Very impressed. None of the problems like switching off that have been reported here. With 2 scarts have been able to link into the normal aerial caable so I can view the digital channels on other tv’s. I do have the recommended 4 inch gap around it so perhaps I am avoiding overheating problems, I also have a strong signal. I think it was worth the money. Only non working thing is the mute button works but doesn’t display a mute symbol on screen.
Submitted by: Alan (Happyal11@hotmail.com)
Received on: Wed Feb 12 08:17:12 2003 from IP address: 212.161.21.74

Make and model:Thompson DTI1000

Comments: I have a problem recording from the Freeview box on to VHS video. Having been advised by Curry’s this was a faulty product, I returned it and received a replacement, but the problem persisted. Finally, having spoken to Thompson tech support, they immediately told me this was a problem with the software, macrovision copy protection was causing the video problem. They said a software upgrade was due to cure this.
Submitted by: Tom Read (tom_read@hotmail.com)
Received on: Tue Feb 11 11:58:53 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.65

Make and model:Grundig GDT1500

Comments: To begin with could not receive BBCi and all the interactivity features – after calls to helpline told to down power and reset – this worked!! for about 1 week – all interactivity/text features lost – reset – works etc.etc. this happens every week. Picture excellent just a shame about the text.
Submitted by: Mick ()
Received on: Mon Feb 10 18:03:50 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.71

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P SetPal
Features: RF loop through. Composite video/RGB scart output. Integrated power supply.
Comments: At work we’ve been very impressed by the Daewoo DS608P SetPal box.
Like boxes produced by Labgear and Triax it uses technology developed by NovaPal. Its worth looking at www.setpal.com to find out more.
I have a 32″ Panasonic television at home which has a very good RF picture (only 8 miles from Crystal Palace), but it suffers from aircraft reflections. I was therefore interested in a set-top box more to eliminate this problem more than getting all the free to air channels. I’ve just tried the Daewoo at home (using the RGB output) and I’ve been very impressed with the results. Picture and sound quality is excellent. I’ve had absolutely no freezing and no noticeable pixelation effects. I subsequently tried the Panasonic TU-CT20 as it offered the advantage of being able to also fully control my television volume using the same remote. Although it also behaved perfectly, in terms of picture and sound quality the Daewoo is better. These things are often subjective, but I think the SetPal produces a much sharper and crisper image, with what appears to be a better audio frequency response. Other boxes may offer more facilities (two scarts etc) but this one certainly produces an output that must get very close to the transmitted signal.

Submitted by: Harry Jacobs (harry.j@ctvc.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Feb 10 07:31:59 2003 from IP address: 213.86.98.181

Make and model:Sony Re-Engineered

Comments: These boxes have a glitch which makes the clock run slow – Re-boot after installation & it clears –
Make sure your TV Aerial is up to speed & aligned with a spectrum anyliser.
We offer a proffesional service in Derbyshire!

Submitted by: Dave Elliott (elliott.aerials@btinternet.com)
Received on: Sat Feb 8 12:43:49 2003 from IP address: 81.131.173.211

Make and model:Sony Re-Engineered

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2

Comments: Bought at Argos a few weeks ago. Generally performs well but found along with other people that it turns itself to standby at random which is annoying if you have set up to record when you are not there.
I think I now have the answer to this. It seems to be caused by the remote control handset itself sending unwanted commands. If I hide the handset out of view of the box it stays on all the time.
I noticed the red “ir received” led flashing occasionally when no buttons were being pressed on any handset.
I hope this is of use. It’s solved the problem with our box at least!

Submitted by: geoffn (high.gain@virgin.net)
Received on: Fri Feb 7 14:06:01 2003 from IP address: 213.121.212.121

Make and model:Pace DTR 730/5(re-engineered ex itv digi stock)
Features: two scarts clock etc
Comments: I have come by several of these from Makro. they are boxed as ‘rengineered’ They work well, the latest software is quite fast and all features work I paid 58 pounds and have sold the lot!!!
Submitted by: Mike (Mike@tvaerials.net)
Received on: Thu Feb 6 19:39:25 2003 from IP address: 217.39.166.154

Make and model:Sony VTX-D500U
Features: Smart looking ex-ITV Digital STB with excellent features
Comments: I got one of these last week, as I was fed up with having only four channels (I couldn’t even get Five!!), and I’m very impressed with it. It’s typical Sony in build quality, ease of use and functionality. My brother had a Philips, and he got rid of his after his contract with ITV Digital ended, and his box was a pain to use.

It was easy to set up, the only slight hitch being my TV only has one scart socket, so in order to use this and my Samsung DVD was to buy a twin scart box, but that wasn’t such a major problem. But I’ve got so much equipment that I’ve had to colour code all the leads!!

OK, so the box won’t pick up digital text or the interactive services, but I’m not bothered, but it does have the now/next function, which is very quick and informative. It does however recieve a good selection of channels, and it was a breeze to tune. When I first fired it up, it tuned itself automatically, and picked up a total of 51 channels – most of them I’ve set up in the neat ‘favourites’ menu – mainly the main channels, news channels and all the available music and radio programs. My main reason for getting one of these was to catch more programs with Kylie on (so I could record and archive them), as well as get a broader range of entertainment and better reception. I spoke to one of the guys at Comet a while before I got this, and he said that as I couldn’t get Five normally, I wouldn’t be able to get it with Freeview – so a let down there for Comet!!

The unit is well equipped with two scarts going to my Goodmans TV and Bush VCR, with the audio being fed via Hosa interconnects to my Sony TA-AX3 amp and Kef Cresta 1 speakers. The sound quality is just as excellent as the video quality – and I have this connected to a set top aerial with a Telecam booster. I do get some interference and picture freezing, but it’s very minimal, and hardly occurs when I’m recording. My advice is to select the RGB output in the menu system – select composite, and it’s very grainy. The clock is also handy, but I’ve had to put the VTX-D500U away from my VCR to avoid looking at two clocks!! :)

The manual is easy, clear and well laid out and the build quality of the box is fantastic. I know from my Sony amp that they are a very reliable brand, and if you manage to find one of these, you won’t regret it – it really is a fantastic machine!!
Submitted by: Kamin (kamin.minogue@kylie.co.uk)
Received on: Thu Feb 6 11:59:33 2003 from IP address: 212.219.11.114

Make and model:Daewoo DS608P

Comments: I am very happy with my purchase of this box. The Currys staff said I wouldn’t be able to record digital channels as the box only has one Scart socket, but this is incorrect. My VCR is attached via the RF loopthrough cable as per the (very good) instruction book. I should note my TV does have two Scarts, and the VCR one. I did initially have some problems with ‘green screens’ where the box would just lock up. I believe this may have been due to my original setup where the box was picking up signals from two transmitters (Rowridge and Hannington) via my rooftop aerial + signal booster pointing at Rowridge. According to the Postcode guide on the DTG site I should have been receiving digital signals from Hannington. Since loft mounting a ‘high-street’ £20 High Gain aerial pointing in the right direction, I have seen good signal strength reported from just the ‘preferred’ transmitter and have yet to see a ‘green screen’ (no signal booster in use now) . It may be that a future firmware update would solve the issues regarding multiple signal sources, but I preferred to provide a cleaner signal source for my box. The picture quality and useability are very good.
Submitted by: Neil (neil_johnson@v21mail.co.uk)
Received on: Wed Feb 5 10:08:59 2003 from IP address: 195.212.29.212

Make and model:Daewoo Setpal DS608P
Features: Setpal tuner technology
Comments: Just purchased this box yesterday. Set-up was straightforward and problem free. Picture quality is excellent. I had a Pace DTVA box for six months; it seemed to suffer much more pixelisation than the Daewoo DS608P. But now the downside – (i) In the two days I’ve owned the DS608P it has locked-up twice, (ii) no s-video output [RGB and Composite only], (iii) no personal channel list capability. The first problem is very worrying – if it locks-up again over the next few days, back it goes to Curry’s.
Submitted by: David (david.deehan@ntlworld.com)
Received on: Mon Feb 3 22:18:18 2003 from IP address: 80.6.52.139

Make and model:Thomson DTI 1000
Features: All the norms
Comments: Very nifty little box, problems at first with lock ups, but this was fixed when it download software version 1.7 over the air. I’d recommend this, especially if you have a thomson tv or dvd as you can control it from the remote. It’s everything you’d expect and more. Also heard that it will work with the new EPG in autumn 2003 – 7 days a week instead of the now and next currently viewing on all
Submitted by: Chris (chris.riley@smartone.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Feb 3 17:16:37 2003 from IP address: 195.217.120.114

Make and model:Thomson DTI 1000
Features: Random Lock-ups!!!
Comments: I bought this box from Comet. It is easy to install and the two scarts are useful. However, it constantly locks up for no particular reason. The only way to unlock it is to turn the power off, wait a while, and then turn it back on. Sometimes even this doesn’t work and a second power cycle is required.

The folks at Comet helpfully stated that lock-ups were a feature of digital and a result of signal delay. They also seem convinced that the signal from the ‘TV’ scart on the box is digital, whilst the signal from the ‘Video’ scart is analogue – which is why they claim that the signal is degraded if you loop throught the video. Of course you can’t record a digital channel and play it back unless you do this. So to use the two scarts on the Thomson box, you also need two scarts on the TV (one for the Thompson box direct and one for the video). The video and Thomson box can’t share the same input scart socket successfully as there appears to be some signal from the Thomson box when it is in standyby. The connection diagram in the instruction booklet omits the connection from the video to TV!

The instruction booklet is a little brief and the website really is useless! An analogue loop through cable is required but not supplied (Goodmans does supply one). The lack of a channel number display on the box is a negative point especially when doing a timed recording without having the TV switched on. Picture quality is OK. Sound is OK but the volume from digital is much lower than with the analogue (RF) signal. Subjective test switching between normal analogue TV channels and AV1 (Scart conection for the Thomson Digital Box)

This box is OK when it is working but the (very) frequent lock-ups mean that I can’t recommend it. In my opinion it is dangerously close to being not fit for purpose.

Submitted by: Paul Gostick (paul.gostick@lineone.net)
Received on: Sun Feb 2 22:00:45 2003 from IP address: 217.46.175.221

Make and model:Thomson DTI1000

Comments: Very simple to set up, twin Scarts are very handy. But three lock-ups in the first two days!!!? This does seem to be a major bug with this box. Easily recovered by cutting power to it, but an inconvenience none the less. Could the next on-line software upgrade cure this? I hope so.
Submitted by: Dave (chelloveck@talk21.com)
Received on: Sat Feb 1 15:31:21 2003 from IP address: 194.203.103.4

Make and model:Nebula DigiTV
Features: Everything bar Digital Teletext
Comments: …But apparently the digital teletext is coming soon. I bought a nebula card after ditching the Hauppage Nova-T card which was awfull – very buggy software, took 20 mins to tune, and had no timer recording. The nebula card is excellent, having none of the hauppage cards problems. I use the nebula card inside a mini PC connected to my TV as a video recorder, dvd player, divx player etc. I despise subscription services like Sky Plus or Tivo. If you want something more consumer friendly, consider pace’s new 2 tuner DTV box that allows you to record to a 20GB internal harddisk.
Submitted by: Nigel (nigelwebberspam@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Fri Jan 31 17:53:05 2003 from IP address: 194.72.72.162

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Features: 2 scarts, timer…
Comments: £79.99 from Argos. Comes with remote, scart cable and rf cable for loopthru. Analogue signal is not visibly deteriorated by loopthru which is good (tho I am using a signal booster). Picture quality is good though I expect better on more expensive boxes – colours lack richness a little, and MPEG artifacts (e.g. blurring of hard lines) are visible (though I guess this is unavoidable). The supplied SCART didn’t pick up any interference, but I used a better quality Lektropacks one anyway. Sound quality is OK – a bit muffled but very similar sounding to my parents’ Sky digibox. The low bass was missing for the first few hours, quite normal, but is sufficient after the capacitors have run in. It may sound like I’m not happy with the picture/sound whereas really it’s just due to MPEG limitations. My frame of reference for “good sound” is a £1200 SACD player through similarly priced amp and speakers, so not really a fair comparison :)

Haven’t tested the timer yet but seems easy to use. The EPG messes up sometimes, like the Now/Next occasionally for one channel gets locked to a programme that was on hours ago, but normally fine. Bit disappointed there wasn’t later than “next”; Sky has 48 hour line-up on the EPG I think. Signal strength is very good in general – I picked up all available channels and I live in a block of flats. Sometimes the sound cuts out for say 1/2 second and you see MPEG macroblocks – but no worse than Sky where you sometimes lose the whole picture in bad weather!

The box has locked up a few times, well not actually locked up but turned itself off! Turns back on fine, but it had better not do that when I’ve timed a program…. not sure whether its a software bug or whether it’s because it’s getting too warm. If it’s the latter, I’ll give it some more space (atm it has a 0.5cm gap below the TV instead of the recommended 10cm gap!).

I love the fact that most progs are in widescreen, but one gripe I have with freeview is that on progs with sign language, you can’t turn the signing off! Can be distracting when the signer is wearing a bright shirt…

In conclusion I would recommend the GDB2. It seems none of the digiboxes are perfect, but the GDB is cheap, has 2 scarts and a timer and it looks quite snazzy in its compact silver casing.

Phil
Submitted by: Phil Carmalt (pdc00@doc.ic.ac.uk)
Received on: Thu Jan 30 19:53:10 2003 from IP address: 213.78.129.138

Make and model:GOODMANS GBD1
Features: 1-SCART & RF LOOP
Comments: I BOUGHT THIS UNIT MY LOCAL INDEX STORE FOR £79.99 AND IT HAS WORKED VERY WELL SINCE (ONLY LOCKED UP TWICE AFTER PRESSING REMOTE BUTTONS RAPIDLY). PICTURE QUALITY IS EXCELLENT AND AFTER INSTALLING A LOFT AERIAL WITH AN AMPLIFIER IN FEEDING MY GBD1 AND MY BROTHERS THOMSON DTI1000 I HAVE TO SAY THE GOODMANS IS PERFORMING JUST AS CAPABLY AS HIS DTI1000.THE GBD1 IS LACKING A SECOND SCART OUTPUT & AUDIO OUTPUTS BUT DOES COME WITH A SCART CABLE AS WELL AS AN AERIAL CABLE. MY BROTHER HAD TO BUY THESE AT ADDITIONAL COST TAKING HIS PURCHASE WELL ABOVE £100.
THE GBD1 MAY NOT BE THE BEST UNIT AVAILABLE BUT IT CAN`T BE BEATEN IN MY VIEW FOR IT`S EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY.
THE GBD1 WAS PURCHASED AS I WAS SICK OF WAITING FOR IT`S REPLACEMENT THE GBD2 TO BE INSTOCK AT MY LOCAL ARGOS & INDEX.
I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE WANTING TO BUY A GOODMANS BOX TO GET THE GBD2 AS THE GBD1 IS I BELIEVE DISCONTINUED.
HAPPY FREEVIEWING
Submitted by: James ()
Received on: Thu Jan 30 05:30:10 2003 from IP address: 195.92.194.14

Make and model:Thomson DTI1000
Features: Two SCART outputs
Comments: Easy to use, and two SCARTS are very nice. Somehow I’m suspicious that the RF picture is now slightly worse than before, but of course the digital picture is fine, so there’s no real need for me to watch it.
Although friendly and functional, it does seem a little buggy. I’ve had the unit lock-up and ignore the remote control (after channel hopping too rapidly), I’ve had teletext stop working, and once I had the sound stop on BBC2. These problems went away when I unplugged it and plugged it back in.
It’s also a shame that the unit broadcasts a picture through the SCART leads even when in standby mode. This means you can’t share a SCART input to your TV with another source (such as a DVD player) through a combined SCART block adapter unless you invest in a switchable one, which of course you then have to remember to switch.
The two SCARTs really are very cool, and the bugs are easily circumvented, so I’m reasonably happy, and just hoping for a software update sometime.
Submitted by: Dominic Thomas (dominic(at)tannis.demon.co.uk)
Received on: Tue Jan 28 15:26:27 2003 from IP address: 213.2.62.50

Make and model:Thompson DTI 1000

Comments: Neat box and easy to install and tune in programmes. Initially I had a problem with the batteries included with the product for the remote control but cured when replaced. The two scarts are good as you can record separately to the VCR.
Instruction booklet a little brief. I was originally looking at the Panasonic but the lack of a second scart is a problem.
Submitted by: Richard Plowman (richard@plowman113.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Fri Jan 24 23:30:02 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.65

Make and model:Panasonic TU-CT20

Comments: Compared to the Pace DTVA it is a similar size (not so tall but wider) but has an RF loop though as well as additional L/R audio outputs. The graphics are a bit clunky compared with the DTVA and it doesn’t have S-Video output. In 4:3 format is also doesn’t have “Full Screen” mode which the DTVA has. The remote can control a Panasonic TV’s volume and on/off power. In summary, if you need the RF loop through then this is a better choice than the DTVA, otherwise I would choose the DTVA for its better menus and S-Video compatibility.

Submitted by: Simon ()
Received on: Fri Jan 24 21:30:02 2003 from IP address: 81.86.126.5

Make and model:Pace DTVA

Comments: Small size, good quality picture, well thought out menus, has S-Video as well as RGB, fast text service. Only downside is lack of second scart and no RF loop through but if you don’t need them then this is the best box on the market.

Submitted by: Simon ()
Received on: Fri Jan 24 21:25:24 2003 from IP address: 81.86.126.5

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2 (More on Goodmans range)
Features: Dual Scart, RF loopthrough, Digital Text, RS232 Socket
Comments: (Supplement to my earlier comments and some questions below)

You need a scart socket on your tv to use this box.
RF loopthrough just means that there is an output to redirect the analogue aerial signal to you tv as normal so you don’t need a splitter if you want to continue viewing analogue channels (useful if the digital signal starts breaking up), a cable is supplied. If you don’t have a scart socket then you need an adapter like this Universal Modulator (Code VH89W) from Maplin Electronics (or buy a box with modulated RF out, but then you will need an aerial splitter or have to keep switching the connection on the back of your tv).
Alternatively, if you have a pc tv-card with composite or s-video capture and audio connectors (line-in on the soundcard will do) you just need a scart to composite/s-video adapter which is much cheaper (see http://cardman.co.uk)
I have tried this with a cheap pc-line tv card (£29.99), quality is excellent.
Since there are two Scart sockets on the gdb2 you can simultaneously connect to a tv and pc, and use the pc for video capture (with suitable compression software) as an alternative to a normal video.

The speed setting for the rs232 socket should have said 38400, at least this is what I use in hyperterminal to receive the debug output (gives some useful info, like QAM16 or QAM64 for the channel, I would like to see this in the on-screen info)

Submitted by: James Gallagher (iceblink1@hotmail.com)
Received on: Fri Jan 24 09:18:39 2003 from IP address: 194.216.52.66

Make and model:Pace DTVA

Comments: Got a box form Argos and there was only sound for about 3 seconds on the radio channels before the unit would mute. Contacted Pace who say this is a known bug that will be fixed by the next upgrade. It would be much more useful if there was a known bugs page published on their site (or here!?)
Submitted by: Mark R (mark_r@hotmail.com)
Received on: Wed Jan 22 19:11:09 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.174

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Features: Dual Scart, RF loopthrough, Digital Text, RS232 Socket
Comments: Good value Box(£79.99 Argos) The second Scart output can connect to a video or use it for audio out to a Hi-Fi with a converter (~£5). I use with an indoor Aerial (Silver Sensor, but cheap Maxview almost as good), receive all channels with very few problems (~ 2 miles From crystal palace transmitter, indoor aerial in second floor window). Digital Text/ Subtitles very good. Some problems with program guide before/next details, and screen does blank sometimes when changing channels (quick on/off from remote fixes this).
RS232 can connect to a computer for debugging info and (presumably) software updates (384000 baud) as alternative to ota updates? (version 1.0 at the moment)
Picture quality excellent , 4:3 or 16:9 available.
Submitted by: James Gallagher (iceblink1@hotmail.com)
Received on: Wed Jan 22 09:23:30 2003 from IP address: 194.216.52.66

Make and model: Hauppauge DEC 1000
Features: Scart – serial adaptor
Comments: Be aware that there is NO RF loopthrough on this receiver. Parts of the handbook state loopthrough but there is only a modulated signal from the receiver of 1 single RF channel to give the digital picture out. Any aerial plugged in will not allow either the original analogue signals through.
Submitted by: ()
Received on: Tue Jan 21 08:35:27 2003 from IP address: 217.36.72.199

Make and model: DTI-1000
Features: 2 Scart Sockets
Comments: Well this is an excellent product spoilt only by the absolute and abysaml lack of after sales service from the manufactures Thomson.
I seem to have a problem with the remote control locking up and not working. It may perhaps be my fault, but trying to get Thomson to answer the customer help line or respond to the many e-mails I’ve sent is becoming more than just a challenge.
I could NOT recomend this product until such times that Thomson wake up and take after sales enquires/problems seriously.
Below is my e-mail first sent to Thomson 31st Dec 2002 which I’m still waiting for an answer:-
There is a fault with the remote control supplied with the DTI-1000.
When the remote is used frequently in a short space of time (for example
when searching through Teletext) the remote locks-up, and fails to
transmit. This has happend on 3 separate remote hand sets all of which
have had new batteries fitted.

Once the remote has locked-up, the only way to reset it, is to remove
the batteries, and wait a couple of minuets before replacing them, the
remote will then work again
Submitted by: Mark (Tech@m-a-f.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Fri Jan 17 19:44:47 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.166

Make and model:Thomson DTI-1000
Features: Timer, Digital Text , Audio Output, RF Loopthrough, 2 Scart output, Parental control
Comments: Bought this box from Comet on 3/12/2003.(£99.99)
Looks O.K. (Smaller than I imagined)
Easy to use.
Tuning in only took 5 mins.
Receives O.K. from Sutton Coldfield (Occasional ‘Break up’ of picture).
Digital text is now viewable(was there when we bought it, then went missing for a few days).
Remote also allows conrol of Thompson TV & DVD.
So far, so good

Submitted by: Mick Pointon (mick@stuntcats.force9.co.uk)
Received on: Tue Jan 14 12:29:50 2003 from IP address: 212.159.101.110

Make and model:Panasonic TU-ct20

Comments: Bought this on Christmas Eve – desperate for my Dad’s present and this was the only model availiable as others sold out. Fortunately, has worked well. Excellent pictures and features and easy to set up. Haven’t yet tried with VCR.
Only one channel seems to have teletext. Should there be more?
Only problem seems to be an on screen message every few days to say that a new channel has been detected, but when I go through process for auto-update, I don’t have anything new added. Any ideas?
Submitted by: K Warren (kennywarren@blueyonder.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Jan 13 21:42:39 2003 from IP address: 80.194.149.33

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Comments: Easy to setup, clear instructions. I had no previous experience with Set Top Boxes and I managed to set the whole thing up first time. The box cost £79.99 from Argos and I also required an new aeriel which cost me £58. I knew I would need a new aeriel by carrying out a post code check on the freeview web site. I did manage to confuse the box by using both the TV and the Set Top Box remote controls but there was always a way to get the box back into its normal state (without powering off). The instructions are not clear as to whether the Set Top Box should also output the Digital Channels on the RF out as well as the two Scarts. It seems to imply that it can in the instruction manual (section on connecting to a video). Does anyone know as the technical help line was not operational when I last phoned the number. That is a minor problem.

I am really pleased with the picture quality and the number of extra channels I now have. It was money well spent!
Submitted by: M Brady (m_brady_62@hotmail.com)
Received on: Mon Jan 13 13:51:31 2003 from IP address: 213.123.250.133

Make and model: Goodmans GDB2
Features: 2 Scart Sockets, RF Loopthrough, 5 Event Timer, Digital Text, Auto Tune, Scart and RF loop leads included.
Comments: Purchased from local Argos for £79.99, all other local retailers and major chains (Currys, Comet, Powerhouse etc) completely out of stock of any make/model. Easy plug and play set up with clear plain english instructions and easy to use remote. On screen menus also easy to navigate. Fast channel switching and good picture quality. No lock ups or problems encountered so far. Would highly recommend as smart looking box with all the features of more expensive brands. Twin scart sockets a must if you want to connect TV and VCR to decoder and VCR only has one scart input (requires an additional scart lead).
NB: if purchasing from Argos they exclude from 16 day exchange policy so get aerial tested before buying as you can’t take it back for refund if you can’t get a signal. Freeview site states my postcode (BH21) not in reception area but DTG site says yes but new aerial needed and only some channels may be available (poor analogue reception area). Had new high gain wide band digital aerial fitted with amplifier for £130 by local installer (had quotes ranging from £130 to £290!). All 4 multiplexes available and all 30 TV and 12 Radio channels received with good signal from Rowbridge Transmitter(IOW)some 30 miles away. Initial outlay higher than getting SKY but in long term cheaper as no subscription.
Submitted by: D Wright (dwright@freeuk.com)
Received on: Sun Jan 12 12:32:50 2003 from IP address: 62.60.50.162

Make and model:Grundig GDT1500
Comments: I stupidly bought this having been told all the boxes were the same – and also not being able to get my hands on any other one. It was easy to set-up and worked within a few minutes – without having to read the instructions, but it wound me up an how bad it worked day-to-day. The remote had to pointed directly at the box or it wouldn’t register and the time to change channels took between 3 to 4 seconds. I then decided to refresh all the channels and the whole thing froze up and didn’t work again.

I have now taken it back, got my money back and am looking to the Nokia 211T!
Submitted by: Dave (dave.exall@virgin.net)
Received on: Fri Jan 10 18:16:29 2003 from IP address: 213.105.44.176

Make and model: Grundig GDT1500
Comments: I stupidly bought this having been told all the boxes were the same – and also not being able to get my hands on any other one. I was easy to set-up and worked within a few minutes – without having to read the instructions, but it wound me up an how bad it worked day-to-day. The remote had to pointed directly at the box or it wouldn’t register and the time to change channels took between 3 to 4 seconds. I then descided to refresh all the channels and the whole thing froze up and didn’t work again.

I have now taken it back, got my money back and am looking to the Nokia 211T!
Submitted by: Dave (dave.exall@virgin.net)
Received on: Fri Jan 10 18:14:45 2003 from IP address: 213.105.44.176

Make and model:Labgear DTT100
Features: Scart cable / good small remote / auto updates
Comments: Brilliant, even with my silly set-top aerial. Get all channels with no picture break-up.

Like the nice small remote control. Channel switching is fast and menus, tv guide and now/next all overlay tv picture so you don’t miss the action. No annoying on-digital branding, so screen is neat and un-cluttered.

Still waiting for software update for text channels and ‘red button’ interactive stuff. Have heard this will happen end of January (hopefully).

A bit expensive at £119 from Curry’s but at least I didn’t have to splash out on a roof-top or loft aerial which most other boxes claim you need.
Submitted by: Mark Joyce ()
Received on: Wed Jan 8 15:30:51 2003 from IP address: 194.202.156.33

Make and model:Make and model:Nokia 221T (More on Nokia range)
Features: Digital TV Radio
Comments: With respect to previous comment by Rushy(7/01/03)
I have same problems with lockup and sensitivity to any power switching in the house, even connected via RFI screened anti surge socket, my central heating boiler causes pixels to freeze with high pitch glitch sound.Don’t know if a ‘choke’of some kind would help.
Lockup I think is due to units’ ultra sensitivity to heat. ( It does mention susceptibility in the instructions)Having had mine on the video top I moved it to a cooler place and lockup ceased. Now have it back on video on a spaced off shelf (airflow) between the two and no lockup – yet.
Apart from the above I get very good reception – weather permitting, even from an indoor aerial, admittedly with signal booster which we have to use anyway. I have connected to stereo system and sound is good though volume levels between digital and terrestrial are different, the latter being considerably louder
Submitted by: malcolm belbin (malcolm-belbin@fsmail.net)
Received on: Tue Jan 7 22:29:08 2003 from IP address: 195.92.194.14

Make and model:Daewoo SetPal
Features: Highly recommended
Comments: Wow what a great box. Can’t believe that finally a manufacturer has made a box that works just like it says on the tin, straightaway. And with the overair download of the MHEG digital text, its remarkably updateable. It also seems to make my actual TV reception better!!
Submitted by: Tony Neal (tony@atomicarts.net)
Received on: Tue Jan 7 16:59:25 2003 from IP address: 212.135.188.178

Make and model:Nokia 221T
Features: 2 SCART auto tune etc.
Comments: Worked well straight out the box, but has locked up a few times, requiring reboot by removing power. Also it’s very prone to interference from the mains source. i.e sometimes switching on a light will pixellate the pic. and pop the sound. This happens in other houses, so it’s not my wiring or signal strength. Nokia suspect a problem with my unit, and told me to return it under warranty. Will do, soon as I locate another unit!! Paul
Submitted by: Rushy (rushyx@hotmail.com)
Received on: Tue Jan 7 15:55:33 2003 from IP address: 195.92.67.75

Make and model: GOODMANS GBD 1
Features: Free to air TV
Comments: ordered replacement remote back in september and havn’t received it yet
Submitted by: mrs vine (clintonvine.@hotmail.com)
Received on: Sat Jan 4 19:30:50 2003 from IP address: 80.225.118.224

Make and model:Sony VTX-D500U
Features: Reception of freeview tv and radio channels
Comments: Sony VTX-D500U On Digital box

Got one of these in Makro for my brother.

It was a bloody good price, and despite not supporting the text features it does offer now/next functionality across all channels. There’s no problem with it picking up both 16QAM and 64QAM transmissions either :-)

It’s quite a smart looking box, being a dark metallic grey colour. It’s also got decent connectivity on the back, and changes channels more quickly than other boxes I have seen. The build quality is very high indeed, with it’s cork lined “feet”, and solid metal construction. It was worth every penny of the £49.99 I paid!
Submitted by: Scott Allison ()
Received on: Fri Jan 3 12:34:34 2003 from IP address: 62.252.128.7

Make and model:Goodmans GDB2
Features: Nice box.
Comments: Nice and easy to use Freeview set-top-box. Has its quirks and I hope an over-the-air upgrade in the future will solve the quirks.

Found an interesting way to discover the lock password in case it’s forgotten. Attach a computer to the RS232 port and set the protocol on Hyperterminal to 38400 bps, no parity, 8 databits and 1 stop bit. Request a menu item that asks for the password using the remote, as usual. On the remote key in any four digets. On the computer’s screen will appear the programmed password and a message stating the password was keyed incorrectly. Had to guess this after the family child messed with the options.

Don’t type anything on the computer to the set-top-box. Any key presses on the computer is ignored by the set-top-box.

Submitted by: Myron ()
Received on: Thu Jan 2 18:55:10 2003 from IP address: 195.92.168.166

Make and model:Thomson DTI-1000
Features: Timer, Digital Text, Audio Output, RF Loopthrough
Comments: Bought this box from Comet on Monday 30th, and had a choice between this and the Panasonic.
Overall, using the box just over three days, I find this a very easy to use box. Picked up all but the SDN mux here in Winter Hill land, but nothing thats solved with a signal booster. Digital text is fast to load, and it has MHEG support with the radio channels.

I would recommend this box for anyone who wishes to purchase one.
Submitted by: Mark Blackman (mark.blackman81@lineone.net)
Received on: Wed Jan 1 14:52:02 2003 from IP address: 80.40.24.46

Make and model: DAEWOO DS608P Setpal

Comments: Superb unit. We were “forced” into having the Daewoo as out Grundig GDT 1000 had completely died on us. Curry’s had no replacements in stock but had taken their first delivery of the Daewoo units that morning. We are very pleased with it. Much better picture than the Grundig and so easy to set up. Now has digital text as well. Highly recommended.
Submitted by: Anonymous ()
Received on: Mon Dec 30 12:42:04 2002 from IP address: 62.255.0.7

Make and model:Nokia 221T
Features: All channels and interactive features
Comments: I bought this latest model box as an Xmas present for my aged parents. It set itself up in minutes and appears to have all the channels and interactive features you’d expect, and a few more, including BBC Parliament with pictures, lots of BBCi info, etc. (Far more facilities than on my year-old £1000 integrated DTV!) The remote has a handy letterbox/4:3 setting and its own volume control – so no juggling with TV handset. Panic in losing ability to record and play from VHS was solved by discovering Scart ‘override’ button. No phone calls yet, so I guess it’s either working perfectly or in the bin!
Submitted by: P Evans (peterevans@boltblue.com)
Received on: Sun Dec 29 23:56:18 2002 from IP address: 212.137.171.51

Make and model:Labgear SETPAL

Comments: Bought this from Hughs for £130. Daewoo had a Setpal box in Comet at £99 but this one looked better out of the two. I recoomend the Labgear box to anyone who like me though they would have to get a new aerial (also my neigbour who did!)The SetPal worked straight out of the box and so far absolutly no problems. Pitty the text dont work yet but the instructions say its coming soon.
Submitted by: Matt Turner ()
Received on: Tue Dec 24 16:33:51 2002 from IP address: 213.1.99.231

Make and model:Labgear DTT100

Comments: Bought it last week from John Lewis at £99.50. Most impressed as the normal aerial through the box picks up the digital picute, so it circulates through the house via the distribution box. Very easy to use but two problems – needs software upgrade to get text, which is awaited; and locks up when first turned on but rights itself after two minutes of a pale green screen. Anyone else know how to solve. Regards.
Submitted by: Rod Carter ()
Received on: Mon Dec 23 12:11:05 2002 from IP address: 213.78.121.118

Make and model:DAEWOO DS608P Setpal
Features: Currys £99.99 Dec 20th 2002
Comments: Easy to install. Nervous 5 minutes while it scanned various frequencies – you have to spot the message appear on the screen and press ok to stop this. In the meantime it appears to be interfering with analogue programs! This clears as soon as it is set up.
Now gives crystal clear pictures on all channels and no breakup (despite BBC claiming my postcode could not receive!)
Neat remote, clear onscreen listings and selection procedure.
Drawbacks: one Scart socket. No inbuilt timer so you can’t change channels when recording from more than one digital channel.
Submitted by: Stephen Carter (nullnom@yahoo.co.uk)
Received on: Mon Dec 23 11:26:28 2002 from IP address: 143.41.8.10

Make and model:Grundig GDT1000
Features: text, two scart, sockets
Comments: I got this box from Littlewoods Catalogue, I was expecting a Goodmans, but this box arrived instead. Changing channels is quick, The quality of the picture is ok, no crashes so far and it comes with the latest software. Two scart sockets is nice, Teletext is nice and fas. Very good box, and change the mode of my T.v from 4:3 to widescreen when it is needed. I highly recomend this box to anyone, better than the Pace DTVA as you can record from it as well.
One bad thing is that the remote loos a little cheap and tacky.

Submitted by: adrian (asymonds@tesco.net)
Received on: Mon Dec 23 02:15:05 2002 from IP address: 217.39.20.174

Make and model:Daewoo Setpal
Features: 1 Button Setup
Comments: Wasn’t sure if iwould be able to pickup all the channels with an indoor aerial in Leeds, No worries 1 button to setup and picked up spare T.V. channel and tuned in all the digital channels no problem.

Very impressed.
The only downside as yet is no digital text but will be uploaded soon as all updates done automatticaly.
Submitted by: K Carroll
Received on: Sun Dec 22 17:51:07 2002 from IP address: 217.148.40.129

Make and model:Thompson DTI1000

Comments: Bought on-line from Digital Box Shop (£99.95),next day delivery up and running
in ten minutes. Did have problems with remote control, but turned out to be my fault for pressing TV/DVD buttons. Pressing STB button returned to digital mode
Highly recommended peice of kit (and compact)
Submitted by: Mick Gorman (mg@macgorman.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Wed Dec 18 21:58:42 2002 from IP address: 217.134.132.248

Make and model:Labgear Setpal

Comments: Bought in Dixons for £119.99. A little peeved that someone else bought for £99.99 but am delighted with the unit! Gave upon my old ON digi-box and then bought a new one from Argos which I gave up on because it kept locking up. This one really works though. Picture quality and sound outstanding. Easy read instructions make instal a “piece of cake” Well done the boffins at Labgear!
Submitted by: Jeff Simmonds ()
Received on: Wed Dec 18 13:21:17 2002 from IP address: 194.72.135.18

Make and model:Nokia Mediamaster 9850T (original ondigital box)
Features: Digital & Analogue audio output, 2 SCART sockets
Comments: Very good at television reception although does crash occasionally whilst using ntl: text. Great sound on analogue phono output.

Shame that the s/w will never be updated as it’s a good box :-(
Submitted by: Anonymous ()
Received on: Tue Dec 17 13:38:08 2002 from IP address: 80.3.32.5

Make and model: Goodmans GDB1 (More on Goodmans range)
Features: Timer
Comments: Bought from Tesco for £99.99 with free delivery. Arrived within 4 days. Worked excellently for 1 hour then stopped responding to the remote. The reset button on the back had no effect. Tesco (now sold out) arranged free collection and refund, but no sign of any replacements.
Submitted by: Ian (ian.robertson65@lineone.net)
Received on: Sun Dec 15 18:54:43 2002 from IP address: 213.122.69.207

Make and model:Thompson DTI1000

Features: 2 Scart Sockets and RF Loop through
Comments: Bought from Comet in Sunderland after waiting a week for them to come in to stock. Installed it (after annoyingly discovering that the RF loop through lead is not included in the box, but you have to have one). The DTI1000 quickly tuned in and found all available channels without fuss. Very good picture quality, but does seem slow to change channel.
However the box stopped responding to the remote control after having been in use for only half an hour. Re-set it by switching off then on and all worked fine for another 30 minuets, then same again. Took it back to comet who had none left and tried to push the Pace DTVA-T which I declined.

Submitted by: Mark (Tech@m-a-f.freeserve.co.uk)
Received on: Sun Dec 15 16:19:37 2002 from IP address: 195.92.168.170

Make and model:Labgear DTT100
Features: Setpal technology
Comments: Excellent STB (£99.99 from Dixons) – lightning fast channel changes, especially compared with my old OnDigital Philips DTX6370! Setup couldn’t be easier, it scanned all the channels within 2 minutes, picture quality is excellent. From my point of view, the only drawback is that it’s so new TiVo doesn’t know the proper codes to change channel — please, all manufacturers, tell TiVo how to control your new boxes!!
Submitted by: Arwel Parry (arwel@cartref.demon.co.uk)
Received on: Fri Dec 13 23:59:51 2002 from IP address: 158.152.70.105

Make and model:Phillips 6370

Comments: Doesn’t retain channels – needs to store channels everytime it’s switched on from standby – didn’t happen when it was ONdigital.
Submitted by: Chris Andrews (chris_andrews42@hotmail.com)
Received on: Fri Dec 13 18:32:56 2002 from IP address: 213.122.39.55

Make and model:Panasonic TUCT20

Comments: Best model for ease of use, simple to tune, excellent picture – and an attractive box. However it is very prone to freezing whilst in use. Initially this seemed to be related to the original software but after downloading an update, I found it started to freeze on TV channels also. My father bought the same model and after 2 weeks of use it made a strange bang and crackle noise whilst tuned into Jazz FM. Since then it has remained firmly locked into Jazz FM but has now been returned to Comet – and the branch was very aware of the problem.

Submitted by: KW (KW@wyevalley.fsworld.co.uk)
Received on: Wed Dec 11 13:48:52 2002 from IP address: 195.92.67.65

Make and model:Nokia Mediamaster 9850T
Features: As others have stated. Does have SPDIF out too
Comments: Don’t seem to have any probs like others have mentioned. I have no freezing on any channels. If software is old, then never mind, all channels are working, digital text is working. I’m sure it’s not as fast as the newer ones, but I paid £20 for it in the summer (before I even knew of Freeview starting) so as I could get channels in Widescreen again, after moving into a listed building (block of flats) and not being able to put my dish up. It’s on right now, receiving ITV1 (footy) and I have it plugged into a cheap signal booster as the antenna is shared with the other residents. Top stuff, for £20, I’m not sure why people say their “old” software won’t work.
Submitted by: ()
Received on: Tue Nov 26 20:49:34 2002 from IP address: 195.92.168.164

Make and model:Nokia Mediamaster(the original model)
Features: full size box with two scarts and clock
Comments: dont buy them, they have software so old it doesnt work with the new 64qam broadcast protocall. They freeze on news 24 and cbbc and you have to pay for new software!!!!
Submitted by: Mike Stanton (mike@tvaerials.net)
Received on: Tue Nov 26 18:27:53 2002 from IP address: 217.39.162.191

Make and model:Nokia Mediamaster 9850T

Comments: Took it back for a refund… Kept crashing, especially on teletext.
Submitted by: J Barker (jbarker@iee.org)
Received on: Fri Nov 15 12:01:47 2002 from IP address: 212.240.29.168

Make and model:Grundig GDT 1000

Comments: After downloading the latest software updates and re-tuning it works perfectly. Does everything I need. Bought it from Littlewoods Catalogue. It was advertised at 119.99 then they reduced it and I was able to get the lower price of 99.99. Buy now, pay in 6 months and interest free for a few quid a week. Bargain!
Submitted by: Ian Roberts (ian_roberts@btinternet.com)
Received on: Wed Nov 13 17:42:22 2002 from IP address: 217.41.53.226

Make and model:Pace DTVA-T
(More on Pace range)
Features: Easy to setup and operate
Comments: Excellent picture, sound is a “good average”. Easy to both setup and use. Very reliable over prolonged periods of use. Allows for 7 cutomised lists, very useful but these have to be reset when downloading the latest nformation. PACE were very quick to send another controller so that my wife & I could annoy each other. Cost was £25 and it came the next day.
Submitted by: Martin Thorne (martin@madnews.co.uk)
Received on: Wed Nov 13 00:55:16 2002 from IP address: 172.183.210.180

Make and model: Goodmans GDB1
Features: Standard
Comments: MUCH better than Grundig. Top quality pictures & sound. One niggle – the remote’s up/down arrows clash with contrast controls on a Philips TV – mildly annoying.
Submitted by: Pete Spreadbury (peter.spreadbury@btinternet.com)
Received on: Sat Nov 9 22:42:40 2002 from IP address: 62.6.83.161

Make and model:Grundig GTD-1000
Features: Standard
Comments: Bought after the BBC retune, and found it needed a s/w upgrade but it would’t be available for at least 2 weeks, therefore couldn’t use it for BBC channels at all and had to take it back. Also doesn’t have volume control like some of the others do.The stations it did receive were poor quality/breaking up.
Submitted by: Pete Spreadbury (peter.spreadbury@btinternet.com)
Received on: Sat Nov 9 22:39:42 2002 from IP address: 62.6.83.161

Make and model:Grundig GDT-1000/1500
Features: Standard features
Comments: Grate box, no crashes in the time we have had it (purchased in September), includes good and speady interactive services (though I still prefer analog teletext), also includes EPG with one touch button and a neat chanel sellector which allows you to see the chanel while you are sellecting. Also frequent software updates. Highly recomended.
Submitted by: Andrew Hodgson (andrew@hodgsonfamily.org)
Received on: Sat Nov 9 14:50:27 2002 from IP address: 195.166.147.102

Make and model:Grundig MW70-502 IDTV
Features: Virtual Dolby, subwoofer, MHEG
Comments: Good value IDTV, often available for less than £400. Not-quite flat screen, 50Hz, but fab colours, good sound with believeable sound stage, and extra oomph from subwoofer. SOftware updates available by flashcard, and in the future, OTA.
Submitted by: Stuart (stuart@brooks.fsbusiness.co.uk)
Received on: Thu Nov 7 23:39:12 2002 from IP address: 195.92.168.171

Make and model:Panasonic TU-CT20
Features: RGB/Composite video Scart + UHF loopthrough-separate powersupply
Comments: Best looking box of the lot so far.Easy to operate – autosearch for channels .Onscreen graphics are also the best so far -“cushion” effect is very attractive.Copes with all aspects of TV transmissions well ..text is quick to load.Current software is DCB-1.7 but needs update to cure lock-up after using radio channels and keying in EPG.Picture quality is excellent especially on RGB (better than digital sat viz Sky.) Neat plug type powersupply allows unit to run cool for a long life.
Submitted by: Chris (gendy943@hotmail.com)
Received on: Mon Nov 4 16:11:15 2002 from IP address: 62.6.88.113

Make and model:Pioneer DBR-T210GB
Features: Ex ITVDigital STB
Comments: One of the last ITVD boxes released, the Pioneer has all the usual features – 2 SCARTs, UHF passthrough, full-size form factor – whils still having fairly quick software. This box supports MHEG and the front-panel display gives you a clock when the box is in standby. The remote control chas the option of doubling up to operate basic TV functions, too.
Submitted by: QrizB (QrizB@dev.nul)
Received on: Thu Oct 31 22:46:38 2002 from IP address: 62.253.64.8

Make and model:Bush 6690 28″ w/s IDTV
Features: Basic IDTV – it does what it says on the tin.
Comments: If all you want to do is watch DTT, the Bush 6690 is more than adequate. The downside? Only one SCART, inconvenient VCR connections and no MHEG without an elusive software download. On the plus side, no MHEG means no “press RED” logos and no software crashes in the 15 months I’ve owned it.
Submitted by: QrizB (QrizB@dev.nul)
Received on: Thu Oct 31 22:36:59 2002 from IP address: 62.253.64.8

Make and model:Sony IDTV KV32DX20
Features: 32″ 3 Scart Wega tube
Comments: Best digital TV tuner for picture quality, text quicker than an early Ondigital box, RGB Scart is free for DVD!

IDTVs are well worth concidering over buying a new TV and a separate box
Submitted by: Martin Imber (martin@jotika.oc.ku)
Received on: Thu Oct 31 14:12:57 2002 from IP address: 62.6.76.128

Make and model:Nokia MM
Features: 2 SCART, remote, etc.
Comments: It looks good but the software is crap. It crashes on any channel that displays text. Interactive is hopeless (text again) and it is sooooo slowwwwww. It isn’t a one-off since I’m just about to take back the third one. They should stick to mobiles.
Submitted by: Richard Allen (richard@weebs.com)
Received on: Thu Oct 31 12:14:30 2002 from IP address: 194.168.226.65

Make and model:Goodmans GDB1 (More on Goodmans range)
Comments: Easy enough to set up and get going with good picture quality and teletext.
Downsides: No subtitles 8-(
gets confused with widescreen / 4:3 switching and crashes on teletext pages.
Occasional (once an hour?) hiccoughs in sound.
Submitted by: Ian McConnell ()
Received on: Wed Oct 30 13:34:22 2002 from IP address: 158.152.18.126

Make and model: Philips DTX6371
Features: Standard
Comments: The original “smiling brick”. Not the fastest of the old On-Digital boxes but also not the slowest (stand-up Nokia) and with an excellent remote that also operates the TV and the video too. Reasonable sensitivity, don’t pay more than £30 for it though! Upgraded from the 6370, mainly software fixes.
Submitted by: Duncan Ross (DunxUK@aol.com)
Received on: Mon Oct 28 14:34:17 2002 from IP address: 205.188.208.165

Make and model: Pace DTVA
Features: Not many
Comments: Quick and simple box – ideal for bedroom usage. Picture is quite good, teletext is fast but is a little limited in connectivity
Submitted by:Martin Imber (martin@jotika.oc.ku)
Received on: Mon Oct 28 14:26:54 2002 from IP address: 213.122.126.241

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