Digital TV Cost Cutting Article - Discuss What You've Been Offered

Researcher53

Ricability, an independent consumer research charity, has released their latest report on set top boxes and digital TV recorders. They previously found a cheap best buy indoor aerial.

All the information is published on the Digital TV Consumer Test Reports website http://www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk

Consumer tests of 23 set top boxes and digital TV recorders compatible with the digital television switchover show some products are well designed and easy to use - but too many are not.

The tests really put the products through their paces. Picture and sound quality and synchronisation were checked plus a host of features on each product. The focus of the tests was a tough assessment of usability – to find out how easy it is for consumers to use these digital products.

THE FINDINGS

Here are the products that fared best in our tests.

Recommended digital TV recorders

Humax PVR-9200T £229
Topfield TF5800PVR £268
- twin tuner recorders with plenty of features, good, clear on-screen menus and TV guides and fairly easy to use.

DigiFusion FVRT90 £95 - a single tuner recorder that was straightforward and really easy to use.

Sky+Thomson 160 (available with Sky+ subscription satellite service only)
- again a twin tuner recorder with plenty of features that were intuitive and easy to use.

A twin tuner enables you to record one digital programme while watching another.

Recommended set top boxes

Humax MG-TU1 £65 – a good range of features and a well laid out remote control, but the on-screen menus could have been easier to see.

Bush DFTA 1000 £50 – an adaptor rather than a box, it’s a low energy product worth considering for people in good reception areas.

The set top boxes that come with subscription services to BSkyB, NTL Telewest and Homechoice generally scored better than the rest of the terrestrial set top boxes tested.

Please note

This is not an advert - it is useful consumer information to help people make an informed choice in buying - I hope you find useful.

Ricability is the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs, founded by Which? more than 40 years ago. Ricability is a national research charity dedicated to providing strictly independent consumer research and information.

The website http://www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk and digital TV equipment testing are being funded by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Tape and CD copies of the reports are available from Ricability.

Switchover is happening in different TV regions between 2008 and 2012. The Government has set a schedule for when the analogue signal will be switched off in each part of the country.

By 2012 all TV viewers living in the UK will be watching digital TV, bringing a greater choice of channels, programmes and new services, such as interactivity and audio description for people with sight loss.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Just thought I'd let you know Researcher53 is from Ricability and I'm sure would be happy to help if anyone has questions about the site

Babbler

miamay wrote:

Thanks to you all I have managed to get us (as an existing customer) a good deal with Telewest, and a saving of £22.51 compared to the old bill.
Talk eve and w-end + 4Mb Broadband + Supreme TV all for £34.99.
One thing though, did anyone downgrade their Broadband from 4Mb to 2Mb and noticed any difference? I'd like to downgrade as I could possibly save another £7 on the bill but do not want to get stuck with the slow connection.
Thanks again!

It is a bit noticeable when watching online video. Im thinking of ringing and asking to upgrade and see how much it will be...

lolly5648

We want to upgrade to Sky+ but I am hopeless at bargaining. Is Sky+ really so much better than buying a PVR? We would probably never record more than 10 hours on it.

Why can't Sky be transparent instead of having everyone on special deals

msraec

toonmagpie wrote:

...Or, has anyone any experience of another member of the household subscribing as a brand new customer for instance my wife (same bank details) or 18 year-old son (he has his own bank account)
....
Cheers
Bob K

Also considering this...2 of us in house -diff names...tho DD comes from one name and NTL account in other so they have both names

To save the hassle wondering how easy it is to just call and try for repeat of soon to end '3 for £30' deal by threatening to go to Sky (orange/freeview/talk talk..!?) when 12 months is up...im not a good haggler!...but can follow a script!

If its relevant we have (and like)
1Meg Broadband
Select TV pack
Phone w/unlimited 24-7 landline calls (extra £3/month)
2nd digibox (extra £15/month)

NTL bill comes in at about £45-55/month inc all above

I'd call NTL right now but need your help first guys!...concerned if haggling doesnt work then we change resident it'll get noted? anyone have experience either way?

i'm all for ditching & switching and quite fancy sky plus but we dont have the option to go elsewhere for BB and phone as we cant get a BT line in (long story!)

We want to keep the services we have without sudden increase of costs or losing my beloved broadband while they take it all away only to bring it back again (all during our hol dates that fall at the same time!!)

[if we do become a new customer by switching account holder's name apose could order the 3 for £30 via quidco thus making an extra £27.50 as well?]

any advice on whether to make that phone call?!!

Darren21

It just depends on what you want to record on it, if no sky channels then a PVR box is the way to go. I have a 160gb humax box I got for £160 from curry's using discount codes and its absolutely brilliant, just as good as sky+ if not more reliable.

Be careful with the cheaper pvr boxes as they have BIG reliability issues, take a look on the digitalspy forums


'We want to upgrade to Sky+ but I am hopeless at bargaining. Is Sky+ really so much better than buying a PVR? We would probably never record more than 10 hours on it.

Why can't Sky be transparent instead of having everyone on special deals'

sc52

monstermind wrote:

The re-instate deals offered in post #1098 are available until 28 September. It doesn't matter how long you've been away from sky, but the cards were only sent to customers who left in the last 3 years.

Didn't work for me - I was told that I'm not an ex-customer because I was a customer of Sky terrestial(?) and not sky digital and therefore am regarded as a new customer.... Chap stated that this was better because I could get better deals as a new customer - but then wasn't able to get anywhere close to the offer mentioned.

Also stated that as I hadn't recieved the offer it wouldn't have been available to me anyway - If I had quoted "Autumn 1" he would have been able to tell from my account that I hadn't been sent the offer and therefore couldn't have it.

Any ideas because I quite fancy this.

bghunter

#1118 I didnt recieve anything in the post about the autumn 1 offer and i rang up and was given it with out evening asking about it. Re sign my parents up as an early xmas pressie. They not had an account for a long time and was in a new house

sc52

upforthecup wrote:

Yep I got the same yesterday, as long as you take a premium channel you save the £10.00 for sky+. Also will get free broadband so should be cheaper then your provider (I am with Talktalk so till £10.00 better off and bigger bandwidth allegedly).

Had another couple of goes to get this package. Finally got round the issue of there being no record of me on their system but have been told that to avoid the £10 sky+ subscription I have to subscribe to 2 premium channels....

Anybody else had this problem?

Please can somebody clarify that it is only one that is required. What did it say on the card that came in the post?

Thanks

The_Governor

I just called up and got 50% off for 3 months, after being offered 25% for 12 months, but that was with a 12 month tie in.

I'll call back in Nov/Dec and see what they offer me, it's a good time to do it as my employer is moving my salary to the end of the month from the middle so I have a 6 week gap between this months and next months pay