Great Cheapest Freeview Box Hunt

wilton1968

I have just registered this evening and would like to know a few things.

I am looking to buy a new top box for receive digitalWhen the box is being tuned in does it pick up the local channels for ITV/BBC ie Carlton or meridian and likewise for BBC or does it tune in what it is on the TV.

Also, can you record freeview programs or not. Thirdly, I have checked my postcode on freeview and it has a result of not being available for my postcode area, however, friends of ours (who live a couple of minutes walk from us) have a box and can receive freeview perfectly. Is there any reason for this and would anyone advise me to get a box to try.

Your help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

w

penrhyn

1. Freeview carries the versions of BBC and ITV that are local to your area.
2. Yes you can record freeview channels, but unles you buy a twin Tuner PVR, you can only record the freeview channel you are currently tuned to. You can of course watch the normal analog channels at this time.
3. Get a cheap box fromTesco, eg Digilogic, then if you can't receive freeview they will always take it back.

PS You may need to upgrade your aerial.

tin

bytie_bit wrote:

I am surprise Martin done a thread for the cheapest free box I would go against suggestion of cheaper box for the reason that:
A/ The box gets rather warm may cause hazard of fire
B/ Signal not very good possible week in most cases
C/ EPG or software very poor standard
D/ Dreadful in general


:xmassign:

NOT true!

- There are expensive boxes which are absolute chod
- There are cheap boxes which are regarded as excellent.
- There are certain expensive boxes which are 99% the same function and quality-wise as certain cheap ones.

It's fairly easy to get a quality cheap box, although it might be true to say the cheapEST is unlikely to be the best. Basically freeview boxes are an absolute minefield. You definitely need to spend a lot of time checking out sites like digitalspy etc to ascertain the current decent boxes, rather than take any notice of the prices.

Chris123_2

Totaly agree with the last poster

Last year I bought the new Goodmans GDB5 (The one with the freeview & DAB together) and it was a nightmare, the box hissed, the funactionality was a nightmare to get to grips with and for 100 pounds was not worth the money so too it back

Now have a Durabrand box from Asda bought for less that 30 pounds and it works a treat, has 7 day EPG, fast interactive and picks up all the channels in an area that the freeview site says has no reception, would totaly recomend it

dc

Cheap does not necessarily mean worse, a lot of the different branded and differently priced boxes contain the same innards, made in the same Chinese factory, just the price and the boxes are different.

A lot of the expensive boxes are expensive because of brand names and tend to be older models that have not been updated, because of development costs. This is a technology mainly for the British market only,,,,, so the Big Japanese companies are not interested, theirs is a global market.

BTW, to clear misapprehensions up,

Freeview is the signal from TV masts on hills.

free programmes on your Sky dish are called FreeSat

Flimber

Saw a new'un in Asda today - called something like an 'Oggla' (?) - at £26.84 or similar. Looked plain and decent enough though; whereas the Durabrand thing isn't exactly stylish to behold.

Mike.

phatbhoy

Sorry if this has been covered before - but its a long thread, anyway:-

I have moved into a house with Sky installed - and they left the sky sat and box. So far so good - however while I can watch all the terestrial chanels and some others like ITV2 BBC3&4 - there are some chanels that I should get but cant e.g. More4 and E4.

I tried to phone Sky and got through to some guy in India or there abouts and was told that I had to pay for E4 etc. Surely thats not right?

I have tried unplugging the unit removing the card and then switching on again - all to no avail.

Can anyone help?

eileenfromplaistow

I don't think you can get E4 and More4 on the Sky box (we have just finished with Sky and we have swapped to a Freeview box). My hubby says that you DO get Classics FM with it though, which you don't on Freeview!!!!!

tin

Unfortunately there's quite a few Freeview channels that aren't Free on Satellite, these include Sky Three, UKTV history, FTN, ABC1, E4, More4, The hits, TMF, Sky sports news and UKTV Bright Ideas

Channel 4 and Five aren't actually free either, but an expired subscription card, or "freesat from Sky" card will get you both.

Hopefully with the BBC and ITV now both transmitting all their digital channels in the clear on Satellite and with the ongoing momentum that's behind freeview spreading into freesat, we'll see at least some of these other channels free on there soon.

I doubt we'll ever see Sky three, or Sky Sports news free on there though

debs626

I have just bought the fusion from argos £34.99, to replace my pace (freezing) ondigi box.

Its exelent, 7 day listings, now and next and also rewind tv (rewinds the las 30 seconds) Calender, and reminders.

Chuffed to peices with it.