UK Digibox: Classic or Dud

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Was that a bad idea then?

― robster (robster), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 11:16 (twenty-one years ago)

buy the signal booster AND better aerial from argos too, then if it don't work you can take everything back all at once

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 11:42 (twenty-one years ago)

or just get broadband and digiTV all at once like a responsible internet person should :)

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 11:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't get me started on broadband...

Actually I would quite like to get started on broadband - we've yet to establish quite what all the holes coming into our living room do.

― robster (robster), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 12:32 (twenty-one years ago)

They are for broadband mice.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 12:50 (twenty-one years ago)

We get pretty good reception through our aerial but the lady at the DTG suggested it needs an upgrade cos it can't receive the digital frequencies - is this likely to be the case? Should we just give up now and beg Argos to take the box back?

You may need to upgrade your ariel, and the down cable from it. I spend some of last night fixing the 80s vintage ariel cable and we still only got the BBC bouquet. Go for the highest gain ariel you can get (£40 from homebase, Maplin etc.) Get double screened cable and use distrbution amplifiers whereever you split.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:02 (twenty-one years ago)

also.. is sky one on freeview? (otherwise is it worth it?)

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

no sky one, don't know about top up though

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

No, sky 1 isn't on freeview, but yes, it is worth it. FOr the sake of £60, you get top-bopmbing terrestrial channels + bbc3 and bbc4, which is a def. plus.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Top up is shit. It costs about £7 a month or something and all you get that's any good is E4. Also you need one of those new boxes that take decoder cards (or an old OnDigital one, I think).

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I find the Light Programme to be more than sufficient.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I forgot: ITV 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

'The ITV News Channel is currently undergoing engineering work on Freeview and will return in February 2005'

What can this possibly mean (when ITV News is still available on other platforms)?

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

ITV News was still there last night (and was the source of entirely misplaced optimism early on) - I think some transmitters can fit it in and some can't. That sounds like rubbish though, doesn't it?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Boots are selling a Digibox for 39.99. It is called Technobox or something. Looks a bit like one of their foot spas or some kind of inflatable pedicure aid.

What is the difference between an expensive Digibox and a cheap Digibox?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Bugger all really, there are only about three chipsets out there. It comes down to CI slot or no and number of scart sockets.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

What is a CI slot?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but the remotes and user interfaces vary a lot, as far as I can see. Which does make a difference, esp. when you're arsing around with interactive. Doubt it's as simple as 'you get what you pay for' but the speed of flicking through channels also seems to vary.

Maybe consult a WHICH? guide and your local library...?

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, if you've got £150 or so to spend, then consider stretching to one of the digiboxes with internal hard disc recorder. Like a budget Tivo/Sky+! I want one, to automatically store up the good stuff from BBC3 and 4.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

we might get tivo. i had it once, briefly, in new york. it's probably a plot to rot brains and keep people zombies in their own homes, but my god is it fun.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

You are my WHICH? guide. Do you want me to turn into my dad? Besides, I won't be getting one until we can extricate ourselves from evil Tele"Fred"West and their horrible 12 month contract.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

FTN is cool, though they always seem to have the same documentary about realistic (not very) sex dolls on.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 3 November 2004 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

eleven months pass...

I still don't know what a CI slot is. Why do I want lots of scart sockets? Why are some digiboxes interactive, and some not?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 20 October 2005 16:30 (twenty years ago)

back in the itv digital days you had to subscribe and use a card to verify this. so the boxes hard a smart card slot in them. then freeview came along and you didn't need a card so they stopped making them with card slots. only some of them didn't, just in case...

you probably only need one scart socket. you can get multiple tuners now so you can watch one channel and record another, which probably needs two scart 'out'. having a scart 'in' would allow you to chain your dvd player / video / ps2 through the digibox, which is useful if you have more boxes than your tv has inputs.

― koogs (koogs), Thursday, 20 October 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

You need a CI slot if you want to subscribe to Top Up TV, but you don't, cause it's rubbish.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 20 October 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

Thank you both.

Just the interactive question to go. I assume this has something to do with the notorious red button.

I think I like this one, but it's a bit pricey:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000TEV88/ref=wl_it_dp/026-1079273-2068421?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=IN2ICUPK4RHZR&colid=2B1C4OVP871PI

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 07:38 (twenty years ago)

the steadibot has an identical (or very similar) one.

i haven't heard of non-interactive digiboxes. mine (an old nokia itvdigital box) is dog slow. fuck jenson button and his bbc adverts.

― koogs (koogs), Friday, 21 October 2005 07:58 (twenty years ago)

Thank you for listing your favourite programmes, Koogs. I will look out for them.

I think the Steady One is too stressed out to contribute.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:00 (twenty years ago)

my remote semi-broke, and the only solution is to buy another frigging box.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:03 (twenty years ago)

On this model? Cos one of the reviews says it's a big liable to breakages (not the remote though).

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:08 (twenty years ago)

no, my model was the cheapest possible (echostar), it has NO BUTTONS on the actual box.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:10 (twenty years ago)

I don't think my Panasonic has any buttons on the box either.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:12 (twenty years ago)

This is a whole new can of worms.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:15 (twenty years ago)

> my remote semi-broke, and the only solution is to buy another frigging box.

what about a universal remote? might be cheaper. might be an idea to take advantage of argos' no-questions asked returns policy though. (i have a six-in-one but the digibox is the one thing that i don't use it for)

― koogs (koogs), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:20 (twenty years ago)

They ask questions now, sadly.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:22 (twenty years ago)

Since I am now incapacitated and therefore anticipate spending a great deal of time home alone over the next few weeks, if anyone could tell me which didgibox to buy I'd be very grateful I'd prefer it if it was cheaper rather than expensiver. Like, I was hoping to pay downwards of £60 rather than lash out the sort of ackers Mr Hoity Toity PJM is thinking about.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:32 (twenty years ago)

You'll get a decent one for about £20 - £30 in Asda Tim.

― Rumpie, Friday, 21 October 2005 08:37 (twenty years ago)

I'm sure you will have many people coming to see you, Tim. Note clever avoidance of the obvious word to use there.

I would prefer to pay less too, but I have never heard of Humax or Digifusion and everything cheap I've ever bought has been shit.

There is a Philips one at £60-ish.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000A0D8HM/qid=1129887698/sr=1-30/ref=sr_1_0_30/026-1079273-2068421

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:42 (twenty years ago)

i think they are all 'much of a muchness' -- in what ways are the cheap ones less good? £30 minimum in argos.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:43 (twenty years ago)

When we finally get a Freeview box, it will have a harddrive.

I like the Topfield TF5800PVRt, which lets you record two channels while watching a third, records 90 hours or recordings, and perhaps just as importantly allows you to transfer those recordings over to your PC for archiving.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:51 (twenty years ago)

The Simple Life: Interns is the only thing worth watching really.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:53 (twenty years ago)

According to my limited research, some have a better chance of getting more channels than the others and of working with a crappier aerial. And then there is all the fancy stuff, like programme guides.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:54 (twenty years ago)

mine works pretty well of an inside ariel, the only channels I'm missing are QVC, bid-up, price-drop and channel 5. The channels go funny sometimes, but oh well.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:56 (twenty years ago)

oh, and I can't get the 10 minute preview of Red Hot!

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:57 (twenty years ago)

oh, and I can't get the 10 minute preview of Red Hot!
-- jel -- (freeduni...), October 21st, 2005.

yeah me neither.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:58 (twenty years ago)

my £30 echostar does everything i would want. i have a vcr still so don't have arial need to record digitally, since the input isn't great anyway (i live in a valley) i don't see the advantage. also digital channels repeat stuff all the time so i never record stuff in any case.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 21 October 2005 08:59 (twenty years ago)

I understand your HUMAX reservations, but they do seem to be making quite a name for themselves in the Freeview HD recorder box market. I have seen them... recommended.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 21 October 2005 09:03 (twenty years ago)

Yes, HUMAX is not cheap, really. Hm, HD recorder box.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 21 October 2005 09:26 (twenty years ago)

Hm indeed.

Anyone have any HD recorder box recommendations, or should I cut out the fannidangle and go for the route one cheapy thirty quid knock it long to the big lad approach? Well?

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 21 October 2005 11:22 (twenty years ago)

if you're at home all day, you won't need to record much?

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 21 October 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

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