Reviews of DVB-T set-top boxes for Freeview?

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 10 May 2007, 11:39

Hey,
Anyone know where I can find good reviews of DVB-T set-top boxes which support h.264?
Thanks.

Freeview over here will be broadcasted in h.264 AFAIK. The government approved boxes will cost $300, fuck that shit.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 10 May 2007, 11:57

That's expensive, you can get a box for £30-ish over here

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 10 May 2007, 17:25

Good to see you guys are going straight to MPEG4. All UK models use MPEG2 hence why Grim the NZ models are going to be way more expensive. Even so that's ridiculous. They're better be PVRs (have a hard disk) for that price.

I get the feeling only the name is the same, the two systems (bar the aerial obviously) will be entirely difficult. It's going to be hard for us to recommend any STBs as obviously no UK model will work in NZ.

Before Sony stopped making it the Sony STB (it cost a small fortune though, about £90-£100) was THE best on the market.

Sky HD uses MPEG4 I do believe but everything else for us is good old MPEG2. There has been talk of Freeview HD boxes supporting both, but Freeview HD is eons off.

Is there a decent channel line up for Freeview NZ?

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 10 May 2007, 17:37

Only Freeview HD trials are in H.264 so we don't have any cheap boxes over here. Although most cards do it software. The few boxes that do it are all expensive tuners/PVR's.

Brad is right anyway, even though it's also DVB-T it doesn't necessarily mean all DVB-T hardware will work.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 10 May 2007, 22:54

bradavon wrote:I get the feeling only the name is the same, the two systems (bar the aerial obviously) will be entirely difficult. It's going to be hard for us to recommend any STBs as obviously no UK model will work in NZ.

I'm not sure honestly. The Hills one here uses SCART so I wouldn't be surprised if it's a European import. Both of the set-top boxes are STB-S though for people living rural isolated fuckholes, I live in the city so I should get a STB-T box.

Is there a decent channel line up for Freeview NZ?

I have no idea, the service just launched at the start of the month for satellite and only in some test areas AFAIK. Full penetration won't be achieved til next year I don't think.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 11 May 2007, 00:41

Interesting you guys are getting Freeview Satellite. That's handled by Sky over here and is entirely different from Freeview which is "just" aerials for us. Freesat from Sky (as they call it) is rubbish, the channel line up is awful.

There has been talk of Freeview Satelite to cover those who can't pick it up through an aerial but nothing concrete. Those "should" in theory at least be fixed when Analogue is switched off (starting 11/07) anyway.

Those prices really are crazy still. What are they thinking??? The max. our boxes ever were was £70, but almost always nearer £30. £20 if you look around, but those are rubbish. The quality of STBs differs wildly, some crash and hang all the time.