All Digital TV receivers Feeds

Thomson DTI6300-16

tech.co.uk staff — 1204902643

The Thomson DTI6300-16 Freeview PVR is the model currently being used to promote the Top Up TV Anytime service, which is no surprise as the DTI6300-16 is packed with features. Its neat styling is also easy on the eye and it comes with a smart looking remote handset with a hot button direct to Top Up TV services.

Connectivity is fairly standard with two Scart sockets (one RGB), S-video, analogue stereo and coaxial digital outputs. There's a CAM slot for a Top Up TV subscription card and a USB input behind a front panel flap.

Personal services

The 160GB hard disk drive gives you around 20hrs of personal storage, with the rest allocated to Top Up TV Anytime downloads. There are two tuners (fed by the same aerial lead) to enable you to watch one channel while recording another, or record two channels at the same time.

Time-shifting facilities are impressive, and the DTI6300-16 allows you to rewind and pause live broadcasts by up to an hour. Automated recordings are selected from the 14-day EPG, and there's a series link option too. Manual timer recordings can also be made.

Chase play gives you the ability to watch the beginning of a recorded programme while recording the end. Also, trick play facilities allow you to fast forward or rewind through six incremental speeds up to x64. Sadly, this PVR has a few operational niggles.

The remote handset occasionally skips when stepping through channels incrementally, and there's a momentary delay before programmes appear onscreen when selecting a channel directly.

More irritating are the viewing hiccups when images drop out or momentarily stutter, despite decent signal strengths from the aerial input. Images look sharp, but the over-enhanced edges while watching football matches make viewing a disappointment and unsuitable for big screen sports fans.

Colours are good, but not as vibrant as we'd like. Shadowy indoor material lacks black depth during darker sequences shot inside the Queen Vic pub in Eastenders. Recordings exhibit similar flaws but there are no further degradations from the hard drive.

Smooth operator

There's no cause for complaint on the audio side. Dialogue is smooth and free from any splutters, and has a naturalness that's easy on the ears.

With a stack of flexible facilities, the Thomson DT16300-16 is one of the most powerful time-shifters for terrestrial digital TV. It gives access to the Top Up TV Anytime service, but sadly the operational glitches and gritty pictures work against it.

BT Vision V-Box

tech.co.uk staff — 1204556350

The idea of a digital recorder that merges Freeview reception with online content is both innovative and inevitable. Having IPTV on tap alongside DVB is the natural evolution of digital TV, and to finally get to grips with such a product is truly exciting.

That BT should beat arch rival Sky to the punch with such a product is interesting, too. Sky has carved its name as an innovator in broadcast technology while BT... hasn't.

BT Vision is basically a Freeview PVR with a 160GB hard drive and online capability. Although the box is free, there are caveats. It's only available to BT Total Broadband customers and can only be fitted by a BT engineer, at a cost of £90 (an installation fee of £60 and a connection charge of £30).

Naturally, while Freeview content is gratis, the IPTV component is charged on a pay-per-view basis. Expect to pay around a couple of quid to watch shows and movies from the VOD (video on demand) menu.

A bit of hubbub

BT insists that the BT Vision box is used with its HomeHub Wi-Fi router. This stipulation caused me a little consternation, as, although a BT customer, I would rather dig my eyes out with a fork than use the HomeHub. A more unreliable router doesn't exist.

Having gone through two and ranted at the way it would toss my internet connection out of the window on a whim, I junked the 'Hub for an earlier Voyager 2091 Wi-Fi modem, again BT-specific, and found peace of mind (and a stress-free connection).

But as part of the deal, BT insists on connecting the V-box directly to the HomeHub. So out of retirement it came and the BT engineer duly came and hooked it up.

The unit (manufactured by Thomson) is reasonably well made. Slim and compact, it has system controls on the fascia and a flap revealing a card slot and (currently non-functioning) USB 2.0 slots.

Backside AV connectivity comprises HDMI v1.1 (even though the unit is currently SD only), two Scarts, optical digital audio, stereo phonos, S-video and aerial loop through. In addition there's a phone line input, inactive USB slots and an Ethernet jack.

The remote handset is a bit of a handful because it's shaped like a TGI potato wedge, but it's finished so well you'll enjoy wielding it. It also flickers blue when used. Cool.

The EPG looks like the bastard child of Sony's XMB interface and the Sky Guide.

It allows you to scroll across the top bar to access TV Listings, VOD content, recordings, and so on. Once selected, these unveil more options.

Unfortunately, a complex PVR like this lives or dies by its software. And the code beneath the hood seems somewhat flakey. Stepping through the EPG is enough for it to lock up and become unresponsive. I found myself gingerly moving about, putting a respectful delay between each button press in the hope that I wouldn't cause the box to crash. It's like the electronic equivalent of whispering.

The box also has a habit of throwing up incomprehensible error codes. One attempt to delete a programme was met with repeated refusal and a message stubbornly telling me the box was unable to record.

Hopefully, such error code nonsense will become a thing of the past. The online nature of the box means that BT can continually update firmware without any user intervention.

In use, the Freeview side of the box is par for the course. Its pictures look much like any other Freeview box and recordings are transparent to the original source. When it comes to the quality of VOD material, playback is smooth and moderately detailed.

Although it feels as if the VOD selections are unspooling from the hard drive, they are in fact streaming from a BT server. Standard FF/REW/pause control is possible. Smoothness depends on your broadband speed. BT recommends a minimum of 2Mb.

Interestingly, the box can decode VC1, MPEG-4, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 DVB SD video, MPEG-4 AVC and MPEG-2 HD, and MPEG-1 layer 2, AAC and Dolby Digital audio. This gives it huge future-proofing potential as and when appropriate firmware is released. 128Mbytes of RAM is available to system resources, while a 300MHz processor drives the EPG.

Poor and expensive

As for the value of BT's VOD service, that's yet to be determined. Currently, the selection of programming is poor and expensive. Charging 29p for a three-minute music video strikes me as way too much.

And I'm not alone in feeling cool to Pay-Per-View VOD. According to the influential Forrester Research group, downloading pay content is unlikely to become a mainstream pursuit, which could be bad news for BT's gameplan.

Instead it suggests that in the near future broadcasters and studios will move to streaming technology funded by advertising. That business model (as advocated by ITV.com) is where the lucrative ad market of tomorrow will migrate and where most money will be made.

So has our telecoms giant come to the market half-cocked or is BT Vision indeed an evolutionary product? A bit of both, actually.

While I have reservations about the value of the VOD content - there should be more free stuff - and have courted madness through its erratic behaviour, I don't feel inclined to write the BT Vision box off.

BT has a chance to fix its bugs and improve functionality via firmware updates. If it can get it working as advertised, this would be a very cool product indeed.

Sling Media Slingbox

tech.co.uk staff — 1204387073

Laptops have changed the way we interact with our data; so much so they now regularly outsell desktop PCs.

In a similar way, the Slingbox is here to change the way we interact with our televisions, by freeing us from the desktop box. It does this by allowing you to watch your own TV, regardless of location, whether in this country or abroad.

This may sound trivial, but for the frequent traveller, being able to view their favourite TV programmes, whether live or recorded on a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is a luxury available to anyone with a broadband connection.

There are an increasing number of such solutions available, from the likes of Sony and Orbis, but this one consists of a single box you connect to your TV and then to your broadband connection.

You'll need a broadband account that can handle 256Kbps to keep a decent connection, but anyone with an 8MB account will be fine.

One at a time

Slingbox has designed it to work as a one-to-one device, so only one person can gain access to the power of the box at any one time, but you can install the software on any number of devices.

Slingbox will be bringing out a UK-specific Pocket PC version too, so you can watch TV on your Wi-Fi PDA. Don't expect Hi-Def resolution, but the buffering technique developed means there are no slow-downs when watching. This buffering means you can also run it through a wireless connection without too much trouble.

We found that it took some 30 minutes to get the box installed and running. Then you just need to make sure you have a broadband connection wherever you are.

It's such a novel idea that there are no legal precedents concerning the viewing of re-broadcast material overseas, so you won't be able to record any shows directly to your laptop, but you can safely do so at home - on higher quality.

The Slingbox is a great concept and means you don't have to leave your TV at home. What Laptop staff

Roadstar DVB2012T

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With accessories galore, this tiny Freeview box threatens to refute allegations that Roadstar is a dyed-in-the-wool budget brand.

As well as a Scart lead, the company has included a 12V cigarette lighter charger for running it from a car and, more usefully, a digital signal booster that stretches about two metres from the box.

Despite its name, we’re not sure why anyone would want to take this Roadstar for a drive, but its diminutive size is welcome nonetheless. The hefty indoor aerial should be handy for use in caravans or rooms that don’t have access to a rooftop aerial. Except that ours didn’t work.

Extended to its full range in a room with patchy Freeview TV reception, it failed to pick-up any signal. We had to resort to another brand of indoor antenna to guarantee a signal for this review.

Its clean fascia contains just a few subdued logos and a remote sensor, it weighs almost nothing and has enough features of its own to leave us impressed.

While small, the rear of the box packs some punch. A lone RGB-enabled Scart guarantees decent quality pictures and its electrical digital audio output makes an unexpected appearance, given its low price, and it will facilitate the routing of sound through a home cinema amplifier.

Performance

Switch on the DVB2012T and an automatic tuning wizard kicks off, completing a full roster of Freeview TV and radio channels.

The well laid-out and responsive black remote is only credit card-sized, but still manages to feature commands that toggle between TV and radio, activate subtitles, tinker with the picture size and select the electronic programme guide, although the latter button is not nearly prominent enough.

There’s even an option to set the EPG to display programmes on a particular channel in a simple list, a timeline showing what’s on a number of channels at any one time, or a simple Now and Next menu. The attractive EPG can also be used to programme up to five timers if the Scart is attached to a VHS or DVD recorder.

Reminders can be set for each programme, information and exact transmission times inspected, or schedules scrolled though for the following eight days. Again, the process is simple, due to the well designed remote control.

Happily, menus work while the current programme plays underneath, although it is blanked out: there’s no floating or see-through window.

Crucially for a digibox positioned at the affordable end of the market, the DVB2012T is equipped with a RGB Scart, so it delivers very clean images. With admirable stability and a colour palette on the realistic side of vivid, we have to say that we’re impressed by the DVB2012T.

Despite some minor setbacks, the it leaves our labs with its reputation enhanced, especially as it is available online for only £29.99

Sling Media Slingbox

tech.co.uk staff — 1203516509

As far as boasts go, Sling Media's is a whopper. The US company claims that its Slingbox will 'transform the way you watch television'. Instead of 'timeshifting', Sling Media's technology is pushing a different idea: 'placeshifting'.

While timeshifting enables you to watch 'what you want, when you want', placeshifting is all about watching 'what you want, when you want and where you want'.

Admittedly, it's been done before. Orb Networks already runs an excellent media streaming service via www.orb.com , while Sony has similar LocationFree technology that'll ultimately link its PCs, PSPs and PlayStation 3s together.

That said, Sling Media's approach is far more flexible. By plugging a Slingbox into any compatible video source, such as a Sky digibox or a common UHF TV aerial, you can stream (or 'sling') audio/video across the Internet.

Box of tricks

The Slingbox itself looks like it's been snapped off a giant chocolate bar, its silver wrapping left intact. It acts like a middleman, linking your preferred video source (via S-Video, composite/SCART or UHF coaxial cable) to a broadband router (via Ethernet cable).

Your choice of video source is varied. In the UK, the Slingplayer software (which needs to be installed on a networked PC) supports PAL broadcast sources including Freeview, NTL/Telewest cable and Sky Digital. You can also hook it up a DVD recorder or video camera to play back and stream content.

So far, so simple. However, some elements of the Slingbox setup are bound to be complicated. After all, this lightweight device has been built to encode video on the fly (into the Windows Media format) and then to stream it over your broadband connection.

Once the Slingbox has been configured to work over a home LAN, the Slingplayer software attempts to use UPnP protocols to configure port forwarding for your router so that the video stream can be accessed over the Internet.

Should this automatic configuration fail, port forwarding needs to be configured manually. Full marks to Sling Media, though, because the Slingplayer software features step-by-step instructions for a wide range of routers.

The software then runs a final check to ensure that remote access is working, before generating a unique Finder ID. When you install the Slingplayer software on a remote machine, this 32-digit alphanumeric ID is used to locate and communicate with your Slingbox over the Internet.

TV anywhere

The Slingbox enables you to watch television over the Internet and control your television. Plug one into a Sky box, for example, connect the supplied IR emitters, and you can switch channels from an Oxford Street Starbucks using an onscreen remote. Typing 106, for example, changes the channel to Sky One, while drop-down menus handle those functions that aren't immediately accessible.

It's here that the full enormity of the Slingbox's talents hits you squarely in the face. Admittedly, the video quality depends on your connection speed and drops considerably when viewed over the Internet. However, think of it this way: your TV is now accessible from anywhere on the planet.

Technomate TM-5200D USB

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Hot on the heels of the TM-6900 high-definition receiver, Technomate's TM-5200D USB brings PVR capabilities and even a flavour of HD to budget standard-definition reception.

For under £70, the TM-5200D not only provides a free-to-air receiver that's easy to use and set up, but it has a blind search to keep up to date with the broadcasting changes, and hardware and software built in to add hard disc recording.

Build

The TM-5200D USB does not have the 'full-width' style of its older brothers. This receiver is in the same casing as the (very popular) TM-1000 and TM-1500. To be honest, the front panel looks a little dated now but it's far from unattractive. The (simple green fluorescent) display is in a shiny chromed ring, with three buttons and a fold-down flap concealing - well not a great deal, really.

This is a free-to-air receiver so there's no card slot here, nor common interface slot, so you can't add a CAM for pay-TV - but, actually, you can. You can add a programmable card reader internally and Technomate says that the TM-5200D will auto-detect it so you can effectively upgrade later to a CAM receiver.

The only item lurking under the front panel flap is the USB 2.0 connector. That's very handy when using this for updating the receiver's software, or even playing MP3 files or displaying digital photos on your TV, through the TM-5200D. But if you want to permanently make use of the TM-5200D's recording capabilities, then this is the last place you want to connect a memory stick or hard drive. Like the TM-6900, the TM-5200D needs a USB socket at the rear as well.

There is room there, although the receiver's diminutive size means the back panel is quite packed. There is just one LNB input but this is DiSEqC 1.0 and DiSEqC 1.1-compatible so you can connect up to 16 LNBs/dishes here. Of course, the TM-5200D will also drive a DiSEqC 1.2 or USALS motorised mount so the choice of satellites to receive from, is really limited only by your antenna.

There are Scart sockets for both the TV and VCR (or DVD recorder) and the TV socket can output both composite and RGB video signals. Separate composite video output is also provided and so (unusually) are YPbPr component video signals, for connection to an HD ready TV.

One slight restriction is that you cannot watch component video and RGB at the same time (although they use different socketry), for instance, if you're using a DVD recorder with RGB input.

You can watch via a UHF distribution system on other TVs around the home, as the TM-5200D has a standard UHF modulator. There are also stereo analogue audio outputs and a Dolby-compatible optical S/PDIF digital audio connector.

The TM-5200D's remote control is bit plasticky but comfortable enough and well laid out, without too many buttons but some useful shortcuts. The placing of buttons for Menu, Exit and the like is always a personal matter, but this handset has a fairly all-pleasing approach.

Setup

The TM-5200D is supplied pre-programmed with more than 3,200 channels across 23 satellites, so the few thousand that apply to your situation are there on tap (according to the language you select), for a near-instant setup without any searching, once the means of accessing the satellites has been established.

If you do want to search for channels on particular satellites, then the TM-5200D is also adept at this. First, the antenna setup is defined, either by selecting the DiSEqC switching arrangements for each satellite to be received, or by setup of a motorised dish. USALS setup is particularly simple - with the satellite positions calculated for you when you enter the site's longitude and latitude - and (unusually and usefully) has electronic limits on east and west dish movement. Setting up a DiSEqC 1.2 motor is a bit more involved but simple to master and maintain with coarse and fine dish movement, system reset and recalculate functions.

When you have your satellites in your sights, the TM-5200D can scan them in a number of ways. The normal scan can search for all channels, free-to-air channels only, or just TV channels, and the network search can be switched on or off. Searching the 72 transponders in the receiver's database on Astra 19.2°E, for all channels, took the TM-5200D about 2 minutes 45 seconds - a very good speed by today's standards.

The advanced search will scan an individual transponder, with the frequency, polarity and symbol rate either entered via the handset or taken from the stored database (FEC is automatically detected). The PID search performs a similar function but allows for specific PIDs to be set or automatically detected.

There's also a 'Fast Scan' specifically for the Dutch networks, Canal Digitaal and TV Vlaanderen, which can renumber the whole channel list with the Dutch channels at the start.

Finally, there is the blind search. This searches through the frequencies, MHz by MHz, to find any transmissions. The process is very slow (compared to a 'normal' database scan) so the TM-5200D offers a few refinements to cut down the waiting. The frequencies and the polarity searched can be limited. The symbol rates can be coarsely scanned or in detail, or limited to above or below 7500 or below 3500 to trap or avoid programme feeds, and the signals found can be limited to TV or FTA only.

To find absolutely everything takes a while. A blind search of Astra 1, scanning all frequencies, polarities and symbol rates in detail took the TM-5200D a little under 16.5 minutes - that's a long time but extremely fast compared to the first blind search receivers of just a couple of years ago.

The TM-5200D also provides for scanning all the satellites one after another, whether it's a normal search or a blind search undertaken. This way, you can set it all up and go away and have a cup of tea while it finds everything for you to watch.

Navigation

The TM-5200D can store a colossal 10,000 channels - enough for the most ardent satellite searcher - and these are listed onscreen in their stored order, or by name, transponder or encryption. You can also choose to list the channels on all satellites or just one.

When the channels are listed by name, transponder or encryption, a side menu (of initial letter, transponder or encryption method) provides a quick means to get where you want to be, and all lists can be skipped through a page (12 channels) at a time.

The channels can be renamed, deleted, locked or passed over, and you can name and populate 16 favourite channels lists (eight are pre-named) to help organise the channels into manageable groups.

The EPG displays a grid of programmes for six channels, or a list of programmes on the currently selected channel, with details of the highlighted programme. A single button-press transfers the programme details to the event timer for recording (if memory or HDD is connected). Of course, you can also edit the event or set up the timer manually, and for this, the TM-5200D timer is particularly easy to operate.

Recording

The TM-5200D's USB 2.0 socket will connect either a high-capacity memory stick or a USB HDD for recording received programmes, and for MP3 music playback and photo slideshow. However, the TM-5200D is by no means a fully functioning PVR.

Connected memory can be formatted, you can record the current channel, recordings can be played back (but not until the recording has ended), and that's about it. There is no buffering of the live broadcast and you cannot effectively 'pause' a live channel (even starting a recording and immediately pressing Pause doesn't help as you can never view the paused-over material until the recording is ended).

There are not even 'transport controls' for playback (except pause) so you cannot fast-forward or rewind a recording.

Performance

The TM-5200D's pictures are excellent; bright and crisp with strong even colours, and very little video noise. This is especially true if the RGB output or - even better - the component video output is used. Although the TM-5200D cannot produce HD images, the picture quality via component video is arguably as good as you'll ever get from SD channels.

The sound is also good, with clear, noise-free audio from all channels.

The TM-5200D has a sensitive tuner that can produce glitch-free images from relatively weak signals and, of course, the performance on recorded programmes is as good as watching live.

Other features

There are three games built into the TM-5200D to occupy your time, and the receiver will both decode digital teletext and reinsert the pages into the PAL output for teletext TVs. A mosaic function will display two, four, six or nine thumbnails onscreen to select a channel.

Although there's no live PVR pause, the Pause button (when not viewing a playback) will freeze the picture and also enter the magnification function to hugely enlarge any section of the picture.

Verdict

The TM-5200D is an immensely capable receiver. It performs well, with good pictures even from weaker signals. The searching is fast, the navigation effective and the blind search nothing short of excellent.

It isn't fully PVR-ready - you can record to external memory, but its recording and playback facilities are far short of how we would define a true PVR. But remember that this is a sub-£70 receiver we're talking about here and the ability just to record broadcasts to USB memory is a terrific bonus.

It's a useful bonus too, and so is the component video output. Both features add to what is already a very flexible, accomplished, and low-cost receiver.

Metronic DualStream

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Would you like to record one FTA digital programme while watching another? You can buy twin-tuner PVRs but these might be outside your budget. And what if you already have a DVD recorder?

The DualStream from French company Metronic is, as far as we know, unique; a twin-tuner, free-to-air receiver that - with the appropriate dish configuration - can deliver two channels simultaneously. One channel is available on the TV Scart, while the other - which can be the same channel, or a different one - is fed to the slave VCR Scart.

So you can record a second channel with your off-board equipment without affecting your viewing. As an alternative, that VCR Scart could feed a video sender so that digital TV can be viewed in another room. Sadly, video senders are the only practical route here; the DualStream makes no provision for UHF aerial connections.

Only one remote handset is supplied. If dual-room operation is envisaged, you're advised to program a learning universal remote from the DualStream's handset. The midi-sized DualStream has a four-digit LED channel indicator, plus LEDs for mains power, standby and 'signal good'. Alongside these are buttons for channel selection, volume adjustment, menu access and standby. Finally, we have a card-slot flap that's been glued shut. There's nothing behind it because the DualStream is free-to-air only.

The rear panel sports the two LNB inputs (together with their respective loopthrough outputs) and the VCR and VCR Scarts. The main tuner is also available on composite video, optical digital and stereo analogue audio outputs. The only other connector is a RS232 serial port for service purposes, presumably firmware upgrades. For those wary of standby modes, it also has a mains power switch.

To make the most of the DualStream you'll need a dish with a dual-LNB so that channels of different polarity can simultaneously be viewed and recorded; each LNB section would feed one of the inputs. But up to 16 satellites are possible, thanks to DiSEqC. Such dishes must, of course, be fitted with dual-LNBs. Each LNB input would be fed by a DiSEqC switchbox. The inputs of these two switchboxes would, in turn, be connected to one of the two LNB outputs of each dish. Only DiSEqC 1.0 is supported; you can't use the DualStream with a motorised dish.

If you don't have a dual-LNB a cheaper alternative would be to feed one tuner from the output of the other using a short loopthrough cable - something that's not discussed in the (rather poor) manual. The only downside is that the slave tuner will only be able to receive channels of the same polarity and band as that currently being received by the main tuner. Feeding the tuners independently from two existing dishes aimed at different satellites won't work unless you upgrade to dual-LNBs and DiSEqC switchboxes.

The receiver is configured via a batch of simple menus. In 'antenna setup' you tell the receiver which satellites can be received and specify their DiSEqC switch positions. A nice touch is the 'antenna help' option. Specify the desired satellite, enter your longitude and latitude, and you're given the azimith and elevation angles for your location. As an alternative to the automatic search - which works its way through pre-programmed transponders - is searching of a specific manually configurable transponder (complete with PID entry if required). Blind search isn't an option. Sensibly, the DualStream finds and stores only free-to-air channels.

Video outputs, menu appearance, a 'start-up' channel and audio/menu languages are configured in system setup. Although composite and RGB are options for the main (TV) Scart output, the slave (VCR) output is composite-only. For those with DVD recorders an S-video option would have also been welcome. Another disappointment, certainly if you're driving different TVs, is that aspect ratios are not independently configurable for each output - the slave is 4:3 only. The DualStream is capable of NTSC, PAL or multi-standard operation.

It has to be said that navigation could be improved. Pressing the handset's 'enter' button brings up a channel list that cannot be sorted alphabetically or by satellite. Three favourite lists are provided and it's easy to define these with the 'channels-manager' option. The same is true of the further trio of favourites lists specific to the dedicated radio mode The channels-manager also allows you to delete, move, rename or PIN-protect channels.

So to the receiver's main function - its 'split personality'. Channels intended for the main output are selected in the usual way. Pressing the remote's VCR button forces the 'aux' output to tune into the same channel - useful if you want to record what you're watching. Press the TV/VCR button while watching the 'main' output and you enter the 'slave' mode. A different channel (which could be on another satellite) can now be chosen for the 'aux' output; in this condition 'SLA' appears on the front panel display. Press the TV/VCR button again and the original tuner is restored to the main output.

There are none of the games or 'freeze-frame' functions found on other budget kit, but the unit does have teletext and an EPG which supports now-and-next and seven-day schedules displayed in a three-quarter screen window as a grid where you can bring up additional programme information. Programmable either manually or from the EPG, the VCR timer memorises up to 10 events over a year.

We were very impressed with the vibrant and detailed pictures that the DualStream offers from its main output via RGB Scart. Sadly, the 'aux' output is hampered by its inability to offer anything other than composite 4:3 video - a real problem if you're viewing or recording widescreen.

In all cases sound quality is excellent. The DualStream pulled in all the preset Astra 1x transponder's FTA channels in seven minutes. Switching between channels takes two seconds. Our only performance criticism is that the box gets rather warm in use.

It's an interesting box capable of good AV performance. No current dual-tuner receiver (PVR or otherwise) has the DualStream's ability to watch and record channels from different satellites which, admittedly, is only an option if you're using multiple dishes (or a single multi-feed dish), dual-LNBs and DiSEqC switchboxes. The few who need such functionality will have to pay a lot for all this stuff.

Slingbox Pro

tech.co.uk staff — 1202725555

It's amazing how quick the internet has developed. The era of expensive dial-up connections and 486-based PCs wasn't much more than a decade ago. So what the Slingbox Pro makes possible would have been utterly inconceivable back then; a device that allows you to catch up with your TV wherever you are. Who'd have thunked it?

This second-generation Slingbox Pro has an in-built TV tuner that caters for both analogue and digital reception, plus a barrage of analogue AV connections. There's also a plug-in infra-red 'wand' for remote control of set-top boxes and other sources.

An Ethernet port jacks the Slingbox to your broadband router, and thus to the 'net at large. Special Windows (XP/Vista) or Mac (OS X) software is employed for configuration. The first time you use this 'SlingPlayer' program, you're taken through a friendly step-by-step process.

It deals with any firmware upgrades plus configuration of the internal tuners, AV inputs, infra-red codes and a choice of manual or automatic router configuration. The latter worked first time - this will come as a pleasant surprise for those who had trouble getting the original Slingbox to work properly.

SlingPlayer also attributes a unique 'player ID' to your Slingbox Pro, which is required whenever you try to access your content - whether you're viewing on your local network or in a different country altogether.

After selecting the desired source, viewing takes place within a (maximisable) window, with (stereo) sound, and a maximum resolution of 640 x 480. Hi-def connectivity is provided mainly for the benefit of countries like the US where HD broadcasting is widespread, and downscaling to the standard-def resolution at which the service operates takes place inside the box.

Using the Sky+ infra-red code, I tried Sky HD (via component) at both 720p and 1080i, and it worked fine - kudos to the accurate onscreen 'virtual' representation of Sky's handset!

SlingStream optimises the bitrates (and thus quality) 'on the fly' according to the available bandwidth - the manufacturer recommends a minimum upload speed of 256kbps, and at least 128kbps for 'receiving'.

On a LAN, quality is very good indeed with few artefacts and acceptable sound. A colleague, subscribing to a different ISP and located about 40 miles away, installed the SlingPlayer on his broadbanded PC. After logging in, he reported lacklustre resolution, artefacts and audio dropouts.

Conclusion

The Slingbox Pro is an easy-to-use and well thought-out product that addresses many of the problems of the first-generation model. Its multiplicity of AV inputs gives rise to impressive flexibility (you could dedicate one to a security camera, for example).

However, in performance terms you shouldn't expect miracles (even with buffering). But if you travel abroad often, British TV at any quality is probably better than none at all...

Freecom DVB-T Scart

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Most flatscreen TVs have built-in Freeview reception, but if yours is an exception you'll need to add your own upgrade option in time for switchover.

The Freecom DVB-T offers a discreet solution, as it slots directly into a spare Scart socket on your set and frees valuable shelf space.

As in many homes the TV is against a wall, the adapter (about the size of two cigarette packs) hinges at the Scart end, enabling you to fold it over to conserve space.

It takes a 230V power supply and comes fitted with a UHF aerial input. A small portable aerial is supplied, but we wouldn't recommend using it over a fixed aerial.

Its being out of sight raises control issues, so Freecom has included a remote eye sensor that plugs into the adapter and sits under your TV, relaying remote commands to the adapter. The remote itself is a cheap affair with a button arrangement familiar from previous adapters we've tested but it works well enough in conjunction with the eye.

Simple to set-up

First-time installation prompts you to select your country, giving you the option of turning on a 5V power supply for an external aerial if required.

Among the display settings you can also choose 4:3 pan and scan, 4:3 letterbox or 16:9 aspect ratios, select RGB or composite Scart output.

The main channel list can be sorted by name, service and channel number and toggled to show TV only or radio channels only. You can also select a favourites list.

The programme info banner features now-and-next info, but can't be expanded to show a synopses of the current show, only technical data.

The EPG offers a full-screen grid view and supports up to seven days of information with programme information accessible for each.

There's a 10-event manual timer with once-daily and weekly repeat settings, and a mosaic option that displays still images of what's on nine channels at a time. Teletext support and a PIN lock feature are available.

Decent Pictures

The supplied portable antenna failed to pull in channels in our test location, but when plugging in a feed from a fixed rooftop aerial we found the tuner to be reasonably sensitive, although the software is prone to displaying weird messages such as 'HDTV not support' when reception proved tricky on some channels.

Picture-wise it's on a par with the average Freeview adapter; it's stable and relatively block-free owing to its quality tuner. Audio quality is also average, although those looking for hi fi connectors will be disappointed.

When Freeview adapters can be had in supermarkets for the price of a new DVD, £40 seems a lot to ask for the DVB-T Scart. But if you have a flatscreen TV that needs to go digital, this will suffice.

Alba STB8

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If anything will get the masses adequately prepared for switchover it's a £20 Freeview box you can pick up in your local supermarket. The STB8 is designed to be as plug-and-play as possible, hence Alba's accompanying 'Quick 2 View' branding.

It's the size of a paperback, with a fascia that offers little excitement other than a single LED behind a window that glows green when in operation and red in standby.
The rear panel is basic; it's clearly designed with second-room setups in mind. A UHF loopthrough allows you to watch analogue (but not digital) TV by connecting the UHF output to your TV.

The presence of a single Scart connector rules out recording digital channels to a VCR or DVD recorder but it does boast RGB and composite support. There are no separate audio connectors either, which may disappoint radio listeners lumbered with tinny-sounding portable TVs.

There's an RS232 port for engineer's use (software updates are downloaded over the air) and a reset button should the box freeze up in any way (we had no such problems).
The slim remote control is an intuitive off-the-shelf number with numerous similarly sized buttons and the box is sensitive to its commands.

After prompting you to select the aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9) the initial tuning takes about two minutes.

Teen temptation

The menus are easy to navigate and the default blue-and-grey colour scheme can be toggled to one of seven variations including Rainforest and Goth, which will no doubt delight bedroom-dwelling teenagers.

A favourites list can be created and you set the receiver to only 'see' those channels when channel-zapping. You can also choose if you want to be presented with now-and-next or the full seven days of data in advance when bringing up the EPG.

The now-and-next guide includes the selected channel in three-quarter screen, alongside a programme summary with a list of channels on the left-hand side and now-and-next data for the selected channel displayed on the right.

The seven-day guide is full-screen with a summary at the top, a channel grid beneath on the left, and what's on in the selected hour displayed on the right. You can also skip through day by day. You can bring up an info bar for what you're watching, which includes now-and-next details and a signal meter but it can't be expanded to show programme synopses.

The tuner generated a stable, largely block-free picture from all channels available in Wotsat's Central London test area, although colours can be a little unnatural-looking - which wasn't necessarily the fault of our 19in LCD test TV. It's acceptable, however, as is the crisp audio performance via the Scart output.

If a spare TV in your house needs an upgrade, the STB8 will fit the bill.