View Full Version : best freeview box
stormchaser
13-06-2003, 4:51 AM
hi
could anyone advise please which is the best quality freeview box to get, to couple with my sony fs36?
cheers
Wayne Moule
13-06-2003, 2:43 PM
:hiya:
Mine,again.
:clap:
MartinImber
13-06-2003, 4:14 PM
Oh dear, well the best DTTV tuner for picture quality is the one fitted to Sony IDTVs (yes I have compared) eg the DX version of yours.
The two others I have used recently are Pace DTVA - good little box - not quite as good MPEG artifact tidying as Sony but very quick text (I mean quick!).
Pace Twin - very slightly mushy picture - to be fixed in next update.
Since you probably don't want to swap your TV I suggest you wait until Twin software update is here at end of next week.
I would now not buy an ordinary box except for a small TV.
The Twin is a superb piece of kit which enables you to watch a programme in broadcast quality recorded at 20:00 to 21:00 between 20:30 and 21:30:eek:
stormchaser
13-06-2003, 6:27 PM
thanks guy's
martin does the pace cost a whopping £350??
cheers
Rob100
13-06-2003, 7:54 PM
Only tried 4 Freeview boxes, so...
Pana TUCT20 - Great PQ, okay UI, awful sound, 1 scart
Pace Twin - Terrible, terrible PQ, okay UI, great sound, 2 scarts + optical + s-video, recording problems.
Pace DTVA - Good PQ, okay UI, good sound, 1 scart
NetGem i-player - Great PQ, great UI, great sound, 2 scarts and lots more!
Hmm... NetGem it is then. Can't fault it TBH.
Rob.
hornydragon
13-06-2003, 7:59 PM
Originally posted by MartinImber
Oh dear, well the best DTTV tuner for picture quality is the one fitted to Sony IDTVs (yes I have compared) eg the DX version of yours.
I beleive you will find it is the BBC designed semi Pro decoder baord used by vivendi or the BBC pro Reference board used for checking transmitters.
MartinImber
13-06-2003, 8:03 PM
I beleive you will find it is the BBC designed semi Pro decoder baord used by vivendi or the BBC pro Reference board used for checking transmitters.
Can you buy them in a TV or in a box?
Thomson DTI1000 is well worth a look.
MartinImber
14-06-2003, 3:25 PM
Read the messages at Digital Spy
SOme people are unhappy with the Grundig based boxes, people I know with them seem to have problems
Nokia 221 is propably worth looking at - Line 23 WSS, digital out, only other box with both is Twin
hornydragon
14-06-2003, 9:39 PM
Originally posted by MartinImber
Can you buy them in a TV or in a box? Vivendi use the BBC semi pro board for their plasma display, so yes you can (plasma is a rebadged panny IIRC) no idea how much or who makes it though.
MartinImber
14-06-2003, 11:06 PM
Vivendi use the BBC semi pro board for their plasma display, so yes you can (plasma is a rebadged panny IIRC) no idea how much or who makes it though
Sounds interesting:cool:
hornydragon
15-06-2003, 4:48 PM
Sorry its vivadi http://www.vivadi.com/ based in swindon, saw them at Bristol back in Feb. They are impreesive solutions but expensive!!!!!
Rob100
16-06-2003, 12:12 AM
Originally posted by MartinImber
Read the messages at Digital Spy
SOme people are unhappy with the Grundig based boxes, people I know with them seem to have problems
Nokia 221 is propably worth looking at - Line 23 WSS, digital out, only other box with both is Twin
According to Cybersoga the Netgem iPlayer also supports Line 23 WSS and as we know it also has digital (optical) out.
Rob.
MartinImber
16-06-2003, 1:30 AM
The Netgem - heard of some good reports
Pace Twin though is good on Friday we wanted to watch Gardeners World so we recorded it (due to dead enders) and watched it from 20:30 to 21:30
Tonight had to record Horrornation Street as Top Gear was on.
Hence why I'm on Internet now
No the ability to watch in W/S, record on tape in W/S AND record to HDD in widescreen is so usefull
We now have four working DVB-T tuners
stormchaser
16-06-2003, 1:34 AM
lol
me is more confoozled now,than when I started lol,
is netgem the one to plump for???
cheers
Wayne Moule
16-06-2003, 2:45 AM
Originally posted by stormchaser
lol
me is more confoozled now,than when I started lol,
is netgem the one to plump for???
cheers
If I was getting another one today,from what I've read about the Netgem,then yes.
TheSeer
17-06-2003, 8:19 PM
I have both the nokia 221T & the Netgem. If I was buying another one, I would opt for a Netgem.
The Netgem seems to cope much better with low strength or low quality signals - eg on my Nokia, the UK History channel is un-watchable, whereas the Netgem copes quite well with the same signal.
PQ and sound on the two is much of a much-ness - probably more dependent on the quality of the signal than differences between the two boxes.
Also, the Netgem has a much better user interface. Its so much easier to switch betwen radio & TV channels on the Netgem.
The Netgem has MUCH better diagnostics than the Nokia. The Netgem will provide you with much better information about the quality of the signal you are getting (strength, quality, signal / noise ratio, Bit Error rate)
The Netgem also has digital out, two scarts, widescreen switching.
And finally, there is more scope for Netgem to provide updates due to the built-in modem.
The only area where I think the Nokia is better is in build quality. The Nokia feels substantial, whereas the Netgem definitely feels a little flimsy.
And, No, I do not work for Netgem - but I have just spent 120 smackers on buying one, and the Nokia has been relegated to the bedroom.
Goober11
18-06-2003, 10:10 PM
Very happy with my panny tuct20, very fast, great picture and the sound is fine. i have had on-digital from day 1 and still have my pace box which is ok, but the panny urinates on it imho.
Even got £15 off through the Littlewoods discount vouchers that someone posted in Special offers.
Choose well.:confused:
Rob100
19-06-2003, 5:53 AM
What do you listen to the sound from your TUCT20 on? It might sound okay coming out TV's speakers, but on surround sound system it sounds very dull/flat and life-less. Also don't you think the TUCT-20 is ugly!? And only has one scart, no digi out etc, etc.
Rob.
ldoodle
20-06-2003, 10:28 AM
I'd also like to know what the 'best box' to buy is. Do BBC have any recommendations?
Where can I look on the web to see different models (Comet only have 3)?
Does anyone know if there's any plans to add E4 to the channel listings on freeview?
ldoodle
20-06-2003, 11:12 AM
Originally posted by TheSeer
And, No, I do not work for Netgem - but I have just spent 120 smackers on buying one, and the Nokia has been relegated to the bedroom.
If this has digital outputs, does it mean that if a programme was ever broadcast in 5.1/DTS!!! would we be able to watch it with that sound format, or am I on the wrong track?
Also, what's the controller like? From the images i've seen, it looks, well, awkward to handle!
MartinImber
20-06-2003, 2:53 PM
The Twin will output DD5.1 if anyone feels like broadcasting it
MarkE19
25-06-2003, 5:50 PM
In theory these boxes with a digital output could output a 5.1 signal, but in practice it is very unlikely (IMHO) that 5.1 will ever be transmitted on Freeview due to the high bandwidth that is required for DD/DTS.
Mark.
twarde
27-06-2003, 9:04 PM
Does anyone know of a freeview box that can output Svideo on its scart? The RGB input on my Sony TV is a bit on the red side and the colour contol doesn't work on the RGB scart. Also I would like to record the odd programme on my JVC SVHS video.
Cheers,
Tony
Rob100
28-06-2003, 3:54 AM
TV scart on Netgem can ouput either RGB and composite, Component and composite or s-video.
VCR scart sadly is composite only.
Rob.
lucien
28-06-2003, 1:19 PM
Originally posted by stormchaser
hi
could anyone advise please which is the best quality freeview box to get. . .cheers
Why Netgem'i-player is the best FREEVIEW receiver. Detailed answers by users themselves.
Alasn said simply No Other Gem than a NetGem
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showthread.php?postid=942435#post942435
alien2k who had a Grundig explain now why Nothing is as good as an iPlayer
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showthread.php?postid=939562#post939562
MANC who had Pace DTVA and Nokia 221T decided to go for the i-player
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showthread.php?postid=943935#post943935
TheSeer has Nokia 221T and the i-player. Why he prefers Netgem He gives answer with full details here on current thread page 2
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=627950#post627950
dialanothernumb tested 3 box. The best box is the Netgem high spec machine
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showthread.php?postid=940569#post940569
Nemo2000 tested 5 box. Its well documented vote for the i-player in this forum
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showthread.php?postid=997132#post997132
tonykbourne tested 8 box. The best box IMHO is the Netgem
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showthread.php?postid=945740#post945740
:smashin:
lucien
04-07-2003, 8:42 AM
Which Freeview box for weak signals area ?
The i-player has a Siel tuner which is on a par with the Setpal.
Both are capable of reception down to a C/N of 15.9db according to the attached link:
http://www.mail-archive.com/opendtv@topica.com/msg02266.html
Regardless of the software in the box, Eb/No normalises the signal strenght allowing comparsions. Granted nothing beats a side by side comparison between two boxes coming from the same antenna feed , but it is somewhat impractical to arrange for everone in the uk to connect their boxes to the same antenna feed, and so in the real world, Eb/No provides a way to make the comparison.
Both the Netgem and the Setpals are capable of demoding a signal down to a C/N of 15.9db
Hope this helps
lucien
11-07-2003, 10:34 PM
To have a more concrete idea of the possibilities of the i-player throw a glance to Australian i-player (Teac ITV D-500) (http://player.teac.com.au/index.htm)
How to buy ? Another retailer for boxes (http://www.purewell.co.uk/eshop/10583/groups/SATFR.htm)
The netgem looks good, given the upgrades to it etc, how possible do you think PVR via USB HD / Lan is from a future software revision? (It should be fairly simple!)