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Budget Freeview boxes
Cheap Freeview Set Top Box Reviews
Recommended PVR
Digital TV Recorder
Humax PVR-9300T
- Record Freeview SD Programmes
- Massive 320GB Disk
- Up to 200Hrs of Recording
- Twin DVB-T Digital Tuners
- Upscaling by HDMI Interface
- Pause and Rewind Live TV
If you're looking to buy a cheap Freeview box for terrestrial digital TV there are many budget set top boxes to choose from under £50, with the cheapest Freeview receivers available to buy online under £30.
The difference in performance between the cheap brands and the best Freeview boxes can be significant, especially if you live in a weak signal area - so be warned. To help you make an informed choice we recommend some of the best Freeview boxes and terrestrial digital recorders in this article.
This review takes a cheap Freeview set top box through its paces to test its performance - assessing picture quality, ease of use and receiver functionality. We assess whether budget Freeview boxes really are 'value for money' or whether it's worth paying £20 extra for a 'best buy' Humax set top box or around £150 for a high specification Freeview PVR which features twin tuners allowing two terrestrial digital TV channels to be recorded at once and also supports the flexibility of being able to pause and rewind live TV.
Matsui DTR 1 Budget Freeview Box
We review how well a budget Freeview digital box - the Matsui DTR1 worked well in poor reception areas and list the relative pros and cons of buying a cheap receiver below.
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Matsui DTR1 Freeview Receiver Review
Budget Freeview Box
Cheap Freeview Set Top Box
Icecrypt T5000
- Low power consumption
- Convert any TV to digital!
- Twin SCART
- Includes RF Modulator
For a cheap Freeview box, the Matsui DTR1 proved very easy to install and use and it offered a respectable number of features. It found all available Freeview TV channels and completed installation in less than one minute. Adding new channels and updating Freeview channel numbers was easy too, with a fast search option which quickly added the new "More4 and ITV4" digital TV channels to the EPG.
Picture Quality
Freeview digital TV picture quality was reasonable with the Matsui DTR1. However, as a cheap set top box it lacked some of the picture definition and clarity of the Humax PVR9300T and other more expensive digital TV receivers. Freeview images suffered considerable pixiliation on the Samsung flatscreen HD TV used for the review - much worse than on the Humax PVR.
The Matsui's RGB pictures were also rather dark compared to CVBS (composite video), implying that the RGB Scart video output level was rather low. Although the Matui set top box performed well in poor Freeview signal areas, the receiver sensitivity was not up to the standards of the Humax PVR 8000T, although it did still pass our weak Freeview signal test.
Digital TV Interactive Services
Accessing BBCi, Digital Teletext and Interactive TV services through the "red button" was reassuringly fast. The processor speed of the Matsui Freeview set top box was good, giving fast load times of all interactive digital TV services.
Cheap Freeview Box Limitations
In common with other cheap Freeview receivers, the Matsui DTR-1 front panel pushbuttons proved rather awkward to use, often needing a firm push to make them work. However, the well laid out handset made up for this with a good range of functions. However, it wasn't a "learning remote" so won't control your TV.
When you buy a cheap Freeview box, check whether it has a built in UHF modulator as you'll need this feature if you want to distribute Freeview TV around your home, or if you have an old TV without a scart socket.
If you've already purchased a cheap Freeview receiver without a modulator, the solution to this problem is to buy a UHF Modulator. This will then allow you to distribute Freeview digital TV channels to other TV's in your home, using a separate Freeview distribution amplifier
The budget price Matsui DTR1 Freeview set top box lacks a UHF modulator. If you want to connect it to an old TV that doesn't have a rear panel Scart socket then you'd either have to connect it via an unused Scart socket on your video recorder (if you have one) to watch it through your VCR, or buy the external UHF modulator described above. The external modulator generates a modulated UHF signal to add Freeview TV channels to your television (via the aerial socket).
Matsui DTR1 Software Bugs
One common problem with the Matsui DTR1 is loss of channels, needing total re-installation. Since over the air software upgrades are not available, the unit should be returned to Dixons for repair.
Review Conclusions
In summary, aside from the software bug, the Matsui DTR1 is a budget Freeview receiver with good performance for a cheap price. The picture quality of the DTR1 was good for the price, and only on high resolution widescreen televisions were its limitations seen.
Summary
As a budget Freeview set top box, the Matsui DTR1 performs very well indeed with some second hand boxes now available to purchase on E-bay for very cheap prices.
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DVB-T Compatible PC TV Cards
Read our Hauppauge WinTV PVR review for details about how to record your favourite TV programmes onto high quality DVD's from the MPEG2 files created by a WinTV PC card (subject to copyright).
Disclaimer
The information contained on this Freeview receiver review page is provided in good faith and is accurate to the best of our ability. We offer no guarantee regarding accuracy of information featured on this site.
