Digilogic DSTB1500

...bargain, I spotted the Digilogic DSTB1500 set top box in Tesco the other day at just £24.95 and thought it was worth a try.

I am lucky in that I know from using my Humax that I can get Freeview where I live but to be honest the first time I checked the Freeview website using my postcode it told me it wasn't available in my area. However when I checked via http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/coverage.html I discovered that it was - although ...
.../> Anyway back to the Digilogic DSTB1500 - Digilogic is a Tesco own brand so you aren't going to find this product anywhere else so far as I know. This model actually has a Philips processor, it has 2 Scart sockets to allow you to connect to your TV and a recording device such as a DVD or VHS recorder. It also has a 7 day electronic programme guide (epg), digital teletext and auto set up and tuning. It has a silver external casing and is compact ... more

I keep seeing adverts telling me that the digital switch over is coming and that although I can get it just fine on my main TV the other sets in the house will need set top box to receive digital. In truth it isn't really a problem where I live as we have ages yet before we switch over but, always wanting to be ahead of the game and loving a bargain, I spotted the Digilogic DSTB1500 set top box in Tesco the other day at just £24.95 and thought it was worth a try.

I am lucky in that I know from using my Humax that I can get Freeview where I live but to be honest the first time I checked the Freeview website using my postcode it told me it wasn't available in my area. However when I checked via http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/coverage.html I discovered that it was - although a few channels might not be. If you aren't sure if you can receive Freeview it is worth checking this site which will tell you what channels you can get and from which transmitter. In some cases you may need to upgrade your aerial but this site will give you an indication what channels you could receive.

Anyway back to the Digilogic DSTB1500 - Digilogic is a Tesco own brand so you aren't going to find this product anywhere else so far as I know. This model actually has a Philips processor, it has 2 Scart sockets to allow you to connect to your TV and a recording device such as a DVD or VHS recorder. It also has a 7 day electronic programme guide (epg), digital teletext and auto set up and tuning. It has a silver external casing and is compact and sits easily on the top of the little portable TV in my bedroom. It is 233 x 136 x 43mm - just a bit bigger that a sheet of A5 paper it isn't perhaps the most stylish design around but it is neat and functional which is all I really wanted.

Set up
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Set up is very simple - connect your TV aerial into the back of the box and then use the supplied aerial lead to connect your TV to the box. The supplied lead is about 1m long so you need to site the box fairly close to your TV. Next connect a Scart lead from the TV to the box - there is no Scart lead supplied so you will need to provide your own. Then connect the box to the mains, put the supplied batteries into the remote control and you are ready to switch on the TV.

As soon as you switch on the TV you see a little screen which gives you the option to choose your TV screen (to adjust between widescreen and traditional - don't worry if you get this wrong as it is easy to change afterwards). Then all you need to do is click the remote to start the set up process and it will search for all the channels for you. This will take a couple of minutes and then it will list all the channels it has found. The display will then disappear and it is set up ready for use. There is nothing more to it than that!

Features
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This is a budget machine so I wasn't expecting too much in the way of features but it has a few - you can delete any channels you don't want, rename channels, add password protection to any channels if you want to stop your children accessing some of them without your assistance, set favourite channels or add new channels as they come on line. This little receiver will power up each day at 3.00am (if you leave it on standby) to check for software updates - you can disable this if you wish. If you prefer not to leave it on standby then it is easy to manually check for updates to the software using the built in menus.

To acces the Electronic Programme guide all you do just press the 'guide' button on the remote control and you can scroll through the programme information for all the channels and get information on each programme if you want. Some digital channels have teletext and this can easily be accessed from the remote control if available. In addition there is a button to allow you to switch subtitles on.

Would I recommend it?
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Yes I would. It is low priced and has lots of the basic features you need to enable you to receive Freeview and manage your viewing. It is easy to set up and the box is unobtrusive and quite neat. The remote control is intuitive to use and it is light and yet not flimsy. The instructions were clear and very easy to follow and they include a 'quick start' guide so that you can save the main guide to read later! I am not sure how you can go wrong at the price.  

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