Grundig GDT1500

Who Are Grundig?

Grundig are a lovely little company, well they are getting bigger by the day, that make technology products such as digital boxes.

What's Freeview?

Freeview is like sky but you don't have to pay. Instead of the normal five channels you get on any TV you can get over 60 with a simple box.

What's The Connection?

Grundig produces a digital terrestrial receviers.
These receviers are basicly what you find inside a television but because most televisions are out of date they haven't been designed to pick up the extra channels. So Grundig have produced a box which plugs into your television to receive these extra channels.

What Do I Get?

If you decide to purchase the above model, GDT 1500, basicly what your getting is a small silver box. Also included is a power cable to plug the box into the mains.

Do I Need Anything Else?

Yes, you will need to purchase a scart cable. They provide a connection between your television and you box. If your television doesn't have a scart port you can always plug the box into a VCR and put the channel on AV, but picture quality might dip.

How Much Is A Scart Cable?

Scart cables can cost from as little as two pound to as much as fifteen pound. I purchased my cable from Asda as Curry's wanted twelve pound.

I Know What I Need, What Am I Getting?

Once you\ve setup the box and turned on your television you will need to quickly scan the channels to complete setup. Once you've completed this you should have around 60 extra channels.

What's Free To View Mean?

You might hear someone say free to view or freeview. Because you're not paying for the service it's free so it has been given that name.

What Colour's The Box?

The model listed above is silver. It has a black base and scart ports. There are two lights on top one red, to tell you when it's off, and one green, to tell you when it's on.

Is The Box Easy To Use?

The box is very easy to use. Once plugged in just turn it on and it will start working. After scanning the channels all you need to do is select the channel you want to watch.

Does This Box Tell Me What's On?

All Freeview boxes have a built in menu. On this menu you can find out all the channels you can get. If you press the information button you can see what a shows called and how long it's on for.

If you press the information button again you can find out more information about the show such as what episode it is and the year it was made in.

I Want To Record A Show, Can I?

Just press the menu button and go to the VCR section. All you need to do is buy another scart cable to connect your television and VCR.

You can select over ten different time slot to record in and on any channel you like. Make sure you leave the Grundig box on if you want to record.

What Channels Do I Get?

What channels you receieve depends on the area in which you live. For more information visit www.freeview.co.uk

You will receieve around 60 channels that includes the following:

BBC1
BBC2
BBC3
BBC4
ITV1
ITV2
CHANNEL 4
CHANNEL 5
SKY NEWS
ITV NEWS
BBC NEWS
FTN
BID-UP.TV
PRICE-DROP.TV
TMF
ABC1 (26th September 2004)

Along with a selection of radio stations. To find out full channel listings visit the Freeview website.

Are All Boxes The Same?

Apart from the design of the boxes outside most are the same. This Grundig model happens to be silver another one might not be.

Some of the newer boxes have improved features but you won't find much of a difference.

What's The Picture Quality Like?

I've found it to be very good. The picture does sometimes freeze for a few seconds. To solve this problem just move the box around a little or get an improved scart cable.

Do I Get A Remote?

Yes with the box you will receive a remote. It includes the channel numbers 0-9, to get a higher channel number just press two or more buttons.

Also included is a menu button and the all important red button which can be used to access digital information such as lottery numbers and news updates.

How Much Will This Box Cost?

I paid around a hundred pounds two years ago. If you visit a store such as Curry's you can now purchase the same product for around fifty pounds.

How Much Do I Pay A Month?

Nothing It's Free! That goes for all Freeview boxes not just this model.

Review Dude's Final Thought's!

I have enjoyed watching Freeview on this box for over two years and have had no problems. I was a little shocked to find that if you turn on the power to the cable and plug it in after it's turned on you can see a spark!

The box does get a little hot even when the red lights in. I wonder how much power it wastes?

Overall I really like this nice box.

Quality - 4/5
Design 4/5
Pictures 4/5

Overall - 4/5 - Fantastic