Thomson DTI 1000 Terrestrial TV /Digital TV Adaptor

I have read a few excellent reviews on the Thompson DT1000 digital receiver which have covered the product in praise and glory.

My experience has been slightly different, so I thought there may be some value in making my contribution.

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FREEVIEW SERVICE/ DIGITAL TV
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You may already have access to digital TV or have seen adverts for it on ...
...Freeview is a digital TV service which gives you access, free of charge, to over 30 TV channels and radio stations. The most popular channels are BBC3, BBC4, ITV2 - extra football, CBBC - childrens channel for over 5s, CBeebies - childrens channel for under 5s.Other channels available include ones for auctions, travel, gardening, radio, history and cooking.

The service offers teletext type information on the BBC channels which allow ... more

I have read a few excellent reviews on the Thompson DT1000 digital receiver which have covered the product in praise and glory.

My experience has been slightly different, so I thought there may be some value in making my contribution.

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FREEVIEW SERVICE/ DIGITAL TV
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You may already have access to digital TV or have seen adverts for it on your normal analogue service. For those not yet aware, Freeview is a digital TV service which gives you access, free of charge, to over 30 TV channels and radio stations. The most popular channels are BBC3, BBC4, ITV2 - extra football, CBBC - childrens channel for over 5s, CBeebies - childrens channel for under 5s.Other channels available include ones for auctions, travel, gardening, radio, history and cooking.

The service offers teletext type information on the BBC channels which allow you to see extra broadcasts whilst a programme is taking place. For example, you may be watching the news and have missed the weather - pressing text will put up a menu, choose news and a selection of different broadcasts appears, so you would highlight and then watch the weather broadcast.

You can also particpate in some programmes interactively by pressing the red button on the handset.

I purchased my Thompson digital box as a half price offer for £46.00 from Comet, last year when I bought a new JVC TV, video, DVD package following the breakdown of my old TV. It seemed a real bargin at the time and Comet checked to ensure that the area in which I lived had reception for digital televison.

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WHAT IS AND ISN'T INCLUDED
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After setting up the TV package and then opening the Thompson packaging, my first niggle was that a Scart lead wasn't included. This necessitated a trip back to Comet to make another purchase. This done and the box connected as per the instructions, simple to follow, I pressed the ON button on the handset and nothing happened. After a few frustrating minutes fiddling with the wires and contemplating another trip back to Comet, I discovered the two free batteries included with the handset were dud. So, another added expense purchasing some new batteries.

The saga continued once I had got the digibox working. I pressed the MENU button on the handset, as explained in the instructions, and up popped an option box on the TV Screen. Arrowing down using the handset buttons and pressing OK as AUTOTUNE was highlighted, I waited while the new channels downloaded.

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RECEPTION PROBLEMS
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Everything seemed to work well, but at the finish I discovered I only had half the channels which should have been available to me. The advice from Comet, even though they'd checked that my digital reception was OK, following this discovery was that I would have to have a digital TV aerial installed on the roof! I rang a contractor to get a price for this and was told it would cost £69.

By this time, I really wanted to have digital TV even though I hadn't originally set out to have it. I ordered a new aerial and had it installed and Hey Presto, up popped a full selection of TV channels. Another bonus to having the new aerial is that the televison pictures improved to almost perfection. Our reception has always been a bit ropey as we live in a dip and our analogue receiver is installed in the loft.

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NIGGLES
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Once everything was sorted out, I was very pleased with the service offered by freeview but a few problems still cropped up with the digibox. Perhaps the most annoying one was when the box seemed to 'freeze' and the only way to get it to operate again was to turn it off and then on - rather like you waould with a computer.

Another problem, which applies to all digiboxes, is that you cannot record a digital channel through your digibox whilst watching another digital channel. If you want to watch something else you have to watch analogue channels only.

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OTHER FEATURES
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If you've linked up your video recorder to the digibox you can set programmes to record using the digibox handset and the menu options which pop up on the TV screen. This facilitiy seemed quite complex at first but after a few attempts the method began to sink into my non-technical brain.

Thompson DT1000 also offers Parental Controls should you wish to bar particular channels. Freeview doesn't offer any dodgy channels so I'm not quite sure why you would want to use this, perhaps they are thinking ahead into the future.

Occasionally a new channel comes onto freeview. If this happens a box will appear on the screen whilst you are watching TV giving you an option to either download the new channel straight away or leave it until later.

A guide button on the digibox handset allows you to put a menu of channels onto the TV screen which includes information on what's currently on and whats on next, which saves you delving through listings in the newspapers. The guide will show you all 30+ channels, but you can reduce this by nominating your favourites in the digibox's menu options.

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RECOMMEND?
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I think I have covered all of this product's features, so now it is time to give my opinion. I could not really recommend this digital box as mine broke down after nine months. It does have a one year guarantee, so it is being repaired, but to have it break down during the month of the European Football Championships has given me a rather grumpy husband.

One positive comment to make is that I do think it provides an extremely good, clear picture. Probably a slightly better picture than that given by some of the cheaper digiboxes on sale. We borrowed a neighbours spare digibox for a day and the picture provided was slightly inferior - according to my husband who has always been slightly obsessed the the quality of his television pictures.

The products other little niggles, although easily overcome, really need ironing out by Thompson. Was this product developed in a bit of a hurry? It seems so to me.

I will certainly continue watching digital TV but when I get a bit of spare cash I just may be tempted to find a more reliable digibox than the Thompson DT1000.

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FURTHER INFORMATION
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To fing out if your area had digital reception ring 0870 010 7074 or ask your retailer to check for you using your postcode.

Box size: 252mm x 43mm x 153mm (light weight)

Connect up using Scart Connections or with Thompson DT1000 you have the option of connecting up with RF (Coax) connections should you have an older TV and video without scart sockets.

Digital box handset is also compatible with Thompson TV and DVD.

Available from all major electrical retailers for a cost of around £86.00 or online at cheaper cost.

Thompson Sales UK Ltd
30 Tower View
Kings Hill
West Malling
Kent
ME19 4NQ

www.thompson-europe.com

Please note Thompson have now bought out Ferguson.

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UPDATE
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The faulty Thompson DTI 1000 digibox was taken back to Comet and as it was still within the guarantee period Comet agreed to exchange the digibox rather than have us wait for it to be repaired. Even better, they didn't have a replacement in stock so we were given the Thompson DVT 1100 instead. Great news because this new digibox normally costs one hundred pounds extra and it incorporates a DVD player. So far, in the short time we have had it, it has proved to be excellent.

I am well chuffed and I must say I have been pleasantly surprised by the excellent customer service provided by Comet.
 

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