Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony VTX-D800U Freeview Digital TV Set Top Box

Like many others I was frustrated with poor set-top boxes and did a lot of research. Curry's box @ £29 is remarkably good value, but freezes up and needs to re-program 2-3 times a week. The Hauppage DEC 1000t despite its high price and mini good looks is rubbish - even after a replacement, it froze every day, and didnt get sound on some channels. Others start off well, but have problems after 6 months or so.
Hurrah for Sony! Had it 4 months now, always there, never been re-programmed, VERY fast channel change, and excellent quality vision and sound. Just bought a 2nd one!
Dave

I live in an area where Freeview is supposed not to be available, but after installing a Televes DAT45 aerial I found that it is possible to receive sufficient signal. I have tried four other set top boxes each of which had its own problems. I finally bought this Sony box which has proved to be the best yet by a big margin. A clear users manual, very easy installation and now the best picture I have seen from either Freeview or Sky. The tuner appears to be more sensitive than any other I have tried and I now have none of the occasional picture break up due to electrical interference. If you don't want to receive Top Up TV I highly recommend this receiver.

This is probably the best freeview box on the market. A Which! magazine Best Buy, and my first choice. It's ability to sit horizontally or stand vertically makes it perfect if you don't have much space around your TV. It is only of only a few 'digiboxes' which has a full 7 day listing on the menu, which combined with the smartlink, makes recording TV programmes a piece of cake.

Further to the reviewer who only gave it 3/5, you can quite easily deselect channels you do not want to appear on the schedule, through the setup menu.

I bought this box to replace one I owned which had more crashes than the stock market . I won't tell you the name of the manufacturer but they make mobile phones ! What can I say ? It exudes style and class,has all the connections you need and works like a dream. Set-up is done in the blink of an eye and there's no need to sit around waiting. The picture is excellent and colours vibrant and there's no annoying break up. Sound is marvellous too . The EPG is heaven sent and not only tells you what's on today but for the week ahead too. And if Films are your bag it will tell you what's in store for the week ahead in films....or news....or sport - get the picture :-). Software updates are done automatically so you'll always be up to date. Finally the remote control is elegant in design and has that typical Sony panache. Buy one.

I've never considered buying a Freeview box because my tv reception is poor* and had to switch to cable tv some years ago. I bought the Sony as a gift but just tried it out to see what reception I could get on a very basic terrestrial aerial. I expected nothing and was amazed to get a wide range of channels and excellent quality! *(I get reasonably good signal strength but live in the shadow of a hill with trees and buildings affecting the signal quality and giving bad shadowing.)

It is very easy to set up and initial searching for channels took just a few minutes. The EPG is very fast, provides detailed programme information and scrolls from page to page very quickly. The remote control, although light and a bit plasticky, is easy to use and has a very logical layout. Channel changing is also very fast. All in all, very impressive.

I've had experience of a Philips Freeview box, the DTR200, but it is slow in channel changing, setup is tedious, the EPG is poor and it keeps hanging. It is nowhere near as good as the Sony. Yes, the Sony costs more but believe me it's worth every extra penny.

If you want Top Up TV look elsewhere otherwise this is the one to go for.