which digital set top box to get?

[milo]

g'day, any ideas on which set top box to get?

i have noticed some new dvd recoreders comming
out with digitial set top box, are they worth getting

currently have austar digital, but no fta channels on it other than sbs and
abc
also i gather id have to get one for each tv in the house, i have 3...

milo
__--

[Ken Oaf]

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 16:34:16 +1100, "milo" <mrmiloman2003@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>
>
> g'day, any ideas on which set top box to get?
>
> i have noticed some new dvd recoreders comming
> out with digitial set top box, are they worth getting
>
> currently have austar digital, but no fta channels on it other than sbs and
> abc also i gather id have to get one for each tv in the house, i have 3...

It is not worth getting one at all. The content of TV these days is nothing but
shit. ;-)

[Andy Weir]

I got the Dick Smith $148 STB to 'test the waters', check signal strength
etc., and am very pleased.

I guess my next move will be a STB-PVR but whatever you get, unless it has
twin tuners, you won't be able to watch an alternate ch while recording
after the analogue Tx ceases, which is worth keeping in mind.

With a couple of TV's plus half life VCR's etc. it could become a problem of
multiple STB's and compatibility with all the remotes.

Andy


"milo" <mrmiloman2003@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cnui4s$hog$1@news-02.connect.com.au...
>
>
> g'day, any ideas on which set top box to get?
>
> i have noticed some new dvd recoreders comming
> out with digitial set top box, are they worth getting
>
> currently have austar digital, but no fta channels on it other than sbs
and
> abc
> also i gather id have to get one for each tv in the house, i have 3...
>
> milo
> __--
>
>

[Chris Runner]

The consensus on the cheaper STB's from www.dtvforum.info seems to be that
the Teac SD digital units around the $200 mark are excellent value.
Basically I would look for on a STB
1 button aspect changing, ability to skip unwanted channels (eg HD versions
on a SD unit) and enough outputs for your system.
"milo" <mrmiloman2003@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cnui4s$hog$1@news-02.connect.com.au...
>
>
> g'day, any ideas on which set top box to get?
>
> i have noticed some new dvd recoreders comming
> out with digitial set top box, are they worth getting
>
> currently have austar digital, but no fta channels on it other than sbs
> and
> abc
> also i gather id have to get one for each tv in the house, i have 3...
>
> milo
> __--
>
>

[STB]

The consensus on the cheaper STB's from www.dtvforum.info seems to be that
the Teac SD digital units around the $200 mark are excellent value.
Basically I would look for on a STB
1 button aspect changing, ability to skip unwanted channels (eg HD versions
on a SD unit) and enough outputs for your system.
"milo" <mrmiloman2003@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cnui4s$hog$1@news-02.connect.com.au...
>
>
> g'day, any ideas on which set top box to get?
>
> i have noticed some new dvd recoreders comming
> out with digitial set top box, are they worth getting
>
> currently have austar digital, but no fta channels on it other than sbs
> and
> abc
> also i gather id have to get one for each tv in the house, i have 3...
>
> milo
> __--
>
>

If your analogue reception is adequate at present then I would suggest a standard definition single tuner STB. Analogue Tx's are to switch off in 2008. But will be slowly phased out over a period of time. They won't be throwing the switch at midnight newyears eve 2007.
Analogue will probably be around for a few years 2 or 3+ after 2008.
So I'd suggest either Strong or Nextwave. These I've had experience with. In several years time you can then go to a HD twin tuner models. Hopefully well before then, plasma TV's will have digital tuners built in. I can't for the life of me understand why people now spend between 5,000 and $15,000 on a plasma or LCD TV and then have to connect a digital STB to them. It's a disgrace that these don't ship with digital or digital/analogue tuners built in. But I guess if people are stupid enough to spend that sort of money on a plasma/LCD TV with only an analogue tuner then the manufacturers will keep producing them.

[Chris Runner]

"STB" <STB.1go7ft@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
news:STB.1go7ft@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...

> Hopefully well before then, plasma TV's will have digital tuners built
> in. I can't for the life of me understand why people now spend between
> 5,000 and $15,000 on a plasma or LCD TV and then have to connect a
> digital STB to them. It's a disgrace that these don't ship with digital
> or digital/analogue tuners built in. But I guess if people are stupid
> enough to spend that sort of money on a plasma/LCD TV with only an
> analogue tuner then the manufacturers will keep producing them.
>

I understand the reason for this is (or so what we are told from the
manufacturers) is that the Australian market is too small to justify making
the tuners for our unique system, so to keep prices low they sell us
"worldwide" models with analogue tuners. It still sucks when you see US
plasmas with in built HD tuners, but does seem justified from a
manufacturers point of view.

[bassett]

The American market sells 35 million TV sets a year, When you sell that
amount of sets, You can dictate to the manufacturers what the sets contain
in the way of features.
Your bloody lucky getting a Australian Plug on the stuff you buy.

Yes, We do get what the rest of the world does not want, But there's
nothing stopping you, ordering on the net and importing yourself.

bassett



"Chris Runner" <chris48@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:TnQsd.61106$K7.12126@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
> I understand the reason for this is (or so what we are told from the
> manufacturers) is that the Australian market is too small to justify
making
> the tuners for our unique system, so to keep prices low they sell us
> "worldwide" models with analogue tuners. It still sucks when you see US
> plasmas with in built HD tuners, but does seem justified from a
> manufacturers point of view.
>

> "STB" <STB.1go7ft@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
> news:STB.1go7ft@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...
>
> > Hopefully well before then, plasma TV's will have digital tuners built
> > in. I can't for the life of me understand why people now spend between
> > 5,000 and $15,000 on a plasma or LCD TV and then have to connect a
> > digital STB to them. It's a disgrace that these don't ship with digital
> > or digital/analogue tuners built in. But I guess if people are stupid
> > enough to spend that sort of money on a plasma/LCD TV with only an
> > analogue tuner then the manufacturers will keep producing them.
> >
>>

[knight76]

"STB" <STB.1go7ft@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
news:STB.1go7ft@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...
>
> Chris Runner Wrote:
> > The consensus on the cheaper STB's from www.dtvforum.info seems to be
> > that
> > the Teac SD digital units around the $200 mark are excellent value.
> > Basically I would look for on a STB
> > 1 button aspect changing, ability to skip unwanted channels (eg HD
> > versions
> > on a SD unit) and enough outputs for your system.
> > "milo" <mrmiloman2003@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> > news:cnui4s$hog$1@news-02.connect.com.au...
> > >
> > >
> > > g'day, any ideas on which set top box to get?
> > >
> > > i have noticed some new dvd recoreders comming
> > > out with digitial set top box, are they worth getting
> > >
> > > currently have austar digital, but no fta channels on it other than
> > sbs
> > > and
> > > abc
> > > also i gather id have to get one for each tv in the house, i have
> > 3...
> > >
> > > milo
> > > __--
> > >
> > >
>
> If your analogue reception is adequate at present then I would suggest
> a standard definition single tuner STB. Analogue Tx's are to switch off
> in 2008. But will be slowly phased out over a period of time. They
> won't be throwing the switch at midnight newyears eve 2007.
> Analogue will probably be around for a few years 2 or 3+ after 2008.
> So I'd suggest either Strong or Nextwave. These I've had experience
> with. In several years time you can then go to a HD twin tuner models.
> Hopefully well before then, plasma TV's will have digital tuners built
> in. I can't for the life of me understand why people now spend between
> 5,000 and $15,000 on a plasma or LCD TV and then have to connect a
> digital STB to them. It's a disgrace that these don't ship with digital
> or digital/analogue tuners built in. But I guess if people are stupid
> enough to spend that sort of money on a plasma/LCD TV with only an
> analogue tuner then the manufacturers will keep producing them.
>
>
> --
> STB
>

Um, thats a little short sighted isnt it? not all televisions are used for
television. There are such things as DVD,s you know. I dont see anything
wrong with buying a plasma, or projector etc and just using it for watching
movies.