The VTX-D800U by Sony is another Freeview box stepping into up market territory at £80 to £100. This unit is not so easy to find in 2008 but if you can”t find one in stores, check out some online shops such as Amazon. We got a new unit off eBay. The box itself is quite stylish as is to be expected from a brand name like Sony, with a good solid build quality. Unlike most set top boxes, this unit is built to stand upright with the assistance of a clip-on stand included in the box. For those with little HIFI real-estate, it’’s possible to lay the unit sideways which doesn”t affect functionality.

The back of the unit is straightforward, with two SCART plugs and aerial in/out jacks. The included manual is sufficient to guide novice users during installation which takes no more than 3-5 minutes if you have the right cords at hand. Sony’’s Auto Tune menu made channel detection an easy process, and we discovered it was possible to hide specific channels and unhide them at a later date. This is quite a useful feature because it allows you to knock out all the junk channels for general use but bring them back if necessary without having to re-tune.

During use, changing channels and menu navigation was particularly snappy. We have noticed that some boxes tend to be sluggish in response to navigation input via the remote control. The VTX-D800U is no slouch and can easily keep up with hyperactive Television addicts such as those at Digitalswitchoverreview.com. A valuable inclusion we found was “Smartlink” compatibility. If your VCR or digital video recorder is Smartlink enabled, the set top box can automatically communicate with and instruct it to record specific programmes. This is a great feature for those that don”t like to muck about with multiple remote controls and units when attempting to record a Television show. Simply select the programme you want to record through the set top box menu, and it takes care of the rest. Speaking of multiple remotes, the included remote control can be configured to operate with most common television sets. The instruction manual includes a long list of codes that can be used to link the remote with your television set. If you don”t already have a universal remote control, this can simplify the operation of your equipment as you won”t need to use so many remote controls to accomplish a simple task.

Overall, the Sony VTX-D800U is a very good set top box, with a feature set and decent instruction manual designed to make life easier on its users. Picture quality was very good with no breakups or glitches. The unit was responsive with logical menus and performed well in our tests. Although a little pricey, this unit is worth every cent. If you are new to Digital TV or currently own an underperforming unit, the VTX-D800U would be a great choice for you. For those on a tighter budget, perhaps a second hand model would be a good choice.

We have given the VTX-D800U a 5-star rating for its feature set and responsiveness.