Easiest to use set top boxes

If you are still deciding how to get a digital signal into your home – see Going digital . Here we have ordered our recommendations for easy to use set top boxes by the different options

• Through an aerial – including bargain boxes
• By a satellite dish
• By cable or phone line

Through an aerial
The easiest to use set top box tested to date is the Digital Vision AD-BEAV, £40. It was intuitive and easy to use. It features the ‘assistive retune’ function that detects when you need to retune your box and completes this at the touch of a button.

The TVonics MDR-240, £37 and the TVonics MDR-300, £58 were also intuitive to use and benefitted from well laid out remote controls and low power consumption. The MDR-240 featured the ‘assistive retune’ function to make retuning quick and pain free and the MDR-300 could also be connected to older TVs that have no spare SCART socket, using the aerial. Another to consider is the Goodmans GDR10, £55 which can also be connected to older TVs with no SCART.

All four products could handle audio description – see audio description and have the ‘digital tick’.

Bargain boxes
If you have already connected your main set to digital and are now thinking about other TVs in your home, or want something basic, you may want to consider a cheaper box. We haven’t yet tested a really easy to use set top box costing less that £20, but there have been a few that are fairly logical and intuitive to use and this low priced. The problem is, these cheap boxes don't generally stay in the shops for long. The Sainsbury's Basic Set top Box 585 119, £19 is worth checking out.

Although most cheaper boxes have full 7/8 day TV guides, they show only one channel at a time, so it's less easy scanning a lot of channels for interesting looking programmes. Also, you don’t get a SCART lead included with most cheap boxes and we suggest you pay another £20 for a decent one – see SCART leads.

By a satellite dish
With satellite, an authorised engineer will install the satellite dish and digital box, configure the remote control to operate that and your TV (and connect to a phone line for the Sky subscription service if you are having this). Sky supply boxes by different manufacturers. Bear in mind, you may not be able to specify what box you want. We have tested the Sky Amstrad DRX550. In the Sky mould, it’s a complex and versatile product, made simple to use by a well laid-out remote control and intuitive TV guide and on-screen menu. It could handle audio description and could be used with a TV with no SCART socket, but used a lot of power in standby and in use. Check deals and services with Sky – see contacts.

The first free-to-view satellite boxes (freesat from BBC & ITV) we've assesed are not as easy to use as the Sky products. Both the Humax FOXSAT – HD/GB, at £122 and TechniSat HDFS 0008/4570, £155 provide standard and high definition services and are versatile products. The Humax FOXSAT took a while to get used to and some of its processes were long winded.

The Sagem DS 186HD, £130, was easy to use and install with a digital output that can be connected to a surround sound system, it also has an Internet connection for future Internet applications. The Bush BFSAT01SD at £58 was a more basic boxes but with some good features, like easy to set up and use favourites. At less than £50 it is good value for money to buy. All three had high in use power consumption. They could handle audio description.

By cable or phone line
If you plan to subscribe to cable or the telephone-based system, Virgin Media's box was easier to use than Tiscali's. Both had good points and some niggles. Check out our summaries for their performance and check subscription deals and services with the companies – see contacts.

For test reports on products that are no longer manufactured see discontinued products.

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