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30 June 2008

‘Easy to install’ digital TV
Ten new products were awarded the ‘Easy to install’ badge today by Ricability, the independent research and testing organisation and Digital UK.

This joint test programme and campaign has been designed by Digital UK to identify digital TV products that are easy for consumers to self install and re-tune. It was launched in April with badges awarded to 6 digital TV recorders.

The latest badges are awarded to the following:

Digital TVs
Hitachi L26H01U, £404.94
Panasonic TX-26LMD70, £549
Panasonic TX-32LXD700, £773
Toshiba 32CV505DB, £649

Set top boxes
Alba STB8, £19.99
Digihome DV940B, £17.99
Goodmans GDB9, £34.94
Onn OSTB01, £22.97
Technika AESTBS7, £22.97
TVonics MFR-300, £69.99

David Scott, Chief Executive of Digital UK, said:

"We welcome Ricability's independent evaluation of products, which helps highlight those that will appeal to consumers concerned about how to install the product themselves."

To see full ease of use test results on these products and find out more about the ‘Easy to install’ campaign, see www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk.

Further Information
Lindsey Etchell, Ricability’s Principal Researcher, is available for interview on 020 7427 2460 during office hours.

Notes for editors

• Ricability is the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs, founded more than 40 years ago and dedicated to providing strictly independent consumer research and information. Ricability is a non-profit organisation.

• All the ‘Easy to install’ and usability testing for www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk is carried out by Intertek RPT, one of the world's foremost, independent consumer product testing laboratories.

• Digital UK is the independent, non-profit organisation leading the process of digital TV switchover in the UK. Digital UK provides impartial information on what people need to do to prepare for the move to digital, and when they need to do it www.digitaluk.co.uk.

• Ricability and Intertek have been commissioned by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) to test and publish information for consumers about digital TV products in anticipation of the switchover to digital TV.

• For more information visit: www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk.

Notes for editors – about the story

• The Easy to install test programme and campaign has been designed by Digital UK to specifically evaluate important elements in self installing, such as

Packaging – e.g. labelling and instructions
Accessories supplied – e.g. leads and batteries
User interface - e.g. on screen menus and remote controls
First time installation & retuning – is it automatic / simple?
Customer support – helplines and websites

• In April ‘Easy to install’ badges were awarded to six digital TV recorders

Digihome DTR160
Goodmans GHD1621F2
Humax Duovisio PVR-9200TB
Technika AEDTR160S7
Topfield TF5810PVRt
Wharfedale 160DTR

11 June 2008

Helping you choose digital TVs, digital TV recorders and set top boxes - latest independent test reports

See the latest 13 test reports on digital TVs, set top boxes and digital TV recorders on the independent consumer website www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk. There are now over 130 test reports on this free site to help consumers find easy to use equipment for digital switchover.

The test programme and website are run by Ricability, an independent research organisation, and Intertek consumer product testing laboratories at Milton Keynes. The test programme is ongoing and the website is continually updated with new test reports.

Lindsey Etchell, Principal Researcher for Ricability says,

“Our digital TV research continues to show that there are big variations in how easy the kit is to use. Consumers need to choose carefully.

As well as recommending the products that have scored best in our tests, our free website has advice on features to look out for when choosing. You can now search to find products with particular features e.g. low energy ratings or audio description.

New products are tested all the time - www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk.”

Further Information
Lindsey Etchell, Principal Researcher is available for interview on 020 7427 2460 during office hours.

Notes for editors

• Ricability is the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs, founded more than 40 years ago and dedicated to providing strictly independent consumer research and information.

• Intertek at Milton Keynes, is one of the world's foremost, independent consumer product testing laboratories.

• Ricability and Intertek have been commissioned by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) to test and publish information for consumers about digital TV products in anticipation of the switchover to digital TV.

• Ricability works with government departments and manufacturers of digital TV products to ensure that consumers have access to the best possible information on products in anticipation of the switchover to digital TV.

• Digital UK is the independent, non-profit organisation leading the process of digital TV switchover in the UK. www.digitaluk.co.uk.

• Ricability is a non-profit organisation.

• For more information visit: www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk.

Notes for editors – about the story

• The following digital TV products are currently recommended

Set top boxes – for use with an aerial
Logik LDR V2, £49.99
Logik LDR V3, £59.99.
Humax F2-FOX T, £65.99

Set top boxes – for use with Sky satellite
Sky Amstrad DRX550.

Digital TV Recorders - for use with an aerial
‘Humax Duovisio PVR-9200TB, £164.69
Technika AEDTR160S7 , £119.97
Wharfedale 160DTR, £119.99
TVonics DVR-250, £189.99
Evesham PVR160, £149.99
Sharp TU-R160H, £169.99
Digihome DTR160, £94.99

Digital TV Recorders – for use with Sky satellite
Thomson Sky HD
Sky+ Thomson 160

iDTVs 32”
Panasonic TX-32LXD700, £773
Panasonic TX-32LXD7 £650

iDTVs 26”
Panasonic TX-26LMD70, £549

iDTVs 20”
Sony KDL-20B4050, £330
Toshiba 20W330DB, £338
JVC LT-DA7SK, £284

Indoor aerials
Telecam TCE2000 £9.99
Telecam TCE2001 £19.99
One For All SV 9210 £24.99
One for All SV 9340ROO £29.99
Philips 45dB SDV4240/05 £26.98

23 January 2008

Test reports on digital TV recorders with Freeview Playback

Recording headaches could be a thing of the past!

The latest Ricability consumer test programme has focused on the new digital TV recorders with Freeview Playback. See the results at www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk.

Lindsey Etchell, Principal Researcher for Ricability says,

‘We’ve just tested 5 digital TV recorders with the new Freeview Playback logo. This means they have improved recording features - and no monthly subscription contract. The results are very exciting, the Humax Duovisio PVR-9200TB £164.69 scored highest for ease of use amongst all the digital TV recorders we have ever tested. It also had lots of useful features and was very easy to install. That was closely followed by the Wharfedale 160DTR £119.19 and Technika AEDTR160S7 £119.97 and we would recommend consumers to consider any of these”.

Digital TV recorders - sometimes called hard disc recorders, or personal video recorders (PVRs) - enable you to receive digital TV AND record on to an internal hard disc. You can buy digital TV recorders to work with terrestrial, or with cable or satellite broadcasts. You can use them with an existing or new TV.

Freeview Playback digital TV recorders have no subscription or contract and enable you to receive and record over 40 digital TV channels on an existing TV. You can also pause and rewind live TV, record one channel when watching another and easily record an entire series. For further information see www.freeview.co.uk.

Ricability, an independent national research charity, has been testing a range of TV products as part of the digital switchover. Their website has free, independent information, explained in clear, simple language that cuts through the jargon. It tells you exactly what to look for and then you can easily search for products with the features you want www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk.

Further Information
Lindsey Etchell, Principal Researcher is available for interview on 020 7427 2460 during office hours.

Notes for editors
1. Ricability is the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs, founded by Which? more than 40 years ago. Ricability is a national research charity dedicated to providing strictly independent consumer research and information.

2. The Ricability digital TV website www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk. and equipment testing are being funded by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to help consumers choose the easiest to use products for the switch to digital television.

3. Digital TV research and performance testing is carried out in partnership with Intertek at Milton Keynes, one of the world's foremost, independent consumer product testing laboratories, with over 30 years experience in audiovisual product testing, www.intertek.com.

4. Digital UK is the independent, non-profit organisation leading the process of digital TV switchover in the UK. Digital UK provides impartial information on what people need to do to prepare for the move to digital, and when they need to do it www.digitaluk.co.uk.

5. For further information on Freeview and Freeview Playback www.freeview.co.uk .

Date 4 December 2007

Want to go green and digital?

Fancy a new digital TV or digital box for Christmas and want to make sure it’s easy to use and energy efficient? Check out the latest digital TV reports at the independent consumer website at www.ricability-digitalTV.org.uk.

Ricability, an independent national research charity, has been testing a range of TV products as part of the digital switchover. Their website has free, independent information, explained in clear, simple language that cuts through the jargon.
They have measured the power consumption of all the set top boxes, digital TV recorders and iDTVs tested, both in standby mode and in use. You can also search for products that have the Energy Saving Recommended logo and look at the Energy Savings page with information about unplugging equipment at night.
Lindsey Etchell, Principal Researcher for Ricability says,

‘We’ve just tested another 27 digital TVs and 9 set top boxes, to add to the 85 test reports already on our site.

Consumers need to be aware that standby power usage varies hugely on different models - from 0.2 watts per hour to 3.86 watts on the iDTVs tested and between 1.53 watts and 15.2 watts on the set top boxes.

For energy efficiency the best products tested are the 32” Sony KDL-32S2010 digital TV (0.2 watts in standby mode) and the Logic LDR V3 set top box (1.53 watts in standby mode)”.

Because digital TV products can be complicated, the website gives information about choosing equipment that is easiest to use. It can also save you money. In fact, the research has found that one of the best indoor TV aerials is also one of the cheapest (Telecam TCE 2000 at £9.99).

Further Information
Lindsey Etchell, Principal Researcher is available for interview on 020 7427 2460 during office hours.

Notes for editors
1. Ricability is the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs, founded by Which? more than 40 years ago. Ricability is a national research charity dedicated to providing strictly independent consumer research and information.

2. Digital TV research and performance testing is carried out in partnership with Intertek at Milton Keynes, one of the world's foremost, independent consumer product testing laboratories, with over 30 years experience in audiovisual product testing, www.intertek.com.

3. Digital UK is the independent, non-profit organisation leading the process of digital TV switchover in the UK. Digital UK provides impartial information on what people need to do to prepare for the move to digital, and when they need to do it www.digitaluk.co.uk.

4. Energy Saving Recommended logo. This logo was developed by the Energy Saving Trust, to help consumers spot the most energy efficient products. These products cost less to run because they use less energy www.est.org.uk.

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