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Kevster, Belfast on November 16th, 2005
Excellent ! Much much better than my Thomson DTI-1000 which cost almost 3 times as much !
Mike, Preston on November 16th, 2005
Basically the same as a Pacific stb1. Great box. No problems at all, and good ASDA value.
Howard, Stafford on November 19th, 2005
Easy to set up. Like the use of 5 different favorite lists. Compact and low consumption. Better than the Lidl version which was more expensive.
Gary on November 23rd, 2005
Mine doesnt work that well, I think it's interference from my other equipment - but when it does work it is fine!
Les, Cumbria on November 26th, 2005
Great box, excellent epg etc, loads better than the flakey sagem itd62 it replaced, BUT the remote is awful, heavy badly spaced and unresponsive buttons. But it was only £30 and it has been rock solid so far (4 weeks).
Dave, Sunderland on November 27th, 2005
Great unit, I've owned it for 4 days now (which is a lot longer than the other duds I've tried) - the remote is much better (layout, responsiveness etc) than others I've tried. Fast channel switching, good EPG (lets you set timers for any time in the next 7 days rather than just today), no freezes or picture dropouts. It has also picked up a near 100% signal whereas other units picked up 75% at most. Definetly recommend - especially at £30! Over the last 2 weeks I've conducted lots of research into STB's (through this site and others) as well as trying (and returning) the following; 1 x Alba STN2 from Sainsburys - very poor signal reception, many frequent lock ups, loss of picture and/or sound requiring the unit to be completely unplugged. returned this unit and (stupidly) swapped for another of the same brand thinking it was a 'duff' unit. Wrong! Second Alba unit was just as bad so I returned it to Sainsburys for a refund. Next I went to Asda and tried the Mico £30 STB. Turned it on and thought 'hmm thats familiar!'. Same internals and software as Alba hence same bunch of problems!! Unit returned to Asda next day! Did more research and read about this Pacific/Durabrand model from Asda. Gave it a try and it has proved much-much better from initial switch on. Just hope I don't tempt fate!
Neil, Warwickshire on November 29th, 2005
Asda currently has two cheap Freeview boxes for sale at under £30. I initially purchased the Mico STB235 as it was cheaper and a sleeker looking than the Durabrand. However it had several problems. Firstly the remote control has an appalling button layout (especially the volume and channel buttons). It also needs to be pointed directly at the front of the box for it to work. The box also had several glitches during use. It suffered from total loss of sound at times and would ofter become completely unresponsive. It also reset itself a few times. So this went back to Asda for a refund after only one week. I got the Durabrand as a replacement. It uses the same software interface as the Mico, but was much quicker to tune the channels and also quicker to change up and down through the channels. The remote control is a lot more user friendly and works when used at very tight angles to the box. Overall I'm very happy with the Durabrand and I'd recommend spending the extra two pounds on this freeview box rather than the Mico.
Steve, Shrewsbury on November 30th, 2005
Cracking freeview box, setup took next to no time, with great signal and pictures with fast channel change, two scart connections on the back, and for £29.87 you cant go wrong. This latest model connected straight to the mains, without an adapter. It also uses a simalar circuit board that is used in the latest panasonic freeview boxes, check the price difference, well recommended!
Tony, Ash, Surrey on December 7th, 2005
Purchased one to replace one of my two Daewoo 608s as it had two scarts. Very disappointing tuner performance compared to the Daewoo. The Durabrand would only find about 25 services on two of the 6 channels and would not show any ITV channels at all. None could be manually tuned in as it said no signal found. There was also an unacceptably wide black band at top and bottom of screen although the scans were correctly set at 4:3. Replacing it with the old Daewoo and doing a rescan produced a full house of 81 services and full screen picture. No contest, so I took the Durabrand back to ASDA for a refund. PS I have properly aligned high gain digital capable aerial for the London band.
Alex, Hampshire on December 11th, 2005
Fidly remote is uncomfortable as well also when using favourite list the reception goes, although might be interference. Overall good value.
Ray, Cheshire on December 11th, 2005
I am having problems with this box, once the box has been switched on for a while it keeps switching itself off, if you then press the on button the box comes on for a second then swithes itself off again. The only way to stop this seems to be to switch the box off for a while (overnight) and then it seems okay but it starts doing it again after about 24hrs.
David, St. Helens on December 21st, 2005
I bought a Durabrand PSTB-1 from my Local ASDA, connected it all up and it worked fine for a day or two. I needed to leave it switch ON a lot of the time as it was connected up with my Pioneer DVD Recorder and wanted the UP-To-Date EPG listings. Also wanted to record some films and programs when I went out etc. Well, I found disapointmentvwhen I found that it was recording a Blank screen onto the Hard-Drive of my DVD Recorder as the Durabrand Box had gone to sleep!!! As with Ray from Cheshire, press any button and it comes back to life. Pitty it doesn't console me for the film I just missed! To be fair though, it is a good little box for your bedroom or if your just switching it on for a film then off again. But I did take it back for a refund and found myself buying the PHILIPS DTR200/05 from Currys. Set this one up and it seems to work fine for now. Very happy with it and I feel more confident with it when setting my DVD Recorder up to record something.
Pete, Truro on December 23rd, 2005
2 months now. Out of the box, plugged it on and it's worked fine ever since. Yes remote fiddly but for £30 !! Be careful of what you are seeing on screen. If you have the information turned on then that is what you will record.... Picture + Information...as I found out. Once you've mucked it up once you wont do it again. Nothing wrong with it really and for that price any moans are trivial.
Rob, Edinburgh on December 24th, 2005
Bought this box today having read the reviews above. Installation was a dream - basically connect up as per the instructions - select the screen size and then press go. (PS couldn't find the remote for a while - it was hidden under a cover at the front of the box!) Connected my DVD recorder as per the instructions but the TV then could not see it - so have connected it directly to the TV - not sure whether I will be able to record from the freeview box with this setup but will experiment. The box seems to have channels listed that are only available on topupTV - presume I just have to delete them from the list. Menu functions seem a bit odd - timer, EPG and favourites all seem to be separate from each other. I had expected that it would be possible to set programmes to record directly from the EPG (as with video plus) but it seems the EPG is just for info. Also can't quite see the value of the favourites - since all you seem to be able to do is to set up favourite lists and edit them - not use the lists to access the channels - which is what I thought favourites would be for - am I missing something? That all said, I am very happy with my purchase - for under £30 it seems a very good product. Clear picture on all channels and nice now to have the picture in 16:9 widescreen.
Omney, Medway on December 28th, 2005
I got this for £25, this is an excellent value box, works very well good picture and sound, no freezes or anything. AND now its going for £22, you can't lose!
Dylon, Rotherham on January 2nd, 2006
Just bought one from the local asda, got it home and had to take it straight back, when i was unwrapping it something was rattling inside, prehaps it had been dropped. no problem changing it and checked for rattle while instore. easy setup happy with picture though i am not able to use the RGB on my tv as the sat and dvd is in it, so i presume the picture could be better. could not find it at £ 22 though.
BigBopper, Manchester on January 4th, 2006
Bought one of these out of the blue after my Philips DTR500 died within days. Overall i am quite impressed; the picture is very good and thus far (2-weeks down the line) it has proved to be a very stable and bug free box, though i made sure i picked up one with the v1.7 firmware (label on box). MHEG content loads without delay, the box is easy to setup and is presented quite well. I plumbed for it because (unexpectedly) it has twin SCART, analogue audio out and RF throughput. The only gripe i have is that the EPG and channel list are separated. In order to see a windowed preview of the channels, you have to press two buttons and when you get to the list, the current programme is not titled or with a summary (this is shown separately in the EPG). Sadly, you can't re-order or remove channels either, though the favourites are an option (if a little clumsy to use). I hope the next update addresses these niggles as they are the only points that let down what is a cracking box for the money.
Mark, Dundee on January 9th, 2006
Excellent box. Cheap, easy to st up, fast interactive, and a tuner that can handle weak signals. What more could you want??
Luke, Nottingham on January 11th, 2006
Bought this box from Asda last night. Despite having a clear reception for all 5 terrestrial channels I can only get a weak signal with this box. I can only recieve a few digital channels and no ITV at all. The software version is also only 1.1 so I'm taking this box back to Asda for a refund.
Pete, Croydon on January 11th, 2006
Crap, picture had 'ghosting' (a crosshatch pattern revolving behind the picture) tried two different aerials, even the Alba and my old ONdigital Phillips have better pictures. Menu is the same crap one as Alba, didn't have 7-day epg. On the plus side the channel changing was quick. Oh and you can only connect via Scart, the rca does nothing - I sent it back...
Alan, Southampton on January 23rd, 2006
I got a Durabrand PSTB1 from ASDA but the manual was missing. Not that it was missed!! The only problem was that like Ray in Cheshire, my box kept switching itself off so it had to go back to ASDA.
John, Essex on February 13th, 2006
I bought 2 Durabrand PSTB's from ASDA as they were on a special. What a load of crap they are. Any form of electrical interference results in a loss of signal for about 30 seconds. Even the grandsons battery operated toy caused a lock out and a bloke down the road with a Morris 1000 ( a good friend by the way) which has a busted engine suppressor, also causes a loss of signal when he passes the house. I've tried an inline RF filter to no avail. Short of making a Faraday cage to put them in i've tried various things. This isn't a singular fault, as it happens on both of them. No way will i ever buy a Durabrand product again and i'll rcommend to friends that they aviod the brand like the plague. The sale of goods act states that the goods should be 'fit for purpose'. These STB's are nowhere near 'fit for purpose' as they're more often without a signal/picture/sound than not. The area i live in is near a large main town and the signal strengths for digital reception are +8 which is well above the requirement for trouble free reception. Once again.. What a load of crap. A total waste of money.
Mike Jones, Wrexham on February 13th, 2006
Have owned a lodos (Goodmans in fancy dress) and a Mico. Both faulted after a few days-then replaced with the durabrand from Asda. Owned now for two months and I am very pleased with picture quality, speed and value for money. Freeview needs more boxes like this!
Marko, Glasgow on March 4th, 2006
Picked up one of these to replace a Thomson DT1100 (which i loved for 2 years or more)whose case had become electrically live. Good Points: Quick and easy setup, Good picture quality and reception, Volume control on remote!, 7 day guide with reminders, twin scart, audio outputs, Ariel in and out. Bad points: The guide - You can find out whats on the various channels but cant automatically switch to the channel you wish to see - you have to note the channel name or number and browse to that channel in the channel list or manually punch in the number of said channel. Now and Next - restricted to the currently viewed channel - so no channel switching here.(although it does allow you to scroll to see whats on later on the currently viewed channel) The Channel List - This is the only place that allows you to select which channel to watch but it contains no information about whats on these channels. Favourites List(s) - Allows you to create and edit up to five favourite lists which appear to have no purpose in life whatsoever. Summary : worth the sub £27 quid price tag. Better picture quality than my old Thomson.
Saki, Manchester on March 7th, 2006
Happy with the PSTB1 - but cant figure out how to retune it. I cant see ITV4 and any other new channels. Please help....
James, Portsmouth on March 20th, 2006
To use your favourites you have to push your menu button, go to settings, then select which favourites list you want to use. Then when you go back to normal view the up and down channel buttons moves between your favourites list only. Great box btw. Can't seem to get eurosport though, says signal scrambled and comes up with a little key icon.
Steve, Chelmsford on March 29th, 2006
Just given up with my Durabrand Box. 1st one had serious sound dropouts and exchanged for new one with updated operating system. Replacement one has frozen in standby mode and had to turn off totally and restart and then would not switch channels on timer or programme select. Missed a few good programmes!!! Took back to Asda after 3 months of having this new one and got full refund. The girl offered this without quibble - seems thay have had a few back for various reasons.
Colleen, Uxbridge on April 9th, 2006
I rate the Durabrand: PSTB1 FREEVIEW top box good. However, I am unable to RECORD to my video recorder, has anyone else experieced this? Please HELP.
Spence on April 14th, 2006
Great if you just want a cheap and cheerful box. No frills but does the job perfectly.
John, Runcorn on April 18th, 2006
I bought one of these boxes from Asda, for use in a bedroom. All worked well for about 3 months, then it just began to cut out and drop the picture, and would only work after switching on and of at the mains. Asda have replaced it for me, and the new one is alright at the moment. Apart from the remote control,these boxes are very good value for money,with good picture quality, and many features only found in much dearer boxes.
Alex, North Yorkshire on April 22nd, 2006
I've had one of these boxes for about six weeks, and so far it's proved to be reliable with great picture quality and a good range of functions. The navigation of the menus however is often a little illogical, with some buttons doing things you didn't expect, and others not doing what you do expect. Having said that, for the price (about £27) I really can't knock it. Plus, as Asda are good about returns, you really can't go wrong - even if you decide it's not for you.
Neil, Norfolk on May 1st, 2006
Well, I have brought one of these boxes as a replacement for my Bush DFTA1 which went down the pan a couple of weeks ago. So far, so good with this box - spec is as good as previous boxes I've had, and even better in some cases! Picture quality is good, Text is fast! Well worth the 30 quid!
Paul, Aberdeen on May 6th, 2006
Although yes this box is under £30 it does have flaws, It seems unless you have an excellent signal then it just block/freezes and basically annoys you until you turn it off. (Just to mention the remote sucks, you press one button it does something completly different, what the hells going on!!!) I'm using an Philips Amplified indoor tv antenna (SDV4240/05) which give you an amazing signal but the durabrand just can't seem to find a stable reception. I'm taking my box back to asda as i'm going to get a slightly better box with the top up services. If your going to buy this box make sure you have a strong tv signal and that you have an outside antenna.
Kevin, Swansea on May 16th, 2006
Worked fine for a year - except sometimes difficult to turn standby button on and off Now it is completely frozen in standby mode no idea what to do now!!!
Cazzy, Derby on June 6th, 2006
We have 2 of these boxes. One is in my daughters room - a teenager by the way - and is never dusted, at a funny angle and gets battered regularly when fiddling with the ps2 leads etc - and its fantastic - never lags or turns itself off - does exactly what it should. SO why does the one for me and my husband not work? Its in a great position, doesn't get knocked about and is cleaned regularly! The first one went back 2 months ago after just 2 weeks because it froze on BBC3 - that was the only channel it would pick up and you couldn't change it - you could get the menu but couldn't access another channel at all - fed up I took it back and got a replacement which was fine til the middle of last week when it suddenly decided to turn off and couldn't be woken up - then you would enter the room and it would be lit up and on - WEIRD - and yesterday it finally decided I could listen to any channel I like but I can't have a picture! What on earth is going on - is it the boxes or the signal arrggghh I had just settled down to watch Carrie on E4 but it was a no show. Turned if off for a while and woke it up again but still no picture SO its going back today and I am desperately searching for a box that someone says works at least 99% of the time & my daughters is still going strong !!
Andy, St. Andrews on July 2nd, 2006
bloody remote! if you change the volume then press another button it continues to change volume. if you change page up then try to page down it keeps going up. it is cheap, because it IS cheap! A waste of money! stay clear.
Jeff, Coventry on July 2nd, 2006
First unit a had had problems with gosting and picture freeze. Asda changed sraight away second seems better will know more in few moths. At the moment seems fair value for money.
Dundee on July 10th, 2006
Had one now setup in the bedroom for 3 months. Superb value for money. Paid only £27 from Asda.
Dave, London on July 17th, 2006
For a durabrand surprisingly good! Expecting it to go wrong soon but who knows the tv and dvd combi is still working as is the cheap micro system so I may be lucky! I only buy these units for the bedroom and the utility rooms I would never buy them for the main rooms but hey you get what you pay for and if they last the guarantee who cares and if not asda will refund the price. happy shopping!
Josh, Gorleston on August 1st, 2006
I've only had it for 3 months now and I have had so many problems with it. Firstly the remote always sends the wrong signal to the box, the box resets itself almost every day, it doesn't pick up as many channels as the one I had before it, when it does pick up channels it seems to pick up french channels and now my box just kept on asking for my key code and know has just totally frozen and will not accept any signal from the remote or from the buttons on the box itself. In all I'd say that this is definetly one to avoid.
Jones, Cheshire on August 9th, 2006
I am experiencing real problems with this top box, certain stations are perfect, but finding that others are garbled, which is quite annoying
Smon Gwent on August 10th, 2006
bought it for my 85 year old nan, worked fine for a few days then kept freezing, now 9 months on the remote just stopped working.
Richard, Belfast on August 10th, 2006
This box is excellent value, however to get the best performance in a low signal area a signal booster is essential
John, Birmingham on August 12th, 2006
The remote control on the Durabrand is AWFUL! It has a complete mind of its own. Press the volume up button, the channel changes. Press the channel up button, the program guide pops up! Durabrand, please please address this problem, it is incredibly frustrating!!!
Andrew Barr, Falkirk on August 17th, 2006
I've had the duaraband for about a year now and although using main ariel I still have problems with the mux d signal, I usually find using an indoor ariel much better for all recieved channels inc. tutv. Just wish to now when we might recieve software update? Overall a good little machine!!
Darren, Leamington Spa on September 1st, 2006
Replaced an ALBA that kep freezing 8 month ago with one of these - has frozen once in that time after a powercut. Just make sure it has the latest software.
Eddie, Lincolnshire on September 24th, 2006
Do not buy this box...as previously stated you MUST have a strong signal or the box will display 1 in 10 frames, the remote will have to pulling your hair out when it does what ever it wants.. ..and now my box won't even come out of standbye it just sits there with the red lights on...and where can you get customer support...?? you find some let me know coz nowhere cares about DuraBrand problems.. It's worth paying the extra for a company that actually exists as themselves....with customer support and a descent design... What was wrong with analogue at least a bad signal gave a picture
al scotland on October 26th, 2006
good
MSB, Wembley on October 28th, 2006
Bought it yesterday from ASDA, great price £24. Plugged it in, scanned for channels- came up perfect. Even works with indoor aerial (although I would still recommend an aerial upgrade for solid reception). Full text, interactive and 7-day EPG available (read the manual carefully as EPG feature isn't as obvious at first-glance!) Only thing that disappoints is there's only 1 SCART socket at back, can't connect it to my VCR. All around, superb price, great little box and its coolest feature is that the box stands upright on a detachable stand!!
Wombat, Paisley, Scotland on October 28th, 2006
Great box but having problems with Film 4 access even after manual search - anyone else?
Ivor, Northumberland on November 11th, 2006
This was a good unit when we first bought it, but a year on it is going downhill fast. Initially we wanted a cheap Freeview set-top box to see whether we could be bothered with it and it served that purpose well... it came from Asda for around £20. The picture quality was good - much better than analogue. It has always clipped the sound when other electronic equipment in the house fired up, despite me upgrading the aerial and co-ax. We live in a poor reception area. Recently the remote has started carrying out the wrong function, it sticks on Stand-by and you have to switch on and off at the mains to get it to restart. It also changes channels when our DVD recorder starts up - which is annoying to say the least. I am now looking for a better model with digital outputs.
jim pontefract on November 23rd, 2006
rubbish evey time it rains the picture breaks up
margaretanderson on November 24th, 2006
my set top box had no instructions and the lock has gone on and i cant remove it.
Richard, Belfast on December 5th, 2006
I've had this box for nearly a year. As stated above it does like a strong signal and wind, rain, electrical noise and passing cars etc. can affect it. Its has a few quirky feature, if you switch off on a channel that goes offline e.g. BBC4/CBBC and turn it on again it gets confused, however pressing 1 to go to BBC1 brings works for me. I didn't like that going into the channel guide meant you didn't see a picture, however just found out tonight an alternative - press i and
Max Devon on December 16th, 2006
I think my Pacific PSTB 1 has been damaged by a power spike, it doesn't work at all, is there any way this can be fixed?
Keith, Northants on December 31st, 2006
have bought this set top box, over all it's a good bit of kit, the only fault i have found is that i have to keep power resetting it as it seems to lock up and i'm not able to switch it on. doenside to this is that u ave to do a programme search every time. if any one has a solution can they post it
Mike Brailsford, Blackpool on January 1st, 2007
Where can you get a replacement power source ? I have 2 STB1 boxes and they work fine with the power source that still works, so I know it isn't the box itself.
Bill, Motherwell on January 5th, 2007
I have also lost the manual. Does anyone have the Lock Key. Thanks
Matty, Bolton on January 10th, 2007
Bought a Pacific PSTB-1 for £32 from ASDA in August 2005. Worked brilliantly for 15 months, until the mains adaptor melted, while plugged in. The first signs of a problem were interference caused by the adaptor wire, affecting anything linked to the freeview box (DVD Player, PS2, Video, TV). Then one day the box didn't work. Unplugged the adaptor to find a yellow liquid seeping out of the adaptor seals, with a strong smell of melting plastic. No problems with the box in all that time. Just the adaptor. The box was sat on top of my TV, next to a desk lamp and regularly got covered in dust, but it never gave me any trouble. I bet it would still be fine if I could get a new adaptor. Got myself a DAEWOO DS700D from MAKRO for £25. Bad quality, constant ghosting and stopped working exactly 21 days after I got it. Got a full refund without any trouble, and MAKRO appear not to sell them anymore. I'm going to see if I can get another PSTB1. I'm going cold turkey at the moment. I need SKY Sports News.
Jack, Newport, South Wales on January 30th, 2007
I seem to be experiencing synchronisation problems with my Durabrand STB. The sound seems to be a few microseconds ahead of the video for some reason on all the BBC channels (but, for some reason not on Sky News). Is this a problem noticed by anyone else? otherwise the box performs very well apart from its quirky switching on routine.
Andy, Manchester on March 6th, 2007
As time went on, this box went downhill, the signal went from great to awful, the software crashes were more frequent and now I don't have a menu- owned the box 16 months and all it is fit for is the bin!
Troy, Bournemouth on May 30th, 2007
I bought a Duraband Freeview box from and the remote doesn't work when i want it to. It's frustrating and i wish I never got it and won't recommend it to anyone!
Kaz, Reading on July 1st, 2007
Just been given one of these but without connection instructions. First freeview receiver I've had. Can anyone help with how to connect?
Steve, Newark, Notts on September 14th, 2007
Bought one 2 years ago, £30 from Asda. It's firmware is a bit clunky, and locks up sometimes, but it's otherwise functional for the low price. Sadly it expired at 05:30 this morning while I was asleep - waking me up with a bright flash, a loud bang, and the smell of burning electronics. I'm rather put off getting another one of this make because of that.
Paul, Leics on March 14th, 2008
Had this for a couple of years attached to the bedroom tv so mostly on standby. Found it would lock on standby at least once a month but as we didn't use it daily, it could've been more often - switching off at mains and turning back on sorted it. One thing that concerned me and may be the cause of the problem is it seemed to run quite hot. Used with a loft aerial and whilst it indicated that reception on some channels was as low as 25% (most were 90-100%), it held on to the signal reasonably well. It did suffer from interference when central heating pump kicked in or using an electric shaver. Never liked the remote layout and unfortunately my remote was faulty and drained the batteries after two days. Never got it sorted as switched the functions to a universal remote. Never loved the box but never loathed it. Can't really knock it for the price (twin scarts as well). Unfortunately it died when one of the capacitors melted and took out the adjacent IC. Have replaced with a Wharfedale which funnily enough uses the same software as the Durabrand but gives better reception (100% on all channels).
Stuart, Gateshead on April 11th, 2008
Good box. only one scart and remote control is irresponsive unless you are right in front of it. it has a good reception and most of the glitches were sorted with software 6.2. The interface looked very familiar when it replaced my bush box.
Rob, Warrington on May 26th, 2008
Bought from Asda Dec 2005. Great until 2 weeks ago when all lights went out for no apparent reason and unit ceased to function (though had been fussy about reminders for some time). Asda helpline totally unhelpful, said go back to store where purchased (didn't seem to realise Asda no longer offer 3 year guarantee, only 12 months). Store customer service didn't want to know. Had heard that a particular circuit board and 2 linked capacitors are prone to burn out on this model though. When alive, it was quite good. Not sure what to do now. Anyone got any ideas?
