Bush: DFTA1

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Your responses

John, Bury on March 19th, 2007
Never had any trouble with my DFTA1 until the PSU packed in yesterday. I bought a "Multi-Vage" adaptor from the local Tesco superstore today (£6.97) - set output to 6V and it's working fine - even though it's only rated at 1.2A, not the 1.5A of the original.

Helen, Birmingham on March 12th, 2007
Came across this whilst searching for a replacement power unit for my Bush set top box, thought it was great, but just like everyone else- no power supply now!

Tania Isle of Man on February 7th, 2007
Surprise, surprise!! 2 year old box. Guess what.. on buying a new tv for the children for Christmas-I simply unplugged the DFTA1 and plugged back into the new tv...NOTHING!! After unplugging, I also opened the adapter-this shows a burnt/brown area! Also smells of burning. NOT RECOMMENDED. Will bin and buy different make. (I also found this site whilst searching for spare parts.)

Sean Doyle, Glenrothes on December 31st, 2006
This Freeview unit temporarily packed in three times before eventually, the plug became defunct with a blown processor inside.

N.Evans Cornwall on December 5th, 2006
After 6 months my Bush Digital box DFTA1 adaptor failed and am unable to find where to buy a replacement

emily, cambridgeshire on November 12th, 2006
was all good untill 2days ago, when the whole thing went off and didnt turn on or light up ( this was about 13 months after buying it ) found out it was the power leed.. so for now im useing a portable dvd players charging leed.. (DONT PLUG ANYTHING IN IF YOUR NOT SURE IF ITS OK...!! ) Otherwise.... yeah its the best 1 ive had, it was easy to install and to update the channels, and its had simple buttons on the remote. i like the now and next on all channels. and it blue! so it goes with my room. :)

Ann, Notts on November 1st, 2006
Like everyone else, my DFTA1 worked fine for over a year then stopped working. I have got a new PSU and it is now working OK again. I rang the Alba parts line (0870 873 0094) as mentioned in a previous post. After eventually getting through - the phone call took about 1 hour and I received no reply to my previous email) the service was excellent. I received the power unit the next day for £11.56 including delivery.

George Oxford on October 17th, 2006
My ADFT1 has worked well for eighteen months,packed up two days ago. Power adaptor dead as a dodo. I am having big problems finding a replacement. Gave up on bush spares after a life time of musak on the phone. Think I'll bin the box and try something that aint Bush...

Mohammed Faraz, Oldham on August 29th, 2006
Pro's: - Lets you delete unwanted channels - Lets you rename channels (so you can hide the porn channels) - Lets you change aspect ratio - Lets you manually scan as well as autoscan for new channels. Cons: - Shoddy remote software will do something random when you press a button (eg menu may come up when you change channel) - Can only hold 50 channels which is ok for the moment but useless if there is more variety. - No buttons on the box itself so you're f'ed if you lose the remote.

George Smith, Rochdale on August 19th, 2006
Good while it lasted. After about 18 months it gave up and died. I am unsure if it is the set or the transformer. From what others have written it might be worth just buying a different model. From past experience I would have expected a more superior quality from Bush but sadly on this occasion no so.

John, London on August 19th, 2006
This was my first freeview box, and I could not have been more disappointed! It requests a first time installation when unplugged, whistles like mad, is very sensitive to electronics around it - don't put it near the telly, it won't work! The remote is awful, point it slightly away from the box and you get a different function to what you have pressed, usually the configuration menu. Anyone looking on ebay for a cheap s/h box should avoid this one.

David, West Yorkshire on August 18th, 2006
Bought Bush DFTA1 receiver about year and a half ago from Currys. Turned the power off and then back on today after seven hours and no power!!. Phoned Bush about seven times today. Got very frustrated with their lack of support and not answering. When i did get through to their spare parts line they had phone problems and i got cut off!! Must be the same technical bods who made the power supply who also installed the Bush phone lines!!!! Anyway will order a new power supply for £12 (they are out of stock at the moment - spare Bush replacement plugs must be in demand!!) and then if it does not work will get another Freeview box. Will never buy Bush again!

Clive, Leicester on August 3rd, 2006
Bought one for mum, it packed up after the power was switched off for some repairs. The box is fine but the PSU has died. I hooked up a 6V, 1A supply which could only supply enough poke to switch the led on. A bench supply confirmed the box is ok. The box itself is rated 11W max but the supplied Jentec adapter is 6V, 1.5A = 9W. Looks like someone at Bush didn't read the labels or tried to cut costs. Shame as the box itself worked well.

Victor Magister, Glasgow on July 22nd, 2006
The box itself works fine, but the power supply failed after a while. I'm now using a Maplins replacement PSU (order code L48BQ, £19.99), which will supply up to 3.6 amps!

Polly, Southampton on July 12th, 2006
Well, what a suprise! Like the repeated reports on this board, today my box decided to lay down and die, because of the transformer!! I've had my Bush box since November 2004 and although it had a few issues it always worked ok until yesterday when we appeared to have a short power cut at home and the damn thing just went kaput. Issues I have had are these: overheating(it gets scarily hot and often gives mini electro shocks which is worrying), is very affected by other electronic things being nearby, so I have to have it propped up in a corner with space all around it. The remote sometimes freezes or selects random channels or items on the EPG. Box would occasionally jam in standby and would have to be unplugged, channel change is occasionally sluggish. Generally however the Bush box was good for the money £45, that I paid back in 2004, despite the fact the first one I got had to be returned as it simply stuck in standby and wouldn't scan for channels. I'll just have to call for a new power supply then.

J-P Cooke. Southampton on July 3rd, 2006
Having read these comments,I figured the fault was the power supply!!! The replacement from Bush spare parts dept 0870 873 0094 was £11.54 delivered. (cheaper than I thought- cheapest source!!!!) The box works great again.(and is v.simple to use and good picture etc) Still better value than a new box...especially when people sell them for peanuts coz they don't know what to do!! :0) Hope this helps people J-P Cooke

Ray, Kent on June 24th, 2006
Same as every one else Psu died after about a year. My sons also failed about two weeks before mine. Mine seemed to go when we had a power cut

Brian Allum, Tamworth on June 21st, 2006
There is definitely a problem with the power supplies {jentec] packing up on these, bought 2 for my brother and me both had the power supply fail, found replacements on web but worked out at £18.50 when postage added, with the rubbish on freeview they can keep it

Steve, Lancaster on June 13th, 2006
Mine worked OK for 13 months until it was just out of guarantee, then failed suddenly while it was in use. It went from 'excellent' signal strength to zero in an instant. Alba (Bush) were difficult and expensive to contact. They were also totally unhelpful. Their view is that this kind of failure is entirely normal and they don't care what impression it gives to their customers. Any reputable company should regard such poor reliability as cause for concern, and as a minimum should want to investigate the cause. I've never had such poor service. I tried various configurations of antenna connections (via booster / video recorder) to see if I could get any kind of box functionality and while doing this the power supply died. I opened the power supply and found a dangerously over-heated component (I'm a degree-qualified electronics engineer - don't try this unless you know what you are doing). The power supply appears to be a fire hazard. I would not recommend using it even if your box still functions correctly. Note that Alba plc also make Goodmans and Humax brands, so beware of all of them.

Evans, Shrewsbury on June 9th, 2006
Bush DFTA1 worked for 18 months then packed up on me, no power. Same boat as everyone by the looks

Michael, Manchester on June 6th, 2006
This is a great freeview box for the whole family. The only bad thing is you cannot have top up tv with it. i had mine about 9 months and we had a power cut, and when we got our pour back i discovered that the transformer had blown up. I think this may be a problem with the type of transformer but i do not think it will be safe near children as a nasty shock may come out of it if touched.

Edgar, Bicester on June 2nd, 2006
Looks like I have got the same problem as everyone else - the power supply failed after about 20 months. It seems to me that so long as they get through the warrranty period the manufacturers couldn't care less. I would never buy any 'Bush' product again.

Mick Watson on May 30th, 2006
Got a bush DFTA1 freeview box and guess what? Yes the adaptor failed after 2 years, gonna sling box, load of crap! Mind you the box worked ok for two years, looks like a supplier fault on the adaptor for certain!

John Hard, Nottingham on May 21st, 2006
Had the box for just over two years. It worked reasonably well until last week when I suddenly experienced rolling interference on all sets (I have an amplifier/multi distribitor in the attic).Was cursing the next door neighbour for his latest bit of gatgetry, but it didn't go away. Next replaced the loft amplifier, but that didn't change anything. Funny thing about the interference was that it also affected the DVD player (but not Video). Thought it must be a masthead problem and called out a rigger - he had never seen anything like it, particularly with regard to the DVD. In the end , by process of elimination he found it was the STB. Power supply appears to be OK, it must be the box.

F Ward, Richmond N.Yorks on May 14th, 2006
My DFTA 1 PSU has also failed after 1 year. Looks like a common fault. Since they can now be purchased for less than £30, it seems like a good idea to buy a new and more reliable make. My rating is on the grounds of poor PSU performance. The box is fine.

henry999999, Poole on May 11th, 2006
Great picture, functionality etc. but - the power supply failed today - I found this site whilst surfing for a replacement power supply. It seems I'm not alone !!!! I have 4 freeview adaptors (different makes)and none are perfect and all have their quirks (freezing etc.)This was the best one up to now ! I hope that these boxes and power supplies improve in reliability before the terrestrial switch - off !!!!

Bill, Northampton on May 6th, 2006
Bought the bush dfta1 12 months ago, the only problem was a week ago when I changed channels and it did notbing, if you have the same problem just un-plug it for a couple of hours and turn back on. Good as new. Other than that no problem

Tam, Glasgow on May 3rd, 2006
Apart from having no buttons on it for manual switching, it worked well for 16 months. Then, surprise surprise, the power adaptor threw in the towel. I had one or the switchable adaptors in the garage which brings the standby lamp on, but unfortunately its locked in this stage and can't be switched on, so is totally useless.

Neil, UK on May 1st, 2006
Well I have had the same problems with PSU supplies with this box the same as other people! Went to turn it on one day and the thing was as dead as a dodo! Now on box #4 in the last 3 years - a Durabrand. Fingers crossed no problems with this one!

Ian, Nottingham on April 26th, 2006
Power supply gone !! looks like a problem with this unit.

John, Somerset on April 23rd, 2006
Common theme to other reviews, after 15 months trouble free viewing, the box has decided today to lock in standby Red Light glowing, batteries in the remote are ok. From other reviews I guess it is time to get a new box!

T Sherief, Harrogate, N Yorks on January 27th, 2006
Well guys, here you are. Mine has worked perfectly for about 18 months and then died suddenly when I turned electricity off and then back on for some repairs I was doing. The PSU that comes with it has the following output specs: 6v--1.5 amp. I have tried two others with 6v output the first with a 0.5 amp output, the red LED on the receiver came back but no other response what so ever, the second with 2.1 amp output managed to get reception but with two major problems the picture and voice kept on cutting and the receiver did not hold any memory for the channels i.e., I had to set it up everytime I turned it off and back on. the ultimate solution was to phone bush (albaplace), {google it and you will find the contact number} and select buy spare parts and order a new power adaptor( for about 12 guids) which was delivered next day, and now the receiver is working perfectly . just a warning: they take about half an hour to reply so be patient but it is also costly (it is 078 number) but it worked for me ( 12 pounds PSU + 3,5 pounds phone bill = 15.5 pounds) rather than buying a new receiver for much more.

Gordon, London on January 25th, 2006
Bought a DFTA1 for Christmas 2004. It is now January 2006 and guess what? Like seemingly everone else on this page my power supply has packed up. No problem getting a replacement 6V supply, but cannot find ANYONE that does a 6V supply that outputs 1.5 Amps! My tip: throw it away and get a decent box!

Craig, Cheltenham on January 15th, 2006
Had a box for just over 12 months and now stopped working. No red light on box. Tried another correctly rated power supply but no joy. Seems like it is programmed to fail just as ot goes out of warranty. like others have said no access to the board and any internal fuses. Not good value for just 12 months usage.

Greg Daniels, Salisbury on January 13th, 2006
Purchased my box 14 months ago from Homebase and last week it just dropped dead. No power. Took it back and walked away having purhcased another with little help from staff. Good quality control? It's not as if there are moving parts or the box even gets touched. Didn't meet my expectations when it came to use by date.

Christine, Gravesend on December 23rd, 2005
I had bought 2 freeview boxes as presents last christmas, one just stopped working on 9th December 2005 and the 2nd one stopped 10 days later on the 19th December 2005. From reading the comments below, it could be the power supply, but I have not taken a chance, and just replaced them. I am very wary as one was on a portable tv and that is now no longer working,either, that smelt of burning the next day and lost the picture. could be related or not -

Mark, Yorkshire on December 18th, 2005
Like many others on here my power supply died today. Up until then I'd found it to be a good product with no problems. I have a power supply I bought for my for my digital camera from 7 day shop. It has adjustable voltage and a selection of connectors. I've just tried it and the box is now working fine again. Can't remember how much I paid for mine but they're currently £10 + £4 postage. This is a bit less than the £25 everyone else is being quoted so hopefully this will help some.

Mike London on December 17th, 2005
After 2 years, the picture started to display improperly + no sound. Phoned their customer service line, and was put on hold forever. Taped message said users needed to perform initial channel installation from 18 October 2005, which I tried several times, but did not fix the problem.

John, Scotland on December 15th, 2005
DFTA1 Would not switch on from standby red light only. Remote OK. Fault found PSU 5.5 volts instead of 6 volts. New 6 volt PSU cured problem. Hope this helps anyone with similar fault. Regards

Rich, Derby on December 11th, 2005
I bought one of these from Currys just over a year ago. Gerneally OK except for loss of signal sometimes and it seems to change the picture size between wide, 4:3 etc at ramdom. The power supply just died the other day, I replaced this and now it won't turn on, the red LED is on all the time.