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Technika is a brand exclusive to Tesco and is aimed at the cost conscious buyer, rather than those that want the best money can buy. The STBHDH2010 has neither a memorable name nor good looks, but its low price is sure to tempt anyone wanting to watch Freeview HD channels as cheaply as possible.
The tiny box has a single DVB-T2 tuner inside and has no recording capabilities whatsoever. It’s purely a playback device that allows you to tune into live Freeview broadcasts. Despite the low price, it has several features you wouldn’t expect. One is the 1m HDMI cable bundled in the box – this could save you a few quid more, and is far more convenient than buying one separately.
On the rear panel, you’ll also find USB and Ethernet ports in addition to the HDMI output, two scart sockets and an optical S/PDIF output (surround sound can be output via this or HDMI). Sadly the Ethernet port is ‘for future use’ and the USB port is currently only for firmware upgrades. However, it means Technika could roll out internet services such as iPlayer.
At the front, there’s a single blue LED to indicate whether the box is on or not – the rest of the display is shown on your TV screen. Surprisingly, the interface is better than many well-known brands. When you first connect the box, you’re asked to choose between a 16:9 and 4:3 display, a resolution (up to 1080p) and then a channel search is carried out.
There’s an 8-day EPG which is neatly presented. Two hours’ worth of information is shown for eight channels, and a blurb for the currently selected programme is shown at the top. To the right is the all-important video thumbnail so, unlike with Panasonic TVs, you can still watch and listen to the current programme while you browse. You can set programme reminders to ensure you don’t miss your favourite shows.
Similar to Sky and BT Vision boxes, it’s possible to scroll to the previous and next programme’s information blurb after pressing the ‘i’ button on the remote, as well as up and down to scroll between channels. The remote itself is sensibly laid out with large, well-labelled buttons.
It’s possible to create a list of favourite channels, and also lock certain channels so only those who know the PIN code can watch them. In general the box was quick to respond to the remote, but there were occasional quirks such as the need to press the Back button in the menu before you can exit it completely.
Image quality for standard definition channels was good, but not excellent. There were more artefacts visible than we usually see, making the text ticker on BBC News, for example, a little fuzzy. However, you’re unlikely to notice any problems in video without any text. High definition channels were as sharp as we’d expect, and looked fantastic on a 50in plasma TV.
For this price, the STBHDH2010 is a true bargain. It may lack internet services and any capability to play videos, photos or MP3s via the USB port, but if you only want to watch Freeview, it’s a no brainer.
