TOP 10 best set-top boxes for digital TV according to customer reviews

Analog television is gradually becoming a thing of the past, which leads many to purchase a receiver for receiving digital TV. When choosing such a technique, you should consider 3 main points:

• TV tuner can receive a signal in T / DVB-T2, DVB-C and DVB-S standards (digital terrestrial, cable and satellite TV, respectively);
• the quality of reception depends on the receiving equipment, while models over 1000 rubles often have built-in signal amplifiers;
• additional functionality of set-top boxes for digital TV is most often reduced to Internet access, support for IPTV and online video services.

In order to buy a high-quality set-top box and not overpay, you need to determine what functions you need, and familiarize yourself with the TOP-10 rating of the best set-top boxes for digital TV in 2020, which I compiled based on the demand for models in the market and feedback from the owners.

STARWIND CT-100

A budget tuner of domestic production that supports DVB-T / DVB-T2, DVB-C standards. Receives a signal of terrestrial, digital and cable television in the maximum resolution Full HD. Has connectors: antenna input - 2 USB (1 - front and 1 - rear), HDMI, composite input of the power supply for 5v. Control - remote control and buttons on the body. Additional options: radio, teletext, program guide, recording to a USB flash drive, including with a time shift or timer, parental control. Price - 790 rubles.

Pros:

• price;
• compactness (115 × 23 × 65 mm);
• easy setup;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• connection via RCA or HDMI.

Minuses:

• sometimes freezes (solved by disconnecting from the network);
• no HDMI cable included;
• no display;
• does not support AC3;
• short power supply cable;
• small remote control.

The maximum budget device with the necessary functionality, showing surprisingly stable signal reception. Yandex. Market on this criterion rated it at 4.9 points out of 5. But rural residents need to test the tuner before buying or immediately take a more expensive model, for example, D-COLOR DC1301HD or Selenga HD950D: they more confidently receive a signal at a great distance from the repeater ...

Cadena CDT-1753SB

Tuner from a Chinese manufacturer, popular in the Russian market. It differs from STARWIND CT-100 by the presence of a display that shows the serial number of the channel on the air or the clock in standby mode. The receiver copes better with playing photos and videos from a flash drive, supports a large number of modern formats and codecs. It does not receive a DVB-C signal, it has 1 USB connector, although it is more expensive by 100 rubles. Is it worth paying more? Let's consider its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros:

• price;
• compactness;
• easy setup;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• connection via RCA or HDMI;
• LED display.

Minuses:

• the set does not include cables for connecting to a TV;
• sometimes it gets very hot, reboots;
• switches channels for a long time, periodically giving an error "No signal";
• short power supply cable;
• no HDMI cable included;
• does not support AC-3;
• small remote control.

It is difficult to recommend this model unequivocally. Yandex. Markets report cases of manufacturing defects, and the signal quality is rated at 4.6 out of 5 points.To justify the model, I can say that the signal stability depends on the receiving antenna. As with the STARWIND CT-100, you should test the device with your antenna and TV before purchasing.

TELEFUNKEN TF-DVBT224

The choice of Yandex. Market. It fundamentally differs from the two previous participants in the rating by its support for progressive scanning - it reproduces 50 frames per second, so the output image is more detailed. Supports AC-3 codec - no problems with Dolby Digital sound. Price - 910 rubles.

Pros:

• price;
• compactness;
• easy setup;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• connection via RCA or HDMI;
• LED display;
• progressive scan;
• support for AC3.

Minuses:

• sometimes freezes (the problem is solved by disconnecting from the network);
• the quality of the console;
• short power cable;
• no HDMI cable included;
• 1 USB port.

88% of Yandex. Marketa recommend this model, noting that the quality of signal reception is highly dependent on the receiving antenna. The price in this case is justified by the "omnivorous" media player. There will be no problems with playing video, music, viewing photos from a flash drive.

HARPER HDT2-5010

It has larger dimensions in comparison with competitors (168 × 37 × 95 mm.) Accepts only terrestrial digital TV. Equipped with standard connectors - antenna input, USB, HDMI, composite output. Price - 1090 rubles. It is justified by the stability of the signal reception.

Pros:

• price;
• easy setup;
• built-in power supply;
• stable signal reception compared to budget competitors;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• connection via RCA or HDMI;
• LED display.

Minuses:

• bright red display backlight;
• small remote control;
• does not accept DVB-C;
• no support for MKV and AC-3;
• no HDMI cable included;
• short power cord;
• 1 USB port.

Popular TV set-top box from Taiwan. Confidently receives a signal, does not experience problems with overheating and freezing. Since it does not accept cable TV, it does not support AC-3 codec, I recommend TELEFUNKEN TF-DVBT224. The main thing is to install and configure a high-quality antenna before use.

Selenga HD950D

Works with broadcasting standards DVB-T / T2 and DVB-C - digital terrestrial and cable television. Has 2 USB ports. Supports Dolby Digital, external hard drives. The functions of viewing IPTV, YouTube and MEGOGO, via a Wi-Fi adapter (not supplied) are declared. In practice, difficulties arise with this: the set-top box accepts far from all adapter models, heats up, freezes. Price - 1100 rubles.

Pros:

• easy setup;
• stable signal reception;
• built-in power supply;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• connection via RCA or HDMI;
• LED display;
• progressive scan;
• Dolby Digital support;
• additional functionality related to access to online video services.

Minuses:

• short power cord;
• no HDMI cable included;
• heats up a lot in the "Internet" mode;
• freezes when running IPTV, YouTube, other online services;
• the warranty seal is glued to the transport film of the case.

A good set-top box for receiving digital terrestrial and cable television. There are problems with additional functionality: to use IPTV, you need to look for compatible equipment, but even if successful, the set-top box heats up and freezes. It is advisable to pay 1100 rubles for it if the cheaper models did not cope with the reception of the TV signal.

BBK SMP240HDT2

The time-tested model appeared in 2015. It differs from all competitors above in dimensions and weight (132 × 32 × 117 mm, 400 g). This benefited performance: reliable reception of the DVB-T / T2 signal, less heating compared to budget competitors. Supports AC3. In terms of functions, everything is standard: video recording, including with a time shift, TV guide, teletext, parental control, video playback from a flash drive. Price - 1280 rubles.

Pros:

• easy setup;
• stable signal reception;
• built-in power supply;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• connection via RCA or HDMI;
• LED display;
• AC3 support.

Minuses:

• small remote control;
• short power cord;
• no HDMI cable included.

Good model in terms of price-quality ratio. The main part of users notes stable signal reception without freezes and overheating.

D-COLOR DC1301HD

Another reliable sample with reliable DVB-T / T2 signal reception. Has connectors USB, HDMI, antenna and composite outputs. When used as a media player, there is a problem - there is no support for many codecs, including AC3. Price - 1300 rubles.

Pros:

• easy setup;
• stable signal reception;
• built-in power supply;
• heats up noticeably less compared to cheaper models;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• connection via RCA or HDMI;
• LED display;
• rubberized feet.

Minuses:

• sometimes resets all settings;
• when disconnected from the network, the time sometimes gets lost;
• no support for AC3 and a number of other current codecs;
• short power cord;
• no HDMI cable included;
• small remote control;
• demanding on the receiving equipment - you need a good antenna, ideally - with an amplifier of the "T2 barrel" type.

Not a bad model, but for stable reception you need a good antenna with an amplifier. For almost the same price, I recommend the BBK SMP240HDT2 due to the AC3 support.

World Vision Foros Combo

The appearance of this receiver immediately reveals its belonging to the premium segment. Slightly rounded corners, a large display, beautiful buttons, the shape of the ventilation holes on the case - it looks solid, unlike the competitors presented in the rating above. The functionality has been expanded by installing the GX660 processor and the presence of 8 MB Flash and 64 MB RAM. Internet access is supported via a Wi-Fi adapter (not supplied). The manufacturer recommends using Ralink RT5370 or Mediatek MT7601, promising stable access to Youtube, Weather, IPTV player, Megogo, DVBFinder. There are 2 USB connectors: one can connect an adapter, and the other - a USB flash drive. The receiver has 2 built-in tuners: one for receiving satellite TV, the second for terrestrial digital and cable. In both cases, signal reception is stable. There is no composite output, instead it offers 3.5 mm (mini-jack) and an RCA adapter. Price - 1310 rubles.

Pros:

• appearance;
• functionality (access to online video services);
• progressive scan;
• confident signal reception in all digital TV standards;
• LED display;
• built-in power supply;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• support for AC3.

Minuses:

• small remote control;
• short power cord;
• no HDMI cable included;
• sometimes heats up a lot, freezes;
• not enough memory;
• able to understand a limited number of USB Wi-Fi adapters.

Multifunctional device of a well-known brand in the field of telecommunications at a reasonable price. It clearly wins against the background of the set-top boxes presented earlier in the rating, both in design and in multimedia capabilities. If possible, definitely choose this model. If you want to save money, consider the Selenga HD950D - the most affordable set-top box with network access. Models are cheaper to work on receiving a digital TV signal, but the reception stability sometimes leaves much to be desired.

Oriel 421D

It offers the user a reliable reception of the DVB-T / DVB-T2, DVB-C signal, a built-in browser for accessing the network and using IPTV (a Wi-Fi adapter is purchased separately for this purpose). In addition to standard connectors, it is equipped with a coaxial (SPDIF) output for connecting external speakers. The weak point of the model is the media player: it does not reproduce all formats. Price - 1390 rubles

Pros:

• appearance;
• functionality (access to online video services);
• confident signal reception;
• LED display;
• built-in power supply;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• support for AC3;
• coaxial digital audio output.

Minuses:

• remote control;
• the built-in media player does not support many formats;
• short power cord;
• no HDMI cable included;
• in the "Internet" mode does not reproduce all content, freezes.

Not a bad set-top box for watching digital TV. With access to the Internet, not everything is so transparent: the built-in browser is not very functional; when working with online video services, it may freeze and refuse to play individual content. Therefore, I recommend World Vision Foros Combo T2 / S2.The difference in price is minimal, it also has problems with access to the network, but it is possible to watch satellite TV.

LUMAX DV-4205HD

The most "advanced" receiver in the rating. Receives DVB-T2 and DVD-C signal. Has a built-in Wi-Fi adapter: access to content on the network - out of the box without the need to purchase additional equipment (cinema LUMAX, YouTube, Megogo), almost "omnivorous" media player, supports DLNA - transferring images from a smartphone, tablet to a TV screen via a wireless protocol ... The standard functions Time shift, TV guide, teletext, etc. have been implemented. There is a digital audio output for connecting acoustics. Price - 1690 rubles.

Pros:

• convenient universal remote control;
• built-in Wi-Fi adapter;
• functionality (access to online video services, powerful media player);
• confident signal reception;
• LED display;
• built-in power supply;
• recording and playback of video from a flash drive;
• support for AC3;
• coaxial digital audio output;
• DLNA support.

Minuses:

• short cord;
• no HDMI cable included;
• the "Internet" mode is incomplete - access to the network is limited, some content is not played.

Do you need built-in Wi-Fi on your digital TV set-top box? The expediency of purchasing a model depends on the answer. If so, the LUMAX DV-4205HD is what you need. If you don't plan on using the Internet, you can get a cheaper model, for example, the BBK SMP240HDT2 or D-COLOR DC1301HD. Savings - about 400 rubles.