Manhattan Plaza DT-100+

The basics

Don’t need the fancy likes of recording, HD pictures or media streaming but just want a standard definition Freeview box that works? Cast your eyes towards this cut-price cutie.

The good

The Plaza DT-100+ might be rather bare bones on the feature front but what it does it does very well indeed. RGB pictures through the SCART are of course standard def – with no HDMI there’s no option to upscale the image – but sharp and vibrant.

Digital file playback is pretty decent too, with MP3, OGG and WMA all supported alongside MPEG2 and VOB AVI video and JPEG, BMP and GIF still images.

There’s a customisable 7-day programme guide (you can order channels as you wish) and you can schedule up to 8 shows or movies you want to watch – if not actually record them.

The bad

As we say, it’s bare bones: there’s no upscaling, no recorder (not even via a connected USB device) and little aside from the absolute basics. But what do you expect from a Freeview box this cheap?

The bottom line

If all you want is a working Freeview box that costs much less than a steakhouse dinner, the Plaza DT-100+ is ideal. It’s not fancy, but it’s reliable.